I like weird books...but this was too weird for me. It felt a bit preachy but passive agressively preachy. Wasn't a fan.

This was a book I decided to try that would usually be out of my comfort zone. I do enjoy short stories, although some of these were strange. Sometimes, that works and sparks a new interest and other times the collections fall short.

So, it took me a long time to finish this book. It was a mixture of short stories that were loosely connected. I would characterize this as literary fiction and science fiction. Some of the stories I enjoyed, but still each I felt a disconnection from the characters. I think that was the purpose, but it made it difficult for to become engaged with the book.

I think the book is well written and appreciate the writing, but it just was too disjointed for me. I was often confused about the time line and what was occurring.

The characters are all quirky and strange, which usually I can take in, but think I would recommend this more for someone looking for a very different type group of stories and into a non-linear, fantasy, dystopian, and science fiction narrative.

Thank you NetGalley, Katie M. Flynn, and Gallery Books for a copy of this book. I leave reviews for all books I read.

I started to read this one and just couldn’t get into it, so unfortunately, I abandoned it after a few chapters.

Surreal and vaguely sci-fi, this collection has an almost dreamlike quality. At times the setting is unclear leaving the reader in a floating state. I especially admire how the author connected the stories across time. There is the sense of waves on the shoreline or perhaps of the slow and steady construction of a building; the stories overlap and expand what we know of the collection's universe. This had to take some careful planning on the author's part. Kudos! Certainly you can read the stories on their own, but the interconnectedness is quite impressive. The characters are also multi-dimensional and complex.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

Every collection usually has a few shining moments in it usually. Sadly this one didn't. All of the stories fell short for me but I really feel like I'm not the target audience at all.

I really really wanted to love it but I had a hard time getting invested in any of these stories. They are all very very different and I read some of the titles and thought “this is going to be so good” only to be slightly disappointed.
If you are a fan of short stories and odd plots, this is the one for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to review this book.

This book was incredible! Each story fed off the last and it created this huge storyline that was so captivating and entertaining.

DNF@ 30%

This book just isn't for me. I didn't care for any of the characters, or the story. The writing was ok though.

There are 12 unique interconnected stories in this collection. Components turn up from the start of the collection right when you have moved on to a whole new decade, a whole new drama. Each story introduced characters that are just getting by and we meet them when they need to make a decision. Welcome to the world of Island Rule. They can be read as standalone stories, but read together they take on a whole new drama.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this e-arc.*

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. Island Rule by Katie M Flynn is a book of surreal, interconnected literary short stories.

I liked the idea of the stories being interconnected, however, sometimes the connection was difficult to pinpoint until nearly the end of a story, which led to me having to reread certain stories. I also wish the stories had a more distinct sense of time/place, the ambiguity didn’t really work for me with the vaguely sci-fi elements within the stories.

I did enjoy what complex characters were developed in such a short period, though I’d love to read something full length from Flynn. My favorite stories were Disaster Kids, The Single Friend, and Island Rule.

Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. The stories were very vague and I felt that, while some were interesting, the others were written in a way that did not keep me invested.

An angry mother turns into a literal monster. A company in San Francisco can scrub your entire reputation and create a new one…for a price. A failed actor on a reality show turns into an unlikely world savior. And much more. Through twelve interconnected stories, Katie Flynn masterfully blends people, places, and even realities.

Katie M. Flynn’s short story collection “Island Rule” is a wonderful collection of (subtly) inter-connected stories that manages to tell a fascinating narrative about a world that is eerily reminiscent of our own. Millennials struggle with a messed-up world inherited by their parents. People of all ages struggle to connect in a world of social media. Scientists struggle with the effects of global warming. Poor people struggle with the effects of gentrification and a widening wealth gap. Somewhere in there is a mother that transforms into a monster. The world watches in horror as the International Space Station explodes. A Norwegian explorer’s teeth travels around the world and through time. Cancerous bunny rabbits. Bone Mounds.

Flynn’s stories blend elements of science fiction, horror, romance, and humor into stories that are wonderfully real. Her writing brings to mind great short story writers like Lorrie Moore, George Saunders, Paul Tremblay, Stephen King, Alice Munro, Kurt Vonnegut: all of whom straddle a fine line between genre and literary fiction. It’s within that fine line that fascinating worlds reside.

A great sci fi story collection with interweaving stories. Each story is very entertaining and easy to read. If reading sci fi is enjoyable to you then give this short story collection a read.

A strong collection of stories. It started out strong and mostly kept that momentum. Good stuff.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Riveting and thoughtful. It took a couple stories to orient me to the interconnectedness of the worlds and characters but once I figured that out I had a whole new appreciation for the book. The stories read well as standalone a but take on a whole new life as a collective.

I was impressed and refreshed by the author’s not shying away from women’s issues, social issues, and, at times, grotesqueness.

The prose and content was so well balanced between the mundane and the rarefied, philosophical, abstract.

The book felt new and different. I loved reading it this first time and look forward to re-reading it again and again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy to inform my feedback!

Island Rule is such a unique group of short stories. It weaves a complicated web through intersecting lives over the course of decades. Each story is stand alone, yet brings in characters and events from other stories that increases the reader’s connection. I really enjoyed the complex characters that the author created, so well developed. I was very impressed with the writing and enjoyed these stories. I think this book will appeal to many readers, it would make a great book club discussion book as it would allow readers discuss their favorite story.

I especially enjoyed the first story. I felt connected to the mom character. I feel the tension between the mom and her single friend. It is a tension that women feel in the world.

I'm not normally a fan of short stories, but I was intrigued by the concepts described in the blurb, as well as the interconnectedness of the stories. Unfortunately, well I can acknowledge the craft of writing these stories, I did not so much enjoy reading them. I think it's the format, because by definition short stories never give the depth, detail, or full-circle-ness that I prefer in my stories. But also I found them to be weird, and while weird is not normally a problem for me, for some reason here it just never resonated on a frequency that was pleasant. This just wasn't a good fit for me...

Island Rule is a fun ride and a terrifying glimpse into what happens when we hurl ourselves straight into environmental devastation. Katie M. Flynn weaves her characters across space and time. They move through the world unaware of how they change the trajectory of others’ lives. I enjoyed this style of storytelling. I didn’t get closure from any of the characters (as is the nature of short stories, of course) but their stories felt more complete throughout the book because of how thoroughly enmeshed they are.

The two threads I enjoyed most were maternal rage and memory. Maternal rage is wildly common but rarely spoken of—and, it’s typically hidden. One of the characters is so consumed by rage and regret that she becomes the kind of monster that gets dateline specials. The monster marks every story in the collection in both insignificant and life altering ways. It is the most compelling thread in the book! I also enjoyed the idea of memory as stories we tell ourselves. What we don’t remember, we create and what we do remember is probably not all that real.

This is an engrossing collection of short stories and superb writing. I loved that these stories are weird but I almost wish they were even more strange. Odd curiosities and surreal imaginings are definitely the author’s area of expertise.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC to review.

Twelve interconnected stories that reveal the secrets of family and neighbors. From the woman who turns into a literal monster, to random piles of bones found all over town, to a company that can create a new reputation for you. These are just a few of the stories in this wonderfully layered novel.

I enjoyed each character and their unique perspectives. And even though it was difficult at times to keep track of each character's connection, I feel as if each story flowed into the other beautifully; it gave the reader a chance to feel a part of each short story.

This novel felt longer than it was but in a good way. Overall, the characters were well-rounded and smartly written. While the premise was slightly disturbing, it had a bit of a comical undertone that would peak out every so often.

Enjoyable novel. I would reread this one to fully connect with each character and enjoy the unique stories all over again.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.