My dad recommended this book (and the whole series from this author) because he's a major Glacier enthusiast.

One of my 2022 goals is to be more amenable, take direction, take recommendations, follow the crowd and go against my nature sometimes to experience more things. This book would have probably never made it on my radar without my dad.

I agree with the low ratings saying the characters were cliche and one-dimensional. It didn't really feel realistic to me that this man traumatized by a bear attack would work for the Dept of Interior and come in contact with national parks crimes. Did he not think he'd ever come up against a grizzly crime? O.o

But okay. He's a flawed agent with a history. He wasn't always very professional (he body slammed a suspect and held a gun to his head -- that seems like a fireable offense for someone who was only a suspect!!!!!!!) and he was ~~hella mackin'~~ on Heather. I guess that's typical white guy behavior, all privilege and entitlement. I guess I'd have liked to see a woman author challenge that. Have this guy answer for his transgressions. But no. He's a dude with a hurt puppy heart. So we excuse everything. Driving under the influence, brandishing weapons on civilians, etc.

Some things I liked:
His relationship with Monty, admitting fault, appreciating different styles and approaching the case from different angles.

The plot actually surprised me, I didn't know who perpetrated the crime!

The way the author painted Ted's family in the aftermath of grief.

Damn. I'm not a mother but Jesus f Christ. This book wrecked me, had me sobbing at the bond of mother and child. I saw this book compared to the Handmaid's Tale, and the panopticon vibes were there for sure. This was more sad than infuriating. I can't remember crying that hard at a book. I didn't like the ending but if it ended 50 pages earlier, it'd be 5 stars. Frida fails out of school, rejects a life with a promising bad father, Tucker, who ultimately regains custody of his son, and is forced to sign away parental rights. She gets 30min to say goodbye to her daughter. This was traumatic and turned me inside out. There was never a chance, the school didn't ever want her to get custody back. Trauma galore. The end, for me. But the author continues.

I didn't think Frida would find Tucker (he was her tangible hope, in school, not deserved in her real life) but I also didn't think expect her to kidnap her daughter. The end was a blaze of glory, factually speeding away to a fantasy life that will end in real horror; solitary confinement, back at the school, an ending she considered and welcomes in exchange for a proper goodbye. Frida says, 'the school would be proud of [her]', moving so quickly to abscond with Harriet. It's funny because her behavior was unacceptable, stealing a child against the court's judgment. But it's true, they would be proud because the whole point of the school is to do anything for your child and put them first. So if the mother loses custody, what's left for the mother? Nothing. Suicide. Kidnapping. By any means necessary. That maternal identity is all Frida had, all that was cultivated in her time at the school. Frida becomes obsessed with drinking, numbing, dying.

An emergency brings Harriet to a mutual friend's house. Frida begs to see her. She plans to kidnap her. Frida doesn't just blow up her own life. It sucks for the maternal grandparents, the worst, because they don't have other kids or grandkids. They were looking forward to seeing Frida and now they'll lose contact with her, as well as the court order to revoke any contact with Harriet. Frida says they'll be 85 when Harriet's 18. I didn't feel bad for Harriet's dad losing his daughter to Frida kidnapping because he knows Frida isn't a bad mom. I didn't feel bad for his partner either, she has a new son. I never felt anything for Will, he was a haint of a character.

I didn't get the attachment to the doll, and how Frida takes the photo of her end her doll and wants to give it to...who? The lawyer friend, as proof how fucked up school is? To show the ex husband and stepmother, as justification for kidnapping? For the school, to show she was actually bonded with her doll? Or, bizarrely, to her daughter, as proof of her "sister"‽ I didn't get that at all. That's it, that's the book, that's the last few paragraphs...2 photos, one for Harriet of their court-supervised goodbye and the other of Frida and her doll on their goodbye day.

I guess. I don't know, do I not have a big enough circle for this to apply? Did I tune out a lot of body nonsense in college? It didn't feel extremely relevant to me but I appreciate that she's sending this message out. I don't know anyone (even my mom) who would backhandedly talk about my body. Maybe in my 20s but not now. Should everyone be kinder to themselves about their insecurities? Absolutely. Wear the clothes. Use your things. Don't refrain on account of what someone else might think. You are everything you need and you're the only judge who matters, so be a kind, friendly one to yourself.

Recommend for the audiobook read by Professor callahan, and for the afterword from the author.

I thought the romance in this book was extremely boring and annoying. It was Bella, Edward and Werewolf boy, or Angela, Dwight and Andy, or Pam, Jim and Roy, and I could not care less.

However, because of the plot, and the mystery, I stuck with it and ultimately I came away satisfied. The story got me!! I had the horrifying thought at around 85-90% that we'd never find out the murder outcome. But without spoiling it, you do find out the murder details.

I cried a couple times, awkwardly walking around my neighborhood with my headphones in, thinking about what kind of person these conditions would produce and how I tend to dismiss/roll my eyes when I see "choose kindness" or "be kind" but wow, the small kindnesses here really killed me. It was a nice message here: be kind because it's the right thing to do.

I love her writing and will continue to read her work.

A limp conclusion.

This guy was smarmy and self-fulfilling. I didn't think it told me anything revolutionary.

One time at a Teavana, the cashier barista blathered on while I waited for my tea. He was talking about how he ran a marathon he didn't train for. He said, "You'd think running a marathon would be hard but --it's *so* funny-- it's not." It was so annoying and smug. In my memory he even used the word hilarious. It was not hilarious.

This book is the same. If you want more productivity, do more. It's easy.

Okay this wasn't my type of book. It's too twee. But. If you want a cozy, inviting, fall themed romance with New England leaves, apple pie hand tarts, and tea with some fucking and some witchy mystery, this is it. I appreciate the authors' commitment to world building. I found the characters a little thin but overall I came away neutral. It wasn't for me but I see what the authors did and they did create an atmosphere. Also of note, I actually fell asleep at 95% and the book hit me in the face. So that's an insight to my experience.