A review by bringmybooks
One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

Thank you to Edelweiss, Sourcebooks Landmark, & Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

I was really surprised at the depth of emotion this book brought out in me - I was expecting the mystery aspect but for whatever reason the synopsis gave me the impression this was going to be more lighthearted than super serious, and that was not the case.

This was an absolutely heartbreaking look at how dementia affects families - but most importantly, it brings you into the mind of someone with dementia in a way that is very real and very respectful. I have known two family members that suffered from dementia and the ease in which they become something you need to protect, cocoon, god forbid, even at times - “deal with” - is really brought home in this book in a way that is unfortunately all too relatable. 

I thought the premise was very good and the execution of the present day timeline near flawless - the past timeline had a couple of things that took me out of the story at times, but honestly it was just a really good (albeit very sad) adult debut from Emily Critchley. 
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