There's no denying that Emma Cline is a fantastic writer. Even though I had mixed feelings regarding her debut novel, "The Girls", I knew whatever Cline decided to publish next I would be willing to read it. I was surprised that she decided that her next book would be a short story collection, but I'm happy she went that route. I think these 10 short stories burst with personality and dramatic tension. Even though some stories left me feeling unsatisfied, Cline's writing is smooth like butter. Her prose just flows so effortlessly, no awkward sentences or dialogue. Short stories can be tricky because they usually have abrupt endings, but I enjoyed my reading experience. "Los Angeles", "The Nanny", "Arcadia", and "A/S/L" were some of my favorites.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

Release date: September 1, 2020

These stories left me wanting more. While most characters aren’t quite likeable, with their flaws shining through each story, the personality traits presented are captivating enough that I was left wanting to know more about them, especially that many of the stories leave out crucial details that would provide more context: what misbehaviours got a son kicked out of school, why is there discomfort between a father and daughter,...

Overall, it was an engaging read. I have to admit that I read the author’s hyped novel, The Girls, and was left disappointed. This collection of short stories, in the other hand, was a more satisfying read, despite the various characters’ darkness.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really tried to like this book. It just wasn't for me. I chose the book because I enjoy reading short stories. I knew nothing about the author. I felt like I was reading tabloid stories from the Enquirer-there was no depth or significance to these stories. It was a struggle for me to get through the book.

I should preface this review by saying that in light of apocalypse I’ve been binging tv shows, the latest one being Prime’s Transparent. A good and very bingeable show, but it gets occasionally tiresome because the characters in it are mostly all selfish bastards. Or to be more accurate confused indecisive selfish bums. And when I read the first story in this collection about a family of five coming together for Christmas yet so completely disconnected from each other, it made me think of the show immediately. And throughout the collection, though the stories differed, the general mood remained. Kinda bleak,, kinda misanthropic. Not that it’s an immediate turn off, in fact it’s quite relatable, but it just didn’t really wow. Too monotonous somehow in its quiet desperation slices of life. Realistic, yes, and very well rendered, the author’s natural talent for starkly honest character representations in on a proud display here. But very emotionally draining in a way. Some of the stories weren’t finite enough for my liking, which is neither here nor there, it’s just a personal preference for short stories that essentially read like complete novels just on a smaller scale. Some of there just ended in a generally uneasy way, some of these spun the entire tale in a mode of unease. These are the tales of people who have stumbled in major or even minor but consistent ways and ended up traveling down the roads they never planned to take. A world where relating is tough, forgiveness is unavailable and love unattainable. Where people do the sort of things that make you stay away from people in a way that’s more profound than mere social distancing guidelines. It isn’t a world that’s easy to visit, it’s depressing and grey and very, very bleak. Albeit very, very well done. I really enjoyed the author’s debut and was excited to find her sophomore effort on Netgalley. And I am glad to have read it, she is very talented, an excellent writer, a terrific observer. But it was an emotionally tough read and it’s actually a good thing it wasn’t very long, just ten stories, more of the same might have been too much. Difficult book to recommend, really, depends on how much water you think is in the glass. But the writing alone is worth checking out. Interested in what other reviewers will think, since mine is the first one. Thanks Netgalley.