The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, 1)

This book is pure sunshine. It made me smile, laugh, grin, smirk, snort, chuckle, and, most importantly, smile again. There are plenty of stories in this world about kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance, even in the face of overwhelming cruelty or unkindness. There are also tales that encourage us to push back and fight against those very circumstances. However, this book puts you in the mood to let go of the petty, forgive wisely, choose kindness instinctively, enjoy colorful adventures, have a good laugh, and eat some pie. Reading this book feels like being on a leisurely vacation on a sunny, clear-blue beach. It leaves you feeling like a better person, with an overwhelming desire to be kind and makes you believe that nothing can bring you down for too long. You want to hug everything out, and the most aggression you can conjure from within is a snarky comment. You feel happy, cheerful, and at peace, wanting the world around you to also feel happy, cheerful, and peaceful. It paints a picture of the kind of world many of us desire and shows how easy it can be to create that world if we just take a moment to build it. So, yes, it’s idealistic, and that’s probably why many of us should read it—if only to serve as a gentle reminder or a comforting escape when we need it most.

4.58 group rating

I loved this story and wanted to give it 5 stars but I couldn’t get past the fat phobia and self body shaming. For a book about acceptance it missed the mark there.

I LOVE this book with all its warm and fuzzies. It touches on a lot of modern day problems and lessons and presents them in a teachable light. Kind of like an Aesop’s Fable.

I didn’t want this book to end, and could have read about the lives in the house in the cerulean sea forever.

This book was adorable but low stakes stories are not for me.