So I can say that I fully relate to those on both sides of the fence on this one. I initially received an egalley and put it down a quarter of the way through. When the audiobook offered a sample, I requested it based on the narrator. I would recommend the audiobook here, although I listened at 1.25 x speed. Still, this book took a good 50% before I really got into it and the ending was fabulously twisty. Well worth it especially since it’s such a short book.

This is a suspenseful fable about Adam and Eve, though our main character is an interim woman named Sophia. I found the storytelling gripping and the mood of the story atmospheric and eerie. I was easily moved to root for little Sophia (who is literally little, as she has to reach up to get to her counters and climb down from her giant bed). Her strange neighbors, always asking if she is happy, and her often absent husband who seems consumed with the same question, make Sophia begin to question herself, though prior to all their asking she did feel quite happy. This is short book, a novella, so I don't want to say more lest I give things away, but I enjoyed it and felt chilled and moved by what it has to say about domestic violence and power between the sexes.

I was given this book by Netflix and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Comfort Me With Apples by Catherine M. Valente is a WTF novella audiobook that for just over 2 hours had me scratching my head and saying the full words of WTF every 10 minutes.

Without giving too much away, narrator Karis Campbell gives us a sense of pure serenity with her calm meditative voice. Sophia is so happy to be married to her husband. She was made just for him and their life is serene in the idyllic Arcadia Gardens. So long as you follow the rules. They are there to keep you safe. Safe from what is the question. It couldn't have anything to do with her perfect husband. The one that keeps the basement locked and avoids questions about his business trips. Is there darkness hiding in paradise?

This writer is very clever. I did not have a clue what was going on until the end. Even then I was not quite sure what I listened to but I was very impressed by it. I will tell you it's not The Stepford Wives or Handmaid's Tale. Go in cold and be mind blown.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow! This is one of those "what did I just read?" books. Comfort Me with Apples is a novella that leaves you guessing to the very end. I honestly did not figure it out until she was in the outer garden. The imagery was very clever and the message will leave you smiling, even if its a rather sadistic smirk. The storyline cannot be explained without giving something away. So if you like a bit of a mind game, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. Wow! At first i was confused and didnt know what to think. But i kept listening because the story kept me captivated. Was i surprised and the allegory by the end. It is a short novella but is very interesting even though it has polarizing reviews.

I had to unfortunately pull the plug on this one at 64%. I had zero connection to the story. In fact, I disliked it so much, it was starting to make me angry. The narrator was boring me off of the face of the planet and I just couldn't suffer through another hour.

I am sure a lot of people will enjoy this story. It was just way too obscure and art house for my tastes. I truly appreciate the opportunity to give it a shot and am sorry I can't provide better feedback. This just did not work for me AT ALL!!

"Sophia was made for him, her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect; their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect; everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much—so often. He works so hard. She misses him, and he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband, and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things—strange things, dark things—the look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip, the questions he will not answer, the locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze....

But everything is perfect—isn't it?"

I wasn't sure what kind of audiobook this was going to be, but I knew I was intrigued by the brief synopsis given and by the interesting cover. I ended up being drawn in by what was happening early on, and wondering why everything was so overly perfect. It was downright creepy, in a 'Stepford Wives' kind of way. Sophia loved her husband very much. All of the neighbors knew each other and were very friendly in their perfect Arcadia Gardens HOA neighborhood. It was strange how everybody kept asking Sophia if she was happy every time they saw her. She thought it was normal...at first, but then it got annoying-until it got creepy enough to scare her.

I loved the narration by Karis Campbell, she was able to give life to each character with perfection which really added to the story.

As the drama went on, things got even weirder and it became suspenseful to say the least. I loved all the creepy details and when it got to the climactic twist that I didn't see coming, it was interesting to see how it all played out to the end. This was a great audiobook novella to listen to all in one sitting, as it was only 2 hours and 20 min long. It was perfect for fall, especially since the chapters were cleverly named after apples and very well written by Catherynne Valente. I enjoyed it!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank #Netgalley and DreamScape Media for my ALC of #ComfortMeWithApples in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

WTF did I just read... or listen to?!?
This is probably one of the most bizarre books I’ve read, and is perfect for the season!

Sophia is married and living her best life in an upscale gated neighborhood with a husband who she adores and he adores her. So why does everyone keep asking Sophia if she is happy? Everything is perfect… right?!

Holy Steford wives club! A short and fadt book, weird but definitely entertaining. What happens when the life you thought was perfect starts unraveling?

I always listen to an excerpt to hear the narrator before I request and I thought this one did well.

I decided to check out the hype with this one.

Well...I must say I really did not enjoy it much.

It's an odd book. The audio did catch my attention at the very beginning but it did not last long. The narrator was very slow and pronounced but I did feel okay with that in the beginning as everything was being set-up as being, "perfect."

I know many have enjoyed this story and feel it took a clever turn. For me it was just strange and not very entertaining.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media with granting me access to this Advance Audio Copy.

To be honest, I'm not sure what I was expecting while reading Comfort Me With Apples, but I found it amusing. A slow-burn mystery in which breadcrumbs are sprinkled throughout (of which, I did not pick up on until much later!) with a satisfying ending. While I wouldn't say there's a twist at the end, there most certainly is an 'ah-ha' moment and it was quite satisfying as a reader. This is one of the more unique reads I've picked up this year and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access!

What in the weird stepped wives did I just read. Holy moly that was a ride. I have to say I did not expect that ending. I am very thankful for Netgalley for giving me a chance to review this interesting rare book.

I have the audio of this one and have to put it down because it's so awful. This book is one of my most anticipated and I don't want the narration of this to ruin it for me. I'll re-review this when it comes out and I pick up a physical copy, but my rating is specifically for the narrator of the audiobook.

Our review was recorded for a podcast episode and can be accessed through the link below:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-favorite-people-are-books/id1576966188?i=1000539768189

I wanted more!! I loved how each chapter was named after an apple variety! Really creative in this creepy Stepford wives ish perfect subdivision with crazy rules slash Bluebeard esque story about a seemingly perfect husband who isn't what he appears. Full on creepy vibes - this is a perfect fall spooky season read. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!

Comfort Me With Apples is a bewildering fusion of many themes and stories some of which you will recognize and some of which will feel familiar, but won't be as defined. I feel like I can't say much without spoiling the book. From a technical side I think the novella's really well done and fascinatingly crafted, but I feel very uncomfortable with some of the themes and conclusion. I'll leave it at 3 stars.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Karis Campbell and enjoyed the narration.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Dreamscape Media for an Audiobook review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for an ALC of this title in exchange for an honest review. Comfort Me With Apples is an interesting read, but not what I expected in any way. It is extremely short and fast, but is somehow only what I would consider to be medium paced. I was very interested in this book and the story line until about 60% of the way through. It all starts to come together around that point, and I no longer had any interest in the story once I had it figured out. This title does not keep its secrets long enough to hold interest, as soon as the climax happens, you already will know the ending and the premise of the entire book. Additionally, the premise of this title being religious is just not my thing. It wasn't that big of a twist and was not as creative as I thought it would be at the first 60% of the book.

Comfort Me with Apples is a novella by Catherynne M. Valente. Based on my experience listening to the audiobook, it's not a thriller or mystery. It was inspired by the biblical story of Adam and Eve. You will not find a strong female character with Sophia. In fact I didn't like her at all but that is not her fault. It's the typical female description in the old times where they are stay at home wife and when spending time with neighbors is called fraternizing and watching a pantomime frivolous. Where the men work and earn money for the household. It is an interesting story because all throughout the novel the author never mentioned the husband's name. Because it is part of the plot twist.

I enjoyed immensely the narrator Karis Campbell's performance. Combined with the authors prose-style writing. The listening experience is lyrical and flows naturally. One thing I really liked is how the narrator able to change voices for different characters. You can distinguish characters just by her shift of voice to a different character alone.

I would recommend for a short, prose-style, rhythmic listen. Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Catherynne Valente for an advance copy of the audiobook. All opinions are voluntary and my own.

It took me a while to get this one. Once I realized what was going on, the concept started to grow on me. Kind of a cool alternate version of a very well known story. Short, quick read.

This novella is a retelling of well-known story that is entirely unique and creative. The story follows Sophia, a young wife who is living what she thinks is the perfect life. She has a perfect home, perfect husband, and resides in a picture perfect neighborhood, full of rules to keep it so. I don't think I am providing any spoilers by saying it turns out her life is not, in fact, perfect and there is a twist to the story, but the twist was not at all what I expected. There are a lot of common tropes for the "protagonist finds out perfect life is deeply flawed" story, but this one did not use any of the hackneyed denouements you would expect.

Despite the abbreviated length, the characters are well-developed, which may have been aided by the excellent narration of the audiobook. She did an excellent job providing lively personalities for all of the different characters.

This title would be perfect for a book club as it would generate interesting discussions and the shorter length is a bonus for book clubbers who have difficulty finishing books within the required time frame.