This was a fun, easy read and I absolutely loved Cassie! After a humiliating divorce, she travels to West Virginia to hopefully get more answers in regards to her parents' deaths. While some parts of the story dragged on a bit with its long detail, overall, it made me chuckle and was endearing! I will say, WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!?!?! It felt out of place with the rest of the story...while most everything else was well-developed and detailed, I felt like the story just kind of....stopped. It was frustrating enough to cause a star drop. I enjoyed Coll's writing style and look forward to more from her - thanks for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse, and Susan Coll for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Let me start out by saying that I typically like to read books with a main character/narrator close to my age. However, the narrator being a woman in her fifties did not bother me in the slightest because the book was so interesting and fun to read!

This book follows Cassie, a woman in the middle of a divorce right before Christmas who takes an impromptu road trip to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This is where the bridge collapsed and her parents died many years ago, and Cassie wants answers that she’s been denied her entire life. The biggest one: What the heck is with the moths???

After her puppy chews up her glasses, she loses her hat and gloves, meets an intriguing new friend, and gets stuck in the forest during a storm, she finally gets details she’s been searching for her entire life. But she’s still determined to figure out why it was such a big secret!

Prior to the acknowledgments, I didn’t realize that this was based on real events, and I find that so interesting! I’ve definitely been motivated to research the bridge collapse and the Mothman!

The plot line kept me curious from start to finish, though the abrupt ending drove me insane! I need to know what happens next!!! The characters were all developed very strongly, so much so that reading about her (now ex) husband made me want to rip my hair out.

What a fun and interesting take on real life events, giving people a new perspective to dive into and prompting readers to look into the disaster for themselves. Susan Coll did an amazing job with this book, I’ll definitely be checking out some of her other published works!

What a sweet and cute cover. I had high hopes for this book. The story fell flat and didn't keep my attention. I wanted a bit more from the plot and characters than Coll wrote. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Entertaining and engaging. A recommended purchase for collections where quirkier women's fiction is popular.

I had high hopes for Real Life and Other Fictions (I loved "Acceptance"). The opening scene of the main character chasing her dog across the Chesapeake Bay bridge was funny, but was kind of off set by the obsession with the moth in the car. The subsequent chapters just failed to hold my attention. Perhaps the next Susan Coll will get back to that "Acceptance" level of humor and characterization.

3/5 stars. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book was weird but in a good way. I wanted to keep reading because it made me feel strange. I really liked the writing but the book moved really slowly which I wasn’t a huge fan of. However, I thought the story was interesting and the twist was crazy!! A solid read.

I was so excited to receive this book as an arc reviewer. The description of this book really drew me in and I thought it was going to be a really interesting read. From the start of the book I was extremely confused and felt there was very unnecessary details. I continued on with it as I felt it could have just been world building for the rest of the story but it just continued the whole way through. There was so many unnecessary details and storylines, like the amount of times that moths were mentioned and I feel like I still don’t understand why? Also I understand she has left her husband but there is so much reference to him throughout the story which I didn’t feel was important. I wanted to finish this as I thought it would get better but I was highly disappointed and felt this book took me way too long to read because I couldn’t get myself to enjoy it. This is just my opinion and reading is so subjective so just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you! I was very appreciative of the opportunity to read as an arc reviewer and may give other books by the author in the future a chance!

Brilliantly, brilliantly written.

Cassie Klein is 50 and life has never run smooth. Orphaned in mysterious circumstances, a failed journalist and now a teacher, hoping her novel will come to fruition, all while her husband has been cheating. Great.

It's time to do something, anything.

A moth in the back of the car, Luna (her rambunctious puppy) jumps out and Cassie chases after her only to slip on the ice.... she comes to, to a police officer shining a light in her eyes. Officer Keel...

This name engaged a switch in my brain which was long forgotten but certainly had a small glint of inspiration to this fantasically written book. The name Keel, relates back to John Keel who wrote "The Mothman Prophecies" in 1975, which were in turn inspired by West Virginian folklore and such newspaper headlines as "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something". There was also a film with Richard Gere in 2002, but a. I have never seen it and b. I am realy geting off course!

The link is an elegant nod to the inspiration for this exceptional book, but the narrative styles and stories could not be further apart. To be absolutely frank, I prefer this tale as it is more relatable in its plausibility. Woven back and forth through Cassies reality, fiction and other planes of consciousness and reflection, allowing yourself to be carried along with lifes challenges and events or directing where it takes you

This book is enchanting and a unique, immersive read. Susan Coll has an affable, engaging writing style that I find utterly captivating and had me turning page after page, never quite sure where the story was going but desperate to find out if the clues would stack up. A brilliant experience

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse and the author Susan Coll for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

really fun fiction about comign to terms with your life and cryptozoology. tyssm for the arc this one was so fun!

This was a pretty good book. The pacing was a little off some times. But I did enjoy it a lot. The romance was very cute!

"Real Life and Other Fictions" is a gripping novel full of surprises written by Susan Coll. The story follows Cassie, a woman who decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery to understand her past. With a comic and surreal style, the book explores the intersection between reality and fiction, and the power of stories and myths.
Along the way, Cassie confronts her past and learns new things about herself and her family.
The book is an involving and thought-provoking read about the nature of truth and fiction. The characters are well developed and the story development is interesting.
Overall, "Real Life and Other Fictions" is a well-written and entertaining novel that is recommended for those who enjoy stories with elements of humor, drama, and real life.