I was initially really excited to read this book after seeing the description. Once I got into the book, it was quickly evident that the author has an ax to grind with the Catholic Church and every negative cliche and stereotype within the Church was milked to its full extent. It is a somewhat heartwarming story wrapped in so many errors and gross misinterpretations of the Catholic Church and Religious Life. I was a nun for twelve years so I know very well the inner workings of the Church and I found this book ludicrous.

I know of someone who started to read the same ebook and she chose not to continue to read because she said she could see where the book was going, bashing the Catholic Church. I don’t feel the same and I wish she had finished the book.

I think this a book that each person who reads it will have a range of reactions and emotions because this is a story of tragedy and hope, secrets and how they damage those who hold them, how mistakes follow you through life and continue to affect you. It is also how adversity can make you stronger and smarter and give you a desire for a better future.

Troubled young women and a nun who reaches out to help them in whatever way they need. Putting the needs of these girls before the Church’s beliefs is at the center of what occurs.

I read this book in two days because I could not put it down. It is a powerful story with sharply defined characters. I congratulate the author on writing such an significant book.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers for the ebook ARC you so kindly offered in exchange for an unbiased review.

My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3051626887">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Mercy House is a home in Brooklyn run by Sister Evelyn & her fellow sisters to help women running away from abuse. Sister Evelyn faced her own abuse as a young nun within the Catholic Church she fights with all she has to help other young women in similar circumstances. I enjoyed the 3 nuns, who all are very spirited..they smoke, they drink, they occasionally swear. Each of the residents of the home have a compelling backstory as well. The story has some humorous moments but also addresses some serious issues of sexual misconduct & abuse within the Church. I loved Sister Evelyn & could definitely see a sequel to this novel.<br /><br />I received a Net Galley ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7278217-kris">View all my reviews</a>

I received a copy from the Book Club Girl and this is my review. The novel is beautifully written with well developed characters. There were moments of me laughing and crying, feeling all kinds of emotions for the women coming to Mercy House. I love the character of Evelyn, she's feisty, empathetic, and a strong female due to events in her early childhood. She welcomes all women making sure they have a safe place. The story picked up quickly once the secrets were revealed.

My reviews are on Goodreads and Bookbub. Amazon will not allow a review until after the book is published.

An ARC from Netgalley. Sister Evelyn is promised to Gods service at a very young age by her father. She becomes a Nun and is for 50 years. Her and two other Nuns start the Mercy House for abused women. Tat is all she knew growing up that she would become a Nun. While she was a novice things happened that she would never forget. After starting Mercy House she becomes involved with the women that seek refuse and help. Father Hawkins comes to check out the House as he is doing across the country. Sister is very angry about this because she is afraid he will close up Mercy House. This is a book to read, every page keeps you wanting to read more!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of nuns run a home for women in danger. As the novel unfolds, stories of rape, violence, abandonment, and other brutalities against the women are revealed.

The stories are believable and hard to read, but the strength that the women find in themselves and in each other is empowering and inspirational.

This fabulous novel will absolutely go down as one of my top ten favorite books of 2019, and I read A LOT!

I loved sister Evelyn… She felt so real to me and exactly what I would expect a representative of the Catholic Church to be like, although I know not many are like her. This book is about sister Evelyn‘s story of abuse and how she handled it, and it is also about love, and forgiveness, and seeing things in a new and different way. It handles the topic of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and domestic abuse of different kinds with intense detail as well and intelligent writing.

Above all, I found this story to be about the power that comes from telling our truth, no matter the consequences, and also about the fact that we all indeed do deserve to love and be loved, no matter who we are or what we have done.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ever wonder what Nuns think or do? Are they human or above? A wonderful novel!
Mercy House is a women's home of safety, love and trust in NYC.
Sister Evelyn runs this home for women and does it with gusto!
She is 69 and has built the wall to forget her own hurt through the years, but advocates for her residents with the heart of a lion. She is well aware of the embarrassment of the girls.
There are many, who have knocked on the door here and have been cared for and assisted on the path to independence.
When the Bishop makes a visit to inspect the records, he elects to close the doors of the dwelling and to excommunicate Sr. Evelyn for going against Catholic jurisdiction. Why?
This is only the beginning! What will happen when the truth comes forth?

I worked in a convent and the stories I have been told from years ago, truly are similar to this plot setting and these nuns.
I loved Sr. Evelyn and I am quite sure you will too! excellent!

In the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn stands a century-old row house presided over by renegade, silver-haired Sister Evelyn. Gruff and indomitable on the surface, warm and wry underneath, Evelyn and her fellow sisters makes Mercy House a safe haven for the abused and abandoned.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of how Sister Evelyn become a nun, what lead her to open Mercy House and her secret efforts to help the women who land on her doorstep even if it is forbidden by the church.

We also meet the current women residing in the home and the circumstances that lead them there.
The villain is Bishop Hawk. He's there to investigate Mercy House and the nuns. He's looking for any reason to shut them down.

The beginning of the book starts off with a new girl showing up in the middle of the night. As Sister Evelyn moves through the next day to figure out how serious the situation is with the newest arrival you get a first-hand look at how she gets information around the neighborhood. She's a staple of her community. She's a feminist looking out for other women even if it might not be approved by the church. That appealed to my Catholic raised rebellious nature.
I also loved seeing the sisters as regular women who smoked, drank and practiced other methods of healing, like reiki.
The women they helped were colorful and realistic. Their stories made me feel sad and angry for them.
One assault, in particular, left me feeling nauseous.

As I neared the end of the book I wasn't sure where it would end. But overall this was a very good read.

#MercyHouse #NetGalley

As a lapsed Catholic, I really enjoyed this perspective on the inner workings of the Church. Evelyn was such a wonderful character and embodied what you would hope a Christian would be. I loved meeting all of the girls staying in Mercy House and enjoyed the plot. It was a well-paced and well-written book.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like the quality of the writing and appreciate the content of Mercy House, but I didn't love story (it should be understood that I primarily read historical fiction and fell very strongly my trouble has more to do with my tastes than any flaw in the book)

Recommended for it's bold themes and strong, well-developed cast.

This book reads like a series of short stories about Sister Evelyn and the other nuns, and the inhabitants of Mercy House, a home for women who, for numerous reasons, have nowhere else to go, but it isn't a book of short stories. Rather, it is more of a diary of the events of the lives of the people who populate this book.

Sister Evelyn has carried a burden with her for decades and it dictates that she take in young women who have nowhere to go, young women who have been sexually used and abused. And now, Mercy House is about to receive someone from Sister Evelyn's past who could take away everything that the nuns at Mercy House have worked so hard to accomplish.

Sister Evelyn also carries a secret that we don't learn about until the end of the book.

But "Mercy House" is not without humor, provided mainly by Sister Evelyn herself, who looks at life in and out of the convent with a rather jaundiced eye. She's not particularly impressed with the rules and regulations put upon her and her sister Sisters. She humorously bends and breaks rules with regularity.

This is one of the better books I've read lately and I highly recommend it!

I was given an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn and her fellow nuns run Mercy House, a haven for abused and battered women. When the nuns receive word that they are to be investigated, Evelyn is shocked to discover that Bishop Hawkins, her old abuser, will be the inspector. Worried that he will discover the nuns unconventional and blasphemous practices, Evelyn is willing to do whatever it takes to save Mercy House.

I struggled a bit with this book. I did not particularly like Evelyn, and some of the girls in Mercy House were equally unlikeable. Evelyn continually blamed her family for her vocation, which I found to be hypocritical and offputting. I am not going to spoil the book, but the ending left too many things unresolved. Overall, a bust.

Strong characters drive the story. Good recommendation for book clubs. Title lends itself to many discussions!

In a world seemingly full of predators, one brave nun of nearly 70, Sister Evelyn, protects her traumatized and diverse little flock of women with everything she’s got. Mercy House is a battered women’s shelter in Brooklyn, run by nuns, that is both being investigated by an arrogant bishop and threatened by a violent gang leader whose girlfriend has found shelter under its slightly shabby eaves.

Between the bishop and the gang leader, Evelyn has far more reason to fear the bishop, who has returned from Evelyn’s days as a young novitiate like a dark shadow. Bishop Hawkins seems determined to close down Mercy House for being too “radically feminist.” Evelyn does come to face her own sins, but they are not the wrongs she’s accused of by the Catholic Church and sometimes by the public.

I rarely find a character in a novel who makes me laugh, cry, and cheer out loud. Sister Evelyn is a rousing, radical literary hero of heart-stirring courage, brought to life on the page with great skill by Alena Dillon, and I couldn’t put “Mercy House” down.

This was a great book! Sister Evelyn is a brave, amazing character!
It is very well written with many interesting characters and great character development. A book about the plight of women, a great book club selection.
Thank toy to NetGalley and the publisher for this book

This novel is full of controversial topics. This is a powerful novel that delves not only into the sexual abuse of religious sisters by priests and bishops but of the oppression of women from men’s desire for power and control. I couldn’t put this book down. Sister Evelyn is an incredibly brave character who fights to the end for what she believes in. Reading this novel on the first day of Banned Books Week, I imagine many in the catholic community calling to challenge or censor this book. Books like this start brave discussions.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Publishers - William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am all about women standing up for their rights even if it means going against the law of the church in doing what's right in their heart. Mercy House was such an awe-inspiring, jaw dropping novel filled with controversial topics turned interesting and exciting. I also love it when you learn new concepts and topics and the struggles Evelyn had to go through the and fight she took to defend her rights was motivational and inspiring to read with some meaningful life lessons to pass on and teach through and through.

We will consider adding this title to our Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.