I enjoyed this one but felt like it just kind of dragged. I did love the characters and the story. But, the last quarter I found myself trudging through.

A slow burn family drama but I did enjoy the insights on motherhood, sibling relationships, relationships with in-laws and the trials and tabulations of growing up in a small town.

I felt that it touched on a lot of important topics and overall did enjoy the book just wish it had been a quicker pace.

Layered with small town family drama and the perfect amount of mystery! Marley’s character arc was incredible and the story speaks to identity, loyalty, marriage, motherhood, and sacrifice - on top of being a woman in an all male family. The family dynamics were incredibly well written, moving, and powerful.

Love the layers of this family saga.. Enjoyed the mystery portion of this story too. Marley is a great character and I liked seeing her coming of age in this small town.

I got this as an ARC but have been so far behind on reading - I was considering 3 or 4 because it was good but slow reading and wasnt "exciting" or a thrill but it was very well done and what pushed it above an average good book to a four was the perspective of women - this book breaks the mold and i think give a more honest look at what some women/ mothers experience and how there isnt a certainty or guaranteed that kids will love you or you will love them or that they will love each other (also why i am terrified to have kids because i have seen this... ) it also speaks to humanity and the experience of wanting love or closeness but it not being reciprocated or the issues with finding and understanding a person and "speaking and accepting their love language or love style" this touches on MANY emotional issues and issues people face in relationships. Not all mothers are loved, not all mothers love their children, not all marriages are based in or held together by love. I think there is a whole hidden world of mothers with regrets, wives with lives unlived.... this book touches on that and makes you think about it and i appreciate that

I love a good family drama with a mystery thrown in. It was a little more character driven than I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. I loved getting the backstory of not only Marley but of the Joseph sons. The connection Marley had with the youngest Shay was sweet given the family dynamics. It was a slow burn, but it really highlighted the different family relationship and influence in a small town. It kept me engaged and the drama was not over the top. I liked getting different views within the family which made for great character development.

Thank you @celadon and @netgalley for the gifted copy.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have not read anything by this author, so I went in with no expectations. This was a very character driven, deep story of a dysfunctional family dynamic.
I will definitely read more by this author in the future!

This book is the story of how a roofing family’s bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town. A great book about family and resilience and the characters drew me in from the beginning!

This book had so much potential for me, but fell a bit short. As soon as I got really attached to a character, it jumped to another one. By the end it felt a little repetitive hearing the same story over and over from another perspective.

What a messy, but beautiful story !

This story was definitely character driven which I typically don’t like. But the characters were so real and relatable that you found yourself rooting for them throughout the story.

I felt like I was a part of the small town of Mercury by the end.

Oof this book took me on a ride! Thank you so much Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This book sent me down a trip of quite literally all of the emotions. I felt really connected to the characters and loved that you are able to get really into them. There was drama, mystery and heartbreak throughout this novel. Beautiful read!

Mercury is a perfect book about family dynamics and all the drama that is hidden within the walls of a home and in this case, the roof. The Joseph family own a roofing building in a small town. Marley moves into town and changes their world

This book intrigued me from page one. Enjoyed speaking to author, Amy Burns about how this story came to be! Pick up a copy today!

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦?”
“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader e-copy earlier this year!

It’s a character-driven drama around family and marriage, love and grudges, secrets and forgiveness, and identity. And I mostly enjoyed it. All the Joseph boys are precious in their own, unique personalities; Marley is such a beautiful person, and Jade is a great side character. It’s slower paced and there isn’t an actionable plot, so some readers may get bored, but I enjoy books like this that get into the psyche of relationships and dynamics; how our choices impact not just our lives but the lives of others too.

Content and trigger warnings include teen pregnancy and some vague sexual content, some profanity, dementia, infidelity, death of a parent, miscarriage, marital strife, and homosexuality (which wasn’t introduced until very late in the story and didn’t feel at all necessary).

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Set in the 90s, we meet Marley, new to town, an only child to a single mother working to make ends meet. Left alone alot, she is left to her own devices to make friends and find her way in the new town. Within days of her arrival she finds herself at the Joseph's family dinner table. Smitten with one brother, choosing another, mothering the third. We follow Marley as she navigates the very complex family dynamic their stoic, do everything, hold everything together Mother created alongside their flighty, selfish, self centered Father.

The author did a great job in connecting you with Marley. You felt for her and routed for her and I found myself really admiring her. At such a young age, hitting the ground running to ensure this family survived and ultimately thrived. Teaching herself all aspects of a roofing business, taking business calls, going on sales appointments, all without taking a paycheck to ensure these brothers and their selfish father didn't fail. As you can see, the author also did a great job of making you dislike Mick, the Patriarch of the family. You questioned the Joseph son's loyalty to him each time he was mentioned doing another selfish thing.

I struggled with the pace of the book. It felt very slow and with no shocking moments or AH HAs on the horizon, it was a struggle to stay interested in. I did however like that the author gave you all the details at the end and pulled back the curtain a bit on each brother, as well as mom and dad.

Overall, I'd say a 3 star for me at most.

I really enjoyed Mercury by Amy Jo Burns. A slow burn, character driven, family drama, with a bit of mystery woven in. The Joseph family stuck with me long after finishing the novel. I flipped between the ebook and the audiobook, which was done well.

I recommend this to fans of Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful. It reminded me a bit of the Padavano family, but with brothers.

Special thanks to Celadon Books for the ARC via NetGalley.

So well written but so dang sad. This is the perfect dead of winter book in my opinion. The mood is somber and its best read alone in a dark house.

I love a family drama book and this one was great! The only problem with family dramas is they can get a little slow but I was still able to enjoy this!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Mercury was a well written story about a dysfunctional family of men and the two women who loved them. I did enjoy this book though at times it was painfully slow. I lived Marley and thought she was a great character.

"There's more to this life than just trying to survive it". I loved this book by Amy Jo Burns!

What I loved:
1. It was a family story with lots of layers, complications, drama and secrets.
2. The complexity of the relationships was so real to me.
3. I loved the character driven story and that she took time to make each character understood by the reader. I didn't necessarily like all the characters but I loved getting to know them.
4. Loved the mystery portion as well.

Highly recommend and have already given two copies to friends!!


Many thanks to Celadon Books and Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

I didn’t want to put this book down. I just had to see how it would all play out. The relationships and setting felt authentic. I didn’t love the characters, as in they weren’t really lovable, besides maybe Shay, but sometimes you need gritty, flawed characters to make a good book. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by Burns!