This was a very good story built on decades of women in the Cole family. It had strong female leads and intricate relationships that helped shape all the different characters into the unique lineage of the cursed family.
There was a lot of emotion and tragic events that unfolded that made you want to yell out at the characters to warn them.
I enjoyed the book. It was written well and the ending was satisfying- nothing was left untold.

Wow!

Thank you to Crooked Lane for gifting me this ARC. It was an addictive, compelling read that I flew through in a day as I couldn’t put it down.

It follows the Cole women, who are cursed to never live to see their grandchildren born, and forbidden to leave the tiny island their ancestor was banished to - Juniper Island.

Feared, hated and ostracised by their fellow islanders, the book follows different generations of Cole women as they each deal with the curse in their own way.

It is beautifully written, compelling and captivating. I was totally drawn into the story and the characters’ struggles and it’s a heart breaking, emotional tale of women, prejudice and what it means to be ‘othered’.

Touching on anti-semitism, homophobia and misogyny, this book was a powerful and emotional read that will stay with me.

Highly recommend and please check out my TikTok review for more.

The Curse of the Cole Women is a multi-generational tale of othering, mental health, and fortitude. On the small and remote island of Juniper, the Cole women are cursed: said to be witches and ostracized from the community, only two Cole women can live at once. Generationally, when the daughter comes of age, the mother dies, drowning in the sea. Soon after, a new generation is born. The book centers around the idea of the curse: is there truly a curse, or are the repeated and untimely deaths of the Cole women the result of a lifetime of ostracization and rejection?

Unfortunately, this book never really grasped me the way I hoped it would. The book follows the abuse by the townsfolk, particularly as it is propagated by the men of the town. In this way, the book is aiming for a feminist ending: only the love between women, both romantic and familial, are able to repair what has been broken by generations of abuse. However, I struggled to feel like the town’s hatred of the women was very real. To a degree, it felt unbelievable, like the book never really convinced me of it. The Cole womens’ interactions with the town are largely told as stage whispers about witches and camera-perfect shutting of blinds every time a Cole woman walks down the street. Occasionally, the shopkeeper refuses to sell a Cole woman something. I never really felt like the situation felt grounded in a way that made it feel impactful. Even the man who is most directly responsible for the pain to the family is…bad? But he’s not bad in any particularly interesting way. He’s never built up to be a compelling character. I didn’t feel that his ending had much impact.

I believe that this is exacerbated by the somewhat rushed plot. A lot is told rather than shown. Big scenes are glossed over in a way that took away from the emotional impact. The book also intermixes the three womens’ chapters, causing the reader to bounce between decades of the story, but it rarely builds any suspense or mystery even when the book is aiming for such an impact. When the answer to the final mystery is revealed, motivations are attributed to action that just have no basis in the text, taking away from the reading experience. Interesting relationships are often built in past-tense rather than shown on page. The writing is fine but tended towards being a bit clunky. Ultimately, I felt the book lacked the spark that made me excited to pick it up.

This was a 2.5 star read for me, rounded up to a 3. I generally felt that this book was fine. The question of whether or not the curse was real fell flat for me, but the moment-to-moment reading experience was decent. I did like the ending and its focus on the love between women; it did make me feel something even if the rest of the book tended not to. I think that other books use the idea of a feminist tale across generations of abused women better, but this has an interesting take in the remote island setting that would make it worth the read to someone seeking out a similar story.

This was such a pleasant read I really enjoyed having multiple POV and all of them were connected, I however felt like the end was somewhat rushed and would’ve hoped for a bit more of strange events and a bit of a gloomier atmosphere. I would 100% recommend this book.

The Cole women have endured a lot, being the town pariahs since one of their ancestors was sentenced to death in the witch trials. While the story is great for fans of stories with multiple POVs, I wish the organization of the chapters had been different. Instead of interweaving the women’s stories into each other, I think dividing the books into parts or sections for each character would be more effective. The writing style was good and I loved the build up to one of the queer romances. The twist was surprisingly effective and did manage to catch me off guard, as I arrogantly thought I had it figured out, the author proved me wrong, which I liked. Overall, I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction and multigenerational stories.

Mild spoiler

I feel so much empathy for Rebecca, but it’s hard at times because I could tell from the beginning Cal was going to leave her high and dry. It was like watching your little sister make all of life’s worst decisions.

The Curse of the Cole Women by Marielle Thompson
⭐⭐⭐.5 stars

The Cole women are cursed. Their whole lineage is cursed to live on Juniper, in the lighthouse. Only two Coles can live at a time, when one comes, the older generation gives herself to the sea and the newer ones have to grow fatherless, face the cruelty of the islanders, generations after generations...

The setting of the "curse" was the first thing which made me intrigued by this book. We follow three generations of Cole women here and how each one navigates their lives with the curse. The setting of the lighthouse and how the women needed to keep it working for the safety of the islanders yet to face hostility because they are considered witches. I really liked the concept of this book, it was quite well executed too
For the characters, I loved Mabel's pov, she is really considerate and a good human being. As for Rebecca, i liked her the least cuz she was the most ungrateful one, [but her arc near the end was good, did justice to her character. Special mention to Evelyn, she went to lengths to prove her love and her dedication made me tear up.
The writing was absolutely awesome. Great pacing, kept me hooked the whole time. I just couldn't keep it down. Just that if the ending could have had been different, but this is one is great too. The mother daughter dynamics through ages is captured really well. Makes you think and retrospect (respect for this aspect).

Overall a great read with something different and a great diversity of characters to enjoy. But tw; misogyny which is at times difficult to get through
🌊🕯️⛵⚓💞💔🏳️‍🌈
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooker Lane Books for arc

This book is beautiful. A truly riveting tale of mental health and the pressure of small town expectations. Already a sucker for sapphic tropes, the main romance in this book tugged on my heartstrings and did not let go. I found the ending tied up loose strings very well, and I appreciated the small callbacks to little hints sprinkled throughout the book. I would love to hear where the Cole lineage ended up in modern times. I appreciated the time jumps and it was quite easy to differentiate between timelines and I did not mix up any names (which happens to me a lot with multiple timelines).

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy—I very much appreciate it!

Not usually one for tragic stories but I'm a fan of Alcove books and THE CURSE OF THE COLE WOMEN was a powerful one.

I like what this author was trying to do, this is a very powerful and poignant book, but it doesn’t quite hold its weight. The ending is sweet but in my opinion minimises the suffering and the ‘curse’, I’d have liked more theatrics and something more meaningful within the resolution. And a better explanation/end of the curse.

This book is heavy on suicides and mental health without fully committing or understanding them, those moments and scenes surrounding them need more emotion and accuracy— it’s also hard to decipher how much of the curse is a real magical thing or just coincidence/fear? The consistency throughout the book just isn’t there for me.

I do love the loud independent women, so many great characters, though the misogyny and misunderstandings leading to their pain was hard to read— my heart breaks for all of these women.
Still these stories do need to be written.

I like the writing style and atmosphere, it is a heart wrenching story that just needs some ironing out.
The premise and build up were messy but still kept my interest.
Although it did feel a little long and rambling at times this is still a gripping story full of tension and generational trauma, so painfully relatable. Also Witches and diverse characters/sexualities.

An interesting and original read, the timeline could be confusing and hard to follow at times, particularly because the women/their lives are so similar which makes it difficult to remember what happened to who.

***Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

*****

‘Her girl would be as Mabel herself was; born of brine and soil and thorns and curses.’

‘And Cal left without looking back, as if she stopped existing when she was out of his sight, as if she were a doll that only came to when he touched her. Sometimes, most times, that felt true.
But, she figured, that was just what love was.’

‘For what is a witch but a name, a death sentence, strapped to a woman by others?’

‘Her laugh sounded like heartbreak as she closed the door behind her. Rebecca felt herself sink back into despair and the temporary release of sleep, the body she did not want anymore slumping into slumber.
It was true, Rebecca would not remember anything Simone had done, anything Simone had said.
No, Simone alone would carry the weight of those days, the burden of her life so much heavier than any curse could be.’

Oh how I loved this. My favourite sub genre of tragic female led stories relating to the ocean. These characters tugged at my heart. The three timelines was done perfectly and didn’t feel too jumpy if that’s something you’re worried about. Each generation felt like unique characters and overall was just a beautiful story

This book was a roller coaster. I was sucked in quickly and couldn't put it down till I finished. I cried so much. It was so beautifully written and so tragic.

The Curse of the Cole Women follows the generations of a family that are said to have been cursed to be stuck on a island with a small community that abuses them and isolates them, and how these women try to find the light in it all or even a escape. There's romance, mystery, tragedies, and the trauma and curse haunting them.


I loved the style the book was written in, jumping between the different generations as their story unfolds. I loved how deep and meaningful it was, the complexities of the characters, the overall meaning and feeling I'm left with in the end. I loved it, I can see myself rereading when I'm in certain moods.

Beautiful reflection on the cycles of generational trauma and how it affects each woman in different ways. I do wish we got a little more info on Simone, I felt less connected to her than I did the others but maybe that was the point. Overall highly recommend.

These women suffered so much like abuse, generational trauma because they were ‘witches’, misogynistic men and the people in general on the island sucked, especially the men.

I’m torn on this book, it had nice pacing and I got transported with the stories of the three women, especially half way through, but at the same time I felt like I was missing something as well, would have loved a more witchy vibe.

The ending was predictable but I am also glad it ended that way.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an arc for an honest review

This was a mesmerising read.
I loved the pov from the three women, learning their stories and trauma.
There was a vibe of magic and mystery, sadness and finding oneself.
It took me a little to get into this book, but once I did it really was a great read!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

The Curse of the Cole Women by Marielle Thompson is a gothic story about ancestral trauma and complicated mother daughter relationships.

The Cole women are cursed to lose their mothers to the sea, forbidden from leaving the island they inhabit or else punishing and destroying everyone that lives on the island. When a Cole woman gives birth, another must sacrifice herself to the sea. Living as reclusive lighthouse keepers on an island off the coast of New Hampshire, for generations they have been accused of being witches, forced to live lonely lives away from the suspicious islanders. Things begin to change for the Cole women when they begin to question the nature of their curse and whether or not they have cursed themselves by adhering to the tragic pact that has kept them from their freedom.

The story is told from the perspectives of three generations of Cole women to emphasize the intergenerational purpose of the curse. The author used the ocean as a metaphor for the mind and emotional traumas of the women, a vast body of water that takes as much as it gives. Despite the story and curse beginning with a witch, this was not a witchy story. This book went further than most supernatural stories, exploring mental health, ancestral trauma, and the repression of desires. Each Cole woman guilted herself into ending her life by drowning in the sea because they could not cope with burdening their daughters with pain. I couldn't help but question whether there truly was a curse or if it was only inherited wounds? The uncertainty about this, elevated the story for me because there was a good balance between the psychological and supernatural elements of this gothic novel. By the end of the story, the Cole women discover that opening their hearts to experience love, is not something that is meant to keep them trapped, but is their guiding light.

The Curse of the Cole Women by Marielle Thompson is a story about dangerous love, a treacherous ocean, and ancestral healing.

This is the second book by Marielle Thompson that I have read, and I continue to look forward to reading more from her in the future.

A rich history of women trapped on an island by men and society through the eyes of a curse.

This story gives this portrayal of a lone of women that’s living with generational grief and all three deal with it in different ways. There’s something to be said for the queerness in the story becoming the ‘escape’ for some characters which feels slightly gimmicky/wrong to me, but could also be powerful to others.

I was excited to read this based off of the blurb I read on Netgalley. I felt like it would be an intriguing and mysterious story and I couldn't have been more right. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but after the 50% mark, I became totally enraptured by it.

The story itself is about a line of women named 'the Cole women'. They are said to be cursed by the first Cole woman, Goody Cole, and the curse said that there could never be more than two Cole women alive at the same time. We follow Mabel, Rebecca and Simone, three generations of Cole women, who all of them try to find love and fight the curse. The question is: will they succeed?

What did I like about this book?
- The tone was immediately set in the mysterious prologue
- The different POVs of Simone, Mabel and Rebecca
- I would say this story had a ‘where the crawdads sing’ vibe
- After that 50% mark I couldn't put it down

I have to say I really enjoyed this book, even though Rebecca was delulu sometimes, or well more often than that.

I do have a couple remarks on sentences in this book, as I found quite some mistakes in the writing as it is now. Here's a list of the ones I spotted.
- "The Cole women didn't go the soil;" > I feel like there's a to missing in this sentence to make it right.
- "If I did they'd be mean to be too, Mom!" > I think that last be should be a me.
- "Rebeca probably thought she would be different..." > Rebecca's name is spelled wrong.
- "But she did hate him. She could not." > I think did should be didn't?
- "Rebeca" > There's two more instances where I found Rebecca's name misspelled.
- "Simone felt a since of deja vu..." > I think since should be sense?

And finally I want to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Marielle Thompson for providing this eARC. I did really enjoy it despite the mistakes I found and I hope to see it in bookstores in the future (maybe even in Dutch), so I can recommend this book to my own loving mother.

As requested by the approval email, I will post my review both on Goodreads and Storygraph. The review is already up alongside this feedback I give here. This should be accompanied with the links, but I will also give them here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7506349391 AND https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f3d5cd71-44f9-4d3b-9bc3-782d27a77930
I will post a TikTok with my rating to my account as well either today or tomorrow. https://www.tiktok.com/@louphonehome

I received an ARC for this read.

I hate working out. I hate sweating, I hate exerting effort. But we do it because it’s good for our body or whatever. But then after working out we get this euphoric feeling deep inside us that is pure contentment and just bliss. I promise I have a point. This “workout” metaphor is exactly what I felt when I read The Curse of the Cole Women by Marielle Thompson. The suffering of reading about abusive, misogynistic men, generational trauma exacted towards women, ugh! It was gruelling! It had a bittersweet conclusion but well worth my time spent reading about disgusting men.

The vibe was very Wuthering Heights (imo) the vibe, not the setting, not the characters. It also conjured memories of To Kill a Mockingbird, so really, having those high calibre books as reminders when a reader reads your book means the author done good! The fact that it was painful and begrudging throughout but couldn’t stop myself from turning the page! I couldn’t stop until I knew what the _ is truly going on! Cathartic ending though. I’m tempted to read the author’s previous books (as long as it’s wlw).

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book. I really enjoyed how it interweaves the story of 3 generations of women who are believed to be cursed. This is a novel about love, trauma, and persistence.

Not for me, as someone previously stated, the contrast in the queer love vs heterosexual love and how it was described was stark. It was hard to get through the book sometimes because it just wasn’t for me