The first third of this book almost made me put it down. Not because it was poorly written and not because the story was in anyway bad, it just wasn't my vibe.
I listened on and boy am I glad I did. This book is great, sure, there is an odd turn of phrase here and there but overall it is a very interesting and creative book to read.
I now want to watch the Mothman movie and I am all about the cryptids now.
It's classed as Jewish fiction in some readong circles, but I feel that is only referenced once or twice and adds nothing to the plot itself.

I really enjoyed "Real Life and Other Fictions" by Susan Coll, with great narration by Jane Oppenheimer. This is a quirky book that will appeal to readers who have dealt with family secrets and unexplained stories about things that happened when very young. The main character Cassie is looking for answers about her parents dying in a car accident in West Virginia when she was very young. The story connects to the myth of the Mothman (which I was not familiar with) as well as family relationships in middle age and even a new love interest. Loved reading about Cassie's experiences in rural West Virginia over the holidays. I also loved the dogs / puppies as characters. It took me a while to get into the book, but once I was engaged, I loved it and finished it quickly. Highly recommended, again especially for those dealing with questions about their family's past. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get in to it. I DNFed it.

I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator was fine, I struggled to enjoy this book. The main character, Cassie, was unlikable and made baffling decisions, like risking her puppy's safety to trap a moth. The writing style was overly complex and pretentious, with unnecessary big words.

Initially, this was a 1-star read, but I pushed through because I received the audiobook from NetGalley. It did get slightly better, but overall, it was a strange and unsatisfying read. The title was also generic and didn’t reflect the moth-centric plot. This book might appeal to some, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was not really sure what to expect with this one, and I definitely had NOT heard of the Mothman before, so...this one was very different to say the least.
Cassie is a 50ish teacher, who was orphaned at the age of 2, when her parents car went off a bridge. Weird thing though, is that people in the area were talking about a giant moth-like man in the area at the time. Cassie was adopted by her aunt and uncle, and although she repeatedly asks them about what happened with her parents, they NEVER talk about it.
Additionally, she is married to a weatherman who cannot see or do anything beyond weather! And, he is in a downward spiral... And...he now lives in their basement!
One more thing...her daughter began college, and she is now an empty nester...

So, she decides that once and for all she is going to find out what happened to her parents. So she goes on a road trip, alone, a couple of days before Christmas...
And that is what the book is about!

We explore small towns, hype surrounding the bridge collapse, dogs, friends, neighbors and secrets...all leading to the impossible ending!!

Did I mention the dog(s)??

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫 for me, rounded up to 4, as this was really out there, but I did enjoy it!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsMuse for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released on 5/21/24, in exchange for an honest review.

#RealLifeAndOtherFictions by #SusanColl and narrated nicely by #JaneOppenheimer.

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I don't think I was the right audience for this one. Literary fiction is hit or miss for me, but I thought it sounded really interesting and the cover is so cute that I snagged it-- I just had a hard time connecting with he characters and the story.

If you like stories of self discovery and books about women 30+, I bet you would love this one!

The beginning of this really had me captivated up to the 90% mark, really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening to it, the last 10% fell a bit flat but it made sense so I understand why what happened, happened. Maybe I just loved the mystery ect. I’ll be watching moths from on…

I was not the right reader for this book. I usually flock to stories about women's self discovery journeys and this one sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I never connected with the main character making it difficult for me to fully appreciate the author's work. I think I will retry this book in the future as the premise is unique.

I found Jane Oppenheimer's narration to be outstanding as usual. Her voice is beautifully modulated and well suited to this type of audiobook. Many times it was her narration that held my interest and kept me listening.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the opportunity to listen to this advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fine. I really wanted to like this book but the main character so unlikable that I couldn’t. I did not enjoy the author’s writing style either. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some, but this was not the book for me.

Real Life and Other Fictions is such an interesting literary fiction book with a bit of mystery and romance mixed in to a unique story!

Cassie is in her 50s and newly divorced from her peculiar husband. She’s setting out on a road trip with her dog to find answers. Cassie was orphaned at the age of 2 and hasn’t gotten the answers she craves in regard to her parents’ death. Their death was under bizarre circumstances and family is attempting to hide the past. She meets people along the way that add more mystery and interest to the plot, I didn’t even know what a cryptozoologist was before this! The whole journey of unraveling secrets was not only interesting but managed to make me laugh a few times even with the serious subject matter. This book wasn’t what I thought it would be based on the cover but I thoroughly enjoyed the story, characters, and writing!

This audiobook was narrated by Jane Oppenheimer. She did a great job and kept me engaged throughout the whole book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Susan Coll, and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This publishes on May 21st!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will rave about this on TikTok on publishing day!

I'm going to be honest. In the beginning this was a 1-star read for me. I actively disliked Cassie, the protagonist. I mean, who gets out of her car on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to pick up a cereal box so she can trap a moth that's in her car? And who doesn't pay attention to the fact that there's a puppy in the car with you who could get out? Which, of course, she does. Someone TSTL, that's who.

And at the same time Coll is throwing $10 words at us when simpler ones would work better. So we got things like this:

We clink our receptacles.
What? The word 'cups' doesn't work for you?

And here's a doozy: Before his bravado recapitulated to his terror. WTF?

Under normal circumstances it would've been a DNF for me at that point. The protagonist was unlikeable and the language pretentious. But I had gotten the audiobook from NetGalley and felt like I needed to keep on going. So I told myself to picture it all as a fevered dream, and to attempt to cast aside my earlier negative reactions. And it did get better. But at the end of the day, this is a very strange book. I'm a big fan of women's fiction, quirky circumstances, and books about dogs. But I'm not quite sure this was a good kind of quirky. And I'm not sure I particularly liked it.

What I do know is that I'm thoroughly sick of moths for the moment. (And I generally like them!) And I also think that the title is sooooo generic. Shouldn't it have something to do with moths?

Going off the cover I was expecting some silly romance book with a meet cute involving the puppy. The book is way more complex.

Cassie has lived her whole life being told not to question the death of her parents. This has led to secrecy, confusion and loneliness.

I love how the author had so many intricate connections unfold as the story was told. I’m sure other readers did the same as me and guessed at things along the way.

I was not expecting any Mothman stuff because that community is so niche. But it was done well. Whimsical in a sense but also practical.

I loved the narrator. Extremely calming and peaceful to listen to. Also I have puppy fever even if Luna was a terror.

I would definitely read more from the author! Thanks to NetGalley, Susan Coll, and Harper Muse. I have written this review voluntarily.

I'm not really sure what to think about this book, I didn't hate it but I also didn't like it. The beginning of the book really dragged but it started to pick up more around the halfway point where we learn more about the Mothman but then it just went back to being boring. While I enjoyed the journey of self discovery that Cassie was on I felt like the overall story wasn't interesting to me. I wanted more about the Mothman.

I listened to the audiobook and I had a hard time paying attention to the story and tended to zone out more than I wanted. The narrator did a good job but the story itself just didn't keep my attention.

This was a really interesting book. I grew up hearing about the Mothman as I lived close to the Ohio River. It was a little creepy how things ended up tied together at the end. I enjoyed it. Would recommend.

A caveat: Real Life and Other Fictions is outside of my typical wheelhouse. I’m not much for meditative women’s fiction, road trips, or romance, but the cryptid aspect drew me in. If you like any of the aforementioned, this is a fun read full of quaint small-town scenery, puppy antics, and self-actualization. There are also some interesting observations on the ways that trauma shows up in other aspects of our lives, and I actually enjoyed the use of weather and moths as symbolism.
That said, this book is a slow burn. It was significantly more contemplative than cryptic, and I found myself either speeding up the audiobook or wondering why we had chunks of “action” that seemed disconnected from the larger narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of hearing about Cassie’s puppy, Luna, doing puppy things, but Luna’s significance as a companion to the recently-separated woman in her 50s is downplayed when I feel like it could have occupied some of the space that the love interest did. The love interest fell flat for me, and a character on a journey of reclaiming her sense of self didn’t really need him. I did like Cassie, and I felt like she was a complex enough character to carry the story without him. Sorry, boys.
Overall, there were parts of the book that I really enjoyed, and I didn’t dislike the rest, it just didn’t resonate with me. Part of that is my own fault – I wanted more Mothman – and part of it is just the genre. If this is your wheelhouse, I could see this being a four-star novel, but I’m settling at a 3.5.

I found this book to be a bit all over the place and despite it being long, I found there were many parts that were not wrapped up well by the end. I think had it focused on one main story it would have been better. The relationships between characters weren't clear, besides the fact they apparently never talk about anything. I found it flip flopped around and I wanted to scream at some points (how could you not want to confront the women sleeping with your husband after you used her night guard???). Only when I started to put together this review did I realize that this story is based on a true event which I have a greater appreciation for. I originally would have given this book 2 stars, but I have given it 3 stars because of this really neat tie in. This book makes me sense to me now, as this was Cassie's story of a real event! Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse, for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy of the audiobook.

"Real Life and Other Fictions" by Susan Coll is a captivating novel that delves deep into the complexities of life, loss, and resilience. The protagonist, Cassie, is a woman who has faced more than her fair share of challenges, yet she refuses to let adversity define her. Coll's masterful storytelling draws readers into Cassie's world, immersing them in her quest for answers and self-discovery. It is a wonderfully written novel that offers both entertainment and insight. I rate the book three out of five stars.

This seemed like an unnecessary bait-and-switch with the cover page, title, and description. I understand that this incongruousness probably does not affect others as much as myself, so I'm happy for anyone reading this review to take my opinion with a grain of salt.

The description and cover felt like a rom-com or 'growing beyond a bad relationship' story. However, that is not at all what this was. This was a trippy, mystery-style story linked to the the Mothman myth of West Virginia. There was very little romance and what was there felt...awkward. Also, did she have a head injury (I mean, how many times was her head just bleeding and people brushed it off like, 'Oh, heads bleed a lot.')? Was it all real? Just felt ridiculous.

The MC also seemed kind of delusional. I wasn't clear if she actually broke up her husband till 60% through the book. She held so much anger toward her aunt and uncle for seemingly no reason other than they wouldn't talk to her about the disappearance of her parents. Then she continually pointed out "coincidences," which I thought would amount to something, but just didn't. I used quotes around "coincidences" because I'm not even sure you could call them that...For example, the MC saw the same person walk across the camera during a newscast twice, which is also a blooper in the Mothman Prophecies movie. Are we dealing with a sociopath here? I half-expected her dog to tell her to go on a murder spree or something. Finally, she had these little spin-off threads of conversation happening in her mind all the time that were totally irrelevant to the situation at hand. I thought maybe they were going somewhere, but they didn't.

Overall, I was really disappointed. The genres I tend to read are romance and mystery. I also love mystical/magical elements, so, really, this should have been right up my alley. All I got were red herrings and icky feelings.

This book sadly did not live up to my expectations. It had potential, but it just didn’t hold my interest.
The narrator did a good job.

I wanted to like this one, but just could not get into the story... The characters and pacing felt surprisingly flat for something described as "comically surreal". I was expecting a light-hearted, somewhat comical journey story, but it felt instead like a heavier-than-expected retrospective on one woman's life. And I don't get the Mothman bit AT ALL... This one didn't work for me.