Beautiful collection, with powerfull storytelling, interesting relatable characters, who bring life to these short stories.
With amazing female characters is a fast paced, quick read.
Each story awakens different feelings in our soul.
I recommend!

I had the opportunity to review an advanced reader copy of this anthology, and I feel really lucky to have done so. This collection of short stories was incredibly moving and almost every ending made me close the book and take a step back to process the whirlwind of emotions it evoked.

Each story compliments another, and the themes woven throughout range from grief and alienation to power and sexuality. It’s clear that the submissions chosen for this anthology were carefully handpicked, which has gone a long way in making this collection so compelling.

While each story has its merits, I definitely have my favourites.

The novel’s namesake, the first short story in the book, quite literally made me want to go give my mum a hug, as the challenges of motherhood were expressed so vividly. Little Women was heartwarming while Body Parts was the opposite. The depiction of grief was painful, and the ending was especially harrowing. The Ripening and She Lingers are some other favourites, mostly because they provocatively explore deeply gendered understandings and responses to sexuality.

If it wasn’t clear enough already, I highly recommend this collection. It was the perfect combination of entertaining, introspective and empowering.