3.5 stars, rounded up.

I really liked the idea of this book. I loved the idea that there's so much power in generations of women and I loved the visuals of glowing and lightning. I really enjoyed the generational part of the story, too with the mom, the kid and the grandmother. I loved how they each loved each other and got on each others' nerves. I thought the writing was a bit stilted and could have used more polishing. But I look forward to reading more of this author.

with gratitude to netgalley and Alcove Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel's premise really speaks to where I am in life right now. The protagonist Leeann Wu is a 41-year-old woman who is going through perimenopause. She goes to see the doctor because her hands are doing strange things—they’re glowing, but also they seem somehow able to control the weather. On the family front, her 18-year-old daughter Lulu is about to head off to college at U of T, about three hours away. Every Friday, Leeann and Lulu have dinner with Leeann’s mother, an esteemed doctor of obstetrics. Leeann is a midwife, but unlike her mother, she never finished college. Although less central than a typical romance would like, Leeann also develops feelings for a younger man Kenji, who initially introduces himself as 30 but actually turns out to be 29. Some of the thoughts that Leeann has about personal development really resonated with me—how she should know who she is when she’s 41, how she shouldn’t be communicating with her mother as if she’s a teenager, how Kenji is so delectable yet so young.

I was also interested in the atmosphere of this book—specifically, how the hot, humid, oppressive weather shaped the characters’ moods, interfered with their sleep, and functioned as a key determinant of how Leeann was tangibly yet inexplicably controlling something while also feeling out of control. Later, we learn that her great aunt Yi-beh, who had taken care of her as a child, also experienced something similar with a hot and humid summer in Taiwan. The weather, combined with whatever Yi-beh had done, resulted in a typhoon that had wiped out the entire town. Yi-beh visits Leeann in her dreams, warning her that the air is thick with ghosts wanting to return to the land of the living. This, to me, was an interesting revision of the ancient theses (across various cultures) of the atmosphere being populated by gods, or celestial beings, who controlled the weather.

I appreciated the importance of relationships to Leeann’s life and person. These include relationships with her family but also her friendship with her co-worker Parisa. Especially toward the end of the novel, Hung really emphasized how important these relationships were to Leeann’s self-worth and sense of being.

If I had one critique, it was that the relationship between Kenji and Leeann didn’t feel quite right. I appreciated how the romance revealed certain insecurities that Leeann harbored about aging. But it was strange that Kenji had zero qualms about a 12-year age gap and that there was never any sense that age shaped their different experiences of or perspectives on life. Just as when there is a cross-racial relationship or cross-class relationship, there are important nuances in a character’s approach to life that shapes how they enter and inhabit a relationship. I never got that sense with Kenji and Leeann. Instead, Kenji’s character seemed to exist purely as a source of emotional support and sexual pleasure for Leeann. Their relationship didn’t seem deep—and it’s not because I believe that relationships need conflict to deepen, but they do need more texture, I think.

All this said, I really enjoyed this book—it was creatively conceived, nicely executed, and well written. I will be sure to explore the author's other work!

A beautiful story of love and family. Leeann, a midwife In her 40s, suddenly finds her hands glowing. It is a hot summer, and she has changed on the horizon. Together with her mother and daughter, and love interest Kenji, she is navigating this change and what it means to her and her town. Beautiful and unique, the story of being enough and in embracing yourself.

A lovely story, with an excellent main character.

It’s a magical realism book — but more than that, it’s really a story about perimenopause. I’m kind of joking. … But not.

It is, of course, not about the medical and biological transition. But as a story, the primary theme is Leeann’s evaluation of her life, purpose and future.

As a woman over 40, I found this a wonderfully inspiring and satisfying read. It’s definitely the type of book that hits differently when you’re old enough to really get it.

As a fantasy story, the magic remains vague and unexplained — especially in comparison to other “Surprise! You’re magic! Here’s what your witchy powers do” books. So for that reason, 20-something readers looking for a fantasy/magical realism novel might not enjoy it as much.

Leeann is a midwife, and her more impressive mother is an accomplished OB/GYN, who disapproved of Leeann’s choice to drop out of medical school when she got pregnant. Now Leeann’s daughter, LuLu, is 18, also brilliantly intelligent and about to go to college.

Between her daughter and her mother is Leeann somehow less remarkable? What does she do when LuLu leaves the house? Her mother encourages her to go back to medical school. Others say to take up some cheesy hobby.

And then there’s much younger Kenji who is romantically interested in her. Is she too old for him?

When her hands start glowing, what does it mean for her relationships? Can she use it to help her patients in this horribly hot summer when nobody can sleep and accidents and postpartum depression are up dramatically?

Leeann has a snarky and terrific sense of humor as she deals with all the strangeness in her personal life and in the town as a whole.

A lovely character story that explores what it means to “lead a worthwhile life.”

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Leeann, is in her 40s. It is so great to be able to read book with a middle age lead. While this book is technically fantasy, it isn't the main focus of the book. Hung's characters are written with great depth and growth throughout the story. Leeann's relationship with her mom and daughter also show change and growth throughout the story. I loved that Leeann got to save the day but in a way that left her grounded and wiser. The only thing that I felt could've used more development was the backstory of what happened to Leeann's great aunt and how the magic played into her disappearance.

I absolutely appreciate a FMC who’s 41! But there’s something about the writing style and the internal dialogue that I cannot connect with. I don’t love the vibes. and I couldn’t read beyond the first two chapters, unfortunately.

"The Glowing Life of Leeann Wu" by Mindy Hung is a slow-burn magical realism novel following the lives of three generations of women in Canada: a grandmother, a mother, and a granddaughter. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Leeann Wu.

Leeann Wu is a single mother, a midwife, and the daughter of a strict single mother—an ob-gyn doctor. At 41, she finds herself at a crossroads. Her only daughter is heading off to university in a few months, and loneliness looms. On top of that, her hands have started glowing at the most inconvenient times—whether it's from stress or peri-menopause symptoms is unclear. The truth turns out to be even stranger: she is part of a long line of women who possess a unique power. She also begins seeing a man eleven years younger than her, though the age gap preys on her mind.

Her relationship with her mother has never been smooth; her mother disapproves of many of her life choices and continues to hound her about them. Meanwhile, her daughter is worried about her and has a few opinions of her own about Leeann’s love life.

All three women must come to terms with their Taiwanese magical heritage and what it means. The plot thickens as widespread insomnia begins to plague the town, and life-threatening accidents pile up—forcing Leeann to question whether she is the solution or the problem.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's more about interpersonal relationships—mother, daughter, granddaughter—and their roots than it is about magic. It’s very slow-paced, with little external action until halfway through, when the heroine begins to discover her own powers. I liked the way the story wove surreal elements into the plot and explored emotional depth, though.

Leeann Wu is a strong heroine, even if she doesn’t see herself that way. Forced to quit medical school when she became pregnant, she forged her own path in life—in another vocation, to her mother’s dismay. I also liked Kenji, the younger man she dates—his calm, grounded presence and quiet support add warmth and depth to their dynamic. The strength of the book lies in the writing and the author’s ability to inhabit her characters. There are struggles, dilemmas, and even love.

It’s a slice-of-life type story with a few sex scenes thrown in for good measure. The book explores culture, belonging, loneliness, the power of connection, empty nest syndrome, choices, age gaps in relationships, family ties, and the need to be true to yourself rather than bending to others' expectations. I also loved the message that one doesn’t need magic to be special.

While I loved the concept of a woman discovering her own powers, the execution fell a bit short for me. It’s more of a personal journey of self-discovery than a fantasy. A gentle book with a focus on characters, not plot. The fantasy lurks in the background and only occasionally peeks through. The reading experience was slow, and I didn’t feel an urge to rush back to it.

That said, it’s a thought-provoking book about relationships, choices, family, and finding love—which I did enjoy despite its flaws. I also appreciated that the main characters aren’t white—a refreshing change. I recommend it to fans of magical realism who focus more on character than plot and don’t mind a slow pace.

In the end, this isn’t a book that dazzles, but one that lingers quietly—like a slow-burning ember of connection, heritage, and self-worth.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.