sicksadlit's reviews
489 reviews

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

I laughed my ass off the whole way through this book.

It was so funny?? How does one write such a funny book?? Does Rebecca KNOW how funny it is? Did she try? These are the questions I’d love to know the answer to.

It’s a particular kind of humour that I do think is deeply resonant with readers who have grown up in Aotearoa. There were several dry moments that made me chuckle in large part because they were very relatable with my own childhood experience, FOR EXAMPLE, the reference to wearing Etnies skate shoes in 2003 coz my god, Etnies had us all in a chokehold I swear.

But actually, the book was just incredibly well and cleverly written. The characters were some of the most well-developed I’ve ever read and their intricacies and nuances were fascinating. It’s also one of the best LGBTQIA+ books I’ve ever read which was a very nice surprise as although I knew it had queer characters, I was not expecting it to be as much of a pivotal part of the different characters’ storylines.

I loved the interesting dynamics of such a mixed and blended family, although I would have liked to know more about Beatrice/Betty. There were a few scenes that felt like they were setting up to tell more of her backstory but were left unresolved. I would have liked to know more about what it was like for Betty marrying into a Russian family and having seemingly little to no contact or interaction with the rest of her whenua.

Greta and Valdin’s respected AuDHD tendencies were extremely relatable too as a fellow AuDHD girly, although I wish I was as funny.

This book made me realise how hungry I am for more stories about mixed-race/interracial families in Aotearoa. It’s one of the best books I’ve read hands down and I am SO GLAD that it’s being published in the US because I truly feel I need to shout about it from the rooftops!!!

Loved it so much, I’d give it more stars if I could.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced