I really liked Krueger's Ordinary Grace and didn't realize he had a plethora of books out when I saw this title available on audio on Libby. I checkedI really liked Krueger's Ordinary Grace and didn't realize he had a plethora of books out when I saw this title available on audio on Libby. I checked it out expecting a stand alone mystery and was frustrated for a while because there wasn't very much character development going on. I really struggled figuring out who was who and wondered if this was a narration technique and I just needed to be patient.
Patience did pay off as I eventually connected to the characters and their motivations but when I got on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to review, and saw that this is #20 in a series...well...there may be more character development happening in the previous 19 books. Oops.
It's pretty impressive that Krueger was able to build an interesting enough world and plot without me really needing to have read 19 previous books to care. When he daughter of a prominent and wealthy state senator goes missing, state and national interest goes wild. The internet calls this Missing White Woman Syndrome. Most of the main characters in Spirit Crossing are part or full Obibwe, and there is a sense of frustration at the start of this novel about the amount of state and federal resources that are given to find missing white women when so many many native women go missing and are never found. That is definitely one of the themes of this book. But it really isn't overly preachy as I don't think this fact can be disputed. I think the motives behind the why can be but the book doesn't really go there. In fact, the intrigue grows because a young boy with visionary powers finds a shallow grave. It's not the missing white woman but a native woman and the feds soon lose interest in discovering who is. But the boy's vision leads the tribal detectives to believe there is another lost spirit nearby.
There is a lot of spirituality explored in the book. Both Christian faith and native beliefs in sacred gifts like visions and healings. The mystery and crime are adequately troubling and relevant (money, oil, human trafficking, generational trauma) but the characters are little too black and white for me. The good guys are good and the bad guys are terrible. There were a few redeemably flawed side characters thrown in as well and I appreciated it.
I doubt I'll pick up the other 19 books in this series....more
This definitely got a bump up in stars once I realized this novel was fleshed out from the real life journal of 18th century midwife, Martha Ballard. This definitely got a bump up in stars once I realized this novel was fleshed out from the real life journal of 18th century midwife, Martha Ballard. Without the author's dedication to include as much of Ballard's real journal entries and family history as she did, I would have felt like this story of midwifery, crime and punishment in America's post revolutionary war with it's infant constitution and legal system overly dramatic and sensationalized. But it wasn't! I think Lawhon did a good job of inflecting personality into real historical people based on the research she did. The Kennebec River, the village of Hallowell, Maine and the Ballard family were very alive for me throughout the story. I did wonder if such a small village could keep a midwife as busy birthing babies as Martha always seemed to be but I think some timelines may have been condensed for intrigue and drama. Very interesting and readable....more
In today's society, where most of available information seems to be hyperbolic, politically polarized and misinformation sourced, it's hard to know whIn today's society, where most of available information seems to be hyperbolic, politically polarized and misinformation sourced, it's hard to know what is true. What are facts? What are statistics? Anyone who has taken a statistics class knows how easy it is to skew data and recent news stories show how motivated many scientists are these days to get the results they need to continue to get funding or to be relevant. It feels very pessimistic to write that paragraph.
Even with that pessimism, I want to shout out, "This book is true and we need to believe it and do something!" because a lot of it felt true and scary to me. Anybody with a smartphone knows how addictive they are. I remember, not that long ago, constantly losing my phones because 1) I have that kind of brain and 2) I didn't look at it or use it all the time. But I never lose my phone anymore. It's always on me or by me. I know I use it WAY too much. And not just for all the dumb stuff. I read my scriptures on it. I listen to really good podcasts. I call and FaceTime and text my friends and family. I use it for my job. I log my exercise with it. I shop with it. I find recipes on it. I read the news (and the tabloids...blushing). I monitor my sleep health. I also read a lot of ebooks on it, although I have been trying to read more exclusively on a kindle or even paper books...just to get off of my phone (that happened after reading Dopamine Nation).
I've also been very mindful over the past 5 years how harmful social media is for my own personal mental health. The likes and not likes and opinions and life envy can easily overwhelm and affect me so I don't keep any of the apps on my phone anymore. I use a computer or download the app if I want to post something to instagram, and then delete it before the scrolling begins. I guess knowing all this about myself, someone who grew up without any of this technology, and then realizing how harmful and addictive it is for kids today, who have never known anything different, was really soul shaking. Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we allowing this harm to our children?
But then a skeptical voice chimes in my head, "Is Jonathan Haidt's science solid or is he trying to sell a book?" Like I said earlier, a lot of it...most of it... felt true. He has lots of graphs and charts and sources that really validate his claims. But, charts and graphs can be skewed. There were just a few parts of his data and definitive claims that toggled my belief switch to off.
In spite of some doubt, I do think this book is an important resource to use as we continue to learn more about mental health and the World Wide Web. My own pure unsullied source that getting off of social media and spending more time connecting face to face in the real world improves mental health is that doing so has benefited me. I don't need a chart or statistics to prove that to me.
As a parent, I definitely plan to implement many of his suggestions. No social media for my kids (I only have one left at home but I will be doing it anyway) until 16. Even though my son has an iPhone at 13, I don't allow any games or access to the internet, hopefully reducing it to a basic phone (although I fully acknowledge some likelihood that he is more tech-savvy than I am and may be able to skirt around this). I would support the school system banning phone access during the school day. And I would support government legislation changing the legal age of children's internet consent to be 16 instead of 13 years old.
Mostly, I want my children to be happy. Not scared and not anxious and not living in an avatar, comparison based world. I think with continued research and awareness, we can tip the scales back towards happy and mentally healthy should we choose to....more
I'm not sure I've ever read anything outside of poetry that says so much with so few words. And this is soooo much more accessible for me than poetry.I'm not sure I've ever read anything outside of poetry that says so much with so few words. And this is soooo much more accessible for me than poetry.
“As they carried along and met more people Furlong did and did not know, he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?�
I appreciate books that remind me of my core values. This book did just that without any lectures or scoldings but with a lovely look into the life of Bill Furlong and his choice to not look the other way....more
I didn't believe any of it. Probably because the writing was so cliched and juvenile. The audio narration was worse (and ultimately really intentionalI didn't believe any of it. Probably because the writing was so cliched and juvenile. The audio narration was worse (and ultimately really intentionally deceptive with the plot twist). Which meant I didn't care what happened or why....more
I really enjoy British humor (humour???) Normally, while reading rom-com (and I don't think this fits squarely into this genre but elements are certaiI really enjoy British humor (humour???) Normally, while reading rom-com (and I don't think this fits squarely into this genre but elements are certainly there. It's interesting fiction touching on post-pandemic loneliness and the difficulties of forging connection in middle age), it's the dialogue that really pushes the story along and where the funny lines can shine. But David Nicholls is a pro at very witty narrative. I didn't want to miss a single sentence because each one had the potential to make me laugh out loud.
I will admit that I enjoyed the first half of the book better than the last, which doesn't usually happen. All of that development and world building can be a slog fest but it was nice to enjoy all of the characters and really funny commentaries on geography, hiking, romance writing, awkward internal dialogue without being too weighed down with their personal stories yet. But the weight comes which gives the book purpose. Humans aren't designed to be alone. And the Covid-19 pandemic did a number on so many people.
Recommended for readers who want an updated story of a two people falling in love while walking around England's stunning lake district (Austen) and the wuthering Moors (Bronte)....more
I really liked this. There was nothing really groundbreaking or mind-blowing for me as I read Mel Robbins book that aims to help people access understI really liked this. There was nothing really groundbreaking or mind-blowing for me as I read Mel Robbins book that aims to help people access understanding about the difference between personal power, influence and things they have no control over in their own lives. I enjoyed her personal stories of application and example and think she does a really great job of breaking down pretty advanced psychological studies into really readable and relatable stories.
I feel motivated to waste less time feeling annoyed or resentful and more time concentrating on what I can change in my behavior, attitude, relationships to build the life I want. Let them and Let me!...more
Wow. I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. On one hand, it's the kind of really fun, accessible writing that I enjoy and for the most part, I enjoWow. I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. On one hand, it's the kind of really fun, accessible writing that I enjoy and for the most part, I enjoyed my time in this book. On the other hand, I think this book's message is kind of dangerous. That is, if my takeaway is what the author intended -- that sex work and producing pornography can be ethical and empowering to women. Especially since the overall blurb is that this book is "heartwarming."
Some synonyms of heartwarming are: cheering, comforting, encouraging, fulfilling, gladdening, rewarding, satisfying. Those are not the typical words I feel when thinking about girls posting nudes and joining Only Fans. And maybe that is indeed what the author is trying to do: turn all of our previous rules of morality on their heads and reverse the definition of what is good and virtuous and honorable and decent. What is heartwarming. Thorpe definitely makes a valiant effort with her protagonist, Margo, and Margo's sincere desire to independently provide financial security for herself and her newborn son in a world that makes it really difficult for a young, uneducated, untrained single mother to do. The gear. The housing. The childcare. The physical and all consuming demands of an infant. Those are all very immediate realities of motherhood and Margo has zero support. Not from her own single mother. Not from her absent father. Not from her impregnator. Not from any friends or roommates. Thorpe nails the exhaustion and stress of those early days and does an excellent job creating the sympathy and reasoning of Margo's resulting decision to create an Only Fans account and make money by posting nude photos of herself.
Except...then the author kind of glorifies the decision. Margo makes friends in that community and realizes she can use her Dad's experience being a WWE wrestler and create storylines and characters and become internet famous. Really, truly stupid story lines are laid out in detail for TikTok videos and YouTube videos and my heart hurt a bit that these are the kinds of things that actually go viral. It just feels embarrassing that this wasn't science fiction or dystopia. This is actually our current world and the state of the internet.
I kept waiting for the reality checks. I don't think you have to be a puritan or a member of the religious right to see the logic and sense that selling images of your naked body online to strangers is not the healthiest, safest, happiest way to live. Yes. Women's bodies and leveraging the vice of lust for many can be a source of income for desperate women. That has been true for millennia. That doesn't mean that the resulting pain, depression, disease and dysfunction that usually occurs to those in those professions is all made up or some result of the patriarchy. That's science. And the evolution of human beings and our need for connection and safety. That isn't in our heads. See why this lah-di-dah, walk-off-into-the-sunset, "I'm going to be the most ethical pimp ever!" conclusion troubled me? Because, really? That's the point?
Maybe it's not. Maybe I missed the point. There's the trouble. I'd actually really love to discuss this book with others. It's a fun read (except for some truly blasphemous lines. There are a couple of gasp out loud comments about Jesus and Mary that can definitely offend sensitive readers. I chose to read them with an attitude of tolerance towards a very ignorant but not intentionally mean or prejudiced narrator. But, I did have the thought that if the author made these kind of blasphemous comments about Allah or Muhammad, she may have to go into hiding - they are pretty rude) and some really important things to discuss. Do we have a responsibility in our lives to not put harm into the world? Like...drug dealers and makers of single-use plastic and producers of fentanyl and red food dye and carbon dioxide...these things all make some people money. For some, it's a lot of money. But, we've learned that this is not good for our world. It's not good for human beings. Selling lust and sex have produced a lot of harm in the world. Trafficking. Abuse. Addiction. Infidelity. Disease. Is that just somebody else's problem if it's not yours? Is it ok to profit from it? We condemn P. Diddy but not a single mom because...she's got to make a living somehow?
This gets billed as a light hearted read and chick-lit and women's fiction and even a romance (I don't think it's a romance at all) but I think it's a much bigger story than those genres typify. At one point, I got a very Ready, Player One vibe because Margo's online persona was not really her and so there was a whole conversation about what is real and what is fiction and which matters to being known? Another interesting conversation about online behavior.
I don't know if I liked it or not. Three stars seems like the most nondescript rating possible but I just don't know....more
I really liked the first quarter of this book. I think Carley Fortune nailed writing chemistry and connection between her two teen characters. There wI really liked the first quarter of this book. I think Carley Fortune nailed writing chemistry and connection between her two teen characters. There was a lovely and believable tension between Persephone, Sam and Charlie and the angst of being that age and falling in love.
The conflict that came after a disastrous decision one summer was believable but way less fun to read.
Luckily, it's a romance so there was a nice Happily Ever After at the end....more
I was really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book. The synopsis ticked all of my boxes: mystery, romance, fiction...those are my jams! With its I was really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book. The synopsis ticked all of my boxes: mystery, romance, fiction...those are my jams! With its high Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ ratings and several friends really liking it, I opened this thinking it would be instalove.
While it was never difficult to read, it was almost always difficult for me to like. The book is centered on 29 year old Evie Hudson, who wakes up in a hospital following a car accident that killed her husband is now suffering from dissociative amnesia that has her unable to remember anything beyond her 16-year old self. The entirety of the book is spent alternating between present day...where she narrates as a mentally 16 year old thrust into an adult world with adult relationships and no idea why she hasn't heard from her parents or her best friend from high school, Bree, and her actual 16 year-old self where the decisions and relationships she ends up having and not having as an adult begin.
I think what bugs me so much about this book is that it addresses really important topics in a really juvenile way. Things like emotional abuse, sexual abuse, gaslighting, chronic illness, and suicide are filtered through the lens of immature Evie who never wants to get married until she gets knocked into a pool at a teen party by the rich, gorgeous and popular Oliver and then...wham...she's in luv! Without any really good reason. At least any good reason that was shown. We readers were just told over and over and over again that she was.
Enter in Drew, head of the photography club Evie joins, who is moody and mysterious and even though they literally have 2 scenes together as 16 year-olds, they become best friends in a way that makes it impossible for 29 year-old Drew to fully get over her. Again...why this relationship is so important to him and why he is so drawn to Evie are not show just told. He can't get her out of his head and he feels happy when she's around for the first time in a long time. Ok then.
The mystery exists only because literally no one will tell Evie anything. It's just too painful. So she has to figure out why she is estranged from her best friend and her parents and who this mysterious Chloe girl is and why her brain would want to forget it all. I'm not saying it couldn't happen but it all played out much more like a soap opera than I expected. Secret paternities and secret babies and then a really out-of-nowhere crime solved through linguistics pattern that ended the book.
I listened to this, which I think adds a star. Lisa Marie wanted to write an autobiography and had asked for help from her daughter, Riley Keough, befI listened to this, which I think adds a star. Lisa Marie wanted to write an autobiography and had asked for help from her daughter, Riley Keough, before she unexpectedly died at the age of 54. In between Julia Roberts narrating Lisa Marie's writings and Riley narrating her own additions to the memoir, recordings of Lisa Marie, as she tried to collect her thoughts for this book, are peppered throughout. I always listen to audio books and podcasts at 1.5X speed (because, holy cow, people narrate so slowly) but I would always slow it back to original recording speed for Lisa Marie's recordings. Hearing Lisa Marie Presley and her muffled, alto voice ramble through her thoughts adds a tremendous amount of credibility to her ever present trauma. This is a pretty sad book.
I think some people have the spiritual, mental, emotional resilience to handle fame and adulation but I think that number is quite small and fame more often does great harm to the human soul than good. I believe both Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley and especially Lisa Marie Presley stood no chance against the demons of fame and wealth. This isn't Elvis's or Priscilla's story so I don't know exactly how it affected them other than they were unable to be better for their young daughter. The love was there but the healthy boundaries of expectations, consequences and responsibility that all children deserve from their parents were not. Add in drugs, overdoses, death, sexual and physical abuse, a probable learning disability and all the money and neglect to indulge in reckless behavior and a sad story seems inevitable.
Riley Keough shines throughout this book as a hopeful break in generational trauma. Lisa Marie may have been traumatized and unable to give herself the love, esteem and support she herself needed but she gave it to her daughter who is so generous in her recollections of both her mother and her childhood....more
I can appreciate the desire to capture the highs and lows, the joys and disconnect, the feeling of not knowing who you even are outside of marriage anI can appreciate the desire to capture the highs and lows, the joys and disconnect, the feeling of not knowing who you even are outside of marriage and motherhood. Claire Lombardo does that with her protagonist, Julia, in Same As It Ever Was but, Julia's character and her extreme low self esteem became an obstacle in connecting to this story. Instead of having any "me too" moments, instead, I often thought, "Holy cow. You are one traumatized human being." I could never relate to the leaps of logic in her thoughts but I also didn't have her traumatic childhood or whack-a-doodle mother. I think our childhoods deeply impact our abilities to connect and trust in adult relationships and so I believed Julia. I just didn't enjoy Julia. However, I do commend Lombardo portraying a female protagonist who may look like she has it all from outside appearances (wealth, the ability to stay at home with her toddler, a loving husband, health and beauty) but has all kinds of hidden damage.
I also liked the active choice by the end of the story to acknowledge the feelings (that were the same as they ever were...self destructive, isolating, judgmental, warped) but choose a different outcome in spite of those feelings. Yes! We can overcome. That is novel worthy. The meandering timeline and unfleshed out secondary characters (husband, children, even Helen, who all felt one dimensional to me) got on my nerves but I persevered and I'm glad I did. I think I'd like it more if I could discuss it with other women, mothers, and wives who may have different feelings and experiences than me, because of course they would. ...more
Right book at the right time. I know this isn't literary gold but I really loved reading it. It was entertaining and funny but also so thoughtful abouRight book at the right time. I know this isn't literary gold but I really loved reading it. It was entertaining and funny but also so thoughtful about depression and numbness. What I loved best was all of the hope I felt at the end....more
I really thought this was going to be so much better than it ended up being. Burn, by Peter Heller, follows two best friends, Jess and Storey, as theyI really thought this was going to be so much better than it ended up being. Burn, by Peter Heller, follows two best friends, Jess and Storey, as they emerge from a 2 week central Maine back woods hunting trip to burned out towns, blown up bridges and dead bodies. Storey, who is from nearby Vermont, and Jess, who grew up in Vermont but now lives in Colorado, try to figure out what happened but whenever they find someone alive, they get shot at. With no way to drive out of their predicament (no bridges but all the vehicles have been burned anyway), they forage for food from abandoned homes, marinas and boats, and put their camping and survival skills to the test and try to navigate their way out of Maine and towards their homes.
Interspersed between the dystopian action chapters, the narration straddles the present and the past and we learn more about Storey and Jess, but mostly about Jess as the narration is in his perspective. At first, I thought, "This is why books are so much better than movies! You can't get this kind of introspection, memory and description in a movie!" I was loving it.
But all of that introspection, memory and description ended up being not very helpful in understanding the why of the book and by the end, I felt both removed from their present crisis and had pretty much stopped caring about Jess because he was just then (as a man in his late 30s) figuring out that he probably shouldn't have chosen to spend 2 months out of every year going on hunting trips with his best friend instead of traveling with his wife. Like...that was seriously a major realization. Ok, Jess.
Even the dystopian part of the story could have been so much better. It was exciting and super relevant. Maine seceded from the union and there was a full on war between well-prepared and heavily armed secessionists and the US Military! I had all kinds of thoughts about the 2nd Amendment and how plausible this could be but there wasn't a lot of satisfaction from the story. The reader is left in the dark along with Jess and Storey for about 75% of the book and even when some light is finally shone on which side is which, motives and characters are never explained or developed. I was disappointed to finish and not care much at all....more
It's been awhile since I've had such an emotional dislike of a book. I've been trying to figure out why the past couple of days and I'm still not sureIt's been awhile since I've had such an emotional dislike of a book. I've been trying to figure out why the past couple of days and I'm still not sure. All I can say is that I felt a tightening of annoyance in my chest and literally rolled my eyes and puffed out more than one, "Ugh"s of aggravation as I listened to this novel.
Sandwich is narrated by Rachel, who goes by Rocky, and it's about a week she spends in Cape Cod with her husband, Nick, daughter, Willa, Son, Jamie, and his girlfriend, Maya but also her memories from visiting this same place in years past. Her parents come for a couple of days towards the end of the week (and novel) as well.
Rocky is 54 and her kids are grown and she loves them and misses them and obsesses about their lives in a way that never felt healthy or admirable to me. I think the narration included Rocky thinking, "They are perfect" in some iteration about 50 times. And since I definitely didn't think either was perfect, especially Willa, who was written as bossy, narcissistic, judgmental and gossipy, those motherly sighs got on my nerves.
I think knowing Rocky's thoughts all the time was what tipped this book from something I may have liked (because the writing is not bad) into something I have to rate as, "I hated." That seems super extreme but that was my reaction. Rocky was obnoxious. The last book I read right before this was a non-fiction, "The New Menopause" and when I realized that a woman going through menopause was going to be a major feature of Sandwich's story arc, I figured I would be pretty open to it with all of my newly acquired knowledge and understanding. But I think the author had Rocky experience every possible symptom of menopause and in an extreme way. Ok. Fine. That's a story, I guess. But there was absolutely no managing them. They seemed to mainly exist to excuse some really bad behavior and make being female seem cruel.
As the book continued, however, I realized that what was described as menopausal symptoms might actually just be Rocky's personality. When the story flashed back to Rocky's early motherhood years, she was just as insane and moody and resentful. Hormones then too? Maybe.
This whole book just felt like a really rage-y feminist novel that doesn't portray motherhood, femininity, marriage, aging, nurturing, and family life in a way I recognized or enjoyed. I'll allow that this was Rocky's story and not a universal story of navigating parenting and marriage in midlife (thank goodness) but that allowance means I can hate it. And I did. I was so glad this was a short book and didn't have to spend any more time with a woman who treated her husband so recklessly for granted, especially knowing that she is more than able to care and serve and look past the flaws of the people she loves (ahem...her annoying children).
I'm only going to mention but not go into the deep irritation I felt with the defense and casualness of one too many abortions, and all of the repetitive and mostly unnecessary swearing. I think the scale had already flattened out on the side of dislike but both things definitely added their weight to that side.
I've learned over the years that books are never only good or bad. I don't think this is a bad book and even as I write this, I know I'm leaving out some things I actually liked about the book. There were a few moments. I can certainly understand why some people may even like it. Perhaps in a different mood, at a different age or read after a different book I wouldn't have had such a negative reaction but this is how I feel today, at 12:45 pm on January 15th, 2025. Maybe it's my own peri-menopausal rage reaction. How's that for irony? ...more
Smart rom-com that feels fun and light and romantic while also exploring adult trauma and emotional pain that complicates relationships. It was an enjSmart rom-com that feels fun and light and romantic while also exploring adult trauma and emotional pain that complicates relationships. It was an enjoyable read-in-on-sitting kind of book for me....more
I listened to the audio version of this book and, while it was narrated well, I think this is a book best consumed in print. The narrator frequently rI listened to the audio version of this book and, while it was narrated well, I think this is a book best consumed in print. The narrator frequently referenced charts and indexes and then they were read. Kind of tedious listening.
BUT...
AS a 49 year old woman who isn't even sure if I'm in menopause, I found the advocacy and defense of Hormone Replacement Therapy or Menopause Hormone Therapy to be interesting and helpful. I'm so glad that I have this tool in my tool bag should I start to experience the kind of nightmare scenarios lived and dismissed by so many. Women deserve to have relief if suffering from menopausal symptoms and definitely deserve access to anything that will protect their cognitive, bone, heart, muscle, digestive and endocrine health. I now feel a deep curiosity and desire to take charge of my own health as I graduate from the fertility years and begin a new phase of life. feel better informed to talk to my own health care provider about my own questions and health. Although, I'll probably get a physical copy of the book so that I can actually remember all this info....more
I was surprised at my feelings at the end of this book. For probably 75% of it, I didn't like any of the characters and wondered why contemporary fictI was surprised at my feelings at the end of this book. For probably 75% of it, I didn't like any of the characters and wondered why contemporary fiction/ literary fiction only ever seems to be about the most dysfunctional families. Are people who are horrible to each other because they are related more artsy? Or is this what the families of the world most relates to?
In Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors, three sisters, Avery, Bonnie and Lucky deal with their own struggles and heartbreak following the death of their sister, Nicky, to a drug overdose. It's been a year and none of the sisters are doing well. Avery is living in London with her wife and seems to be functioning well but is secretly shoplifting and destroying her marriage. Bonnie is in California-then New York, trying to figure out her future when she walked away from her promising boxing career and coach after being the one to discover her sister dead. Lucky is a beautiful and successful young model dealing with addiction and high risk living. The sisters individual stories are interesting enough but filled with so much depressing navel gazing that I couldn't empathize or sympathize with any of them. Their grief was a baseball bat hitting me over the head.
But, at the end of the book, all three sisters end up in New York and the beauty of this novel emerges. The relationships and the willingness to forgive the horrible because....family. And past love. And loyalty. And honesty. It wasn't like I started to like everyone or what their choices were but I finally started to believe it. This is what having sisters is/can/should be like. And grief is horrible.
Three stars may seem like a mediocre rating but I was leaning on 1 or 2 for a long time so 3 feels celebratory and redemptive. I'm not sorry I read it.
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