Francine S.

An Easy read

Revisado: 03-19-23

Are We There Yet?

2.75 stars

Keywords: family, drama, pre-teens

Trigger warning(s): child pornorgaphy, nude leaking

I’m not entirely sure what drew me to this book. Maybe it was the low stakes of contemporary fiction, or maybe it’s because my nephew is quickly approaching the age of the children in this book. Whatever the reason was, I’m more neutral on this book.

Though I do not personally know any moms like the ones portrayed in this book, I do feel like they are realistic for this day and age. Realistic to the point that some of their behavior bothered me, but such is life when it comes to other people.

Though this book talks about the stress of being a mom with a troubled pre-teen, it’s not a very stressful read. It’s written in a way that doesn’t, for me, get overwhelming. This was a nice light book to listen to while traveling to and from my mother and fathers house. It was a little charming, like the characters were innocent/ignorant to the world and what was happening around them. I’d recommend this to people who just want a light read about the morden struggles of raising a teenager.

Now to my problem with the book…. Slight spoilers ahead.

One of the things that bothered me about this book was the way that Alice approached the trouble that her son got in. I understand being confused when you’re seemingly good kid gets into trouble, but it just felt like she was trying to deny anything wrong had happened, or that he son wasn’t capable or fully responsible for the trouble he caused. This attitude continued even when he spread a naked photo of a girl from school with the soccer team(hence my trigger warnings). Even though what he did was extremely serious, wrong, AND a crime, she acted as though it wasn’t a big enough deal for him to have charges pressed against him, even though the DA wouldn’t follow through because of his age, and thought it was unfair for the charges to exist in the first place. Maybe this is just a difference in attitude, but if I were in her shoes I would not find pressed charges as “too much”. I would not be happy about the situation, however I believe that actions have consequences, and spreading nudes, especially CHILD nudes, is a serious offense in my eyes. In my opinion, at some point you have to put your bias aside and see that your child's actions are wrong.


I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I liked the performance, though it is less theatrical than others I've listened to. This may just be a me issue, but it was kind of hard to keep track of who's perspective the story was while listening. This is not usually an issue I have while READING a book, so I don't hold it against this book at all. My reading skills are better than my listening skills after all, but I figured I would mention it in case others like me were considering the audiobook version.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

ridiculously funny

Revisado: 03-07-23

Key words: sexually raunchy, ridiculous, LGBTQIA+/Queer, boy love, slow burn, love triangle

Trigger warning: swearing, sexual language, sex scene

I was NOT prepared for this book! After reading three different books by TJ Klune, I decided to keep rolling with his books by purchasing this one on audible, since the audiobook was an audible exclusive.

If you've read his more recent books, you're in for a surprise with this one for sure!

The Lightning Stuck Heart is a RIDICULOUS and raunchy read that kept me laughing all the way through. I'm normally unaffected by comedy, but I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness that I'd Sam of Wilds banter with his friends.

Despite being a comedy, I still found a deeper meaning to the story. There is heart in each interaction, and I found his growth wonderful. Learning to accept that which we cannot change, holding space for our emotions, and receiving support from our loved ones is, I believe, the heart of this story. All of this is taught through a raunchy love triangle.

As always with TJ Klune books, each character grew one me, and not one character could be mistaken for another, except maybe The Darks.

This was an absolutely fantastic start to a series that I can not wait to dive into the rest of.

Michael Lesley does a FANTASTIC job of narrating this book! He performs the most diverse set of voices I've heard in an audiobook. His voice for Sam is absolutely for narrating the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The title says it all

Revisado: 02-03-23

Both the story and performance was fantastic.

if you're looking for a touching, thoughtful story with great narration, look no further.

the author did a great job of weaving the story together. Marcellus is my favorite character and I absolutely adored his entries through out the book.

a truly wholesome read, in my opinion.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

TJ Klune is becoming a favorite of mine

Revisado: 01-22-23

I have Fallen in love with TJ Klunes writing. Both books I've read/listened to have been 5 star books. They write in such a cozy way, that makes me so happy I picked the book up and decided to read them. I cannot wait to read/listen to more by TJ Klune!

Kirt Graves did a wonderful job narrating. He was great at making sure that each character had a unique voice, and I very much appreciated and enjoyed that.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cozy, heart felt listen.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña