the house on the cerulean sea

i really really loved this book. it had such a warm found family and a cute end to the story. but this book, at the end, was still 4 stars—not because it was bad, but because (after much independent reflection) i don't think i am happy with just a found family vibe. i wanted to feel something.

this is kind of roundabout, but one of the reasons why i love stories about war or memoirs so much is because it has 1) really strong voice and 2) it takes such serious situations and make it feel real, as if you were there. and i think that is why this book—by not fault of its own—was a four start read for me. i just needed, at the time, to feel a stronger emotion, and this wasn't getting me there.