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mmccombs's review
I’m really unclear why the reviews for this book are so overwhelmingly positive. We start off with some weird statements about foster children and their parents (“parents who do drugs or are in prison are bad!!” uh, I dare you to read one book, preferably We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian). The relationship Lucy has with Christopher just does not seem realistic and often weirded me out, it just did not seem appropriate and Lucy’s mindset was so intensely off-base. Then we learn that Lucy won’t talk to her sister because she got more attention as a kid because she was… chronically ill? And then after that reveal, there is literally a line that says “your sister is chronically ill, and while being a parent is a full time job, being a parent to a chronically ill child makes you a prisoner to the illness.” What?! Holy ableism batman! I powered through the weird adoption stuff and the 2 Harry Potter references (in the first 50 pages, no less!), but had to draw the line here. Just reeks of white privilege and ableism and just a lack of care for the more serious story being told here, in favor of getting to the cozy, magical, happy ending I can already see from a mile away. I was excited for the premise, but the execution was just way off, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
bookcasey's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Child death, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Medical content
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