When Haru Was Here A Magical and Heartbreaking Queer YA Romance

I went into this well aware that people had cried reading this book but for the longest while I was wondering why. And then I got to the letters. I think it's a great book about the diffuculty of dealing with grief. Losing someone close to you is an impossibly hard thing to go through and everyone has to learn how to cope with it as best as they can, should they havee the misfortune of needing to. This book kept me on my toes and played with my emotions like a piano. Getting through the last pages was tough with the tears I cried. But great books evoke emotions, so this is one I'll recommend (along with a box of tissues).

I knew what was coming and yet I wasn't prepared. It didn't catch me as much as “You've reached Sam”, but I still couldn't put it down. Dustin's writing style never ceases to amaze me with how easy it is to read. I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

In “When Haru was here” we get to know Eric. He meets a boy named Haru on a trip to Japan. The two spend a day together. Since that day in Japan, Eric thinks about Haru almost every day. He experiences several tragic events, which he deals with by daydreaming. Over time, reality and fantasy become increasingly blurred until Eric can no longer tell them apart. Even though his fantasy world is much more pleasant than the real one, at some point he realizes that he can't go on like this... This book is a good reflection of how difficult it can be for teenagers to come to terms with losing loved ones. Especially in such desperate situations, people tend to act irrationally, clinging to fantasy worlds. Of course, as a reader you know that the MC is acting foolishly, but to a certain extent I could understand Eric and empathize with him. Especially at the beginning, I would have liked Eric to question Haru's sudden appearance more, even if the questions are resolved at the end. Otherwise “when Haru was here” is a great book!

I may not love this book as I do Sam, but I liked it. Here Eric falls into slanderous daydreams after loved ones of him passed away and he just stopped living. This book takes a different approach to grieving and it takes its toll on you. I really liked the ending hopeful though.

After the loss of his best friend, Eric feels disconnected from life. Then Haru, the young man he met last summer during a school trip to Japan, reappears in his life. They quickly reconnect, but there’s something unusual about Haru: no one else besides Eric can see him… Honestly, that was a rather challenging read for me. The story seemed disjointed, incoherent at times, and while I sympathized with Eric, I struggled to truly connect with him. His character felt defined solely by his grief, and his actions were often erratic and illogical. I also found myself comparing this story to You've Reached Sam, as both novels share a similar premise of reaching out to someone who isn't physically present. However, upon finishing the book, I reconsidered some of my initial doubts. The aimlessness of the plot now seems intentional, reflecting the non-linear nature of grief, which rarely follows a clear path. In hindsight, this aspect of the book may have been Thao’s deliberate choice.