The concept of Hestia Strikes a Match is much more interesting than the actual plot of the story. The narrators Jeremy Carlisle Parker; Sheree Wichard; Tom Force were great but I just could not get into the story at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had to wait for this book to be the right time to read it. I was expecting something else, knowing the background of the name Hestia and it wasn't hitting right before. When I finally read the book and it was ready for me, the book was great. In a dystopian world similar to current day but if the USA let their political distemper go to full vitriolic war, Hestia is trying to find her way finding a new career, a new relationship and new friends in a world that everyone is set up to take sides and a lot is uncertain. Simultaneously feeling a little too real but also reasonably fiction, the way we create relationships, support each other and accept support is a foundation for many of the relations in the book. The end was not what I expected and yet right on point. I was glad I didn't simply DNF.

#arc
#netgalley
#hestiastrikesamatch

I really enjoyed and *appreciated* this book because it made me feel less crazy about how I'm feeling about the world today. As a middle-aged woman who's happily married but horrified at what we're currently living in/through, so much of this book felt real in the most surreal way. It was like an antidote to social gaslighting, and it captured the current moment so effectively. The characters were not especially robust, but they didn't need to be. They were exactly what they needed to be for the overall vehicle of the book and its way of holding up a funhouse mirror to what the U..S. is right now and very well could be soon. The book captures well the heartbreak of losing relationships and how everything is inescapably infused with politics, how relationships become poisoned. These two quotes, for example, were so relatable that it was painful:
-“The civil war had already lowered my low expectations of people… you spend all that time thinking that your parents, your fellow humans, your fellow Americans can’t possibly get any worse, and then they do actually get worse. You learn to expect disappointment and while this seems like a sensible coping mechanism, the problem is that when you’re in the habit of being crushed, you forget how to look forward to anything.”
-“They looked like normal people. Nice. To look at them, you wouldn’t know that they were sympathetic to the Confederate causes.”
In fact, quite a few conversations in the book hit so close to home that it was surreal, such as those about leaving the US and the debate over whether to stay. Finally, I appreciated how the author weaved in small details that connected to the real events happening in our lives that inspired her, such as the the animal skin- and deer antler-decorated confederates.

I enjoyed this book and I could stop listening. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

Christine Grillo really said, "I'm going to write a mid-life coming-of-age novel, but I'm going to set it in the midst of a second American Civil War." I respect her boldness, and I was impressed by the results.

In the 2023 of Hestia Strikes a Match, it's once again the Union against the Confederacy, and our forty-something narrator Hestia's husband has abandoned her to fight for the Union cause. A former journalist, Hestia gets a job at a retirement community, where she develops friendships with her co-workers and the residents -- especially Mildred, a fiery 84-year-old who becomes her closest confidant. While the country crumbles into chaos around her and her parents make a plan to move to the Confederacy, Hestia embarks on a mission to find love amongst the ruins.

Hestia Strikes a Match is such a fascinating and brave book that strikes a perfect balance between humor, heart, and social commentary. Christine Grillo's world-building is impressive and believable. In the alternate-universe Baltimore of this novel, she depicts people going about their lives in the midst of war: checking safety apps for war activity in various areas of the city, dealing with gas shortages and power outages and protests, paying up-market prices for Confederate-produced products like cigarettes and bourbon.

While the Civil War is a constant source of stress and conversation for the characters, it takes a back seat in the narrative to Hestia's own experiences and relationships. Hestia Strikes a Match is a character study more than anything else, as Hestia navigates the dating world, her fraught relationship with her parents, a charged political climate, her career, and her friendships. She is a complex and flawed protagonist, self-aware and strong and relatable. Her sweet friendship with Mildred was the highlight of the story for me.

Grillo manages to maintain an optimistic tone to the story, even though it veers into sobering territory. It's irreverently funny at times, and at other times prompts the reader to ponder thought-provoking questions about life, love, relationships, and social issues. Grillo explores themes like dysfunctional family relationships, divisive political viewpoints, and the complexities of gender dynamics, while also providing tender, heartwarming insights about found family and the joys and pitfalls of being alive. The book is anchored by a series of questions that Hestia poses to the retirement community residents about their lives and thoughts, and the residents' answers were like a balm to the soul: a comforting, gentle reminder that life goes on. Those sections brought a lot of levity and sweetness to a story that could've been depressing, but instead left me feeling uplifted despite everything.

The audio version is well-done; the narrator who voices Hestia really encompasses her character, but I especially loved the narrators who voiced the residents of the retirement community. Hestia Strikes a Match is not, it has to be said, a politically neutral book; there is a strong liberal-leaning viewpoint that I imagine will be a turn-off for some readers. But as for me, I found it to be captivating and unique, a story unlike any I've read before. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

Really enjoyed this one!!

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Probably best described as trying to find love in dystopian times, this novel grew on me but very slowly. America is in the middle of a civil war, and Hestia is trying to deal with that and finding true love. This is very political and a bit on the extreme side for my liking. There are enforced curfews which makes dating hard, oh and Hestia does happen to be married, her husband has basically abandoned her to go fight and she has had no communication from him since. She has a strained relationship with her parents as they have moved south against her wishes, and she has changed careers since the war which is not ideal. I enjoyed her dating escapades the most and it was unique to experience them in a dystopian environment. The political and war narratives were too drawn out and detracted from the story, and causing me to not enjoy this one as much overall.

The narrators did a wonderful job and I think listening to this one helped, had I only read the physical copy it would not have been as enjoyable for me.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC to review.

After having this one taken away before I could listen, I asked a friend who had given it a listen and they weren't floored with this title. "Christine Grillo uses the "he/she said" dialogue tag in conversation so frequently that I almost put this book straight into the DNF pile. I listened to it on audio, so perhaps it stood out more there, but I found it very distracting and used to a degree that I was surprised got past editing," is the quote that stood out in her review. Sorry for not taking the time to listen, but her and I read so similarly that if she says it's a pass, I pass.

I am still not clear whether this was a dystopian novel, a romance, social criticism, satire, or a feel-good novel. There were a lot of interesting elements here, but they just didn't seem to gel, and the tone felt confusing.


Review copy provided by publisher.

review included in this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrQzunSLwlq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

4 stars!

"Hestia Strikes a Match" by Christine Grillo is an insightful, unique, interesting, all-too-real look at love, friendships, dating, and life in an alternate 2023 during the second civil war after 12 states seceded from America amidst political strife. So... not that far off from where we are in real 2023! This book absolutely picks a side, which I deeply appreciate. When one side borders on fascism, you can't be neutral or ambivalent. Hestia's ex-husband and her parents have chosen the wrong path, so the majority of this book focuses on her dealing with and coming to terms with the ramifications of their decision. She has to navigate new waters around people she has loved

I admit, it took me a while to get into this book. It is broken up into parts based on whoever Hesita is seeing at the time, while she simultaneously conducts interviews with the residents of the senior citizen nursing community where she works to preserve their oral history about life. This aspect felt a bit disjointed and long in the tooth to me. However, Hestia's character development and the goings on of a post-second civil war America were so on point and so engaging and so cleverly sly that most of my problems melted away over time. I loved the narration in this book. Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Sheree Wichard, Tom Force are terrific here and really bring this book to life. Not for those who politically align themselves with fascists.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Christine Grillo for the ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

In Hestia Strikes a Match, Christine Grillo imagines a 2023 where the US is in the midst of a civil war. Hestia finds herself alone on the Union side, with only her 80-something friend, as her family leaves for the Confederacy.

Hestia Strikes a Match manages to be deeply insightful about the human condition, sad and very very funny all at the same time. Hestia feels like a real, fleshed out person. This book is sure to delight many and feels very timely.

3.5 stars!

HESTIA STRIKES A MATCH tells a political story that matches the recent climate of the United States in politics.

I thought it was unique and I enjoyed the narration in audiobook format.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was an interesting one. It read like fanfic (which it kind of is in a way since it is set in an unfortunately believable alternate 2023, right? And hey, I love fanfic but I was anticipating something different here.). I think this was a huge undertaking that had great parts but just did not totally hit the mark for me overall. Aspects of it felt too real (and some clearly were based on true events in recent years) so I do give the author credit for going for this concept and story! The narration includes different voice actors for different people at times and I loved that. If you want to read a book that is definitely on the new banned book shortlist, read this one. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

this book really grew on me by the end! It ended up being an almost 5-star but it just needed some tighter editing.

now, fair warning—this is a character-driven story. it’s essentially the story of a woman in her forties who’s trying to figure out her life during… unprecedented times. In this case, an alternate (but very possible) US where Joe Biden has died, Kamala Harris is the new president (neither are named but you can figure it out) and we’ve devolved into a second civil war. Since this premise was what hooked me, I went in expecting the world-building around that to be a larger focus than it ended up being. This was disappointing at first bc, to be 100% honest, I just wasn’t in the mood for what initially seemed to be a story from the POV of a reasonably fine, white woman in the midst of a civil war about going back to slavery days… BUT Grillo excels at character development so before I knew it, I was invested.

Briefly, Hestia is a 40-something year old woman searching for normal life in an alternate US where the country is in its second civil war (a little too possible right?). In the midst of this, Hestia tries to navigate dating after her husband abandons their marriage, a strained relationship with her parents, and new friendships at work.

The character development in this book is just *chef’s kiss*. And it really sneaks up on you. Hestia’s voice is so clear and over the course of the book, you *really* get to know her and, through her, the people who come into and out of her life. She's a little weird, definitely infuriating at times, a needy mess, but also insightful and quirky and funny. I found myself thinking about these characters in between reading sessions and wanting to know more. And as Hestia grew, I found her growing on me, too. I loved Hestia’s relationship with Mildred, a woman living in the senior center Hestia works at. This line will always stay with me: “Grief is such a small price to pay for your friendship.”

I also was pleased with how Grillo handled the very complex issues that are bound to come up in an extremely divisive political climate. She tackles family dynamics, gender dynamics, how our need for love and connection doesn’t just stop bc we’re living in “unprecedented times” and the absurdity of what that *actually* looks like day to day. She weaved these issues into the narrative so smoothly.

My biggest issue with this book was honestly the editing. It felt like it needed *one* more round to tighten the narrative up, especially in the middle. There were a few chapters where I felt like the story just got bogged down for a bit. I also will reiterate that I wish there was more world-building details about the civil war—I had a bunch of questions that weren’t necessarily important to the character-building story but I wanted to know.

One last thing — this is not a politically neutral book so it will not be for everyone. That said, this felt like a realistic journey of someone going through a later coming-of-age and coming out of that with a new found family. Definitely one I recommend and I will absolutely pick up another book by this author in the future!

Set in a increasingly possible new Civil War situation in which the US is divided and warring. Hestia is trying to live as normal a life as possible in this landscape. Interesting and engaging.

Audiobook ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

this was different than what I was expecting in the best way. I really think everyone should read this book lol. I loved our mc and the plot kept me intrigued.

I loved the concept of this booking, dating with the added twist of a civil war, but not sure that was enough to get me through it. A lot of it felt disjointed and pointless, and the political heavy handedness took away from actual story. Great cast of characters that redeemed it, but it needed to be 100 pigs shorter to be a bit tighter overall.

What a surprise this audiobook was! When I first read about it—a middle-aged woman navigates the dating world during the second Civil War—I was intrigued. 2nd Civil War? Dating during a dystopia? How will debut author Grillo make this all work?

Thankfully, she DOES make it work, & she does so with caustic humor & delicate heart. Hestia is a 42-year-old writer who lives in Baltimore, part of a politically purple state that’s part of the Union. Yes, America is in the midst of a second Civil War and a handful of states, mostly in the south, have seceded and formed the Confederated States. The world Grillo creates is our current divisive country on steroids (but, sadly, not too unfathomable). Hestia’s own adoptive parents, college professors who put academics over love, have moved to the CS, sympathizing with their cause. Hestia’s husband has done the opposite, disappearing for two years after her left to join a Union paramilitary group.

Amidst this turmoil, we have Hestia dating and conducting writing workshops for elderly residents in a senior facility. She’s not one of those “look at me grab life and make myself known” type of heroines. She’s ordinary. At first this bothered me, but when I realized the point, I was all-in. She behaves as most would in this situation...finding love and connection in a world that’s dangerous and lacking humanity. Her close bond with Mildred, a senior at the center, spotlights this overarching theme: What WILL you hold in your heart as you shuffle off this mortal coil? Politics? Resentment? Or will you, as Mildred does and Hestia learns to do, embrace the love, joys, and connections that create the core of being human?

This novel has a subtle heart beating beneath its flashy alternate reality. It’s clever, heartfelt, and funny. I loved it.

Audio shout-out! A trio of narrators contribute to this, and it’s wonderful! I adored the different voices of the seniors as they read the writings they do in response to Hestia’s questions. So inventive and fun!

I loved this book! It was a fascinating, captivating, and unusual story; I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect. On the surface, the tale of a woman in her early 40s, trying to find her way after her husband leaves her, seems mundane. Hestia starts a new job, makes new friends, and begins dating again. But, she is doing this while the second US civil war rages in the (not-so-distant) background. I found the political chaos that surrounded every scene compelling and it made me think about how our lives are affected by larger events. I also loved that the scenes were bracketed by the writing prompts that Hestia assigns to the seniors in her retirement community memoir-writing class. The perspectives of these characters perfectly framed Hestia’s adventures in dating and her attempts to move her life forward. There are many aspects of the story that are sad, but I found it often very funny and very real. Hestia is a vividly three-dimensional character and I was completely absorbed in this book. Plus, the ongoing escapades with her fireplace were such a clever side note! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook; I highly recommend it.