I read this collection in one sitting. I loved the slice-of-life, literary narrative, and the diverse cast of characters that were beautifully crafted. Moniz has a way of allowing the reader to experience every emotion the characters are going through with incredible breadth. I can't wait to read more from this author!

A brilliant short story collection that captures the suburbs of Florida in a way that hasn't been done before (to my knowledge). Each story has its unique way of keeping your attention and gripping you. Can't wait for Moniz's next work.

I'm so happy I finally got around to this. This is a great short story collection, beautifully written. While some hit more than others, overall, this is an incredibly strong collection.

This was a solid debut but quite heavy and graphic. I enjoyed it enough that we read it for my book club last month. The reviews were mixed. Everyone agreed that some stories resonated better than others as is often the case with a book of short stories. I am looking forward to future works by Moniz. I think the best is yet to come from this author.

These stories were beautiful, raw and aching, every one of them. Dantiel W. Moniz is a beautiful writer and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Short story collections do rarely come better than this.

There. That's my review.

Honestly, all of the stories in the book lull you in until you forget that you're only with the characters for a short while - and when they abruptly end you cannot help but wonder what will happen next.

Milk Blood Heat is quiet and powerful. It has so so many good lines that you will feel yourself reading again and again.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Truly one of the most incredible short story collections I've read in a while. Dantiel W Moniz's Milk Blood Heat doesn't shy away from the awkward and uncomfortable topics, it embraces them. Each story is a different coming to terms, a reckoning of sorts. Rooted deeply in her beloved Florida, each of these protagonists grapples with identity, growing up, violence and trauma. I loved how the title repeats itself in many different iterations, Moniz is wonderfully playful despite the heavy topics. All around great read!

Wonderful debut short story collection. The titular story opens the book and it is absolutely captivating. The next few maintain that level of intensity. It does start to wane towards the last third of the book or so, but even then the stories just go from great to very good (with the exception of "Exotics", which remains near the top of my rankings).

The title story in this extraordinary collection is one of the most moving and memorable stories I've read in years, if not ever. These stories of young girls, of women, of Florida are the best of everyday life under the pressure of personal tragedies. This was easily one of my favorite books of 2021, and went right onto my list of favorite collections ever.

Stunning writing. Reminded me of why I love short stories so much! Can't wait to see what Moniz writes next.

I was really entranced by this book! Each of the stories end similarly, without much resolution, but I greatly enjoyed the insight into the characters.

I really love intergenerational stories that allow us to see a point of view that we normally would not have access to or agree with. I also really enjoy this type of collection of short stories; it allows you to fully immerse yourself in the text and characters.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

Review of novel can be found in the interview with author.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dantiel-w-moniz/id1511650673?i=1000533266224
Thank you for giving us an advance copy of MILK BLOOD HEAT

A collection of great stories well worth reading. I loved the different themes and characters. I will definitely be recommending to family and friends

I've amassed a lot of short story collections over the years but rarely end up picking them up. So I decided to read one a month this year, and this is one of the best ones so far. Every single character feels so real, each story left me satisfied and felt finished, and it was a wonderful (if not sad) commentary on life these days. I loved the focus on girlhood, and while a lot of it was deeply upsetting, I wasn't left feeling hopeless. I've thought about them a lot since, which is a sign of a good collection. Can't wait to see what she writes next.

📚Book 39 of 2021: Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel Moniz


💬Reader’s Digest Version: Milk Blood Heat is a collection of short stories that detail the trials and tribulations of motherhood, familial relationships, and friendships. Moniz uses lyrical prose to describe the raw, honest, complex feelings of various characters as they navigate through marriages, miscarriages, death, and so much more.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: This book is definitely more lyrical than straight prose. Don’t go into this book looking for a clean cut story and plot. Milk Blood Heat is definitely more abstract. While I love lyrical fiction to some extent, sometimes this book veered a little too far into the impressionistic for me. In no way do I think this takes away from the author’s gorgeous writing, it is just not my thing. These stories all give you a peek into an isolated situation a character is going through. The stories do not give you a clean ending or resolution. Normally this would really bug me, but not with this book. Every story had a feeling and a takeaway for me. Life often does not have resolutions tied up in a pretty bow. These stories reflected poignant moments in time for each of these characters. In my opinion, they were not meant to provide us with any sort of resolution or satisfaction….because that’s just reality.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing was beautiful. The stories were moving. Sometimes the abstract nature of the writing took me out of the story, but overall this was a great book.

⭐️My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I always had a complicated history with short stories. I never really liked them to be honest, but Milk Blood Heat had such good reviews and sounded so promising that I just had to try. Unfortunately, it was not much for me. I can say that i liked couple stories, but I was always disappointed to not being able to know and learn more from each one. Some of them are so shocking, I had goose bumps when I finished them. I felt frustrated when I did not understand one due to the theme or writing style. It was not a bad experience, I just think it was not for me. I will still strongly suggest you to check them out, especially if you a fan of short stories.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

“You’re a sexy monster!” she screams, swooping to the edge of the pond for a close-up, splashing water so that the droplets hang in the air for barely a moment, rainbow-colored. “Say it! Be it!”
“I’m a sexy monster!” Ava repeats, and bares her teeth.