I remember so vividly reading Wild Game and thinking, I have never read a memoir like this before and I had no idea what to think about it. The writing was absolutely phenomenal and it read like a novel, I was completely transfixed by Adrienne Brodeur’s talent. With Little Monsters, I remain transfixed. This is a book that is going to be really polarizing, I can tell. If you’re looking for a fast-moving plot and a lot of action, look elsewhere. Brodeur is careful with her language and takes her time crafting her characters. This is a book to settle into, to think about, to linger on. A fantastic read.

It was the setting that first made me request this book from NetGalley - Cape Cod is one of my favorite places on the planet. A story of siblings with a troubled relationship, their bipolar father, and an unknown young woman who seems to be seeking them out. As Adam approaches his 70th birthday, he feels he's on the verge of a scientific breakthrough...and goes off his meds. Meanwhile, his son Ken is launching a campaign and daughter Abby is a talented artist hiding a secret. With all of the different relationship dynamics - Ken and Abby, Adam and his kids, Ken and his wife, Steph and her wife - it kept me reading right up until the big climactic birthday party.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such an interesting read! I love family dynamic stories, especially when it's complex and layered, like this one was. The characters were really well done — everyone was unique and individual, and played together in such unique ways. I kind of loved Adam, and his whale obsession. Ken, obviously the worst. Even reading Ken's pieces though, there were so many beautiful lines of text that I just had to sit and reread. It was reflective, too! I found myself thinking a lot about my own family relationships while reading.

It's very much a slice of life story, the summer of Adam's 70th birthday, There isn't a lot of resolution at the end, but I still felt satisfied at where we left the family.

The summer of 2016 is moving fast as the Gardner family gears up for Adams 70th birthday. While Ken and Abby have their differences, they know better than to deny their father the grand party he expects. But when their old childhood traumas come to the surface and threaten to bubble over, and family secrets begin to spill out, it becomes uncertain if they will make it to the party all in once piece. Told from differing view points over the course of several months, the brilliant writing captures the intense emotional state of each family member and finds you unsure as to what would give the reader the most closer.

As Adam Gardner approaches his Seventieth birthday, a big bash is planned for the brilliant oceanographer. Staring mortality in the face, Adam sets out to make just one more historic discovery. The only problem is that while he’s always managed his bipolar disorder with medication, he’s sure that he’ll do better without it for his greatest discovery yet. Raising his children, Abby and Ken, mostly on his own after his beloved wife died, the two have a complicated relationship. Ken is a successful businessman with his sights on the political path, while Abby is quite the successful artist. As the party nears, secrets start to unfold and when a stranger shows up hoping to get to know each of them, even more questions arise. What is the family hiding and is it too late to save them from utter destruction? Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is the story of the Gardner family; father, Adam, and his grown children, Ken and Abby. The setting is Cape Cod in 2016, and it tells the story of a very disfuncional family, and the secrets they keep from each other, both new and very old.

Adam is a famous oceanographer who is bipolar and showing signs of dementia. The book loosely revolves around a 70th birthday party the family is planning for Adam. Ken is a married father of two who has political aspirations. Abby is an offbeat artist who is looking for her big break. The arrival of a stranger named Stephanie complicates things immensely. That’s really all you need to know.

Little Monsters is an engaging summer read. I love this author’s writing, and will visit her back list. While I didn’t love the ending, and I felt like there were a few too many issues introduced, I really enjoyed the reading experience.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review. This is a heavy themed book. It may be triggering for some. It was a fast read for me . I loved the depth of the characters, and the story had so many layers. A very good read.

Adrienne Brodeur’s memoir Wild Game is one that I still think about years later so I was excited to see she had her first novel come out this year. Like her memoir, it takes place on Cape Cod and features a lot of family drama, with some endearing characters and some very unlikeable ones.

The story follows the Gardner family during the summer of 2016 as they prepare for the patriarch, Adam’s, 70th birthday. Adam’s adult children Ken and Abby each have their own secrets to reveal and a hefty dose of sibling rivalry. And Adam himself is in the midst of a mental health crisis as he willingly submits to the manic side of his bipolar disorder in an attempt to manifest a scientific breakthrough.

What worked well for this book was obviously the setting. Brodeur is a native of the Cape and it shows in her beautiful descriptions of nature and the seaside towns. Her characters were also well developed and believable, if unlikeable. The male characters especially were kind of maddening but seemed realistic. I liked her handling of mental health and addiction.

I wished there had been a bit more closure between Abby and Ken but otherwise thought the ending was satisfying. Check this one out if you like character-driven family dramas or have ties to Cape Cod.

Thank you to @avidreaderpress and @netgalley for this gifted ebook!

My honest review is freely provided in return for the kindness by NetGalley and the author/publisher in providing me with this book. You can find my reviews on Goodreads.

For a book that I struggled with in the beginning, I’m missing it now that I’m done.

Little Monsters takes you into the dysfunctional Gardner clan where facing the reality of turning 70 Adam believes that by going off his medication he’ll achieve his great scientific breakthrough and takes us on his delusional ride. His son Ken has it all but doesn’t feel he has it all especially when it comes to his sister, taking sibling rivalry to a new level. Then there’s daughter Abby, in the truest sense of an artist who may have found her success in a most unexpected way.

There’s something about the complicated dynamics of this family saga that, after a slow start, draws you in. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and you’ll feel and almost smell Cape Cod making this a great summer read. While not all the characters are particularly likable, I think the therapist George was interesting, as are Ken’s daughters.

The unexpected is really what makes this story from the oddly interesting art, the impressive stand-her-ground half-sister figuring out what she really wants here, and Ken’s rantings (I’m thinking bipolar issues). There’s so many plates spinning in the air at the party you can’t read fast enough.

ittle Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced reader copy. This book was beautifully written, but it dragged on and on without any major happenings. Abby and her brother Ken lost their mother when Abby was a baby. Their brilliant but bipolar oceanographer father raised them unconventionally on Cape Cod. Now Ken is a Republican running for office with a wife who used to be Abby’s best friend. Abby is an artist who lives alone in a desolate art studio. So much dysfunction! There’s also Stephanie and the mystery of how she fits in. It’s 2016 & many references to Hillary and Trump are made. It was underwhelming. Points for gorgeous cover art!

DNF at 20%

As much as I disliked this book from the first page, I really tried to give it a fair chance. It starts off with really unlikable characters, but I kept reading hoping they would grow on me. I don't have to like every character, but if they are unlikable, they need to be interesting or add some moral story to the book. I didn't find any of that here.

I'm just not the target audience for this novel. 20% through the book and the characters are still just flat, trite caricatures and I don't care what happens to any of them. Add to that the writing style which can only be described as crass and juvenile and I'm out.

A family drama nestled in the beauty of Cape Cod. The father, Adam, is a marine biologist turning 70, who still wants to make a difference in the world. His grown children, Ken and Abby, are pursuing their own careers but are also burdened by personal doubts and finding their place in the world.
The book follows these three perspectives and a fourth family member, whose identity is not initially revealed.

This is a character driven story, which starts out strong. Each character’s voice is unique, and displays depth. However, as the story progresses, many of these characters’ thoughts and actions are predictable and didn’t propel the storyline. The ending gripped me more, but left me with more questions than answers.

The author’s descriptions of the Cape are magical and the characters feel real, but the uneven pacing and unfulfilling ending were dissatisfying. Still, if you like a character oriented, family drama in a lovely environment, I would recommend this one.

I appreciate receiving an advanced readers copy. The opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded down.

3 stars.

"Little Monsters" by Adrienne Brodeur is an uneven character-driven family drama full of secrets, lies, deception, patriarchy, oddities, and crimes, but is intriguing, nonetheless. Here, we have another book about rich people doing horrible things and not caring about the fallout around them. If that's your bag, you'll likely enjoy this book. I did not particularly enjoy the writing style. I think there are too many points of view going on here, but it could be that it's just too long in the end. Despite being full of drama, I found these characters to be relatively believable. It shows how money shields people from manners and tact and allows them to get away with acting and existing in ways that poor people can't. They are insistent, demanding, selfish, sick, intolerable, twisted, and privileged. All of the men in this book, from patriarch Adam to friend David to brother Ken, benefit from having the women in their lives stay silent and complicit, and subservient to their needs, wants, wishes, and dominance. I absolutely LOATHED Ken and hated his chapters the most. This is not a complaint because I think author Adrienne Brodeur does a spectacular job making her readers absolutely hate him so, so much. He's one of the most detestable characters I have read recently. In fact, most of these characters have flaws that are basically unforgivable. *SPOILER* There's infidelity, incest, drug/alcohol issues, child abuse, mental illness, parental abandonment... it's a veritable kitchen sink soup of trauma. Finally, I think the book is too long and too slow, but simultaneously still leaves too many unanswered questions for me to be content with its ending. A lot of the unnecessary length could have been used to tie up loose ends and make things clearer, but Adrienne Brodeur seems content to end her book hazily and gutlessly. I wanted more resolution and didn't get it, which caused a no less than 0.5-star drop in my rating. Despite this, I cannot deny that this book is wildly readable because I kept wanting to know what happened and how it was going to end. I only wish the ending had been more satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adrienne Brodeur, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book was great, though uneven. It started slow, got really interesting for me in the middle, then petered out a bit at the end. The characters were great--but I wanted more. Loved the Cape Cod setting, loved learning lots of facts about the natural world, but I'm not sure whether to rate this 3.75 stars or 4 stars. I will read more from Brodeur.

A family drama set along the dunes and rocky waters of Cape Cod, this summer Barnes and Noble Book Club Pick is also our Novel Thougts Book Club selection.

Filled with secrets and drama, this novel will give us plenty to talk about on Aug 7, and if you would like to hear more directly from the author, head to Barnes and Noble’s website and register for their free author talk for their book club discussion the following night! Toss this in your beach bag and pack your sunscreen for this double dose of lit fun!

This novel centres around a dysfunction family living on Cape Cod. Adam, the father, is a famous oceanographer who is bipolar and about to turn 70. Following the death of his wife during child birth, he raises his 3 year son, Ken, and infant daughter, Abby, alone. As children, they were extremely close, as adults, distant. Abby is an artist, on the verge of recognition. Ken is a business man with political ambitions. Apparently, Adam had a one-night stand when his wife was pregnant with Abby. Stephanie has recently learned of her birth father and makes contact with the family, but only tells Abby of the relationship. The story is told in alternating chapters, and, although it is told well, I had difficulty with the reactions of the characters. It was published a couple of weeks ago and is already popular, so maybe it’s just me.

Although it's true that women have historically been kept down by the patriarchy and even now there are plenty of men telling women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies, this book takes things to the extreme. Both of the male main characters are horrible irredeemable human beings while the women are multifaceted and capable of changing and growing. The woman in the book are all feisty tough, take-charge, confident people. Even if they don't start out that way, they end up that way.

While it's great to read about such admirable women as these, it does seem kind of one-sided that there is only one sort of decent man in the book, and he isn't even one of the major characters. However, if you are interested in reading a book that is extremely pro-woman and extremely anti-man, you would definitely like this book. Just be warned that the book is set in the lead-up to the 2016, election so if Hilary Clinton's loss and everything that followed is still upsetting to you, the characters' steadfast faith in her ultimate victory may stir unpleasant memories and perhaps not so deeply buried emotions.

This is a good debut novel, however, I agree with many reviewers - there was too many loose ends at the end of the story. One can assume what happened between Abby & Ken when they were children - but what really happened/happens to all the characters. This novel just left me hanging.

Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur was a captivating book that took place on scenic Cape Cod over the late spring and summer months of 2016. It was centered around a family that was dysfunctional at best. Adding to the flaws of this family were an abundance of secrets, a rivalry between siblings that appeared to be beyond remedy, a well guarded pregnancy, a newly discovered parentage and the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald Trump. Little Monsters was a family drama that portrayed imperfect characters with believable flaws. The chapters alternated between the various characters and their respective POVs.

Adam Gardner was turning seventy years old in 2016. He was an accomplished oceanographer who was obsessed with his study of whales. Retirement had been the last thing on Adam’s mind but here he was turning seventy and no longer employed. Adam suffered from a bipolar disorder. He was not always vigilant about taking his prescribed medications. Adam lost his wife just when his daughter, Abby was born. Ken, Abby’s older brother, always subconsciously blamed Abby for his mother’s death. Abby and Ken were close when they were growing up until something happened that changed their relationship and it had remained somewhat distant ever since. Adam raised Ken and Abby the best that he could. He was not always the most reliable or best father, though. Ken and Abby were now grown. Ken was married to his beautiful wife, Jenny, and had twin twelve year old daughters. He was a successful businessman with aspirations toward a political career. Abby was an artist who was on the verge of receiving her first real break. Her art was finally receiving the recognition it deserved. Abby lived and worked in her late mother’s artist studio. Her mother had designed the structure, had it built and used it as her studio when she was alive. The only negative thing about it was that her brother, Ken, owned the building and held that fact over Abby’s head.

As Adam’s special birthday celebration approached, the tension between the family members began to escalate. Just below the surface, a host of secrets were kept close and guarded. Would the secrets remain hidden or would they be flushed out and exposed? Could Ken, Abby and Jenny pull off the grand celebration Adam had wanted and practically demanded from them? Would all their secrets get in the way of executing the “perfect” party for Adam’s seventieth birthday?

Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur was well written and really captured the essence of scenic Cape Cod with its stunning landscape and foliage. I loved the descriptions of Jenny’s exquisite flower garden and the part when Adam was on his boat and his beloved whales surfaced on cue. It was so easy to visualize the lush scenery and natural habitats for all the birds and animals that resided there. I really enjoyed how Adrienne Brodeur created strong female characters who were capable, intelligent and independent. The possibility of a female president was embraced especially by Ken’s and Jenny’s twin daughters. As Little Monsters progressed, the dynamics of the Gardner family became increasingly complicated, verging on being dysfunctional. There were several themes that were explored. Among them were family, friendship, sibling rivalry, mental health, consequences for impulsive behaviors and actions, expectations and ambitions. Overall, I enjoyed reading Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This novel centers around the Gardner family in 2016, when there is a convergence of history and the present that they have to contend with as a family. I enjoyed the book, but I wish there had been a better resolution between Ken and Abby that also included Steph in some way.