I really enjoyed this book for its diverse characters and its representation of a unique family unit. I love reading books written from the perspective of a clearly non-white character because it is so easy to fall into the trap of always imagining your narrator as white.

However, I felt the two main plot lines (Little's struggle with what happened at boarding school/her sexuality; and Lion's struggle with mental illness) competed with one another. I would have rather just one of these main stories be the focus of the book. For example: Lion's mental illness being the forefront of the story, and Little just happens to be bisexual. Nothing happened at boarding school in particular. I felt the storyline with Iris was unresolved because we never see her in the present- only in flashbacks. She functions only as a love interest for Little, when really she should have been a more major character.

OR Little's struggle with sexuality is the forefront of the story, and Lion just happens to have bipolar and it is acknowledged that he takes meds to feel better. Something happens at boarding school and Iris is a more active character.

In the end though, I still liked the book and the many ways it represented unique voices.