I've seen this book EVERYWHERE but have never picked it up. I had a need for it and I wanted to read it but there was just always something else on my list.
That is, until I signed up for Book of the Month and this was on the list for March. What a better time to get it delivered to my door?
I had also just seen something that said Reese Witherspoon was going to adapt this for a movie/TV show next (after the success of her first adaptation, Big Little Lies) so I knew I had to read it.
Little Fires Everywhere was the first book I read from my 1st BOTM box and I'm glad I did it. It didn't take that long to read, I probably read it in a few days. It was very easy to read -- it went fast, was interesting enough to keep my attention but wasn't something that I really had to focus on.
After the killer opening chapter and how the story started off, I think my expectations were a little high. As I continued reading the book I realized that I wasn't going to get that from this book.
It started off hot and then kind of tapered off into a non thriller story. There was a hint of mystery but not enough to satisfy that part of my brain.
However, that doesn't mean it was a bad book because it wasn't. It took place in the 90s, which took me sometime to realize but I really liked that aspect of it. It centered around Pearl and her mother Mia who move around a lot, but finally settle down in the Cleveland town of Shaker Heights which gives me Wisteria Lane vibes (I miss Desperate Housewives so much!)
Mia and Pearl rent out the apartment of The Richardson Family, who live down the road in their Shaker Heights mansion. Pearl takes up with the son, Moody, and form a quick bond with the other teenage Richardson children.
The black sheep of the Richardson family, Izzy, gets close to Mia who is a free spirit in her own right; she's an artist that creates these crazy, unique pieces that consist of so many different parts like photographs, paintings, and everything in between.
I wasn't really sure what the main focus on the book was going to be until another family in Shaker Heights adopts a Chinese-American baby. Mia finds the birth mother who is desperately looking for the baby she abandoned, and this turns into an all out war in Shaker Heights. Mia and Mrs. Richardson are on opposing sides and it leads to Mrs. Richardson digging into Mia's past and discovering some skeletons in her closet.
The book has a few twists and turns, and eventually you find out why the opening scene happened. I was a little disappointed with the ending because it made me mad and sad. It was very open ended and I hate those types of ending because I want everything wrapped up into a neat little bow. However, life isn't like that and I think books are a little more realistic when that happens.
I loved all the stories in this book; the dynamic between Mia and The Richardsons, the story of the teenagers, the adoption scandal, and Mia's past. It was all very interesting and everything was connected in some way so you felt like it flowed together.
I really liked this book and I highly recommend! If you want something mysterious but not creepy or thriller like, and something easy to read, this is for you.
What are you reading this week?
xoxo
B
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