coarse merlinBOT
Book Link
Cover: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686092164i/62919375.jpg
ID: 6779ef2a8cd1ac8fdce7fd82
Announcement: #buddy-reads message
coarse merlinBOT
### From <t:1736985600:D> to <t:1740700800:D> | Leader(s): <@698625925037817976>...
upper crypt
So happy this went through! 😍
coarse merlinBOT
@upper crypt,@urban otter,@thick quest,@lusty oriole,@dull pike,@modern idol,@remote sky,@echo flare,@solid onyx,@rigid crane,@stuck prairie,@whole holly,@crisp eagle
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through and I’m excited to read this with all of you. We start reading January 16 and will go until February 28, 2025.
Here are some discussion questions to start us off:
Alright, readers! Keep on swimming and enjoy the book! Thank you so much for joining me for this BR!
coarse merlinBOT
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
Something went wrong! Please try again later
solid onyx
I won't say I'm a huge ocean trivia buff but I do enjoy reading about venomous marine anthropods /reptiles and ocean's role in regulating atmospheric heating and how that's changing because of the climate crisis.
I hope the "traditional "romance isn't the main focus of this book. I'd prefer it to concentrate on how to support loved ones who are dealing with serious and unavoidable issues. I think the characters would try to make their marriage work but since it's litfic there would be many reasons that staying together would be tough and they would probably break up
Seems like I'm a thresher shark 🦈
Hmm why does it's face looks so harmless , i don't like this 
rigid crane
stop this is such a cute announcement
rain herald
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
i wouldn't call myself an ocean enthusiast, BUT i do love to go to aquariums! i love watching seals, fish, sharks, etc zip around while going about their daily lives. i'd say i like interacting with the ocean more than reading or watching shows about it
fun answer: it'll change their diet! they'll also have to get a new bed and maybe a pool. 😂 less fun answer: if it's genetic, they're probably going to have serious discussions re: children, if that is/was on the cards
according to the quiz, i would be a greenland shark—the longest living one! 
stuck prairie
I love ocean life but really hate going in the actual ocean. I have a pretty intense fear of aquatic animals when I’m in the ocean. I do love aquariums though! They are so peaceful to me
I think they’ll have to make a lot of accommodations to their home and methods of transportation. I’m interested to see more the emotional toll it takes on both of them with likely a lack of intimacy and no one in their life understanding what they’re going through.
I’m a Shortfin Mako shark!
modern idol
Are you an ocean enthusiast? Do you like reading or learning about the ocean or marine life in general?
Yes! I enjoy fiction and non-fiction about ocean and marine life. I love to be in the ocean, although I don't live near one. I am SCUBA certified and even had my wedding ceremony under water. It's been awhile since I've gone SCUBA diving due to life, but I have a refresher course planned for this year and hope to get a trip in soon.
The description of the book clearly states that this is a love story, and that the husband is diagnosed just a few weeks after their wedding to be turned into a shark. For pure speculative fun, what do you think this new development will do to their marriage?
I think it depends on the type of shark he transforms into. If he begins to become an aggressive shark and those traits begin to show early, she may need to end things for her safety, even if she wants to be supportive. But he transforms into a sweet, little shark, I imagine she would continue to support him into sharkhood.
If you were a shark, what kind of shark would you be?
Quiz results say a Bonnenthead Shark!
modern idol
Hmm why does it's face looks so harmless , i don't like this <:kekcry:1269303993...
I think the thresher shark has a super cute face. It makes me think of
frozen rampartBOT
modern idol
That GIF was supposed to be after the message but I messed that up.
frozen rampartBOT
modern idol
Wow, I've never triggered haikuBot before and now I got two in a row!
rain herald
end of "June" — ||really enjoying this so far! it's done a great job of establishing who lewis and wren are, how they differ as people, and potential conflicts they face without just infodumping facts. it's very organic. loving the writing
i also appreciate that, even though this diagnosis doesn't exist in reality, it's treated with the same gravity as a real one. lewis hiding it from wren and trying to essentially ignore the problem until it goes away struck me as very believable||
modern grove
rain herald
end of "Wren, Age Nineteen" — ||oof, i had to stop reading and just process for a while after that description of Wren's mother's home. 
so powerful. i'm enjoying the non-linear storytelling, where it's showing pieces of the past alongside the present. it's very absorbing! currently having a hard time putting this book down 😂||
rain herald
end of "Scene: A Boy and a Woman" — ||wow, this book has taken a turn. didn't expect for the focus to shift so far into domestic abuse. i hope that angela is able to leave her abuser for good, and find some stability with julia's family. i also hope that the story regains its magical elements; this is a bit Real right now||
rain herald
finished the book — ||gotta say, this was a disappointing read for me. i really enjoyed part 1! wren and lewis' struggle with his diagnosis was compelling. but part 2 lost the magic, and part 3 felt entirely unnecessary. the epilogue with joy was nice; i think it would've been stronger if it followed directly after part 2
interesting read overall. not a book i'll visit again||
upper crypt
**finished** the book — ||gotta say, this was a disappointing read for me. i rea...
Omg that was fast! Not clicking on any of your spoilers because I haven't started the book, but I hope you liked it!!
rain herald
haha i was in a big reading mood last night! 😂 fwiw it's a pretty quick read, short scenes/chapters
upper crypt
I love short scenes and chapters! 
Hopefully I can start reading it soon. I have a couple other books to finish first!
urban otter
I voted for this and wanna read this, if my library does not have it I will burst into tears 
YES
AVAILABLE, OOH DOUBLE AVAILABLE
Do I want Paperback or Hardback 
modern idol
Do I want Paperback or Hardback <:poob:994038073996365964>
Yes
solid onyx
till part 1 august scene: the stage manager|| I wish the author talked more about how Wren became suddenly so popular after such difficult years earlier , it's kinda random
and i hope by "his nose became cartilage, no longer the triangle of bone it once was" the author meant the tiny nasal bone protruding a little from the middle of orbital surface, i mean otherwise majority of our nose is also made of cartilage ||
wintry plover
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
I an an ocean enthusiast who loves to consume media about marine life.
I think it's going to be about ||loss, and how love transforms along with the husband.||
Short Fin Mako Shark
Wren, Age Nine
|| "Wren battled indecision and fear, the convincing voice telling her that loving was a risk she could not afford."||
Scene, The Real Thing - I love how the author is able to perfectly articulate ||Wren and Lewis's deepest insecurities in such a poetic prose.||
wintry plover
October
|| "The main ingredient in transformation was not magic. It was pain."||
wintry plover
Scene: Bathtub Conversation, Part II: I thought ||TPW's snappy statement to Wren was uncalled for, even with expressing that it comes from a place of jealousy and hurt. I do agree that they both have enough to grieve and since their coping processes are different, ending the friendship is the best outcome of this encounter.||
wintry plover
Scene: Lewis's Fourth Vision: ||Patrick Stewart|| being akin to Death from Discworld was unexpectedly touching. 
wintry plover
Scene: The Day Before Angela's Fifteenth Birthday: ||Angela was preyed upon, never feeling loved only to fall for honeyed words.|| 
solid onyx
till part 2
||Okay, I wasn't sure if part 2 was needed for this book to feel more complete, but I guess now I realize that while this part didn't directly contribute to the main narrative, it made me more conscious of why Wren was less surprised and more understanding of Louis's condition||
||Also, I think the author could have done a better job explaining why the facility lacked a safer and more restrictive structure for the mutated beings, especially considering their drastic carnivoral behaviour bouts, like when Angela ate a golden retriever||
wintry plover
A Brief Interlude I did not expect ||Angela, Wren's mom, to have a reptilian mutation!||
Scene: I Love Them All: ||George has been the best, from day one.|| 
solid onyx
so i have finished this.....
||I felt that Part 3 and the epilogue was unnecessary. By trying to tie everything up neatlyit lost some of the emotional depth it had in terms of grieving and love. in this term i also think the inclusion Wren's road trip after Louis's departure also felt a bit forced. The melancholic tone would have suited the story better much like it did with Wren's mother’s storyline. That raw and bittersweet closure would have been more fitting than trying to wrap everything up too neatly||
wintry plover
Part Three: Lewis Woodard and Margaret C. Finnegan: The phrase ||underworld of exceptional sorrow|| truly encapsulates ||Lewis's profound isolation.||
wintry plover
Scene: A Giant
||"I wanted to be a Giant. But maybe I should have just been me."||
wintry plover
Finished! Loved it, will come back with a review in a few days.
stuck prairie
Up to “Wren, age twenty”:
||How am I crying so much during this book? I was not expecting to be so emotional about a man turning shark. I really like the character building and the truths about love and the world that the author weaves into the narrative. Wren and Lewis are delightful characters. There’s still a lot of story left so I’m curious where things go from here.||
rigid crane
I started this tonight! Very interesting beginning 
rigid crane
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
) and for a few weeks I go crazy learning as much as I can
wintry plover
Up to “Wren, age twenty”:
||How am I crying so much during this book? I was not...
Same, did not expect the ||emotional aspect whatsoever||. 
upper crypt
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
I'm starting this book today!
I've just dnf'd three books back to back which got me feeling very demotivated. I'm hoping this book will bring me back to life
rigid crane
I’m 32% in! Up to “October”: man 
this book is making me feel things! ||Im sure there are lots of metaphors at work because im not smart enough to fully understand literary fiction but I wasn’t expecting this whole animal transformation thing to be an actual transformation and somewhat common in this world? TPW is an interesting character, she seems to be very similar to Wren. I feel like her babies being birds are obvs a metaphor for her not really wanting to be a mother but im having a hard time seeing Lewis as just a metaphor, he’s a complex individual and we see through his POV so I can’t really see him as a “lesson” for Wren or something.|| No idea how any of this is gonna turn out. 
upper crypt
I'm up to 37% and loving it so far! I wasn't sure what to expect because ||the whole premise sounded so incredible to me that I wasn't sure if I should take it seriously or not.|| I've had this book on my TBR for a year now but never prioritized it because I thought ||it was going to be a fun and light magical realism romance thing, but comments from my friend made me think there might be more to it than that. I still wasn't sure what to expect because it's so weird that people can become sharks but apparently it's a common thing in this world, and now that I've read more of it, I feel like the author really made it work||
Totally agree with jnix about ||all of these animal transformations being metaphorical and honestly, so much more profound than I thought possible. I feel like TPW having twin birds was such a powerful side story - the fact that the birds would very possibly destroy her body and kill her when they're ready to be birthed, and that she was not allowed to abort because of their beliefs. It's such a sad testament to what's actually happening with women being seen as incubators, not being allowed to abort even if the pregnancy/birth is fatal to them. I'm feeling a lot of things too that I totally didn't expect from this book!!||
||As for Lewis turning into a shark, there's still more to the story but 37% in, I feel like it's so much more complicated than I can put into a simple analogy. It's actually heart-wrenching reading about Wren trying to keep everything together, taking care of Lewis, seeing him transform into something she doesn't recognize but trying her hardest to stay with him, even wanting to live in the ocean. In a way, with his forgetting his human self and forgetting her, I expected it to be a little more relatable to losing a loved one to dementia - and it is! But with the violence and aggression, and the fact that he's still young, it makes me think more of an abuser||
More to come
||He obviously still has some good days, and in this case, it's not his fault that the shark's aggressive nature is manifesting, but the violence that has happened where he's lost control, getting banned from the zoo, etc. and Wren not being able to do anything to stop him just feels so scary to me. Wren being willing to change her whole life to live with him in the ocean; she's willing to give up everything she is to keep her identity as his wife? It feels like, how a lot of couples hold on even when they're no longer compatible, they're not the same people as when they got married, and they're forcing themselves to make it work.||
||Honestly, there's so much to unpack here I have no idea where to even start. It definitely doesn't have a simple answer that you can wrap up in a pretty bow. It's messy|| and right now I still have no idea where it's going to go from here but I can say that I'm sorry that I ever underestimated this book 😭
upper crypt
80% in, Part 2 up to A Brief Interlude. I know I said earlier that I was sorry for underestimating the book, and guess what? Oops I did it again 😅 || I initially wondered why Angela's story was necessary to the book. I found it interesting at first but it went on so long and I wanted to get back to Wren and Lewis. I figured it was nice to see Wren's mother as a child but how does seeing so much of it contribute to the story? Well, imagine my surprise when we find out Angela's diagnosis! I don't know why I never saw that coming! There were hints and this is a world where it happens and I never even thought of the possibility. I am disappointed in myself 😂 but so amazed by the revelation and now I need to know more! ||
upper crypt
Finished! Thoughts to come ❤️
rigid crane
I finished this earlier 
im so sad i need time to digest
tight python
I told myself I won't join too many BRs in 2025 especially ones I didn't have on my TBR before but I see good reviews and wanted some audiobook to have on while cooking... so yeah got it from Audible and started a bit today
upper crypt
I told myself I won't join too many BRs in 2025 especially ones I didn't have on...
Yayyy!!! So glad we roped you in! 
tight python
Welcome to the BR for Shark Heart, everyone! I’m so happy this BR went through a...
Figured after the beginning he is changing but that's all. Very curious to see how this will be explored
upper crypt
Finished! Thoughts to come ❤️
My thoughts
This was definitely not what I expected at all. ||It's sadder and deeper than I expected but in a good way, sort of. It made me feel all kinds of things. I thought it was going to be a light and funny read but it's not, and I'm not unhappy about it. The whole thing with how she had to take care of her mother when she was younger was curious but it never occurred to me that her mother had an animal transformation condition too. It makes everything so much more emotional. I was already feeling so deeply into it when Lewis was turning and Wren was trying so hard to make it work, and then realizing later that she had to do the same for her mother, basically giving up her childhood to take care of her mother with a similar condition. Having both her most important loved ones forget her, having to lose both of them. I'm tearing up just thinking about it all over again 😭 ||
||I'm glad at the end that she decided to keep her baby but for a moment I was so scared that the author was going to make us hurt again by diagnosing her child with the same condition and making us see her go through it again with her child!! I mean, it's mentioned that there's still always going to be that possibility as she grows up and maybe it happens again but having it end where it did allows us to pretend it doesn't! And I'm going to pretend it doesn't! 😭 ||
||Whatever metaphors we want to read into this, it's ultimately about loss, and in some ways it's much harder to watch a loved one deteriorate and disappear right in front of you, especially if it drags on for so long. The dread of losing them for good when you're already in the process of losing them, and worse, you lose yourself in the process too. Putting it into words is hitting me in the feels all over again 😭 It's just so emotional! ||
I need to sit in my feels again for a minute and stare into space 
Such a good read. I'm so glad I read it with you all ❤️
tight python
Up to Scene: The Real Thing || An interesting beginning. I really hope it will deliver on being deeper rather than just "funny" because with themes like this ("Honey, I am turning into a white shark"), it can be a bit tricky. I'm glad we get insights into the characters' lives and backgrounds, like Wren's birthday party (ouch), which help us understand and see them better. Wren and Lewis seem like opposites for now, and I am intrigued to see how their dynamic will unfold as Lewis turns into a shark. ||
tight python
Scene: Such Wonderful Parents || Yikes, those were for sure not wonderful parents 
||
tight python
July || Are we actually reading Lewis' play? 👀Like he says so many times he wanted to/wants to write a play are some of those parts actually from his play since we have scenes ||
tight python
Finished Part 1 || The scene where Lewis lashed out violently and attacked someone rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like the story was trying to blur the line between human and animal behaviour, but in the end humans are violent in ways animals are not? Animals kill out of necessity to eat, and humans harm out of emotions. So it was meh to me because it read as "I was violent because I turned into an animal" which is weird and a bit incorrect? I wish there was more exploration of how Lewis' transformation affected his life. I wanted to see more of his regrets and deeper reflections on what he didn’t accomplish or what he did/did not do. I felt like both Wren and Lewis were not developed enough for me to feel bad for them, not enough depth, a bit flat. The last scene with them was still somewhat emotional. Maybe it's just a me problem ||
urban otter
I start 
tight python
Finished Part 2 || Wasn't a fan of the POV jump at all. I wanted way more on Wren and Lewis, but instead, we get Angela’s life story, and now she somehow feels like the most developed character in the book? Like, I get what the author was going for, but Wren is supposed to be the main character (I guess), and I still feel like I barely know her. Except of her sad 9th birthday party and accountant job and being logical. Like I enjoyed this part but at the same time made me realise how poorly developed Wren's and Lewis characters are? Also not a fan of a lot of fragmented scenes and time jumps, makes everything feel distant to me. I am not totally a hater, just I guess I see now how much lost potential there is ||
stoic blaze
gonna start this audiobook now
tight python
Finished! || It had so much potential and I think that’s what made my frustration even stronger. The premise was interesting and there were beautiful moments about terminal illness, grief, loneliness vs being alone, and changing humans and relationships, but some things prevented me from enjoying them fully. Wren and Lewis felt underdeveloped, and Angela, who wasn’t even the focus, ended up as the most fleshed out character imo. The fragmented, chaotic writing style with scenes and perspective jumps made everything feel a bit distant/detached. The Tiny Pregnant Woman subplot and the overall concept of mutations had so much potential but felt underexplored (again). Like the author tried to do too much at once and ended up not doing enough for everything. Still enjoyable, but it could have been so much better, at least that's for me. || 3.25/5 
It had a lot of good quotes
|| “Beyond pity, grief, and secret fascination, almost everyone at the party discovered the same private truth: Lewis and Wren’s situation made them feel better about themselves.”
“All the hours he spent theorizing about magic seemed so naive now. The main ingredient in transformation was not magic, it was pain.”
“She decided to swim so much that she, like Lewis, like the Tiny Pregnant Woman, would transform into something equipped for the water. With her own mind and muscle, she, too, could engage the ever illusory margin between human and animal.”
“He was an aimless kite in search of a string to ground him to the world, but instead, he’d found Wren, a great, strong wind who’d supported his exploration of the sky”||
urban otter
Page 34
I really feel that bro
stoic blaze
okay im 30% in so far and ||i really dont know what to say while i read this book you would think after so many buddy reads i have mastered the art of yapping but apparently not
my only thoughts so far are good but not what i expected
||
part 1 september ||hmmm i dont think manic is the opposite of depressed and being manic isnt a good thing either||
stoic blaze
finished part 1 ||That was.....something
it reminds me alot of Our Wives Under The Sea but easier to understand
i did feel a little moved when she said goodbye to lewis but im just not a fan of how philosophical and purple the book is like for me it kinda ruins the moment when a character goes on about a metaphor and monologues about sorrow but i know thats a taste thing ||
stoic blaze
okay im 75% in now ||its really weird how part one and two is like completely seperate stories at this point i do like this story so far but it feels kinda random in the context of the title||
stoic blaze
i finished this
|| this was quite underwhelming for me tbh but thats my fault since i had quite high expectations for it
i still think it was alot like Our wives under the sea in terms of vibes and feeling and i might not just be the biggest fan of that it was very airy whereas i would have liked more of an exploration in what even this mutation is 
but it was way more of an exploration in the feelings of loss and cronic illnesses which was interesting
it was also very melancholic and bitter sweet so i cant lie it has made me ache a little but no tears 3/5||
upper crypt
i finished this<:umnok:1315652988395589743> || this was quite underwhelming for ...
I love that you brought up Our Wives Under the Sea (not gonna spoiler bar it because I need to ask everyone who reads both books what they think! ) Another friend of mine mentioned it too in relation to this book and we talked about similarities/differences between them. I'll copy and paste my thoughts here and I'd love if anyone else who has read/is reading both books chimed in with their thoughts as well
stoic blaze
it has been a while since i read our wives under the sea but i remember getting alot of the same vibes and themes
upper crypt
Spoilers for Our Wives Under the Sea (and Shark Heart of course)
||I feel like there are definitely a lot of similarities on the surface in terms of the "what" that happens - spouse turning into a sea creature and the process of grief and letting go. But I think everything else is so very different. The vibes, the way it happens is also important I think, the "meaning"... Like Our Wives is meant to be horror, and Shark Heart is magical realism. In Our Wives, there was deception with the characters being stuck underwater longer than they were supposed to be, basically forced to be there, their condition was not something they were born with, but something that happens to them because of others causing harm to them. It also wasn't a "common" condition that happens to others and it's not something that they were able to talk about, find support groups for. The closest support group they were able to find was for something totally unrelated and "not real", imagined astronaut spouses leaving their spouses behind, iirc? ||
||Shark Heart was more relatable, because it was something that many people actually have gone through (the condition presented in the book), something common enough that there are official policies about how to handle the animals after their transformation. There are support groups specifically for this condition. It's a gene that they were born with, so it's not something that someone else did to them. In terms of metaphors and the meaning of the stories, this one is more relatable because we can see it as losing a loved one through illness or dementia, something that is "natural" and part of being human. The message is more "why me? why was I born with this gene?" but also because you were born with it, it's just the cards you were dealt and there's nothing you can do about it. ||
More to come
Still spoilers for both Our Wives Under the Sea and Shark Heart
||With Our Wives, it's not "natural" but supernatural, what horrors are under the sea, and the message is more "if only I didn't take the job, this wouldn't have happened", there was something you could've done to avoid it, everything would've been different, if only I didn't choose to do that, if only this or that didn't happen, etc.||
||I mean, obviously there are other aspects to compare, but I feel like in regards to the loss and grieving of losing someone to some kind of condition, there is a significant difference in the way you feel when losing them to a specific condition that was preventable vs. unpreventable. Genetic vs. infected(?). Because there's always that "why me?" question, there's always the "how could we have prevented this?" "is there a cure?" "who can we blame?" and the answers are very different with the two situations in Our Wives and Shark Heart, which in turn also makes the grieving process different because of the whole denial-anger-bargaining etc. stages. ||
These thoughts are mostly in context with looking at the books through the lens of both these books being ||metaphors for losing someone, seeing them deteriorate before your eyes, letting them go, and grieving, etc. ||
Curious what others think, and/or if there are other things I didn't think of that occurred to anyone else
upper crypt
it has been a while since i read our wives under the sea but i remember getting ...
No worries if you don't remember the details, I just thought it was interesting to compare the two. I didn't even remember Our Wives while reading this book, tbh, I only started thinking about it after my friend mentioned it
urban otter
100% I'm going to finish this tonight
urban otter
I finished. 
stuck prairie
I finished this like a week and a half ago and keep forgetting to share my thoughts! Hopefully getting to it tonight!
urban otter
||the author looked at "would you still love me if i was a worm" and went "what if instead of silly, this was actually a sad question" - A reviewer that vocalized what I wanted to say much better
||No but seriously uuhh I wasn't really prepared for this??? I am vaguely a broken woman after this book. I have a few nitpicks with it but mostly I really, really enjoyed this read. It's SUPER fast too. I went into the expectations of wacky hijinks involving a newly married couple finding out that her husband is like turning into a shark in a funny way - not in a body horror, this is a known in-world malady that can just happen to people including unborn children being born as animals and killing their mother from the womb. I remember saying out loud "what a fucked up thing to happen" at least three times while reading this. ||
||So I'm gonna stick to the obvious positives first of all - it's really beautiful, almost poetic and quite unlike something I've read before. With rich, understanding words and what it can feel like to move through love, life, grief and pain- I was completely enraptured by the whimsical and emotional journey of Lewis and Wren at the forefront and then later Angela's struggle and what came after Lewis' transformation. To me it felt more like a metaphor of loving people with illness - Angela's being a metaphor for mental illness, possibly something like bipolar, and for Lewis something like a brain tumour or perhaps cancer. It's a tender, emotional exploration of the effect the diagnosis has on Lewis and Wren, as a couple and as individuals. The writing is kind of unusual, as some chapters are written as though they were scripts (Lewis once dreamed of becoming a playwright) and some are written in free verse poetry. Very few chapters are more than three pages, many clocking in at just one paragraph. It's nonlinear, as Emily Habeck takes her reader through the early days of Wren and Lewis' romance, but also Wren's childhood - and then, what happens when she has to let go of Lewis as the transformation becomes complete. This can make things feel a little disjointed at times, but it all comes together rather gracefully.||
||In regards to the above, if you're coming in for the angle of just reading a straight forward "man becomes shark, this is what happens" story, you're out of luck. In my case where I had no idea really what to expect I was still pleasantly surprised but I can see that this kind of writing style could be divisive if it's not your thing. I didn't think it was my thing but hey, surprises! Tangentially to that, I didn't really enjoy the character building in this too much - while the story is heartbreaking, I feel like Wren and Lewis themselves in the first part are a little too... much? Like Wren comes across kind of like a manic pixie dream girl while Lewis sometimes comes across as being in love with the idea of Wren rather than Wren herself. I found Lewis pretty relatable in terms of how much he wants to do but never actually does I just found his relationship with Wren a little bit too paper-thin; there's still a lot of sweet moments between them but this book is not here for insightful complex characters in this way. Strangely I feel like Angela didn't suffer so badly from this, in fact I was horrified at the realization that Angela didn't pass away from a regular human disease but also fell prey to the transformation - the fact that Wren has had to go through this TWICE is heart-breaking, not to mention that her daughter may be high-risk for it too now. ||
||I think this book is a clear embodiment of one of those that you'll either carry with you and love or absolutely hate the guts of. I'm in camp A, I can absolutely see some of the flaws but I just... yeah I really loved it. I'm glad I gave it a chance, it's not a perfect 5 
experience but it's definitely 4.5 !||
coarse merlinBOT
@upper crypt,@urban otter,@thick quest,@lusty oriole,@dull pike,@modern idol,@remote sky,@echo flare,@solid onyx,@rigid crane,@stuck prairie,@whole holly,@crisp eagle,@rain herald,@modern grove,@wintry plover,@tight python,@solid onyx
Hey Shark Hearters, we’re about halfway through this BR with three weeks to go. How are you doing with the book? Let me know where you are!
Here’s what I have for the current status of readers, please let me know if I missed anyone.
Finished: windflower, Acid, Veronica, Haze, Intro, Amanda, Vaude
Finished, waiting for more discussion: Beans, jnix
Here are some additional discussion questions for those who have finished the book:
Please use spoiler bars where necessary. Thank you and happy reading!
coarse merlinBOT
Hey Shark Hearters, we’re about halfway through this BR with three weeks to go. ...
rain herald
Hey Shark Hearters, we’re about halfway through this BR with three weeks to go. ...
i enjoyed the format of part 1. ||part 2 felt like a sharp shift in terms of tone, and it took me a while to get back on board. i think i could've rolled with it more if part 3 had switched back to wren, tying things in with her mother in a nice way. instead, we got part 3 with lewis, which i felt was unnecessary and detracted from the story as a whole||
||i think specific events would have been different, but not the overall feeling of loss. wren's loved ones would still be transforming from someone she knew to someone who didn't even recognize her||
||i'm a bit confused by this question, since it read to me that wren wasn't there for her mother. i believe that, because wren wasn't there for her mom, she overcompensated with lewis and remained there for him even when it wasn't what was best for either of them. (e.g., her half-baked plan to join him in the ocean.) as for her daughter… tbh i think the emphasis there should be on what the daughter's quality of life might be, not on what wren might feel going through it. personally i would not have a child if i knew they had such a high risk (on both sides!) of this terrible mutation that would steal their life from them||
(apologies for spoiler bars not working at first! edited asap)
modern idol
I haven't started yet. I plan to get this in the last week of the BR.
upper crypt
1. i enjoyed the format of part 1. ||part 2 felt like a sharp shift in terms of ...
||I might have been mistaken in regards to question 3. My impression was that Wren had to work and start taking care of her mom at a very young age. I'm not sure that she was present for her mom physically, but I thought that she had to give up a lot of her childhood and freedom to take care of her mom. I could've worded the question better. Love your answers though! I agree that the focus should be on the daughter's quality of life, you're right! ||
rain herald
||I might have been mistaken in regards to question 3. My impression was that Wr...
that's fair! ||i was thinking more about when she got older and went off to college, etc. the scene where she briefly visited her mother and saw the condition of the house is very vivid in my memory||
stuck prairie
Finally getting around to sharing my thoughts! I would say 3.5/5 for me. Generally, ||I had no expectations going into this book, but if I had it would have met them! I was pleasantly surprised by the unique storyline and atypical chronology pulling the book along. The characters were lovable and had actual deep issues they were wrestling with. Ultimately the book is very philosophical and dives into some dark aspects of the human condition. I appreciated the realistic interactions and developments with the characters.||
As far as the questions posted above:
upper crypt
As far as the questions posted above:
1. ||I thought both Angela's POV and Lewis...
||I can see how his pov as a shark could maybe be what the afterlife might look like for someone who died if taking the analogy of the condition being a fatal disease. I'm also not sure that it was strictly necessary to the story but if seen as the afterlife it's an interesting take for sure||
modern idol
I hope to get this in time! I've been first on the library waiting list for what feels like forever!
upper crypt
Let me know if you (or anyone else) need an extension for this ❤️
frozen rampartBOT
upper crypt
Thank you haikubot
thick quest
May ||Uhhhh ok he’s turning into a shark||
Part 1 Wren age 9 ||Yeah I also had a birthday party at around that age where no one showed up. Yay! 
||
||Louis not writing his great ideas even though he’s so good at it 
||
frozen rampartBOT
thick quest
Part 1: Wren’s Twenties ||I didn’t expect this book to be so sad. The night with the trucker 
I’m feeling a lot||
Part 2, Scene: The Day Before Angela’s Fifteenth Birthday ||Omg, he’s “cool girl”ing her. And how fucking old is this dude? Jesus||
Part 2, Scene: Family Meeting ||Im pretty surprised he’s sticking around, but he’s prob trying to get out of a statutory charge||
thick quest
Art 2, Scene: I Love Them All ||Damn Angela really got a bad break, wtf???||
thick quest
Part 3, Scene: A Giant ||Brooooo stop, my feelings||
thick quest
Finished this but been collecting my thoughts. ||It seemed like a pretty simple story from the bare-bones synopsis, I went in pretty blind, I didn’t even read the full blurb. I was expecting Our Wives under the Sea but a little less horror. And I was really impressed. I love the bits of stage direction, the audiobook really did these justice with different actors. The side characters that ended up having places in the narrative: the mom, the pregnant lady, Margaret. It was a little predictable for Wren to end up pregnant at the end, but it still was really sweet and it was nice she had a piece of Louis and her mom. It’s crazy how wildly different the ages were of the people who turned. Like the one lady’s kids changed during pregnancy, and Louis was like 40. Just knowing anytime you could change like that seems so weird, but I guess we also know that we could die at anytime. I’ll have to sit with it longer to figure out what to rate this one, but def at least a 4||
coarse merlinBOT
@upper crypt,@urban otter,@thick quest,@lusty oriole,@dull pike,@modern idol,@remote sky,@echo flare,@solid onyx,@rigid crane,@stuck prairie,@whole holly,@crisp eagle,@rain herald,@modern grove,@wintry plover,@tight python,@solid onyx
Hey everyone, this BR will be ending in a few days! How are you doing with the book? Let me know where you are and if you need an extension. If there are two or more requests, we can make that happen.
Here’s what I have for the current status of readers, please let me know if I missed anyone.
Finished: windflower, Acid, Veronica, Haze, Intro, Amanda, Vaude, Beans, tink
Finished, waiting for more discussion: jnix
Happy Reading!
coarse merlinBOT
Hey everyone, this BR will be ending in a few days! How are you doing with the b...
upper crypt
I finished this earlier <:niko_frog_anime:817190077226418186> im so sad i need t...
Just checking in to remind you to comment a little more about the book if you're feeling better about it now! ❤️
whole holly
I am planning on reading this soon 
I just need to not feel so sleepy after work
rigid crane
Just checking in to remind you to comment a little more about the book if you're...
omg thank you for the reminder! I’ve forgotten to send my thoughts for so many BRs lately LOL
modern idol
Let me know if you (or anyone else) need an extension for this ❤️
Is it possible to get an extension? My hold still stays two weeks out.
rigid crane
Okay I think im ready! 
This book wasn’t what I expected it to be at all. I gave it 4 ⭐️. It got a lot more emotional than I expected, dang litfic making me feel things
||TPW’s storyline really got me tbh. I think I related to her the most. It’s so easy to crumble under pressure and everyone’s expectations of you and to just go along with what you’re expected to do even if you desperately don’t want that. Without getting too political I couldn’t help but read into her situation a little bit too, carrying an unwanted pregnancy for religious and familial reasons and ultimately dying a preventable death (iirc).
The last little bit with Lewis and his shark friend took me out a bit and I don’t think it was really needed. I think that maybe took things too far into the surreal/silly and made the impact of Wren’s loss a lot less powerful. I’m glad we got to know Wren’s mother, and I really grew to feel for Angela and how shitty her situation was but she did her best for her daughter. it was sad to see Wren lose another loved one to such an aggressive and violent condition, and it was kind of “reeeeaaaally?” when she ended up pregnant, not sure about the timeline on that, but it added at least a little bit of positivity to Wren’s life.||
I’m really glad I gave this one a shot, from the synopsis alone I don’t think I would’ve ever picked it up, but the cover is beautiful and im a sucker for a BR. 
so glad I joined!
upper crypt
I need at least one more person for an extension! Is anyone else needing one?
upper crypt
Is it possible to get an extension? My hold still stays two weeks out.
How long would you need, to get the book and then read it?
nocturne pivot
I don't know if this counts, but I just saw this BR today and wanted to join in if there were to be an extension 
rigid crane
That counts!
upper crypt
Absolutely!
What would be a reasonable amount of time for the extension? Is 3 weeks enough?
nocturne pivot
More than enough for me!
modern idol
Three weeks should be enough for me. Once I get it, I'm sure I'll finish within a few days.
upper crypt
Sounds good! I'll send in the request!
modern idol
Sounds good! I'll send in the request!
Thank you so much!
coarse merlinBOT
Ongoing BuddyRead
whole holly
BR extended!
<t:1737015240:D> - <t:1742544840:D>
modern idol
Thank you!
nocturne pivot
Yippee! My copy is arriving today 
nocturne pivot
It arrived 
modern idol
Yay! Finally got this. I have a couple of other books planned for the weekend readathon but I'm going to try to at least start this weekend.
upper crypt
Yayyy! Happy to hear that! 🎉
modern idol
Part 1: May || "Some patients report a sensation of constant suffocation toward the end. Some maintain a few human features at the time of release, but these features do resolve in time." 😱 ||
modern idol
Part 1 - Wren, Age Nine: || I suspected the birthday party build-up was leading to nobody coming. Man, that hits hard. Poor Wren. Not even 10% into the book and making me tear up.||
nocturne pivot
About a third of the way through. Just after ||the "farewell" party for Lewis by his colleagues.|| ||It's so impressive how a plot that is at face value absurd is done with such seriousness and gravitas that it's actually quite emotional. Lewis' inability to control himself really makes you feel dread, especially from a character so emotive and light hearted||
||Why am I fascinated with the legal implications of Lewis hurting Pierce. He's not going to press charges...against the SHARK? How would that even work of he DID want to? They knew he was a shark before going to the party. Lawyers of this world tell me your secrets||
nocturne pivot
||"Can you imagine doing that to yourself?"
"No," Wren lied.||
modern idol
Part 1 - July: I recently read An Immense World by Ed Yong which is a non-fiction about how animals experience the world. There were some parts about sharks and || their electroreception. I love that this book is bringing in some real facts about sharks and that Lewis wants to hone his electroreception to try to recognize Wren from a distance. 💚 ||
modern idol
Part 1 - Scene: Tiny Skin Teeth || I relate with Wren and her work situation. I used to feel like I couldn't make mistakes at work and that work was the highest priority. It's sad to see her so over-extended to keep a stable job but then have little time to spend with her husband that won't be around much longer. I'm glad that it seems like Johnathan actually wants to support her and that she decides to take another day off at the end of the chapter. ||
modern idol
Part 1 - Scene: Bathtub Conversation, Part II || conversation with the tiny pregnant woman: "For this reason bird pregnancies are often fatal for the mother and the mother should not deny this possibility. She should plan for two outcomes; death and living in an impaired body " 😱||
modern idol
Part 1 - Scene: Lewis's Fourth Vision: || I was not expected Lewis to be released so soon in the story. I also wasn't expecting to cry so much. ||
modern idol
Part 2 - Scene: Thunderhead: || I'm not sure how I feel about this complete change of main characters. It's interesting to get insight into Angela and therefore Wren's life; but it almost feels like a brand new book. Also, Marcos says they'll be a family but he seems much older and this whole relationship seems inappropriate. Also, we know Wren didn't know her father so obviously something, that is probably going to make me cry, is going to happen ||
nocturne pivot
Part Two after SCENE: Family Meeting - ||As Rick looks down at Colleen sleeping beside him but does not reach out to her||
||Yes, he was a man of his era, one in a generation of boys who were trained to lead but never feel, one in a generation of boys who became staunch, withholding men in lonely rooms looking out at life with no way to touch it.||
Hey Emily this one hurts a lil
nocturne pivot
Part 2 - Scene: Thunderhead: || I'm not sure how I feel about this complete cha...
Same. ||I was reading nonstop until I reached Part Two and then I put it down because the sudden change was a little jarring||
Part Two after SCENE: A Boy and a Woman (also what a raw phrase)
||She knew it was wrong to think this way, but seeing Marcos's mulberry thumbprint beneath the soft flap of her earlobe the next morning gave Angela the creeping satisfaction that he took the time to touch her.||
HEY EM, THIS ONE HURT A LOT
NATIVE AMERICAN MENTIONED 
||"But there are bruises on her arms."|| Hey ||Marcos|| I just wanna talk
frozen rampartBOT
nocturne pivot
thank you haiku
nocturne pivot
Part Two after SCENE: Something Brief but Significant
||Angela knew then that she had to keep some things to herself.||
The thing about reading a story like this is we aren't limited to the linear. ||It's easy to look at Marcos as he was three physical pages ago, violent and mean, and obviously we side with Julia's opinion. But then you get the line above, and you can also see how Angela has a hard time letting him go. Because we can flip to the middle of the book and see him as she fell for him. which makes this line just so. UGH 🤌 . because it's hard to hold two truths at once, loving and hating someone at the same time||
You know reading this second half its hard to remember that the first half of the book ||had a man turning into a shark||. Emily Habeck stop playing with my braincells
nocturne pivot
||Ah ||
nocturne pivot
Final thoughts: ||Wren is such a remarkable character that it blows my mind. The entire layout of her life draws you in, and it's crazy how these miniscule moments of past meets present, how influences from countless little things shape who she is and what her life becomes. It's fascinating how Lewis in her life became a dam against her generational grief, not because he did anything necessarily to stop it himself, but because she willed it to end there and she allowed herself to dream as he did. A really beautiful story||
modern idol
Part 2 - Scene: A Boy and a Woman: || Marcos telling Angela she should get a job and then immediately ask what she's waiting for infuriated me. But because of that, she got the just b at the motel and it seems like she's building a healthy, supportive relationship with Julia and her family. I hope when Marcos inevitably leaves Angela, she will have support. ||
modern idol
Part 2 - Scene: I Love Them All: || I was not expecting Angela to have had a mutation. When Wren had thought about her mother forgetting her, I thought she had Alzheimer's. Wren has had a really rough go with those she's loved. I do love George's response "Just look at me. Don't you see who I am? I love reptiles. I love them all." ||
modern idol
finished Part 2: || Wren has to bear the burden of all of this sadness. I cannot even imagine supporting someone through a mutation. I've seen support at end of life, including Alzheimer's, which is a really rough situation. I cannot imagine how unresolved it would feel to know the person you cared about still lives but not in the way you knew them and you'll never see them again and know how they are doing. ||
modern idol
Finished. I give this a 3.75/5 rating. || Overall I loved the concept of this story and the writing style. The inclusion of the "scenes" worked well for this particular story. The plot was much deeper and more emotional than I was expecting which shocked me but I think it was done well. We looked at some very real difficult topics, like forced birth based on religious beliefs, physical and emotional abuse, caring for parents and spouses as dependents, and falling apart from friends. This was so beautifully written, though, that even with the difficult topics, I (mostly) didn't want to put it down. ||
|| I dropped the rating because I found the disjointedness between parts to be too much and I did have to put it down for a little between parts to context switch. Within the each individual part, any time jumping was done smoothly and helped to define the characters we were following at the time. Part two felt like a completely different book for so long that when Angela was diagnosed with her mutation, I had to pause to remember that this was the same book as the shark mutation. I guess maybe the part separation was intentional to give that shock value because it does seem like many people here were surprised by the diagnosis; but I feel like the book would have read better if the two parts were combined together into one part with more (strategic) time jumping. ||
|| TWPs story was so sad to me and while I was expecting her to die, when Wren found her obituary, I still teared up. When Wren found out that she was pregnant, at first I thought it was the truckers! I had to go back through the months to make sure the timing worked and that Lewis would not have been too far into his mutation at the time of conception. By my calculations, Wren was about four months pregnant before she realized it which seems reeeeallllly far along to just be figuring it out; but I guess this could make sense given everything she was going through in that time. At first I had felt bad that she hadn't figured it out before Lewis was released because maybe that knowledge could have provided some solace to him in his last couple of months; but after seeing in part three that he retained significant human consciousness in shark form, that might have been more torturous to him. Speaking of part three, I agree with others that it didn't add much to the story. It did help add some levity towards the end so that the entire book was not deep and emotional but there wasn't much beyond that. It was also sad that Margaret was so young when she transformed and is now stuck with a consciousness of a teenager; unless of course Lewis (and maybe others!) can help her continue to mature. Also, 20ish years completely on your own?! Well, besides the pod of dolphins. ||
modern idol
Hey Shark Hearters, we’re about halfway through this BR with three weeks to go. ...
|| I enjoyed the play aspects of the story. Lewis was one of the main characters in part one and his perspective felt necessary to encompass the transformation process. Angela's POV helped to define Wren and her past experiences. ||
|| I think the experience very much would have been different. I think Wren could have lived more peacefully with Lewis and Angela towards the end of their respective mutations and could have ended things with more closure. But there is also the temptation to continue to live with the person after they have fully transformed. While this could potentially work, especially given Lewis did in fact remember Wren, this doesn't seem very healthy. ||
|| I think that Wren did the best that she could for Lewis and mostly for Angela. As Wren became a young adult, there was a bit of neglect around her care for Anglea but I don't blame her given the situation and I think she did that best she could. Regarding Joy, I'm mixed. Did she choose to have Joy as a coping mechanism for herself or did she really think she was doing the best thing possible for Joy. Joy is at high-risk for the kamado dragon mutation as that skips generations. Not sure how the shark mutation passes, was she at a double risk? And hearing about how young Margaret was when she transformed!! If Wren did some behind the scenes not documented in the book research around the odds for the shark transformation and found that it was unlikely, then I think she did that right thing since the kamado dragon mutation is so slow, if Joy did inherit it, at least she'd have a couple of mostly normal decades of life. ||
modern grove
August: ||the aquarium scene! the tiny pregnant woman! this is my fave chapter by far and its only gonna get more painful from here 🥲||
modern grove
Scene: Lewis's fourth vision ||i cant believe how gut wrenching that was! and we aint even halfway through. idk if i can handle this haha- i wasnt expecting to get this emotional given how absurd the plot is but my God||
modern grove
Finished! 4.75/5, thanks for the extension!
coarse merlinBOT
@upper crypt,@urban otter,@thick quest,@lusty oriole,@dull pike,@modern idol,@remote sky,@echo flare,@solid onyx,@rigid crane,@stuck prairie,@whole holly,@crisp eagle,@rain herald,@modern grove,@wintry plover,@tight python,@solid onyx,@nocturne pivot
Dear Shark Hearters, this BR is ending today! If anyone is still reading or finishing up, let me know and I’ll give you a few days. Otherwise, I’ll be sending in the report today!
Here’s what I have for readers who completed the book, please let me know if I missed anyone:
windflower, Acid, Veronica, Haze, Intro, Amanda, Vaude, Beans, tink, jnix, Pilot, Really A Cat, maybae
Thank you all so much for reading this book with me and sharing your thoughts. I loved the book and I really enjoyed taking this journey with you!
coarse merlinBOT
Dear Shark Hearters, this BR is ending today! If anyone is still reading or fini...
thick quest
Thanks for hosting!
whole holly
omg I thought it was the end of the month 
I'll read it asap
frozen rampartBOT
upper crypt
omg I thought it was the end of the month <:sobAUGH:1250169941903282330> I'll re...
No worries, you've got time! I hope you'll enjoy it too!
whole holly
No worries, you've got time! I hope you'll enjoy it too!
so sorry for the delay! leaving all my notes now
Wren, Age Nine (8%): ||It must be absolutely devastating for a kid to have no one turn up to their birthday party 
even worse is one kid turning up and then trying to slyly leave when they see no one else there. I want to hug Wren so bad. Angela shouldn't blame herself for getting pregnant that young and having to raise Wren by herself. I'm the kid of a teen mum as well and I know in a lot of ways she tried her best to be everything for me and I get the feeling Angela is like that for Wren too. ||
10%: ||The setting of that play is so dark and has definitely unlocked a new fear for me 
imagine possibly getting pregnant with your brother's baby. No thank you.||
June (12%): ||That's such a chilled reaction to what is essentially 'honey, I'm turning into a shark.' ||
Scene: Such Wonderful Parents (18%): ||I'm actually really enjoying the different writing techniques/styles that are being used in this.||
Scene: Tiny Skin Teeth (24%): ||Their relationship is genuinely really cute. I love that they're somewhat screwing with gender roles here too. Wren has referenced that basically she has the kind of job that would make her a breadwinner in the marriage and she's also the 'sillier' one of the two. I just think it's super sweet.||
Wren, Age Nineteen (28%): ||I was wondering why we're getting Wren flashbacks like this and I'm still not completely sure why but omg, is she gonna get with her teacher?? No no no but that's likely going to be so transformative for her.||
Scene: And Another (31%): ||Is there going to be an explanation for why some people are part animal or are we just meant to go along with this being a normal experience?||
||I wasn't expecting abortion rights to be brought up in this but it's so sad that Tiny Pregnant Woman isn't able to have one even though she clearly doesn't want this pregnancy ||
October (34%): ||It's an extreme realisation of 'in sickness and in health' but I think it's really sweet that they're adapting to Lewis' transformation and that Wren is helping him through it.||
||This is generally developing faster than I thought it would.||
Scene: Bathtub Conversation, Part II (38%): ||I think there could be a little bit more of an exploration on how hard this is for both of them but we do see glimpses of that. I think they need to have an honest conversation about what their future is going to be like whilst they still have the opportunity rather than Wren just doing nice things to make Lewis more comfortable.||
Wren's Twenties (54%): ||This book is going in a different direction than I thought.||
Part Two: Angela (55%): ||Okay I wasn't expecting us to go back in time to Wren's mom. If this is a generational story then there must be an overarching theme that links them. Right now I'm a little bit lost.||
Scene: The Day Before Angela's Fifteenth Birthday (57%): ||This dude that she's banging sounds absolutely gross. That 'pet name' is not cute at all and part of me feels like whilst she might not have been forced into it, she might get validation from being good with guys and so did something that she probably wasn't emotionally prepared for. The fact that she's likely going to get pregnant soon and the guy doesn't appear to be in the picture too. I feel so bad for her but I also completely understand her.||
||Actually thinking about it Marcos definitely seems older and she's being taken advantage of. It's way too relatable for me ||
Scene: Thunderhead (61%): ||I'm surprised he didn't immediately dip after she told him she was pregnant.||
Scene: Family Meeting (63%): ||I know this is going to go wrong but the fact that he's already isolating her from her family and she doesn't have any money...I'm worried for her.||
Scene: A Boy and a Woman (65%): ||Oh, to be able to go to a place of business and almost immediately get a job. I wish the world still worked like that. I know a lot of older people think it still is that easy to get a job but imagine a 15 year old high school dropout trying to do something similar now. They'd probably tell her to go back to school but school won't pay the bills or help provide for the baby now.||
68%: ||Quick, what's the appeal of Marcos? All he seems to do is try to control Angela. He's asked her to do something and when she does, then he doesn't like it and he's emasculating her. She'll never be able to do anything right with him and she's going to feel more and more trapped. I really hope someone helps her out soon before this gets even more abusive.||
A Brief Interlude (72%): ||Let me protect you Angela!||
78%: ||Oh, Angela is transforming as well? How awful for Wren that she lost the two people closest to her in similar ways.||
Wren, Age Sixteen (82%): ||Nope, that's absolutely terrifying. I can't even begin to put myself in Wren or Angela's shoes. I'm glad they prepared for it and hopefully Wren will stay safe but your mom being venomous and roaming outside your bedroom should never be a situation you have to prepare for.||
Part 3 (83%): ||Ooh, we're finally getting a proper Lewis POV.||
Regrets (84%): ||It makes me sad that he's reflecting on his human? life so much and that he does have all these regrets. ||
86%: ||I'm glad he's found someone else to talk to now as well and he's not so solitary and alone in his thoughts.||
88%: ||She's been alone in the ocean since she was 12? That's horrible and makes so much sense as to why she essentially needed raising by a dolphin pod because she was still a child herself.||
January (94%): ||TPW died? I feel so bad for her because if she'd gotten the abortion that she wanted then none of this would've ever happened. I'm not sure if Wren being pregnant either is going to be good for her but I hope it is and that she can have a positive experience with her child and not just repeat the cycle that happened with her and her mom.||
Finished. ||This book was completely different than I was expecting but that's definitely not a bad thing. I went into it thinking that Part 1 was going to be the entire book but it encompassed so much more than that. The themes of love and family really resonated me, and Angela's POV was sadly so relatable to me. It took a while for me to get into this and handle the POV changes but I do think every story deserved to be told so it was nice to see the three of them. I think we could've explored more how both Wren and Lewis dealt with things and the epilogue with Joy felt a little bit rushed imo, but this book impacted me a lot emotionally so I will let that slide a little. I'm guessing that this is a standalone but there's so much that could be explored in a world like this. I think the format itself with the screenwriting worked more with Lewis than in the other POVs but I liked that it tried to do something different. 4 ⭐||
upper crypt
so sorry for the delay! leaving all my notes now
Yayy! So glad you got to finish! And that you enjoyed the book! 😍
whole holly
Yayy! So glad you got to finish! And that you enjoyed the book! 😍
yes! it was really moving and so easy to get through 
upper crypt
yes! it was really moving and so easy to get through <a:love:944627324219981884>
I agree! It was really not what I expected when I went into it. I'm surprised how much it made me feel and even though I finished it two months ago(!) I still find myself thinking about it and reading your comments bring it all back to me again now 
urban otter
Thank you for hosting!!! 
wise plume
