Enjoyed this endearing, quirky novel! Well-written with several interesting characters. The author ties then entire plot together at the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mental Health Benefits of Pets and REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS by Susan Coll

Cover of the book Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll used to teach the mental health concept of mental health benefits of Pets
Cassie spent the last few decades caring for her callous husband and loving daughter. That period in her life abruptly ended when Cassie’s daughter went away to college, and, at about the same time, she found out that her husband cheated on her and left him. Cassie is mad, sad, and exhausted. But also, having newly freed herself from the responsibilities associated with her child and husband, Cassie is insatiably curious about the bridge collapse that killed her parents. This obsession isn’t entirely new, but impulsively getting in the car and driving to see the town for herself is unlike anything Cassie has ever done before.

It's a long ride across a few states. Cassie’s in the driver’s seat, and there’s only one creature joining for this wild ride: her beloved puppy, Luna. When Cassie falls and hurts herself, Luna offers comfort. When Cassie is lonely, Luna provides companionship. When Cassie meets an intriguing man, Luna clearly expresses her approval. Cassie and Luna share an immensely fulfilling and stable relationship.

Cassie is not alone. Many people experience mental health benefits from having pets. With their unique ability to reduce stress and anxiety, decrease loneliness, and provide unconditional love and support, pets can serve as an exceedingly helpful coping tool. They offer a sense of purpose and cultivate an overall calming presence, making each day a little brighter.

People with pets, particularly dogs, spend more time outside, go for more frequent leisurely walks, and interact regularly with other pet owners. The mix of movement, connection, and time in nature is protective against depression.

Here are some tips to maximize the mental health benefits of pets:

Play Together: Try being silly with your pet. Explore games or places you might both enjoy.

Relish Caretaking: Pets are entirely reliant on you. Allow yourself to enjoy taking care of the pet you love.

Talk it Out: Pets are good listeners. Practice expressing your thoughts to your completely non-judgmental companion.

Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll

Love Susan Coll? Me too. Check out my post on one of her other books, Bookish People, and avoiding doom scrolling.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There was a bridge collapsing accident a few decades ago and Cassie's parents were part of the tragedy. She is now in her fifties with her marriage not working anymore and her aunt not answering her questions about the accident, she decided to go on a road trip on impulse and get the answers. A very intriguing plot indeed.
The story is set around christmas time and I wish I had read it in december it sure would've hit differently, I kept picturing bright sunny days and clear skies, that's a 'Me' thing though.
But the story was interesting, seeing what a tragedy can do to people who are connected to the victims, the town where the tragedy occurred was so different from what I have read before this, I got to read a new perspective and I want to thank the author for that.
I couldn't put the book down, once Cassie was in that town, the crypto guy was mysterious and I wasnt sure if we should trust him at first. I loved how all the stories connected, how things unfolded and all the events were well written.
I think it's a different kind of mystery, something between thriller and a cozy mystery , which I would categorise as literary fiction plus mystery subplot and I truly enjoyed it.
Rating:3.25

This story follows a woman trying to find out the story behind the death of her parents. Growing up in Ohio, I’d heard of the Mothman before, so it was interesting to read about it in a book too. Especially because I thought I was crazy when I remembered moth man.

The book did feel a little repetitive at times, but overall a decent book.

Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book had moments I liked, but I really struggled with staying focused and enjoying it. I didn’t care for the moth aspect of the story- it felt jarring from the overall feel of the novel and it was just bizarre. Bizarre is fine if there’s some cohesiveness but there wasn’t in this story.

Cassie was an ok character- and the premise of the road trip was a fun idea- I looked forward to her meeting people and ideally watching her grow as a person, but the story just fell a bit flat for me. Again there were moments but overall I just wanted it to be over. I’d still try this author’s books again as it’s possible it’s me

The beginning of the story interested me with the main character uncovering information from her mysterious past. I thought it would be an interesting road trip to discover the truth. In the end, it fell a bit flat for me. There was a lot of extra information that made it confusing and just bogged down. There was a lot of time spent in Cassie's end that I just didn't care for. I found the bits to do with her weather obsessed husband and with the moth references to be a bit odd overall.

Thank you to Netgalley, Susan Coll and Harper Collins Focus for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll was quite interesting. I enjoyed meeting Cassie, even if she was a bit crazy. I myself am sometimes a bit crazy so it worked for me. Growing up with her aunt and uncle and cousins, Cassie has heard the same thing about her parents' death years before: they were in an accident on a bridge that collapsed. However, there was a myth that the mothman was present at the time of the accident. These myths and rumors come alive for her, as she tries to discover exactly what happened. Add in a weather obsessed husband, a crazy puppy, and a crypto-zoologist and things get even more strange.
I enjoyed the story and the narrator did a good job.

I kind of expected the idea of this book to be flipped. Instead, MC is determined to uncover information about her past that everyone has kept from her. In her travels, it seems like everything she encounters changes the story of her life in a way that she has to decide if she is going to embrace the story she's been told or the story she is living.
The book is fascinating and was really hard to put down. Even though the book ended in a great place, these were the kind of characters I want to keep coming back to visit and check in on.

#arc
#netgalley
#reallifeandotherfictions

This was not for me. I thought it would be a road trip to find answers, and in a way, it is but it’s bogged down with so much useless detail and spends so much time in Cassie’s head (not a fun place to be) which made this a chore to get through. Add in the constant moth references – I get it, it’s part of the journey – and the untrained dog (nothing annoys me more!) and I couldn’t sympathize with Cassie at all.

I thought this book was very realistic and true to real life. I thought it did drag on a bit and sort of left me feeling meh. Overall, good message and story.

Thank you to the publisher, author Susan Coll, and NetGalley for allowing me to read Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll in exchange for my honest review. I selected this novel based on the colorful cover and synopsis. In my opinion, the happy cover and smiling dog do not match the melancholy tone of this book at all. I really wanted to like this novel as a fan of women's fiction, dogs, and maturing women finding their way out of loveless marriages and getting their groove back. Sadly, Real Life and Other Fictions did not hold my attention and annoyed me when it did. The narrator was monotone the duration of the audiobook. There were aspects of the story that had so much potential but were not explained or developed or wrapped up. The plot was all over the place. FMC Cassie is in her 50's and her cheating, lying, basement dwelling husband causes her to finally leave him and take a road trip to the location where her parents lost their lives in a tragic bridge collapse. Cassie at times acts unbelievably naive and downright awkward. I have driven across the Chesapeake Bridge many times, and there is NO WAY FMC Cassie stopped on the bridge to locate a cereal box to trap and deal with a moth in her car! Also, there is help for those who are afraid to drive over the bridge (and this is well known in the area). I really did not enjoy the incessant moth interjections at all or the attempts to parallel the Mothman with the protagonist's metamorphosis...if that was even what the strange moth scenes even were? They were never explained, either. Cassie's awful aunt having a job at NPR is also shocking; I could not stand her character and found her treatment of Cassie incredibly irritating. The romance After the night guard incident, if any woman ever went home and found their adulterous husband of 20+ years with their lover sitting at their table drinking champagne with their family. she would never just go upstairs and take a shower! I enjoyed the dog scenes in West Virginia, but there was so much not wrapped up. Overall, Real Life and Other Fictions leaves a lot to be desired. 2/5

This was such a fun book to listen to! I loved how it grasped my attention from the beginning and the characters were so fun! Great book. I very much enjoyed this

Maybe it's becasue i'm in my thirties and couldnt relate to the character but I found this story to be super slow. I finished becasue I'm the type of person that can't dnf but for me it was a labor of love.

Cassie is in her 50s. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her aunt and uncle. She is on the brink of a divorce. She is trying to figure out what happened to her parents. The book is all over the place and it takes forever to get to the point. I was not a fan.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

I really, really wanted to like this book. There were so many near misses in the storyline. But it just never came together and once you knew the information.... It was just plopped in front of you unceremoniously. Surely, not EVERYONE was as okay with so much being left unsaid and unchallenged. There were elements of the story that just had so much potential!
Honestly, I pushed through to the end but was very, very close to not finishing it.
I was irritated by the wildly competent and successful woman's attitude that she couldn't do anything on her own or without the approval of her family. You could barely call it a romance... and the woman was in her head so much it was difficult to follow the thread of the story. Why so many extraneous details that don't add to the storyline?
The Moth/ Prophecy piece was interesting but was talked about AROUND throughout the entire book, and it wasn't wrapped up in a bow at the end either. Just kind of left like... yeah, this was a weird thing... She nearly died... but doesn't mention it to her family who are all sitting around the holiday dinner table together.

Thanks to author Susan Coll, NetGalley, and the publisher for the free copy of this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I have mixed opinions about this novel. Cassie is a 50 year old woman who lost her parents when she was a child. She was raised by her aunt and uncle who wouldn't answer any questions about her parents and their tragic accident. Cassie is a writer who lives with her college age daughter, as well as her husband who stays in the basement. Their marriage is essentially over. I thought the road to Cassie's pursuit in this novel took too many turns that had nothing to do with anything. The parts about her dog were funny, but the part about her glasses seemed to take a lot longer than it needed to. I almost gave up on the audiobook as I found the narrator a bit monotone for the storyline as it was going on, but I'm glad that I didn't. As it turned out, the last 1/4 of the book seemed to pull everything together, and I ended up enjoying it. Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook in return for my honest opinion.

I received an advanced copy thanks to net galley
Unfortunately. I did not like this book at all- it was so boring. I almost DNF however I need to see books through to the end.
The whole time I was like what is actually happening. I mean there was a chapter just on her in the store trying to get glasses!
And then it just ends? Like you’ve put in so much detail everywhere and then just end it on me. What a waste of a couple of hours listening to this

This was a great read overall. I instantly felt for Cassie and wanted to see her the answers she deserves but also the love and respect she deserves too.

2.75
There was nothing inherently wrong with this story but it was not what I expected. I went in thinking this was more of a mystery story. Which you could say it is but instead of Cassie looking for answers she is more guided or stumbles upon them without really even pondering what she is looking for. Giving this more of a speculative aspect and loses that
"what haopened" feeling you want in a mystery.

Also there way too much about "Moth Man" for my liking as it distracted from the main point of the story. I would have enjoyed it more if they kept it to why moths were showing up everywhere but wothout moth man.

Thank you to NetGalley and HaperCollins Focus for an advanced audiobook for review.

I had read Susan Coll's Bookish People and loved it, so I was stoked for Real Life and Other Fictions. I have to be honest in saying that I didn't particularly care for it....at first. I decided to research and see what others thought, and I found many other disappointed readers. Then, I found one review that changed my perspective. This review shared that the event in the book, the Point Pleasant Bridge collapse and the Mothman, is true. After I looked it up and learned about the event, I saw the book in a whole new light, and I ended up really enjoying it. I could then understand Cassie's journey.