Hmm this was an odd one for me. It was interesting and I might have enjoyed it more at another time but it didn't quite click with me. It meanders and monologues in a way that made it hard to get a grasp of, particularly in terms of connecting to the characters. That said, I did like how it showed the messiness of being an aspiring artist in your twenties. It did a good job of scene setting. A read of ups and downs.

Such an interesting novel. I am excited to read more of their upcoming work. im glad to have read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending through an e-copy for review!

I feel strangely about this one. It’s a completely different style to what I’d usually read and I didn’t necessarily click with it, yet it’s a book I’d recommend preserving with.

Although I didn’t connect with the characters, some of Sophie’s deep inner musings resonated with me - she’s an extremely interesting character and she feels everything so intensely which I relate to in a way.

The writing style was a bit difficult for me at times, but I do think the content itself was beautifully written and Waterman truly has a special way with words.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I didn't find myself drawn into the character's stories or lives. There were a lot of philosophical musings and internal dialogues on the page which I might have been interesting if they were connected more tangibly to the characters life, but a lot of the time I got so lost in these monologues that I couldn't remember what was happening in the character's lives. I wasn't sure what anyone wanted in the book or if maybe the characters didn't know, but in the end I didn't know what to root for so lacked a connection to the characters that would draw me into follow their stories.

I struggled with the writing style of this book. It was too non-traditional but I one that I think is worth persevering with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

This feels like a hard book to review! I liked Waterman’s writing style, and liked Sophie’s recounting of her own memories and how they impact her in the current moment, and I also liked hanging out in this version of Toronto, but all of the other characters felt a bit out of reach to me. I didn’t have a solid conception of Alex or Maggie by the time we go to the end of the book. Sheila Heti was Waterman’s mentor for this book, and I can feel the resonances of Heti’s style here really strongly.

I couldn't get into it because of the writing style. There are very few line breaks, and no dialogues at all. I don't see the point in this stylistic choice, since it was a story like any other that didn't seem to benefit in any way from being written like that, apart from making the mundane things that were happening very, very boring and slow. The little prologue by the authors made me very curious and eager to read this story, but it immediately became apparent I wasn't going to be able to get through it because of the writing style.

I'm an absolute SUCKER for a Romantic retelling and I am so thankful to Dundurn Press, Aley Waterman, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this behemoth before it came out on October 17, 2023.

For me, this book took me awhile to get through. I didn’t like the fact that there were no defined chapters. The relationships seemed dysfunctional and lead to complicated and confusing situations for the three in this story. There didn’t seem to be anything too deep emotion wise which I expected there to be and couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, this is a voluntary honest review.

When someone asks me for the short list of my favourite books, Mudflowers will be on it. You follow the meandering lives of 3 twenty-somethings in Toronto, and you fall in love with them every step of the way. The prose are beautiful and have a very Sally-Rooney-esque vibe to them (down to the lack of punctuation where you would expect it to be). I will be anxiously awaiting this author's next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Not for me. The actual premise, writing and characters aren't bad but it felt like an outpour of words and just this constant stream without any breaks and it took a way from the good aspects of this book. I think this needs a bit more editing and to make the characters more likeable and relatable.

I'm afraid that this book wasn't for me, but I'm sure that other people might enjoy it more than I did.

Thank u netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dnf at 38%. I feel like this is trying too hard to be something. I love literary books like this, but it just isn’t giving what it needs to give. I’m not connecting with anyone, and so far pretty much nothing has occurred. It feels very stagnant. This book isn’t bad, it could just be a lot

2.5 stars

Flawed characters in a messy love triangle which meanders along as they navigate their unconventional relationship. Heavy on introspection. Funny but sad. I really enjoyed the relaxed pace of the story.

This was unfortunately a DNF. I tried restarting it multiple times but it kept putting me into a reading slump. The stream of consciousness did not work for me. I got to about the 25% mark on each reread. It was hard to keep caring about what was going on. I initially requested this because I wanted to try a debut author queer literary fiction book that followed themes of depression, but those themes paired with the constant stream of consciousness with little plot at first hindered my investment in the characters.

Aley Waterman’s debut novel is mostly set in Toronto, centred on a group of people in their twenties striving to be artists or poets but scraping out a living working in bars or restaurants. Everything plays out from the point of view of Sophie, recently arrived in Canada along with best friend Alex, they are inseparable, but although they have sporadic sex, they’re not a couple. Then Sophie falls for seductive aspiring writer Maggie who seems to have all the qualities Sophie wants but doesn’t have. Their budding relationship is then split apart when Maggie and Alex start seeing each other. The plot revolves around the messy interactions between Sophia, Maggie and Alex but also the culture that shapes them, references to writers like Ben Lerner, art and music are plentiful – Waterman is also a musician. There are some great passages and I loved the picture Waterman presents of life on the margins of Toronto’s art scene but I found the pacing a little too slow, and the overall narrative felt slippery and slightly out of focus. But I think Waterman’s a promising author and I’m definitely open to reading more of her work.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Rare Machines for an ARC

I did admire the prose in certain sections of the novel, as it was pretty great writing, but I did find the text to not be as cohesive as I would've liked it to have been. I couldn't really connect with the characters as much as I wanted to, which made it more of a painful read towards the end.

I really... really... struggled to finish this. I think the premise is really good - and somewhat reminds me of Normal People by Sally Rooney?

I think it was me though - just that I wasn't quite in the right frame of mind to read this. When reading character studies - you need to be in somewhat of an atmospheric mood. Upon finishing, I think I just felt grey, and my anti-depressants can only do so much friends... 😂😭

<i>**Thank you to Dundurn Press, Rare Machines & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤</i>

This book was, quite frankly, exhausting and unpleasant to read. It started out well, I wanted to roll my eyes at the self-absorbed 27 year olds but overall I was interested in Alex and Sophie’s dynamic and unique friendship. Then nothing happened except for a bunch of needless drama between three selfish, immature “kids” (except really they are adults but you definitely wouldn’t know it from the way they act). We follow them on this journey in which nothing much happens and none of them seem to grow or mature.

The writing itself had its moments. I can see that the author is talented. I’m sure there are people who will enjoy this and will find something to identify with or root for in these characters. I couldn’t find anything at all. The second star is for the missed potential.

After university, Sophie moves to Toronto from the town of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, ready to start her adult life, move on from her mother's death, to dive into the life of the artist and to become part of the community. She feels uncertain and out of place, but she has her childhood best friend with her, a guy who is unceasingly supportive. She ends up with a job at a bar, where she meets and quickly falls for Maggie. But inevitable complications arise between Sophie and her two lovers, and Sophie is uncertain of her feelings about the things she can't control.

This is a novel about a self-absorbed young woman figuring out what she feels about the people in her life. Coming from a complicated upbringing -- within a few pages she veers from describing how her mother would pour shots for her and her best friend when they were twelve, to reflecting on what a great mother she had -- Sophie constantly assesses her feelings, rewriting her narrative to reflect how she feels about a given person as circumstances change. Waterman almost makes this work and her writing is lovely. Her depictions of both Corner Brook and St. Johns, Newfoundland were vivid and memorable. This novel will certainly appeal to those who enjoy watching a character have big feelings and then think about those feelings.