From the moment the book began, I was hooked into the story of the Joseph family trying to survive life in the 1990s blue-collar town of Mercury, PA. Burns’s way with words had me constantly saving lines in the book.

Perpetually butting heads, Elise and Marley, two women both trying to navigate their roles in the family, truly convey the hard lives that are lived in a place like Mercury.

Amy Jo Burns beautifully painted each up and down experienced by the Joseph’s and left me completely content in the end.

Although there is a little bit of a mystery in this book, overall it is a picture of a family of people, longing to love and be loved, all missing each other along the way. Each Joseph brother loves Marley in their own way, and Marley just wants to have a family and roots. The building of the business and the way she makes it hers and theirs, rather than their father's, mimics the way she becomes the anchor of the family and holds them together. In so many ways, the longing Marley has to not be the only woman in the family is strengthened by the way Elise pushes her out even before the struggle of her illness. And yet, Marley's character overcomes all the difficulties of the family she finds herself in. This book was a wonderful way to start the year.

Thank you to Celadon via Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you, Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of Mercury by Amy Jo Burns.

Release Date: 01/02/2014
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Marley moves to Mercury and quickly becomes integrated in the Joseph family. The book follows their lives from high school through adulthood where we see Marley grown into her role within the family.

We are constantly told the family is dysfunctional, and which characters we shouldn’t like, but it’s not until the end of the book that we get to see why people hold those opinions.

The prose is strong and beautiful but the way the story is narrated it feels like the author was keeping a distance between the reader and the characters.

If you are a fan of a slow burning book with a strong female lead this may be for you.

#bookstagram #books #arc #Mercury #NetGalley

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Amy Jo Burns, made even better with narration by Maria Liatis - 5 stars!

Marley has had a tough childhood, never staying in one place long as her mom moves around for work. When they arrive in Mercury PA, the first thing Marley sees is the Joseph brothers up on a roof. Soon she is at their table for dinner every night, wanting to belong. She begins dating one brother, then becomes wife to another, almost mother to the youngest. The father rules the business, but it is slowly failing. Marley steps in to help, but meets resistance. When an incident from the past raises its ugly head, does this family have what it takes to survive?

This book was wonderful. I lost myself in this family and felt so much for Marley as she tried to be everything to everyone, without losing herself in the process. Her best friend, Jade, is a marvel and the two women are always there for each other. All of these characters and this family just felt real - they all had secrets they were keeping, for various reasons, but at the heart they were family, in whatever form that takes, made of imperfect people who care for each other. I finished this a couple days ago and keep thinking about this story. Highly recommended!

I'd heard wonderful things about Burns' previous novel, Shiner, so I was excited to receive a copy of her newest. This book – this family – took hold of me and I couldn't put it down. Marley will be a character that sticks with me for a long time, as will the Josephs (particularly Elise and Shay). What Burns had to say about woman and motherhood wasn't necessarily profound, but it was shown in a way that was moving and powerful. What a book to kick off the new year!

So glad this was my first read of 2024 - the story of Marley and the Joseph family reeled me in, kept the pages turning as I teetered from wanting to keep on reading and wanting the story to not end. This is the first book I've read from Amy Jo Burns, although I have Shiner on my physical shelves to read. The town of Mercury felt visceral. The family dynamics, both within the Joseph family and also between Marley and her mom were so well told. I loved how Ruth, Marley's single mom, was portrayed. So often teen moms, moving from town to town, are portrayed negatively but Ruth was definitely portrayed as a strong and determined mother, doing her best for her daughter and not falling short in any ways that matter.

Marley and Shay were my favorite characters, but both Waylon and Baylor grew on me. And who wouldn't want a friend like Jade - strong, determined, funny and giving.

Although the mystery at the core seems...improbable (would shinkwrap REALLY stifle the smell??), I loved the way it all unfolded. I loved the writing, which made me think and pay attention, and how the author teased out the details without explicitly laying them out on the page. I wish there was a follow up that lets us visit the Josephs family again to see where Marley and Shay are 10 years from now.

I am finding it hard to rate this book - I am leaning towards a 4 star but it's really a 4.5...and I may come back and revisit and bump this one up. It's not a perfect book for me but pretty darn close, and I want to see if it stays with me which would definitely bump it up to a 5.

This character driven story absolutely blew me away. I think no matter who you are or where you come from, something about this book is going to move you in some way. This is a story of sacrifice and wow did it change the way I look at my own mom.

Mercury's Marley West reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing's Kya Clark; both characters find themselves compensating for lackluster men, both are strong and resourceful women who are looked down upon by their communities, and both build better lives for themselves against all odds. While I read Mercury, I thought about how our history books are filled with the deeds of men without giving credit to the women who made them successful behind the scenes. Mercury is a study of women's issues; gender inequality, economic justice, reproductive choice, maternal health, education, and property rights. It is hard to read Mercury and not see our mothers, grandmothers and ourselves and the struggles we have faced. I really enjoyed Mercury, and recommend it to readers who liked Where the Crawdads Sing.

This is a character-driven novel about a dysfunctional family. On Marley West’s first day arriving in Mercury, Pennsylvania she sees the three Joseph brothers, the sons in the roofing business of Joseph & Sons. Before she knows it, she is married to one of the brothers and is an ex-girlfriend to another. The family is quite dysfunctional and the story starts with what had been happening within this family to this point. It is the 1990’s and once Marley has married into the family, she is also integrated into the admin part of the business, which she is very good at. There is also a mystery within this family drama; when the church’s roof develops a leak, the Joseph Brothers are called and it is not long before they discover that the problem is in the attic, along with a dead body. The book continues to reveal past history and while the storyline of the body in the attic wasn’t the main narrative, it added to the story.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I think the character of Marley was well written and at times I could feel the narrowness and suffocating feelings of living in a small town.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for a copy of this novel so that I could provide an honest review.

I will post on Amazon on publication day.

This probably would have been a really good book if it was my style. I just dont care to much for the pixie woman troupe to care enough what happens to Marley or the Joseph brothers. I am sure someone loved it, but not me.

The overarching theme here is family. As a teen, Marley moves to a small town in Pennsylvania. As she rolls into town she sees three silhouettes on a roof. They are the Josephs and they own a roofing company. She soon becomes entwined in their family dynamic.

There is so much here that I can relate to as a wife who has in-laws. Marley struggles to be all the things: daughter, wife, mother, daughter-in-law, business owner. This book delves into the intricacies of juggling all the responsibilities women have in life. It was a good read.

There is a dead body within the first few chapters, but this is a book about family drama, and is a character driven slow burn. Families are messy and the author does a great job of capturing that.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complex family drama filled with secrets, loyalty, hardships, and love.

Marley and her mother Ruth move to the town of Mercury and Marley meets the Joseph family. The Josephs are well-known around town, and everyone holds the matriarch, Elise, in high regard. Baylor, Waylon, and Shay could not be more different from each other, but Marley is drawn to them in ways she can't explain. She becomes entwined with the family, eventually becoming one of them, but in a lot of ways she's still on the outside looking in. As much as she wanted to be like Elise, she realizes that Elise's life isn't as perfect as she thought it was.

This was a little slow to start, but speeds up about halfway through. For me, this was a little bit out of my wheelhouse, as I generally read mystery suspense. However, I did enjoy reading this. The writing was intricate and complex, and for people who enjoy literary fiction, I feel they would enjoy it. The characters all have their own voice, and the writing is evocative, making the reader feel for Marley and the Joseph boys.

All in all, this was a well-written, complex story of a family in turmoil.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @CeladonBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Amy, 17 years old, and her mother are constantly moving from one place to another. They arrive in Mercury, Pennsylvania and plan to stay awhile. Amy likes the town and doesn’t leave when her mother is ready to move on. She, eventually, meets Mick Joseph and they marry the day before he leaves to serve in Viet Nam.
Amy and Mick move in with his parents and brothers. They are a very dysfunctional family that run a roofing business that has no organization. There is a constant struggle between the family members that tears them apart though they are loyal beyond description. Each family member has secrets from the other and Amy fears that she will lose herself in this household.
I love domestic drama and this book is filled with it from the beginning to the end.
Thank you Celadon Books.

“Do you ever feel like the rest of the world is trying to save everyone but you?”

When I started this book I did not expect it to make me so emotional. Happiness, sadness and heartbreak, frustration, anxiousness, love and even disgust.

The dynamics of the Joseph family were so challenging and nearly haunting. I ached for some, hated some, was anxious for some. And at the end I felt a deep connection to them all.

Marley jumped into the family taking on different roles to different family members, trying desperately to find her own little space in this unknown and difficult world.

Amy Jo Burns did a phenomenal job depicting the characters throughout this novel and making sure the reader felt right along with them. I can honestly say I am so glad I was able to read this one.

This is one of those literary fiction books that will stick with you.

Every character, every story within Mercury is complex and layered. While Marley is the most central character, trying to find a place in the tenuous Joseph family, readers will be drawn to each individual. It is hard to categorize which aspect of this family is the most heartbreaking. Is it Marley, trying so hard to be loved by her mother-in-law while being parentified by the brothers? Is it Waylon, so desperate to care for everyone that he loses his ability to love? Is it Shay, facing homophobia while cleaning up everyone's messes? Who's to say?

One thing to note: there are a LOT of content warnings for this book. Readers should be advised to take care of themselves. Content warnings include teenage pregnancy, dementia of a parent, talk of suicide, infidelity, untreated PTSD from war, miscarriage, alcoholism, and others I can't think of off the top of my head. This book is heavy, but sometimes heaviness is a form of power. This is a powerful book.

Well, 2024 started off with a bang. This book packed quite a punch but in a small, quiet matter. A complicated portrait of a family of roofers and the woman who loved them. This book sucked me in just as Marley was sucked into the Joseph family. The brothers in the Joseph family each loved Marley in different ways but together this found family became a family rising above the weakness and tragedies of the boys parents. Oh, how I truly loved the last chapter and the comparison between their mother and Marley. Marley, who would become a wife, mother and sister and how she loved these men so fiercely. My only complaint is I wasn’t ready for it to be over!
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I am so happy this is the book I started out 2024 with. It’s one I’ll definitely be thinking about for a while and easily five stars for me.
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Thank you #celadon and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This book was so beautifully written! The book starts out a little slow but still sucks you in. I love a good character driven story and this one did not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Seventeen year old Marley West rolled down the main street of a small town called Mercury, and immediately sees a man and two younger boys on top of a roof with a van parked nearby that says Joseph & Sons Roofing. She’s immediately drawn to the oldest Joseph son, Baylor, then later Waylon. Growing up without a father of her own, she’s always been looking for a family to share a meal with, and she found that amongst the Joseph family. Little does she know that she will become the heart of their family. The youngest Joseph boy, Shay, will look up to her as if she’s his mother.

When a body is found in the attic above the town church, the small town of Mercury is shaken to its core. Secrets are revealed and the family will be ripped apart, but a lot of love and trust could help them grow back into the family they’ve fought so hard to build.

This was so much more than a small town mystery, it was a story of love and family bonds. We follow Marley and the Joseph family through love, heartbreak, death, and the struggles of life. This is a family that will stay on your mind long after you’ve finished reading their story. Just like after reading the Connelly’s, you’ll want more of the Joseph characters and story.

This was my first novel by Amy Jo Burns and I must say I really enjoyed her writing style. She delivers characters that have complex layers, which are slowly delivered as you make your way through the story. I felt myself drawn in by the complicated family drama surrounding the Joseph family and their roofing business. The multiple timelines and POVs creates such an interesting perspective in the characters development. I will say that at times I found myself struggling with the slower pace of the story line. Even with the slower parts, it was a well done mix of daily family affairs while also dealing with a mystery that involves the Joseph family, which kept it intriguing.

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖢𝖾𝗅𝖺𝖽𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌 ＆𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐．✵

A young woman comes to town and gets mixed up with the Joseph family. We get to know her and the members of the family intimately in this novel. This as a great book with good characters!