This is on my list as one of the best books of the year. Poignant, gut-wrenching, and hopeful, it has it all. I loved every word.

Go As A River by Shelley Read
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It takes just one moment for Victoria’s life to change. She lives in a small town in Colorado, helping on her father’s peach farm. The day she meets Will alters the trajectory of her life. Spanning decades of Victoria’s life, this story is about love, sacrifice, loss, and endurance.
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What I liked:
-This story was beautiful and also heartbreaking.
-Victoria’s determination to keep going despite how awful life could be.
-I loved seeing how the hard choices she made affected life.
-Her humanity for others.
-I loved the end.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I listened to the audio for this in a whole day. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. If you love historical fiction novels that make you cry and then smile and make you feel all the emotions, then definitely check Go As a River out.

For readers who appreciate poignant coming-of-age stories, lyrical prose, and the beauty of the American wilderness, Go as a River by Shelley Read is a must-read, offering a deeply moving exploration of love, loss, and resilience that will leave a lasting impression.

I’m in the minority with my opinion. I didn’t love this book. It moved way too slowly for me and there are way too many nature descriptions.

Go As a River reminded me in many ways of Where the Crawdads Sing. And as with that book, I have an Unpopular Opinion about it. It has all the ingredients of the “sweeping, heart-stopping epic” that it claims to be: a story of one young woman’s journey of self-discovery through adversity and heartbreak. So many people have loved it, but I found myself unaffected by almost the entire story.

I found the character of Victoria to be bland and uninteresting; she comes across as passive and doesn’t have much of an inner life, and despite the book being written in first person, I could never get a handle on what she was actually thinking or feeling. Because of this, she just felt like a random person that bad things kept happening to; she could have been anyone. I didn’t sympathize with her or feel invested in the events of her life. All of the characters lacked development and nuance, and the two most intriguing characters in the book (Wilson Moon and Ruby-Alice) were woefully underutilized in the plot.

Shelley Read’s writing is beautiful in terms of atmospheric descriptions of the natural world, but is less successful in the unfolding of the actual plot. The entire book hinges on a chance meeting between Victoria and Wilson Moon. But this important time in Victoria’s life is rushed through, to the point where Wil and Victoria have maybe two conversations before Victoria shares, “Wilson Moon became my lover.” Wait, what? That’s it? We don’t get a slow-burning build-up of passion? No romantic tension or sweet seduction? I almost stopped reading at this point – and then again a few chapters later, when Victoria kicks a dog for no reason.

But I’m not a quitter, and so I kept on – only to find myself increasingly annoyed by Victoria’s seemingly spontaneous decisions that had lasting, sometimes tragic effects. There is no space in the narrative for her to reflect on these decisions, so there is a distinct lack of emotion in the story’s telling. But there was one bright spot: The letter at the end of the book is quite moving and finally gave me the emotional connection I wanted to feel…just not with Victoria. I think I would have preferred an entire novel written from that perspective, instead.

I also really enjoyed learning more about the real-life town of Iola, Colorado, which was flooded in 1963 to form the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Read does a good job of incorporating this event into Victoria’s life.

I really wish I’d enjoyed this as much as everyone else, but it just left me cold. From now on, I’ll stick to Kristin Hannah when I’m craving historical fiction about strong women overcoming adversity.

Omg! Loved this book so much! Maybe my favorite book of the summer vacation! I didn't want it to end! So many feeling brought up by this book. The beautiful writing and wonderful, colorful characters kept it moving along, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Such a heartbreaking but heartwarming story. I wish there was more of it!

I ended up waiting to read this book when one of our library book clubs was reading it. So happy this has been popular all over, because it sure has been a hit in colorado!

Go As A River flows like the river, sometimes smooth and gentle and at other times rough and wild. We meet Torie as a teenager and watch her change, flounder, grieve and grow as the years flow by. This is a very touching story which pulled me in right from the beginning and held me in its grasp along her journey.

Go as a River by Shelley Read is just that book for me. I took my sweet time with this novel. The writing is so thoughtful, delicate, lyrical, and meant to be savored. I did not want it to end, and was truly bummed out when it did. Victoria Nash is a character that I’ll never ever forget. She’s vulnerable, yet tough as nails, brave as heck, hardworking, wise beyond her years, and extremely admirable. Her mother died when she was a young girl, so she was forced to grow up quickly, and take over as the woman of the house. All of the domestic duties in a home full of men were now her responsibility. A tragic incident occurs, and Victoria makes the difficult decision to leave. What follows is a journey full of self-reflection, resilience, strength, and growth. Victoria will win you over in no time at all.

This is an amazing coming of age story. Themes of loss, racism and complex family dynamics were explored in a compassionate manner. The writing is beautifully poetic.

Go as a River is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettable characters and a breathtaking natural setting, it is a sweeping story of survival and becoming, of the deepest mysteries of love, truth and fate. This book description is perfectly said.

𝐆𝐨 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 is so well written, emotionally charged and has such a sense of place that it’s truly hard to believe this is a debut novel!

Victoria Nash is a teenager who has endured unimaginable loss and toils on her family’s farm, picking their famous peaches, when she meets Wilson Moon. Wil is not welcome in town or by her family, so when the two fall in love, it’s clear they won’t be accepted as a couple. A series of devastating events lead Victoria to leave home, with nothing and nobody to help her.

What follows is the story of a quietly strong, resolute, intelligent young woman who makes her own way - reminding me so much of Leni from 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 and Kya from 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠. All three young women are tenacious and strong-willed, have deep connections to their environment - and their natural surroundings play a vitally important role - and they #make their lives their own, against all odds.

𝐆𝐨 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 also weaves in themes
of friendship, family, secrets and motherhood, and how all affect and shape an individual. Not the most exciting or quickest read, but this one lulled me along with his gentle pace, rich descriptions of the setting and fascinating characters. It’s based upon the true story of a Colorado town that was sacrificed for the building of the Blue Mesa Reservoir in the 1960s, a non-fiction element that enriches this story of struggle and resilience.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC!!

My first two thoughts are ...look at me loving a coming-of-age novel...and how on earth is this Shelley's debut ? Wow! So impressive. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Victoria "Torie" was such a strong female lead even through all of her life's hardships of hard decisions and loss. Her courage, determination and resilience was so admirable for such a young girl.

I also really really love when the title of the book is incorporated into the meaning of the story - this was pure perfection for me when revealed.

A beautifully written debut. Gorgeous Colorado peach farm setting. Equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching. A pure joy to read. I highly recommend it!

After the death of her mother, Torie has been the "woman of the house" -- cooking, cleaning, and doing chores around the orchard, at the beck and call of her father and brothers. At 17, she doesn't really know what it means to be a woman. Then Wilson Moon comes to town. Torie is instantly in love, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of her brother, the constant troublemaker, Seth. This is Torie's story. It is heartbreaking and uplifting and parallels the story of Iola, Colorado and the Gunnison River.

I loved this story. It's beauty is not so much because of the plot, but in the language and descriptions of the Colorado countryside and the wild and beautiful Gunnison River. The plot is touching, but slow moving as it reflects Victoria's life over the course of 20+ years, In some ways it reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing. This book is equally beautiful and emotionally draining. It's not a page-turner filled with lots of action, but rather a moving tribute to love and devotion to family, friends, and the land. Read the true story of Iola to get a clear picture of what life was like before and after the dam that created the Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Very reminiscent of When Crawdads Sing--a heroine to root for and beautiful nature writing. This felt a little too familiar and the emotions were a bit too on the nose for me.

An emotional story about a young girl, racism, and the will to survive. I don't read a lot of books that start in the 1940's and end during Vietnam. Our MC, Victoria, shows a will to survive, a push to be independent and strong and it was inspiring to read. The story is broken in parts and I like how that broke out time and storyline. The last 2 parts were my favorite, as a lot of the story came together and rewarded us with a great ending.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I really enjoyed this slow and engrossing story. At times it borderlines too slow, but I couldn't make myself dislike it. The author took her time really diving into Victoria's character and growth over the years. Because I was adopted and know my birth family, this story had a special connection..the last few chapters really got me!
Read this if you want story that takes its time with the setting and characters, and deals with love, loss, and redemption. If you liked The Four Winds, This Tender Land, Where the Crawdads Sing, and the like, I think you'll really enjoy this one!

Really enjoyable book. Loved the pacing and the main character. Read it within a couple of days. Great cover too.

Towns have been drowned for years and this novel takes a historical event and adds an engrossing narrative to the creation of the Blue Mesa reservoir in Colorado. The descriptions of the natural world are of the caliber in “Where the Crawdads Sing” , that is to say, evocative. The characters are well drawn and everything about this book is gorgeous.

As a Colorado resident, I especially enjoyed the historical fiction element in this wonderful book. The author poignantly depicts a young woman's coming of age on the Western Slope and her bravery in stepping up to save her family's famous Palisade peach trees. I recommend this book as one of the best I've read in 2023. Thanks very much to the publisher for providing an ARC to preview.