I listened to the audiobook Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella and it’s an engaging coming of age story about Willa and Justin. They have a complicated relationship and their other relationships with their mother and partners are complicated as well. The narrator Eve Passeltiner did a fine job. The now and then timeline was confusing at times. I liked the representation of Justin’s character as a gay man dealing with trauma and the way his adolescent years impact adulthood. There’s some spicy scenes! I loved the line about the books and how it killed him to leave them. I would be interested to read this author’s next book!

(duplicate review due to requesting audiobook and eARC)
Tough read beginning to end. Feels like the whole book is set up and then no redemption. Just a parade of dysfunction and trauma.

Brother & sister enter the forest (A novel)
Richard Mirabella
Rating: 4 stars

An incredible debut novel by Mirabella about coming of age of two siblings Justin and Willa, self-discovery, and a deep profound trauma that reverberates through the rest of their lives.

Willa adores Justin but he is always pushing her away. At the start it is while he is trying negotiation who he is, and cope with their mother’s grief. But then a horrible trauma leaves him damaged, both mentally and physically broken, his growth stunted with a permanent naivety, at a period in life when the wonders of life and love should have been in front of him. Leaving him unable to let her on anyone in fully.

The experience also leaves Willa unable to connect fully with the people in her life and it is only through her beautiful art miniatures creations, that she can tell the stories she cannot process in life.

While the narrator does a good job with so many varied characters, and perfectly captures Willa, Justin, who really is the main protagonist, ends up coming across as churlish, petulant, an eternal adolescent. Though in reality, the events he has lived through have probably rendered him so. But to me I felt this voice pulled me out of the story a little. (Almost a South Park character).

There is no announcement between chapters in the audio format, so the jumping back and forth in timelines can confuse, before realising that we have moved to a different time in the story.

I found this a compelling read/listen, but I hoped desperately for some kind of happier outcome for Justin and Willa, or at least some glimmer of hope in their lives. Even for the hardened unempathetic mother – though it is hinted she is dealing with her own demons. I just so wanted a happier arch to their stories, a resolution, something that would enable them to move forward, accept and feel worthy of the love that they find in their lives. It left me wanting more, but then life isn’t so pretty.
An impressive first novel for Richard Mirabella – he is definitely going to be a one to watch.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance audio edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can never say no to a queer coming of age story. Brother and Sister Enter the Forest is a modern adaptation that turns a familiar story on its head. From the opening pages, I loved the fairy tale-like atmosphere that slowly morphed into a gripping nightmare, leaving me thinking for days after finishing the book.

The novel centers around the complex relationship between siblings, Justin and Willa, who reunite after years of issues. Justin, shattered and seeking a new start, turns to his sister for help. Willa, who once played the role of her brother's protector, is now wary of the chaos he might bring into her carefully curated life It reminded me so much of my own relationship with my brother, a testament to Mirabella's talent at capturing the essence of the brother-sister bond.

I loved Mirabella's sensitivity to difficult issues and the incredibly vivid descriptions of scenery in the book. It was a wonderful reading experience and not one I'll soon forget.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media as well as NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Fairytale like story? Nightmare ending? Queer Coming of Age? Fraught relationship between brother and sister? Sign me up! These were all reasons that I picked this book up. This book definitely served all of these things, in some ways successfully and in others not so successfully.

Let me start by saying that one of the best things that this book does is cause you to feel a sense of disorientation and confusion. At the beginning, Justin, our MC, is in a weird place. His home has been destroyed. He's being haunted by the ghost of an unhealthy relationship and some bad decisions as a young person. Between the present timeline and flashes to the past, you slowly start to piece together what is happening. I thought that disorientation really made the story feel visceral and vivid.

I also loved that the sibilings have a bit of a fraught relationship. All too often, I see siblings portrayed in extremes. Either they are ride or dies or completely hate each other. But Willa and Justin don't fall at either end of the spectrum. They're somewhere in the middle. Once close, now at odds due to some of the horrors they faced and quite a few disappointments.

That said, I did find myself struggling to follow this book at points. There are so many perspective switches and flashes from past to present that at times it's a bit much. A bit of disorientation is good. Straight up confusion? Not so much.

I also want to say that there is a very brutal scene that includes severe sexual violence and homophobia and could definitely be categorized as a hate crime. This scene does happen quickly, but it is described in heartbreaking detail. It is a pretty horrific scene, so if you are sensitive to gang sexual violence, homophobia, or hate crimes, you may want to consider skipping this book.

I did listen to this book on audiobook and found the narrator to be good. It was easy to follow and I could always tell who was supposed to be talking when.

All in all, this was a wild and at times weird experience. There are definitely some well done aspects of this book, but overall there were a few pieces missing as well. A solid debut that leads me to believe that this author will write some awesome books in the future.

* Thank you to Netgalley, Richard Mirabella, and Catapult for the audio-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

Did not finish - the audiobook reader was too offputting. I have no opinion on the content of the novel because I didn't get far enough into it, so this is just feedback about the audiobook production.

I gotta be honest, I have no idea what this book was trying to achieve. As a character study it fell pretty flat for me, as there didn't seem to be a consistent line of development for either main character, but it definitely wasn't a plot-driven novel either. This book ends without any kind of resolution, which I don't always take issue with, but in this instance it felt totally unsatisfying after not getting anything out of the rest of the story. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, which definitely didn't help, but even without that added annoyance I didn't really find anything in this to love.

Wow! I was excited for this book, but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did!

This is a beautiful story about the deepest darkest parts of family relationships for many queer people. There is apparent love, disappointment, anger, trust, heartbreak, etc. within these pages for these characters... I just, I don't even know how to form words that would adequately portray to you all how much I enjoyed this.

The story is so raw and real, Mirabella's writing is top-notch, and I cried multiple times while reading.

It was so fascinating to read Willa's perspective about what was happening with Justin. Why she may not have stood up for Justin at times when he felt she should have. The things she was going through as well with the re-entrance of Justin into her life.

Meanwhile, my heart broke for Justin in every chapter I read of his; some of his struggles are my own, and it was eye-opening to see it on the page with such beautiful ways of describing them.

Overall, this book was just REAL! It is reflective of so many people that I know... and so reflective of some of the things I've experienced. I just found this book SO impactful; it's weird to say that I loved it because of the heartbreaking story at its center, but I truly did. I can't wait to read more from Mirabella soon!

4.25 stars

This book was a lot. It’s an intense story that focuses on a fascinating protagonist, sometimes from the perspective of those around him. Some parts were hard to read, including one particular scene of childhood bullying, but ultimately they were in service of the story being told. I don’t mean any of these comments to be negatives; I quite enjoyed the story and went through it quickly. I’ll be interested to see what the writer comes out with next.

A hearty thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for an advanced copy of this gripping novel.

"Brother & Sister Enter the Forest" presents a powerful queer coming-of-age tale, examining a tumultuous relationship and its aftermath. The protagonist, Justin, seeks refuge with his estranged sister, Willa, following a collapse in his personal life. Despite her orderly existence as a nurse and diorama artist, Willa hesitates, wary of the upheaval Justin may bring.

Their complex bond unravels as Justin struggles with sobriety and a lingering brain injury. Flashbacks reveal Justin's teenage years, where he found solace with an older, violent boyfriend and the consequential traumatic event that forever altered their lives.

The narrative skillfully intertwines past and present, shedding light on Justin's trauma and the redeeming power of love. I found the writing beautiful and the dialogue between the characters authentic.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, LGBT+
First Published: 2023
Length: 288 pages
Publication Language: English
Setting: New York

A book about the childhood and relationship of two siblings with a difficult and complicated relationship. After years of limited communication, Willa’s brother shows up at her house, bruised and beaten up, and asks to stay for a while. The story jumps about in time and we learn more about Justin’s childhood and adolescence and the trauma he endured which shaped his and his family's lives. It’s an emotional and moving story about abuse, addiction, sibling dynamics, difficult parents, relationships and power dynamics.

Check trigger warnings before reading if you are wanting to avoid certain themes.

(A Spoiler-free review)
Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I definitely grabbed this one based off the summary, but I think billing it as a suspense wasn't the way to go. Honestly, I think if I hadn't gone into it expecting a big buildup to something I might have liked what it actually was more.

The story itself is intriguing. We have Willa, older sister to Justin, who shows up out of the blue during a hard time. As the story goes on we get snippets of their childhood and lives before this moment, the pieces of a current uncertainty between them falling into place the more we learn about their past traumas. Narratively, I enjoyed the reality of being shaped by those sorts of events, the distrust it builds in not just yourself but those closest to you based on how they react and treat you.

Maybe it was an issue made worse by listening on audiobook rather than physical book, but I often didn't know when in their lives it was when it jumped back and forth for a solid chuck of the new time before some context clue gave it away. It made keeping any sort of timeline confusing at best.

I really felt for Justin, at least situationally. Growing up with his first queer experiences being manipulative at best and losing the trust and support of those around him makes him a character you want to root for, even after every questionable decision you watch him make.

Sometimes the narrative came across as a little detached but I wonder how much of that was Willa also trying to stay detached - able to make good, rational decisions instead of emotionally charged ones, especially after watching her brother follow his emotions and end up worse off for it almost every time.

I loved the writing and the premise and I think this is an author with a lot of promise I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for in the future!

(Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the audiobook ARC! My review is entirely my own honest opinions. )

Brother & Sister Enter the Forest was a beautiful tale of siblings Justin and Willa. It shows how trauma can affect the course of our lives and relationships with others. The jumps in time didn't bother me, I appreciate seeing characters over time.

This was a mixture of Skeleton Twins, Love & Forty in You, and a Sally Rooney novel.

Something I enjoyed was the depiction of toxic family relationships and the complex ties between siblings when dealing with mental health. I also didn’t mind the jumps through time periods and found that it was fairly easy to follow, but one thing I would have appreciated would be a smaller jump between certain parts. Like the mc was dating a dude and suddenly *spoiler alert* there’s a wedding?

I don’t think this book was entirely for me. It was well written, but midway I was like what is even the point? I didn’t find myself to be invested in the characters at all and found them annoying most of the time.

I also feel like the narrator could have made the brothers voice a little less childish.

Check TW’s for this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

DNF @ 30% - This narration didn't work for me, and the story unfortunately couldn't keep me going. This could potentially be a winner read with eyes instead of ears.

Brother &Sister Enter the Forest is about siblings Justin and Willa dealing with life and the aftermath of a traumatic incident from their youth.

The characters are all relatable and even at their worst, the author is able to bring some empathy to their development. However, them being so relatable makes the reader want a resolution even more. You want thd bad characters to see the error of their ways and the good characters to either be rewarded or get closure. This doesn't happen. The end comes rather abruptly, leaving many loose threads for readers to pull on fruitlessly. It is as if the author did not know how to end the book so simply stopped writing mid chapter.

The part of the book that was written was excellently narrated. The narrator does an excellent job of distinguishing voice and her pacing was lerfdct. Neither too fast or slow. Occasionally, there was a slight glitch in the audio where a ohrase might run into another one, but it didnt happen enough to be distracting or take away from the experience.

3 out of 5

Richard Mirabella's Brother & Sister Enter the Forest makes for a compelling story of trauma's long shadow over a family. One event so troubles, alters, and affects the characters that they are stuck in time, forced to relive a terrible moment and time in their lives. While the story was, overall, compelling, I did find that the narrative sort of just ended with no resolution, and a resolution was certainly needed to make meaning from this book. I scratch my head at this one.

Thanks # netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audio book and the narration was good. I wish there had been more inflection in tone between the sibling narration but that's a minor issue. Highly recommend

BROTHER & SISTER ENTER THE FOREST by @rpmirabella just came into the world yesterday. Pull on your big kid pants if you dive into this one because it is super heavy. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @dreamscape_media for the audio-ARC.

The story weaves through different times in the lives of two siblings, Justin and Willa. The book begins with Justin re-entering Willa's life after a period of estrangement. We soon learn of a harrowing event that occurred in Justin's young adulthood perpetrated by a violent lover. The story follows the siblings as they try to reconcile with each other and their pasts. With a disinterested and unaccepting mother and hateful societal forces haunting them, can they find a way back to each other?

This book is about trauma. Physical trauma in the form of a head injury; emotional trauma in the form of societal and maternal disapproval; relationship trauma in the form of a violent lover; the trauma of having an unloving, resentful, cruel mother that is completely self absorbed and more worried about what people are saying about her than the health of her son; the trauma of being asked to choose between your mother and your brother. But it is subtly told through the interactions of these characters and the choices they make.

While heavy and somber this story is also here for redemption, patience and reconnection. It will make you both disappointed and delighted by humanity.

The narrator @evepasseltiner did an excellent job of performing the different characters and imbuing inflection.

I recommend this for folks looking for a reflective read, who are looking for some narratively subtle and yet sometimes stark discussions about trauma or for those sealing a good cry.

As always let me know if you have read this one or if it sounds interesting to you! Take care of yourselves out there!

💚SMASHBOT💚

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Darn. I was hoping for a bit more from this audiobook based on the synopsis. Dare I say that it was just "okay"? A bit lackluster?

I never felt invested in the characters of the brother and sister, his boyfriends or their mother. Maybe Nick, the horrible first boyfriend, was the most memorable character of all? Granted, they were all deeply sad and troubled.

Unfortunately, I also didn't care for the narration and I often found myself tuning out. Yet, I stuck with it until the end because the length wasn't too long.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for access to the advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app!