Hmm. The Ocean at the End of the Lane wavers between a three and a four for me. Is def. more dreamlike and esoteric than Stardust - also less weirdly sexist. There were bits that I skimmed over, as the pacing was a bit too slow. The narrator/protagonist was odd in that he was pretty neutral as an entrance-point into the story: neither positive nor especially negative. 
 The kindle version has their really weird author interview at the end. Joe Hill is really, really, really into Neil Gaiman. Maybe creepily so. Also, seems to have a strong preference for white, male authors. That peculiar post script, taken together with the problematic sexist bits in Startdust, put me off the story a bit. 
 Anyway, the Gran character was a delight, though many others seemed a bit flat - including Lettie - who was ostensibly the key driver of the narrative. Some parts were too predictable, and there was the pacing issue a few times. But the overall conceit was interesting and compelling. On one hand, I enjoyed the ambiguity of leaving things unfinished and unclear; though on the other I occasionally found it frustrating as well. It sometimes seemed a bit like lazy composition, or a draft that yet needs a couple more revisions. For example, the nature of the "fleas" was never made completely clear, nor their connection with the Hempstocks, etc. (view spoiler)[The fact that Gran showed up just at the nick of time seemed too pat. (hide spoiler)] There is a strong element of this that is an ode to childhood (as many other reviewers have noted), which sways nostalgic despite the odd critical observation of children, e.g. 
 I was a normal child. Which is to say, I was selfish and I was not entirely convinced of the existence of things that were not me, and I was certain, rock-solid unshakably certain, that I was the most important thing in creation. 
 There were a dozen or so other cite-worthy lines, and I might read some bits again in conjunction with other reviews by people who loved it. The thing is: if I truly love a book, I should be able to read and love it, without a little help from Goodreads.