this was unfortunately a dnf for me, I tried reading this book a few times, but each time, I just couldn't get into it. I found it hard to push through because I wasn't invested.

Even after reading (and becoming obsessed with) "Euphoria" and "Writers & Lovers", I was once again amazed by Lily's raw, sensitive writing and her unique way of building characters so dimensional and real.

It's safe to say that even though I didn't love all of the stories (my favorite was the last one), it's still worth reading with no rush and keeping in my mind that they're (obviously) very short, some being more engaging than others.

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook. I really wasn’t sure how to rate this since this is the first book of short stories I’ve read. Initially the stories were good and the meaning/moral of each could be understood when finished, then each one became more “weird” and when the story ended I was left with the feeling of and …. Having read another book by this same author, I think this one was lacking in many ways.

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook. I really wasn’t sure how to rate this since this is the first book of short stories I’ve read. Initially the stories were good and the meaning/moral of each could be understood when finished, then each one became more “weird” and when the story ended I was left with the feeling of and …. Having read another book by this same author, I think this one was lacking in many ways.

I absolutely enjoyed this collection of short stories by Lily King. This is my first experience reading one of her work and I am so glad that i was introduced to Lily King's beautiful writing through this galley.

Five Tuesdays on Winter is a collection of short stories about love, family, interpersonal connections from the perspective of the negative and not-so-comfortable emotions that are often attached to these aspects of a person's life.

I enjoyed the way she had a knack at describing the effect that an external variable, be it a person, an incident or a relationship has on the human psyche and the current dynamics within a relationship especially in families. I am not a fan of love stories and usually stay away from those books, but the way King describes love (especially infatuation and first love) with all of its rough edges made these stories seem very real to me.

Definitely a 5 star read and I would love to read all of her backlists and her upcoming releases. Definitely give this one a read. Impeccable writing, astute characterisation making this one a collection of quaint yet realistic short stories - Lily King has turned into one of my favourite authors!

Loved this gem of a short story collection! Some of the stories will stay with me for a long time and Lily king is now an author I will read as an auto buy! These stories felt so full even though they were short which is quite rare in a collection!

A collection of 10 short stories introduces the reader to many, many diverse and fascinating characters. Lily King does a superb job making 10 different stories flow for the length of the book. From a young girl hired to take care of a wealthy family’s children for the summer, to a 91 year old grandpa sitting bedside his granddaughter who is in a coma. Most characters are grappling with difficult life happenings and I found it enthralling to read the many perspectives and stories. Highly recommend this book!
***Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Lily King's first collection of short stories was a surprise even after having read several of her novels. Each of the stories introduces characters so well developed that they could support a full-length book. Deep emotions are kindled, sometimes difficult to bear, but in each case life enriching.

I don’t think Lily King can write anything bad, there I said it. I have mixed everything she’s produced whole heartedly and this collection of stories is no different.

These stories are touching, thoughtful and full of emotion. Exquisite writing that flows.

Her writing I find is so relatable in context and easy to empathize with even when it doesn’t feel as personal to oneself.

A quick book easily read in one setting.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Press for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

To be honest, I was attracted to this book solely because of the author. If I had realised earlier it was a collection of short stories, I might have skipped it. I’m glad now that I have it a chance.

A number of the stories really stuck with me. They were raw and honest. The stories were original and touched on death, life, love, loss and everything in between. What I liked most was that many of the stories felt concluded. They left me feeling satisfied and not robbed of something more.

However, I do have to admit that I didn’t love all the stories. Some just didn’t touch me and, honestly, by the end of the book, I felt I had an overload of short stories.

Dear Publisher - I was unable to finish this book before the digital ARC expired. I appreciate the opportunity to review this title before it was published and hope you will continue to approve access to your titles! I am continually hand selling titles I have read to my customers and recommending them on Goodreads, Litsy and my personal blog.

I’ve been getting into short story collections more over the last 12 months and this really helped. Lily King was able to bring so much emotion and sympathy into so few pages. At the end of each story I felt as sad to leave the characters as I was excited to meet the ones in the next story!! I’ve given it 3.5 just because some stories could’ve been shorter or more impactful, however I adored her writing, she has some beautiful descriptions of things and people, and I’m very eager to continue with some of her other works!!

Would highly recommend wether you’re new to short stories or not :)

Q&A with myself

What were some of the theme’s explored in the stories?

King writes about ordinary people with messy lives as she explores loss, grief, heartache, and self-discovery with vulnerable characters longing for love, acceptance, and struggling with change.

Are the characters likeable, or unlikeable and easy to connect and relate to? Do they change and grow with the conflicts they experience?

Lily King creates an array of uniquely endearing, likable characters of all ages, but the complicated relationships are at the heart of the stories. The stories centered around parents and adolescents were the ones I related most too. She writes about parents trying to understand and connect to their bright, vulnerable, self-conscious children who have “become a creature they couldn’t understand.” Often stories explore bad parenting, but here, we see a raw, honest look at the messiness of raising one of those creatures who think their parents are creatures they don’t understand and relate to.

“Adults hid their pain, their fears, their failure, but adolescents hid their happiness, as if to reveal it would risk its loss.”

Yes, in only a few pages we see the characters change and grown through their experiences. We see them discover something about life, themselves, and each other..

What were some of the conflicts the characters experienced?

We have characters who are left vulnerable by spouses who have left them or have experienced a loss, mental health crisis, alcoholism, or crudity.

Would I recommend the stories?

Yes!!

Did the book inspire me to read more from the author?

Yes, I have Writers & Lovers on my shelf of unread books and have moved it to the top of my list to read.

I have loved Lily King since the first time I read Euphoria and I'm blown away each time I read her again, so my expectations were high. Five Tuesdsays in Winter was not my favorite of her works, though I think I may be under-rating it because I read it over a couple months to savor it, and I enjoyed the stories in the first half more than those in the second. The last two, in particular, took a dark/somber turn that I wasn't expecting and felt jarring alongside the titular story. Still, Lily King combines sweetness and sadness so well (Waiting for Charlie... wow) and I'll still read anything with her name on it.

'Five Tuesdays in Winter' by Lily King is a book that turned out to be way more than I had expected it to be. I wasn't expecting this book to contain ten stories that were heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. This book is a perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

King has written the stories beautifully, maybe it was King's writing that had such a profound impact on me.
What amazed me the most was how these stories were so relatable, yet some felt intense and different. It's the range of emotions that King plays with, through each story. I would categorize this book as a perfect contemporary literary fiction.

The story 'Waiting for Charlie' left me in tears and I still can't stop thinking about it. Another favorite of mine is "Five Tuesdays in Winter', a slow romance that I absolutely loved.

This is going to be a short review.
Wow! This is such a wonderful, powerful collection of intimate short stories about being human.
The writing seems effortless and is just gorgeous. The stories are so tender - there’s grief, vulnerability and longing. Lily King finds extraordinary depths in the ordinary - what more can I say? I simply loved it. Go read it!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All views are my own.

What an amazing collection of stories!! I'm such a fan of Lily King and she did not disappoint with this new book! Highly recommend this one!

Lily King leaves you with wanting more of these stories. She makes you feel each character and I felt what they were feeling. At first I felt like I wanted more at the end of each story, but I believe you are to really ponder them and think them through.

It’s not often I come across a collection of short stories and like every single one, but I thought these were wonderful, each one beautifully crafted, not a wasted word, with a wide-range of characters and topics but at heart always simply about ordinary human emotions, feelings of loss and love and regret, keenly observed and insightful. Lily King demonstrates that essential ability of any short story writer, that of being able to conjure a whole world in just a few pages. Very enjoyable indeed.

I’m not much of a fan of short stories but Lily certainly lives up to her last name. She is a masterful storyteller with brilliant, emotional, sweeping words to tell. I absolutely adored most of her work, and will continue to look for future pieces that she puts out.

Almost every story left me at short breath, drawing me in curiously and tugging at my heart. From the distraught, mournful elder characters to the young and brave, the women and men and the histories.

Absolutely brilliantly told.