"The Float Test" is a look at a family of four siblings and their father, navigating in and out of scenes before and after they gather together after the passing of their matriarch. I love works about family - and there was a lot of potential to here to talk about moving on after grief, interactions between siblings, and the like. I felt, though, that too much was muddled and haphazard. There was a flashback involving a firearm, random romantic meetups, high school friends weaving in and out, the landscape of Florida vs. New York, and the like. And you can accomplish that, but I just felt I wasn't sure what this book wasn't meant to be.

The positives - and what I thought the central highlight was - actually came late, involving one sister and her decision to write about a difficult season in another sibling's life, much to the chagrin of that sibling (our narrator). And there was a discussion on how do writers get their material, including finding inspiration in the landscape about us (Fred's exploration of the Florida landscape also had a lot of potential). But I felt it was too staccato and needed a bit more fluidity to work effectively. I also would've liked to get to know the central narrator more; I knew only brief episodes about her life, and she felt mostly a conduit for her other siblings' storylines.

I have a couple other books by this author and would love to read them; it's clear that the writer is talented, and I did appreciate the experience, even if not everything worked for me.

Meet the Kenners: sisters Jenn, Fred, Jude and brother George are the children of a strong mother and a quiet but present father. Having grown up in Florida with a fierce and opinionated lawyer mother and a CPA father the children have never wanted for anything - they had the world at their fingers. But love and support can't be bought. Now that the children are all grown up with children of their own, they're all back in Florida together after a loss. Over the course of the book, we hear through Jude's voice the experiences of their younger years, how each of them changed and grew and how now that they're all together they're finding ways to process and cope with all the things they've held inside over the years.

The Float Test is a reflective story that offers a powerful insight into the influence of nurture on children growing up. The story shows the struggle of families as they grow, age and become extended families - siblings become more distant, small grievances pile up, and hurtful actions lead to estranged relationships. I found the relationships between the siblings in their adult years to be burdened by histories they never learned to cope with in their younger years leaving them all to carry baggage that was a disservice to their growth and happiness. I think this book would be good for readers who enjoyed Banyan Moon or are looking to read a story about changing family dynamics in relation to aging parents.

I will note that during my readings their were times I struggled with the stream of consciousness writing style - one that felt like we were living in Jude's mind. It was a powerful tool to present the story, but there were several times I had to reread to make sure I was understanding what was being said. I also think it would be important/beneficial to note that there is depiction on page of a graphic animal death that should be included in a content warning. In the case that I didn't miss a warning that was included I will say that I was disappointed to get to that part of the story and be so close to the ending that it felt cruel to choose between finishing the book or stopping immediately due to the content. Personally I have chosen not to read or consume content that involves animal (pet specifically) death but was blindsided here. Besides that, I found this tory to be reflective and important especially being relatable as my parents are around the same age as the Kenner siblings and having to learn to interact with their siblings and aging parents in similar ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me to read and review this book early!

My review has already been posted on Goodreads and Instagram

1.5 stars

I got to 45% of this book and still had no idea where the story was headed, nor was I any more interested in any of the characters' lives, so unfortunately I had to DNF it.

The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong centers around a family with four adult children who are forcibly reunited after the death of their mother, on top of dealing with their own fraught circumstances in life.

I initially wanted to see this book through because I enjoyed the writing, which is why I bumped my typical DNF rating up by half a star. But, after a while, that didn't feel like enough to compensate for the things I didn't enjoy.

I don't understand the POV the story is told in. It seems to be first person omniscient, but how can the narrator know everything that is going on in their siblings' personal lives and what they're thinking at all times? Also, the stream-of-consciousness tangent stories make it hard to grasp what the main plot is, or if there even is one at all. And the narrator keeps hinting at some big reveal concerning the gun found in their late mother's possessions (not a spoiler; this can be found in the book's summary), but still nothing gets revealed even when you're almost halfway through the book.

I like reading books that involve complex family dynamics, but this one was just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Float Test is available now.

I loved Strong’s frost book and I love a family drama. I love the multi sibling dynamics the timelines felt messy, I like every other chapter storylines, but this one was hard to jump back in for some reason. Otherwise loved it!

I absolutely love a good family drama, and this is one of the best. Lots of sibling abrasive angst and unforgiven wrongs. Add to that a touch of unreliable narrators, parental loss, and lots of secrets. Maybe Florida is a great place for summer vacation, but it might be a little too hot for this family.

Also, I learned about mangroves. (I love nature, especially trees, and this made my little naturalist heart so happy.) How amazing mangroves are, how the seeds have to be floated, not planted, and left to their own devices. (A float test. Well played, well played.)

"Wildness, as I see it, requires living creatures of many different forms entangled in a system of surging and ebbing interactions."

A perfect beach read, where everyone is telling their own truths and keeping their own secrets. And all needing each other.

"Not everything has to be a fight."
"That's why I'm being nothing for a while."

This was an interesting, though often slow, look into the lives of four adult siblings from Florida in the days and weeks after their mother dies.

Four semi-estranged adult siblings reunite in their Florida hometown following their mother's sudden death. The story, told from the perspective of the third youngest sibling, the furthest flung and most tenuously connected, now living in NYC, recounts complicated family dynamics including a falling out with her once close writer sister, the nature of which is slowly revealed.

This deeply literary family drama is very of Florida, a strange place I'm endlessly and equally horrified and fascinated by from my perch in Ohio, an also horrifying though less fascinating locale. Lynn Steger Strong, a native Floridian, offers a well rendered setting which becomes something of a character in its own right. The writing shines and the characters feel alive, these are Steger Strong's bread and butter. The plot is a little weak, but there's much to appreciate here, including a provoking exploration of the nature of fiction.

The Float Test was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

A little disjointed but a good character-driven family drama. I like her other books so much more but I will read anything she writes!

While I enjoyed the characters, plot, and setting, the pace felt inconsistent and I was either engrossed or thinking about putting it down. Overall, I’m glad I finished, but I had to push through the family drama a few times.

This was an interesting story about family dynamics and family secrets! It's always hard for a family to come together after a death, but this was different

The Float Test is a family drama set in Florida. Florida becomes a character in this novel as the main character researches and becomes obsessed with the nature and destruction of the wilderness. We see glimpses of the old Florida vs the new Florida. The siblings lead different lives but come together after their mother dies and their father is alone.

While the siblings have been raised in privilege most found their own way in the world without evidence of financial help. Some siblings struggle more than others personally and financially. One sibling finds herself at odds with the rest of the family who have trouble trusting her. The story does climax to a believable ending. The story mostly kept my interest. There were times that I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel empathy for Fred. Her story did become a bit tiresome. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Lynn Steger Strong’s fourth novel, The Float Test, is a poignant exploration of familial relationships, grief, and buried tensions among the Kenner siblings following the sudden death of their mother, a formidable lawyer. Set in Florida, the novel centers around Fred (Winnifred), a novelist whose career has alienated her from her family. Tensions rise when Fred finds and impulsively takes a gun from her parents' closet during the funeral, introducing an undercurrent of suspense throughout the story.

Narrated by Fred’s sister Jude, who offers insight into the siblings’ innermost thoughts, the novel presents a compelling psychological portrait of a fractured family. Each sibling grapples with personal dysfunction—George hides his unemployment and failed marriage, while Jenn, the eldest, maintains an orderly life yet remains emotionally distant. Jude reveals herself more fully only toward the end, shedding light on her estrangement from Fred and the significance of the stolen gun.

Through richly crafted prose and astute observations of emotional dynamics, Steger Strong delves into the complexities of sibling bonds and personal identity. The novel is laced with humor and a constant sense of foreboding, culminating in a darkly comic ending that reaffirms the deep, if turbulent, connections among the family members. Although I found the pacing hard to follow at times, The Float Test offers a rewarding exploration of the intricate ties that bind and strain family relationships. It's a compelling read for those interested in character-driven stories that examine the nuances of family dynamics

I was really disappointed with this. I know it's on a lot of top lists, but I just didn't connect with the story or the characters.

In Lynn Steger Strong's The Float Test, someone is always diving under a wave, peeling off a shirt for a quick swim, or sitting poolside with their feet in the water. Characters are stretching long strokes out past the break or aiming for a distant sandbar. Rarely are they floating--"None of us had had the patience, the ability, to lie back and be still like that." "Us" refers to Kenner siblings Jenn, Fred (short for Winnifred), Jude (short for Judy), and George, around whom Strong (Hold Still; Want) builds a blistering novel about Florida and family dynamics, evoking heat and uncertainty as well as the comforts of home, no matter how long you've been away.

The Float Test explores the unhappy complications among these four adult siblings who are reckoning with their past and their possibilities after the untimely death of their mother. Jenn, the eldest and unofficial spokesperson for the group, delivers the eulogy at their mother's funeral: "She said a bunch of stuff about Mom that was at least half made-up." Strong tangles with this idea of partial truths or, in the case of writer Fred, truth masquerading as fiction. The novel gives readers the most access to Fred, but it is voiced by Jude. There has been a rift between the middle sisters, a betrayal obscured until nearly the end of the novel, and their physical estrangement makes for a provocative contrast with the narrative's intimacy. With so many cracks in this complicated family's facade, readers will wonder if they will be able to weather the storm

I wanted to like this one but it was boring writing that got me not be interested to finish this book. The narrator was detached and I could care less about the characters or the plot or what happens to everyone in the end.

I really enjoyed Lynn Steger Strong’s previous novel, Flight, so I was excited for The Float Test. Unfortunately, this one did not work for me and I decided to dnf. I couldn’t get into it or feel anything for these characters and it felt too similar to other books I’ve read recently with adult siblings coming back together. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book.

This was a dysfunctional family story set in Florida, centered on four grown siblings—each dealing with something, though not always in ways that felt fully explored. The narration starts with Jude, then shifts between the other siblings’ perspectives in a way that felt disjointed, not just structurally but emotionally. Oddly, the oldest sibling, Jenn, barely gets any attention, which made the whole thing feel a bit off-balance.

The writing was concise—almost impressively so—but also pretty passive. To write that tightly, there has to be something layered underneath. Here, it just felt flat. Maybe that was the intention? If so, it didn’t land for me.

I also found the ending disappointing and unnecessary. I finished the book still unsure what the point was, or what role the mom was supposed to play in any of it. A lot of buildup without much payoff.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The pace of this book was steady throughout but that also means it was kind of flat throughout. Taking a full star away for shooting the dog at the end because what was that?? What was the need for that? There also didn’t seem like any big story arc for most of the characters.

<i>What is the feeling that tells any of us, even after we're grown-ups and know better--know it's likely that they'll hurt us, maim us, leave us flayed open--to check in with the people with whom we share DNA?</i>

After their mother dies, the Kenner siblings gather at their parents's big house in Florida. It's not a coming together; Jude isn't talking to Fred, George is desperate to avoid their father, even though he also stays long after the funeral. Jenn is in and out, but too busy restocking the fridge and corralling her kids to interact with the others and their father is just sad, but their father has always been sad. The Kenner parents are wealthy. Not so wealthy that their father can't complain about the cost of riding lessons, but wealthy enough to own an enormous house on the water and to pay for each of the now adult children to be expensively educated. Now three of the four is flailing. George's wife has left him and he's been fired from his job. Fred has written some moderately successful novels, all of which offended one family member or another, but she's given that up and left her husband and has no idea what to do with her life and very little motivation to find something. Jude, now divorced, loves no one as much as she loves her teenage daughter, but her daughter wants little to do with her. Jenn seems fine, but who can tell, she's moving too quickly for anyone to get a good look at her.

This novel is told from Jude's point of view, but really it has an omniscient narrator (Jude is very much not omniscient). It's a character study of adults formed by the dysfunction of their parents, their father's depression, their mother's ability to turn from loving to vicious at any moment, and formed by their access to too much money, money that leaves them paralyzed with choice, while also expecting to live a certain lifestyle. This novel is less about character development than it is character studies of the members of this family. The the one character who has grappled with her past is not a family member, but she is the one to ask Fred why, with all her advantages, does she persist in feeling so sorry for herself.

It is frustrating to follow so many characters who persist in not developing, or if they move forward at all, it's with the sense that they will probably be back where they started from soon enough, where the hard fought truces are temporary at best. Where this books shines though in how fully it describes Florida; the beautiful, ruined ecosystem, the uncontained development, how nature still manages to inspire awe. Lynne Steger Strong is an author I always enjoy reading, and while I didn't love spending so much time with feckless wealthy people feeling sorry for themselves, the writing was so good, I had to keep reading.