A lovely collection of stories about loss. The narrators voice was carried the stories with warmth.

As a Mom who has lost a child to miscarriage this was a hard book to read but it was also, heartwarming. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

I'm the author so I'm biased :) I'll quote a reader on G0odreads:
"From time to time, friends will ask me why I like to view books in advance that aren’t on most people’s radar. To them, I would answer, “This. This book.”

Some books just burst out of the mold and are reflections of the writer’s wild imagination (I would put a recently read book, Parakeet, in this bucket). Others are “softer” books that connect the reader with essential truths about themselves and those they know. All The Acorns on the Forest Floor definitely falls into this category.

I found myself crying several times while reading it, not because it is sad but because it is so poignant and the character development is so powerful. I KNOW these women I met through the pages. I AM these women."

I want to preface this review by saying that this book is, objectively, good - it's well written (and narrated); discusses important, sensitive topics incredibly well; and intertwines the individual stories nicely.
It also really gave me perspective on the way women struggle with fertility and really helped me understand my mother's own issues with miscarriages and stillbirths, I think if I were at a different place in my life, or perhaps wanted to have children in the future, this book would have had a larger impact on me; but since I'm in my mid-twenties with no intentions of having children, I had a hard time relating to the characters.

We connect with motherhood in a myriad of ways. For women, there are the pushes and pulls of it. Do we want to become mothers? If so, how will we get there? What does it say about us that we choose not to be someone's parent? Men, too, have conflicted views of motherhood. It can mean fatherhood for them ... or not. It can also indicate their relationship with their own mother.

In this series of connected short stories, Kim Hooper examines several facets of motherhood. Some of it is biological, some societal, some transactional. Hooper takes you through the gamut of emotions, whether fear for an unborn child at-risk of a genetic disease, heartache over fertility issues and their effects on a couple, or sharing joy with a caretaker watching a patient's pregnancy.

I liked the connections between the stories. Sometimes it's tangential at best, and sometimes it's more explicit. You find out what happens to some characters through a different character's story. As with real-life journeys of motherhood, not all endings are happy. Your investment in these stories means that you are right there with Hooper's characters.

Some of the stories worked better than others. They felt more fluid, with even pacing and development. One or two felt a little more rushed, leaving you wondering if you missed something.

Still, though, what a beautiful collection. I listened to this on audio, and the narrators each inhabited their characters. I so enjoyed listening to the stories, even if it meant occasionally bursting in tears as I drove to work.

All the Acorns on the Forest Floor by Kim Hooper was an audiobook arc narrated by Hillary Huber. I received this via NetGalley from Dreamscape Media. I have to say I was not prepared for these stories. Motherhood and parenthood in a nutshell. Those who have suffered with infertility or loss and those who have successfully had families will feel so much when reading this book. Being part of these groups I could relate to the story of being pregnant and wanting to shout from the rooftop but always the worry there in my mind not allowing me to enjoy being pregnant. This book made me cry with anguish for the experiences that people live through. This is the real and human side of parenting that is all at once heart filled and heart breaking. I gave this book five stars because after reading it I did not feel so alone. Thank you Kim Hooper!

This is a DNF got me. I have tried three times to keep going with this book, and I have managed to make it half way. I just find it too tragic and sad. I can see how others would enjoy it, but overall it just was not for me. I did not connect with any of the characters either.

* I received this audiobook for free from Dreamscape Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *

All The Acorns on The Forest Floor by Kim Hooper is an interconnected collection of short stories focusing on motherhood, loss, love, grief, daughterhood, and hope. The time span of the book covers decades and handles the aging of its characters and the changing of societal values over time with ease and grace.

These stories follow a small community of characters with a minor character in one story becoming the main character in the next one and so on. I loved this part of the book: spending the first few seconds trying to remember who the narrator is in relation to the characters the reader has already met.

Quite a few of these stories brought me to tears while listening! Many of them present the struggle to become a parent, adopt a child, or move on pass the loss of a child. These are not small, easy to swallow topics, and the book handles them as such, showing honestly the pain each character feels.

While some of the stories felt very stereotypical, her connective web between the characters was beautiful. Overall it was hit or miss for me based on the story but appreciate her intention with this book.

I saw so many people enjoying this book on Instagram so I had to see what this was all about. Unfortunately, I think this is a book that needs to be read rather than listened to. I was constantly confused with the characters and the slight interconnections of their stories. I definitely could not appreciate this author’s work as much through the audio but do appreciate the publisher giving me an audio ARC so I could experience this lovely book.

This was a very enjoyable audiobook! I don’t usually favor short stories, but the subject matter caught my attention. I have three young kids and could relate to so many of these stories.

The characters and their stories were so well developed and I absolutely love how they were all interconnected. I couldn’t always remember the names of the characters so it did take me a minute to remember all the connections.

I think the narrator was excellent! I listened at 1.25x the normal speed which did make the narrator’s voice sound a little robotic, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience.

The narrator was amazing. But I didn't really like the book. I thought that it tried to make motherhood the center of the universe and then she introduces a character that disagrees with that stance but secretly disagrees. I just thought it was super frustrating.
I will say one thing I did like is how the characters are all connected in a web and all the story lines jump around in the book. It was the most interesting part of the book.

This book is a series of vignettes about pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, and adoption. Some of the stories end up intertwining which I enjoyed. I was drawn into all of the characters' lives and really enjoyed listening to this in audio format...that is, until the last 2 chapters. They were way out of left field and didn't tie in with the theme of the story at all. This would have been a 5-star read/listen if not for that.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see the connections come full circle for the many women and mothers in the stories. There was definitely a few times that left me crying because my heart ached for the women in whatever the situation was. I have a 1.5 year old son so I tried to think of how I would feel as a mother in many of these situations and it was a terrible feeling. The book was really well written and kept me interested.

All the acorns on the forest floor is a beautiful collection of interlocking stories. Kim Hooper's writing is elegant and effortless as she weaves together the powerful stories of several families sharing their tales of love, hope, heart break and loss.

From the start I was completely captivated. The story starts with one couple giving the reader a glimpse into their lives and currently predicament. Then we are introduced to another person and story, we soon see this one is connected to the first and so on. This way of giving little glimpses into their lives shows us that even when its not immediately clear at first, we are all connected.

I was in awe as each story unfolded and the connection to the others became clear. I really cannot say enough good things about this book. I thought it was beautifully written and the narrator was great too. Hearing the stories of falling in love, the loss of love, the struggles, loosing virginity, trying to conceive, getting pregnant, entering menopause, there are so many ways as a reader I connected with these stories or saw my own family and friends within a character.

Some sections are hopeful the next section will be heartbreaking. I laughed, cried, and couldn't stop listening. When this book was over, I was truly disappointed because I wanted it to keep going forever. If you are looking for a book that will surely cause you a book hangover, this is it.

Trigger warnings: pregnancy, infertility, adoption, marriage issues,

This book talks about the varied experiences of women at different times in their lives. There is a young mother giving her baby up for adoption, a woman that was left on the doorstep of a shop owner, a woman who is pregnant but afraid of losing her child, a woman looking for her birth mother, a woman who doesn’t want to have children and many, many others.

I felt like the main theme of the book was about the circle of life when it comes to motherhood, love and loss. I enjoyed the fact that each character had a story that linked with someone else’s in a way that did not at all seem forced or disingenuous. Linking the stories actually added a lot of relatability and understanding to the stories, along with forming a strong sense of connection. If you are looking for emotional read, this book is for you.

This was a beautiful and intertwined set of short stories revolving around love, loss and motherhood. There were some really beautiful and uplifting stories matched with some heartbreaking ones. I love that all of the characters interacted in small but meaningful ways throughout the story. It was just a great read overall!

Thanks to NetGalley for this audiobook read by Hillary Huber who is an excellent voice artist.
These stories were interconnected and I especially liked the way a later story would refer back to an earlier story and give a further explanation of what happened in the earlier story. I did not love all the stories, some were harder emotionally than others but I appreciated them all. Very well written and very well read also.

I enjoyed listening to this book but it was put forth in little vignettes that did not really connect. I do not enjoy reading short stories so it was a stretch for me.

For anyone who has lost a child, it touches on the different ways that people react to the situation. I would imagine it would be soothing to those in similar situations.

I could relate to the characters and felt empathy for each of them.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kim Hooper & Dreamscape Media for granting my netgalley wish for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review! I'd seen a few reviews saying it was incredible and I was so excited to get a copy. This book is wonderful, it's not my typical read/listen at all but WOW! This book explores all different types of family relationships from a couple hoping to get pregnant, a couple struggling with infertility, a woman discovering the truth behind her adoption and quite a few other touching stories. I loved the format where one chapter covered each story and the narration by Hillary Huber was perfect. Each chapter really dug into details with so much emotion and was heartfelt. There's a few of the stories that to me really stood out as memorable and will stick with me for a long time.