A review by minimicropup
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

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

4.5

I loved this! Having spent a few summers in the area this book was set in as a kid, it was so nostalgic. The way the author captured the atmosphere felt so real. 
 
Energy: Endearing. Real. Mystifying. 
 
๐Ÿ• Howls
The action/escape scenes briefly knocked me out of the story because they seemed to require superhuman strength and it was hard to visualize. 
 
๐Ÿฉ Tail Wags
Including a map of the island ๐Ÿซถ.  Sympathetic, genuine-feeling main character. Story was engaging even when not much was happening. How present and past chapters were woven together and equally captivating. The intrigue and subtle tension. Past chapters had eerie almost voyeuristic feel where something is โ€˜offโ€™. Pacing. 
 
Scene: ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Set in Thousand Islands archipelago on a private island open for historic summer tours between the US and Canada. 
Perspective: A high schooler who messes up after scoring a first date with their crush so takes on a summer job to get away from the embarassment. Adopted teens in a family living on the island in the 1930s whose lives are disrupted after the birth of their youngest sibling. 
Timeline: Summer. Current (2010s/2020s) and 1930s. 
๐Ÿ”ฅ Fuel: Interlocking mysteries. Adventure, intrigue, twists and turns across time. Inferring and learning of the dynamics in the past. Watching the modern-day characters figure out what happened in both timelines. 
๐Ÿ“– Cred: Blend of historical & modern semi-realism
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Petrichor. Cheesecake Factory. Rain. Yogurt. Walkie talkies. Lipstick. Domed ceiling. Musty rooms. Basement passage. Smoke. Cold rain.
  • Fleeing the scene of an embarrassment
  • Summer job challenges and friendship dynamics 
  • Pressured-to-be-perfect historical family study with dark secrets
  • Same place, different times
  • Truth is stranger than fiction pseudoscience 
  • Isolated island, dark and stormy night
  • Closed circle murder mystery, gathering the suspects
  • Tragic accidentโ€ฆor was it
  • Exploration of parental bias and expectations, nature vs nurture, dangers of pseudoscience and misunderstanding scientific processes, morality and making things right 
  • Flip the script reveals
  • Books where you feel like youโ€™re tagging along with the MC, getting their thoughts as an aside
  • Ghost in the room observing the past chapters
  • Coming-of-age seasonal and who-to-choose romantic conflict
 
Content Heads-Up: Sexual content (consenting; making out). Fire (building, trapped). Shame spiral. Adoption (at birth). Vomit. Alcohol (underage, intoxication). Suicide (historical; described, off page). Loss of child (toddler, teen). Racism, classism, eugenics (historical character opinions). War (very brief discussion; fatalities). Death. Drowning. Drugging. Cannabis (edibles, vaping; high). Corpse (discovery, storage). Murder.
 
Rep: American. Cis. Non-binary. Lesbian. Adopted. Gay. Bi. Pale, freckled, and ambiguous skin tones.
 
๐Ÿ“š Format: Library Digital and Everand Audio
 
My musings ๐Ÿ’– powered by puppy snuggles ๐Ÿถ
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