Reviews

The Boys by Katie Hafner

lisah1058's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bowler_reads_27's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars rounded down. This was…interesting. I’m all for quirky characters, but the far fetched plot devices were just too big of a stretch for me and the support for someone with mental illness was lacking. Ethan married Barb but the thought of parenting brings up up past trauma.

manduhmar's review against another edition

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mysterious sad

4.0

i… was not expecting that… but wow i loved this. a unique take on loneliness for sure, but also a beautifully written take on the simple human experience, love & loss

krayreads's review against another edition

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2.0

not what i was expecting in the worst way possible lol. this made no sense and if it was trying to tackle themed of loneliness, isolation, and grief, it tried but failed. and extra star cause the plot twist gagged me but that was about the most interesting part of the whole story. this was a book i wish i could unread lol

staggandie's review against another edition

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4.0

Rounding up for this engaging, easy read about a guy who seems like he is maybe on the autism spectrum and his extroverted wife, his complement and foil, and the family they build. There are some surprises. It’s creative and kept me interested. The author is a journalist and this is her debut novel, and it’s a hit!

mahardy37's review against another edition

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4.0

A touching story about a seemingly ordinary young couple who encounter a strange experience during the pandemic, not necessarily fully due to the pandemic. There is an aha moment when you start to see the deeper meaning within the story. Charming and light whilst still being profound.

mostlymuppet's review against another edition

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3.0

Most folks will either love or hate this novel, depending on their reaction to the twist. I’m not exactly sure what I think about it to be truthful. Once I had it figured out, I disliked where the ending was headed. Now that I’ve read the whole thing and sat for a moment, I can appreciate what the author was trying to do. This would be an excellent book for a book club to discuss. I’m not even sure my rating or review will stay in my mind the way that it is for too long.

singerm22's review against another edition

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5.0

SpoilerAwesome little book. I loved how it demonstrated that even the weirdest, most vulnerable among us deserve empathy. And how being kind and non-judgmental can have a profound impact l, like Izzy had on Ethan. Although a secondary character that only shows up more than halfway through, Izzy is the hero of this book.

From Sarah and Elaine’s heads up of a major twist I was on high alert trying to figure out what it was, which distracted me a bit from enjoying each page but I thoroughly enjoyed the book nonetheless. I loved how the Izzy-Ethan friendship did not turn into a romance. I loved her character: so much empathy and kindness.

brynmcnie's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cazmuller's review against another edition

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3.0

The writing started off strong but I didn’t find passages I liked in the middle/end. I could somehow tell they weren’t real boys (really thought they were cats) so the twist didn’t land for me