Anyone here that knows me well knows that I have been dying to get a copy of this book and that it was one of my most anticipated books this year. I was declined a physical arc, I was declined a digital arc, but I did mange to snag an audio version this morning so I set everything aside to get started.

WHAT. A. DISAPPOINTMENT.

And it breaks my heart to say that. 💔

The best word to describe this book is: NONSENSE.

The one positive I took away from this was that I enjoyed Valente's prose. Everything else, not so much. Had I of known that this was some sort of Adam and Eve biblical bullshit I would have never been interested in this. So damn you beautiful cover and damn you vague synopsis for seducing me into believing I did need this. I did not.

I also can't believe that Amazon is charging $10.99 for a kindle copy. This is a 112 page novella so that's almost a buck a page and I can assure you that you can spend your money better elsewhere. Of course I'm an outlier so maybe this utterly bizarre story will be money well spent for you and I sure do hope that it is!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my complimentary copy.

This is a sad and strange novella with flawless world-building and a great twist. It reads like a dark fairy tale that at first reminded me of Bluebeard, with a well-kept wife in a mysterious house finding out dark secrets about her husband. I also thought that it would be a take on Snow White (because of the title). When I realized what was really going on I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it coming, since the clues are all there. I liked Sophia, she’s trying to be happy with her perfect life and she doesn’t know why she isn’t. She’s fragile, but resourceful, and too smart for her own good. It’s a quick read, but the author manages to create a character that feels so real. It also has a smart feminist angle: not “all men are awful” as so many novels are now, but a very subtle message that I can’t explain further without going into spoiler territory. Karis Campbell’s audiobook performance enriches the story even more, since she sounds like she’s telling a fairy tale but has a dark undertone when appropriate. She also creates the most perfect voices for all the characters. This is a great, dark, tale.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/# Dreamscape Media!

As with “The Last House on Needless Street” (Catriona Ward) earlier this year, I was so INTRIGUED by the reviews of this book-the lack of description-the reviewers at a loss for words of what to say about it-still processing if they enjoyed it or NOT.

As you begin to learn about the tranquil, gated community of Arcadia Gardens (of Eden?), you will wonder about Sophia. She wakes up each morning pleased with the fact that she was made for her husband-and perfect for him. She was born without dissatisfaction. She tells herself that she is well fed, well housed, busy and loved. ❤️
Could she be AI?

She believes all of this UNTIL she finds a locked drawer which contains something that will make question everything. Drawers are locked for a reason.

The MANY, very STRICT rules of Arcadia Gardens are divulged throughout the narrative.

Rules designed to keep everyone happy and safe from…..temptation?

And, with the taste of apples on her lips, innocence will be lost and her neighbors will ask her:

Are you happy?
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

The answer to that, may determine her fate.

An UNSETTLING listen from Dreamscape Media available October 26, 2021.
I am glad that I now know what EVERYONE is talking about.

I received a gifted copy through NetGalley and it was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Here’s a running list of comparisons that crossed my mind while immersed in the world of Catherynne M. Valente’s novella, Comfort Me With Apples:

- The Stepford Wives
- Animal Farm
- Margaret Atwood
- Lauren Groff
- The bible
- Greek mythology
- Dante’s Inferno

Clearly, this is quite a bonkers read. In the span of 112 pages (or 2 hours 20 minutes on audio), readers are kept on their toes while trying to place what is happening, why it’s happening, and where it’s happening. I think(????) I figured out the answers to those questions by book’s end, but man, it sure was a strange trip to get there. Ultimately it comes together in the most brilliant fashion, in such a way that will keep me pondering the feminist statement I believe Valente is trying to make.

Comfort Me With Apples definitely will not be the right read for everyone - but if you’re up for a lovely cup of apple-flavored WTF, you’ll drink this one up like I did.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media and the author for the advance listening copy via NetGalley. Karis Campbell’s moody-yet-spirited audiobook narration is pitch perfect, and I’d highly recommend the format for those who are open to it. Comfort Me With Apples is slated for release on October 26th.

Can you love someone too much? Sophia believes her husband is her soulmate, the perfect man, the perfect partner. Yes, he is away on business a lot. but he hates their time apart as much as she does, after all, te tells he so. Still, a niggling doubt in her mind points to the strange expression on her husband’s face after he returns from those trips. And that locked basement door, that’s strange isn’t it? Her neighbors are no help, they don’t even look her in the eye. This is a short story more than a novel with a heroine that doesn’t seem quite real, but Valente has has her reasons…..