Little Fires Everywhere [Hardcover]

I bought this based on the rave reviews. Half way through it I went back to check if I'd missed that it was YA. This whole book could've been a short story without losing a thing. It's been padded with uninteresting side plots, rambling, unnecessary back stories and more banal information about Shaker Heights than you can shake a stick at, not to mention photography. Without giving anything away, the topic is ageless and polarizing. Greek plays have been written on it. But, in this book it's presented over halfway through via characters other than what the first half of the book went on and on about. Unfortunately, the writing does not make up for any of this. I think teenage girls would enjoy it. I did not.

I closed this book shaking my head with mild confusion and disappointment. Instead of attempting to satisfactorily tie up the plot and corresponding plot lines, the author abandons readers with numerous unanswered questions--almost as though she'd been forced to put down the pencil at the end of the allocated time. Ms. Ng does a very credible job of developing a group of characters and getting the reader invested in their various plights in this Suburban Utopia, but at the end of it all, it's impossible to say that a single one of those characters underwent any meaningful change. Or any change at all! Nope. The story ends without any real resolution--which is an enormous negative. Of course, the author has selected a very full compliment of social injustices to inflict upon these characters: abortion, surrogate parenting, interracial adoption, interracial relationships, same gender relationships, oppressed immigrant versus governmental authority, as well as the "haves versus the have-nots"--all make a token appearance. Unfortunately, this ends up feeling contrived and very artificial, since none of characters undergo any meaningful growth or experience any new insight, at least not within the bounds of the book. I can understand the author's desire to make her book socially relevant by focusing on any of society's current hot button topics, but readers need to experience the ways that her characters change and grow due to the impact of those issues. When a story line is introduced, it needs to be followed through to some type of resolution, not just abandoned or ignored. I feel like I'm missing the second half of the book!

I really can't understand the hype of this book! Reading what I felt a middle school child wrote I was so bored with the shallow character development and overall story. Almost giving up I plodded along and it never got better. The end was just as disappointing as the beginning. Don't bother.....

Surprising that this book was so highly rated and recommended. The author's basic Manichean view of society where rich and American are bad and intrinsically evil vs Bohemian life styles & Asian cultures as good, authentic and the only right way, was annoying to say the least. Her elevation of "motherhood" as the ultimate goal and "the" avenue for true realization of a woman was cliche and trite. This story sadly read as a basic stringing of set cliche characters and story lines to promote the author's agenda and very limiting POV.An easy read but not a lot of depth or nuance. This book is a bit like Big Little Lies, but not as well written and the characters/stories not as artfully developed.

I read the entire book but was sorry I did. Mia was made to be a hero, but I have no idea why. She was as lost and confused as Mrs. Richardson . Not only were the characters unrealistic the same could be said for the storyline.