LITTLE FIREFLIES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

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Alternative Lifestyle/LGBT:

Naughty Little Tidbits: "Hollywood" Teenage Behaviour, Disrespect Rules/Laws, Bad Role Model

Review

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Would I recommend this book for...
Teenagers?No
Adults?Yes

Comments: Very interesting plot. Definitely plays with the idea of the ideal or perfect family. I like how my opinions about characters changed throughout the novel. I even liked how the novel plays with the concept of right or wrong. It did a great job of presenting very polarizing dialectical ideas, and then expounding on why the character felt they were right in their beliefs and behaviors. It made me think about what I would choose and why.

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