Going back to the start after I finished it, I didn't find a trigger warning section, but I may have missed it. A warning about the non-graphic sexual abuse of a minor seems necessary, though it didn't keep me from reading or enjoying the book. I just figure there are some people out there who would really want to know ahead of time. (The author does a good job of setting the mood, so I think it's probably possible to skip past that part, though it is alluded to in even less detail once or twice as the book progresses.)

This has a lot of memoir aspects, but since those memoir aspects are by a scientist there is a lot to learn. I found it really informative and, at least for me, incredibly relatable. I was pleasantly reminded of my own childhood as a "tomboy" wandering around the woods and marshes in northern New Jersey and southeastern upstate New York in the 90s, It has been too long since I really put that much thought into the snakes (I was also raised to be horrified by killing them) and slugs around me, and I am going to grab the next book I find about eels. I got my hands on this right at the start of hiking season, I'm looking forward to walking in the Appalachians with the insights from this book rattling around in my head.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian and Spiegel & Grau for the audio ARC of this beautiful book!

Look. This book just felt like a big, comforting hug to both past and present me. As a queer person who has gotten used to the loneliness of Never Really Belonging, this book gave me hope, and it told me what I already knew, but needed reminding of: that we are part of nature and that yes, we do belong. It made me feel less alone.

Kaishian draws parallels between nature, her own life and the bigger picture of present, past and future, masterfully interweaving interesting nature bits with history and more personal stories. Beautiful combination of memoir and biology book.

In short, I loved it. The narrator did the story justice, it was a pleasure to listen to this manuscript come to life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

Forest Euphoria is a captivating book about the queerness of the natural world that shares fascinating facts and comfort.

I loved this one. This story’s dive into the natural world and its queerness was wonderfully interesting, filled with fun facts, insightful research, and incredible stories. I also loved how Patricia Kaishian described moments from her life and her experience as a queer woman and scientist. This reflective and powerful story presents an eye-opening and gripping story complemented by Kaishian’s beautiful prose. I highly recommend this delightful book!

Aven Shore narrated this book wonderfully. Her voice was comforting and lovely, offering an entertaining and engaging listening experience. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!