I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did but I enjoyed it so much that I went ahead and also grabbed a physical copy to have on my shelves. Highly recommended!

Approximately a year ago I saw @burnsamyjo interview @backmansk at @princetonpl, knowing nothing about her but loving her interview/conversational approach.

When Mercury was released earlier this month, I knew I’d enjoy this novel since I’m a sucker for a sprawling family drama, but I think I underestimated how lyrical and beautiful the book would be.

This morning, I woke up early to read more before work and basically bawled from the halfway point of the book until the 75/80% mark.

Mercury is a town but also a metaphor for the love that keeps slipping through the cracks in the Joseph family. It’s clear that they all have big feels and bigger hurts and while they’re one unit, they struggle to balance their own needs with that of the others in the family. Like the element mercury, their ability to respond with hurt shifts quickly and rather unpredictably. (And I’m certain that naming the town MERCurY was an intentional hint to the mercy that each of the characters needed to learn.) I loved each character, even when they were at their most unlikeable. Burns crafts strong, well-developed characters and an engaging plot. She manages to hooks us early with the discovery of a dead body in a church attic, yet this book is not a whodunnit. It’s about how people find themselves, even as they’re entangled in complicated relationships and even more complicated expectations.

This family saga is beautifully written and engaging. My only critique is that toward the end I thought some of the characters’ verbiage was too indistinguishable. Also, the book ended with one of my least favorite POV’s, which felt a bit jarring. and frankly depressing.

An absolutely beautiful, thoughtful, and, at times, heartbreaking story about the families we choose, create for ourselves, and all of the expectations, disappointments, fears and gratitude that come along with both. I cannot recommend this one highly enough, especially for fans of authors like Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, and Ann Napolitano. This one will likely land in my list of favorites for the year!

I received an ARC of this novel from Celadon Books in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. I haven't read anything by Amy Jo Burns but after this novel I am a huge fan! This is a character driven novel that tells the story of Marley West- an newcomer to the town of Mercury, Pennsylvania, where she meets the Joseph brothers. Little did she know how her life and the lives of these brothers would become so interwoven in very different ways. Family secrets are also a theme that is woven throughout this novel. This story is beautifully written and it was great way to kick off a new year of reading!

“Head on straight, heart on straight.”

I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book, as Amy Jo Burns is a new author for me, but I was glad to be so entranced by this deep and complex novel.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a gritty coming of age story based in the small Pennsylvania town of Mercury. Our MC, Marley, is learning how to navigate the choppy waters of rough family dynamics when she’s suddenly thrust into the Joseph family as a young adult with a new baby and a new husband. I found each member of the Joseph family, along with Marley’s best friend Jade and her mother Ruth completely captivating. This is definitely a character-driven novel with really well thought out character traits and histories. This book honestly has me so excited to read other works from this author!

Huge thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this eARC. I loved it!

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns was part mystery combined with family drama but written with strong literary style. I was impressed with the depth of characterization and beautiful prose.

When Marley West arrives in Mercury, Pennsylvania, the Joseph family will never be the same again. She dates one brother, marries another and becomes de facto mother to the third brother. She forges a complicated relationship with their parents, too. Marley's character was strong, independent and fierce. I loved how she grew and developed. Although she is our protagonist, the three brothers are also fleshed out deeply. I enjoyed getting to know and understand each character's motivations.

Although there is a mild murder mystery, the story is told gradually and is more of a character study involving family loyalty, secrets and finding your place within a family. The writing was eloquent and I highlighted many passages. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I will recommend this to readers who like literary family dramas.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! This book was an intimate look at a family and their struggles and triumphs. I loved getting to know these characters and seeing them grow. Even though this plot didn’t feel super fast paced, I enjoyed how each event really shaped the characters and their relationships with each other. This was truly such a human story, and I loved it.

A story of family, love and loss.
The story follows the Joseph family each with their own issues and secrets.
I enjoyed reading the growth of each character or lack there of.

For an ARC, I agreed to give my honest feedback

Mercury has everything a small town has.....everyone knows everyone's business, the new girl gets herself in trouble, mystery and twists, a character to love to and one to hate.

The story is about a family and their struggles. The new girl fitting into the family causes more problems. The estranged dad, the dementia afflicted Mom, the strong-willed and stubborn older brother, the mild-mannered middle brother and the younger brother everyone loves. But when it comes time to cover up a death in a small town, it is hard to say what can happen.

It is a slow burn yet I was invested in the story and characters. I would recommend it for those who like the slow burn for a read.

I recieved a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mercury started with a tantalizing premise; a body is found in a church ceiling, but after this excitement the pace of the novel slows.

This reader loves a family saga, yet this one droned on and on with only minor character development. Shay's arc was nice, yet seemed unfinished and the other characters seemed one dimensional. A promising book that falls a bit flat.

Amy Jo Burns seems like an author to watch, as the prose held a lot of potential, this story just wasnt this reviewer's cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy of Mercury and to Celadon books.

I just love having to opportunity for these books to expand my reading palate for new authors to me. I wasn't disappointed with Amy Jo Burns and will read more books by her.

This coming of age story takes us through the challenges of growing up, crushes, school life, peer pressure, and fun of being a kid. This story takes us all the way into adulthood with Marley.

This story is about family drama and secrets. Can everyone move on or will this tear everyone apart?

Family drama at its finest in this small town.
Many thanks to NetGalley, The Publisher and the author for an ARC

Thank you to publisher for ARC. This was family drama at its best. If you like Tracey Lange, Claire Lombardo, Anne Patchett and Dani Shapiro, this is a book for you. Available now. Buy it or borrow it.

In this slow burn story of a family of men, grounded by one woman and then later two. Elise and Marley are similar in that they love, but what do they give up to do so when those around them don't see them but expect all. But Marley learns a bit more as she watches Elise and sets never to end up like her. In this character driven story, Marley is the central character, trying to find a sense of belonging and self-worth, wanting so bad to put down roots. Waylon, her husband is trying to build a future but forgetting the present and what is important. All the men have a certain role in their family which is hard to live up to and harder yet to let go. It reads like a saga that is hopeless but you still can't help that there might be a happy ending. What I didn't care for was as the author attempted to tie it up at the end, it seemed a bit rushed trying to explain parts that were purposefully and previously left out so that the story becomes whole. Respect the reader and allow them to form their own ah-ha moments. But still, all in all, it was interesting to read and kept me fairly engaged. Many thanks to #netgalley #mercury #amyjoburns for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. I'm not usually a fan of the slow burn, character driven plots - but this one was beautifully done. I enjoyed the style of the novel - with the seemingly erratic timeline shifts that play out beautifully as the story progresses.
I also really enjoyed that Marley was our main protagonist, but as needed other characters stepped into the role of storyteller and we heard their side of things for a few pages.
I found myself deeply committed to the Joseph's family plight and engrossed in how their story unfolded.
I would definitely read other works by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. I wasn’t sure about this one when I started it but ended up loving it. Kinda wish I had chosen it for my January BOTM pick.

I really enjoyed this slow burn family drama. The first few chapters, setting up the characters for the reader were a little hard for me but by about 10% in, I was hooked. This family is so dysfunctional and I was fascinated by the way they handled things.

Set in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, this emotional drama tells the story of a family of roofers and a young woman who comes into their lives and changes them all. The Joseph family is a mainstay in the rural small town of Mercury when teenage Marley and her mom breeze into town in their battered old Acura. Marley catches the eye of one of the Joseph brothers and soon finds herself with a standing seat at the dinner table and an integral part of the family. As the years pass, she becomes a wife, a mother, an older sister, and finds herself enmeshed in the roofing business and all of the family’s secrets.

I was so moved by this intricate story full of complicated characters and dysfunctional family dynamics. Although I often lean more toward plot-driven books, Mercury is everything I could want in a character-driven story. Each character is nuanced and richly developed, complete with their own hopes and dreams as well as flaws and blind spots. I absolutely loved Marley as a protagonist, and she’s written with such tenderness that I felt her joys and hurts and yearning in my own chest as I read. I was completely invested in her journey from a tentative teenager into an independent and assertive woman. Highly, highly recommended for fans of heartfelt complex family dramas.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me an advance copy of this book. If you loved other Celadon family dramas like The Connellys of County Down and We are the Brennans, you won’t want to miss Mercury!

If you enjoy a slow-burn family drama with rich character development, you will love Mercury. Marley moves to Mercury with her mother when she’s in high school and meets the three Joseph brothers: Baylor, Waylon, and Shay. Mick, the father, runs a roofing business and their mother holds things together in the house. The Joseph family is called in to help with a bad leak in the local church’s roof and a long-dead body is discovered in the attic. From there we go back in time to understand the dynamics of the family and what happened with the body. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Maria Liatis.