I mean, it was fine. A press health book: so you kind of get what you get, and no resource is a bad resource. I do think that if you're looking for literature on grief, either the science or the experience of it, there are better options out there that cover just about everything this book does.

Load-bearing narrative arc! I really couldn't put it down. This GN hits a fever-pitch in its swing towards the finale - while obviously there was a LOT of story that needed condensed into <300 pages, I think it was done pretty admirably! I have forced myself to take a breather and savor the moment before starting on Story and Song 🥹

Starting to shift into high gear with this one!! I love this arc as the turning point where bigger questions start to come into the narrative - I have never been so nostalgic for a podcast in my life. I think, artistically, the GN has a lovely way of transitioning in and out of flashbacks. I put this book down feeling desperate to pick up the next one!

This was so fun and atmospheric! There was something so cinematic and classic horror about this whole story - from the major beats, to the pacing, to the ending that was left optimistically open-ended in case a sequel might be optioned. For my part, I liked jumping between a cast of characters with so many moving parts and distinct motivations.

I mean I can't stress this part enough: it wasn't exactly bad! A little much maybe, in a few different departments, but it probably achieved what it set out to do. Very tropey in ways that didn't work for me, but in its defense I DID end up reading the sequel in the time between finishing the book and writing this review.

This was such an interesting one - I think what pushed it up in my esteem was the fact that I'm currently parenting a preschool-aged kid. The book is so funny and tender in its handling of children. The preschoolers inhabiting the novel are very true-to-life.

Go in expecting introspective, stream-of-consciousness writing as you move through a day in the life (of what I suspect may be the author's auto-fictional narrator).

This bad boy can fit so many stories in it! Definitely sets a different pace than the books that preceded it - much busier. It plays much more with the concept of stories and legends, how they are formed and how they change, in a way that I absolutely loved. The ending ties the book together!! I was charmed!