Absolutely outstanding!

Wild Game is one of my favorite memoirs and truly one of my favorite books of all time! So I was thrilled to learn Arienne Brodeur had a novel coming out and am so grateful for the ARC!

This did not disappoint at all, while, set on Cape Cod this is more than a beach book. Such an interesting family study of aging, but brilliant marine biologist and his 2 grown children- one with political ambitions and one an artist.

With the climax of his milestone birthday party secrets are revealed and so much comes to light. I love her style and could not put this down!

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Wow. What a study in family dynamics when the childrens’ lives have been marred by trauma at a very young age.

Adam Gardner, a renowned marine biologist, lives in the Wellfleet woods on Cape Cod. He loves his spot. He can sit on his deck and look out at the water. Away from the hustle and bustle of the Cape. Adam is a brilliant scientist. But sometimes with brilliance comes personal challenges. For this Adam has secrets.

His children, Abigail and Ken, have grown up motherless. The last picture of the family together was taken when their mother was nine months pregnant with Abby. Ken was just a wee boy. Tragically, their mother was taken from them shortly after the picture was taken.

Ken blames Abby. Ken is so angry and has so many demons. He’s forever trying to get back at Abby. Ken has spent his life achieving so that he wouldn’t be dependent on his the money from his wife’s family. He’s on the cusp of both financial and political success. But the demons might be winning.

Abby is an artist. She is finally on the brink of being a successful artist. She tries to make excuses for Ken. After all, Ken married Abby’s best friend Jenny. Ken & Jenny’s twins are a joy in Abby’s life. She would never do anything to risk their relationship. But maybe the time has come for Abby to stand on her own two feet and let the world know that her relationship with Ken has suffered for years.

In comes Steph. Steph with her beautiful new baby boy Jonah and her wife Toni. Steph recently found out secrets she never expected from her parents. Those secrets are going to throw her into the chaos of the Gardners, making her realize that the grass isn’t always greener.

This novel has so many layers. The way the story is told from each character’s point of view gives you deep understanding into their emotional baggage. There is so much beauty and darkness in each of their lives, and to watch them grow and overcome some of it is breathtaking. I loved the interpersonal stories of the friendships and love for family, despite the horrific things that may have happened along the way.

Really, truly, a fabulous work of fiction.

4.5 rounded down - definitely one of the better books I’ve read this year. Disappeared into it for a few hours and loved every minute.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free advance e-reader copy of “Little Monsters” in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written, plotted and paced psychological family drama, “Little Monsters” takes place on Cape Cod over the course of a single summer. Told from the varying perspectives of marine biologist and widower Adam, his son Ken (a high profile developer considering a Congressional run) who was three when his mother Emily died shortly after giving birth to his artist sister Abby and others, the novel explores how family secrets never stay secret in the end. Set during the transformative pre-election summer of 2016 and swinging between the wild nature and manicured perfection that embody Cape Cod’s varied glory, this brilliant and original novel with its biblical overtones of Cain and Abel pulled me in right away and didn’t let me go. Five stars. Go order it now.

Engrossing story that revolves around secrets within a dysfunction family. It's told in alternating chapters by the fully fleshed out, sharply observed characters. Brodeur beautifully renders the landscape and seascape of Cape Cod.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #LittleMonsters. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Set on Cape Cod, this book was a great way to kick-off summer reading. At its core, this is a family drama centered on the Gardner family - patriarch Adam and siblings Abby and Ken - each with their own secrets and traumas. With everyone focused on Adam's 70th birthday party, tensions are running high, setting the stage for an unforgettable evening. Set during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Brodeur deftly weaves in issues that the campaigns amplified - mental health, toxic masculinity, white privilege - using them to great effect.

I really enjoyed Brodeur's memoir "Wild Game" and was not disappointed with Little Monsters. I'll continue to seek out her books.

I was very excited to read this book, as I loved the author’s memoir “Wild Game” (which I gave five stars to). The synopsis of this book sounded interesting as I love reading about family dysfunction. The cover of the book is also beautiful. However, I’m left very underwhelmed after having just finished reading this.

This will be a brief review, as I don’t have much to say. In fact, I kept waiting and waiting for something major to happen, but it never did. We have the story of Abby and Ken, who are brother and sister. Abby and Ken were raised by their single father, Adam. Adam is bipolar, and he likes to quit taking his medications from time to time. Therefore, Abby and Ken are pretty much trained to know when he is having a manic episode. Abby and Ken’s mother died while giving birth to Abby, so there seems to always have been some resentment and competition between the two of them.

This book is told in alternating chapters between the characters. In this way we learn a bit about their lives, and what they are currently going through. We also get introduced to Steph, and we learn of her upbringing and family dynamics as well. We have many political references throughout the book (as this book is based during the 2016 election year). The only chapters that I looked forward to were that of Adam’s (the father), as that was the only time I would get a chuckle or two.

I didn’t get much from this story, and it won’t be that memorable. In the end, 2.5 stars- rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date: June 27, 2023.
Genre- Women’s Fiction, General Fiction (Adult).

What a great read. An understated Cape Cod family saga with just enough twists and family dramas to keep it interesting. The characters are beautifully drawn and stay true to themselves. Abigail as the resident artist had my attention from the first introduction. Her art did her talking for her. Set against her troubled but very rich brother and a self obsessed father it all played out , not as expected, but perhaps as it should. Little Monsters raises interesting questions about identity and family and what if you choose not to participate when you clearly have a choice. Many thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy to review in return for my opinion

I tore through this dysfunctional family drama. I really enjoyed each perspective of this book. Adam, the bipolar matriarch gives insight into a manic mind and that of a man who has a changing world around him that he feels left behind by. His son Ken is a messed up politician looking for recognition and fame in all the wrong places. His sister Abby’s art is her lifeline as is her growing secret. Steph, who discovered Adam is her dad is a badass. And Jenny an alcoholic just barely holding it together. Tbjs gabe me Oaper Palace vibes in that it’s literary and drags you into its depths but isn’t necessarily a thriller and the ending certainly leaves some ideas open to interpretation. Overall a great read and would make a fabulous book club pick.
4+ stars

Relationships are messy, sibling rivalry is real, tragedies leave lasting consequences, and bitterness destroys families. Little Monsters has all of the above and more running through the history of the Gardner family. There is so much going on in this story, that if it were a television show, I’d call it a soap opera. That being said, the various doings of the family kept my interest, and made me glad to pick up the book whenever I had a spare minute. I will give it four stars because I felt the ending was a bit rushed, trying to tie all the themes together, but beyond that I enjoyed the book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars, rounded up

"He didn’t understand why these bittersweet memories were suddenly surfacing. Thirty-eight years, and still, just a finger snap from grief."

Little Monsters was my first introduction to Adrianne Brodeurs work, so I didn’t completely know what to expect going in. The synopsis and the authors memoir suggested a tale of dysfunctional families and mental health, whereas the cover and the authors previous fiction hinted at more of a beach-read. I was very happy to see it delivered the first. This is a layered story of a family teetering on an edge, the threads that bind them stretched to the breaking point. With clear allusions to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, this is a narrative that I highly recommend you experience for yourself.

Little Monsters achieves a sense of momentum and pacing through a ticking clock counting down the months to a large event. We meet Adam Gardner, a brilliant oceanographer with an almost obsessive fascination with whales, counting down the summer months to his 70th birthday in September. Struggling with the prospect of mortality and the legacy he will leave behind, he decides to quit his medication for his bipolar disorder, convinced this is the only way to unlock his genius and make one final scientific discovery to put him on the map forever.
Also preparing for their fathers birthday are his two children, Ken and Abby. Ken a successful but ruthless businessman, providing financial support to not only his family, but his sister alike. Abby a passionate visual artist who depends on her brother’s goodwill, in part because he owns the studio where she lives and works.
Tensions rise due to the increasing feeling of rivalry and competition for their fathers approval between the siblings, and climax when a third (half-) sibling enters the playing field with an urgent message to share. Meanwhile, all three of them might be missing what’s happening under their nose: their father losing his mind more and more to the secrets of the ocean he’s desperately studying.

Told through gorgeous prose that brings to live these flawed characters and the vivid Cape Cod setting alike, Adrienne Brodeur retells a timeless tale in a modern coat of paint. Connections to Cain and Abel go deeper than the obvious name-references, but weave into the character dynamics seamlessly. It combines themes the familiar themes of jealousy, narcissism, infidelity, pride and a desperate need to be seen by their sole parent, with ones that weren’t present in the original story. Capitalism, the lingering grief over a mother lost too soon, and the family inheritance of mental- and physical health.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This features bi-polar marine biologist Adam and his artist daughter Abby and real estate developer son Ken. There are chapters from each of their perspectives, plus from the points of view of Jenny, Ken's wife/Abby's best friend, and Steph, who has just found out Adam is her father. The switches in perspective were never confusing and I really enjoyed the voices of Adam and Ken, although the author failed to make me understand what Jenny had ever seen in Ken to induce her to marry him. On the other hand she was very good at showing how different people experience and interpret the same events in different ways

There was perhaps a little too much detail of marine life for me, but the Cape Cod setting was strong. I was surprised by the ending, which was more open-ended than I had anticipated, although we all know how the 2016 presidential election went...

Little Monsters is set in Cape Cod and follows the Gardner family. The patriarch, Adam, is a renowned marine biologist with narcissistic tendencies and has recently decided to forgo his medication for bipolar disorder. His son Ken is a wealthy real estate developer and his daughter Abby is an artist. Adam was a distracted solo parent due to his career and underlying mental illness. The growing tension and resentment in the family all comes to a head at Adam’s seventieth birthday party.

This bingeable story is about the messy, complex bonds of family and explores what happens when long-buried secrets and trauma are exposed. Brouder’s writing is sharp, witty, and introspective. The characters were incredibly well-developed and despite some of them being unlikable, I was fully invested in their stories and loved the alternating perspectives. Character driven, developed, and thought-provoking, fans of family dramas will love this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. There were so many plot lines to this book, some more believable than others. The setting on Cape Cod was my favorite part of the novel. The dysfunction in the family was more dysfunctional than I could believe. The therapist and the long lost daughter failed to ring true for me. The relationships between the father and his children made me want to go back in time to the kids’ youth and call DCFS. I can see how some people might like it as a beach read. Written well enough to keep me reading to see what happened to all of them.

I enjoyed this story that centers on family. It deals with a sibling relationship, a messed up marriage and a father that has mental health issues. I also enjoyed reading about the beautiful scenery. At times, I did feel like it went on too long and I wished they’d get back to the characters. And also, the complicated sibling relationship was never clearly explained.
I enjoyed this story and thank you to netgalley. It was a good read and well written.

Very much enjoyed this book and story. I’ll admit it took a bit of time/reading to get into it but once I did I was hooked. We all have skeletons in our closets, and each of us deal with them in our own ways., or not at all. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for this advance copy. I loved the author’s memoir, Wild Game, so I was anxious to read this new fiction release. The writing was excellent, full of complex characters and beautiful descriptions of Cape Cod. My only complaint is that the pacing was a little slow for my taste. I think readers who enjoy a character driven family drama will really enjoy this one.

So many unlikable characters made for an unenjoyable reading of this book.
Adam the father, not only is bipolar which makes his actions unpredictable and unsafe for his children, but has a huge ego and doesn't particularly like women in general.
Son Ken is seriously messed up, partly due to his father's neglect and his mother's death when he was 3, but his fixation on his sister and his own ego are obnoxious to read about.
Daughter Abby is semi normal, but also affected by all of the above which are beyond her control, but also for some things that are within her control- her painting, her choice of men, her love for her best friend/SIL and her nieces.
I think I was attracted to this when I read that it took place on Cape Cod, but the references to the Cape were not enough to sway me. At the halfway point I wondered if it was ever going anywhere. By the end, I couldn't see how it could take so long to get there. A lot of boring descriptions could have been eliminated to shorten the book and make it more enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a novel about family dynamics and secrets. It takes place on Cape Cod in 2016, as Clinton and Trump are vying for the presidency.

Adam Gardner is nearing 70 years old and he has bi-polar disorder. He is currently in a manic phase and is enjoying it, not taking his medications as directed so as to keep his high. He is a renowned oceanographer and believes he can untangle the linguistic mystery of humpback whales. (This is his mania speaking). He has two adult children, Abby and Ken. Ken is a realtor and has just closed on a very lucrative project. He also has his eye on a political future. Abby is an artist, a painter of large abstract family portraits. She is being interviewed by a journalist and her work may appear on the cover of a national art magazine.

In the background is Steph, a young woman with an infant. She is trying to ingratiate herself with the Gardners. She has a secret she wants to share with them.

Abby and Ken are planning a 70th birthday party for Adam. Jenny, Ken's wife and Abby's best friend, will be responsible for making it all happen. Jenny's marriage to Ken is floundering and both are seeing therapists. Ken wants Jen to be the 'perfect' wife of a wealthy man and politician and he is unaware of how wild she was when she was in college with Abby.

This is a family with secrets that are not discussed or mentioned even lightly. They function with shame, secrecy and silence, a very well-know dynamic of dysfunctional families. Ms. Brodeur portrays this very well and much of the intensity of the book is derived from the question of whether these secrets will be revealed and if they are, how will the family members react?

Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Readers Press, Simon and Schuster, and Ms. Brodeur for this advanced reader's copy.

Adrienne Brodeur’s Little Monsters is a page turning book about family dynamics, their problems, and secrets. The story takes place on Cape Cod with which Brodeur is very familiar. Adam is left to raise his 2 children after the death of his wife when the youngest was born. Being an oceanographer, he was more at home on the water with his whales then he was with his children Ken and Abby.

Ken and Abby were very close as children, each relying on the other. Ken was overweight and bullied, drawing him closer to Abby than was probably usual for siblings. He is now a successful business man, married with twin girls, and is a potential congressional candidate. He, however, is in therapy for his anger, aggression, and forcefulness. Abby is an up and coming artist whose work is to be portrayed in an art magazine as well as a show. She finds herself pregnant, the father being her childhood boyfriend who is now married. Adam wishes to make one last discovery before he turns 70. Being bipolar, he is on medication which he decides to go off to give him more clarity. Thrown into all of this is an unknown child which Adam had fathered before his wife passed away.

Brodeur does a great job of introducing us to each character. She brings their problems into focus gradually, culminating with the blow up at Adam’s 70th birthday party. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way she presented each person made me want to keep reading to find out how all would be resolved. She had me feeling for each one differently and laughing at some of the crazy things that they did. She portrayed the men as the important know it all males and the females as the smart creative ones.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this pre-release in exchange for an honest review.