I thought that this book was very well written, but the subject matter was not for me. It was a thinly veiled allegory about the dominant patriarchy in all facets. It was well performed by Karis Campbell.

I was given this book for my unbiased review.

Comfort Me With Apples
Catherynne M. Valente
Sophia and her husband live in Arcadia Garden in their perfect house built just for her. Sophia was small of stature; she had trouble reaching the cabinets, she used a stool to get in and out of bed, she had to sit on pillows, perhaps the house wasn’t built just for her. She was made for her husband, she is perfect, he is perfect, and their life is perfect. Sophia is happy, isn’t she? Her needs are all met, well fed, a beautiful home, and she is loved, isn’t she? When she finds something unexpected in a locked drawer, she begins questioning everything. A lock of hair that isn’t hers, and a small bone. It was against the rules to wander out of the community, but she did and she met someone or something.
This tale reminded of Genesis 2:3-3:23, the story of Adam and Eve. The Arcadia Gardens has a lot of laws to keep everyone happy, until they aren’t. A darkness enters the community creating unrest, distrust, and questions. This is an unusual short tale. I’m still not sure what to make of it. The pace was very slow. The narrator/reader was not pleasant to listen too, she sounded like a robot. I didn’t connect with the main character for the first half of the book. It wasn’t until she met someone/thing by the apple tree that I found myself invested in the plot. This tale has strong theme of feminism.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the advance copy of the audiobook.
This book is a quick and easy listen, the recording is only a little more than 2 hours. The story was engaging. It feels like a retelling of Adam and Eve. I was entertained. Worth a read/listen!

The audio version of Comfort Me With Apples is like listening to a bedtime story. Only in this bedtime story you know something is definitely wrong with the key players and setting right away. This short story (it only runs a little over 100 pages) sets the reader on the path to learn about a young woman that wakes up daily repeating, "I was made for him." She is referring to her husband. As her day goes on, it becomes obvious very quickly that the house is too large and nothing is made for her. When the ultimate revelation of what is happening is revealed, you might tell yourself that you saw it coming all along. And maybe you did. This version of a very old story is pure genius. The less you know about it going into the better. The narrator was a great choice and did a good job of revealing the softness and naivete of the main character. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this title.

Full disclosure, I received this as an advanced review copy.

I discovered Catherynne M Valente with Space Opera, and so far, she hasn't let me down. This was a tightly constructed novella, with excellent pacing and unpredictability. Any of the tropes that seem... tired - go with them. it is VERY much worth your time.

Comfort Me with Apples was an unsettling, fable-esque look at religion and patriarchy and the importance of agency. For such a short audiobook it packed a big punch. The horror does not overshadow but is also not diminished by the philosophical nature of the almost poetic writing. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would love to read more from Catherynne M Valente and also more short horror stories. A huge thank you to Netgalley for early access to this wonderful, and uncomfortable, story.

A very interesting take on one of the oldest stories of all time. I really liked how modern this was made and the narration was great, as well.

[4 Stars]

The ending had the unfortunate situation of the villain monologuing about their evil deeds, which was a bit annoying. But the rest of it up until that point was really really great. I loved the tension and the strangeness of it all.

Comfort Me With Apples 🍎

Thank you Dreamscape Media for this advanced listening copy. I clicked on this because the cover is stunning, then the premise of it was super intriguing. It was a short novella, just a little over 2 hour listen, and I devoured it in just a couple short listening sessions. The audiobook was so well done, I loved the creepy tone and felt it added to the story. I am not sure this book will be for everyone, but I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Everything is perfect. Then Sophia begins to wonder about things she finds around the house. And the locked room in the basement. When she asks her neighbors just can’t seem to meet her gaze. But everything is perfect. Right?

This book gave more of a Stepford Wives vibe than Gone Girl, as it was advertised. There were definitely biblical references sprinkled throughout. I felt like this book was so well done and at the end I said WTF?! I can’t wait to hear others reviews and opinions as this books comes out October 26th.

Sophia lives in a perfect home, in a perfect neighborhood, with perfect neighbors, and a perfect husband. She knows she should be happy. So why is she starting to ask questions and wonder if there is more she doesn't understand? And why is that drawer locked? And why can't she go into the basement?

Sophia is our POV, and she is a strange take on a seeming Stepford Wife with odd friends who seem to know more than she does and don't seem to feel up to sharing their knowledge. Acadia Gardens is a development that I can't think anyone would want to live in based on the list of HOA requirements that is recited throughout, but is presented as "perfect". Once Sophia takes a single step out of the script, it starts to unravel exactly what this world is and her part in it.

This is a spooky, strange take on an old mystic Jewish creation tale, which I thought was done well. Interestingly, it doesn't seem like many reviewers know this link, and without it, believe this to be a bizarre story. To their credit, it is, but it is not as new as they think. This does give a fresh and very creepy twist to it though, as well as points out the very misogynistic aspects of this myth.

I am not entirely sure how I "feel" after reading it though. As a stand alone creepy story, it was well done. If it's a dig on religious creation stories, I feel conflicted. I don't believe the particular creation story that this comes from, but I also feel less inclined to denigrate it in this manner, if that was the intent. I'll assume it was simply creative license, and to that end the suspense and delivery was very good.

I would recommend this to a select group, but maybe not everyone. I think anyone with the religious cause for hesitation may want to avoid this or realize what it is going in. For those without those hesitations, I think this short tale is right up any suspense fan's alley! I would highly recommend the audio as the narration was done superbly by Karis Campbell with all the tension, confusion, and realization of Sophia as well as all the other characters, sinister and not.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available on October 26th, 2021.

This was AWESOME! I loved it so much. I already know that it’s not going to be for everyone but I can see this being a novella that gets studied in college classrooms in the not-so-distant future! It was a beautiful, haunting biblical allegory and I wish it was out now so I could recommend it to everyone for spooky season. The audio was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed listening — it had the robotic cadence that NetGalley ALCs always do, but it actually worked here since all the characters were kind of creepy and robotic anyway. As others have said, this definitely should not have been compared in any way to Gone Girl or Spinning Silver, since it’s more of a Stepford Wives plot in the vein of Yellow Wallpaper.

Catherynne Valente really thought she was doing something here. The beginning of this short novella was almost perfect. The atmosphere of the Stepford-Wives-esque neighborhood was wonderfully and horrifically described. The neighbors and their animal-adjacent characteristics and names further drew me into something that felt fresh and frightening. In the beginning, this book was everything I would want in a horror novella.

And then it fell. Flat.

I don't know what bothered me more - that the buildup that had me so intrigued and on the edge of my seat completely deflated by the last third of the book? Or that the big "reveal" or "twist" was so predictable and poorly executed? Or both in equal measure? There is nothing I hate more in a book than to be told rather than shown, which might make this book my arch nemesis.

I received this audiobook as an eARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Sophia has the perfect life, the perfect husband. But when she starts to find some skeletons in the closet, will that perfect life come crumbling down around her?

I really enjoyed this audiobook and the way that it made me feel creeped out and intrigued all at once! I didn't want to stop listening at any point because I was just so interested in what was happening and what was around the corner for Sophia. Not to mention that the prose was absolutely gorgeous and it was constantly painting a picture of the world and Sophia's life.

I will say that this might not be for everyone because of its religious commentary and the way that it really makes you stop and think about life and feminism. But if you are into spooky stories that give you the creeps but also make you think and wonder, this might just be the book for you!

The story follows Sophia, a woman living a perfect life in a perfect community. She is happy, and she is loved. Until a strange discovery threatens to upend her life as she knows it. Though the seed of this story was ultimately familiar, it felt consistently fresh and poignant. As always, Valente delivered gorgeous writing that was never stilted, even when the tone was uneasy and strange. Short and sweet at just over two hours long, the audiobook was somehow lush and spare in language, spoken with clarity (and charming but never distracting voices) by its skilled narrator. It was at turns joyous and chilling, and the voice was consistently credible. Overall it was engaging, powerful, and absolutely satisfying.

Strange, evil patriarchy theme.

I can't say more without giving away too much.

I tried to keep an open mind while listening to this novella.

I'm not quite sure what message the author was trying to send. I have an idea, but if I'm right, then it failed(a feminist angle). It is listed as Sci-fi/ Fantasy, okay definitely fantasy. It wasn't thrilling or suspenseful and I wouldn't classify it as horror either (nothing scary), although there are some horror elements. I guess there was a mystery, but you will figure it out ahead of time. I did get impatient while listening and started to lose interest because there wasn't enough substance.

The narrator's voice went from straight forward reading to very robotic (was it intentional)? to slighty animated with some of the characters, never adding much emotion. All of these characters were rather bland and flat, except maybe, Ms. Fish and her gossipy friends.

I did like the setting of an ideal blissful, restful community with the diehard H.O.A. rules, but the direction the novel takes and the re-telling aspect didn't work for me.

If you'd like to give it a listen, it is just over 2 hours. Narrated by Karis Campbell

From the time I heard about Comfort Me With Apples I was so intrigued by it. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an early listen to the audiobook. I've just been immersed in the world of Arcadia gardens a somewhat perfect community where Sophia lives the perfect life with her perfect husband. Or is it perfect? I have to say this was a bit of a bizarre tale. and its definitely difficult to describe. I honestly don't know what to say without giving anything away. Maybe its a combination retelling of Snow white / Adam and Eve/Stepford wives? Those were just some things that came to my mind as I was reading- I enjoyed it but I think I wasn't quite ready for it to end. It is categorized as a novella - or a very short audiobook a little over 2 hours..so it was to be expected - I would love for this story to be expanded.. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

“Are you happy?”

Well, I am glad that this audiobook was super short, because the answer to that question is no. No, I am not.

I am not happy that
1. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker
2. I debated what this was about because I was correct from the get-go
3. The audio sounded like a robot
4. I read this book because it’s not really a thriller

Comfort Me with Apples lures you in with the premise that it won’t be what you think it is.

But it is just that.

I listened to the audiobook, where every speed sounded robotic. So…I thought that was the intention. It was really irritating and I wasn’t sure how I was going to finish it. After fiddling with the speed later in the day, it all of a sudden lost the robotic tone. It was so incredibly odd. Freakishly so, considering what I was reading.

This was a really strange read and I am glad that I didn’t spend too long on it.

This subject was not for me, but may appeal to others who enjoy the genre where this is meant to belong.

2/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of Comfort Me with Apples in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying that I requested this arc audiobook from NetGalley. In return for my honest thoughts and review. I have to say that I went in not knowing anything about this book. I loved this cover I believe that’s what drew me in. To wanting to listen to this book.
I highly recommend this audiobook. The narrator does amazing job keeping you listening to this twisted and creepy book. I love the retelling I have never read a retelling like this. Amazing (don’t want to spoil) Definitely a must read to find out. I have never read anything from this author. But definitely will be listening or reading more of her books.
About Books:
Sophie is happy and in love with her husband.She believed he was made for her in this perfect world with rules. But when Sophie wants to ask questions about the house and her husband others look away. Until she finds more things around the house. Again highly recommend this book.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and thank you NetGalley for this audiobook.

I got to 65%, and found absolutely no enjoyment. I wasn't into the monotonous narrator, and would've preferred pretending on the treadmill in silence. This is a hot mess, but many trusted friends love it...so check out other reviews. I'm not the best source when it comes to audio...but I don't think I'd enjoy it more in print either.

2 stars since I read a good chunk of it without finishing.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Macmillan Tor for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophia was perfectly happy living in her perfect home and loving her perfect husband. When she stops to look around, she starts to question if her life really is perfect.

How perfect is this cover?!

Ok, I have two pieces of advice for anyone thinking about reading this book....go in blind and read it, don't listen to it on audio.

The narrator of this book must be extremely talented because there were moments when I couldn't discern whether the narrator was a woman or a voice generator. The issue I had though, is that I read too much into the narration and I let it lead me in a direction that I didn't like. Had I read the book, I wouldn't have made incorrect assumptions about where the story was going. I do believe that reading, instead of listening, would have drastically increased my rating.

It is difficult to review this book without giving away too much so this is what I will say....This book was wonderfully strange. While I don't think this book will be for everyone, at only 120 pages, there is no reason not to pick it up and try it for yourself.