It's hard to say something about this book and not spoil it for everyone who reads reviews before diving in... but let's just say that as a woman (not that I put any credence into the bible in the first place) I feel vindicated.
I also feel like there was a lot of symbolism that I missed because I'm not educated enough in literature.

What a ride! This book was not at all what I expected and I loved it for that. It is a short read that draws you in instantly and keeps you thinking “what the hell?” the whole way.

The start gave me Stepford Wives vibes when you meet Sophia who is the perfect wife in every way. Then she starts to discover unsettling things about her happy life and it just builds from there. The end has a great wrap up that. Overall, the book is dark and chilling and a read I enjoyed!

I have such conflicted feelings about this one. I grew up extremely religious and have a ton of baggage from that. That being said, I have a hard time with things that are not subtle in their religious allegory. Maybe it was the upbringing, but I could see where this was going almost immediately.

I'm torn because there was a line that really spoke to me and my religious issues. I listened to the audiobook so forgive me for the paraphrasing, but "if he created me too, but why doesn't he love me like he loves you." Had to sit with that one for a bit.

The writing in this was gorgeous, but I thought the story could have been helped by subtlety.

First I'd like to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the very quick approval of this audiobook. I kept seeing so many and such varied reviews that I was twitchy with the desire to read this!

My husband and I listened to it over the course of two of our evening walks and ohhhh the irony that THIS is the book we chose to read together.

I'd like to mirror what I've heard others say - if I'd known in advance where this story was headed I probably wouldn't have decided to read it but I'm glad I did as I found it stunningly written and uniquely unsettling.
It makes a strong statement so now I understand why it's caused strong reactions.

I asked my husband what he thought I should rate it and he said 'at least 4 stars' so either he enjoyed it too or he was worried I'd serve him a huge slice of apple pie if he didn't!

Do you ever finish a book and stare into space thinking, 'What just happened, what did I just read?' Because that's what I did after reading this.

It's challenging to review this since saying too much will give away the story. What I will say is, I was not expecting that ending. I didn't particularly care for it either. It left me wanting more and felt unfinished.

I listened to the audiobook version of this, which is a little over 2 hours. I enjoyed the narration and thought the narrator, Karis Campbell, did a great job capturing the characters' emotions.

If you're into books that are retellings of stories, short reads, and make you sit and wonder, this might be right up your alley!

I wish this one were longer. It was weird, and creepy and I had so many questions at first. They were all answered and then it was over!

Because this book is so short, I don't want to say much about the plot, but I will say that I listened to this in one sitting while playing a game on my phone and I was ENTHRALLED. The way that Valente leads you through the narrative, you wonder what exactly is happening, all you know is that Sophia is made for her husband, or so she thinks. The way it call came tohether in the end, I have been thinking about this book for says. Valente's prose is so excellent and the narrator of this book also did an amazing job. I will be buying this and rereading it when it comes out, 5 stars, read it!

What in the world?? This author never ceases to amaze me with the clever, outlandish way she writes a story. It’s always stranger than fiction and I enjoy her descriptions and I love her characters. At first I thought that I was reading something about Stepford wives and then I said no, no, this must be more like Handmaidens tale and then I thought…. I thought, WTH am I reading ? It will be of biblical proportions and that all I’m going to say about that. You’ll have to have a great imagination to follow this journey through. I like this author and her creativity.
I do recommend this and I chose to listen to this book on audio and the narrator was great. It’s short, only 2 hrs and 29 mins of interesting, slightly out there listening.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

This was an awesome, quick little audiobook that I do not want to reveal anything about.

Start reading fresh. Learn nothing about this book.

I loved the narrator. She did an awesome job with the voices and helping set the scene.

This was a really fun take on a tale that many, many people know (don’t want to give it away!) I enjoyed how the story unraveled and the characters (Mrs. Lion, Mr. Cascavel) were interesting. This was a short story at only 2.5 hours at regular narration speed, but I couldn’t stop listening!

If you're a fan of Stepford Wives (which I very much am) then this is definitely one that you need to read.

Don't underestimate this novella because it definitely packs a punch. The story starts off with Sophia, the perfect wife who adores and dotes on her husband. But Sophie starts to notice that things aren't as perfect as she thought. And to make matters worse, it seems like everyone knows but her.

This book was a wild ride from start to finish. The pacing was spot on. The atmosphere was so unsettling. And the ending was NOT what I was expecting!

The less you know about this novella going into it the better. It is part fantasy, part sci-fi, part parable and completely masterful.

Sophia was made for her husband. She knows this innately. Yet, she begins noticing things that don’t seem to belong within her perfect house in her perfect neighborhood. Things like a hairbrush with hair that doesn’t match her own and a human finger in the knife block.

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting, partly due to the amazing voice performance from Karis Campbell and partly because the twists and turns of this story were too delicious to pause. It helps that it is a very short read, but don’t let that fool you - it still packs a punch. I know I will be thinking about this story for a long time.

I LOVED this novella! The narrator does an incredible job! The description sounded very interesting, albeit similar to so many other "domestic thrillers", but I requested an ARC anyway and am glad I did! I will try to review without giving anything away because I feel like there really is something to not knowing exactly where this story is taking you.

In the first couple of chapters, I had a few moments of "WTF" and wondering what I was listening to. The characters and setting didn't make sense to me and I found myself trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't until the final 3rd of the story that it clicked and I had my ah-ha moment.

This book was alot of fun to experience! Especially as an audio book, the author really captured characters emotions and drew me into the story more than I already was. I love the plot line my only complaint is that the book wasn't longer, I would love a prequel or sequel that delvs further into the story I feel like there are alot of unanswered questions. The writing was very poetic and gave me wonderful images of what Sophie was experiencing! I loved it!

Sophia is the perfect wife to the perfect husband in the perfect neighborhood where all the neighbors are perfect and everyone is happy.

Right off the bat, I was reminded of the episode called “Community” on the show Fear Itself. It has been a long time since I’ve seen that show but I always remember that episode. The idyllic community isn’t always what it seems. There is an air of discomfort and unease, that something wasn’t right, and you get that sense as soon as the book starts. Read just the first chapter to understand what I mean.

Catherynne M. Valente is a beautiful writer—this was clear early on as she wove intricate and imaginative sentences that I enjoyed reading. I like how each chapter is named after a different variety of apples.

Karis Campbell did a hauntingly good job narrating the audiobook. Her voice was very soft and melodic and almost made me feel like I was in a trance, which goes perfectly with the story being told here. This is the first time in probably ten years that I listened to a story on 1x speed. Normally I listen on 1.25x to 2x speed, depending on the book, but when I started this book sped up, it just didn’t feel right, so I returned to 1x, and the narrator’s voice has a much bigger effect that way. If you, too, like to speed up your audiobooks, I recommend you try listening to this book on 1x speed because it makes for a better experience with this specific story, in my opinion. Plus the book is only two hours long anyway.

The reason later revealed why everything was so perfect is genius. I enjoyed the story and the message Valente was trying to communicate and how it was all done. The ending really made me go “Ahhh!” with understanding as the realizations dawned on me.

This is my first book from Catherynne M. Valente, but it won’t be my last. I really liked the writing style and how she uses language, and I also enjoyed the storytelling. I believe she writes in a wide range of genres, so I am excited to see what else she has to offer as Comfort Me with Apples was a treat. It was weird as heck but I loved the ending.

4.5 stars

Evocatively written and deftly paced, Comfort Me with Apples is a fascinating take on the creation story and how it echoes into our 21st century culture.

So many thrillers take on the idea of the perfect home and the perfect husband, following a set of prescribed beats before landing on a series of pulse pounding finales. This book takes that familiar structure and blows it open through an incredibly allegorical narrative. As someone who has spent their entire life struggling with religion, this story really illuminated how the lingering effects of man's fall continue to be seen through the patriarchal structures of modern society.

Listening to this on audiobook, it did take a few chapters to really settle into the story. However, once I was in, I was completely gripped! No matter how you are consuming this story, I can guarantee that it will be a quick and haunting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I’m going to be thinking about this novella for a long time. It’s hard to say too much about it without giving it away, but the twists are worth going in blind for! It starts off Stepford Wives-esque and then shit gets weird! I loved it! And the narration on the audiobook was great.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars
I received this as an ARC audiobook from NetGalley and I enjoyed it a lot. It was only 2 hours and 20 minutes long, so I assume that this is a novella, but it packs quite a punch in very few pages. The ending left me a little... perplexed... but it is a story that is staying in my mind.

I don't know what I was expecting from this short story, but this wasn't it. But in a good way. What a unique twist on this story. I can't tell you which story exactly because it will ruin it for you... It's short, just read it!

I really enjoyed the Stepford Wives feel of this one and loved watching Sophia kind of grow into her own and start making connections as to what was going on. All I can really say is that is was so interesting and dark and I loved every moment of it. As you start to get more and more little bits on information and put things together for yourself, it's amazing how it all fits together. You really get that "holy shit/Ahaa" moment.

What a delicious and evil little surprise this was, like a tasty apple pie with chicken bones in it,

I went into this totally blind, which is what I would recommend for you as well, because the eventual revelation of the topic of the story was very fun. Also, if I had known what this story was based on, I would probably have skipped it based on the topic, and that would be a shame, because this is a really neat story.

This story will definitely be divisive for a few reasons. As you can see by the reviews, people either really love it or really don’t love it. It has an extremely unique and lyrical writing tone, almost like a fairy tale. I think the writing style
Is something you will either connect with or not, and you will probably know whether you like it early in. I personally really enjoyed the writing style, even before I figure out what the story was about.

Without giving away the topic, if you like the writing style, this story will appeal a lot to feminists, and it tries to answer a few of the biggest questions feminists have about the world. It answers these questions in a totally creative and, dare I say, beautiful way. As with most feminist stories, this one isn’t always cheerful, but it has many delightful moments with some extremely unique characters. I completely enjoyed being immersed in the totally unique and picturesque world Valente created, and I loved the “moral” of the story as well.

I would say, before reading this, try to pick it up somewhere first and see what you think of the first few pages. If you like the writing, you’ll be good to go from there.

I’m very interested to read more from this author even though fantasy/fairy tale is not my usual genre. Her words and message really connected with me.

Sorry to be so cryptic, but I really don’t want to ruin the topic of the story because I loved slowly figuring it out. Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC! 4* stars 🌟