As a fan of books that explore topics such as family relationships and healing, I was excited to read this book. Multiple siblings from one day each theough different mothers and some illegitimate, the storyline set up to show a dysfunctional family. From the beginning you could feel the torment of the characters and the author does a great job at portraying their unhealthy behaviors through their actions without describing them so that you feel the pain the characters are embroiled in. But there were parts were the writing was awkward and the point of view unfocused. There was a slow build to what would be the central conflict and so the arc and resolution become a little cloudy. In the end, the story isn't bad, but not one I will hold on to for the future.

Their father, who lives in/near Asbury Park dies and all three children get together. Why is this a little odd? Because David, Casey, and Gabrielle all have different mothers. Their stories are told through chapters about other people who live locally and, through them, we learn about these siblings. It takes a few pages at the beginning of each chapter to figure out who is talking and why this person is relative to the story and it takes some thought to keep all these people straight. That aside, having relatives in Deal, Allenhurst, and still on 8th Street in Asbury Park, I enjoyed the scenery descriptions, especially the part about Ocena Grove. Surprisingly, Interlaken wasn't mentioned along with Loch Arbor, but only locals would have heard of those towns. I did like the way the Syrian Jews were involved in the story and the way all the parts and people came together.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This book was spooky and enthralling, its characters were intriguing, and the descriptions were clear. You could picture yourself right in the middle of the action. This was a great book to give you just enough chills at night but not so badly that you couldn't sleep!

I was taken in by the blurb and thought this sounded like a good book. But unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark for me. It is a good book but not a great book. It had some story to it, some good characters but overall it just didn't flow the way I wanted it too.

Sorry to say it isn't a book for me.

When my husband finished his education and we relocated to Eastern Pennsylvania, an older couple took us under their wings. They introduced us to Lancaster County, the Poconos, and took us to ‘the shore,’ to Ocean Grove, the historic Methodist vacation spot next door to the secular Asbury Park.

Greetings to Asbury Park caught my attention first with the cover and then by the description.

At the center of the story is a dysfunctional family whose patriarch has passed, leaving behind a legitimate heir, David, and two children born to his mistresses. His illegitimate son Casey came to live with the family as a teenager and counts David as a brother. Casey has returned from New York City upon their father’s death. When the will is read, Casey learns he is to inherit a house no one knew about. Living in the house was one more mistress and another half-sibling, the beautiful Gabrielle.

At times the writing pushes in the literary and poetic. Turtel delves into his character’s psyches. The ugliness of class and privilege and race is portrayed. These characters are all deeply flawed and conflicted. David is a self-destructive alcoholic and womanizer. Casey and Gabrielle have an attraction they can’t handle. Minor characters represent the experience of immigrants and people of color, and religious differences. There is incest and rape.

It is a dark novel.

I have been conflicted about how I feel about this story. It has its merits. But it is disturbing.

I received a free egalley from the publisher though NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

I wanted to like this book, and I did enjoy the descriptions of the overlapping communities and cultures along this stretch of sand. However, I felt like the dialogue was pretty stilted in many places (I kept thinking to myself, would these characters actually speak to each other in this way?) and the character development was lacking. The character of Madame, particularly, was puzzling. She seems to be written as an old woman, she's referred to as an old woman, yet then we find she was a teenager in the early 90s? I will be interested in seeing what this author has to bring forward in the future, but this could have used a bit more editing and development.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are some wonderful things about this book and also some very frustrating things because it could have been so much better. The writing is lyrical, descriptive and beautiful in some places and then frustrating and annoying in others. I haven't counted, but the word "alright" appears several hundred times and is said by absolutely every character. Don't people, at least sometimes, say "OK" or "not "not bad", or "I'm not really sure"?
The constant repetition of this phrase nearly drove me mad and interfered with the enjoyment of the writing.

The novel takes place in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and several surrounding towns like Ocean Grove. The ocean, the sand and the geography, the Convention Center and local bars figure importantly, but the main story focuses on the children, one legitimate and two born out of wedlock of wealthy Joseph Larking. There are also several minor characters like Madame K, owner of a dress boutique, who are wonderful characterizations. Unfortunately, both David and Casey, the narrator, are not fully realized or three-dimensional. Davey, the legitimate son, is a drug addict and drunk who picks fights and chases women indiscriminately. Why? Obviously attractive, he has never gone to college or worked. Because his father was wealthy? It's not explained. The incest that takes place between Casey and his bi-racial sister is accepted and unremarkable. Really?

Motivation for other characters' behavior is also missing. Or perhaps I was just insensitive. Yet there is promise here and I think Daniel H. Turtel is capable of better.

I had a hard time getting into Greetings From Ashbury Park but am glad I stuck with it. Complex, sad, and intricate. Many dark issues are covered, but in the end there is a feeling of hope.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Blackstone Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.



Sadly this one didn’t keep my interest, it confused me more than anything.

I saw this book got great reviews but I just couldn’t get into it. There were so many characters being introduced in the beginning with no explanation as to how they relate to each other - I gave up.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I wanted to like this book and it started out strong but... it just didn't do it for me.

After the first chapter or so I found it hard to keep my interest. I had requested this book because the summary made it sound like something I'd be interested in. The further I got into I realized the summary is not all that it seems. Sure, we do see some of the things mentioned but they never go that far in depth. There are other things we do see that I wish had been left out completely. For example, the full on incestuous relationship between Casey and Gabrielle. I got the vibes that this was going to happen early on but it never felt comfortable. And I get that you aren't always supposed to feel comfortable! I was just bothered by this and by the fact that everyone seemed to accept it and then it was moved on from as if it was really not that big of a deal.

What I really felt was missing was the Why? For instance we know that the siblings father was an asshole but we don't see many examples of this to connect how it has effected them. The ending was a bit of a surprise but I was also searching for the why it happened. Maybe I just needed more or maybe this book just wasn't for me.

First off, I’d like to thank Netgalley for my copy of this book! Second, my review: I’m not the biggest general fiction reader (I tend to read mostly horror and thrillers), but the title drew me in because of my love for Asbury Park. I’m glad my love for AP got me to read this book. It’s complex in its ideas in the best way, but simple in its narrative, which makes these ideas stand out strong. The writing is phenomenal in ways that make you stop to take in the punch of a well-crafted sentence. As one reviewer mentioned, the characters really do navigate the book in the same way jazz is composed, and I think that controlled chaos works perfect for each character’s development. Overall a great read, and I’m excited for this one to hit the shelves.

Greetings From Asbury Park, by Daniel H. Turtel
dark emotional sad medium-paced
3.5 Stars

As a Jersey Girl, I enjoyed Greetings from Asbury Park for the vivid nostalgia of the Jersey Shore that I love. In particular I have lots of connection and memories with Long Branch, Asbury Park, and Ocean Grove all of which were prominent in this novel. There was a sense of honesty about underlying (and covert) racism, anti-semitism, and homophobia from the area but it never fully is addressed or confronted head on.

The story is well written about siblings in their early-mid 20s who are finding their way following the death of their abusive father. It is mostly tragic though there is possibility of redemption by the end. A lot of characters are introduced and I would have like to see them further developed.

A slight correction about Ocean Grove is that it is managed by the United Methodist Church (the correct name for the denomination - not Methodist Church). Also I'm not sure if it's because I am reviewing an unedited copy but spelling God with a lower case g was strange to me and if intentional, should be explained. I have never in the last 30 years heard vacationers in the tent area of OG refer to themselves as pilgrims.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC

#GreetingsfromAsburyPArk #NetGalley

Wonderful character driven narrative focusing on three siblings dealing with the aftermath of their father's life (and death).

Greetings from Asbury Park
Daniel H. Turtel
Blackstone Publishers
Publication date - April 5, 2022

Turtle’s debut novel is set in Asbury Park on the New Jersey shore. The setting is integral to the book, and yes, it is the same Asbury Park of Bruce Springsteen fame. The Stone Pony even makes an appearance.

The story centers on three half-siblings after the death of their distant father, a very wealthy man. Like the jazz music interspersed throughout the book, the characters are improvising, trying to determine who they really are and what they really want from life. They make mistakes along the way, as humans do; but that only adds to the character development of Davey, Casey, and Gabrielle.

I especially enjoyed the writing in the chapter, Greetings from Asbury Park. If you are struggling with the book, hang in there until you’ve read this chapter. It’s magnificent writing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

This is a wonderful novel.

"Greetings from Asbury Park" follows the interconnected lives of several residents of Asbury Park, a New Jersey seaside city with tourists, summer residents, and permanent residents. The main characters are Davey Larkin, the son of the late Joseph Larkin; his half-brother Casey Larkin, whose mother was Joseph’s mistress; and their half-sister Gabriella Walker, whose mother was a housecleaner for Joseph.

The author provides a series of vignettes, moving among these characters and a half-dozen others, that are meticulously crafted and carefully woven together to create the narrative.

Most of the characters are ones that are occasionally quite distasteful or worse, yet I can see myself in each of them, too.

If you are looking for an action-adventure plot, this is not for you; but if you enjoy fine writing and character exposition, you will love this book.

"There was comfort in knowing that you could say just what you wanted and not worry about what the words meant because in the morning they would be gone and so would you."

I did not connect with this book, no matter how much I tried. I picked it up and put it down at least twenty times in the month of December. I liked the idea of three siblings connecting through the death of their father. Two of which are from other mothers and two of which didn't know about each other. I liked the premise but the execution didn't work for me.

"Maybe he was really sorry and it was possible to believe that somebody had wronged you but still not really wish them to be dead. Maybe there were sort of gradations to revenge that should exist and some things you shouldn’t do."

I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters which makes it hard to read what's mostly a character-driven story. I found the story to be quiet but not in a peaceful way. So my attention kept drifting. I still managed to make it all the way to the end but this one will not stay with me even though parts of the writing and descriptions were really beautiful.

with gratitude to netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Greetings from Asbury Park intrigued me because I grew up in the area and enjoyed the accurate descriptions of the local places and communities. Three half-siblings react to each other and their father's death in different ways. I would have liked to better understand the father's motivation for treating his children so differently.
I liked the writing and the character development but found the story to be of less interest as it went on.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Despite the beautiful language and descriptions, I found this novel cringeworthy. There were simply too many plot lines and characters that left me feeling uncomfortable. I am familiar with the area and the towns around Asbury Park, so I was able to be drawn into the setting, but the characters simply didn’t engage me.

Perhaps, it’s an age issue or the novel hit too many uncomfortable areas, but I don’t believe many of my reading groups would enjoy this.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Had a preconceived idea of the story. I tried a few chapters but it just didn't keep my interest. I'm sure its a wonderful book and others will enjoy it.