This book was riveting from start to finish - truly a stand-out collection of stories. Moniz’s work here is rooted in a specific sense of place, yet feels universal. She conveys the intimacy and intensity of girlhood friendship with particular heartbreaking clarity - and reverence. The stories cohere thematically, yet there is not enough overlap for anything to feel redundant. 5 stars from me, and I’d recommend this volume to anyone. Rachelle Williams’ work on the audiobook is spot-on, too, in case you prefer to listen.

I am not usually a fan of short stories but MILK BLOOK HEAT by Dantiel W. Moniz stopped me in my tracks and kept me reading until the last page. 

These stories and the characters that drive them are like lightning, spectacular and beautiful, and carrying a hint of danger. 

Moniz is an exceptional new talent. Her writing is lush and sharp, her landscapes are so rich it feels like the reader could step right into it and  her characters so alive and full of longing that they might step off the page and take the reader with them wherever they're headed next..

I loved this title and I am grateful to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Released earlier in February, Moniz’s collection of short stories focuses on a wide variety of characters across all ages. Set in Florida, Moniz’s prose explores family, friendships, relationships, love, race and parenthood.

I loved some of the stories in this collection, but only about a third. The first one about two thirteen year old girls with a complex friendship as well as one about a woman grieving a miscarriage stood out to me. Some of the others were good but not as captivating as those two (in my opinion). Moniz’s stories contain vivid imagery and a vivacious tone. Thank you to @netgalley, @librofm and @highbridge for my ALC.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Milk Blood Heat is an absolutely fantastic short story collection, sharp and riveting. You should definitely read (or listen to) it.

For you if: You enjoy short stories, or you’re thinking of trying short stories and want to start with something excellent.

FULL REVIEW:

First, thank you to Grove Atlantic and HighBridge Audio for granting me advanced digital and audio copies of this book on NetGalley. I’m a big fan of switching back and forth between print and audio, and also listening along while I read the words. This short story collection is freakin excellent, and the audio production and voice acting was also so, so good.

Milk Blood Heat is everything the title promises it to be: sharp, searing, visceral, and human. It’s hard for me not to compare this to Danielle Evans’s The Office of Historical Corrections, because I read them very close to one another. While of course they’re not the same, I do think that if you liked one, you’ll like the other — both collections are just incredibly written and deal with some overlapping themes.

I think my favorite stories were “Milk Blood Heat” (obviously), about two preteen girls who develop a friendship out of a mutual feeling of drowning in the world; “The Loss of Heaven,” about a man who derives his worth from providing while his wife is dying from cancer; “Snow,” about a bartender whose perspective on marriage is tested by a unique patron; and “Necessary Bodies,” about a woman who is newly pregnant but not sure she wants to keep it in a world like ours.

You won’t regret reading this one!



TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Suicide; Death/grief; Miscarriage; Pregnancy; Cancer; Sexual assault

Milk Blood Heat is a good. Moniz creates compelling characters and settings, but I was left with the impression that this work was the product of a writing workshop. More than anything, it made me excited for what he will produce on the future.

At once visceral and tender, this gorgeously written collection of short stories offers a refreshing take on the kinds of complex relationships coloring our everyday lives and the ephemeral nature of girlhood.  

It isn't often that I find stories set in (North) Florida that reflect the world I grew up in. The opening story, "Milk Blood Heat," immediately tugged at my heart strings. It introduces the reader to a young Black girl who's confounded by the differences between herself and her white best friend. In "Heart of Our Enemies," readers bears witness to a strained mother/daughter relationship, and in doing so, are forced to contemplate the sense of longing inherent to life as a woman. Each story is as hard-hitting as it is relatable. Moniz's ability to create vivid, sympathetic characters can't be overstated. Her moving depictions of community made me homesick.

I loved the audiobook, but want to get a physical copy so I can spend more time poring over Moniz's words. I'm blown away by the fact that she's a debut author?! Will absolutely keep my eye out for her future work.

Moniz digs in deep. We are talking some seriously intense stuff in her debut collection of short stories in “Milk Blood Heat”. 

Loss, illness, death, entitlement, family toxicity, love, pain, and some “taboo” subjects I won’t giveaway.  I have already had numerous conversations about these stories with people who have not read the book. These are stories that stir discussion. 

As with most collections, we all have our favorites and some that are not. Her collection shows the range of her storytelling. It’s a portfolio, possibly showing us which direction she may choose to head next. I look forward to see what is coming from Moniz and hope it leans toward the stories that I think are 5 star. But from the other reviews I’m reading, hitting 5 stars isn’t going to be a problem for her. 

Thank you so much Highbridge Audio, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me an ARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

#MilkBloodHeat #NetGalley

Milk Blood Heat is a stunning story collection by Dantiel W. Moniz. The stories are set in the 'burbs and cities of Florida, most feature young women coming face to face with a difficult choice in their lives. The characters are dealing with racial differences, loss, miscarriage, religious zealotry, sex/power dynamics and more. The stories all expose a truth about our world. I loved the writing and will definitely keep my eye out for more from this author She definitely packs a punch with a sly eye towards society. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Machelle Williams and I'd give it two thumbs up.

If you're like me and less likely to pick up a short story collection than a novel, you might really enjoy this as a palette cleanser. Bringing incisive commentary about society and the human condition, Dantiel W. Montiz spins half a dozen tiny worlds of characters reckoning with painful moments and, often, making equally painful decisions. "Milk Blood Heat" is intense, but it's also short (a 6-hour audiobook or 200 pages). Above all, it's memorable. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this author's next work!

This is an excellent collection of short stories. They are sharp, insightful and moving. Each one takes a different set of relationships and holds them to the light, making the strengths and weaknesses plain to see. Moving from youth to old age, male to female, right to wrong, these stories perfectly encapsulate the human condition and everything that is wonderful and terrible in between. I would definitely recommend  this to friends and family, even those people that don’t enjoy reading will get drawn in by the absolute delight that is Moniz’s gorgeous prose. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the stories to life. Her sparse style was a good contrast to the language, which is rich and full. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy.

Wow! What an amazing collection of short stories. I truly loved each and every one of them. It takes an amazing amount of talent to grab you right away in a story and get you invested in a character so quickly. Each story has an event that centers it, but the stories really are about being human and emotions. Dantiel Moniz is incredibly talented and I’m just so thrilled to have received an early audio copy from NetGalley. Machelle William’s narration is on 🔥🔥🔥.

Some of these short stories were simply haunting. The reader was immediately immersed into stories. Content warning: miscarriage, psychosis, depression played a part in some of the stories. All were well done and each one “sounded” different. This was an interesting read!

Thank you to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This collection of short stories is extremely well written in a way that engages the reader leaves them feeling ALL of the emotions. The themes in the stories involve harsh realities that are experienced everyday, such as family and friendship, and every hardship that comes along with them like infidelity, trust, religion, grief, and mental health.

I'm not usually a huge fan of short stories, because I find they are only little snippets of an experience or a moment. I always love to have the big picture, the context of a story, a character and how they evolve through their experiences, and the aftermath of these moments. I need to know everything so that I can put the story down with closure. However... not with Milk Blood Heat! I was so immersed in each of these stories and didn't want them to end. But when they did, I was so excited to hear about a new, unique experience. Moniz did a great job by including powerful prose and emotive language and I am looking forward to her work in the future!

This was such a powerful collection of stories!! I don't usually read short story collections but I'm so glad I gave this a chance. I really loved the focus on girlhood, the author did a fantastic job of capturing that time of life. Many of these stories have a dark edge, as girlhood often does, but they were somehow still hopeful. An impressive debut.

i really enjoyed this collection of short stories! very strong writing and deep messages. the stories are real and raw, examining challenging subject matter with grace. i kind of wish Mantiel W. Moniz would have written these all as novels 😫 so many good characters and storylines that i’d to have more of. 

themes include girlhood, secrets, family, forgiveness, the damage we inflict on one another, denial, friendship, and much more. 

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

oh side note. i listened to this as an audiobook. first audiobook ever and i’m still unsure about them. but i definitely think it works for me for short stories. 

thank you so much @netgalley & @GroveAtlantic for the ARC!

Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz is a fascinating, eloquent, and affecting collection of short stories. The stories are largely about black women and girls in Florida on the precipice of a life change. Each mesmerizing story exposes a lived experience, emotion, and vulnerability. The stories detail romantic and often complicated family relationships, race, and class. I listened to the audiobook, which was masterfully narrated by Machelle Williams, whose soothing voice embodied the range of characters she represented. I was entranced by this collection and it is truly one of the best short story collections I have ever read. 

Thank you Grover Atlantic / HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.

Happy Publication Day to Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W Moniz! @deezybotpress
Published by Grove Atlantic @groveatlantic
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Machelle Williams through Net Galley @netgalley
This is an absolutely bewitching debut collection of stories. The stories focus on Floridian women and girls, as Moniz examines both the darkness surrounding her characters and the darkness within them. I found this collection reminded me of Lauren Groff's 2018 short story collection "Florida" - perhaps in part due to the shared setting of the stories, but Moniz also has a similar visceral understanding of her characters' psyches - providing insight into their most contradictory emotions and their most uncomfortable wants.
These stories are compulsively readable - I listened to the whole audiobook in a matter of a few days. I'll be eager to read whatever Moniz puts out next!

I’m a day late to wish a happy pub day to Milk Blood Heat! Thank you #netgalley, #groveatlantic, and #HighBridgeAudio for this ARC!

I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t do short stories. I typically feel like I don’t have enough time to get to know the characters, but woah did this collection knock that statement on its head as it pulled me into a dark, twisty net. 

While reading this, I felt like a bird mesmerized by a cat’s warble and caught in the enlarged pupil stare. There was a deep understanding of what was coming: death, pain, love, knowledge. The imagery was vivid and the characters immaculately constructed. The author has such a deep understanding of her characters that in a tiny cross section of a life you can understand the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of the characters in the web of forces that brought them there. 

This was truly stunning work. The most beautiful thing about reading is the ability to drop into another’s shoes and this book allows the reader to do it repeatedly. Like if you were looking through an old school View Master that dropped you into a story over and over. 

Be aware though that these stories are dark, raw, violent, and filled with gut-wrenching emotions. There were times I felt sick and dropped into how I felt in my worst moments, but that’s kind of the beauty of stories like these. The endings are open like life with no tidy close and the chance to look back and wonder. Thank you, Dantiel W. Montiz for sharing this work. 

⚠️Serious content warning: ⚠️ suicide, miscarriage, racism, incest, death of a child and parent, religious harm

This is an incredibly cohesive and thematic set of short stories following girls & women processing inner turmoil at various points of their lives. I had such a good sense of the authorial voice and motifs of the stories by the time I had finished the whole collection. Dantiel W. Moniz tackles being a woman, motherhood, new and changing marriages, siblings, adult relationships with parents, working in the restaurant/service industry, and even interracial relationship dynamics. 

We have plots following the aftermath of suicide, miscarriage and pregnancies, marriage woes, illness, mother & daughter stories, a brother & sister road trip, and more. In terms of my enjoyment, the stories started off SO strong! I loved the first 4 or so. After that point, I fell into a rhythm of truly enjoying every other story and just appreciating the ones in between (even if they end up being a little forgettable to me). With short story collections, it is hard to love every story, and that is the only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5.  

Thanks to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for an opportunity to listen to this audiobook! I’ve never listened to short stories on audiobook before and I was totally intimidated that I’d get lost by multiple plots, but fortunately that was not an issue because I was able to turn on the sleep timer to end after every story, which gave me some time to reflect on the characters or the themes of that chapter. The only downside is that I didn’t keep track of any of the story names or character names (whoops!). The narrator was a great, smooth reader. Most of the stories focus on women or are narrated by female characters so the voice actor matched tone perfectly.

This debut short story collection set in Florida is simply excellent. Be warned however, that there are possible triggers within the collection that center on miscarriage, incest, abuse, and trauma. 
Highly recommended.