Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description
“Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful and dramatic—this is a story of true courage." —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author

She would stop at nothing to protect the women under her care.

Inside a century-old row house in Brooklyn, renegade Sister Evelyn and her fellow nuns preside over a safe haven for the abused and abandoned. Gruff and indomitable on the surface, warm and wry underneath, little daunts Evelyn, until she receives word that Mercy House will be investigated by Bishop Hawkins, a man with whom she shares a dark history. In order to protect everything they’ve built, the nuns must conceal many of their methods, which are forbidden by the Catholic Church.

Evelyn will go to great lengths to defend all that she loves. She confronts a gang member, defies the church, challenges her own beliefs, and faces her past. She is bolstered by the other nuns and the vibrant, diverse residents of the shelter—Lucia, Mei-Li, Desiree, Esther, and Katrina—whose differences are outweighed by what unites them: they’ve all been broken by men but are determined to rebuild.

Amidst her fight, Evelyn discovers the extraordinary power of mercy and the grace it grants, not just to those who receive it, but to those strong enough to bestow it.

Brilliantly done! Captivating from the get go. Crafted in a way that lets you see all the bad that happens to women, the nitty gritty weaved tenderly; the story of 3 nuns who defy the catholic church in ways that risk everything they have - in order to help those who come to Mercy House. A must read!

Mercy house is a place of refuge for those women in horrible situation. Although it is ran by nuns it is not done in the traditional sense especially one Sister Evelyn. She will do all she can to help the women in her care even under scrutiny of the Catholic Church as she has her own secrets to hide from.
Please know there are scenes of violence/rape due to the nature of who comes to Mercy House.for assistance.
The writing is wonderful and although hard to read at times is truly a story of grace and love and working hard to do the right thing.

Yes read this book. While dealing with many serious topics, it still managed to be entertaining and often light too. I loved Sister Evelyn! We are a two nun family, so I could really relate to so much of the nuns’ world. And trust me, it is not an equal world. The nuns are so second class to the priests it’s unreal. My rage and disgust for the evil priest made me so angry. I love the way so many unlike women became friends. They refused to be victims anymore. Great heart warming story! #arc #netgalley

I was given the book from Net Gallery and borrowed the audio of the book! Very heart warming story of a place that takes in abused women and the nuns that run the place,different stories of women being abused and the story of a much older hun who helps these women-girls! This hit home to me when I listened as this had happened to me and I struggled to listen and to read as it brought back her but it was such a good story! Sorry it took me so long to read or listen but like I said I struggled to finish it and I'm glad I did!

To say this book is something I normally wouldn't pick up is an understatement, but this story of nuns got to me. Mercy House is a story about Sister Evelyn, who helps run Mercy House, a home for women in need of safe haven, and the women in her care. Throughout the entire novel you felt for Evelyn and her having to make decisions for the good of those around her, even if that meant going against everything she had be raised to believe. Overall a beautiful story of forgiveness, reliance, and perseverance. I can't imagine a single person I wouldn't recommend this book to.

As a woman raised in the Catholic Church with a deep respect for women religious, this book touched me deeply. It chronicles the abuses the Church has inflicted on its most vulnerable members, as well as the resilience they can find in their faith and in their community. This beautiful book will stay with me for a long time.

"Mercy House was a safe haven for victims of domestic violence, founded and operated by Sister Evelyn, Sister Josephine, and Sister Maria...Their row house in Brooklyn was almost always at capacity...Good for business, bad for humanity."

I am not sure what I was expecting when I selected this and started reading but I got so much more than anticipated. This was really a remarkable story about courage and resilience not only that of the women who came there to escape horrible situations, but also the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mercy who set up the safe house. These indomitable women faced incredible odds and the scrutiny of the Catholic Church whose efforts to destroy their mission almost ruined them all. The story has so many different characters whose backgrounds and experiences have shaped their lives and brought them to Mercy House right before the Vatican sends Bishop Robert Hawkins to scrutinize the activity of religious sisters -- hunting for deviations from doctrine. They call it the "nun-quisition, reproaching American nuns for their 'secular mentality' and 'feminist spirit."

Can Sister Evelyn and her cohort resist the efforts of the devious Bishop to close down Mercy House and get rid of her -- excommunicate her -- in the process? For Sister Evelyn has a secret that has shamed her for years and she may not be able to overcome years of indoctrination and self-hatred to reveal it. Because of Sister Evelyn's own inability to forgive the many transgressions committed against her, it comes as a surprise when she's offered both grace and mercy when everything finally falls apart. The details of convent life, the activities in Mercy House, the stories of the resident abused women who live there, and the atrocities committed by those in service to the Catholic Church will probably not surprise you, but will affect you. It was a very absorbing narrative that I found hard to put down and can't stop thinking about.

This novel is not just meant for Catholics, but it might affect reaction to it. That said, I am Catholic, went to Catholic schools for almost my entire education (including one year at a Catholic University), taught and worked in Catholic Schools for over 20 years -- you can say I've definitely been immersed -- and nothing in this book shocked me. I know there are those who wonder how someone can still claim to be Catholic despite all the horrible abuses that have come to light. I say that Catholicism is not based on those people but in the faith itself. There is incredible beauty and peace in many of the beliefs and rituals as well as in the community of the faithful DESPITE the sins of those who misuse their power and destroy souls. Is the church changing -- yes, definitely. I'll leave it for others to debate what those changes mean for the future and for the current members.

The writing was excellent and I look forward to reading other reviewers' thoughts and reactions. As Sister Evelyn learns, mercy has value to the person who bestows it and holding grudges destroys the spirit. Grace, undeserved love, is a gift to be treasured.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

Favorite Quotes:

Ever since Evelyn entered the convent fifty years ago and was required to rise with the sun, she worshipped sleep like it was a false god.

She’d never been to Rome, she’d never met the current Pontiff, and she had virtually no desire to do so. Pope Benedict XVI wore red velvet capes with ermine fur trim. He commissioned his own cologne, which Evelyn called Pope-pourri. He was chauffeured around in a Mercedes… That lavish lifestyle bore little resemblance to her experience in Bedford-Stuyvesant…

She spread her lips into a smile so artificial it insulted her cheeks.

The evangelical minister Pat Robertson said Haitians are paying for their sins with that 7.0 magnitude quake. I am terrified that he is right. Sister Evelyn came downstairs in the middle of the night and found me in the living room rewatching clips of Pat Robertson,… “Don’t you listen to that giant-eared moron. He’s equal parts hate and insanity,” she said.

Desiree’s current johns were low-income, most surviving on government subsidies. She aspired to move up the ranks and become a high-class call girl, a corporate lady of the night, from streetwalker to Wall Street. You couldn’t claim Desiree wasn’t ambitious.

“I’m like a Cadillac. This ride is built for comfort.” Desiree swiveled her hips and then took a comically large bite of her sandwich. “More like a Lincoln Town Car. Room for the whole family,” Lucia said and slapped Desiree’s backside.


My Review:

My heart was seriously bruised and battered while reading this highly evocative and stunningly crafted tale of an elderly hard-working yet disillusioned nun. She had been repeatedly sexually abused by a priest as a novice and never told anyone, now fifty years later he was the Bishop who was sent to investigate and interrogate with the singular purpose of closing down her abused women’s shelter. Oh, the irony. And I do loves me some clever irony. This was my first exposure to the brilliant wordcraft of Alena Dillon and I was quickly caught up in her mesmerizing and powerful word voodoo and sucked into a heart-squeezing vortex that transported me to a run-down dwelling with an angel knocker on Mercy Street in Brooklyn, New York. I inhabited that residence with an oddly and uniquely compelling hodgepodge of residents, each with a troubling and heartbreaking past as well as an equally challenging present.

The storylines were gripping and taut with tension, frustration, disheartening circumstances, despair, and eye-opening revelations. I was continually struck by the quality and perceptiveness of the writing, which was staggeringly emotive, skillfully assembled, and laced with insightful observations and descriptions of the various types of pain – body, mental, emotional, and of the psyche. I grew to appreciate each of these complicated women, especially the mouthy ones. And going forward, I will never look at a can of Lysol the same way ever again.

Wow! This was unlike anything I have ever read. I previously saw a review stating this novel was unconventional and I totally understand that comment.
I phrase from the novel that sums it all up... you are one badass sister.
Loved! Thank you NetGalley!

Having been brought up in the Catholic Church and having an aunt who is a Sister of Mercy nun, the premise of Mercy House intrigued me. Three American nuns run a safe house for abused women. Their methods for caring and assisting these women are not ones that would necessarily be approved by The Vatican and yet they are right ones for the situation. When the Church sends a Bishop to investigate the Sisters, their home, and their work truths come to light, as does what they are willing to sacrifice maintain this safe place.
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Sister Evelyn is a woman I can get behind. Her strength and determination to do what is right despite the consequences had me absolutely cheering her on. I became angry over the abuse she endured as a young nun and heartened by the support of some of her fellow Sisters to assist her in surviving it. She was one tough lady.
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This is not a light hearted read. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, and physical abuse abound for the women of Mercy House. And yet, there is still hope as they try to create a new narrative for themselves by breaking free from those who inflict this.
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Thank you Book Club Girl and William Morrow Books for my e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Great historical novel about a group of women who learn what power they have while sticking together.

This book has so many unique stories, it is hard to say which was more compelling. Centering around Mercy House, a shelter for women needing protection from their loved ones,
Alena Dillon has given us a deeply moving cast of characters. From the nuns who keep Mercy House open and have their own personal lessons that drove them to join the Catholic Church, to the residents who have turned to the church sponsored home when they had no other choices plus church representatives whose motivations are suspect, these characters are real. Their back stories will break your heart and leave you thinking about this book for quite awhile after you finish.

Mercy House is about three nuns who operate a home for abused women, and their struggle with the Catholic Church, which is trying to exert more control over their operation.

I loved this book - this was very different than anything I've read before. The author really knows how to set a scene, and I was hooked from the first sentence. I am not Christian and know nothing about the Catholic Church, so this book was a really interesting perspective on that organization.

🚪BOOK REVIEW🚪⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Mercy House by Alena Dillon⁣⁣
Pub Date: February 11, 2020⁣⁣
⁣⁣
-DESCRIPTION-⁣⁣
A row house exists in Brooklyn for women who have been battered and broken. All they have to do is look for the angel. Sister Evelyn, along with two other nuns, runs this house under the Catholic Churche's eye. Bishop Hawkins comes in determined to shut down Mercy House and with it, Sister Evelyn.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
-THOUGHTS-⁣⁣
1. I instantly fell in love with the characters. There was no false perfection. They were flawed and real, each with their own specific voice.⁣⁣
2. I loved that the author included stories of the residents throughout the book. How different their stories are, yet they all end up at Mercy House for the same reasons.⁣⁣
3. This was one of those books that is very relevant today. Women's reproductive Rights, the hypocrisy of the church, and what powerful men can do to silence women.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
-RATING-⁣⁣
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⁣⁣
4/5 stars⁣⁣
I recommend this book!⁣⁣
⁣⁣
-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-⁣⁣
Beyond the Point⁣⁣
Mrs. Everything⁣⁣
Big Lies in a Small Town⁣

MERCY HOUSE by Alena Dillon is an intense, well-written novel that is sure to cause a bit of controversy, especially for those raised in the Catholic Church and still believe that the Church can do no wrong. Mercy House is a home run by three nuns to give a safe haven to women who have suffered abuse and have no place to turn. Sister Evelyn and her two fellow nuns do what they think is best for these women, even if it conflicts with the Catholic Church and its teachings. Things are going well until the Church decides to take a closer look at Mercy House.
Told mainly from Sister Evelyn’s point-of-view, the story is interspersed with chapters told by the current residents, giving a glimpse of the women and how they ended up needing Mercy House. Sister Evelyn is strong and has come up with some unconventional ways to keep Mercy House When the Church sends a Bishop to look into Mercy House and make recommendations, it’s clear he has his own agenda and history with Sister Evelyn and others in the neighborhood safe. When Bishop Robert Hawkins arrives for his investigation into Mercy House and to make his recommendations, it’s clear he has his own agenda and a history with Sister Evelyn.
Sister Evelyn is a complex character shaped by her family from the beginning, when her father makes his bargain with God, and continuing through her life as she trains and ultimately becomes a nun. She has her secrets, buried deep, and her feelings toward her family colored by her own perceptions and feelings. It was interesting to watch how the events unfolded and how Sister Evelyn came to understand that her thoughts and feelings of the past and her family may have been skewed by her perceptions and how she dealt with the revelations.
MERCY HOUSE is a well-written and engrossing novel that delves into the changes, difficulties, and abuses Nuns faced as they navigated changes in the Church and their place in it and society. It’s an intense read and it surprised me how quickly and thoroughly I became engrossed. If you are sensitive to descriptions of sexual abuse, both of adult women and children, you may have a hard time reading it.
This was a serious read, so it seems frivolous to say I enjoyed it, but the writing was excellent and the characters well-drawn. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something just a little different and unexpected.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#MercyHouse #AlenaDillon #WilliamMorrow#NetGalley #TheBookClubGirls

This book took a little bit to get going. The first couple of chapters were a lot of in depth descriptions of the neighborhood and the nuns of Mercy House.

However, by chapter 5, readers start also getting glimpses into the lives of the residents of Mercy House - women and teenage girls who have been emotionally, physically and sexually abused.

That’s also when the story starts to pick up. Not only do readers start to learn about the residents of Mercy House, but also Sister Evelyn’s history and what brought her to open Mercy House.

When Mercy House is threatened to be closed by the Catholic Church, Evelyn, the other nuns at Mercy House and the residents try everything to keep the place running.

This was definitely a heavy read, but moving at the same time. There are topics of abuse and rape, while at the same time, love and healing and sisterhood.

I’m glad I pushed through the first few chapters of Mercy House, because this book was truly an enjoyable, moving read.

Trigger warnings: abuse, rape, gun violence

Three nuns who have devoted their lives to following the Catholic Church run a home for women need to escape dangerous situations. When their devotion and sisterhood is put to the test, will it all come crumbling down or will they be stronger throughout it?

This story captivated me as we follow Evelyn through her year running the Mercy House. We learn more about her with each new women who enters the home along with the flashbacks to her before life. There are hard stories to read but this book shows resiliency. I recommend for readers who want to be pulled in emotionally.

Trigger warnings of abuse.

Well written. A hard subject to read, but is so well written that it captures the heart! It is the first book that I have read by this arthur! I look who reading more!

I received a free electronic ARC copy of this modern novel from Netgalley, Alena Dillon, and William Morrow Paperbacks. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Alena Dillon to friends and family. She writes a warm, positive tale peopled with complex but enjoyable protagonists and shines a light on empathy and sensitivity.

Set in 2010, Mercy House follows three Catholic nuns who have made a place for themselves in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn for 26 years, from Vatican I when they wore traditional black woolen 'nun' layers of uniform and were completely silenced in the workplace and lifestyle of women, through Vatican II when they wore an abbreviated veil and calf-length clothing and into the present day where they wear conservative street clothing - and are still stifled when policies and regulations and freedoms of women in general and Catholic women, in particular, are in question.

We enter the world of not only these ladies of the church but those of their focus for Mercy House - women escaping from abusive relationships and domestic violence who need a safe haven, of which there have been hundreds over the 26 years of the presence of Mercy House at 284 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn. The Angel doorknocker is the only indication that good works take place in this five-bedroom, 100-year-old rowhouse.

Of the Order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mercy, we have Sister Evelyn, 'Evie', now 69 and hobbling with widespread gouty arthritis. She achieved a Masters in Nursing and worked for many years for the church in that capacity. Evelyn was pledged at four years old to the sisterhood by her hooligan father. When her health began to slow her down, she was the driving force in opening and keeping the doors open at Mercy House. Sister Maria was responsible for most of the cooking, which included healthy snacks to be passed out around the neighborhood, and a daily ritual of Reiki on a pad atop the kitchen table for the Sisters and residents as well. Sister Maria joined the sisterhood after a childhood that included the repeated viewing of The Sound of Music and The Flying Nun, but she always had a smile and made the best of every day. Sister Josephine entered the Order in the years before Vatican II and found comfort in the rituals and pageantry of the Church and its devotion to knowledge. She was able to use the Sisterhood as a bridge to higher education, and in her lifetime she earned a doctorate in theology and two master's degrees, one in nursing and one in philosophy. These ladies offered compassion, health care, and a bolthole to women, usually young, who are in danger from their life partner. Occasionally hard-drawn religious 'laws' have to be softened or erased, and each person helped at Mercy House has a unique need for the type of help and understanding that will get their lives back on track.

The Vatican didn't always see it, that way. And Bishop Robert Hawkins comes into the picture, wanting nothing so much as to stifle Sister Evelyn, for good. She has personal knowledge of his lechery back in the day and is not ashamed to expose him. He has threatened to expose Father John, the priest at the local church who is a childhood friend of Evelyns. John will be labeled a homosexual if Evelyn shares anything of Hawkins misdeeds of long ago. Will he be able to shut down Mercy House?

I found it hard to believe that Mercy House is the author's debut novel. It had strong characters and a compelling story line that kept me turning the pages. I learned a lot about the Catholic church and recognized so many of the changes that have occurred during my lifetime. Sister Evelyn's personal story was very relevant to today's "Me Too" movement. Thanks to The Book Club Girls and NetGalley for the review copy.