I have some mixed feelings about this. The concept was a really cool idea and the book itself was also really good. My problem was that this book had a bit to many religious undertone. I am not a against that in a book but as a whole I felt like it really dragged this book down. I wanted a cool sci-fi horror but what I got was a religious sci-fi that just wasn't for me.

This was a really interesting read!!! I was immediately drawn to the story, especially the fantasy aspect with these weird doors opening all over the world. I was a bit sad that the fantasy aspect of the doors were kind of a side plot, so the world building/explorer aspect left me confused and wanting a little bit more. But I can see how the doors really served as choices and temptations of new realities. More than anything, though, I stayed curious throughout the book and found that the emotional depth of the main character and those around her really grounded the story.

Giddings is an incredible writer, so I really enjoyed how she described complex family dynamics and the strong bond between the two sisters early on (though I do wish we got a bit more time with them exploring the door together before the story changes). I enjoyed the shift in the story that explored messages about religion and chosen family. I also loved how Ayanna’s friendships were explored and grew over time in her adulthood. I think I enjoyed the last part of the book the most because it helped tie in one of many powerful aspects of the story; how Ayanna is molded by her community and holds her grief, and those who choose to hold it with her. The last part of the book was gut wrenching and made me realize how badly I was rooting for Ayanna to find the answers she needed.

I will warn you that the pacing in the first part of the book can feel long and slow, but it’s really just setting up Ayanna’s coming of age story, and then later, her adulthood. But if you like emotional stories that feature ghosts + touch on topics like faith, family, grief, and friendship, andddd don’t mind a character driven story that can feel slow/frustrating because the answers aren’t obvious, you’ll enjoy this! 3.8.

I have read this author's previous 2 novels, Lakewood & The Women Could Fly, and loved both. I was very excited to be approved for this, her 3rd novel, as an advance reader. This wasn't at all what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised with what was explored.

This functions primarily as a coming of age story. This is about how we are shaped by our community & our parents and how they were in turn shaped by their own community & parents. This has shades of Toni Morrison's Beloved and explores grief in depth. This is only peripherally about the doors. Much like Beloved is only peripherally about a haunted house or a ghost. In many ways Ayanna's journey reminds me of Denver in Beloved. I would say Beloved also crosses genres; it's historical fiction and horror with gothic notes. It's primarily about the generational trauma and pain from slavery still lived out in the descendants of the formerly enslaved. It's a scathing indictment of chattel slavery. It's literature and so it is all of these elements and more. Meet Me at the Crossroads has that same feel, almost literature. This straddles that genre as it does the other genres.

While this could be triggering for a person who is struggling with grief and loss, it is decidedly not trauma or pain 'porn'. Each element of the story, no matter how odd or disjointed it might feel, ultimately figures into the overall narrative. The beginning of this is fascinating and I found myself deeply engrossed in the mystery of the doors. I was a little frustrated when the story begins to focus on the family of Ayanna & Olivia. As the story begin to shift to an exploration of the family, adulthood, grief, and other themes, the tone and pacing shift. It's almost like an extremely long prologue and I found the shift jarring at first. However, I soon settled into Ayanna's coming of age story and I understood the necessity of the long introduction. So if you as a reader are finding the pacing shift confusing, hold on because it picks back up and the story will address your concerns. I am still processing the ending. What a glorious journey though!

This audiobook is narrated by Brittany Bradford. This was as much literature as it was speculative fiction. It's not easy to narrate novels that have subtle elements in them, like this does. Brittany manages to add so much depth to this story. I honestly think it enhances the experience. I also think this novel is an excellent candidate for immersion reading. I think with literature, that immersion reading provides the best experience.

Thank you to Megan Giddings, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this book

One day seven doors appear, no one knows where they came from or exactly where they go because when they open it is always different. One of these doors opens up in a smallish town in Michigan. Twins Ayanna and Olivia go through the door one day but only Ayanna returns. This is where the story really starts and turns into a story of grief and trauma. A story of four life long friends.

I would say that the is a speculative fiction story more so than a fantasy, the doors are more of a plot device than a main storyline.

Ayanna and Olivia are twin sisters, who live separately due to their parents different religious beliefs. Olivia lives with her mother, a devout Christian, and Ayanna lives with her father, a leader in a “taboo” religion that involves 7 mysterious doors that appear suddenly throughout the world and lead to other worlds. When one of the twins goes missing, we follow the other twin as she navigates life without her best friend, while also navigating managing her grief and the grief of all the adults around her and trying to live a “normal life”.

💭 My Thoughts
This was easily a five star read for me, and out of all of the author’s novels, this one has become my favorite. As a lover of science fiction and speculative fiction, I appreciated the way the author wove in themes of that currently permeate today’s society (i.e. race, gender, religious beliefs, sexuality, capitalism), while also incorporating the doors as an unknown/mysterious element. We don’t learn a lot about the doors throughout the novel and I believe that was the point. Despite how the doors came about, the impact on society and religion were notable, and Ayanna and Olivia were deeply impacted by their appearance. This is where the author primarily focuses, and this is what I enjoyed most! The lessons the surviving twin learns on grief, religion, family, friendships, race, love, queerness, spirituality, etc as she matures into adulthood is the story, not the doors, and I enjoyed every single magical page of it. Having finished the book a week ago, I still find myself thinking of the book and what I took away from certain parts. I plan to re-read again and again! 5 ⭐️

✨One of my favorites quotes✨
“When the soil and rock could not speak of Gold, the spirit sang that your love must not be like a net, letting some of your catch fall through. Your love must be as firm as a clasped fist. If you cannot love like this, you do not know love.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio, and Megan Gidding for this free eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date, but my co-host claimed it before me and recommended it instead.

This is too good to be real. I was so into the relationship of the twins, the doors, and their family makeup. Then I fell in love with everything else. It is beautiful and complicated. I loved the ending.
This is ultimately a book about grief and love but there is a lot more to it.
The narration was absolute perfection!

I had to sit with my thoughts about this book for a while before writing out my review. His is high-concept science fiction with a deeply philosophical underpinning. It's meant to push its readers, challenge them, and make them think. This isn’t a beach read. But it is lush, even its darkest moments. The part that didn’t quite pay off for me was the time-framing, but, honestly, an ambitious book like this can go so much more sideways that I’m happy with this one. I wouldn’t at all mind living in this world or knowing most of these people, and that's high praise for literary sci-fi in my book.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Very interesting premise and beautiful cover. I expected this novel to be more about the doors, but it ended up being too much of a ghost story for me to love it. The author did a good job of presenting the complexities of grief through various characters.

What a stunning portrayal of grief. Giddings delivers a coming-of-age story that raises more questions than it answers in the best way. I especially appreciated the exploration of faith and how it affects familial bonds. And the speculative element was the prefect addition. Loved it.

The author hooks you with an intriguing premise: seven mysterious doors appearing out of nowhere and opening to another world. But rather than taking you on a journey inside the alternate universe, Giddings expands the world around the doors by following how people use faith and fear to cope with uncertainty and loss. This literary exploration is stunning, with prose that forces you to reflect on life and grief, while making you grateful for the communities you build around yourself at different points in life. It was such an interesting depiction of how everyone copes with changes in their lives differently, and a reminder that the people you lose are a lot closer than they seem.

While I appreciated the deep and introspective conversations this book had, I did feel a little disappointed that we didn’t explore the space behind the doors more and Ayanna’s abilities after her experience. I found myself less invested in the side characters introduced in act two, and I wish some of that space could have been filled with more exploration into the doors, although I understand the decision to leave the mystery. I think overall, if you’re looking for a speculative fiction piece about the doors, you will leave slightly disappointed. However, if you’re looking for a reflective, literary, coming of age story with hints of magical realism, this book is just for you. This was a strong introduction to this author for me, and I am excited to check out more of their work in the future.

3.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up)

This was a stunning and evocative speculative fiction book. I found it to be very emotional and thought provoking. I loved the concept of the doors. It’s very heavy in character. I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderful.

Meet Me at the Crossroads starts with an irresistible hook: seven mysterious doors appear around the world, offering an escape, or a trap. The premise is rich, and Megan Giddings writes with lyrical intensity, especially when exploring the bond between twin sisters Ayanna and Olivia. The themes of faith, family, and the limits of love are compelling and timely.

But while the setup pulled me in, the pacing often dragged, and I found myself wanting more clarity and structure in the worldbuilding. The otherworldly realm felt more symbolic than lived-in, and at times that made it hard to stay grounded in the stakes. Olivia and Ayanna’s emotional arcs were powerful, but I wanted to see more complexity in the supporting characters and their motivations.

Still, Giddings has a unique voice and big ideas, and I admire the ambition behind this novel. If you like quiet, introspective speculative fiction with a focus on relationships over action, this might work better for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance of the audiobook!

I was hooked by the premise! Seven mysterious doors showing up around the world? Sign me up. While it ended up being more of a coming-of-age story than the magical adventure I was expecting, I still really enjoyed the emotional depth and thought-provoking themes. Being separated from your sibling wretched at my heartstrings for sure.

The audiobook narration was also really well done and pulled me into the story even more. If you like character-driven stories with a touch of surreal mystery, this is definitely worth a read (or listen!).

I received this book as an ARC for a review. It was a very interesting book! I expected there to be more magical elements, but it’s mostly a coming of age story with a little bit of magic. I appreciated reading about Ayanna’s journey dealing with grief, forming lasting friendships, and leaving her childhood religion. It’s a moving human story layered with a bit of magic.

On an unassuming day, seven doors suddenly appear all over the world. At first, they don’t open, but once they do, they seem to lead to another universe or dimension.

Ayanna and her twin sister, Olivia, are split between their divorced parents, each living with one parent. Ayanna lives with their father, who is part of a religion devoted to the local door, while Olivia lives with their mother, a devout Catholic who is against worship of the doors.

As the girls near adulthood, Olivia goes missing. Ayanna is lost without her sister and tries to make sense of the world around her without her other half and best friend. She hopes Olivia returns, but as time moves on, the possibility seems less and less likely.

This is a beautiful coming of age story surrounding the mystery of the doors. I expected the focus of the book to be the doors, they are portals to another universe after all. But the focus is on Ayanna as she grows up and comes to terms with the loss of her sister and family. I related to her confusion while coming of age and navigating college, and I can’t imagine doing all of that while also missing your twin. Ayanna never gives up hope that she’ll one day see her sister again. This is an awesome story about grief, love, and finding your place in the world. Get your copy on June 3, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s not really as sci-fi/fantasy as the synopsis suggests, but more of a character driven literary story with speculative elements. I loved the writing and character development and the audiobook narrator did a great job. I especially appreciated the grief representation and how each character experienced it differently. It felt very nuanced and real. This book reminded me of some of my favorites like The Measure, Here One Moment, and The Vanishing Half. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy character driven stories, unexplained speculative elements, and hard-hitting emotional themes. I will definitely read more from this author and can’t wait to check out her previously published books!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review!

Mary
1,369 reviews
1 follower

May 3, 2025
I finished Meet Me at the Crossroads this morning and immediately checked out Megan Giddings Lakewoods from the library. That’s how much I loved this book! I hadn’t read anything by Giddings before, and when I read the description of “ …Crossroad,” I wasn’t sure it would be for me, but the themes explored here are much greater and deeper than the synopsis. I tagged this novel as sci- fi because seven mysterious doors suddenly appear throughout the world and when the doors open, they appear to lead to new dimensions in the universe. The doors open and what is viewed through them differs at times. Of course many will want to walk through them and do. What happens to those who go through the doors varies also. A religion is born. I thought the logical name of the new religion would be “the doors” ( because ima huge fan!). It wasn’t. But what strikes me most about the book is not the plot, it’s the deep treatise on grief, love, and family, (chosen and biological).

…”Once, the spirit sang that love was two intersecting paths. In a small ranch house, a mother converted her grief into red wine. She spoke to herself, to the wind, to God. Each utterance, a different attempt at penitence. If you apologize enough, if you make yourself small before glory, the universe will open its arms to you.

Sometimes, late at night, sometimes after enough prayer, the mother heard her lost daughter’s voice, like music drifting in a window from very far away.

When you are lucky enough to have the dead speak to you, listen.
When you are lucky to be given a miracle, you must see it.
When you are lucky enough to be loved, you must treat it like a seed. You nourish it in yourself, yes, but you are meant to instill it back into the world. To not do this is a sin.”

I loved this book and give it my highest recommendation.