Palm Meridian is such a lovely blend of fun and celebration mixed with grief and mourning. While I enjoyed the book overall, it still fell a bit flat in certain aspects.

What I enjoyed though, first off, was the plot. I loved the idea of a queer women retirement home, in the middle of an apocalyptic Florida. Like — hell yeah. I also love loved the back and forth between timelines; I thought Grace Flahive did a wonderful job marrying both parts of Hannah's life together. Also – the prose was beautiful. There was such colorful imagery and almost a lyricism to Flahive's words—I loved it.

I think where the novel fell short, is ultimately were some of the characters. Flahive introduces us to a *lot* of characters (obviously, it's the end of Hannah's life), but with that big of an ensemble, it was hard to get invested in all of them. Even when they are supposed to be incredibly important to her. I also struggled with staying engaged for parts of the novel—mostly in the early hours before Hannah's party and a bit in the middle.

I have mixed emotions on the ending as well; aspects I thought were done well and then others I felt were rushed.

Overall though, I am excited to see what else Flahive writes + I did truly enjoy reading Palm Meridian.

3.5 stars but rounded to 3.

Real Rating: 4.25* of five

The idea that people born in the 1990s will be retiring to (surviving) Florida in 2067 feels...exuberantly optimistic...but I'll go with it. More especially I'm thrilled at the notion of the right to die being well established in this future, and the existence of queer elder spaces is just ordinary, and hell! sign me up!

Of course I'd be well into supercentenarianhood in 2067, the year the book's set, which ya know what, maybe not so much, thanks anyway.

The point of this story is satisfying to me, the way at the end pf life one wants to take stock and to see what can be fixed among the innumerable errors we've made. Sophie, our PoV character's "one that got away," is invited to Hannah's end of life celebration. We see their relationship in flashbacks, which does not add suspense in the usual way...we know the relationship collapses...but does make Hannah's desire to see Sophie again before she chooses to escape the awfulness of her end-stage cancer more impactful.

It's really moving in a quiet, contemplative way. Wrenching losses remembered, not lived through in real time...choices muffed, but long ago...people loved and cherished for an entire lifetime who only know the event we're reading about and the actors in this present resolution as names, or as their survivor selves. It's poignant, it's moving, and I think it's done very well indeed.

It is not a Big! Dramatic! Finish!

I wouldn't've liked the read had it been so. I did very much wish I'd felt the flashbacks into Sophie and Hannah's early relationship in the 2020s had somehow sowed seeds for their world of 2067. I get just how spoiled a readerly reaction that is, yet as it is the flashbacks don't do more than tell me how awful the two people were in their youth. It isn't all that interesting, that point, and the net result is to take more away from the effect of the read than add to it.

I'm not at all trying to discourage you from reading the book. I hope you will because the imperfect future ahead of us is so hopefully presented in Hannah's story. It's got lots of problems, but when has the world not had problems? Have you not yet had enough of doomscrolling?

If so, come to Palm Meridian, settle in, and be told that the world will muddle through, that we will manage somehow to lovve and care for each other, and make it work as best we can.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press | Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for an early copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day! I loved the storyline and the characters. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

Palm Meridian ticked all the boxes for me. I am always looking for a great bookclub recommendation and I believe this will be one of my favorite this year. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I know I was not disappointed. I laughed, I cried, I was transported to the Palm Meridian as I read this book.

If you knew you only had one night left on Earth, I can’t imagine a better way to spend it then a blow out party with all your best friends, except maybe sending also an invite to who got away that you never fell out of love with. Who knows if they may show up?

This debut novel is beautiful: equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. I turned the last page with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart. A lovely book about friendship, love, and saying goodbye, I can’t recommend this one enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While this is a story that covers tough topics like terminal illness, assisted suicide, and the one that got away, PALM MERIDIAN is also a tale of queer elder joy

I LOVED this from the jump!! It was hilarious, it was gut wrenching, and it made me hopeful that in all of the world’s chaos, there are queer elders who make it to their 70s and 80s. I look to this dynamic in the future so I can see and be one of those elder queers

I could (and honestly might) write an essay about this book on my Substack because of how invested I am in the future of queer elders and queer elder joy, since this post can only be so long. Thank you SO MUCH to Avid Reader Press for giving me an e-ARC of this. It’s probably my favorite read of the year so far 💕💕

I was very intrigued by the premise and loved how this kicked off, but at some point my excitement for this book began to wane. I made it to about 35% and while we've been introduced to many characters in both timelines, I feel like not much has actually happened. I started to have to make myself pick the book back up because it wasn't holding my interest. After a few attempts, including trying the audiobook, I decided not to force it. Maybe I'll pick it up again one day and it will hit differently, but I am DNF it for now.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Delighted to include this title Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

3.75/5
Okay, but I was totally digging the Palm Meridian Retirement Resort! If this great sense of community is what I have to look forward to in my 70s, I'm all in! I love the vibrant lives these friends have created for themselves! There was just so much love!

Through dual timelines with flashbacks, we follow Hannah's journey as she builds a life, finds love, and forges fierce friendships.

I was in tears as I finished Palm Meridian. I couldn't have imagined just how much Hannah's story would affect me. Just like real life, this book is full of love, joy, friendship, and heartbreak, and I can't believe it's over.

"Hannah felt herself smile.
She'd had so much fun being alive."

Read this if you like books with:
• Fabulous friendships
• Dual timelines
• Reflections on life
• Florida vibes

Many thanks to @avidreaderpress for the complimentary copy! Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hannah has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She is having a party on her last day of life before she goes to her appointment at the hospital to end it all the next morning. At this party she is hoping to have one last chance to see her one true love whom she hasn't seen in 40+ years. The invite was sent out, but will Sophie show up? With every other chapter shining light on her past, we get a look at what led Hannah to where she is at now... waiting and hoping.

What I loved: The author did a fantastic job of describing time and place. I really felt connected to where the characters were because of the author's descriptive writing style. It was really lovely and well done. The writing was great.

What made this a three star read for me: The story itself didn't fully grab me and it took me longer to get through than I would have thought it should. The ending was the pivotal moment we were all waiting for and, though it was impactful, it felt like it took too long to get there.

I believe this is a debut and I'm keeping this author on my radar for sure! Overall, really touching read that may have you shedding a tear at the end.

I loved the premise of this story, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for. The author’s writing style is very descriptive and filled with over-the-top wacky metaphors. I think it was supposed to be funny, but it frequently felt overdone and exhausting. I rolled my eyes more than I laughed.

I liked the strong friendships, but I found most of the characters either too silly or overly dramatic. For characters who are supposed to be full of life and aging vibrantly, they seemed overly fixated on sex, gossip, and frivolity. I wanted to experience their joy, but this wasn’t a form of joy I could relate to.

The main conflict seemed to be about something that happened among friends decades ago, but I didn’t see it as significant enough to cause such an uproar. And I can’t conceive of someone pining for a lost love for 40 years without ever attempting to reach out to that person. How could you love someone so deeply and never call, write, or text? And have these people never heard of social media?

The story is told in a dual timeline (one covering the main character’s last day at a retirement resort, and the other spanning decades of her life) that built tension. The ending was sad but sweet. I’m sure some people will love this novel, but it just wasn’t for me.

This might appeal to fans of women’s fiction or stories centering elderly queer women and strong friendships.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

PALM MERIDIAN is a bountiful book filled with so much life, fantasy and alternative families that it is difficult to pinpoint the genre. The book is packed with well-placed reflections on mortality and the joy of life. Author Grace Flahive has created characters that jump off the page and take up residence in readers’ minds. As our main character, Hannah, prepares for her planned death, her friends, lovers and neighbors prepare to celebrate her in one final party. The year is 2067 and much about her world is decidedly different than present day. Yet the humans who populate this world are as relatable and real as any today. As the party begins, readers learn about Hannah’s life through flashbacks. This is a gem of a book that raised questions I continue to reflect upon. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

A retirement community consisting of queer women in Florida 2067 plan a party for resident Hannah. Fun and spirited the party will be the perfect final goodbye to Hannah. She has disclosed she has terminal cancer and wants to end her life her way with dignity.

As the guests arrive, reflections of her past are revealed. She has remarkable accomplishments in her life. A successful business she co-owned with her childhood friend, Luke. Despite its success, the one longing desire is to see the love of her life again. The longing is palpable. Sophie was sent an invitation, but she hasn’t returned the rsvp. Time is running out.

Equal parts heart wrenching and heartwarming. This creative and fresh take on romance is packed with emotion as well as humor. I’m looking forward to the next book by Grace Flahive.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy.

🌴 New Book Release 🌴

🐊Palm Meridian🐊

In 2067, with Florida partly underwater, Palm Meridian Retirement Resort remains a lively haven for women enjoying their later years. Residents dance, compete, and live boldly despite age-related aches.

Hannah Cardin, a ten-year resident, is preparing for a medically assisted death after a terminal cancer diagnosis. Before it happens, she throws a wild farewell party, inviting friends and her long-lost love, Sophie.

As the party unfolds and Sophie’s absence looms, Hannah reflects on her life and their past romance. But when a hidden secret emerges, Hannah must rethink her final choice.

Set over one day and spanning decades, Palm Meridian celebrates life’s unexpected, vibrant moments.

This book was such a different story with the assisted death topic. I was surprised death wasn’t more of a topic, but only once is it talked about as the story offers flashbacks to the earlier years of Hannah’s life.

I loved reading about not only Hannah’s life but her close friends as well in both the past and present. So many lovable side characters, but that plot twist at the end of the book threw me! Never saw that plot twist coming!!

My only complaint is that I wish the chapters were longer so we would stay in the past longer so there wasn’t as much back and forth!

I also enjoyed that the setting is dystopian. I’m confused as to why this was done, maybe because of the assisted death being legal in Florida when today there are only a few states with legalized assisted death. Overall, I definitely recommend this unique queer story.

4⭐️
1🌶️

Author: @graceflahivewrites
Publisher: @simonandschuster
Out today!!!

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @graceflahivewrites for sending me this e-ARC for my honest thoughts!

The year is 2067 at Palm Meridian, in Florida, a retirement home for lesbian, trans and bi women. One such resident is Hannah who after a fatal diagnosis has chosen to end her life. This is her story flipping back and forth between present day and important events in her existence. Building up to a big farewell party,as raucous as her, with loving friends and a few secrets.
There was so much enjoyment in this community living in the shadow of drastic climate change. Watching nature taking back Florida and the changes in lifestyle was always on my mind. Even though it was an end of life it managed to be joyous
Thank you netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this arc

This is a book I will remember for quite a while. It is one of the best I've read this year. Events in this book take place over a single day interspersed with snippets from the 70+ years of the main character's life. By the end, I felt as if I knew every character and was on the emotional ride they experienced that day. I found myself completely invested and anxious as more was revealed. The storyline is unique and the writing is full of vivid imagery. I highly recommend this and look forward to what other works come from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Palm Meridian is a retirement community for queer women in northern Florida - the only part left in 2067, after the rest has succumbed to rising waters and climate change.

Hannah, a resident there for the past ten years, is planning the party to end all parties for herself and her friends because, well, she is dying. In fact, after receiving a fatal cancer diagnosis, Hannah has decided the day on which she will die - the morning after.

Told over the course of one day in the present, as Hannah and her wild cast of friends prep for the shindig, interspersed with stories from seventy odds years worth of highs and lows from her exceptional life, we wait along with the gang for the arrival of Sophie.

Sophie was Hannah’s one true love.

But as the morning draws nearer and a forty year secret is revealed, Hannah has some difficult decisions to make.

There’s a lot of humor and hope in this big hearted tale of what it means to love, to give over to the unexpected and relish in it.

I found it to be a little over the top and repetitive at times, but Hannah is the most winsome character, and I fell in love with her. Ultimately it will break your heart, but isn’t that what it means to love?

I saw a review that said, “This book emotionally destroyed me and I’ll be crying for the foreseeable future,” and that’s right on the money. Thanks to Avid Reader Press and Simon Audio for the gifted copies — I’ll be sending my therapy bills to you this week.

Quick summary because the cover is a little deceiving: Set in the year 2067, the book takes place over the course of one day at a Florida retirement resort for queer women — the last day of Hannah’s life. After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, she’s decided on a medically assisted death, set for tomorrow. It’s a day of preparations and celebrations as her friends throw her a great big beautiful end-of-life party.

The story moves between scenes at the party and flashbacks from Hannah’s past. The structure works so well — the current-day chapters are hilarious and tender, even though they’re set at her pre-death party. The flashbacks aren’t overly sad, though they do explore some tough moments in her life.

I loved this book. Most of it is actually delightful — funny, touching, full of joy — but the last few chapters are devastating. It’s a book about finding joy in life as it’s ending, and there’s something so beautiful (and so profoundly sad) about that. If you’re looking for something unique, quick, and emotionally resonant, give this one a shot.

Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive is a captivating and heartwarming tale of rekindled love, enduring friendship, and the richness of a life well-lived, all set against the vibrant backdrop of a Florida retirement resort. This delightful summer read promises to engage and entertain, inviting readers to explore the complexities of relationships and the joys of second chances.

This Canadian-born author's debut features rich, descriptive language; deep love of multiple types; unabashed joy; heartbreak; betrayal; and a bit of regret. Main character, Hannah, is an accomplished scientist, stemming from her lifelong desire to fix things. Climate crisis is a major theme of the story, which is told during one day at the end of Hannah's life, bolstered by flashbacks of 70-plus years. The supporting cast of characters includes Hannah's parents, who were academics; childhood best friend/later business partner, Luke; college-and-beyond friend, Esme; love of Hannah's life, Sophie; and various staff and residents of the Palm Meridian Retirement Resort—itself practically a character—in which Hannah lives after she retires, including a married couple: small Eileen and tall Eileen. The Florida resort residents are living their biggest lives—under horrific circumstances—right up until their very ends.

It's not surprising, given the environment of the story, that it includes dark—even morbid—humor, as well as a touch of self-deprecating humor. LGBTQ representation includes *at least* lesbian, bi, and trans folks.

I became so invested in the storytelling of Hannah's life that Palm Meridian made me cry. Thus, I awarded the book two little rating bumps, just during the time it took me to review my highlights and notes.