When I saw the cover and read the description, I was excited to read a literary fiction book with polyamory. However, in the book, polyamory was portrayed more as cheating with the characters running around behind each others backs and constantly unhappy. Another problem I had was the scenes and dialogue were very repetitive. While I do not mind litfic leaving out quotation marks, it did not work here as characters did not have distinct voices. For these reasons, I did not finish the book around 50% in, nor would I recommend it to my followers or fellow book lovers.

For fans of Sally Rooney's Normal People, I think they'll appreciate this one.

Mudflowers I interesting because what I like about the book is what I didn't like. The book reads as a stream of consciousness, almost as if our main character, Sophie, is telling the story to us herself.

Waterman's description of feelings and anxiety was really hard-hitting for me, the first fifty or so pages grabbed me by the throat. Paragraphs were highlighted because of how much I related to Sophie. The relationship curated between her and Alex is beautifully examined, and written in a way that felt true and honest. As said before, this read like Sophie was telling the story to us. Or if we were reading diary entries, which I really liked but I also... didn't?

Hard to explain but at a certain point I was tired of reading this. The stream of conscious style writing works at some points, but it dragged. I was constantly torn between "this was the best line I've ever read in my life" to "I'm bored SKIP", so hence, the middle of the road rating. I do think I'll end up revisiting this just for the bits that spoke to me and just leave everything else out.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing style and the characters were very Sally Rooney-like, which is a writing style I love and would really like to see more of. The reflections on what it means to love other people in different ways and be loved back was really interesting, although I did think that Sophie's feelings for both Alex and Maggie could've been made a little clearer just so everything that happens will be a little easier to follow. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of this author's works in the future!

Definitely a book that was enjoyable! Not really my thing though but it would definitely be a wonderful book for those who like more true-to-life LGBT*+ Works!

Definitely a book for the literary prose fiction crowd. Plot light but emotion heavy. In simplicity, this is about a coming-of-age story of Sophie learning to be an adult while grieving her mother and finding herself torn between her childhood friend Alex ('loving Alex was complicated') and a woman she falls for on sight, Maggie. It's heavy, and Sophie isn't the easier person in the world, but life would be simple then, and it's not.

I'm sorry to say I didn't get on with this novel, I persisted for 18% of the way through, but just was not enjoying it. Her prose is good, but the story is rather self-obsessed over-analysis of relationships, mainly of the main character and her maybe-boyfriend, and I just didn't feel it.

I can’t settle how I feel about this one, and I don’t think that’s what the author intended.

Mudflowers is a peek into modern womanhood through the eyes of our main character, Sophie, as she navigates her love life after her mother’s death.

Waterman’s writing evokes Sally Rooney, Emma Cline, and Lily King. I think she’s a real talent, I just wish an editor would sit with her and really ask her to dig to say what she wants to say.

Instead of a concise look at dating through grief and uncertainty, Mudflowers wades through a constant stream of consciousness to look at a bisexual woman’s late coming-of-age through infidelity.

I’m always a fan of bi MCs, but I wish the vehicle Sophie was in was a bit more fleshed out and styled.

What I loved about this book was that it wasn’t about one specific traditional type of love. It was about the love shared with parents, love shared with ex-partners, love shared with friends, and the love shared in relationships too.

This story follows the main character as she works through the complexities of grief and connection and being an adult (feeling a bit lost in the world).

I think this book is a great pick for fans of Conversations with Friends by Rooney or Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. All three books cover the messy dynamics of life and love, while the writing remains clear and honest but also a bit philosophical.

There were some parts of this book that felt odd to me/I didn’t understand, but I do love writing that feels thoughtful, so I stayed invested throughout the book anyways.

Review posted on instagram (link below), effective today (May 28,2023).

I'd have to say I'm pretty much on the fence about this debut novel. It was simply okay for me. I wouldn't rave about it but nor would I complain about it particularly.

The story mainly revolves around Sophie's relationships with Maggie and Alex. Sophie has a long term relationship with Alex, a boy she grew up with, but when she meets Maggie she feels an instant attraction and connection. However the relationships between these three becine confused and complicated causing heartache and misery.

There were a few things that irritated me (or confused me). I couldn't quite work out why none of them appeared capable of making other friends. It was as though they were the only people in the world each other could be friends with. Also the Sophie character seems to have a downer on people who write books that involve introspection and confused relationships - even though this book is nothing but the exact same things.

I'd have to say on the whole that this was perhaps not the right book for me. It did give me minor headaches at times then it would redeem itself hence the fence-sitting. I would be interested to see what Aley Waterman comes up with for her second novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley for the ARC.

i had a profound reading experience.

Sophie's every thought was captivating and left me feeling very emotional. i enjoyed reading her complex relationships with Alex and Maggie, which really showed the rich layers of friendship, chosen family, and love. the nuances and tensions between the characters left a lasting impact on me and it's actually really remarkable how the feeling lingers in my chest. it's been a while since i felt this deeply about a novel.

i just cannot give it a higher rating because it dragged at times due to the stream of consciousness-like narration and the sometimes overdramatic navel-gazing that is characteristic of these kinds of books. i do, however, greatly enjoy reading about a character dealing with grief by literally doing everything and nothing to cope with the loss, thereby resulting to messy relationships and a messy life— which is what this book has done. also, the dialogue reveals the depth of emotions and the intricacies of each character with its deliberate choice of not using quotation marks (which works so well btw). i can see how being mentored by Sheila Heti has benefited the prose and structure of the novel. i will be looking forward to Waterman's future releases.

overall, this book has a potential to be one of my favorite books of the year. i just have to let it simmer in my head a bit longer. i'm still reeling from the last pages of the novel when i realized what the title finally means.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is contemplative and immersive, which gives a special feeling when reading it. A bit like sitting in a park and looking at the character's life, asking ourselves what will happen next. I did find some passages slow, but overall it was a rather balanced read.

I went into Mudflowers with high hopes based on the synopsis, but I'm afraid this one wasn't for me. I may be too old for it - I can see how someone in their 20s would relate to this story more. The gist is - in the wake of her mother's death, Sophie navigates her grief and her complicated relationships with Alex (also from Newfoundland, like Sophie) and Maggie (a queer poet who fits in better in Toronto).

The writing is stream of consciousness - similar to Sally Rooney, although much more meandering. I felt like the bi representation was a little unfair - not saying bi women don't behave the way Sophie did, but I do think it's more of an outlier behavior, and I found it a little inauthentic. At minimum, I wish Sophie weren't so selfish, because it really conflated being bisexual with being selfish in how it was written. Overall, the book was just a little too surface for me - I never felt like I really settled into the characters or their emotions & journeys.

Ultimately, I think there is definitely an audience for this book, it just wasn't me. Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC.

Sophie is trying to figure out how to be a grown up and how to grieve her mother. Moving from Newfoundland to Toronto she makes stained glass windows for rich people whose lives she can only observe. She lives with her best friend and erstwhile lover, Alex and attempts to balance her need for him with her desire for others. This is a novel of losing and finding. Sophie teeter totters through the world, picking up and putting down ways of seeing and being. It perfectly captures that sense of not knowing yourself and trying on different personas to figure out your space in the world. It's a modern day coming of age novel for people who feel they should already know what they're doing but don't.

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.

Thanks to Netgalley, publishers and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this slice of life story. The characters were flawed and real and well developed. The story gave me Sally Rooney vibes.

It's definitely a character story, so if you want a big plot this may not be your cup of tea. But for what it is it is well done. The writing is lyrical and easy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and DunDurn press for this e-arc. Opinions are my own and freely given.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the overall storyline but felt like this could have been more fleshed out. The idea of a love triangle, especially one with LGBTQ+ rep, pulled me in but it felt somewhat lackluster. Like I wanted to explore more of their individual relationships, especially with the woman, but it seemed superficial. I do think her relationship with the man was more grounded and I had a better understanding of their connection. I like slice of life books with heavy narration, so the lack of quotation marks and streamline consciousness didn’t bother me at all. I will say, however, that sometimes the language felt flowery for the sake of being flowery. Overall it was an okay read, but a bit too surface level personally. I think there will a more niche audience that will enjoy this more.

This was so good! 🥹

I just adored Sophie, Alex, and Maggie. It felt like their little found family was serendipitous in the best of ways. Sophie is also a great example of a character who is flawed, but so far and easy-to-love.
I think this is for people who love literary fiction that is character-driven, with stream of consciousness writing. In other words, if you’re looking for a plot, don’t look here! It’s very reminiscent to me of Sally Rooney’s writing, so you have to be able to move beyond the lack of defined chapters or punctuation and just flow with it.

I do think the writing is beautiful, but can agree with other critics that felt the ending was a little lackluster, though it didn’t particularly bother me, it just didn’t leave me with that five star feeling. But I do feel warm and fuzzies for this story and will def. Recommend!

Mudflowers by Aley Waterman is about friendships and relationships. I think fans of Caroline O'Donoghue, Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan will enjoy it too.

DNF this one early on. The character’s didn’t ring true for me at all.

Maybe I’ll come back to it later on in the year.

Mudflowers is a coming of age tale that I enjoyed, but ultimately didn’t feel much about. If you enjoy books with reasonably self-absorbed characters, who don’t ever really become less self-absorbed, apart from maybe regarding one or two other people, then perhaps you’ll like this one.

The story opens with our main character Sophie meeting Maggie. Sophie is 27, living in part with her best friend and occasional lover Alex, and she strikes up a relationship with Maggie. Time passes, not much happens, and then Sophie discovers that actually Alex and Maggie are now in a relationship. This is the precipitating event for… growth? Maybe? If you squint?

Anyway, as I said, these characters are pretty self-absorbed. They never feel that likeable (not in itself an issue, per se), but then the writing style doesn’t really lend itself to allowing you to get a handle on their personalities, if I’m honest. It’s all quite stream of consciousness, and the main character is not much more than a vague outline. Does she have any convictions? Solid opinions? Hard to say. She’s little more than a ghost to the reader, despite being the narrator.

Maggie and Alex fare hardly any better and, to be honest, each does feel a little like a manic pixie dream girl/boy. Maggie more so than Alex, and in turn, Alex gets a little more character development thrown in there. Or perhaps not development, perhaps simply establishment. Because I’m not sure I could say there’s any sort of growth or development of these characters throughout. Probably that’s down to their vagueness. If I can’t get a handle on them to start with, how on earth am I going to be able to tell how or if they develop at all?

This being said, it was still an interesting enough read, and the way they seemed to stumble into polyamory towards the end was, I thought, a good conclusion to the relationship drama. Although, I have to admit, the ending itself felt quite abrupt, as though stopping right in the middle of a thought. It wasn’t that I wanted more so much as something a little more concrete.

But given how indeterminate the book felt as a whole, perhaps that was fitting.