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thebookkeepers's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This little book packed a considerable punch. I went into this expecting a young adult contemporary novel but it was more profound than that. Told with prose, the reader experiences the grief and reconciliation of a 16-year-old girl who learns suddenly that her estranged mother passed away months before. This story requires the reader's attention and will make you think deeper than many young adult novels I've read. It's layered with nuances and things aren't always straight out explained to the reader, which I loved. While everything wasn't answered entirely, I feel like that was the intent of the author, and was satisfied with how it wrapped up. There were times we jumped from dream states, to present, to past and I'd have to slow down to prevent getting lost. This slight discombobulation is what kept this from being a 5-star read for me.
Topics include nuanced family drama, broken families, generational trauma, addiction, and coming of age.
Topics include nuanced family drama, broken families, generational trauma, addiction, and coming of age.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
foreverinastory's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Reflective like Iloh's debut, but in a different way.
I claimed a copy of Break This House by Candice Iloh from Bookish First. I absolutely loved Iloh’s verse debut, Everybody Looking, and so I was really eager for their prose debut. Break this House is a coming of age story about grief, divorce and familial estrangement. This book was set up to be a new favorite for me, but my brain constantly kept getting distracted. So while I did enjoy what I recall from this one, I am putting this one aside with a mini review of Not Right Now (NRN). The themes of grief and family tension were well done, but it was almost too evocative. I think with all the chaos of the past month, I couldn’t devote the time and brain power a serious book like this one needs. Iloh still has the gripping writing I came to admire from their debut, so I am excited when I do get a chance to pick this one back up.
Rep: Black cis female MC, Black cast.
CWs: Grief, death of parent. Moderate: Mental illness (depression - not the MC), addiction, drug use, alcohol consumption, cancer, death, possible suicide (left unclear).
Reflective like Iloh's debut, but in a different way.
I claimed a copy of Break This House by Candice Iloh from Bookish First. I absolutely loved Iloh’s verse debut, Everybody Looking, and so I was really eager for their prose debut. Break this House is a coming of age story about grief, divorce and familial estrangement. This book was set up to be a new favorite for me, but my brain constantly kept getting distracted. So while I did enjoy what I recall from this one, I am putting this one aside with a mini review of Not Right Now (NRN). The themes of grief and family tension were well done, but it was almost too evocative. I think with all the chaos of the past month, I couldn’t devote the time and brain power a serious book like this one needs. Iloh still has the gripping writing I came to admire from their debut, so I am excited when I do get a chance to pick this one back up.
Rep: Black cis female MC, Black cast.
CWs: Grief, death of parent. Moderate: Mental illness (depression - not the MC), addiction, drug use, alcohol consumption, cancer, death, possible suicide (left unclear).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, and Alcohol
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