queertrovert's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the heartbreak woven throughout, this is still a sunny, fluffy, easy read. It’s memorable for the premise, but otherwise just... ‘pleasant’ I guess. A certain type of reader will shed a few tears though, I’m sure.
Definite TW for hospitals, accidents etc.!
Definite TW for hospitals, accidents etc.!
naataashaa7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
starryeved's review against another edition
3.0
An optimistic story about compassion and living your life to the fullest.
Thelma's—career-oriented single mother—world is upended when her beloved twelve year-old son Louis gets into an accident and is hospitalized, with a month-long waiting period before the doctors pull his plug. When she finds Louis' Book of Wonders—a bucket list, of sorts—she sets out on a journey to finish his wishes in hopes he'll wake up.
A mashup of every fluffy feel-good I've read and the quintessential "dysfunctional family bonds over road trip" and "working woman reinvents herself and rediscovers passion in life" movies. The up side of that is that yay! happy times to be had!. The down side is that this plot was so contained and tidy that there were no surprises, that everything was too fast for me to enjoy.
Sandrel's writing is easily navigable and fast to read, engaging as rom-coms and feel-goods tend to be. However, she brought up so many good themes—family bonding, misogyny in the workplace, consent—that lapped up like waves and then disappeared. I wanted to see and feel more of Thelma's travels in Japan and Hungary, and I wanted to see more development in Thelma's past and present relationships. I even wanted to see some differentiation between Thelma and Louis' POVs, but their voices sounded the same. I wanted some conflict. Alas, I was disappointed.
This had great potential, so I'm giving it an extra star because the message was very sweet and it was a very well-meaning book, and I'm feeling lenient. In reality, it was alright.
Ultimately, The Book of Wonders promises more than it actually delivers, but it's quite a kind, positive story about motherhood and fulfilling your potential in life.
Thelma's—career-oriented single mother—world is upended when her beloved twelve year-old son Louis gets into an accident and is hospitalized, with a month-long waiting period before the doctors pull his plug. When she finds Louis' Book of Wonders—a bucket list, of sorts—she sets out on a journey to finish his wishes in hopes he'll wake up.
A mashup of every fluffy feel-good I've read and the quintessential "dysfunctional family bonds over road trip" and "working woman reinvents herself and rediscovers passion in life" movies. The up side of that is that yay! happy times to be had!. The down side is that this plot was so contained and tidy that there were no surprises, that everything was too fast for me to enjoy.
Sandrel's writing is easily navigable and fast to read, engaging as rom-coms and feel-goods tend to be. However, she brought up so many good themes—family bonding, misogyny in the workplace, consent—that lapped up like waves and then disappeared. I wanted to see and feel more of Thelma's travels in Japan and Hungary, and I wanted to see more development in Thelma's past and present relationships. I even wanted to see some differentiation between Thelma and Louis' POVs, but their voices sounded the same. I wanted some conflict. Alas, I was disappointed.
This had great potential, so I'm giving it an extra star because the message was very sweet and it was a very well-meaning book, and I'm feeling lenient. In reality, it was alright.
Ultimately, The Book of Wonders promises more than it actually delivers, but it's quite a kind, positive story about motherhood and fulfilling your potential in life.
kati_henze's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
loverbot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
kirstyoughton's review against another edition
5.0
Well I can’t recommend ‘The Book of Wonders’ enough and I’m beyond excited that this book is being released into the world. I devoured it in two days and that’s only because I wasn’t able to read it in one sitting!
Thelma is a hardworking single mum who
would do anything for her son Louis, quite like any mother. She faces her worst nightmare but carries on living for Louis with his book of wonders, everything he wants to accomplish in his life. She also learns a lot about her son. Thelma also realises what’s most important in her life. The chapters are short so it’s easy to put it down when needed, not that I wanted to put it down.
Julien has created a compelling, compassionate story that shows the special relationship that a mother and son have and when faced with devastation she is determined to bring her son back. This is such a poignant story about love, family, hope and most of all living life to the fullest as you don’t know what is around the corner ❤️
‘The Book of Wonders’ has to be one of my favourite reads of 2019 so far and very much deserving of 5*/5*. It is a must read that tugs on your heart strings 🙂
Thank you so much to Milly at Quercus Books for an advanced copy of this book.
Thelma is a hardworking single mum who
would do anything for her son Louis, quite like any mother. She faces her worst nightmare but carries on living for Louis with his book of wonders, everything he wants to accomplish in his life. She also learns a lot about her son. Thelma also realises what’s most important in her life. The chapters are short so it’s easy to put it down when needed, not that I wanted to put it down.
Julien has created a compelling, compassionate story that shows the special relationship that a mother and son have and when faced with devastation she is determined to bring her son back. This is such a poignant story about love, family, hope and most of all living life to the fullest as you don’t know what is around the corner ❤️
‘The Book of Wonders’ has to be one of my favourite reads of 2019 so far and very much deserving of 5*/5*. It is a must read that tugs on your heart strings 🙂
Thank you so much to Milly at Quercus Books for an advanced copy of this book.
womanon's review against another edition
3.0
This was an absolutely adorable read, and is definitely inspiring!
lialialia01's review against another edition
4.0
Un buen libro, a veces se siente un poco de superación personal, pero aún así me gustó. Trata bastante bien el dolor y el sufrimiento de la madre.