While the writing is atmospheric and engaging, I had a hard time getting on board with the overall story and the mix of (sort of) fantasy with current day. I think this book will be of interest to many but was just a little odd for me. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The way this book left me feeling....I need more! This is possibly my new favorite romance book! I devoured it from start to finish. I loved the characters, the town, and the twist of the curse so much! Soren and Tess were always just not in the right place at the same time until Tess realized that where she needed to be was home all along. Their love for one another and the trials they constantly faced only made them realize how strong they were and that they would never stop loving each other.

The book's premise revolved around a curse that women from their country could get during skeld season. Tess had always tried to run from it but ended up inevitably getting it, realizing that the thing she was running from was the thing that she should have always stayed for. I laughed, cried, smiled, and felt all the feels in this book! Absolute perfection from page 1! Thank you so much for the earlier ARC copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an eARC of this book!

This is my new favorite book. I don't know how to put into words how it made me feel so seen. (Maybe there's a word in Stennish for it?) I feel like I understand the main characters better than most other characters I read about. This concept is so unique and has so many layers to it. While it's a cool idea—the skelds—it also makes me reflect on what it represents. And what it represents in my own life.

As someone who doesn't have a great relationship with their hometown and yet is seemingly forced to go back to life in high school again and again after leaving, this narrative put into words what I know to be true in my own life. I think there is a longing within most people to always search for something more but also to search for where we feel at home, and perhaps those things aren't mutually exclusive or perhaps they are. But no one can really know the answers because there are no set answers in life. Sometimes things just exist and sometimes things just happen. This story felt so real and relatable and poignant.

Beyond how it made me feel, the characterization was incredibly strong; each character was their own person. I loved the relationship so much I hated every plot point (in a good way). I treasured the complicated nature of female friendships. It is something I have been searching to find in a book for SO LONG, and this really just hit the nail on the head. The prose was simply beautiful. I ate it up. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book to annotate out of. (I don't annotate books. I just have so many thoughts.)

It's not often I love NetGalley books as much as this. It's not often I love any books as much as this. I have an incredibly fierce hope that this will become a big novel when it is released. (And I think it will.)

I really enjoyed this unique tale. A romance but with enough story to keep me interested. I don't usually read romance unless a lot of other things take place in the story as well. This was like that. Highly recommend

This is a beautifully written, melancholic story with a rich, atmospheric setting. It’s a contemporary fantasy/women’s fiction book that can also be categorized as literary fiction, magical realism, or romance. I’ve never read anything from the author before, but I feel this work most closely resembles something from Adrienne Young or Alice Hoffman.

I will now be following this author closely, and I hope this novel becomes a book club hit; it deserves to be. The only parts that could be stronger for me were 1) the accuracy of references in the past - a few rang false, and 2) I wanted more closure. The ending is fantastic, but I can’t help longing for even more moments between Tess and Soren.

A lovely book that had just the right amount of fantasy, love, connections between friends, family, lovers and a community.

Written well and is a good read.

#netgalley #ACurseForTheHomesick

Are you in the mood for a touching, moving, sad at times romance read? If so, A Curse for the Homesick might just be what you’re looking for.