Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this book.

Holy cow, this short story.

It was so...real...so...genuine.

I loved everything about this. The character? Chefs kiss. The plot? Chefs kiss. Everything? CHEFS KISS!

Adam felt so real. His narrative and thoughts were so relatable.

I wish this was longer and had gone on to elaborate more, but it was still so incredible.

It focuses on war and justice, with Martin Luther King Jr. being one of the characters. It spotlights the differences in religions while giving us a romance im the midst, too. War is a key part and there is some mention of concentration camps, so be aware of this content.

Its differently worth reading, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read it.

Content warning: War, Smoking, Mention of nudes, Kisses, religion disagrements and issues, Segregation, and one curse word.

Thank you, Matthew Tekulsky for this literary masterpiece.

From Page 1, this book hooked me in with the very first line. I could immediately tell I wanted to see how this seemingly suspenseful book would end! I read this in one sitting. I really enjoyed the characters and found the world building to be excellent.

The Chestnut Tree was my first book by Mathew Tekulsky and, to be honest, it was one of those "judge a book by its cover" cases. Yes, I did the unthinkable and chose a book for its cover – the horror! But there was something about the art in this and the colors that just made me feel warm and comforted and I knew I needed to read it – I was right. Historical fiction is usually a hit or miss for me but I really liked this story. it took me a minute to realize what it was about, and that we were dealing with a different time and context but... Well, did things really change that much when it comes to prejudice? Adam, Jimmy and Sally, however, had me hooked from the start.

It is always interesting to look at discrimination situations through the eyes of children because they usually have not learned how to be hateful – and they do not understand why. It is the beauty in their innocence and Adam is a perfect example of that. He does not care about labels of "Jew" and "Catholic" or "slow" or "Comunist" – all he cares about is the girl he has a crush on, his friend and the nice old lady who makes him hot chocolate and who should go back into writing. It is a breath of fresh air and incredibly amusing.

The Martin Luther King mentions were also always a hit because he was a very powerful and inspiring man, and added more realism to the story – as well as the songs being mentioned to show the passing of time and setting even more context. Gladys was a fantastic character too, and she made the story better. I also think it is important to note that this book did not feel like only 115 pages, given the development and complexity of the story. Again, thank you for the opportunity of reading such a rich story.

Every so often I skim through NetGalley, allowing the algorithm to guide me. This was an unexpected find. I was unfamiliar with the author, Mathew Tekulsky prior to this novella and I’m interested to see where he continues to go with his works. Thank you to Get Red PR for the ARC via NetGalley.

Thrust into 1966 we continue the novel through the perspective of our leading male character, a Jewish boy. Immediately the author is asking us to enter the mind of a 12 year old boy obsessed with his first true crush, a catholic girl. We journey throughout the year as the children get closer and closer through a shared bond. Both are against the anti-war in Vietnam and through a shared friend, a former children's author they are able to explore and grow those opinions.

I was not expecting there to be so much about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Those moments were lovely reminders of the icon that he was and the power that his words had. In my day job I talk about Dr. King several times a week, this helped strengthen my admiration for him.

There was a moment toward the end of the book that reminded me of a question I was once asked by a young person. “As children we are taught how to avoid conflict, how have we never moved away from war?” and this question broke me. Are characters struggle with this very concept, Mathew handles the turbulent Vietnam era with a gentle if perhaps a little to “everyone gets a long” hand.

These are characters you’ll sympathize with. A plot you’ll think about for days. Lessons will be taught that we need desperately right now in our divided society. I hope you enjoy this read and share your opinions to help water this plant.