Reminded me of a whodunit “Lessons in Chemistry” with an autistic or neurodiverse female main character, although it’s not explicitly stated. I am all for disability representation, but this portrayal felt patronizing and one-note. I work with children with autism, so some characteristics rang true, like some impaired pragmatic language skills and the tendency to take things literally, but other scenes were laughable. During the part when Molly jumped up enthusiastically during an employee seminar about hotel employees as workers bees in a hive, I was cringing.

I tried to look up if the author is autistic. I never want to judge someone unfairly. But it seems to me that the author is making a caricature out of her neurodivergent main character. Audio was great, and I wish Molly would have been written with more care. 2.5 stars.

I think if I’d read this in print, I would’ve liked it better. The audio was great, but because of the different narrators, I was often confused.

The lighthearted elements, like the book swaps with notes in the margins, combined with the more serious themes of grief and family, make this romance a bit more complex. It’s also about family dynamics, work angst, and forgiveness and acceptance. No open door scenes.

Sobering account of how nobody joins a cult; they join a movement. And how people in power can slowly tighten the noose and manipulate and warp that positive desire into something like the Jonestown massacre. 

A bit of an expansive concept. I thought this author’s previous book, Across the Last Border, about two immigrant families, was exceptional. The title of this one made me think it would be about her family’s reckoning with their Texas roots, but I don’t think she achieved her purpose in this book, which was to tie in her family’s history with colonialism and the takeover of Texas land. I get it, real life never fits neatly into the narrative. Still, there is a lot of Texan history and a lot of life in these pages. They just don’t always go together.

3.5 stars because I like what she’s trying to do, and the research she did shows.

Too long and repetitive

A super quick read, with a lot of heart. I loved it, and my middle school book club will be reading this one soon!