kelli_legeyt's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars... Good story, some unexpected turns... Slow to get into.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
This book has such real insights about parenting, what it means to be a family, and what's really important in life. Here's a quote that I just loved: "Love is not a zero-sum game; there is no even-steven. There are only acts of grace, large and small, through which we reveal who we are." Well said!
--Recommended by Andrea
--Recommended by Andrea
kristidremljuga's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
molli526's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I liked the story but it got a little lost at times .
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book fascinating - interesting plot and storyline, characters that were vibrant (although sometimes too much like a caricature). I didn't want to put it down. You could definitely see the author's personal idiosyncrasies come through in the minutia of the characters.
karak's review against another edition
2.0
I really, really disliked this book.
Eliot is in a relationship/in love with Grant. Grant is flaky, and overly supportive of his even more flaky ex, Beth (or Lizzie). Eliot has two sisters, an overbearing mother and an absent father. To say that Eliot is a failure at healthy relationships would be an understatement. Oh, and Eliot's ex boyfriend from college shows up in Georgia. The whole book is fucked up people engaging in bad decisions. Then, one of the kids gets hurt, and things get worse for poor Eliot (who I could never find sympathy for, because she was a horrible person). Then, miracles occur in the last 40 pages of the book that ties up everything in a neat bow. Ugh.
Eliot is in a relationship/in love with Grant. Grant is flaky, and overly supportive of his even more flaky ex, Beth (or Lizzie). Eliot has two sisters, an overbearing mother and an absent father. To say that Eliot is a failure at healthy relationships would be an understatement. Oh, and Eliot's ex boyfriend from college shows up in Georgia. The whole book is fucked up people engaging in bad decisions. Then, one of the kids gets hurt, and things get worse for poor Eliot (who I could never find sympathy for, because she was a horrible person). Then, miracles occur in the last 40 pages of the book that ties up everything in a neat bow. Ugh.
tonimariep's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. Pros: great writing about difficulty of parenting and the choices you made in life. Large and small. Cons: sort of drags in the middle, main character makes stupid mistakes and the tragic outcomes are hard to digest. But pretty gripping all in all.
kate_elizabeth's review against another edition
3.0
"Love is not a zero-sum game; there is no even-steven. There are only acts of grace, large and small, through which we reveal who we are."
"And in life, just as in fiction, we are each the sum total of all the stories that have preceded us, stories that are in us and of us, however unique our DNA."
I found myself enjoying this book even as it moved slowly and not a lot happened (at least at first). Jillian Medoff creates such believable characters and it's so easy to immerse yourself in their stories, because there's so much to relate to.
(Except for Sylvia. I hate Sylvia.)
"And in life, just as in fiction, we are each the sum total of all the stories that have preceded us, stories that are in us and of us, however unique our DNA."
I found myself enjoying this book even as it moved slowly and not a lot happened (at least at first). Jillian Medoff creates such believable characters and it's so easy to immerse yourself in their stories, because there's so much to relate to.
(Except for Sylvia. I hate Sylvia.)