Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Boy Who Steals Houses

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

22 reviews

leahegood's review

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Summary
Sammy Lou is 15 and on his way to jail if the police ever catch up to him. He never meant to be this way--punching people and breaking into houses--but how else is he supposed to prevent people from hurting his older, autistic brother and how else is he supposed to get the tiny tastes of home that he so desperately, secretly craves?

And then, one day, his house stealing goes terribly wrong in the most terrifyingly perfect way. He wakes up in a stolen house to find the family home, and they catch him sneaking out. To his astounded shock, though, they all think he belongs, assuming he's one sibling or another's friend. The stolen sense of being wanted is more than Sammy Lou can resist, but it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down. He knows that. And he still can't force himself to turn away.

My Thoughts
After I got over the inital surprise of third person, present tense narration this story sucked me in right away. You can't help but feel sympathy for Sam's situation--his desperation to protect his brother, his efforts to ignore his wish for someone to protect him, his dream for a home and all the wrong ways he goes about trying to acheive that dream because there really aren't any other options available to him.

There's some typical MG/YA "lets keep the parents out of the picture as long as possible" storytelling that was both a slight need to suspend disbelief and also, as an older reader, a sense of "please, kids, don't do this at home." If I had read this in my early teens, this element would have been total wish fulfillment, though, even if I knew it wasn't realistic. And I appreciated the depiction of healthy fatherhood and compassionate manhood in Mr. De Lainey, even if he was a bit overly oblivious for the sake of the YA genre.

The word selection in this book was delicious. "He thinks of Moxie and her sewing needles and thimbles and her lemony frown."

I also appreciated that, while the story (rightly so) cast Sam in a sympathetic light and dwelled in the "honeymoon phase" of his introduction to the De Lainey family, it avoided acting like a friendly family and a high school romance could heal a lifetime of abuse and neglect. The ending was textbook for a hope-infused ending that didn't unrealistically solve every probelm.

Content
Romance: Sam finds Moxie attractive (his mental admiration is PG and generally respectful) and, as their friendship progresses, his reactions to her physical proximity are sometimes described. For example, as she's giving him a haircut: "...she goes on, unaware of the explosions happening under her fingertips every time she touches him." Later on in the story, the two cuddle (again, not descriptive) and kiss (not descriptive but frequent). One of Moxie's older brothers is also dating and one brother's ex-boyfriend is mentioned in passing. Her brother's collectively give Sam the "protective big brother" speech.

Language: Some minor swearing is spelled out and more swearing is implied. The De Lainey father routinely disciplines his children for swearing.

Violence: Sam's childhood memories are filled with neglect and abuse. He sometimes lashes out in frantic defense of others and is injured multiple times throughout the story. Though nothing is graphic, the poetic descriptions may invoke more vivid imagery for readers with good imaginations and sensitive hearts.ima

Religion: The De Lainey's mother was catholic and the children still attend a Catholic school. None of the characters in the story seem to be religious and religion is not discussed outside of the De Lainey's explaining certain family rules that exist out of respect for their mother's faith.

Content Warnings

wjb11's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While I did enjoy this book, it gives (especially the beginning) a very much big vibe of I hate my autistic sibling they are the cause of all my problems, and as an autistic person that made me angry and anxious that my siblings hated me for that

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anikaslibrary's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-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

This book had me sobbing buckets, depressed and yet I still couldn't put it down. I was excited to keep reading every time. It's such a heartfelt story, you really grow attached to the characters. It is truly a beautiful story and made me feel everything. I felt like I was highlighting every 2 seconds because there are so many lines in this book that are pure art and many times where I couldn't help but praise the author for her incredible imagery and humor amidst the dark themes. I have never read books with an autistic character but I have met many people in my life that are autistic and to see the inner-workings of their brains and the issues they go through were incredibly heartbreaking to hear. And Sammy's love for his brother makes me want to bundle him up and haul him away so he can be safe and protected.
The De Laineys are wonderful people and

the fact that the social worker was trying to keep Sammy away from Avery just goes to show that the system doesn’t care about kids, just about trying to set them right.

I love that the story ended beautifully with not a resolution to everything but everything that Sammy cares about. It's an ending that promotes the fact that cycles can be broken, and it starts with listening and caring about people. It’s a real ending, albeit a sad one.
This just makes me so excited to read more of CG Lewis’ books!

Content Warnings

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

“He's officially taken house burglary to the next level. Forget stealing a bed, a key, a home for the night. He's stealing families and their Sunday lunches.”

➽ I finally read The Boy Who Steals Houses and really enjoyed it! I loved the author's blog and still remember when she talked about writing this project, so I was excited that it ended up getting published! It still took me a while to get around to reading it, as I knew this would be super sad and heartbreaking 😢 The premise is so intriguing, as it follows 15-year-old Sam who 'steals' houses as he dreams of having a real home one day. Abandoned by his abusive father and hated by his aunt, Sam doesn't have anywhere to stay. He breaks into empty houses when people are away on vacation or have moved out. Sam doesn't have anyone left except for his older brother Avery, who is autistic and struggling to hold onto his mechanic job. Both of them are underage, but had to leave their aunt's home, as she didn't want them and was horribly ableist to Avery.

➽ I really felt for Sam. He's always had to take care of his brother, as most adults just tried to 'fix' Avery instead of helping him. Sam's always worried someone will take advantage of his brother because he often misses social cues and can be too kind-hearted. There was a lot of love between the brothers, but also so much pain. It is a complicated relationship, as Sam feels responsible for fixing Avery's messes and often acts like the older brother. Meanwhile, Avery struggles with Sam starting fights for him, as it triggers bad memories. Throughout the book, Sam and Avery have very different ideas of what their future might look like, especially once Sam grows closer to the De Lainey family. I have to admit that I struggled with Avery sometimes as I felt like he took his brother's support for granted.

➽ I also loved the De Lainey family! Sam messes up and ends up sleeping in a house that's very much inhabiated, though very chaotic. Through sheer luck, he ends up growing closer to the other kids, as it's a big family and everyone assumes someone else invited him. Sam feels guilty, but it's so nice to enjoy a normal day and be part of a family. Without them, he's practically homeless and no one knows his past, so it feels like he has friends for the first time. The De Lainey family is messy and not perfect, but there is so much love there that draws in Sam like a beacon. I didn't really feel the romance between him and Moxie, but I liked their friendship! I was afraid Moxie would be too 'quirky' for me, but I liked that the story focused on her struggles with her family and grief for her mother. I felt for her conflicting emotions and frustration with always being delegated as the babysitter, just because she's the oldest girl.

Content Warnings

maryam16080208's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

elenabluenette's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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emeryyy's review

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emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

ahhh i don't know what to say. it took me forever to start this, and then it took me way too long to finish this because of uni and finals (and an unfortunate incident where someone put the library book on hold before i was done with it lmao) but this was so good!! you know when you're not that far into a book but you can just *tell* you're going to love it? that's what happened

i think the best way to describe this book is "full of emotions." Sam and Avery deserved so much better 😭 i absolutely loved the relationships between the De Laineys - there was so much chaos and warmth, messiness and brightness. i haven't read very many books with autism rep (something i'm trying to fix), but i thought this was really well written

Content Warnings