In Blue Light Hours, a young woman leaves her home--and her mother--in Brazil and attends college in New England. The mother and daughter communicate with each other via video chat, attempting to maintain their close bond across thousands of miles. The premise is simple; the delivery is stunning.

I am in awe of this novel. Each word feels lovingly chosen. The novel's strong craft is evident in its atmospheric descriptions of the New England college setting. The narrative thoughtfully portrays the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship bound by love, culture, and shared experiences. You can feel the devotion and respect between mother and daughter, as well as their hope for individual and joint growth, even in the face of an uncertain future. The palpable tension between holding on and letting go beautifully illustrates the universal struggle to develop a sense of independence. A moving, standout piece of literature.

This was a beautiful book that evoked feelings of homesickness. Beautifully written, it left me very sad.

I found myself so homesick and missing my mother terribly while reading this book! I think this is a tender, heartfelt novel that perfectly captures the complicated feelings of loneliness and nostalgia when we are living apart from the people we love. I loved the scenes of the daughter, establishing her new life in America, coming into her independence and adulthood. Likewise, I found the scenes of the mother grappling with her own isolation and baring her insecurities (you don't need me anymore!) to her daughter utterly heartbreaking. The prose was quite sparse, almost poetic. At times, I found it a little over-wrought, erring on the side of a Tumblr-esque, punctuation-less, text posts (it takes one to know one). However, I thought that overall, it created a wonderful sense of detachment and nostalgia. I felt somehow like I was reading this novel through a haze of soft blue light!

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for access to this ARC. Publication date: 15th of October, 2024.

I absolutely adored this! Bravo! FYI I was tipped off to this one because it is a staff favourite on the pre-order list at Type books in Toronto. Felt like Elif Batuman’s the idiot a little bit, by way of Katie Kitamura ‘s writing style?

If homesickness was a book, it’s Blue Light Hours. Throughout the entire book the yearning was palpable, and anyone who has ever left something behind to pursue something else can place themselves into this narrative. This mood-driven narrative explores a geographically distant mother/daughter relationship, with themes of growing independence, navigating academic pressures, and familial sacrifice. This story was so intimate and bittersweet; it’s one that will stick with me for awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC

I loved this book. The concept is great. I think it would be better to focus a little on the negativity and guilt-tripping the mother seems to inflict on her daughter at times though and how that makes the daughter feel. It happens a lot but the daughter takes no notice which seems unrealistic.

I resonated very much with this book, and I felt special, understanding a relationship that can be this close with a mother, even if sometimes deeply sad and boundary-less. This was a great spin on the classic "campus novel" except the experiences on campus were not the ones of significance, but the memories left behind in the main character's home country and left behind in her mother. There were many moments that I feel Dantas Lobato captured with such simple, subtle language, perfectly pinning down what it feels like to watch a parent age, to have one's aged parent as a guest--small, vulnerable, not at all right. These are moments that will stick with me. My main critique of this book is that I wish we saw more resolution between daughter and mother, and more growth of each character. I was sad to see the end of the daughter's "portion" of the book/narrative. What are the ways in which these relationships with our parents hold us back? Especially when it is us parenting them, and worrying about them in a way a child never should? Maybe these are the hard questions Dantas Lobato wants us to sit with, and to be okay with. That sometimes, this is how things are and will be.

I started this book slowly, enjoying the unfolding of the story much as it’s told, easing in and discovering. It’s tender, melancholy at times, bittersweet in others. About halfway through, my mother died unexpectedly. It was a stunning loss, crippling me emotionally, physically. It took a few weeks before I could pick up this story again - and when I did I found it nurturing me instead of leaving me gutted. It’s so beautiful, and beautifully written. No false promises, no easy answers. Just being, understanding and love. It’s taken me now a while to write this review. This story will always be a part of my own, and writing this I feel the loss.

Okay, I’m sure why I requested this. Maybe because of the title and the cover. But I couldn't finish it. This book seems like a nicely composed, but dull everyday diary entry. There's no vivid descriptions as I expected (for some reason), just a monotonous soliloquy. Also, the dialogues (minimal though) without quotation marks were a little disturbing.
Thank you for the copy. Sorry it didn't work for me.

I requested this arc on netgalley with the knowledge of it being a book about a mother-daughter relationship. I feel like with novels like these you can either do a deep dive into the complex relationship or choose to leave a lot in the unsaid and I’m afraid this one did neither.

I wouldn’t say that this is a bad book but i just felt like it missed any depth. The majority of this book is about the daughter sitting in her college dorm skyping with her mom but their conversations are very superficial. Nothing really interesting happens in either of their lives that could’ve spiced up the dialogue. Any relations with her friends there feel very dry and none of the characters are very interesting. I think this has potential and usually I love a character study but then the character does actually need to have some character. This all felt very bland to me, sorry:(

I absolutely loved this. Coming from a Latino household, I absolutely get her inner struggles and the overall new found world she's discovering. One of the most touching? not sure if that was the right word, was the code switch or rather language switch she had to do to her roommate while on the face chat call with her mother. It's just such a relatable book and I adored it.

Blue Light Hours is a novel about a young girl who moves from Brazil to the United States to attend university. Back home, her mother experiences a feeling of abandonment and loneliness, simultaneously feeling proud of her daughter's accomplishments. They connect through Skype calls and texts and update each other on their daily lives and new experiences or feelings. The novel explores their mother-daughter relationship, loneliness, and the guilt of leaving someone behind while trying to adapt to a new place.

This debut novel by Bruna Dantas Lobato uses meditative prose to reflect on the characters through glimpses of their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author for this ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for my copy. I don’t enjoy giving bad reviews but this booked me to tears. The writing style left much to be desired and really there was no story. It was more a diary and a boring one at that. I would not recommend this book. Sorry

Let me start with the biggest thank you ever to Bruna for sending me an electronic copy of her book after I found out there currently aren’t plans for it to be published in the UK (I might have perished if I hadn’t been able to read this book!)

Blue Light Hours described EXACTLY how it feels to be an immigrant, a child of immigrants, and to miss those we hold so dear to our hearts, but have to live so far away from, for whatever reason. Speaking for myself, I haven’t hugged my mom since January 2023, and before that I hadn’t hugged her since January 2020. It’s the hardest thing in the world - and Bruna wrote about that pain in the most lyrical and heart wrenching way possible.

This book now holds a special place in my heart and I’m ever thankful to Bruna for writing it 💙

This was the first book I've read by this author, and I must say, I absolutely loved it! I couldn't put it down from the first page. I really enjoy these types of books; they bring me so much happiness.

The story revolves around a daughter who leaves her mother in Brazil to study in the United States. Both feeling the sting of separation, they try to bridge the distance by connecting over Skype, sharing even the most mundane details of their daily lives. In the United States, the daughter makes friends, works, and studies hard, but she can't afford to visit her mother back at home. This novel explores themes of loneliness, self-discovery, independence, adapting to new cultures, leaving beloved things behind, and moving forward. This book truly offers a full spectrum of emotions.

I was particularly captivated by the author's writing style, which had a poetic touch that resonated deeply with me. Giving this one 4,5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Bruna Dantas Lobato for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blue Light Hours will be out on October, 15.

Skype, Sorrow, and the Sublime: Blue Light Hours Sheds Light on the Reality of Longing

What started as a light and fast paced read became way to personal and uncomfortable (in a heartfelt way) for me. Blue Light Hours is a lovely novella about the loneliness of adulthood and the familial ties between a mother and her daughter who stay in different countries and only communicate through skype.

The feeling of longing and abandonment and how we are forced to cope with them is felt through out the book. while the narrative may lack the complex characteristic flair but @bdantaslobato just went and said ‘it is what it is’ because really, aren’t the most rawest of emotion plainly just…felt?

For a person who is used to romanticizing almost everything, this book did its job in placing my feet firmly on the ground and sit with the big little things that were not narrated but said between the lines.

Blue Light Hours comes out in October 2024! Whether you're in need of a swift pick-me-up or searching for the perfect present, this novella is your go-to remedy for both quick reads and heartfelt gestures.

Thank you grove atlantic and net galley for this e-arc.

BLUE LIGHT HOURS by Bruna Dantas Lobato explores the relationship between a young woman who came to the U.S. to study in a university and her mother who was left behind in Brazil. It is a short book in three parts: the first part is from the daughter's perspective, the second part is from the mother's, and the third part is about their reunion. It was told in a series of vignettes - of daily routines (in two separate countries); of Skype calls and text messages that are usually about the weather and the changing of seasons; about sleeping in and not sleeping enough; about dorm room furniture and what was eaten for breakfast, and what current mess a distant aunt had gotten herself in now - indicating the increasing distance and the constant changes that two people would have to learn how to navigate in, on their own and together.

I'm a huge sucker for books like this; I will never find them boring. There were no big family secrets revealed. No sudden outbursts of emotions, no dramatic fights. Instead, the focus was on the distance between a mother and her daughter, and their attempts to bridge (and sometimes, to respect) that gap that really tugged at my heartstrings. This book was instantly propelled to one of my favorites in 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Published by Grove Press.

#NetGalley #BlueLightHours #BrunaDantasLobato #GrovePress #GroveAtlantic

This novel portrays the story of a mother in Brazil and her daughter in the USA, who rely on Skype to communicate, share updates, and comfort each other. Despite being miles apart, they share a deep sense of loneliness in their struggles to adapt to their new lives. The author beautifully captures the feeling of longing and frustration that comes with seeing loved ones only through a screen. Although the characters may not be as fleshed out as I might have preferred, the writing style is simple yet powerful, evoking a sense of nostalgia that is hard to resist. If you're looking for a quick yet meaningful read that delves into the complexities of human connection, this novel is definitely worth your time! 🤍

PUBLICATION DATE:
15th of October, 2024

*Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Blue Light Hours is very sweet. It's a simple novella about a Brazilian woman going to college in Vermont, following her and her mother through their frequent Skype calls. Well-written and brief, this is best for recommended for anyone who misses their mother, has experienced the loneliness of being abroad, or wants an easy, cozy story. Despite some plot points being sad, the book is heartwarming overall.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the e-arc.

4 stars — thank you, netgalley, grove atlantic, and bruna dantas lobato for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
what started as a light-hearted read became way too personal and heartfelt for me. as someone who also left home to move in another country, i deeply resonated with the daughter and mother's relationship, watching each other's lives through their glowing screens. so, the first thing that i did as soon as i finished this novel was calling my mother from across the world.

it is scary and exciting at the same time to be on your own and leave miles away from home, yet it feels lonely because you also left people and parts of you in that place. you left your past life and now embarking towards on a new journey in which soon enough, you'll create new memories, meet new people, as well as think of a possible future for yourself. and finally, you will experience a sense of belonging. however, when you realize at the end of the day, there is nothing quite like a mother's embrace to make you feel at home.

i think this novel left a haunting impact on me. no one talks about how lonely it is when you communicate through the screens of your computer. it feels like you're there but never fully there or you can see them but can never hold each other. it is frustrating and it demands the feeling of sadness. i think this novel fully encapsulates the feeling of yearning and loneliness that accompanies us when we miss our loved ones. the riveting writing can also make you feel the sense of nostalgia and deep longingness of wanting your mother by your side.

what a beautiful novel debut by bruna dantas lobato. this will be out on october 15, 2024, so i hope everyone reads this once it is published. ♡