I found this to be a quirky, eclectic, coming-of-age tale of a young untethered girl and her friends. With lots of introspection and trying to figure out others’ thoughts and motives, as well as her own, Phoebe leads us on a journey through her unique life. It’s like being in the mind of someone who lives in a different world, unless your world mirrored Phoebe’s in some ways, as mine did. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I enjoyed it, though it’s a little different than the books that I usually read. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

I had mixed feelings about this book.

I loved Hamilton’s earlier books and was expecting something that might be as memorable. Maybe I just set myself up for disappointment with my high expectations. While the writing is fabulous, the many pages of internal dialogue weighed it down.. I was absorbed when something was happening but lost interest in the many pages of Phoebe’s internal musings, rewriting of her reality, and what ifs. It reminded me a bit of Lily King’s new book Heart the Lover with the entry of the quirky boys that influenced Phoebe’s life. But King’s version of this was much more on point and engaging..

Phoebe Hudson has been raised by Greta who adopted or fostered her, not sure which. For some unknown reason, (we only know Greta through Phoebe’s lens), Greta takes a very reluctant Phoebe to meet her birth parents without preparing her for the fact that she was born into an intact family with three other daughters. Phoebe was the second in birth order and the only one given away. Wow…

This sets Phoebe on her road to self identity. She is about to graduate high school and go to the college Greta selected but now all bets are off. She runs away from Greta’s home to her friend, Patrick’s crazy house known as the Asylum. There are so many children, she thinks she won’t be noticed. But she is by Patrick’s older, eccentric brothers who shepherd her along on her road to self discovery. These experiences are pivotal to the life she ultimately leads.

Phoebe tells her story from the perspective of time. She recalls all the emotion, thoughts, and escapades from this turning point. The characters really are characters as Phoebe remembers them. Luna, her best friend who influenced her coming of age years and becomes a self help guru, the quirky, original O’Connor boys and their younger, more grounded brother, Patrick. Hertha, the German immigrant housekeeper who has her own unique perspective on the lives of these families.

There is much to love in this book. But for me, too many chapters felt unnecessarily drawn out for no real purpose. I would rate it somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Zippy Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.

I've been a Jane Hamilton fan for a long time, so I was thrilled to see a new one by her. The Phoebe Variations tells the coming-of-age story of Phoebe, a teen girl who is about to graduate high school with a bright future. The trajectory she had planned takes an unexpected turn, and we go along for the ride. Hamilton perfectly captures all of the uncertainty that comes along with graduating from high school, as well as navigating relationships as we grow up. Phoebe is a loveable character whom I was rooting for throughout this sweet page-turner of a novel.

A beautiful story of family and friendship and setting out to find one’s true identity. I couldn’t put it down.

When Phoebe's adopted mother, Greta, takes her and her friend to Wisconsin to meet her birth family, Phoebe begins to question everything in her life. Hamilton perfectly captures the drama of the young on the cusp of adulthood and the intense friendships that can mean everything at that age. A good book club read about friendship, mothers, and daughters.

This was a perfect summer read and a nice change of genre for me. The book takes place in Chicago during the 1970s, modern enough that the publishing market isn't too saturated with historical fiction from this time. The story is of one girl's summer after graduation and before she embarks on her future. The longing of teenage girl friendships is rendered beautifully as is those neighborhood friendships that mean so much and are fleeting but devastatingly important. This novel feels like summer without being a beach read or easliy forgotten. It reminded me of those late, hazy days of August when the thrill of summer vacation has warn off but the future is still at arms length. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book takes me back to the exact time and age that I was 17 - about to turn 18. Hamilton accurately depicts the angst and longing of a girl who is looking to find herself when she thought she already knew. Recommend!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I am already a huge Jane Hamilton fan so I was very eager to read this book and it did not disappoint. A fantastic coming of age book about girlhood and identity. I absolutely adored Phoebe’s character and was rooting for her as she navigated secrets, relationships, and figuring out who she was. This will always be an endlessly relatable theme for women. I will be reading this again and again because it was so beautifully written.

Was excited for a new Jane Hamilton novel - a moving story about adoption, family and self discovery.

I did not, unfortunately, enjoy this book. The text was too stilted for my liking, the writing and the plot so very choppy. I read about 3/4 of it, but I just couldn't keep going. Did not finish.

Phoebe's life is pretty set for graduating high school and onto college until it unravels after she is pushed into meeting her birth mother. Suddenly nothing makes sense and she takes a time out from life by hiding out at the home of a friend with 14 kids. Life with the O'Conners gives Phoebe time to try out new versions of herself starting with a new haircut. The transformation gets her noticed by her friend Patrick's older brothers and awakens new feelings and variations of herself. The writing jumps around much like a 17 year old trying to figure out her life - navigating friendship, love, being a daughter to one mother and a stranger to another. Funny and bittersweet, this coming of age story leads you to family and connectivity where you find it and not necessarily what you are born with. The story takes place in the 1970's so it will resonate with readers of a certain age and Jane Hamilton's many fans. Strong themes of mothers and relationships are key and would be a great shared book to read with your teenage daughter. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe struggles with her adoptive mother and her own emotions after discovering that her biological parents kept an older and younger siblings while putting her up for adoption.

The Phoebe Variations by Janet Hamilton is a powerful coming of age story that perfectly captures the confusion of trying to figure out who you are. Phoebe’s world is turned upside down just as she’s about to graduate high school. Her journey is heartfelt and super relatable. I loved how the author captures that in between space of girlhood and adulthood, where everything feels fragile and overwhelming, and yet full of possibility. I highly recommend this beautifully layered novel. I didn’t want it to end!

I love the work of Jane Hamilton and this book reminded me why. If you’re a fan, don’t miss it; if you’re no a fan, this book will make you one!

Seventeen-year-old Phoebe has always felt safe and loved with her adoptive mother, Greta. But when Greta suddenly decides it’s time for Phoebe to meet her birth parents, everything changes. The meeting is jarring, and Phoebe begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself, her family, and her place in the world.

The tension deepens when Greta agrees to foster two rowdy brothers for the summer and expects Phoebe to step in as their full-time babysitter. It’s the final straw.

With the fierce support of her best friend Luna, Phoebe takes off. She finds refuge at the chaotic but welcoming home of her other best friend, Patrick, where she quickly blends into his large family of twelve siblings.

The Phoebe Variations is a moving coming-of-age story about escape, identity, chosen family, and what it really means to grow up. Jane Hamilton beautifully captures the ache and resilience of adolescence in this quiet novel.

#ThePhoebeVariations #JaneHamilton #ZibbyBooks #ComingOfAge #FoundFamily

Beautiful writing and emotionally moving story about adoption.I related to this aspect of this story and enjoyed from first to last page.#NetGalley #libby

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. Once I realized that Phoebe wasn't going to leave her friend's house I totally lost all interest in the book. Rambling, hard to keep track of characters, nothing compelled me to continue.

Lonely foster child Phoebe's life changes the day she meets a kindred soul in the local library, both gushing over "Jane Eyre." Phoebe living on the "wrong side" of the town, while privileged Luna has wanted for nothing. Becoming fast friends on a "soul" level, Luna runs the show while Phoebe is fine hiding behind her hair and glasses until the day she decides to leave her foster mother's home for good. Too full of pain and confusion about the family that gave her away and resenting her foster mother's attempts to have her forge a relationship with her biological parents and siblings, Phoebe runs away and starts to live her own life. Making some questionable decisions, Phoebe is now writing 50 years later about her now extinct friendship with Luna and how she has forged her own path for herself and her son.

I came away from this novel with more questions about the various characters than answers. The fact that Phoebe is writing 50 years later and remembering her life as a 17-year-old isn't really made clear until much later in the book. I found this overly long, wandering and rather pointless. If you like to read about the passage of time, memories and what a mother's love really is and you have a lot of time to invest in reading, then this one is for you.

The book's adoption aspect drew me in as an adoptive mom. The self-exploration and discoveries along the way kept my attention. This is a beautiful story, and I raced to the end to find out the main character's outcome. Well done! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In the final days of high school in suburban Illinois, Phoebe Hudson became a new person. Set to graduate at the top of her class, knowing she was adopted but loving her mother (no matter how strange her behavior), and firmly entrenched with a best friend, Luna, but suddenly nothing is as it seems. She even cut all of her hair off. Jane Hamilton’s The Phoebe Variations explores these days from Phoebe’s point of view years later, and as a result, there is the uncertainty of memory and reason of age mixed in. In fact, there is a lot more musing than action, so readers who need a plot heavy book may be disappointed. Personally, having grown up in suburban Illinois in a similar time (1970s), and currently working daily with high school students, I found a lot of truth and much to enjoy in this book. Hamilton rambles at times, but not unlike an old friend recalling past events, and her witty sense of humor shines through.