This was a DNF for me. The blurb sounded interesting - it had a lot going on: a military couple somewhat newly married who relocated to New Orleans only to be swept in the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Yet, for me it lacked depth - everything was on a superficial level. The main character, Collete, seems to lack maturity. One sentence she's saying how snippy her husband is being towards her and then in the next sentence she's mentioning how handsome he looks in his uniform. Then there's the issue of her random and unpredictable mood swings. She's furious when Nick, the husband who's somewhat one dimensional, tells the neighbors behind him that he works night and that she'll be home alone. She's also royally pissed that the same neighbor refers to their dog as their child. Collete yells and berates the husband for him airing out their business. Yet, when she catches him flirting with a woman at bar, she does next to nothing other than acknowledges the woman's beauty. Later, she tries to befriend this woman. I'm not sure where this friendship goes. I appreciated the bond she shares with her mom. Overall, I felt there was no lure or drive for me to finish the book. Like what was the 'ah ha' moment that was like 'oh, I'm following this event or this story line'. The formatting needs to be corrected. There were a few times where the dialogue wasn't separated as it should have been. Page 48 on the PDF file is a good example. It didn't take away from the book and was a minor goof. Also, can someone - the author or publishing house - list this book in Goodreads so I can add it to my reading challenge? Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I think i will be giving this one 3 stars because it simply fell flat for me.
In my opinion, this story didn't even begin to cover Katrina only Collete's side of the story.
Yes. I grant that she told us how hard it was to rebuild and how hard it was to cope without her husband being gone to help with the cleanup but that was the extent of it. I was sorely disappointed.
I would've liked more on Katrina though.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

When the Bowl Filled fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with the characters, especially Collette, whose personal issues felt trivial in comparison to the catastrophic weight of Hurricane Katrina. The novel hardly scratched the surface of the storm’s devastation, sidelining a historic tragedy in favor of shallow, disconnected storylines. Despite its emotional premise, the book lacked any depth and resonance needed to do its subject justice.

The insider view on what it was really like through Katrina, and what it really meant to rebuild, is incredibly powerful, and rven more so as a debut novel.

Reading stats about how many people have returned, or progress reports, is just so distant. I had no concept of how hard it would be when such a large area was affected.

Add to that Collette's story, where she is living on a 3-year time frame and without her husband more often than she'd like, and it really creates the survivor mindset.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is the first novel I ever read that takes place during Hurricane Katrina. I really enjoyed this book and how Cole is navigating so much in her life between relocating, finding a job, making a friend, and marriage struggles. Of course then Hurricane Katrina comes in and not only does she have to rebuild her home but she sets off to rebuild her life and find true happiness. This is absolutely a book I will always treasure and will read again many times.