Thank you very much to the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After the death of his best friend, Eric Ly creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan finds his way back into his life. When he least expects it, Haru Tanaka walks into the coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing is, nobody else can see him.
In a magical turn of events, Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But as they spend more and more time together, he begins to question what is real. When he starts losing control of the very thing that is holding him together, Eric must finally confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever.
After reading the heartbreaking novel that was You’ve Reached Sam a couple of years ago, I’ve been keeping my eyes out for another book by Dustin Thao. So, when I saw the announcement about When Haru Was Here, I knew I was in for another book that would break my heart. I flew through reading it, it had me in tears and I’m sure so many people are going to love it!
After the death of his best friend, Eric creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until, one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan comes back into his life. When Eric least expects it, Haru walks into a coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing, no one else can see him.
Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But, as they spend more time together, he begins to question what is real. When Eric starts to lose control of the very thing that is holding him together, he must confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever.
The characters in this book are exceptionally written. Our main character Eric has had so many things happen to him in his past year of his life. It is no wonder that he feels aimless and unsure of what to do with himself on a daily basis. Yes, he makes some questionable decisions throughout the book but ultimately he is trying to distract himself from the reality of what is happening around him. I spent the entire book wanting him to do what was best for himself.
We’re introduced to a number of side characters throughout this book including Haru, Daniel and Jasmine. Daniel is Eric’s best friend who dies suddenly at the start of the book but from the snippets we see of their friendship you can see how much they mean to each other. Haru is the boy that Eric met in Japan and is helping him through his grief. Their friendship was lovely to read. Then Jasmine is Eric’s sister and easily my favourite character in this book. I loved her and all that she did for Eric.
This book does a phenomenal job of portraying how grief can affect a person. The way in which Eric denies what has happened, how he is avoiding reality and so much more are an excellent representation of what people who are grieving may do. It also allows for discussions of mental health and continuing on with your life post-lost and these discussions are raw and honest.
I thought I was going to get away with not crying at this book but towards the end it got me. I won’t give anything away but I would highly recommend having some tissues handy. I did find myself getting lost with what was going on at points throughout the book but I do think this is partly on purpose in regards to the ending.
Dustin Thao is certainly an author to watch! His books are bound to break your heart but also leave you with a smile on your face. I cannot wait to read more books by him in the future. I’ve got no doubt that any other books by him will break my heart.
Overall, When Haru Was Here is a beautiful YA novel that will break your heart and then put it back together. It is a stunning portrayal of grief and how it can affect a person and I cannot recommend it enough!
Loisreadsbooks 