3.5
Character driven, multiple perspectives, beautiful setting, a complicated family... this book had so many of my favourite things.
Told from the perspective of Adam, his three children, and daughter-in-law, we see a crescendo up to the celebration of his 70th birthday full of family secrets.
I enjoyed this book right up to the crescendo. I was engaged, excited to see how it all came together, and liked how the characters were developed. But then it fell apart a little for me. There was too much happening at this party, and it bothered me that it was the one chapter told from all perspectives. It interrupted the flow of the book to stumble over whose perspective it was in each paragraph. From the party, I was dissatisfied with how it wrapped up. Without giving spoilers, I felt that Steph's decision was unrealistic, the issue between Ken and Abby was not well resolved nor was it reflected appropriately in Abby as an adult, and the focus on her father's potential discovery was not fully played out. With some more editing, it could have been a really great book!

Thank you to Avid Reader Press, NetGalley, and Adrienne Brodeur for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This is the second book I've read by Adrienne Brodeur. The first was her memoir, Wild Game, which was the story of an affair her mother had while Ms. Brodeur was young and how her mother made her complicit in covering up the affair. Little Monsters is fiction - set on Cape Cod in the summer in the wealthy beachfront neighborhoods. The Gardner family -father Adam, son Ken and daughter Abby - are getting ready to celebrate Adam's 70th birthday. The adult children have very different lives from each other. Ken is a mover and shaker who aspires to be in politics and Abby is an artist. Their lives become complicated when a married lesbian couple arrive to the Cape with their baby boy and infiltrate the family for reasons unknown to the Gardners. Past trauma, including the death of Ken and Abby's mother, current failing marriages, and Adam's mental illness all contribute to the story. Little Monsters is superbly written and a satisfying and worthwhile read. Ms. Brodeur has a way of descriptive writing that brings the reader into the story and makes readers feel for her characters.

I gave up on this book around the thirty percentage mark. It was too slow, too dragging and couldn't not connect with any of the pov.

Cape Cod and a family story. Yes, please! A gorgeous cover and interesting title. I'm in! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. I'm giving the book four stars. Brodeur is a talented writer and the book she has put together is bound to be a summer hit!