I was so blown away with this book. I can't believe I waited so long to read it. It's a phenomenal story. So well written and pulls you right in from the very start.

Characters:
Mick Joseph-dad
Elise Joseph-mother
Baylor-oldest son
Waylon-middle son
Shay-the baby
Marley-Marley was an outsider who moved to Mercury with her mother in 1990 with her mother.

The Joseph family are a typical dysfunctional group but also there for each other most always. The older two boys tend to get into fights with each other but one word from their mother and they break apart and go on about their business.

Elise is a bit hard at times but you'll learn she kind of has to be. She married Mick the day before he left for Vietnam and barely knew him at all. She takes to Marley from the start. Marley is going out with Baylor. Things don't go well and she ends up with Waylon who she truly does love. Shay thinks the world of Marley and loves having her around. Elise starts being a bit cold toward her and eventually the reasons are understood.

This book is so good. It gives you quite a few of the feelings you will enjoy from a book. I laughed, cried, and cringed. I loved the sons in this book but not so much the dad. He had problems and maybe I should have been more understanding but he just wasn't likable. I did like Elise but at times felt she should be throttled. I love Shay more than any of them. He was just a young boy who was having his own problems and knew that he could depend on Marley no matter what. Baylor was a bit of a lost cause at times. Waylon loved his family and was trying hard to keep it together. All three boys seemed to do whatever they could to please their mother. And was a bit afraid of her at times it seemed.

This is a story of hope, loss, grief, happiness, growing, family, and starting over. It kept me reading from the beginning to the beautiful ending. These boys would do anything for each other and for the ones they loved above all. A strong family. A fighting family. A loving family. This book has it all.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmyJoBurns, #Celadonbooks, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for the story! Overall, I loved this book. It was a little slow getting into, but then the plot really picked up its pace! The characters were likeable and I loved the multiple point of views. I also liked seeing how the characters grew from the "before" to the "after" throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

This book pleasantly surprised me in every aspect. Focused on its characters and rich with emotions, I found myself deeply engaged in the lives of the Joseph family. Their relationships were authentic and flawed, each character resonating with genuine humanity. At times, I felt like I was a part of their family!
The central mystery surrounding the death in the church attic added an intriguing layer to the narrative, enriching the overall story without overshadowing its essence.
For those who appreciate character-driven narratives, this book is an absolute must-read. I already find myself missing the Joseph family and eagerly anticipate delving into more works by Burns.

I'm so thankful for the post-publication ARC! I LOVED this book. This is the closest any book has come to making me feel the way I feel when I read Fredrik Backman books, which are my favorite. I was highlighting quotes in this book from the very first pages, all the way through to the end. There are so many poignant and eloquent words on life and love and loss and all the thinks that make up our ordinary lives. I highly recommend this book for any fans of family-centered fiction.

A moving coming of age story and family drama about three working class brothers and the people who love them. This was my first book by Amy Jo Burns and it lived up to its hype!

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complex portrayal of a dysfunctional family, the Josephs, with an exploration of toxic relationships between all the characters. Most of the book follows Marley, who moved to the small town of Mercury at the age of 17 and married Waylon, one of the three Joseph brothers. We also see the POV of all three Joseph brothers: Shay (the youngest), Waylon (the middle child), and Baylor (the oldest).

At the center of this book is a mystery concerning what is discovered in the attic of the local church. When I say mystery, I don’t mean in the vein of a genre mystery. Basically, none of the characters are particularly interested in finding out the “truth” of what occurred. Rather the opposite, in fact. Each of the characters’ involvement is slowly revealed during their respective POV sections.

This book is gritty and raw with complex, flawed characters who are trapped inside their own perspectives. There’s very little self-awareness shown by any of the characters which I’m sure is intentional on the part of the author. However, it did make for a frustrating reading experience as everyone acts, at best, complacent, and at worst, like a complete doormat.

This book ends with a lot of things unaddressed and I found the last two chapters to be really rushed, especially since it includes a huge time skip. I had no sense that the toxic dynamics between any of the characters were confronted or even changed. A lot of things are basically hand-waved away including Shay’s feelings and all of the problems with Mick, their father.

Overall, this was an engaging, slow-paced read that provided a nuanced perspective on toxic family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a family drama about a woman named Marley who is enveloped in the Joseph family. The Josephs are a family of three brothers who fall into their father's roofing "empire."

In the first half of this book I could not put the book down. I was so intrigued by the mystery introduced at the beginning and the workings of the family as Marley finds herself entangled in their lives. The characters are so rich and the tone dark and ominous!

In the second half, and after the unveiling of the mystery, I felt like all tension and suspense dropped. The focus began to shift between characters with the intention of showing their depth and complexity. The story in these point of view shifts also keeps going back in time to give a more full perspective, but it lost me. I wanted to see the plot and characters keep moving forward.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book. Amy Jo Burns does a really good job of fleshing out these imperfect characters while providing a vivid setting in Mercury.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early review copy in exchange for a review of this title!

4.5 stars
TW: miscarriage
I almost didn't read this one 🫣 I'm not big on family dramas, but believe me when I say, this one is SO good! This centers around 6 members of the Joseph family and their family business. It has: deceit, an affair, death/murder, dementia and more. The book is primarily told from Marley's POV, but by the end you've heard part of the story from everyone. I really enjoyed that as it made me understand the characters a lot more.
The main characters are:
Mick- father, runs the family business
Elise- self-sacrificing matriarch
Waylon- glue and fixer of the family
Baylor- firstborn, but instructed by his mother not to turn into his father
Shay- baby of the brothers trying to find his way (his story gives the book a coming of age feel)
Marley- moved to Mercury as a teenager and made her way into the Joseph family

Amy Jo Burns did a fantastic job with these complex characters. The book really delves into their relationships with each other while also exploring generational trauma, birth order, and why the characters are the way they are. This would be a great one to discuss as a book club and I also felt like it'd make a good mini series.

Quotes:
"Silence, more than anything else, is what it takes to be a Joseph"
"Sometimes a secret was all a woman had to call her own"

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the chance to read!

“They were all marionettes in the house Mick Joseph had built, dangling from his fingers, jumping to life at the flick of his wrist.” - From Mercury by Amy Jo Burns (@burnsamyjo)

Burns fastidiously chooses the words to a small town mystery set in Pennsylvania in the 90s. Centered around three brothers, their parents, and Marley, the wife of one of the brothers, this character-driven family drama is superb. The thoughtful, lyrical writing will satiate fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Dutch House.

“In the Joseph family, Mick aimed for the impossible, Waylon hoped for the best, Baylor planned for the worst. And Shay? Shay Baby was all right, always.”

Burns gives each character a distinct presence and develops their character as the story unfolds over multiple years. I love when a story can make you root for a flawed character and give depth to them.

I don’t want to say much about the plot other than that I enjoyed reading about this problematic family of roofers who struggle with communication, secrets, forgiveness, and love.

I hope this book is made into a movie. It’s the type of storytelling that would be in contention for awards. While it’s only March, I imagine this book will be in my top three for the year.

I highlighted a number of beautifully descriptive lines throughout the book. Here are a few of them:

“Shay loved best when he said, Show me your worst thing. I promise I won’t look away.”

“I wish I knew if I should have tried harder to be a daughter, or harder to be a wife.”

“He thought this might be love – to see past the worst parts of someone, to never see them at all.”

I read The Shiner by this author, which I also enjoyed. Amy Jo Burns is now a must-read author for me. 💛

Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Whoa. This one was emotionally captivating with it's character driven lead and depth of the dysfunctional family storyline. I wasn't expecting to want more to be honest, it was a little slow and dragged for me. In the end, it was a beautiful book about such a complex family and I liked it more than I was expecting.

I really wanted to read this but couldn’t get into it. It felt like a book that needed you to read about half of it before you were really into it. Unfortunately, my TBR pile is too big to commit that time right now. I appreciate the advanced copy and am sure most readers will enjoy this one.

What a great family drama this turned out to be. Two women, coming to the same town, building and keeping a family together. I loved that Burns ended up giving insight to more than the two female leads, with each Joseph man getting time to share their story and true selves. It was an overall great read and I will very likely return for more of Amy Jo Burn's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Loved this! Heartbreaking and real I wanted to give most of the member of this family a hug in the end. I thought the mystery was well done and added just a little bit extra to this family story. First 5 star 2024 release.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were amazingly done and helped me to really see them in my mind. I enjoyed this books setting was the 90’s since I was growing up in the ninety’s too. You do an amazing job writing and I will definitely read other books written by you.

I really wanted to like this book in part because it was set in the 90s, but I just couldn't stay with it. The characters, the premise, the setting - none of this interested me and I just kept finding other things to read while sitting on this. After about 10% in, I opted to DNF.

This was a beautifully written, quiet but impactful story about the Joseph family - a roofing family consisting of the dad Mick and his three sons Baylor, Waylon, and Shay as well as the matriarch Elsie. The dynamics of this family are so interesting and complicated - they are filled with family secrets, hurts, betrayals, and love. Then Marley West comes into town and becomes an important part of each Joseph's life in different ways.

I was fascinated by this family and the ways they are there for each other and the ways they hurt and destroy each other too. The characters were so well written and I really felt the sense of place in this novel. It is a quiet and sometimes slow story - but never dull - each characters grows and changes in different ways and there are some heavy themes and emotions throughout.

And oh yeah, did I mention there is a dead body found in the church attic!? So there is a mystery element weaved throughout the book as well. I enjoyed the layout of the book to with some flash backs or different perspectives shown later in the book - it really kept me invested.

If you loved Hello Beautiful (which I did) for it's sister and family dynamics as well as how an outsider becomes a part of their lives and family in different ways - then you will love this one too.

I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Netgalley & Celadon Books for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

📚Book Review - Mercury by Amy Jo Burns 📚
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Published: January 2, 2024
Celadon Books
336 pages
Goodreads rating: 3.93⭐

Set in Pittsburgh in the mid-90s, Mercury tells a multigenerational story of the Joseph family. Mick Joseph married his wife, Elise, shortly after returning from the Vietnam War. Without being directly labeled as post-war PTSD, Mick became eccentric in his hobbies and pursuits, only ever considering his own wants and needs. Elise gives everything to her husband and eventually her three sons but wishes for more for her sons and the next generation.

Marley, the daughter of a single mom trying to make ends meet, moves to Mercury as a teenager and soon is mixed in with the two older Jospeh boys. Elise never shows Marley affection and doesn’t learn why until it’s too late.

I loved this complex family drama. I find it fitting that I am writing this review on International Women’s Day, as the novel features three independent, strong women: Elise, Marley, and Jade. The Joseph men repeatedly think of themselves and have selfish actions. At the same time, the three women continue to do everything for their friends and family, sparking a change in expectations and mindset for the generation that will follow.

This story is beautifully written, and I’m glad I chose it for my January BOTM. It was a unique read with excellent character development. Although it is contemporary fiction, it has elements of mystery woven throughout.

Thank you, @netgalley and @celadon books for the ARC.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns
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The town of Mercury is home to the Joseph family, who run their own roofing business. When the town church has a roofing emergency it forces the family to talk about their past and come to terms with with some hard truths.
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What I liked:
-I thought this was a really good family drama. No family is perfect and the Josephs had lots of their own issues to learn through the course of this story.
-I loved learning more about each character and how I felt completely different feelings towards each of them by the end of the story. When you know a persons past you can understand how they became the person they are.
-The story slowed a little in the middle but I liked how it ended.
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3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This was my first book by this author but I would like to read more.

This book is part lit fic, part romance, part family saga, and part coming of age fiction. There are secrets and mysteries that I never expected to be woven so well into the lives of a few people. This is a study of a family and the people they depend on as they try to grow a roofing business and hold their relationships together.

I love complicated characters. This book takes it to a new but completely realistic level. These characters feel like people pulled out of real life and portrayed accurately on the page, with all their flaws and all their successes.

Mercury discussed who we are and who we’re meant to be. It remembers the members of families that are typically forgotten and pays homage to the roles they play in our lives. This is a close look at an imperfect family who frequently makes the wrong choices but in the end make the right ones.

I loved the ending and the hope for the future of each character it showed.

Such a fantastic story! I was so sucked into this family and all it's secrets, highs and lows. I loved how it was written and I would love to read more by Burns.