Happiness Falls: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

Kinda hard to get into at first, as it felt very YA at the beginning, but I ended up really enjoying this book! Very grateful to pick it back up. Lots of smiles, thinking moments, and some tears.

One of the best books I read all year. Smart, gripping, interesting characters, and even educational.

Very fast paced. Too much so at times. Autism is such a complex issue, and for non verbal autistics- life is extremely hard- for all the reasons Kim mentions. The one good thing she says, in the afterwords is to read Ido Kedars’ book In Autismland. He has since written a novel In Two Worlds. A much more realistic view of someone who can’t speak. Btw, he wrote both books with one finger. I didn’t like the overarching story of missing Dad. I didn’t like how quickly the police become ‘the bad guy’. I hated Mia- she too is on the spectrum- and it is completely ignored. I am so tired of immigrants complaining about being outsiders. To my mind, not much was resolved- except that once Eugene could communicate- dynamics instantly change in the family. I guess it was sensory overload and too much crammed into one not very good novel

This book is so informative on many subjects.

Very accurate depiction of autism and the relationships and feelings between siblings of neurodivergent and/or intellectually disabled individuals. This book was hard for me to read at times, as an older sibling like Mia and John, and there were specific triggers when the police were going after Eugene and other things but I think that made it even more relatable for me. Overall, great book but I'll be honest my brain couldn't keep up with all the 'HQ' stuff.