Review: The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Rebecca Stead does it again with a heartwarming tale of one girl’s journey through some very emotional times.

I really like how supportive and loving both of Bea’s parents are, not just to Bea but also to each other. They divorced years ago and her dad is moving on to marry his boyfriend Jesse. I really liked the overall family love and support between them as a family.

I also really appreciate that Bea was in therapy, having started going after her parents divorce. Her relationship with her therapist was very sweet and nurturing. I think this was a great book to show how important mental health is, especially in little ones as they navigate big emotions and an ever changing world.

I also thought the way Sonia, Jesse’s daughter from his previous marriage, and Bea interact was very real and sweet. There is so much change going on with each of these girl’s, especially because Sonia lives in CA (Bea is in NY) and Bea has always wanted a sister. With that comes a very gently opening friendship and then sisterhood which spans the miles, and I’m so glad this was treated the way it was. There’s a lot of emotional drama and stuff going on beneath the surface for Sonia that Bea can’t see. Beatrice really focuses on her feelings and how she can be there for Sonia as she finds herself also dealing with some past guilt.

Of course there is also someone who disapproves of the wedding, etc. And Bea has to grapple with what this really means to her and her family as well as how she played a part in it. And while this incident was painful, I appreciated that it wasn’t the focus of the book and the story really centers around love and acceptance and family.

Overall, Stead’s newest book is well written, focusing on families of all shapes and sizes, across 3,000 miles or only a few blocks. It’s about a girl trying to fit in and handling change and dealing with some big feelings.