I know it’s only mid-January but Mercury is bound to be one of my top reads of 2024.

The premise of the story revolves around the Joseph family, Elise, the woman of the house, her husband Mick, and their 3 sons Baylor, Waylon, and Shay Baby. Mick is the owner and dictator of Joseph’s and Sons, Mercury’s own roofing company. Trying, and mostly failing, at building a legacy for his sons, they take what work they can get, know how to roof, but don’t know as much about keeping a business together. While I loved each brother in their own right, the heart of this book is truly Marley.

Marley comes to Mercury as a high school kid looking to make friends. She first catches the eye of Baylor but quickly realizes it’s Waylon she really wants. As their relationship gets serious and they welcome a baby boy, Marley realizes she’s got to take the family business into her own hands if she’s going to make something of herself. While out on a job she secretly fixes herself with the help of Shay, they discover a body in the attic of the local church. Who is the mystery victim and how did he get up into the church attic? A decade of secrets unfold as the true meaning of marriage, loyalty, and what it takes to truly be happy are put to the test in this beautiful story.

I’ll be recommending this book forever, I loved it so much. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow this story really drew me in. I found my self angry with some characters, and sad for others. I found my self wishing I had someone to discuss it with! This was a good one, I would recommend.

Mercury is a slow burn family drama that turned out to be much deeper than I was expecting.

The book bounces back and forth over time and tells the story of a rural family of the 90’s just doing their best to survive. They were dysfunctional and flawed, but that’s what made them realistic. The story showed the complex dynamics of a family, the one you’re born into and the one you choose.

The character growth was incredible. They weren’t all easy to love in the beginning, but as the story goes on and you start to understand the factors that contributed to who they were, you can’t help but just wanting them to be okay.

Most of the situations in the book were very specific, but the emotions that came with them were universally relatable.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

Definitely a 3.5 ⭐️

I ended up enjoying this one! Overall, this is an interesting literary fiction novel that navigates the themes of family, managing tough family relationships, parenting, and finding yourself very well. I’m glad I got to read it!

I liked getting to see the perspectives of all the family members - their thoughts, feelings, and background that brought them to the present day. The first half was kind of slow for me, but all these different complex characters really drew me in the second half, and I was invested in a happy ending for them all. I liked how everything came together in the end. There was some really great lines and I liked how all the characters grew individually and as a family.

But, I feel like the way the different perspectives were done with the multiple flash blacks, plus the constantly changing timelines, was at times confusing/a bit too much. Also, the ending (while I did overall enjoy it) did feel a little bit rushed/abrupt, and there are some thing I wanted a little bit more answers for.

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for the free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

This novel evolves around a family of roofers, and our young teen who marries one of the brothers, and tries to make a go of their family life. This is a fairly easy domestic read about being young and pregnant, living a blue-collar life, and a family that keeps secrets. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I will say I wish the mother's secret was explored more deeply. The novel begins with our main characters in high school, then jumps around a bit, yet stays true to the family always being a family of roofers. The novel has romance, murder, mystique, strong friendships and family stress. Even though the novel lacks happiness, it's an enjoyable read.

I started this book know absolutely nothing about it and was quickly drawn into the lives of Marley and the Joseph family. It's a fabulous tale of family, family dynamics, and family secrets - some shared, some not shared. I found myself rooting for Marley as she navigated this somewhat dysfunctional family and wormed her way into their lives and hearts.

I really took my time reading this story as each character developed. It didn’t take long for secrets to unfold within this family drama of 3 sons, a girlfriend turned wife & mother and the two parents that “raised” them.
This story reminded me of a 90s/early 2000 family series, packed with drama and strong bonds between the characters.
I would love to see this become a mini series 💙

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for an advanced reading.

I love a good family drama, especially one with secrets but Mercury didn't grab me the way I had hoped. I recognize I am the outlier and reviewers I trust heaped praise and accolades on Amy Jo Burns' story of three brothers running a roofing business and the women who love them in a small town in the 1990s. The writing is engaging and the secrets revealed unusual, but I did not connect with the characters in the way I had hoped and chafed against the repetitive nature of the story telling, where a few key incidents were retold by a different character from their perspective. Thanks to Celadon books and Net Galley for the ARC.

I really loved the Joseph family. Honestly, they are like most families, they may appear ok on the outside but inside, they are dealing with their own issues. Everyone knows Mick is eccentric, but we discover that he really has some issues that he doesn't deal with properly. Elise seems to have it all together, but we discover she only has that appearance on the outside. The three boys aren't that close but when they need to be, they are always there for each other. And then there's Marley. She wasn't born a Joseph, but she moves to town with her mom and gets entangled into the family. I really felt for the family, each of its members differently. Sometimes I would get so angry at them and then the next time, it all made sense why they acted the way they do. And there's also a dead body discovered in the church attic. We end up discovering who they are and why they are there. It was a great read!

A messy family drama with relatable characters who I became so invested in as the story unfolded. Amy Jo Burns did a wonderful job painting the picture of the town of Mercury and life with a roofing family. There are so many themes in this book that are highly discussable. Marley, the main female character, moves to Mercury in 1990 when she is 17 and finds herself entangled with the Joseph family-a family of all men. The story touches on the need to belong, loyalty, marriage, motherhood, and what it means to be family. If family dramas are your jam, definitely pick this one up. And the writing was beautiful. I have had Shiner, this author's earlier novel on my shelf for awhile now and I can't wait to pick that one up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A beautiful story about the love and discord in a blue collar roofing family, the Josephs.

With careful navigation, a young woman, Marley becomes part of this family, and becomes part of the fabric that holds this diverse set of individuals together as a unit. The three fathers sons, one, initially a brusque bully of a man, one the family healer, and the youngest a young man hiding his budding homosexuality, all find ways to define and redefine themselves in this compelling work of literary fiction.

This will be one of my top reads for 2024. A great story with many layers, slowly unraveling to the very end. I loved this complicated family and their story of how there came to be a dead body in the church attic.

This was a mesmerizing book that was just about basic life living in a small town. Learning each character and their struggles as a business family and individual. When I started the last 3rd of the book I hated the formatting but realized it was for a purpose and it really added a uniqueness to this story overall by giving different perspectives.

Loved this book. A family’s struggles spanning a decade and exploring the impact of keeping secrets. Complex and moving. Thanks NetGalley!!

I read this author's debut novel and didn't love it, so was hesitant to try this but am SO glad I did. I think if you enjoyed Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano you will enjoy this. This is the story of a family of roofers in a western Pennsylvania town called Mercury. Brothers Baylor, Waylon, and Shay, and father Mick are committed to being the best roofers in town, while their mother Elise is constantly wondering how she fits into the family and what her purpose is. Their family dynamics are a big ball of chaos, and it all comes to light when Marley moves to town with her mother and gets intertwined with the Joseph boys. Marley has unique relationships with each brother, and a very interesting connection to their mother that unfolds throughout the book. It took me a few chapters to really get into this story but stick with it! This story is heartbreaking but very moving, and I think I'll be thinking about the Joseph family for a very long time.

A lyrical examination of a close-knit midwestern family. The father and three brothers own a roofing company and we follow their lives across decades, as Burns takes us into the intergenerational conflicts and couplings, focusing on not primarily on the four men but instead the two strong and challenging women who come into their lives and change it for better or worse. I fell in love with virtually every character in this story and hated to see the book end.

Burns writes in a clear voice filled with heart and insights into the human condition. While there are stunning events, including one death, that serve as stepping stones in the narrative, it’s the interpersonal connections that offer the touching resonance that make this one a top read.

When Marley arrives in town, she longs for more and thinks she finds it with the Joseph family. She eventually marries one of the brothers and becomes part of the fabric of their family, which eventually includes their secrets.

I almost didn't pick this book up. The synopsis was a little weird, and I wondered if I would like Marley, but I she grew on me as I read. This is a mini-family saga. It follows Marley as she joins and grows with the family. There are times when we get different POVs from other Joseph family members, especially toward the end, but most of this is Marley's story as she grows as a women, wife, and mother ( although it felt like her son kind of of disappeared toward the end). As secrets come to life, we follow the Joseph family, the American Dream, and what family really means.

This is a slow-building story, with a secret that unfolds for everyone. It kept me engaged and wanting to know the family and understand the secrets.

Mercury was the first book I finished in 2024 and what a great start! I loved every moment of this character driven novel. I loved Amy Jo Burn's first novel, Shiner, and this sophomore novel was even better for me.

Set in Mercury, Pennsylvania, Maryley West comes into town and the first thing she observes is a group of men on a roof. Her life quickly intersects with these men, the Josephs. Soon, she becomes a part of their life, marrying one brother, becoming a sort of mother to another and a guiding light for the rest. When tragedy strikes the family is forced to reckon with their current situation and Marley is pulled under their ambivalence. A few years later another circumstance arises which draws all the tensions of this family to the surface.

This is extremely character driven but at the same time I turned the pages so quickly wanting to know who the plot would resolve. Marley is such a beautiful character amidst such hard things, and the Joseph brothers all were so deeply flawed, yet so expertly crafted. This family will be embedded in my heart for a long while. Burns is so good at writing complex characters and I thought she knocked this one out of the park.

I was so excited to receive a copy of "Mercury" by Amy Jo Burns. Fans and new readers alike will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

This book was so deeply moving and beautiful. The story of a multigenerational family and the struggle to just survive and the secrets we keep that hurt us and receive around us!

I loved the perspective of Marley until the last 20% of the book where we dove deeper into the thoughts and “why’s” of separate family members. Just beautiful!