I enjoyed reading Miss Icelandic and enjoyed the story line. I enjoyed reading about Hekla and her pursuit to leave home and become a published poet. Along the way she reunites with her friends, meets another poet and learns what is important to her. I did have a hard time following along at time, but I am wondering if it has to do with the translation.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to preview this book. Hekla is an interesting character, but the plot is just too rambling and the pacing is very slow. The Icelandic setting is enjoyable, but the book was disappointing overall.

I really enjoyed this novel, set in 1963 Reykjavik, about an aspiring young author and her gay best friend who leave their rural community with hopes of finding a place to be themselves in a sexist and homophobic world. Though the flat, understated prose took me a while to get used to, it soon became clear that much of the story was taking place between the lines and was filled with dark humour and a surprising amount of tension.

Recommended for lovers of international literature and anyone with an interest in the creative process, feminism and LGBTQ+ stories.

Written differently than most books of this genre, i found this to be a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

"Miss Iceland" isn't plot-driven, nor is it particularly character-driven; it's more mood-driven. Don't get me wrong: There is a loose plot, and there are vivid characters, but what comes through most is the sense of crossing into adulthood and realizing that dreams don't always come true and possibilities aren't endless. The era, early '60s, is beautifully evoked, as is Reykjavik itself. (I first visited the city some 30 years after the book takes place, and I recognized so much of it.) And while this may make the book sound turgid or precious, it wasn't. It zipped along and was wonderfully concise—not a wasted word. I definitely recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The punctuation in the translation is incorrect and detracts from the reading experience. In my opinion, the author captured a look at the 60s consistently and believably. The descriptions of Iceland and abroad were well done. The ending is abrupt even though it wraps up one of the story lines. There are 4 story lines captured in the novel and easily deciphered. It was an okay read but the translation could have been better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book to read and review. Opinions expressed in the review are my own.

A glance into the past with an eye on the future. "Miss Iceland" is for those writers seeking to make a way while finding their own meaning in the creative world.

I loved the story and idea behind this text, but it was a bit hard to read. I do not know how much of that is due to translation issues or not, but it jumped around so much and was hard to keep track of where the plot was.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. I’ve travelled to Iceland twice and fell in love with the country, the culture and the people.

The short vignettes and letters we get from the main character and via secondary characters is such a different spin on recent books I've read and keeps the reader engaged with every page.

I loved the 60s timeline, I loved the tie in with volcanoes, I loved the passion of the narrator to be a female writer no matter what (re: sexism), I loved the theme of homosexuality.

I also love that the title of this novel is based on a minor characters insistence and has nothing to do with the novel in a sense.

Time to book another flight to Iceland.

This was definitely a different book than I originally expected and it took me a little while to get into it. One major problem that prevented me from loving this book was the story skipped around so much I didn’t know what was happening. The dialogue was too much and I felt like, by the end, I knew a lot about the narrator but also knew nothing. Something I loved though was the take on LGBTQ relationships during that time. It was a serious issue to tackle and I thought the author did a great job with it!

I enjoyed this story but maybe through translation I had some issues. The e-copy was a bit tough to read. It took me a bit when the story skipped ahead bc I had to keep reading on to figure it out.

This was a pretty good book, however it was kind of confusing... overall I did enjoy reading about the times and the setting. Very different than the norm.

Once I figured out how the book was laid out in the advanced ebook version, I found it really enjoyable. The fact that each section had its own heading was not clear at first.

I appreciated the tone of the book—resigned and kind of quiet—very much. Some parts of the story made me want to cry—Jon John’s entire life circumstance, for example—and some made me laugh. I liked the dichotomy between the main character and her married friend’s lives, but the similarity in their need to write. I almost felt like something bigger was going to happen throughout the book, but liked that things kind of just kept chugging along, because isn’t that sometimes just how life is?

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. I will post this review on my Instagram—@hopsandhardcovers—closer to the publication date.

I received this ARC in exchange for my review. The format in which I received this ARC was difficult to read on my ereader. The story was confusing for me, the characters were likeable and the landscape was beautifully described.

This book was beautifully written and I really enjoyed the language and prose the author used. However, I had a little trouble keeping up with the time-line of events as the book tended to skip ahead at times without clear mentions of it. I also had a hard time relating to Hekla and at times found her friends unlikeable. I did really enjoy all the talk of volcanoes and the formation of Surtsey.

"Miss Iceland" was a great way to start delving into the Icelandic literature world!
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In this book we meet Hekla, a young woman who was perfectly named after a Volcano - she is fearless and her words are like lava flowing out of her. In a time when women didn't have much of a voice, we follow her journey towards becoming a novelist in a world dominated by men. Virginia Woolf once said that "For most of history, 'Anonymous' was a woman." and, with this novel, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir was able to vividly describe what if felt like to be anonymous.
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This story is also about choices and bravery; about love in its several nuances; about what it feels like to be a writer and put yourself out into the world and about being a writer and "cutting off your wings" to conform to the boundaries society imposes.
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An excellent read I recommend to anyone who likes stories about the craft of writing and about the fight for equality.

So, this book was not what I was expecting to be honest. That said, there were parts of it I did enjoy reading. I liked the main character, Hekla as she came across as strong minded and determined.
The narrative is very character dialogue heavy which I don't normally like, however, it gave a great sense of realness and gives a good feel of the characters personalities and lives.
I particularly liked the friendship and unconventional relationship between Hekla and Jon John.
There were parts that seemed to have little relevance to the actual story, unless I was just missing the point in places, and the ending, for me, was a bit confusing. However, I may have overlooked something significant in the story that resulted in this.
I am glad I read this book as it is not one I would normally have chosen, and even though on finishing it I wasn't sure what to make of it, it does still keep popping into my thoughts, which I think is the sign of a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two stars, largely due to general confusion throughout. I feel like I have to think more about this one and see if things come to make sense… or if this is just a confusing jumble.

Recommended: not really
Stay away if you want a point to the story, if you want clear reactions and reasons for things, if you want more than rambling conversations. Take it on if you have a group of people to discuss it with, maybe with one who’s from Iceland, or if you want to have a kind of literary puzzle to decipher.

Thoughts:
I went into this with and entirely different expectation of what I would find, which jarred me a bit in the first few pages. Going through this, my overall impression is that the writing itself is beautiful despite being quite sparse, and I felt like it really reflected the mood and reality of Iceland. (I went to Iceland, and specifically Reykjavik, last December, so I was able to link places and issues they were talking about with my experience.) That more than anything is what kept me going through it: it was just somehow lovely in the words themselves. This is getting two stars because I feel that a critical aspect of this is just out of reach from what I read, but perhaps with discussion around it, that remaining piece would fall into place. I could see this being a favorite book for others, particularly perhaps with a book club or buddy reads.

As a story though? I’m totally lost. It was told primarily through conversations, sometimes in lengths of speaking that were so long I forgot who was talking or why. One technical difficulty with that were issues with punctuation that sometimes obscured who was actually speaking or what they were saying versus thinking – hopefully that’s just an ARC issue, but when it interferes with my understanding of the book, I feel the need to call it out.

The characters’ stories all felt unconnected to each other. Hekla was the only constant link, and it felt more like each individual talking about themselves, through the medium of Hekla to the reader. Strange moments were sprinkled in as well, such as when Hekla and Jon John are talking about his difficulties with men and women, and in the middle there’s a rare line of description: “Two dogs start fighting in the alley.” I feel like it should mean something, it should matter that there’s this uncommon moment of description, but I have no idea what it would mean. They were not fighting; they were in agreement. If you figure it out, let me know

This is one of those stories where it’s about the characters and their mindsets, rather than about a particular plot or conflict. In fact, I have a hard time pointing out a conflict. I even have a hard time pointing out the ending, besides that it was the last few pages. Why was that the last few pages – I have no idea. I read between the lines and flipped back to review the scene details, thought if it was referencing something earlier in the story, but I can’t even piece the bare bones of what happened, let alone the significance. I really wish I had someone to discuss this book with, as I feel that would help me coalesce some meaning from it, some significance. I feel like it’s there, but I’m just missing it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't what I expected. I chose it because I am not familiar with Iceland and wanted to learn something about it. I did learn of some famous Icelanic authors, but the story didn't hold my attention. The tale meanders from Helka's childhood, to her friend who is a young mother, to a gay friend and then to her lover. It seems aimless as do the characters. Helka is a female writer whose goal is to have a novel published, yet her friend seems more passionate about writing than she does. I kept hoping that the storylines would come together in some way, but they don't and the story just ends. I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘Miss Iceland’ is a novel that reads almost like poetry. The story is, in many ways, fragmented… providing little caveats and side stories that inform the greater narrative. I found this style to be mostly successful in creating fleeting glimpses into the protagonist’s mind and heart.

Set in Iceland in the early 1960s, 'Miss Iceland' follows Hekla, a burgeoning novelist, who has moved to Reykjavik in order to write and be published. She has to battle sexism and harassment as she tries to work to support herself. Hekla’s childhood friend, Jon John, struggles with finding a place for himself in society as a gay man. As Hekla’s and Jon John’s stories intertwine, the reader gets a window into this specific time and place, and gain insight into what it feels like to not “fit in.”

First off, I found this novel’s descriptions of Icelandic life and culture to be fascinating. I also appreciated Audur Ava Olafsdottir’s rich characters, all who have their own strengths and struggles. Her juxtaposition of Hekla and Jon John as characters who defy the norms of the day is especially poignant and profound. I also found Isey’s story to be another interesting counterpoint to Hekla’s. And, without spoiling any plot points, I found the ending to be as impactful as it was abrupt. It's perhaps not the most satisfying ending, but perhaps is the only ending that makes sense.

In all, this is a short, yet deeply meditative, read that really makes you think.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.**