Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Boy Who Steals Houses

I first heard about The Boy Who Steals Houses back when it was still a work-in-progress. C.G. Drews described it on her blog as "a genderbent Goldilocks retelling" and I knew I had to read it when it came out.

The story follows 15-years-old Sam and his autistic older brother Avery as they try to survive by themselves after having been abandoned by every family member they've ever had. Fleeing from physical and emotional abuse, as well as his mistakes from the past, Sam frequently breaks into houses when their owners are away to have a place to stay. Despite his circumstances, he dreams of one day buying a house for himself and his Avery, a place they can both call home.

That is, of course, until the day Sam gets caught when one big, chaotic family comes home early- except each sibling assumes he's friends with another sibling, and Sam has to keep up the charade until he can get away. But is it even possible to distance yourself from the De Lainey's when you're starved of love and warmth? Would Sam risk coming back for more, even if it means having the ugly truth revealed and facing the consequences?

This novel is one of, if not my favorite YA book. The story itself could be seen as low-key, but the stakes feel as high as a save-the-universe scenario. And that is because of this book's greatest strength: its characters. As the main character, Sam is a complex but incredibly loveable kid, who has deep flaws but who wants to do better- for his sake and his brother's. Him and Avery in particular feel alive beyond the page, and it feels like the reader is irrupting in their life at a crucial point. From the very first line I couldn't help but feel this was the end of Sam's runaway life, and it filled me with both dread and hope.

Because at its heart, this is a story about redemption, finding love, and breaking the cycle of abuse. It is emotional; it isn't sugar coated, and consequences aren't swept under the rug just because you root for the main character. At the same time, the story is filled with (waffles 🧇), warmth and humour: the De Lainey family is a bundle of sunshine and even if they have their issues, you can't help but want to spend more time in their company. The story is a great balance of lighthearted and tense, funny and sad, and it is all around hopeful. I highly recommend it!

Content Warnings

flordemaga's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-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

piperlee's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

This book is a beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of the relationship between Sammy, a young house thief, and his older brother Avery, who is autistic, and how their need for each other shapes how they exist in their day to day life. Sammy is an “invisible boy” longing to be known and cared for like he does for his brother and in a way his parents refused to. When he accidentally comes across a messy, joyful family, he’s captivated by the feeling of belonging and realizes the rough life he was living before isn’t what he wants. As a sucker for all things found family and fierce sibling relationships, this novel kept me consistently invested in the stories of these two broken and lovable brothers and their search for safety.

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