A story of always having choices. They may be hard choices, but you still have them. Her life is emotionally draining, but Maren still gets up every morning to face the challenges fate has given her. The story winds through this land that has only known poverty and hardship for so many years that it's hard to remember a time before. But fate has given a few their own escape hatch, a little door that will take them away and they never have to come back. Ashley Blooms has woven the folklore into the desperate story of Maren's life and given readers a gift of an escape from our everyday too. Read at your leisure and share with everyone who needs an escape.

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I come across so few books set in the Appalachian mountains, and I'd like to change that! That aspect of this story was interesting, but I think the sci fi aspects were a little lost on me or didn't really work overall. That said, this book really did get me thinking about what my own "door" would look like, and that piece of it stuck with me.

This wasn't my favorite, but I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review this novel. I look forward to reading more in the future!

This was a rather difficult story to read with some very heavy topics. The whole concept of “the door” was an interesting one but sometimes this bogged the story down,

Coming back to review this after requesting over a year ago, and not getting around to it before it was archived. I decided to give a try but ultimately didn’t finish it. I didn’t think it would be for me when I realized it was more of a metaphorical litfic than a portal fantasy. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fascinating story...makes me sit and wonder what my own door would look like...are there moments in my life when I would have considered opening that door.

Reading this book was an experience in itself. I will definitely recommend to others and re-read myself.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hard but important read about the struggles in Appalachia.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a book with a premise that will stick with me for a while. The idea of a door showing up that is only yours. You may not know where it leads, but you know that you can change things just by stepping through it. An unknown adventure and an escape from whatever problems you’re facing. I love that as long as I stuck to the idea that there’s a great adventure on the other side. My trigger warning below has more thoughts on this.

Maren is having a tough time with life. She is doing the best she can taking care of a grandmother who she knows is getting worse. She’s working a job that hardly makes ends meet, and she is unprepared for things to get worse. Along with that, she’s dealing with her own emotions surrounding her absent mother, who chose her door over her daughter. Like anyone her age she makes bad decisions, pushes people away, and becomes overwhelmed to the point where you don’t actually know what she will choose. You’ll find yourself relating to Maren just a little (more for some) and truly empathizing with her struggles. I enjoyed her as a character because of her flaws, fears, and friends.

One of the most interesting parts of this is that the author allows you to form whatever is beyond that door in your own mind. We never know because no one ever comes back to tell anyone what they saw when they chose the door. So it’s up to us. Is it better? Is it worse? Your guess is as good as theirs. So you understand the predicament of any character whose door shows up. Tempting and terrifying.

Throughout the entire book I was thinking about my own door. What it would look like, where it would be, where it would lead, and the most important question… would I take it? I think that’s what will stick with me the longest.

*Trigger Warning*

Drug use and suicidal ideology/discussion and I can’t help but think of the door as a metaphor, intentional or not- a possible choice to end the problems, not usually made easily or taken lightly, but seems easier the harder things are while leaving families broken and broken-hearted. I apologize if I’m not putting that in the best way. I prefer to think of the fantastical adventure waiting behind the door, but I could see another way to take this.

There is something very intimate about reading this book. Every moment feels close and tangible. Every character draws you in with their complexity and imperfection, compelling you to invest in their story and hope for their survival. As always Ashley Blooms works magic with her prose, painting the Appalachian experience with a stinging tenderness that is both unflinchingly real and profoundly magical.

Life is extremely hard. The things we do to survive. There are days where you just don't have the strength to make it one more day. Say there's a door and when you walk through that door, you don't know what happens on the other side, and once going thru you can't return. By walking through, you leave behind everything and everyone. Knowing all that would you still walk through that door? WHERE I CAN'T FOLLOW is a haunting moving emotional read. From the beginning I was invested in the book. The characters were relatable and likeable. The writing style was tight and was easy to read. And the ending was satisfying. This was my first read by the author and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

#NETGALLEY #WHEREICANTFOLLOW

Originally I wanted this because it was based in Kentucky, where I’m from, and the magical aspect of the doors.

The doors cover some hidden and heavy topics though: abandonment, resentment, family, loyalty, drugs, addiction, loss, poverty, surviving, etc. ,

At the heart of this novel is a daughter struggling with trying to figure out why her Mom left her, and how she keeps her life together when facing that childhood loss as an adult. I loved the twist in this novel in that people across the world have begun getting "doors" that they can take to exit their current existence. No one knows where people go once they have taken their doors, they cannot return once the door has been taken, and only the doors owner can see the door. Our main character is struggling through her life trying to pay for her beloved Grandmother's healthcare, trying to grow into her adult life, and looking back in regret at the paths she didn't choose. So when her door presents itself, the question looming is "Do I take my dorr and leave all of my troubles behind me?" This was a great book! I loved the unique aspect of the other worldly doors which were literal, but also represented the figurative perspective of the road taken or not. I do wish we had gotten a story told from the perspective of someone who HAD taken a door, because I am so curious as to where they take you and what the other world looked like!

Small town setting always have my heart, add in a small town, very rural setting in Kentucky and I'm all in. Ashley Blooms is a new to me author and I loved every delicious bit of Where I Can't Follow. I am not typically a "magical realism" reader, but I am happy I decided to try something new!

This is a powerful story of a people and its place. A great read on survival and strength. The reality of poverty and a look into why some people turn to drugs. With an Appalachian setting, a sense of strong family ties, and down-to-earth and "real" characters.

This is a strong and thought-provoking read.

I would like to thank the publisher for the eARC I received, in exchange for honest feedback.

This is a beautiful book, dealing with small towns, addiction, mental health, and family trauma. For how short it is, it manages to say a lot about all of these themes. I've read a lot of portal books, and although this uses the concept of doors to alternate places it isn't really a portal book. The doors in this novel are more a metaphor of a literal way out of a situation with few options. It's an irreversible choice, and one with an unknown outcome, but it's a way out.

I might come back and update later - I need some more time to sit with this book and think about it.

4 stars

This was a good read for me. The plot was amazing. As I I'm a fan of science fiction plot.
But I think the plot was bit of slow in the middle.
But again it is a nice read for me.
Thankyou so much Netgalley and publisher for an e review copy of it

Thanks to the publisher - SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

3/5 stars

'You can't be careful when you know you're doing something wrong.

Where I Can't Follow is set in Blackdamp, which is associated with this story of individuals of the county having something called 'little doors'. These little doors serve as some kind of portal to a different world. It is like an escape. One must remember that there is no coming back if one chooses to go to the other side of the door. Our MC, Maren Walker is seen struggling to build her life. She is dealing with her share of personal struggles. She has a grandmother (who suffers from dementia) to look after. The door appears to her too. Will she take the door? See what's waiting for her on the other side.

Written from the first person's POV, Ashley Blooms easily pulled me into the story right from the beginning with her prose-like writing. The writing style was the best part of the story. The characters were real and flawed. Life can get harder for some, especially if you have nobody as backbone support. This novel takes a sympathetic look at the realities of life and the choices we make.

While loving the story, the only issue I've is that the middle portion of the story went a bit slow. I was very comfortable with the pace of the latter half of the story. I hadn't read any of Ashley's prior work that I'm thinking to look forward to picking up only because of her beautiful prose-like writing style. If you're looking for a fresh look to a heartfelt story with a touch of magic, lookout for a copy of Where I Can't Follow. It's the one for you.

Release Date: 15 Feb 2022.

Review Posted: 28 Feb 2022.

Blackdamp County, Kentucky is the setting for this thought-provoking and unsettling novel; a location where a holler is a place, not a shout. There are "doors" that suddenly appear out of nowhere to the residents who need them; people who are lonely or hurting, exhausted and worn down. No one knows where the doors lead, but they do know that the people who choose to go through them never come back.

When Maren was nine years old, her mother left through one of these doors and Maren was left to be raised by her Granny. Sixteen years later, Maren finds her own door and is faced with a difficult decision, does she go or does she stay? The reader is taken on a dark journey, but one where you can feel the momentum building along with the character's struggle with mental health, poverty and addiction. The author did a very good job of tackling a difficult topic with care and sensitivity.

In the beginning, I was not sure if the "doors" were an analogy for suicide, death, drug use or just escape. But, it is definitely more than that. It is about having hope and choices. I would recommend this book to anyone who does not shy away from difficult topics and likes to read about resilient characters who fight to overcome the odds and find a way to survive through adversity.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Where I Can’t Follow by Ashley Blooms is an engrossing story riddled with raw, and yes even harsh realities, blended with magical realism, that creates a unique tale bound to follow the reader for years. This was my first book by Ashley Bloom and I was impressed with her ability in blending contemporary problems and tensions with escapism and creating a story that is both though provoking and heart wrenching.

What would you do in the heroine’s place? Walk through the door and leave all your problems behind…but you don’t know what’s on the other side. And once you leave, you’ll never come back. Will you go through?
When faced with the harsh unbending realities of the Blackdamp County, Kentucky - deep in the Appalachian mountains - one wonders why people who live there continue to stay even when all hope appears lost. When There’s always another bill for Granny’s doctor, another problem with the car, another reason for getting nowhere in life and losing the hope for a better future. What truly are the forces that hold people in place, and how they adapt, survive, and struggle to love a place that doesn’t always love them back.

In the midst of constant strife can one ever truly find peace and happiness?

An enjoyable story that will force you to face a world that can be unforgiving and ponder things you may not have before you read this book.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good characters but way too many pages spent on the colorful “door”-then flowers- that followed Marin around and grew bigger through the story.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.