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A review by kiakrat
A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book held my interest enough to finish it but so many things in the book didn’t make sense to me. In no particular order:
1. If Natalie loves her cat, she’s not going to have a roommate/best friend who hates her cat.
2. The whole plot about penguin going missing seemed random and unnecessary.
3. The flashback to “that night” was unnecessary since it’s the only time we jump in time like that. It would have made more sense to reveal what had happened through context etc rather than slapping us in the face with it.
4. The biggest one. Why does everyone seem to think Natalie did something so wrong by calling the police? If their friend overdosed, one of her siblings could have too. She might have saved their lives. Shouldn’t they be the ones apologizing to her for being irresponsible older siblings and putting her in that position to start with? Even if they felt betrayed and were angry at the time, it’s still not Natalie’s fault that they were doing something illegal and dangerous.
5. I can sort of understand the stepdad not reaching out when the mom was sick if she asked him not to, but why wouldn’t he have reached out after she died to let her kids know?
6. I never understood why the mom cut all her kids out of her life. This subject was brought up a lot but could have been explored more.
7. As someone in science research, the portrayal of academia didn’t seem very realistic to me.
8. The way domestic violence was covered seemed too light-hearted. That situation is seriously terrifying and I didn’t feel like it was handled with the gravity warranted.
9. Why did it have to be so graphic? The descriptions of dead animals and bodily fluids. Seemed incongruous with the rest of the book’s vibe.
1. If Natalie loves her cat, she’s not going to have a roommate/best friend who hates her cat.
2. The whole plot about penguin going missing seemed random and unnecessary.
3. The flashback to “that night” was unnecessary since it’s the only time we jump in time like that. It would have made more sense to reveal what had happened through context etc rather than slapping us in the face with it.
4. The biggest one. Why does everyone seem to think Natalie did something so wrong by calling the police? If their friend overdosed, one of her siblings could have too. She might have saved their lives. Shouldn’t they be the ones apologizing to her for being irresponsible older siblings and putting her in that position to start with? Even if they felt betrayed and were angry at the time, it’s still not Natalie’s fault that they were doing something illegal and dangerous.
5. I can sort of understand the stepdad not reaching out when the mom was sick if she asked him not to, but why wouldn’t he have reached out after she died to let her kids know?
6. I never understood why the mom cut all her kids out of her life. This subject was brought up a lot but could have been explored more.
7. As someone in science research, the portrayal of academia didn’t seem very realistic to me.
8. The way domestic violence was covered seemed too light-hearted. That situation is seriously terrifying and I didn’t feel like it was handled with the gravity warranted.
9. Why did it have to be so graphic? The descriptions of dead animals and bodily fluids. Seemed incongruous with the rest of the book’s vibe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Violence