This book has such a well written inner world of the main character, really good dialogue, and a fascinating if traumatic storyline.

The only thing preventing 5 stars was the pacing. Some major plot-line shifts happened much too quickly, and some events dragged on more than they needed to. #booksky

This is quite good for a Young Adult novel.

The teenage gripes that annoyed me in the beginning of the book were stripped away by events so tragic that I wished I could undo it all and bring back the oblivious teenager.

The characters are well-written. But the ending was weirdly abrupt.

The irredeemable main characters cause everyone around them to become worse human beings. I hate them.

Still, Brontë is a brilliant writer for making the characters so awful.

But I didn’t enjoy hating them enough to give more stars.

#booksky #the52bookclubsreadingchallenge2025

I did enjoy this book. Interesting places and characters.

But it also felt like certain things were repeated so often that they were being used as not-so-subtle hypnotism phrases.

And I went in looking for an inspirational book, not to be hypnotised. So that felt a little like a trap.

If I could give it 100 stars out of 5 I would.

I cried, I laughed, I screamed. I can’t recommend this book enough.

I had to stop reading and take a break in some of the most devastating points of the plot.

But I couldn’t stay away, and I continued to read.

And the pay off was well worth it!

I cried so much. These characters feel so real. I just want to go to that orchard and help them pick cherries!

If you’re looking for a story to give you perspective on life and to feel all of the emotions, this is the one for you!

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#booksky

Some of these characters are seriously hateable. I think I only really like Nick and Henry Gatz.

Great story and the dialogue is great, except the racism and vapidness in some of the conversations with Tom and Daisy.

#the52bookclubsreadingchallenge2025 #booksky

I really love this book. I hadn’t read it since I was a child, and I love the characters, and the way CS Lewis paints a scene with his words. And the ending really ties things up in a nice bow. This story is such a comforting security blanket for the soul.

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I enjoyed the characters and the friendships. I also quite enjoy small town gossip solving murder mysteries.

I saw the twist coming, which is why for me it’s 3 stars.

But I love the discussion of the housing crisis and jobs crisis in small towns.

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#booksky

Oh my gosh! I laughed. I cried. I learnt what the F word is actually for! And something primal deep down inside me stirred. A great reminder that we are custodians of the environment and authors of our own life.

Recommend this book!!!! 215/10!

#the52bookclubsreadingchallenge2025

A single 400-year-old ancient oak produces 234,000 litres of oxygen a year while soaking up carbon dioxide, and can support more than 2,000 species of bird, insect, fungus, and lichen. Nature is amazing - we need more of it, not less. Please repost if you agree 🌳

My New Year’s resolution is shaping up to be fun to fail at. (Shoot for the stars even if you miss you'll land on the moon.)
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