This book caught me by surprise.

Not the ending, that I had somewhat surmised as the climax approached, but I think that was Bruno's intent.

What took me by surprise was how much I ended up caring about these characters. Told over the course of one long night at the dingy townie bar in upstate New York, Ordinary Hazards is about Emma and her marriage to Lucas. We start the evening off with Emma alone but not alone at the Final Final, meaning she's not there with anyone, but all the usual suspects are around, people she's known for years, people who Lucas introduced her to and became a part of her daily life. We quickly realize that she and Lucas are no longer together, and over the next nine hours, we figure out why. The story frequently flashes back to Emma's childhood, to her college years, and primarily to her relationship with Lucas. And from these glimpses, we piece together what devastation eventually tore them apart.

Now, this all sounds right up my alley, right? The time hops, the foreshadowing, the hints and flashes along the way... The problem was, that for the first 25 percent of the book, Emma made me crazy. In fact, I almost set it down and decided it would become my second NetGalley DNF. She was abrasive, pessimistic, arrogant, and gave off the energy that she was better than everyone around her. I didn't like many of the regular crowd at the Final Final either, so there wasn't much going for it. But I stuck it out a little longer, and somewhere along the way, it hooked me.

What resulted was an overwhelming and heart-wrenching story that left me emotionally exhausted and fully feeling along with these characters. I had to put my Kindle down with an hour left in it, because I knew I would not be able to finish reading it at night. I could see the climax coming and knew I would need to finish it in daylight hours so I could snuggle my toddler and let the sun shine on my face. I was grateful for the epilogue especially, that left us with a glimmer of hope at the end of a truly emotional train wreck. I think Bruno's debut novel is beautifully crafted and will tug at the heart strings of many, many readers.

I will publish this review on my blog at http://shecantstopreading.wordpress.com and my instagram account @shecantstopreadingblog in the week leading up to the release. I will add the link to the review at that time.

Beautifully written, intense, heartbreaking story of a young woman who is grieving many things that have occurred in her life. Emma is a genius author and hedge fund operator but still can’t figure out how to fix the broken pieces of her personal life. The only constant that has remained in her life is her local bar and it’s regular crowd. As Emma spends an eventful evening there she begins to realize maybe she still has a chance to put her broken self back together. Excellent book about forgiveness and starting over. Highly recommended.

It’s five o’clock on a Wednesday, regular crowd shuffles in . . . Amelia, the bartender at The Final Final, serves drinks to the regulars: Emma; Jimmy (Lucas’ best friend); Cal with his daughter, Summer; Martin; Fancy Pete; and Short Pete. Narrated by Emma, she presents a timeline of events in the present and regularly digresses into her memories of the past, starting with how she and Lucas first met at The Final Final. The chapters are each labeled for the evening hours in which the story unfolds: 5PM; 6PM; through 1AM. The epilogue is entitled “After Hours.”

I found Ordinary Hazards to be a fascinating (and at times, depressing) look at one woman’s assessment of what went wrong in her life. It is a joyous tale of friendship and love but also a heartbreaking story of loss, grief, and regrets. As the story unfolds, we find out that Emma and Lucas were once madly in love and married. Yet something is off, because these are all Lucas’ friends yet Lucas is not there in the bar with them all. Gradually, we learn what came between Emma and Lucas.

At times, the story moves along at a too slow pace. But anticipation builds and, from 10pm onward, a series of unexpected, intense actions yield startling results after which events rapidly spiral out of control. And while the epilogue “After Hours” doesn’t quite provide a resolution, it offers hope.

Truly sad story in loss and love and divorce. However there was quite a bit of rushed plot and things left out. Really felt like everything was just thrown together in the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It would be a grave injustice to say that this book is about a woman stopping by her neighborhood bar and drinking the night away while she reflects on all the events of her life that has led her to this point. Although that may be true, this book, a debut novel by Anna Bruno, is so much more than that. Emma's past is full of deeply rich characters and events, each one shared with us on a need to know basis. Some, like her relationship with her ex-husband Lucas are shared in bits along the way, and others like her relationship with her father are dropped in front of us for us to consume all at once.
During the evening, the regulars in the bar, each of whom has a role in Emma's backstory, start off interacting like it's an ordinary night, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Bruno brings Emma's recollections and her night in the bar to a climactic convergence in a final scene that this reader did not see coming.. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy of Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno.

Ordinary Hazards takes us through a booze-filled evening at a dive bar, The Final Final, where our narrator Emma takes us through her memories. As the hours sound down, we learn more about how she got to where she tragically is today and why.

I can see why many readers struggled with this book. It's somewhat on the darker side, leans toward self-deprecation, but has some tongue-in-cheek humor to carry the storyline. Early on I began to ask where's the story. It slowly unfolds, but at times I have to admit I started skimming to get through what I felt wasn't necessary to get to the heart of the story. This didn't meet the expectations I had for the story, and I'm not sure I want it to linger long in my thoughts. It will appeal to a certain reader, but if you're looking for something uplifting, this isn't it.

Bruno's writing wasn't the issue, this is just a sobering (no pun intended) story.

I was really excited about reading this book but was ultimately very disappointed. I was not impressed with the writing and the story was boring. Emma spends an evening in the Final Final Bar talking to the regulars about her life. We go back and forth with her from the present to the past, exploring her love affair, marriage and divorce from Lucas. I tried several times to get into the book but it went so slowly, the characters are poorly developed and I could not relate to the narrative. I wish I could provide a better review but this is the best I can say about it. I thank Atria and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This was a very emotional and intense read. It is multilayered with many elements and bears a message.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.75/5⭐️

This was a tough read for me in several ways.

It’s the story of Emma, a 30-something hedge fund genius, who is self-destructing. She is spending most of her time drinking to dull tremendous loss(es), guilt, blame and depression.

It’s a bit of a downer to read, and I wasn’t a fan of the abrupt skipping around in time to gain the backstory. Overall it’s written well, but I wish I had connected better with the characters.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Atria for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Anna Bruno’s Ordinary Hazards is like a slow, powerful train running. And yet, Ordinary Hazards is Quietly Stunning! I’ll have more to say about this outstanding debut novel in my book review coming soon on my BookClubReporter.com website.

The work day is done and Emma is seated at the small town bar surrounded by the friends of her ex-husband Lucas. While observing their familiar banter, readers are given a peek into Emma’s memories. We learn she’s a hedge fund manager who met her husband on a blind date in the very bar in which she’s currently sitting and that she struggles with her definition of success thanks to a father who defined it by money.

As the night wears on and the alcohol continues to flow, Emma is spiraling quickly toward the one memory she wants to forget; the one that hardened her heart toward Lucas and changed her life forever.
Drama unfolds after hours and so does the past where we learn a heartbreaking truth and watch Emma make a choice between giving up and going on.

I’m struggling to rate this book. I read it quickly, which is a sign that I enjoyed it, but at the same time I never felt invested in the characters. It’s a family drama with a cast of small town characters that allow us to see their relatable flaws but I feel like we just scratched the surface in understanding their motivations. Emma’s story is heartbreaking but I didn’t connect with her until the last couple chapters.
Ordinary Hazards is depressing and hopeful at the same time but I can’t help but feel I was kept at a distance from the characters that didn’t allow me to become immersed in their lives.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Ordinary Hazards is scheduled for release on August 18, 2020.

The setting - a local bar. Time frame - one night. Characters - friends that have become like family. Meet Emma. She is in the local watering hole where everybody knows everybody and they are close. She is revisiting her past and recollecting both good times and bad over drinks and conversations. I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked and I found myself feeling all the feels for Emma, Cal, Summer and knew that at some point I would find out what happened with Lucas and Lionel. When I did, it was a gut punch, but it all made sense.
Then the plot twist and a friend in the bar goes rogue in real time! What was a rough moment in the plot ended up turning things around for Emma and I was so happy with the ending.
Thankful for the ARC, and recommend this one confidently!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I read this more or less in one sitting and I thought the format (set over the course of a single evening, but made up in large part of memories and scenes from the past, with something terrible having happened and being revealed gradually) worked really well here. Ordinarily I find that kind of 'but that was before the bad thing happened...' structure tiresome, but in this author's hands it seemed organic and well-paced.

Divorced Emma spends an evening in a bar drinking (vast amounts) with the regulars. Previously she has been to the bar with her ex-husband Lucas - indeed it was his 'local' first. Gradually we learn about Emma's life and particularly her marriage. While I thought this novel was very good, not everything worked for me. Emma was a hard character to like and I never understood the theme of her best-seller (something about stories and investments?). I didn't really buy into her being a hedge fund manager somehow either. Some of the other characters were hard to get a handle on - what did Fancy Pete bring to the plot? - and the dog Addie, was a more fully-developed character than most of the humans.

Finally the ending felt a little over-dramatic (although if you must live in a country where you can sit at a bar with a concealed weapon...).

This book fascinated me. Basically it deals with a woman at a bar one night reflecting on her life and interacting with the characters who came into the bar. Sounds boring, right? It was far from it. This book kept my attention and I really enjoyed it. Filled with thoughts on loss, love, opportunities, ambition and home, Emma grapples with finding her way back to life.

The book was interesting and kept my attention. I was surprised to find this is a debut novel for Anna Bruno. Congratulations author, you wrote a great debut!

Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

This book was very different than what I usually read. That being said, I really enjoyed it. It dealt with topics such as family turmoil, loss and friendship. It takes place during a single night at a bar where a group of friends meet nightly at a local bar. This was the debut novel by this author and I can't wait to read more from her.

A terrific debut by Anna Bruno. At times emotional, sometimes heartbreaking even. But oh so good. A great story, well written and a great ending. Can't wait to read more!

Calling all character driven lovers, this one is for you! Sadly, that means it was not for me. I made to about 60% and found that I really just didn’t care all that much about Emma or why she and Lucas got divorced. I was really looking forward to this one, but it just didn’t do it for me. However, If you love character driven novels I think you will love it!

A book that drew me in a unique read .A bar a group of people one night in their live with glimpses into their lives outside the bar this one night.Well written involving excellent for book club discussions.#netgalley#atrabooks

I let this book sit for a long time after I finished it waiting to see which way it landed. It was very middle of the road. A fine story, with a potentially gimmicky style, but with a talented author behind it. I can't say I loved it. But I can say the author has enough talent to make me reluctant to give it low marks. And other readers may appreciate the unique voice of the book more than I did! So in the end I think the book, while not for me, is a tremendous example of an author I'll definitely be keeping my eye on.

Oh my goodness but this was a devastatingly beautiful book. I had no idea, for the longest time, where exactly things were going - it wasn't a bad thing though, because I could tell we were on a journey somewhere, I just wasn't entirely sure where, and the writing was so gorgeous that I was more than happy to go along for the ride... when we finally arrived it was startling and stunning and I literally could not turn pages fast enough to see where the train wreck would take me next.

This is a story about pain and survival and the families we make for ourselves - the writing is astonishingly good and the emotion is heartbreakingly real. From devastation to delight, every emotional aspect covered in this book resonated like a gong had been struck next to my head... I must have highlighted descriptions of feelings and turns of phrase every five pages - Bruno is a master at the manipulation of language to bare the naked desperation of emotional struggle without ever feeling maudlin or overdrawn.

The book was a marvelous, haunting, painful delight of a read and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!!