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tallbox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
debbiebarr's review against another edition
3.0
This book had potential. The plot was intriguing, the idea of split worlds and people stepping out of their skins... but the execution was disastrous. The use of present-tense was incredibly distracting throughout the entire book, and took away from what could have been good. Also, just because your main character is a troubled teenager does not mean he has an excuse to use the F-word multiple times, and have sex with whoever he likes.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
5.0
This book felt like a kick in the gut. The characters were flawed and raw and real and there was so much going on for everyone that I couldn't read it fast enough. I loved it and some of the feelings and interaction of the characters will linger with me long after this gets returned to the library.
littlelizzieborden's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.0
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Kate Racculia's debut novel has a fantastic first half, stumbles a little and then makes it securely across the finish line. Arthur Rook is knocked sideways by the sudden death of his wife. He gathers his wife's shoebox of momentoes and her cat and takes off for her hometown, specifically the boarding house run by her childhood best friend. There he meets Mona and her daughter Oneida, who is dealing with adolescence and with connecting with her peers. Racculia writes with a light and thoughtful tone, respecting her characters and weaving in odd lines of rock lyrics. She does seem to waver towards the end on whether to be coldly rational or sentimental, but she pulls it all out in the end. I do like the cleverness of her writing and will certainly pick up her next book.
mldias's review against another edition
4.0
Before you crack open this book, understand something vital: Whatever you think you know about these characters, you're, at best, only half-right. That doesn't mean that this is a mind-bender of Murakami proportions, though there are some pretty significant twists. It means that the characters have depth.
This is the warm, sometimes whimsical story of Amy Rook and the people she left behind. There is Arthur, her shattered husband; Mona, her erstwhile best friend, the girl who always cleaned up after her; and Oneida, Mona's quirky teenage daughter. On their periphery is Eugene/Wendy, boyfriend of Oneida and son of Astor, a security guard with a surprising extracurricular activity.
Mona runs a boarding house populated by quirky side characters and fondant cake creations. She makes a decent living baking wedding cakes, but has a hard time living down her spotty reputation about town (the fictional Ruby Falls, New York). As the story progresses, however, we learn that all is not as it seems, and Mona's reputation is built upon a foundation of rumor and misunderstanding that she has done nothing to contradict. When a lost and grief-stricken Arthur shows up at her boardinghouse seeking answers about his late wife, she realizes that her days of truth-dodging are over.
The story unfolds from four alternating points of view: Arthur's, Mona's, Oneida's, and Eugene's. All we have of Amy are the artifacts and people she's left behind, so all we gain is an incomplete picture of a woman who, for better or worse, was quite complex. It would be easy to dismiss her as a selfish, heartless woman who probably drank too much (several flashbacks feature her in a tipsy or drunken state). But all we have are a handful of memories and revelations that paint a rather fuzzy picture. Did I like Amy? Not particularly. That said, I also recognize that my experience with her was extraordinarily limited.
This is quite a debut. It's difficult to categorize This Must Be the Place, with its mixed bag of young adult, chick lit, and romance elements. Racculia's writing is simultaneously smart and warm, and her characters are remarkably well-developed. And the banter snaps, crackles, and pops, as all good banter should.
(Disclaimer: Henry Holt and Company sent me a review copy of this book.)
This is the warm, sometimes whimsical story of Amy Rook and the people she left behind. There is Arthur, her shattered husband; Mona, her erstwhile best friend, the girl who always cleaned up after her; and Oneida, Mona's quirky teenage daughter. On their periphery is Eugene/Wendy, boyfriend of Oneida and son of Astor, a security guard with a surprising extracurricular activity.
Mona runs a boarding house populated by quirky side characters and fondant cake creations. She makes a decent living baking wedding cakes, but has a hard time living down her spotty reputation about town (the fictional Ruby Falls, New York). As the story progresses, however, we learn that all is not as it seems, and Mona's reputation is built upon a foundation of rumor and misunderstanding that she has done nothing to contradict. When a lost and grief-stricken Arthur shows up at her boardinghouse seeking answers about his late wife, she realizes that her days of truth-dodging are over.
The story unfolds from four alternating points of view: Arthur's, Mona's, Oneida's, and Eugene's. All we have of Amy are the artifacts and people she's left behind, so all we gain is an incomplete picture of a woman who, for better or worse, was quite complex. It would be easy to dismiss her as a selfish, heartless woman who probably drank too much (several flashbacks feature her in a tipsy or drunken state). But all we have are a handful of memories and revelations that paint a rather fuzzy picture. Did I like Amy? Not particularly. That said, I also recognize that my experience with her was extraordinarily limited.
This is quite a debut. It's difficult to categorize This Must Be the Place, with its mixed bag of young adult, chick lit, and romance elements. Racculia's writing is simultaneously smart and warm, and her characters are remarkably well-developed. And the banter snaps, crackles, and pops, as all good banter should.
(Disclaimer: Henry Holt and Company sent me a review copy of this book.)
h0pesheart's review against another edition
5.0
One of my most cherished and favourite books. After reading a friends copy in grade seven, I've been looking for my own so I could reread the adventure and heartbreak and hope all over again. This books is beautifully written, and definitely has a special space on my bookshelf.
emjay2021's review against another edition
2.0
I started listening to this as an audiobook while we were travelling because I had enjoyed the author's previous audiobook (Bellweather Rhapsody) well enough. It was a bit predictable (and we are talking me here--I almost never figure out plot twists ahead of time) but I did like the characters. The narrator wasn't as good as the Bellweather Rhapsody narrator, but she was OK. A reasonably pleasant way to pass the time, but like BR, it was too long. It needed editing! The ending dragged a bit, which is why I listened to about 80% of it within a week or so and then it took me another 4 months to listen to the last 20%. Poor Kate Racculia; I think she has potential! I'll still check out the next book she writes because I think she is inventive--she just needs polish.
jenniferlyoung's review against another edition
2.0
Page 243. PAGE 243!!! That is how long the author took to spit out what she had been foreshadowing since, oh around page 2. Racculia is a very good writer, I just think this book could have used a better editor. It was much too long. In fact, it would have been best as a short story or novella. I wish more focus were given to the residents of the Darby Jones. I think that would have been more interesting than the Oneida & Wendy/Eugene/Wendell/Gene side plot. Dani and Oneida magically becoming friends in 5 minutes was totally unbelievable. And, it was implied that Mona and Oneida never actually discussed the fact that Amy was her real mother. What?? There were some good points, but I do not recommend this book.
cheye13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Friendship required more faith than any other kind of love, more faith than Oneida thought she was capable of having. But then she thought, What the hell is the point of faith if you never take anything on it?”
One of those books I think I simply read at precisely the right time. There's nothing spectacular about it; it's a slice of small-town life, and not even that interesting of one in the first place. But it's messy and beautiful and perfect. One of those literary stories that pick out the beautiful in the mundane and make you sit with it for a moment.
The book sits on the premise of a mystery, but I appreciate that it's not written like a thriller. That meant that when I predicted "twists" or "reveals" with certainty rather early, the rest of the story was still worth reading. The flash forward alone, that iirc begins with the quote I cited, would earn it 5 stars from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Gore, Suicide, and Adult/minor relationship