I loved the way that Amy Jo Burns captured the tale of Marley West and the Joseph Family. The narration is multi-layered with multiple perspectives that layer and provide the reader with each of the characters' unique and complex view points. It is almost as if the author began sharing the story from the outside - in and then finished by writing it from the inside - out. This story takes on so many important topics - motherhood, brotherhood, marriage, family business, friendship, family drama and the way it shapes future generations, and so much more. This story is not a straight forward family drama. The twists and turns in the story also make it a mystery that will keep the reader engaged - I couldn't stop reading.

When Marley West, a beautiful, adventure filled young woman moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania, she captures the attention of Baylor Joseph. While what they shared could not be defined as a traditional relationship, their arrangement earns Marley a seat at Elise Joseph's table each night and soon Marley finds that she is folded into the Joseph dynamics.- as dysfunctional as they may be. When Baylor's affection is put on pause during football season, his younger brother Waylon steals Marley's heart. While this upsets the balance in the family, Marley is now a permanent fixture in the family and does her best to keep wily father, Mick, in line while tiptoeing around Elise and her lack of affection. My favorite relationship might well be the one that Marley forms with the youngest Joseph, Shay.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this Advanced Copy.

Mercury is a well written, powerful family drama surrounding the dysfunctional Joseph family, well known roofers in the town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. This story was a slow burn. Each character is introduced early on, without much development. That, coupled with an event that rocks the small town towards the beginning of the story with minimal explanation, was a bit frustrating. My initial thought was a flat story line with unlikeable characters.

How wrong I was! As the story progresses, the author does a great job of character development, weaving each character’s backstory into the main story line. Each character is well thought out. The reader learns all about the Joseph’s family secrets along with each character’s perspective and reasons why they are the way they are. We also learn about each character’s role in the long hidden secret.

I really enjoyed this story. I had never read anything before by this author so went in not knowing what to expect but have added her earlier books to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Often, I find myself procrastinating when it comes to writing reviews, as it's not nearly as fun as cracking open a new book. In this instance, I've literally just Mercury down and find that I'm inspired-- not just to write my review immediately, so as to avoid forgetting how it made me feel, but on a deeper level, as an artist and woman. (Actually, full disclosure, I finished the book, immediately ordered Burns's debut, <i>Shiner</i>, and <i>then</i> turned to writing this review. Which says even more about the connection I felt.)

<i>Mercury</i> is the kind of book that a synopsis just can't do justice, because it's the nuance and relationships that make it sing, the emotional resonance that echoes, staying with you for far longer than the time it takes to read it from cover to cover. It's a book that sneaks up on you; it's quiet, but profound in its observations on what it means to be a woman, a daughter, a wife, a mother, in this world and in the way it weaves together an ostensibly 'normal' family that would be overlooked and/or forgettable in less capable hands. But, lest I scare away any men, it's not man-hating, and, in fact, there is a masculine quality to the setting and writing that made me wonder a few times whether the author was male or female (I usually try to read with a sort of amnesia, willing myself to forget the author's identity and synopsis so as to be fully immersed in the story).
Burns's writing is truly top-notch, from its cinematic portrayal of Mercury, PA, to the complex relationship dynamics it captures. It's the kind of writing that goes beyond the page, where you can vividly see and deeply feel it, while also appreciating the beautiful turns of phrase the author so often employs. And yet, for all its literary merit, it's also that rare gem that has a real propulsion to it. It straddles the line between literary and contemporary, managing to be just atmospheric enough to be literary without being so ambiguous that you struggle to grasp its meaning.

I cannot say enough great things about this book and highly encourage reading it, even if this wouldn't be the type of book you'd *normally* pick up.

This book is about how Marley found herself part of the Joseph family. Her relationship between each of the Joseph boys as well as the parents are all unique and nuanced. Mercury takes you on a journey as each and everyone one of them grow into perfectly imperfect people you can't help but love, flaws and all.

Amy Jo Burns did a fantastic job of writing about the mundane, everyday life which is everything I've been begging for. All of the characters feel 3 dimensional by the end of the book. I feel you can truly see why they all turned out the way they did.

I have written and deleted review after review I've written for this book. I feel nothing I say conveys how good this book is. Just read it.

“There’s more to this life than just trying to survive it…”

Having loved Shiner by Amy Jo Burns, I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel Mercury.

Burns has a brilliant way of writing character-driven novels with a bit of mystery. Mercury is about a family of roofers, Joseph and Sons, in a small town in western PA…and a girl named Marley who moves into town and becomes a part of the family. The story explores Marley’s need to feel like she belongs somewhere, and the complicated relationship she has with her mother-in-law Elise.

I love the way Burns writes, and I love the unique characters she creates. I found it especially effective how she told most of the story from Marley’s POV and then at the end we get the perspectives of each of the brothers, who each love Marley in their own way.

Part coming-of-age, part family drama, part mystery, part exploration of motherhood and full of 1990s nostalgia, Mercury is another winner from Amy Jo Burns.

Thank you to the publisher Celedon books and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Mercury is out now.

Mercury is a beautifully written story about the dysfunction and love of a family in Mercury, Pennsylvania. The book starts with a body being found in a church, but then immediately steps back several years and gives the backstory to the characters. This character-driven book centers around Marley, a teenager who moves to Mercury with her mom. She soon meets the Joseph brothers and finds herself entangled with the entire family in a way that will keep her in Mercury.
Marley is a girl who is used to leaving, moving whenever her mom was ready to find a new home. When she finds Mercury, she finds the first home she cannot leave.
This book shows how complicated and frustrating the love of a family can be, and how we all are damaged in some way that impacts our relationships with others. I love that it was set in a blue collar town in Western Pennsylvania and I also really enjoyed the references there.

Loved reading about the Joseph family. The love between the brothers and Marley broke my heart but brought it back together.

AMY JO BURNS. Love this woman, and will read anything that she writes. Highly recommend this character-driven novel.

I loved Shiner and therefore had high hopes for this one. While the book didn't quite meet my expectations, I enjoyed it enough. I found that I didn't care about the characters or their relationships with each other. But the book was well written and reminded me of Hello, Beautiful.

Wow. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! The chapters were a bit long for my taste but there were a decent amount of page breaks for me to pause lol

I just loved everything about this book tbh. I loved that it was based more in the 90’s. I loved that the story was told around roofing. I thought that was a very unique topic that I’ve never read about before. But I also loved there was some mystery to it. And the heartbreak 😭

This whole book represents a family dynamic that I’m sure so many have had growing up, and along the way we get to see each persons life unfold throughout this family. We see the grief, the love, the anger, you name it, we see it all from each persons eyes. Where each character is just trying to fit into this family in a way they think everyone wants them to, and that can turn into something awful.

There’s so much to talk about with this one lol I could go on and on but I’d say read it for yourself and message me so I can experience it again 😂 It was a very powerful read and I highly recommend! Thank you so much @NetGalley and @Celadonbooks for this book in exchange for my honest review

There has been so much buzz surrounding the release of Mercury. After reading the synopsis, I knew that this was going to be one of my favorites of 2024. Please read this if you have the chance!

This was an ARC that I’m happy to have the opportunity to read. This character driven story had family drama and a couple small plot twists. My opinion may not be popular, but it was too slow for me, yet I didn’t dislike it enough to not finish it. I did complete it, but not without some skimming.

4.5 stars

"It was kaleidoscopic, the way shortcomings and fear and loneliness each masked themselves as secrets in the great house."

You know that saying 'hurt people hurt people'? This novel encompasses that saying perfectly.
This book delves into a family that hurts themselves and hurts others, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It's hard not to root for each member of the Joseph family at some point. Each of these characters worms their way into your heart as you read their innermost thoughts and Burns expounds on some very deep and profound human emotions. The writing in this book is phenomenal, I highlighted so many passages. This was a beautiful story that will make your heart ache, but also give you hope for healing in broken relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC!

What an amazing incredible read! Mercury explores small town drama and secrets, generational cruses, and the women’s role in their family. Marley arrives to small town Mercury as a young teen of a single mom. She’s quickly taken in by the Joseph family. She quickly develops deep and complex relationships with all of them. She has to figure out her role in the family and what kind of person she wants to become.

I loved everything about this story and all the meaning behind it and these are characters. I will truly miss and think about for months to come.

This book was deep. I had never read this author before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a complex study of a dysfunctional family dynamic, and a very character driven story. I was entranced in this story for some reason. I wanted to know what happened to each and every character. Why they acted the way they did, and how each person became that way. The author, Amy Jo Burns, delivered on all accounts.

This story starts off with a young teenage Marley moving into the town of Mercury, with her mother Ruth. Marley right away becomes involved with Baylor Joseph, which gets her a seat at the Joseph family table for dinner each night. The Joseph family consists of three brothers- Baylor, Waylon, and Shay. The Joseph parents are Mick and Elise. The Joseph men own their own roofing company, and Elise tries to uphold the family name.

As the story progresses, we learn of the many secrets the Joseph family is hiding. We see how Marley has made herself a part of the Joseph family as well, even though Elise may have never really liked her. Did Marley choose the wrong or right brother in the end? Was Marley more of a mother to Shay than Elise could ever be? And why do the Joseph men always stick up for each other?

This book was gritty and raw. The characters kept me captivated from the first page all the way through until the last page. If you enjoy highly developed, character-driven stories- then this is the book for you! I highly recommend this story, and I will be looking for other reads from this author going forward.

This tale delves into the intricate dynamics of a family, exploring how secrets and sacrifices strain familial bonds. Raised by their resilient mother, Elise, and their impulsive father, Mick, the Joseph boys find themselves constantly shielding Mick from the consequences of his actions. The arrival of Marley, a new addition to the family through marriage, eventually plays a crucial role in the success of the family business but also assumes the responsibility of protecting Elise. As the sons grapple with the roles imposed on them by their parents and navigate unspoken emotions, concealed secrets reach a climax, threatening to irreparably fracture the brothers' relationship.

I felt this book was beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down. This is a great character driven book that will have you “in your feelings” as you empathize with each character’s struggles

Mercury is the raw and unfiltered story of a roofing family in the early 1990s in a rust belt town. It’s quite an interesting character study and a deep look into the complexity of human relationships. I truly cared about these characters despite their flaws. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it though parts of it were heartbreaking.

I have a confession. I judge books by their cover. I do NOT like the cover of this book however I took a chance on reading this book (mainly because I was given a copy of it) and I am glad I did.

Marly West is only 17 years old when she moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania. Being the new girl in a small town quickly draws the attention of others. She finds herself sitting at the Joseph's family dinner table after meeting Baylor Joseph but she soon finds herself in the arms of his brother Waylon.

Marly ends up pregnant and marrying Waylon. She interests herself into the Joseph family roofing business and into the family. Family secrets and family drama quickly becomes a main character in this story as does the body found in the church attic.

The character relationships are complex and deep and sometimes your left wondering if Marly is with the right Jospeh brother. This dysfunctional family and murder make for an interesting read that will keep you turning the pages in order to discover what becomes of this family.

Marley falls in love with the Joseph family almost from the moment she moves to their small steel town. And it seems that the boys fall in love with her just as easily. Becoming a part of their family is far from easy. Even though she struggles, she does everything she can to hold the family together and still maintain her individuality.

The family drama in this one is the key to this story. So much happens in this book that it’s hard to choose which is the worst or most significant event. It was emotional and at times challenging to read.

This is my first book by Amy Jo and I definitely want to read more by her.
Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

Mercury is a family saga centering around the Josephs, a roofing family living in Western Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Amy Jo Burns does an incredible job hooking the reader in the opening chapter when the Joseph brothers find a dead body while repairing their church's roof. Before we find out the mystery of the unknown body, Burns takes us back to 1990 when Marley West and her mom arrive in Mercury, and Marley is immediately drawn into the Josephs' orbit. I enjoyed the backstory of the family and the secrets, though I did get frustrated with the characters' choices and their lack of communication. Recommended for readers of literary fiction who enjoy character-driven stories. Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon, and Amy Jo Burns for the librarian preview copy!