The one thing I liked about the book was the different locations, especially New Mexico. I couldn’t really immerse myself in the story, however. I just couldn’t identify with the characters and found myself skimming chapters, hoping to ignite interest. Alas, it didn’t happen.

You Never Get It Back is by no means badly written but it does recount a story I have read before. This is far less memorable than Writers&Lovers and the many other books focusing on youngish women who are meandering through their twenties. The short-story structure reminded me of Frying Plantain but unlike Frying Plantain this novel lacks momentum. The storytelling is not engaging and the protagonist is a vague-non-person. The prose, story, structure, and themes are all far from memorable. Also, some descriptions struck me as lazy. At one point a woman is described as having "Italian skin"....Italian skin is not a skin tone. Olive skin, yeah. Not all Italians share the same skin-tone so I find this descriptor lazy and inaccurate.

Thank you NetGalley and University of Iowa press for the eARC for an honest review.

I struggled a little reading this, but despite this, I still enjoyed the story.

This is written/structured as a collection of short stories, which are linked. This story follows Kate, and her journey and of her life with her family and friends. We see her connections and lack thereof, with them, of which the lack thereof relationships made me a little sympathetic (depending on certain parts of the story).

There are some parts of the book I enjoyed, and other parts of the book were the ones I struggled with. Despite all these, this is a beautifully written book.

3.5
I had a tough time with this one. It was a pretty easy read. I liked certain quotes, but the biggest issue I had was the main character (Kate).
Her personality was very distant, estranged from most of the people she was close to in her life. Even as an outside observer, I feel like I never really got close to understanding who Kate was.
It also frustrated me to no end that the character seemed to end up in relationships that she wasn't very invested in, and instead of leaving, she would just stay. She seemed like a sedentary character overall. I kept wanting to shout at her "if you don't love him/if you're not into it then LEAVE!" FIND SOMETHING/SOMEONE WORTH YOUR TIME. She never seemed sure of anything and that made me anxious and unsettled, almost unable to trust her.

I just didn't get a whole lot of emotions out of it but it was well written and interesting enough, with a semi unsatisfactory ending. Even then, I didn't really feel like she had met her full potential or ended up where she would like to be.

"Don't worry. Life keeps giving you chances."
"Chances to what?" I'd asked
"Chances to love things," he'd said. "Chances to become someone new"

Thank you NetGalley and University of Iowa press for the chance to spend time in and with Cara Blue Adams thoughtfully crafted set of interconnected stories that flow into a short but complete novel. I love writing that brings me into a journey, a sense of coming of age but also more coming into oneself and into self awareness. I felt that the writing also reflected this sense of expansion of the writer themselves, a chance to see writing skills and joy for writing grow stronger and somehow both restrained and unrestrained in places (e..g, the short story metaphor, clarity and purpose and completion in a paragraph). The elegance of the writing invited me into Kate's life in an intimate and personal way, a chance to learn about this character but also to learn of Ms. Adams as a powerful force in writing.
I am so glad I had the chance to engage with this writing and the unique voice that Cara Blue Adams brings to readers. I look forward to more work from this writer and appreciate the chance to support this work.

Where to find my review:
goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/131395833-meghan-pageus
dont-stop-reading.com (reviews posted there closer to review date)
instagram (small review shared soon, then again closer to pub date) https://www.instagram.com/pageus_of_books/
bookshop.org affiliate page (listed a recommended book) https://bookshop.org/shop/pageus
twitter https://twitter.com/PageUs_Meghan
I will share with Amazon, BN, and other outlets as requested

The women in this beautiful series of inter-connected yet stand-alone short stories run the gamut from neighbors, sisters, friends from work, friends from school, and to friends from elsewhere. Central character Kate is involved with Eli in most stories, sometimes the love interest is named Javi, but generally the couple's viability is in question; in some stories she's a writer and in others a lab scientist, and throughout many the effects of class background are illustrated. One short story titled "Metaphor" is a single paragraph in length, and perfection. At any length Cara Blue Adams' writing is an absolute treat.

Stunning! Gorgeous! A gorgeous book laid out in a unique way that truly left me emotionally affected - family and female relationships bare at the core of this beautiful book. It’s written in a way that is complex and nuanced and careful it’s it’s words - how does someone write so beautifully and thoroughly in such a small book? I’m buying for everyone for holiday gifts. Lovely. Can you tell I loved it? Thanks to university of Iowa Press for the true gift of an advanced copy of this book. I’m so grateful.

You Never Get it Back is a well crafted narrative with extraordinary attention to detail and characters that are developed fairly well. The story is set up as a sort of short story collection providing the reader with glimpses of the main character, Kate, at two different points in her life.; With all the segments coming together to create a true novel.

While there were some amazing aspects of this book, I do feel as though I left the book without truly getting to the core of Kate. Yes, we read a lot about her in vivid detail but it remains a summary of the character rather than encompassing the very core of her.

The plot is interesting enough to call to readers and have them stick though the story but I do feel as though most, like myself, will walk away from with ease, with no wow factor. I would recommend giving it a go, as you may feel differently about the character, which is the main issue I had with this book.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for providing me an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I am honored to share my opiinion's and hope you find it helpful

You Never Get It Back is a beautiful collection by author Cara Blue Adams that marks her entry into the realm of American literary fiction elite. Following the life of the small town New Englander Kate as she travels from college to the professional world and from relationships with difficult roommates to various men, You Never Get it Back is a tableaux of a life well lived and a character with a tremendous passion for living.

I am a lover of short stories and their writers. I consider Alice Munro and Lorrie Moore two of the best fiction writers because of their ability to nail a short story. Cara Blue Adams's debut collection, YOU NEVER GET IT BACK, is a wonderful collection of interlinked short stories, revolving around the character of Kate from her childhood through to adulthood. Varying in length, Adams has the ability to create complete worlds, immediately drawing you in to Kate and her relationships with family and friends. These stories are detailed, expertly crafted, and there is not one dud in the collection.

Thanks to University of Iowa Press, NetGalley, and Cara Blue Adams for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully written book of connected short stories. Adams is a true wordsmith; she is able to paint a complete picture for the reader without simply gushing out words. It feels as if each and every word is carefully and thoughtfully chosen and it creates a wonderful reading experience as the reader is able to enter Kate's world as almost more than an observer.
I enjoyed the sense of place that each story evoked and seeing how Kate and her family evolve throughout the book. I did not want it to end and as we all know, that's a very good sign. This is a book that can be reread and no doubt the reader will discover new insights each time. I am not a fan of short stories, yet I loved this book.

I enjoyed this book overall, but the structure of the book was a bit confusing and the character development of Kate was a bit underwhelming, she was not the easiest to connect to and I found her to be a bit aloof at times. That said, I think the writing was beautiful and it was short and sweet coming in at just under 200 pages, which is always nice. I look forward to reading more titles by Cara Blue Adams in the future. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy!

I absolutely loved this gorgeous collection of linked short fiction. This book is a journey, in the best sense of the word. At first, I found the protagonist, Kate, exasperating in her passivity. She just went along with all the strong personalities in her life, never advocating for herself or doing what she wanted. But then as things unfolded and we got to know her, I understood, much in the way you understand a person in real life as you see them in more situations and you learn about the people who shaped their life. It was wonderfully done - totally worth sticking with it until the end.

My favorite part of this book is the writing. The sentences, the observations they present, the way the scenes unfold. It really is beautiful, and the imagery will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to more books from Cara Blue Adams.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

YOU NEVER GET IT BACK is highly recommended for fans of literary fiction. I think of this linked collection almost like a cross between Elizabeth Strout and Otessa Mosghfegh. We have the angst and ennui of Mosghfegh with the precise, lovely writing of Strout. I enjoyed Kate's journey, although at times she can be frustrating in her vague aimlessness. The linked story format works well here.

I’m the first to rate and review this book on here. Oh, the responsibility, the responsibility…
Ok, so, let’s talk about it…
There’s a very specific sort of literature out there, a finely crafted and composed works that practically scream of the years it took to produce them in many literary workshops and writers colonies. It shows everywhere from the meticulously arranged mise en scene to the precisely etched characters. And oftentimes the trees are so perfectly arranged that the forest gets forgotten. Which is to say the details are fine, but the grand picture is underwhelming.
This novel is a really good example of that. It’s well written with tremendous attention to detail, but overall it doesn’t actually offer all that much outside of a strangely vague (for all the detail) portrait of a protagonist as a young woman. Well, young and youngish, it leaves off with her at 31 or so.
The book is structured like a collection of short stories or vignettes, but it’s actually a proper novel with a proper protagonist. Kate. And her journey from a wintery small town in New England and life with a younger sister a depressed single mother to a scorchingly hot Arizona, a career and love affairs. It’s compelling enough of a journey to entice the reader, meaning the narrative itself works. There’s just this thing…after spending all that time with Kate, you don’t really get her as a person. She’s a vague, aloof, distant sort of a protagonist and she maintains that throughout. She’s reticent when it comes to romance, she’s nice enough but never striking in any way, she’s kind of a milquetoast of a person. Or maybe she’s just written that way.
And her trajectory has a very women’s fiction thing to it. And so in the end the book does too.
Overall, it’s a fine read and coming in under 200 pages it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it doesn’t quite grab the reader the way you’d want a book to. It just passes by, like scenes from life, faintly charming and then just faint. A very typical university press novel. Competently executed in very muted tones with a lovely ending to lift it up.
Might work differently for different readers. Who knows. But you know the thing about time is that you never get it back. Thanks Netgalley.