I have enjoyed this authors previous books, especially the weird sci-fi parts.

The first 1/3 of the book was excellent. Total binge worthy. The characters are great, especially Bridges BFF Dom who steals every scene that they are in. However, the middle 1/3 really dragged for me. Not much momentum to the plot in this section of the book, a lot of the same characters doing the same things. The ending almost redeemed this book for me, but I really wish that the middle 1/3 had the same pacing as the start.

Thank you to Mullholland Books and Netgalley for providing me an a ARC of this book to read and review.

Lauren Beukes has done it again. Bridge is a mind-bending romp with lots of unexpected twists and turns.

There's growing suspense as Bridge, grieving the recent death of her mother, goes through the mother's house and belongings. This brings up memories from Bridge's childhood and the mystery from the past propels her into the present.

I'll admit to being pretty confused, especially in the beginning, but just let go enough to enjoy the ride. Compelling narrative and nuanced character development.

My thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC. Bridge was published in August 2023.

My first Lauren Beukes -- but certainly not my last! BRIDGE defies summary in many ways, as it's a twisty, mind-bender of a book that is just as much a multiverse scifi novel as it is poignant realism about grief. All of the gigantic book review adjectives come to mind: immersive, explosive, high-octane, ambitious. I simply could not stop reading this book. Bridge is so sympathetic and deeply funny, with her sad little broken heart and her quarter-life crisis compounded by the deeply upsetting death of her very complicated mother. Dom is a total dreamboat of a best friend, so loyal and funny and level-headed, and I found myself using their presence to help calm down my intense anxiety as Bridge sank deeper and deeper into the dreamworm. This is ultimately a story about the consequences of our choices and how difficult it is to accept that you can't make other people's choices for them. My heart aches just thinking about this book -- I'm so envious of everyone who gets to dive into its world for the first time!

After reading Time's Mouth a few weeks ago I was a bit hesitant to embark on another mind-bending 400+ page novel, but I loved Lauren Beukes' The Shining Girls and Afterland so much that I was willing to take the leap. Like Time's Mouth, this story focuses on mother/daughter relationships, but rather than time traveling, Bridge travels through the multiverse. This will be enjoyed by readers who have ever pondered who they would be if they took another route in life or who they might be in an alternate universe.

There is no other writer who speaks to the strangeness inside me quite like Lauren Beukes. I've been slightly obsessed with her work after stumbling across The Shining Girls about a decade ago. Broken Monsters is still one of my favorite books to recommend. Beukes has this way of weaving the fantastic into the fabric of every day life in such a way that it feels more than believable, almost inevitable. Bridge is no exception, and Beukes has another triumph on her hands. Grab yourself a copy now, available for purchase everywhere you buy books. Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for the chance to review this advance copy.

This speculative sci-fi thriller is trippy! I appreciate that it wastes no time in getting down to business It takes a very unusual approach to the science behind dimensional travel, and you need a little ramp-up time to sit with it before things go crazy. Plus, as we get deeper into the story, we learn that it doesn’t come without consequences.

Pacing was excellent; it felt quick and propulsive – ideal for a suspense/thriller narrative. However, as the story got mixed up with the dimension-hopping things did get a little confusing. Beukes does a fair job of giving you a couple opportunities to reconnect the dots along the way, but it still felt a bit clunky to follow at times.

Some favorite things: the oh-so-Portland argument on who makes the best donuts in town exists in all dimensions (the correct answer is Blue Star); Dom! The heart and soul of the story; the subtle reveal of how our (the readers’) dimension relates to that of the characters, and a few pop culture easter eggs.

I had some questions remaining at the end that I wish had been answered, but for all the ambition contained in this unique take on a multi-verse, I thought the execution was decent – and it’s certainly one of the most original stories I’ve read this year.

I'd strongly recommend this book for fans of speculative fiction, sci-fi, thrillers, and suspense. Trigger warnings include: anxiety/depression, body horror, chronic illness, domestic abuse, grief, and violence.

Multiverses seem to be in the water these days, but Lauren Beukes is no stranger to spacetime-hopping; perhaps if she'd written <i>The Shining Girls</i> ten years later it would have been about a multiverse-traveling serial killer rather than a time-traveling serial killer. But don't mistake this for a spiritual sequel, as it's much more about grief and a mother-daughter relationship than it is about multiversal crime -- you might accuse it of ripping off <i>Everything Everywhere All At Once</i> if not for Beukes's previous <i>Afterland</i> also leaning heavily on the "parental relationship in a sci-fi framework" thing. The disparate plot threads (mother/daughter/grief, multiversal crime, identity and possibility) all work pretty well and the book zips along, which is good because I have a sneaking suspicion that if I think too much about the logic behind it (like a lot of multiverse or time travel plots) might fall apart.

Bridge is devastated when her mom dies. As she is clearing out her mom’s house, she finds a dream worm and unlocks the capability to travel to different dimensions. She realizes her mom might still be alive somewhere else but that might come at a cost.

I’ve liked a lot of Beukes other concepts before, but this one just wasn’t for me. I was just a bit confused from the start and that never got resolved.

There was so much to love about this book, I'm not quite sure where to start. The overall premise is wonderfully creative and an interesting spin on a story of grief and... inter-dimensional travel?

I loved that our protagonist and "home base" for this book resides in a world slightly adjacent to our own. I loved how, as readers, we were left to uncover the mysterious ways that the "dreamworm" worked and varying motives and moralities of each figure as we met them alongside our lead characters. And I loved Beukes' applied a quick wit to bring a perfect balance of humor that offset the myriad subtle and more somber questions that this book asks. What might our lives look like in a parallel universe? What if we could steel a look into each of those "what ifs"? Or to what extent might we travel in seek of a lost loved one? Or to save our own lives? Or stop others?

Overall, I adored this book and find myself referencing it in conversation often (which, to me, is always a telltale sign of a good book!). I will say, however, that the Amber story line lost me at times as she was first introduced, and I was just eager to get back to Bridge and Dom. (Oh, and I also I loved Dom!!)

Putting a spin on the multiverse theory, Bridge explores mother-daughter relationships, friendships, and self exploration with the backdrop of parallel universes. I found it very compelling and thought provoking, and really enjoyed Bridge as a character. Her mother has died, but has left Bridge some clues about how maybe she isn't as dead as people seem to think. Bridge herself had some inklings that her mom wasn't her mom during her last days, but when she gets more evidence supporting that theory, she dives right in, consequences be damned. And by her side is her bestie Dom, who is hands down my favorite part of the story.

When Bridge and Dom find the "dreamworm" in her mom's possessions, which in theory allows a person to travel through the multiverse, Bridge sees a chance to get her mom back. Dom sees it as a really risky proposal, and there are some newcomers to the story who clearly are invested for their own reasons. I shan't say too much about any of that, for fear of spoiling anything, but there are a lot of secrets being kept by a lot of people.

I loved the concept of switching places with different "yous" in other realities. It is so fascinating to think about who we'd be if just a few tiny things had been different. I also loved all the world-building that went into the story. Obviously, there are a lot of different rules and "what-ifs" happening when traveling between universes. What if you're already dead in that world? What if you never existed? The author does a great job of asking and answering these questions, or at least trying to, which I loved. Also, I think having Bridge looking to find her mother adds a layer of emotion to the story that works really great. In fairness, I didn't think Jo, the mother, was worthy of Bridge's love and concern, but alas it is her mother, so it makes sense that she'd want her back regardless. And Dom being the voice of reason, while also being a loyal and caring friend, adding another layer of emotional fortitude to the story.

I won't say anything more, so that you can unravel all the layers of the multiverse (and all the relationships, too) for yourselves. But I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and this emotive and exciting take on the genre!

Bottom Line: I would have given the dreamworm a go too, tbh, but my mom is awesome, so.

This made my brain hurt and I loved it. When Bridget moves to Portland to clean out her mother's things after she passes away, Bridget finds a magical artefact (in a fridge, no less). This dreamworm allows you to travel through/to alternate realities, and Bridget eats it hoping to figure out what really happened to her mom. I liked this story! I do think that the pacing/complexity of the topic made it a slower read for me, but I thought that the premise was really interesting if not a bit confusing at times. I liked Bridget and I was genuinely interested in her quest for finding out the truth about her mother (a synopsis I'm not usually a fan of). Interesting characters and story, and a really cool cover!

Delighted to include this title in the August edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Magnificent, monstrous and mind-bending. As a huge fan of Lauren Beukes, she's outdone herself here, and this one gives me the shuddering, gleeful page-turning bender vibes i got from reading the shining girls the first time.

When 24-year-old Bridge (Bridget) arrives in Portland, OR to sort through her mother's belongings after her untimely death, she discovers a magical artifact in the back of the freezer. The "dreamworm" as her mother, Jo, referred to it, is the key to traveling between alternate realities, and Jo's seemingly delusional quest to find it defined Bridge's chaotic childhood. After eating the dreamworm, Bridge embarks on a universe-hopping journey to understand what really happened to her mother.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this e-arc.*

For someone who typically flies through a couple books a week, this one dragged for me. The premise was interesting and I was definitely cheering for Bridge and her quest to find her mom, but the story was too lengthy, too confusing, too full of (imo) unnecessary details.

However, I did like the ending. It really makes you think… what would you do, if faced with those opportunities?

**Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland books for the eARC of this amazing sci-fi title**

Bridge approaches the question "If I made different life choices - would I be a completely different person?" It then takes that question and gives you the most insane possible outcome. Otherselves. When Bridge's mom passes away from a brain tumor, she is left with a mysterious bundle. A bundle from her past, composed of little yellow fibers. The Dreamworm. What ensues is an insane ride that only Beukes could pull off, alternating points of views from different timelines, dimensions, and journal entries.

While I absolutely loved this book, I will warn not to approach it if you are not a fan of hard science in your science fiction. Bridge got quite dense and weighed down at points with clearly well-researched science on the way to the end point of the story. I enjoyed these aspects and found myself turning to Uncle Google to do my own deep dives on certain subjects, but if you are looking for a quick and fun sci-fi thriller - this is not it.

I have seen this book on a lot of upcoming horror lists and will also say that while there is body horror ABOUND in this book, it is not a true horror in my opinion and the sci-fi heavily outweighs the horror elements. I have also seen it listed as a thriller, which it definitely is - but specifically a SCIFI horror with emphasis on the scifi.

Okay, so why all the "warnings" on a book that I absolutely loved?? Because this one will not be for everyone, and I think Lauren Beukes has better offerings / starting points for horror and thriller lovers. This is not a good jumping off point for Beukes in my opinion and I would highly recommend starting with The Shining Girls and then going into Broken Monsters.

Also, the small print. Beukes wrote a crazy good book here, but at times it felt inundated in "wokeness." I didn't even bat an eye at they/them pronouns for Dom until it kept being jabbed into my face that they "got misgendered" or someone made a snide comment about it. Sometimes inclusion is about treating people normally, not going so far in the direction of trying to be polite that you actually become exclusionary.

Check this one out if you like alternate universes, hard science fiction, multiple POVs and timelines, and scary thrillers!

This book just wasn't for me. I wanted to give this author a second chance. I read her previous novel and thought it was decent but lacked excitement for me. This time around, I realized I don't like this specific genre of literature. It's very science fiction heavy. I wanted a more contemporary story. Also, the dialogue was a big letdown. The banter between the characters comes off unrealistic and hokey. The synopsis sounded interesting, but ultimately lost the plot but halfway through. Very disjointed storytelling and the overall story became downright confusing and over-the-top. The cover art is gorgeous so that's a plus.

Lauren Bruce’s creates a vivid, compelling and intriguing world in Bridge. After Bridge’s mom Jo dies from brain cancer, she discovers the dreamworm while cleaning out her mom’s home. Her memories of traveling to new realities with her mom Jo resurface, memories she has corrected as magical thinking through years of therapy. Now, it looks like her mom might not have been as crazy as she thought, and it seems there’s something Jo wanted Bridge to discover.

I loved the high concept premise of multiple realities, and was very intrigued by how everything would be connected. For me, by the end, I felt like I didn’t really know much emotionally about Bridge, didn’t really feel the stakes of her relationship with her mom, and felt like the ending was rushed and incomplete.

This one is hard for me because I loved many parts of it, but it just didn’t all come together for me in a satisfying way.

Lauren Beukes hits another one out of the park. A great story with well-written and well-rounded characters that you're invested in and afraid for when the stakes are high. A great "what would you do?" if you had the option of leaving this life and taking another. How would it work out for you? For who you replaced?

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Copy of Bridge by Lauren Beukes. This is a second round purchase for most libraries.