4.5 stars

Why you might not like this book: This book is weird and very plot light. Nothing happens, really. I'd more describe it as a snapshot-- a particular moment in our characters lives and what brought them together. It has an unexplained fantastical element that is used more for symbolism. It's short, too, so if you struggle with shorter stories and feeling like you got enough bang for your buck, you may struggle here.

Why I loved this book:: THIS BOOK IS WEIRD. I loved it so much. I was immediately invested in Lillian and felt so much for the way her life got off track. This book says a lot, but to me, I just deeply felt the exploration of what it means to get stuck when life is unfair. Lilian was wronged and she doesn't know how to get past that in a lot of ways. Enter two children who literally light on fire when they have emotions. I also loved these two kids a lot. Watching them also cope with the ways that life was unfair to them was a great foil for Lilian, as was Madison. She's the one with things all figured out, but in a lot of ways, she and her husband are the villains of this story.

This was well written, entertaining, original, and emotional. It felt like both coming of age and found family, which are two of my favorite things.