DNF at 31%.

I should have known in the intro when the author said her mentor was Sheila Heti that this might not be the book for me. But unlike Pure Colour by Heti, this book didn't involve turning into a leaf or incest (thank goodness).

I was intrigued by the stream-of-consciousness writing style and was following along for a while, but something in the development of our main character, Sophie, was missing. I didn't get a sense of who she was. So as the story progressed, she felt like the hollow center that everyone else slotted into. And even still, the other characters introduced felt like the shells of humans rather than fully fleshed out characters.

Unfortunately, I wasn't enamored enough with the story (actually quite bored by it) to continue on to the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press/Rare Machines for giving me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes October 17, 2023.

The novel seemed to have veey little story and a lot of rambling. It read like a personal diary which isnt what interested me a lot. I didnt feel connected to the protagonist or any other characters as there werent enough scenes for mw to form an opinion of my own about them. I just knew about them through the protagonist. The thoughts of the girl definitely were relatable at many places but when they werenr i just didnt care for hee thoughts. But the book definitely had lots of good lines. I highlighted a bunch while reading it, more than i usually do.

This is a very thoughtful book. Admittedly, it took me a minute to get acquainted with the style, which tends towards monologue (I could see it adapted into a one-woman play), but then, after maybe 50 pages, something clicked and I began to enjoy it. Aley Waterman's bio says that she studied under Sheila Heti—fans of Heti's work will definitely enjoy this! Sophie, the protagonist, is like a millennial philosopher. She thinks so deeply (so, so deeply) about everything—I imagine because Waterman must think deeply about everything. You'll say to yourself, "Oh my god, Sophie, girl, chill, it's not that deep," but then you'll realize that Sophie is just like you and also everybody you know and you'll have to come to terms with this. This book is such an accurate, on-the-mark portrait of living in a big Canadian city in your late 20s that it was even cringe at times (in the sense that it was a little TOO real). It's clear that this discomfort is part of Waterman's vision; we get to experience every aspect the characters' lives, even (especially?) the stuff that is weird or uncomfortable. I was blown away multiple times reading this; the images and metaphors can be so intense and real. The plot points are simple—a platonic love triangle, a betrayal, a visit back home—and there are no crazy twists and turns, but I still found myself gasping at certain moments, maybe because I had been occupying Sophie's head for so long, and, for her, everything is life and death. Ultimately, I did not find the story especially memorable or groundbreaking (sorry!), but Aley Waterman's writing was exquisite and carried me through. I will definitely read more of her in the future.

Thank you kindly for providing this digital ARC. I enjoyed „Mudflowers“ by Aley Waterman. While it took me a little while to get into the story and the writing and storytelling felt a bit jumbled at times dipping in and out of the present, feelings, and memories, about halfway through the story did pick up and I found it extremely touching.

I thought our main characters Sophie, Alex and Maddie all had great development arches. It was a kind of Bildungsroman where I had the impression I could personally learn something from their mature attitude towards love and friendship. Heartwarming!

the first half of this book was a hard no for me — it was teeming with similes and included a lot of unoriginal language, ranging from cliches to actual ripped lines from the show fleabag — but i found the second half to have more going for it.

generally this felt like it was trying to be a sally rooney or brandon taylor type of introspective novel without quite having the material for it.

A compelling novel that grabbed my attention Fromm the very begging and kept it throughout the entire read.

Sophie is a glassmaker in Toronto, whose heart is divided between her two best friends. She loves them both romantically, but also as friends. It's complicated.

Waterman's style has been mentioned as being similar to Sally Rooney's. There's little in the way of plot as the story is character driven. Maybe it's because I'm Irish and closer to the lifestyle represented in Rooney's books, but I would disagree. To me they are very different.

Waterman's book is character driven, but it meditates on inner philosophy more than societal debate. Sophie also muses a lot on those around her - why exactly they are the way they are - in a way that doesn't come across as superior. She's simply curious.

She isn't necessarily likeable though. It's frustrating to read someone who seems to care so much about others but is utterly removed in their actions, keeping most of their thoughts to themselves. Similarly, she sees Alex and Maggie as nearly mythical beings, which their actions do not line up with. It's difficult to grasp how Sophie can be so jaded when it comes to them. They aren't redeemed, even in her mind, yet she's obsessed.

It's an enjoyable book overall, but I didn't connect with it properly and it meandered a bit in parts. There was often too much internal musing to even keep track of. The scenes that contributed to the plot were actually the strongest of the book. The setting was wonderfully written too. It was a solid 3 stars out of 5.

Mudflowers by Aley Waterman is a spectacular work. I have read a lot of literary fiction and this will be one of my highly recommends. It follows Sophie, a twenty something woman living in Canada. Instead of taking the usual route, this book is more of a character study. It also doesn't uses quotation marks for the dialogues.
We follow the tumultuous relationships Sophie shares with Alex and Maggie. The writing has the effect that made me feel like a close friend of mine is sharing her story while I'm listening to it. Throughout the course, I'm shocked and I related to some of it. I enjoyed reading it and hope to read more from Waterman.
I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for the e ARC. Thank you for this opportunity.

An interesting story but not my cup of tea. The dialog and thoughts all felt very immature and short-sighted. Maybe better suited for someone in their early 20s.

Sally Rooney coded for sure, I’m kind of on the fence about this book. I didn’t really connect with the plot or the characters but none the less the messiness made the book interesting. I really only remember being pissed with Alex and Maggie getting caught by Sophie cause like really y’all got caught, come on now, it seemed a little high school-ish for that scenario to happen with grown adults.I think this is one of those reads that it’s either you get it or don’t and that’s probably why I found parts of it a little odd because I’m part of the few that don’t get it.

This broke my heart in the best way and made me want to be Canadian. I loved it. I can’t believe it is a debut bc the writing feels so… advanced? Stunning!!!

A great character study that deals with the themes of grief, love friendships and betrayal. I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness writing style and fans of sally Rooney will adore Sophie and all her messiness. A lovely easy read.

I really enjoyed this book. Waterman's account of growing up, navigating polyamorous relationships and morning loss felt tender and nuanced. I particularly liked her characterisation, no person felt wholly vilifid or lauded. I found this book to be refreshing and tender.

Absolutely fantastic book!! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

It was good but something was missing for me. I’m sure it will be well loved but there was just something that felt a bit flat for me personally

I enjoyed it very much! I would recommend it to a friend.
It wasn’t my favourite read and it was lacking some things.
Overall enjoyable.

This one is going to stick with me for a long time. The messiness and many branches of the found family tree in this book felt so real. I saw my queer Philly in Sophie’s queer Toronto. The writing is absolutely beautiful. I’ll be looking up Aley Waterman’s short fiction and eagerly awaiting future novels.

This read was ok, i enjoyed it and would recommend it but at times was slow and wasn't as gripping but others was relatable.

Absolutely loved this. Follows Sophie over the course of a year, in Toronto, France, and Newfoundland, and her relationships with Alex and Maggie. I thought it was so well done, so well written! Reminds me of a bit of Ghosts by Dolly Alderton but a bit more relaxed.

Reading this novel I was brought back vividly to my twenties. Having a circle of friends, falling in and out of love, how life seemed so very complicated, feelings so intense. How love seemed like it was the only real thing, and how intimacy could be mistaken for it so easily. How betrayal felt like the worst possible thing.

Sophie has experienced a profound loss. Her mother has died, before the novel begins, which she hasn’t really dealt with. She is trying to make a life for herself as an artist, and build a community and ultimately a family. In beautiful prose, Waterman tells the story of the things she goes through in order to do it. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel.

Thank you to Rare Machines (an imprint of Dundurn Press) for allowing me to read and advance copy.