This was a unique and interesting concept. Definitely different from what I was expecting! It was a fun and engaging audiobook. Highly recommend.

First off, I fell in love with the cover. Thus was not what I was expecting but I enjoyed the book. Kept me guessing throughout but came together nicely at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Well, how 'bout them apples!

When I looked at this book, I noticed so many conflicting reviews. That only meant that I had to read it for myself and see what this was all about!
I listened the audio book, and I must say that I loved the narrator. I highly suggest the audio version!

This novella follows Sophia, the seemingly perfect house wife, as she navigates her own thoughts about her unwavering happiness, her husband and her life, in general.
What 'slithering' secrets could be hiding within the gates of Arcadia Gardens?

I spent a good portion of the first half of this thinking "what...is...happening!?". I was a little confused at first, but man, it all came together in the second half!

This book was beautifully written and well thought out! It had creepy, strange and unusual vibes throughout that I just couldn't get enough of! I only wished it was longer, I just wanted it to keep going; to see what happens next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC.

B&N - AllieReads
Amazon-Allie G

I listened to the audiobook version, and wow, what an interesting quick read this turned out to be!

Sophia was made for him, her husband. He is perfect, her life is perfect, their house is perfect, everything is perfect. Or is it?

For a quick read, this sure kept me guessing at every turn. Just when I thought I'd picked up a clue and have slotted it into my mental picture, something happens that has me reconfiguring everything again. And this kept going until the very end. I was absolutely riveted.

From the moment this book showed up on the scenes, it's been generating so much buzz. It's not often a book has such polarizing reviews, with readers either enthusiastically loving it or passionately hating it. I knew I had to read it for myself to see where I landed.

This was unlike anything I have ever read before, and kept me guessing until the end!

ThiusOr have you?

My heartfelt thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

A delightfully strange little book! I listened to the audio and Karis Cambell did a great job capturing all of the many emotions of the characters. She definitely enhanced the story. It’s difficult to review this one with out giving away spoilers, but it was definitely worth a read and it flew by. Odd, but a fun book!

Comfort Me With Apples was unsettling and creepy in a "delicious" way if you like this type of book. A gated community with so many odd rules, a wife that seems to be devoted to her husband in every perfect way, and a beautiful house is the setting for the book. I was drawn into the story right from the start and started to feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. I just got more and more curious as to what was really happening! I can't say too much without giving the story away so you will just need to read it if your curiosity is sparked.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Catherynne M. Valente, and Netgalley for this advanced audio copy which is narrated by Karis Campbell

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Catherynne M. Valente, and Netgalley for this advanced reader audio copy of Comfort Me With Apples, narrated by Karis Campbell, for an honest review.

I will always jump at the chance for any Valente book reviewing.

This book is <I>so well done</I>. It's incredibly atmospheric in the happiness, beauty, and, of course, right from the beginning -- menace. The chapter titles all as apples are delightful and the first hint of the ultimate outcome, which I missed until it really was staring me right in the face. The sections being demarcated by the rules of The Community was brilliant, constantly chilling with its strange, esoteric rules, especially done in Karis' high, sharp, professional sweet voice.

It's a delightful cross between the Bluebeard Myth, Stepford Wives, Animal Farm, Margaret Attwood & then a glorious hodgepodge of Greek & Biblical Mythology tossed on top of that. I *still* didn't see the end coming. It was so incredibly chilling and well revealed, and sadly there's so little more I can say about this one without spoiling something.

This was not for me. I can't say why because it would give too much away, but it was interesting. It's a short book, so I was able to listen in a couple of sittings, and the narrator was very good. The content matter was a sensitive subject for me. I may be overthinking this, so take my review with a grain of salt.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book starts way more promising than it ends. I believe it is trying to be feminist, but it only reinforces archaic norms that just left a bad taste in my mouth.

This was a clever and well-written novella. I always admire Catherynne M. Valente for her ingenuity, and this one did not disappoint. I had thought it was a Bluebeard retelling, but as always Valente had her own twist on the story. It wasn’t the most satisfying twist in my opinion, but maybe it was obvious the whole time and I just didn’t catch on quickly enough.

The narrator was great!

This story follows Sophia, a woman living a perfect life with her perfect husband. She lives in a beautifully maintained neighborhood in a large mansion with her husband. She knows every inch of the house like the back of her hand, except the basement.

Ok, this short novella is tough to summarize. I loved the first 75%. It gave weird, eerie vibes that set up a bombshell reveal. Unfortunately, I don’t think the ending really “wowed” me. I think something was missing.

I don't know what I was expecting when I requested Comfort Me With Apples, but it definitely was not what I got. I would say the genre is fantasy with a slight hint of suspense, but definitely not a thriller. The narration was good for the content that she had to work with and the 1 star I am giving is for that and the fact that I actually finished it, which I would not have done had it not been a novella. I wanted to like this so much and I love "weird", but this just was not for me! I feel like from a marketing standpoint that it doesn't need to be included in the thriller genre.

Wow, I listened to this novella in one sitting. This story is so disturbing and marvelous by its ingenuity. Especially when you stop and think about the authors message. Unfortunately, I can't say much without ruining the plot since the story is so short. I would especially recommend listening to the story as the narrator does a wonderful job.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an audiobook copy.

This book is not my usual kind of genre that I read. In the beginning I was like “ok, this seems like perfect gates community perfect wife, perfect husband” …. But then things get weird, the wife finds hair, a a finger, then lots of bones. Then all of a sudden it’s like Adam and Eve… snake. I don’t know how to explain!
So glad this was a short novel. If this was a longer novel I would have DNF’d it. Sorry!

Arcadia Gardens is the perfect place to live. Perfect homes and perfect neighbors, all living perfect lives. Sophia loves her perfect life, thanks to her perfect husband.
Sophia's flawless existence is starting to show its cracks. Her husband is away often, leaving her aching for his return. Keeping her home in pristine condition is busying work, but leads to her finding things that she probably shouldn't. She probably shouldn't go in the basement either, since it's always kept locked. But Sophia is curious, and knows something isn't quite right in her perfect world.
Should she be questioning her perfect life, and turn her head away from the things she knows are wrong?

This audiobook was fantastic!! I went into it hoping for something dark, and was delighted to get dark AND bizarre.
Its all very Stepford Wives with a feminist view of the story of Adam & Eve. Everything starts off a little too perfect, Sophia loving her husband to the point of worship. Quite nauseating to be frank. When the shift in her perception happens, the twist starts to reveal itself and things get dark. Sophia's husband isn't what he seems.
The audiobook narrator, Karis Campbell, took the story to a whole new level of eerie. Her voices for the strange women of the neighborhood made the hairs on my neck stand up. She added extra creepiness to other characters, and a helplessness to Sophia's narrative. It was all very on point.
I really enjoyed this take on the age old Bible story. Seeing things from a darker perspective is more my type of thing, and I found myself smiling often with the direction Valente took it. I recommend this story as a quick listen with a strong message.

I really liked this. I liked the part with the neighborhood rules, but the neighborhood kind of felt separate from what was happening with the main character.

This was a short but wild ride! A completely unique book even though it manages to retell several stories. I was disappointed when I realized it was only 2 hours 19 minutes. The story was complete (kinda…) but I enjoyed it so would have also liked more. The narrator did an excellent job. Sophia lives in Arcadia gardens a perfect community with strict but perfect rules and harsh consequences. Sophia lives in a giant house with her husband she just knows she was made for. She has everything she could want. And yet finding a hidden locked drawer in her home starts her down a path for the truth but the truth will change everything. There are very clear biblical pieces that are retold, but there are also bits of other pieces including fairy tales. (If you don’t think of Bluebeard when you read this I’m not sure you did). The first half of the book I was like hmmmm what is going on and even when I figured out what was happening I was a bit stupefied. This seems like a book you either love or hate so it’s definitely not for everyone but I enjoyed it!

I was really excited to listen to this one. Catherynne M. Valente is an author I hear about a lot, and I was hoping to love her work. Sadly, this was not for me. I can see the appeal of her writing style, but this was nonsense in my opinion. I found the announcement of the community rules interesting, then it went downhill from there.

I didn't care about any of the characters at all. The narrator was ok. Maybe I will try this author again in the future, but I'm not in a hurry after this one.

I was thoroughly creeped out. This was the perfect little novella type book for spooky season. The play on Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden… it was very well done.

Comfort Me With Apples wasn't quite what I expected, but my Valente experience has been more with her middle grade fiction. The novella is short but gets right to the point with punching you in the gut with uncomfortable feelings. If the apples give you a bit of an Eve feel, you're definitely not far off and I'm still uncomfortable having finished it.