First, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
perhaps 3.5 stars. . .
So, this is a story about 3 generations of women and the abuse and secrets that take up a lifetime. There was a lot of analyzing thoughts and feelings throughout this book. It is told out of 4 perspectives - the matriarch Bibba, her 2 daughters Catherine and Di, and Catherines daughter Jo. Catherine marries a very abusive man. They leave and go to Bibba's house for some healing. But he doesn't stay gone. I read this as a palate cleanser between my psychological thrillers and it was a little heavy.

I wanted to like this book because it touched on some topics and explained them amazingly BUT the characters weren't fleshed out enough for me and I couldn't relate

This was a captivating debut novel by Alissa Miles! It captured my attention from beginning to end and I didn't want the story to be over. I felt all kinds of emotions throughout the book and it's the kind of book that sticks with you long after you have turned the last page.

This story needs work. The characters just didn’t work for me. I had a hard time getting through the story line.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Alissa C. Miles for providing a copy of this book to me.

Three generations of women who are trying to piece together their broken relationships, lives, and dreams in order to bond in understanding and healing through love. Hard to fathom issues of rape and abuse have shaped their lives but won’t break them. This is a story of love, survivors, and hope.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬.

𝘔𝘢𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 is a dark, Southern Fiction novel about the cycles of domestic abuse. It begins in 1986 with Jo, born the fighting kind, describing her birth in the kitchen pantry and the current state of things as she watches from underneath the kitchen table while her mother and aunt speak with the police. Daddy, who is angry all the time and a bully, is in trouble again. What did he do, what is he in trouble for this time? Was it the fighting between her parents? Their fighting, well “it can’t lead to anything good”.

2014: Bibba, Jo’s grandmother, tells her own story and it bleeds into everything that follows in their lives. It is a tale about three generations of suffering, untold until now. Love as war, women in “a constant state of preparing for the next catastrophe” and Jo’s own mother Catherine shouldering the same. How can women facing insurmountable disasters have enough life and joy left within them paint a happy, safe world for their children? Women who know only touches that cause you to flinch in self-defense? It’s a no holds barred confession, with hard facts about the past, including the truth of who Ryland (Jo’s own daddy) was- a monster they were lucky to leave alive.

1986: Running away from the brutally cruel hands of their father, pregnant Catherine, Jo and her little brother David escape with their Aunt Di’s help to Jo’s grandmother “Bibba’s” place on Wimbee Island, South Carolina. Near the beach, it’s a freedom she can taste, no need to creep around quietly here, fearful of tipping the precarious balance. It’s not like when they lived with daddy. At Wimbee Island Jo’s belly is full of delicious filling meals instead of clawing fearful creatures, her head and heart bursting days of fresh air and sunshine, it is a peace of sorts at last. Even Bibba’s big, slobbering dog Bogue is becoming less scary, winning Jo over. This house of women is a haven for them to burrow in, but despite their safety, her pregnant mamma suffers a big loss and there is nothing in its place but more distance between Catherine and her children. In the confusion of the adult world, Jo wonders what this new life looks like, will they ever return to daddy or worse, will daddy find and hurt them? What about school? Who is this old friend “Hetch” of her mamma’s and why does her grandma seem suspicious of him? Why do there seem to be more questions than answers in her world? With daddy locked up, they have a reprieve from terror, for a time, but the darkness is always waiting to swallow them whole, it’s always been this way for all the women in the family.

When there is a chance for happiness for Catherine and her old friend Thomas, it’s an impossibility, after all, she is a married woman and mother of young children. It all boils down to marrying the wrong man, nothing else carries such heavy consequences and the judgement of others for a woman. No other choice can effect the happiness of one’s children more than the man a woman chose for the father of her offspring, but should they all be punished for eternity for choosing wrong? Then there are the violations against her own mother Bibba so long ago, when the blush of youth and innocence was still on her cheeks. Bibba’s shame a spreading stain on the future, a wrong that can’t be undone. Victims are forced to bear the sins of others, that’s just how it is. This is the savagery of violence, if a woman is lucky enough to even survive it, she is branded. For Bibba, coping became an inward turn for Catherine it’s ‘sad humor’, shaming herself for all her regrets, her husbands insults poison she has ingested for too long.

But evil can’t win forever, someone has to save them.

There is violence, pain, fear, silence, shame and demons that hitchhike through more than one lifetime, a sort of inheritance. Jo comes of age with ‘uneasy parts’ that infect her future and she must confront the past in order to be a good mother and find happiness in her own marriage. How does a woman learn to open up, accept happiness when her life, and the women’s lives before her, were a nightmare of lurking threats? It is Bibba who kept them all drawn close, she who tied their strings with strong knots. Bibba has the pages of the missing story, she may be the key to healing. In coming full circle, Jo will finally have answers, it is through a journal Bibba’s voice shouts her own truth. Can Jo finally let light into the dark corners of the past and invite happy moments in its place?

Jo was perfectly written, narrates like a child would and is torn between feeling the wrongness of events and yet unable to name them. She witnesses the sharp edges of the adults world but doesn’t know how to translate it. Catherine isn’t as strong as a character, I understand there is a reason because she is battered and broken down to an outline of a woman but I still wish she was less diluted. Bibba is strong, resilient and is exactly the protector they all need. It’s an engaging read to the end.

This is a painful story about violence and recovery. It is about raw hearts and the scars we carry. A tale of women as soldiers in the war called love.

Available Now

Published September 4, 2020

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

I love a child narrator. This novel gives you both...the child and the child grown up. This is a hard read with a trigger warning for domestic violence. But it is also a beautiful story of resilience, of doing our best, or finding our way through, and of being far from perfect. Four strong women in this novel. I loved it and sobbed through the ending. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review. I'll be looking for more from this debut author!

Decent story, interesting characters. Kept my mind involved while I was reading. Overall, I liked it.

Mad Moon is a story of three generations of women and the abuse they endure. Before we get too far, know that there are some heavy topics in this book including rape and domestic violence. The story revolves around Jo, an eight year old girl, who lives with her abusive father. After years of abuse, her mother finally leaves Jo's father. Jo, her mom, and her baby brother escape to Jo's grandmother's house. Much of the story is from Jo's perspective but it does eventually switch to the perspectives of Jo's mother, Catherine as well as her grandma, Bibba.

Initially we get a bird's eye view of the events but over time more and more details are revealed, depicting how trauma haunts all three generations of women.

Overall this was a book that I liked well enough (didn't really like or LOVE). The story felt a bit messy and some things about it just didn't work for me. It was hard to keep track of where we were in the timeline and at times I felt that Jo would say things that no eight year old would ever say. (Maybe 8 year olds are just far more philosophical than I think?!?).

Thank you to @netgalley for the free e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three generations of women facing the same abuse and a woman determined not to follow the same destiny. To get where you want to be you have to face where you started and in going back finding out who you are. It's a beautiful story about discovery. Read this wonderful book. Happy reading!

The McConnell women have a history of making poor choices when it comes to men. Real love has always been a fairy tale to them, never a reality.
Grandmother Bibba, Aunt Di and her mother Catherine have not been the best marriage role models for Jo. Bibba was in a loveless marriage, Catherine's was abusive, and Aunt Di opted out all together.
Jo is the hope for breaking the cycle of poor relationship choices.

Mad Moon is a compelling book about toxic love and lost love. Bibbas story of sexual assault and the struggle to move on after, was heartbreaking. She was an important character and I would have liked to see more of her story then what was offered. Bibba was the beginning and the end of the story, she could have been the whole book.
I found Catherines character hard to love. She loved her children enough to remove them from an abusive environment, but then mentally checks out for much of their childhood. The breakdown is only mentioned a little, and it was important to Jo's character development.
I found David's character unnecessary, even though he showed signs of creating another abuse cycle. The story was always about the women in the book, David's presence is almost an afterthought.
The book was slow to start and hard to get into with jumps from Jo in her youth and Bibbas story. Jo's narrative as a child is hard to follow, and would have been better as memories from adult Jo. I liked adult Jo.
The full circle ending did make me tear up. I was rooting Catherine and Hatch's relationship and was pleased to see it come to fruition. Bringing the women together to bury Bibba and their pasts was the perfect end to their story.

Mad Moon is the debut novel by author Alissa C. Miles. I found it to be a very enthralling read because once I started reading it, I had a very hard time putting it down. This is a story told about 3 generations of a family. It shows what it was like for the grandmother Bibba, her 2 daughters Catherine and Diana and Catherine’s daughter Josephine. The story is mainly told from Jo’s point of view. This was a very damaged family. They all had suffered some form of abuse. Catherine’s husband was a bad man and was very mean and abusive and everyone paid the price. It was a story of abuse and tragedy but also of family and love and how families, if they bond together, can see through the bad times and come out on the other side and be whole and content. Happy even! I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to others. I thought the author did an amazing job writing this and I’m anxious to read more by her in the future. I believe this deserves a 5 star rating!

Jo Evans is eight years old. She loves her mama and wants nothing more than for them to be safe from her abusive father. So, when her mother, Catherine, decides they should leave, Jo packs her few belongings and readies herself for their escape to Wimbee Island, South Carolina, to her Grandmother Bibba's house.
Homecomings are never easy and when Jo and her family settle in at Bibba's, Jo realizes she's connected to a past she knows nothing about.
Three generations of women.
Three generations of abuse, lies, and betrayal.
Later, as an adult, when Jo becomes a wife and mother, she longs to feel grounded in her roles. She knows she must return and face the dark moments of that summer spent on Wimbee.
MAD MOON is a unique storytelling exploration of childhood memories and the affect trauma can have throughout adulthood. It's also a poignant peek into real love, the importance of friendship, how deeply connected women's stories can be and how that revelation can wash away sorrows of the past.

What a wonderfully moving book about three generations of trauma. I felt like i truly knew the characters and could not wait to see what would happen next. I laughed, i cried, i hurt for the main characters and im still thinking about this book days after finishing it. I loved the transition from present day to 30 years later and how those traumatic things are always in the back of your mind popping up for unexplainable reasons. Miles writing is engaging and keeps you coming back for more, the way she can tell a story then retell from a different perspective was lovely and i cant wait to read more from this author!

Historical, Southern fiction is my favourite genre. This is also on the side of coming of age and I enjoy that as well. I can't believe the average rating for this story is so low, I absolutely loved it. It is a short book, at less than 200 pages, and I was able to read it in one sitting. The length isn't the reason why though, I was just so captivated by Jo(sephine) and her family.

This book shows the complexity relationships have and those you can rely on. Life is never easy and we should trust our hearts to guide us through difficult situations. Mad Moon is an emotional read that will hit you right in the heart.

The settings are vividly described, especially the beach scenes. The most appealing thing is the characterization. Each of the main characters has compelling attributes and flaws which draw in the reader as their stories evolve. It's easy to become emotionally attached, cheering for them or shouting at them, suddenly realizing you're holding your breath, feeling the tension relieved only to be ramped up again.

This is the kind of story where you live alongside the characters. It'll trigger emotions, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. And it'll leave behind a little piece of itself for you to ponder long after you're done reading. That is a sign of a really good book.

I enjoyed this story about three generations of women that had to overcome their trauma. Trauma from childhood, early adulthood and later adulthood. It was fascinating to see how each woman processed and tried to move forward with their life and how that affected each their relationships with others and each other.

This novel is a personal story that I am glad was told and I enjoyed the various point of views that allowed you to understand how each character remembered and chose to process and heal from their trauma. This is a topic that is not explored enough in fiction and I am glad this author as able to honestly depict the many layers trauma plays on our memories and leaves it mark on our lives.

Confession time-As a Southerner, I often don't enjoy books that take place in the south. They are just too idyllic, romantic, too, well, much. But, Mad Moon may have convinced me otherwise. Alissa Miles does an amazing job of weaving a beautiful southern setting with real life pain and drama (and pain there is-this book might be a trigger with the many mentions of abuse and rape). But, even more than creating a realistic southern setting, Miles has accomplished something even more difficult in creating characters who are incredibly relatable even if you (hopefully) cannot connect with the tragedy they endured. Miles was able to capture the thoughts and feelings of an eight year old girl perfectly. I was even able to see myself in Jo, even though I fortunately had a childhood much different than hers. Overall, a great read!

As they say, our childhood often helps shape the kind of people we turn into as adults. The good, the bad the ugly has a role in the childhood gets embedded in our heads and influence our coping mechanism, later in life.

Three generations of women.
Jo, her mother and her grandmother. She grows up in a household inundated with abuse and trauma, by her father. When she grows up and gets married, has children she is determined to not let her present suffer due to her past. She has unresolved issues with her mother due to their tumultuous past which has left them scarred.

This is a poignant and sensitive read about family dynamics and being able to forgive and move on from past grievances and pain.

Thank you NetGalley and Alissa c. Miles for providing me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

A story of complex family dynamics and abuse spanning three generations of women. As.a young girl Jo is abused by her father and witnesses the abuse of her mother. After his death after they go to stay with her grandmother. In spite of her trauma Jo goes on to create a beautiful life for herself, marrying and having children of her own. The story details the tumultuous relationship between between Jo and her emotionally distant mother. The characters are developed nicely and its easy for the reader to get invested in the story. Overall a good read

I think the premise of the story is one that I haven't seen before and I think it's a really important issue to touch upon. I love the cover of the book and I think it's fitting with the story itself; I get the impression it's Jo and she's seeing through the cracks about domestic abuse, but also portraying her inner self as still being that little girl and experiencing that hurt and pain from her childhood. The 3 generations of women are all lovable and you can really feel the emotions of each character and how they come together as a solid unit to protect and love each other. For me, I don't feel as though there was enough to keep me reading, I wanted more context, more details and something to grip me to want to find out more about the characters, or what will happen at the end/in the future. I think with the premise of the story being about love, strong women and family bonds, I was hoping for more through the writing, to feel even more connected with the characters as I read on.

That being said, I think this will be an important book for people to read, to be able to understand somewhat how those experiences can still be present in your emotions and your day to day life.