I sure wanted to love this book. I re-read House on the Cerulean Sea last month and was delighted by how well it held up on a re-read, it felt like the same warm hug that it was the first time around three years ago. But I just can't get into this book. A huge part of what made the first book so charming was Linus' slow burn transformation from a rigid rules holder to slowly warming up to each child to falling in love to rebelling against his rigid gray life. I made it halfway through this book and despite the fact that there's supposed to be a high stakes visit about to start, I just... couldn't find myself caring. The children's personalities all feel frozen and twee, with no growth being incorporated despite the fact that they are all tween/teenagers, a time when the difference of a few months can mean big shifts in interests or personality. The fabric and dynamic of the family somehow hasn't changed at all with David's arrival, and there are just only so many "I want to destroy the world!!" / "No you don't" arguments between Lucy and the grownups that I can read before it starts to feel extremely repetitive. I feel guilty giving up on this, but I have found myself avoiding reading because I just don't want to pick it up, and that's not how I want to spend my time.