This one didn't quite work for me, but I 100% understand and respect what the author was going for. There was a lot of creepy imagery, very Lovecraftian with all its tentacles and eldritch monsters from the deep, which I appreciated. I also thought the familial relationships were interesting. For me, I just didn't love the plot and was a little bored in parts. Overall, I would definitely pick up something else from the author as I liked the writing style, but this one wasn't my fave.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This had a lot of promise without much payoff. Part of my issue lies in the conceit of the whole plot, which is that the family has to allow this neglectful, rude, possibly emotionally abusive man to live with them indefinitely simply because he's "family". The transformation was the most interesting part, especially the body horror elements, but the ending was a real letdown.

This evocative novella is bittersweet and effective, Coney's lovely sun-baked and humid writing helping to draw the reader in despite the distance created by the present tense and the lack of names in the text.

Wild Spaces is a well-crafted novella that succeeds in building mystery and dread in a rural seaside location. With the appearance of the boy's grandfather, everything in the family's life begins to turn upside down. I enjoyed the tension created through themes of family and generational trauma all leading up to a tumultuous Lovecraftian ending. S.L. Coney's writing is vibrant and descriptive, which is extremely dread inducing. This isn't something I'd recommend to most readers but the story is cohesive and packs a punch in just over 100 pages.

CW: body horror, animal death, death of parent

3.5 stars

Well this was certainly interesting… It reminded me of something that HP Lovecraft might write or something that would be in an episode of Doctor Who. That kind of weird yet existential writing.

Loved all the pirate references, especially naming the dog Teach. I would’ve liked to know what happened to him at the end.

I really enjoyed the writing and would have liked if it were even longer.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A child beautifully content with his life, perfectly living with his beloved mother and father, a marriage of land and sea... 🌊 When his grandfather enters this ideal existence, a disruption of mind and body begins....waves of underlying secrets will float ashore and impact his life in ways unimaginable!

"Some events can never be forgotten, some changes are permenant."

Please please read if you like:
✔️ Coming of Age
✔️ Beautiful writing
✔️ Tesion that Builds
✔️ Inner Monologues
✔️ Family Secrets
✔️ Atmoshperic/Sea Life

I highly recommend this beautiful yet unsettling coming of age horror with fantastical elements. I would have rated it the full 5 stars, but I truly wished this story was a bit longer.

Thank you #netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC for review. All opinions are my own. ✨️

The nitty-gritty: Dreamy, evocative writing and emotional themes make this an intriguing tale, but I didn't enjoy the ending at all.

Please note, spoilers about the dog ahead.

I’m so sad that I didn’t love this story more. I fully expected it to be a “me” story, especially with so many rave reviews on Goodreads. Unfortunately, there is a completely unnecessary death of a dog, and it just didn’t sit well with me. 

The story is fairly simple but deals with some heavy themes. A boy (unnamed) and his parents live a rather idyllic life near the seashore. The boy has a beloved dog named Teach, and the father loves to study the local sea life. Teach is the boy’s constant companion and is very protective of him. One day, their safe, comfortable lives are interrupted by the appearance of the boy’s grandfather. Teach immediately senses something wrong with the man, and the boy’s mother seems scared in his presence. Nevertheless, the grandfather settles in for an extended visit, despite the fact that he isn’t really welcome.

Little by little, the reader comes to realize that things are not quite right with the grandfather. A growing sense of dread permeates the story and eventually builds to a crescendo at the end when the grandfather’s true identity is revealed in a horrific fashion.

There is a lot I loved about Wild Spaces. Coney’s prose is evocative and atmospheric and conveys just enough information to set the tone of the story. If you’re one of those readers who loves reading between the lines and not being hand fed information, you’ll love their writing style. I loved the contrast between the time before the grandfather arrives, and after. Before, the boy and his tight knit family exist in a dreamy, carefree world. There’s a sense of discovery, especially since the father loves the ocean and studying the lifeforms that live there, and that curiosity rubs off on his son. The ocean plays a big part in their lives, since the boy loves pirates and the mother writes stories about them. But the minute the grandfather enters the picture, the tone turns ominous. The mother clearly has a terrible past with her father (it’s not stated, but implied that she was abused) but she’s too polite to ask him to leave. I was surprised just how much tension the author was able to create by inserting this one character into the mix, especially when, for most of the book, he doesn’t really do anything bad.

Coney drops hints about what’s to come. The grandfather says things to the boy like “The sea runs in your veins,” which turns out to have more than one meaning. I also thought the author did a great job with the coming-of-age elements. The boy is eleven, just on the cusp of puberty, and his body is changing, although maybe not in the usual ways.

But let’s talk about poor Teach. There is one scene where Teach rescues the boy from drowning, and you think he died saving him. But no, he didn’t! At this point I thought, great, the dog survives!! But no. Almost at the end of the story, he’s killed by the grandfather, and it just felt like a slap in the face. Teach isn't the only death in the story, but his was definitely the worst. There are some other weird, confusing things that happen at the end that just didn’t make much sense, so overall the ending didn't work for me. I did love the story up until this point, though, and I'm definitely willing to give the author another chance.

With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

An eleven year old boy lives a happy life in coastal South Carolina with his parents and dog. When his estranged grandfather shows up, the idyllic life changes.

I picked this one up because I saw comparisons to my favorite book, Boys Life. I do see the relevance because of the coming of age story and narration. I appreciated this book for how short it was but how much was in it. I didn’t read the synopsis and let me tell you… it sure surprised me. This is a good one for a heartfelt story with some interesting turns.

“The boy wishes he was like the land, that he could bury his secrets down deep, hide them until millennial later when what is sharp and dangerous about him could be beautiful, too.”

Wild Spaces comes out 8/1.

3 stars.
I'm not much of a horror fiction enthusiast, but this title intrigued me. It's a very short and very quick read, and the author maintains a pretty decent level of tension and dread for the reader. Not sure if I understood everything going on, but this novella worked well, and I would read more from the author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A boy and his dog, Teach, share secrets and an unrelenting, profound friendship. The introduction of an odd and estranged grandfather upends the boy's happy life, particularly straining his relationship with his mother, who fears an impending change she knows all too well. A whirlwind of dark family secrets, a preteen boy's journey through unfamiliar and strange new feelings, and bumps in the night, blend into a nostalgia-filled coming of age tale with a dash of cosmic horror. The ending left me devastated, yet hopeful.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and tordotcom for this e-arc.*

Wild Spaces is a short book, but it packs quite a resounding gut-punch. This coming-of-age horror novella explores the concepts of familial love and generational trauma in unique, profoundly sad ways, and it's a book I will definitely revisit -- once the hurt from the first read-through has worn off, that is.

The unnamed protagonist is an 11-year-old boy who lives with his parents and dog, Teach, in coastal South Carolina. It's clear that his childhood has been idyllic and full of love, and that he is cherished by his parents. But when his estranged grandfather (his mother's father) arrives suddenly and unexpectedly, the dynamics of his family begin to shift, and the boy and his dog are immediately aware that something is very, very not right with this interloper.

Wild Spaces is at once a coming-of-age story with fantastical horror elements, an ode to the ancient and wild natural world, and a meditation on the bonds of family. It made me feel unsettled, it broke my heart, and it thoroughly impressed me with its unexpected emotional richness. S.L. Coney is a gifted storyteller, evoking an immersive atmosphere and a strong sense of foreboding and wrongness with their prose. Through the use of vibrant metaphors, bittersweet storytelling, and disturbing imagery, Coney shows us unequivocally that sometimes the most frightening monsters are the human ones.

I would recommend this for readers who enjoyed books like Our Wives Under the Sea, The Fisherman, and The Saturday Night Ghost Club. Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

This little novella packs a punch! While the actual story is fascinating and fun, it is the underlying themes and metaphors that really shine through and make it amazing. I definitely would have read a full length novel version but, regardless, this little bite sized morsel was excellent.

This is a story of a family, a mother, a father, a son, and the son‘s dog who live in South Carolinas beaches. They have a simple, happy life until one day the estranged grandfather shows up unannounced. He comes with nothing no suitcase, no past no information whatsoever. The mother is not particularly happy about the arrival of the grandfather, and there is rumblings of a rough past which might have included a sibling. There’s a hint of this, but there is no backstory at all about the mother or the grandfather so your left not understanding their relationship. The father knows that something is not right with the grandfather and over days and weeks the family dynamic changes drastically. The father feels the grandfather is influencing his son in a bad way, and affecting their relationship with their mother. The mother doesn’t want the grandfather to leave, but is not happy with the issues and situation. The son who is 11 years old also has a dog who attempts to protect the son from the grandfather, but is not always successful. There is hints of an ocean, monster and as the story moves, forward more, and more of this type of occurrence is shown. This story was written in third person, which I did not particularly like there is very very little dialogue. There is no backstory as I said earlier and so we have no concept of who the grandfather is or the mother what kind of life they had and why everything is in turmoil once they arrive so we’re unsure of what really is on. I can’t say that I would recommend this book. It starts out really good and then quickly changes into some thing you don’t recognize and before you know it it’s over.

“Wild Spaces” by S.L. Coney (4.5 stars) is a quick, atmospheric, little novella about growing up, family, and selfless, dedicated love. And monsters. Family monsters. Lovecraftian metaphorical, pubescent, fish-smelling, bone-crunchy monsters.

Positives: I could taste the air, feel the humidity, and hear the swamps and ocean of this story. As the boy moves through his realizations and the people around him fail him, manipulate him, and awaken him, you are the boy. The dog is an archetype of a protector, the boy is an archetype of youth, and really…it’s all just one big Lovecraftian metaphor about puberty and all the complexity that goes with identity, family relationships, and the things that bring us satisfaction. Lovely little horror story, where youth must be in charge of youth when all else fails and even when it sucks. Super fun to read.

Wish List: I wanted a little more. It’s good as - is, but there was a lot left on the proverbial table . The brevity and snapshot-like pacing contributed to the way the story unfolded, so this is another case of “I’m fine and happy, but also always wanting more”. I loved the dog, hated what happened to the dog, and then sort of loved what I think happened with the dog at the end. I like unambiguous endings, of which this was not one, so darnit just tell me what happens after, already.. All of which are personal preferences and don’t speak to the quality of the story or writing, which was excellent.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read by netgalley.com and Tor Publishing Group. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #WildSpaces #netgalley @s_l_coney #wildspacednovella #tordotcompublishing #tordotcom @tordotcompub

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Publishing Review 8/1/2023

This is one of those books I really can’t stop thinking about. I didn’t know this was more of a novella when I read it, but in its short page count it packs one hell of punch. A boy’s life is completely upended when his grandfather unexpectedly arrives at their coastal home. The longer his grandfather lives with them, the more the family dynamic changes for the worse, creating rifts and dysfunction with each family member until it hits a crescendo that rips the family apart. This is such a fascinating book, with such a heartbreaking story about a boy and his dog coming of age and trying to process the darkness that can lurk within families. I genuinely can’t stop thinking about this book, and there are a couple scenes that make my skin crawl. Just that uncomfortable dread of knowing something is so wrong in certain scenes but with a protagonist that’s too young to understand or articulate how bad the situation is. A huge recommendation on this one, I already want to re-read it.

I'll be posting my review on my instagram @boozehoundbookclub closer to the pub date.

This story was very interesting and kept me intrigued throughout, however, I thought that it was so short that it left too many questions unanswered. I felt confused for most of the story and just when something felt answered, you were left asking even more questions.
It was beautifully written but not the story for me.

Wild Spaces manages to pack a lot of horror and a lot of emotion into its novella-length form! It's peak post-Lovecraftian cosmic horror, full of salt and terror, becoming and grief. 10/10 would encounter these tentacles again, and I can't wait to see what S.L. Coney has in store for us next.

An eleven-year-old boy spends his days exploring the coast of South Carolina with his dog and going on field trips with his parents. When his estranged grandfather makes an unexpected visit, tension between his parents begins to fester, and the boy himself feels a change within him.

WILD SPACES by S.L. Coney is a coming of age Lovecraftian novella coming in at 122 pages.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this book, the relationship between the boy and his dog, and the overall heartbreak that comes with him turning twelve.

For me, a lot of the faults I found ultimately came down to the length. I wanted so much more when it came to the building tension and I felt that the resolution all happened so fast that I wish there were more pages to really sit with it.

An overall enjoyable creature short, but I could have seen myself enjoying this more as something longer than a novella!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 1

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautifully weird little story- easy enough to finish in one sitting, but will probably stay with you long past that.

The prose is lush and gorgeous, and the story itself is so weirdly haunting and uncanny and weird, definitely like Lovecraft, but you know… without all the racism.

Wild Spaces
by S. L. Coney
Pub Date: 01 Aug 2023

This truly was a superb book.

An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.

The longer his grandfather outstays his welcome and the greater the tension between the adults grows, the more the boy feels something within him changing —physically—into something his grandfather welcomes and his mother fears. Something abyssal. Something monstrous.