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readingpicnic's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The ending of the book felt so rushed to me, and most of the characters were hardly developed. All I knew about the one non-binary character was their name.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
lavendoves's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It was pretty a mysterious and sad read with a bit of hope. Interesting way to tell a story of how one can overcome or start to heal from trauma.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
malloryfitz's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse
kierscrivener's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is not a frightening horror, but uses ghosts to explore mental health in foster kids.
Mila has aged out of the foster system, so she goes to a rural farm where she teaches younger foster kids school, and where they eat a lot of soup and ghosts dance in the fields and manifest their trauma.
It is not a terrifying books, but it is one that discusses ptsd and using haunting as a way of showing flashbacks. It was a good book that kept me invested and wanting to know more.
Mila has aged out of the foster system, so she goes to a rural farm where she teaches younger foster kids school, and where they eat a lot of soup and ghosts dance in the fields and manifest their trauma.
It is not a terrifying books, but it is one that discusses ptsd and using haunting as a way of showing flashbacks. It was a good book that kept me invested and wanting to know more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
mossybean's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
bwritesreviews's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Spoiler-free Thoughts: Overall, I thought it was a good book but there were some aspects of it that fell short or I felt didn't make much sense. The writing voice was really good, I love how Nina LaCour gets into the heads of characters.
Characters: 5/5
Overall, I believe the characters in this novel were well written! The story is narrated in third person limited, so you only really get to see how Mila feels about what is happening. This works for the story, since her own questioning of what’s happening around her leads to the feel of unease. The side characters are also well written, if a little underdeveloped. The relationship between characters are very written
Writing Style: 5/5
The novel was very well written. Nina LaCour knows how to create a sense of unease in a scene. Reading it felt like I was watching a psychological thriller. The book alternates between current day scenes and flashbacks, as time goes on you get drawn more and more into the story and that’s definitely due to the writing style. The unease is palpable, almost like you’re waiting for a jump scare but you don’t know why. Nina LaCour definitely knows how to Show Don’t Tell, Mila’s narrative voice works very well with the genre.
Plot: 4/5
I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. However, there were some things involving the plot that didn’t make full sense. I understand where Nina LaCour was going, but some plot points fell flat. There was so much “Show Don’t Tell” happening, that I felt like I needed to be told some things. A few plot points were not necessarily needed for the whole of the novel, they seemed a little out of place. In a non-spoiler-y way, I found the ending slightly dissatisfying, and I’ll leave it at that.
Recommended for: people who like psychological thrillers, fans of realistic magic, fans of Midsommar
Movie Rating: PG-13
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
abigailanna's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief
Moderate: Death and Physical abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content
sunnyreads's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The second book by Nina LaCour I've read, and this one is so amazing. I really loved it. Watch Over Me is if the movie Gaslight and The Turn of the Screw came together in a story. I really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Grief
Gaslightinginvaderday's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
god reading any nina lacour book is such an emotional experience. there's a scene early on when the main character literally just organizes a supply closet and i was on the edge of my seat
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Physical abuse
whatellisreadnext's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬—𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦," 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. "𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳."
Mila accepts a job as a teacher on a remote farm. She is used to being alone, spending most of her life in foster care. The job is everything she could have a dreamed of, but it turns out the farm is full of ghosts.
I loved this book. It was my first time reading Nina Lacour but it definitely won't be my last. I've seen people saying she writes loneliness like nobody else, and they aren't wrong. Sitting at 261 pages, this is the perfect little ghost story, but it is so much deeper than that. If you're sick of the generic spooks, and are craving something with more meaning and heart, then this just might be the ticket for you.
Lacour's writing truly transported me to this secluded farm by the sea. I honestly felt like I could smell the place. I wanted so badly to live in that tiny cabin with my own wood burner. To spend my Sunday mornings at the farmers market and then in the afternoon, spend the money I'd earned in a bookshop. To make my own butter, and put it on bread to dunk in some homemade soup. It is literally an introverts paradise.
This is the book I'll probably spend all Autumn forcing on anybody who will listen💃🏻
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.
𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬—𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦," 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. "𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳."
Mila accepts a job as a teacher on a remote farm. She is used to being alone, spending most of her life in foster care. The job is everything she could have a dreamed of, but it turns out the farm is full of ghosts.
I loved this book. It was my first time reading Nina Lacour but it definitely won't be my last. I've seen people saying she writes loneliness like nobody else, and they aren't wrong. Sitting at 261 pages, this is the perfect little ghost story, but it is so much deeper than that. If you're sick of the generic spooks, and are craving something with more meaning and heart, then this just might be the ticket for you.
Lacour's writing truly transported me to this secluded farm by the sea. I honestly felt like I could smell the place. I wanted so badly to live in that tiny cabin with my own wood burner. To spend my Sunday mornings at the farmers market and then in the afternoon, spend the money I'd earned in a bookshop. To make my own butter, and put it on bread to dunk in some homemade soup. It is literally an introverts paradise.
This is the book I'll probably spend all Autumn forcing on anybody who will listen💃🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
More...