This was the latest pick for my book club and the friend and member who loaned me her copy of this described it as a warm hug.

And that's pretty spot on.

I adored this book. The kids were delightful and, honestly, acted as kids do. I really can't pick a favorite out of any of them since they were so sweet and adorable in their own way. I loved how fiercely protective that Arthur and Zoe were of them and even Linus. While he kept saying he had to remain objective, hearing him talk to and about the kids, not to mention the previous 'orphanages' that he visited showed that he cared a lot about all these children that the world wanted to forget.

I loved the realization that Linus had of not having to be what people expected him to be. This was done throughout the entire book; from his discussion with the kids, to the way the other more positive characters of the story interacted with him, as well as his own inner through process. And how everyone kept lifting him up even when the kids were initially teasing him. Theodore was the first one to warm up to him and it was just so sweet. Even with all the warnings and reviews I had seen or read beforehand, I was not fully prepared for the feels and I don't think that anyone could be.

There were multiple times I teared up in this book and honestly I'm probably going to buy my own copy at some point. Highly recommend.