There’s something about watching them all experience Hogwarts for the first time that is really sweet. That is probably my favorite thing about book 1. Also Jim Dale’s narration is 🔥.

3.5 It’s still Harry Potter so there’s a lot to love, but dear Harry seems to be developing a bit of a hero complex that had me 🙄 a lot. And some of the plot devices seem overly convenient, but honestly who am I to complain?

What a strange, delightful little book. I felt fully immersed in the world and mind of the protagonist and wound up really cheering for her and her unique way of seeing things by the end.

Totally mesmerizing. The story felt very authentic, like it came from a real place, which (as it turns out in the author’s note) it kind of did. The way the two storylines merged felt flawless and I actually like the way you knew from the beginning what was going on but you ever so slowly approached the truth of it, like a voyage in itself. The writing felt similar to the Perks of Being a Wallflower: frank, genuine, disarming, relatable. The premise, protagonist, and reading experience were all very memorable. I would read again and highly recommend.

I listened on audio and the range of the narrator astounded me. Overall though, I was disappointed by this book. The overall story intrigued me, but when it switched to Polly's perspective is was a much slower listen. I loved pretty much all the parts from Deming's perspective but found Polly frustrating as a character. I really wanted to sympathize with and understand her but seeing her son in too much pain for too long before her choices were truly explained kind of ruined that for me. Then once the book got there, her justifications just kind of fell flat, or were too little too late. And overall the tone was just so sad for so long that it became hard to return to. I wanted to like it more than I did.