3.5* ( )

A quiet, introspective, and somber kind of book that is beautifully written and very atmospheric. It almost felt like an extended short story, making a very quick read but also one that makes you want to read slowly. Although it was slightly repetitive at times, and I think it could have benefitted from another few pages, I really enjoyed reading this! LaCour's prose gets more and more lovely with each book. ( )

Old book from a TBR subscription box. Pulled from the shelf randomly but ideal to kick off spooky season with this short ghost story.

Sad, mysterious, and quite lovely.

I know this author’s adult book Yerba Buena is popular now and after this I’m looking forward to picking that one up. ( )

I absolutely adore the way she handles grief and family and loss and love. ( )

I need to remember what two stars mean here in Goodreads. It means "it was okay"

Which is exactly how I would sum up this book.

See, there was a lot I wanted to like about it. The topic of kids ageing out of foster care and finding a place to call home resonates with me. It is something not really touched on in real life, let alone in the pages of fiction. Nina LaCour is also a Printz award winner and I tend to like authors like that. I loved the setting of the novel, the main character Mila, the young boy, Lee.....

So why the 2 stars?

I just don't do magical realism. Or whatever you want to call elements of the book. I get it, Mila had demons in her past--the life she had escaped from, the verbal and physical abuse she had experienced, the struggle over a choice she had made. But the whole ghost thing? Yeah.....I am still coming to terms with it. Maybe it was the learning to live with the ghosts? Because our past is always a part of us??

That's why the lower rating. Frankly, I think it could have been handled better. =/ Still, I appreciated the storyline. I want to see more foster care storylines! ( )