This is a slow burn family drama which is definitely my jam. Marley is a force of nature when she comes to the small town of Mercury as a teenager with her mama. She soon finds herself a seat at the table in the Joseph family, a roofing family with 3 sons, a reckless father and a fierce mother. In the Joseph family, Marley finds herself mothering one son, wife to another and the ex of the oldest. She works her way into the family business, cares for all the Joseph boys and yet still finds herself lonely and figuring out where she truly belongs.

If you enjoyed Shiner, you will love this one. I especially enjoy characters that are real and raw and flawed like the ones in this novel. Do the characters make poor decisions? Yes. Can the reader empathize with them? Also yes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for an early review copy

Mercury follows the story of Marley who, as a teenager, moves to the town of Mercury and finds herself getting caught up with, and marrying into, the Joseph family. As the story progresses we learn more about each of the members of this dysfunctional family and the secrets that bind them together.

Slow burn, character driven reads aren’t always my cup of tea but this one blew me away, I was completely hooked by it. The author’s writing was just so beautiful and I found myself completely immersed in this family and their dynamics.

I adored the character of Marley and had so much respect for this young girl and how she dealt with everything that life threw at For me though, despite my love of Marley, it was the Joseph brothers of Shay and Baylor that have really stuck with me. I adored Shay’s character right from the start while Baylor grew on me so much as the book progressed and we discovered more about him.

This is one of those quiet books that sneaks up on you and you don’t realise quite how special it is until you finish and then think, how am I possibly going to say goodbye to these characters??

I cannot wait to read more from this author! If a beautiful, slow burning, character driven read is up your street then I urge you to add this one to your list!

I was so excited to receive this one. I loved the 90s when the world was a little bit simpler, before cell phones and social media, and thought the author nailed the feeling of the time. This one had a little bit of a trigger for me that would not apply to most, so I started this one then started it again.

I felt like I knew the family as I read the book. My feelings changed for each of the characters as I learned more about them. I really connected with Marley, what I would consider the central character, her life growing up and how she found the family she was missing. I loved that this epic family drama also had a mystery interwoven in the story. While it wasn’t the focus of the book, it wasn’t ever far from my thoughts and I did not see the solution coming.

While told as a dual timeline, I wasn’t sure which brother I liked more. The deep characterization allowed all of the Joseph men to show their best and worst at times.

When I started the book over, I also listened as well as read and thought Maria Liatis nailed the narration and brought the Joseph family to life. All their ups and downs. Their trials and tribulations.

If you love a strong literary plot filled with family drama, you need to check this one out.

As a teen, Marley moves with her single-parent mother to small-town Mercury where she meets the Joseph family, consisting of three boys and their parents. She’s taken in by the family and slowly becomes an integral part of all of their lives. Fast forward a few years into the future, a marriage and a child later, Marley and the Joseph family’s world is shaken up by the discovery of a body in the church attic.

Mercury will lend itself very well to the continued trend of popular family dramas Bookstagram adores. It features a large cast of characters, an exploration into intentions, actions and repercussions as well as a look at how vastly different personalities function within a family.

For me at least, this book felt rather mundane despite at times trying to be the complete opposite. There were so many different incidents of drama that happened to each member of this family that it started to feel unbelievable, yet little seemed to actually affect them. It was a family drama and yet somehow the drama felt incredibly ordinary and mundane, which I guess is probably the entire point. Each character is messy and complicated yet relatable despite their individual drama’s.

It is a rather character driven novel and the mystery of the body in the church attic and the discovery is the most unimportant thing to be revealed in the novel. Perhaps I was just looking for something “bigger” but in the end nothing particularly stood out to me about this.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is super buzzy right now and making all of the lists of books to look out for in 2024, so I was excited to get my hands on this! Not my usual genre, but I found myself drawn in. Lived up to its rep!

I can see why people have enjoyed this character study, but to be honest I struggled with the writing style from the very first page. I had to put it down almost immediately as I found the writing wordy and awkwardly structured, though others may not find issue with it.

Many characters in Mercury are living with secrets. One main character thinks “his own secrets were the worst in the Joseph family, but he was wrong.”

This was my first time to read a novel by author Amy Jo Burns. She does a good job of maintaining the pace of the plot and the ever-evolving character development, so I wanted to continue to turn pages. Readers will appreciate that characters in this book have to resolve their problems on their own or reach a point where they are willing to accept compromises or can tolerate the compromises they must endure if they remain with their family or even remain within that town. There are no wealthy benefactors turning up with a trust fund or successful friends who suddenly step forward with an offer of a coveted job in the Hollywood movie industry. English teachers would easily assign an analytical essay, asking students to explain why a previously common ingredient in thermometers is a fitting name for this very small town. (Think danger, contamination, long-lasting toxicity.)

Some other aspects of this book which I liked were the importance of female friendship between Marley and her high school friend Jade as well as the example from Marley’s single mom and Interim Pastor Lennox to provide emotional support by remaining calm and caring and above all non-judgmental. There is good advice that readers could apply to every day life. For example, if people feel that they need to move to a different location to start over, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. As Pastor Lennox says, “Not all leaving is running away” (page 289). This book is never preachy or heavy-handed with religion. It simply is realistic showing houses of worship as playing an important part in small towns. Lennon could be a caring and accepting leader of any religion

The book covers more than a decade as it starts with rising- senior Marley moving to Mercury with her single mom the summer before she finishes high school and carries her through a life time of experiences. The years go by effortlessly as one reads, and as Marley learns many lessons, the most important one is that she thought someone knew the secret for having confidence, but learns “as soon as I got [that person’s] secrets, I wanted to give them back.”

I have rounded up my rating to a 5. The reason it was not a perfect five for me was that around Chapter 25 I initially felt the novel should segue into a denouement for Marley and everyone in her life. I thought the story was starting to repeat, nut the ten chapters that followed introduced new character studies that will help the book to appeal to a wider audience. I really like literatry fiction and a couple of times I wondered if Mercury was going to turn out to be romance book (not my go-to genre.) I’m pleased to say that was not the case; scenes with romantic involvement were handled with class. Nothing against heated passion; I just don’t need lengthy graphic details to enjoy a story. I believe I would enjoy going back and reading earlier works by this author. Thank you for my copy of this book. This review is my honest and unsolicited opinion.

Mercury is the story of Marley, a young girl moving into a small town in Pennsylvania with her mother. She quickly meets a boy and is ushered into his family by way of family dinners. As she gets to know the entire family, her role differs greatly from person to person. When Marley becomes pregnant, she has to quickly grow roots in the town and challenge herself to build a life of her own.

Mercury did not disappoint. Highlighting deep-rooted family dysfunction and very much character-driven in its multiple POVs, we are given a glimpse into the family dynamic at different points in time. The characters are all complex as they strive to serve their role in their family.

Secrets of a small town do not stay buried for long and the mystery in this book is likely to surprise and confound.

Beautifully written, I highly recommend this book. Amy Jo Burns will definitely be added to my must-read list.

Special thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

P.S. – My mom is a huge fan of this author and has been telling me to read her books for a while now. Note to self: Listen to your mother.

From the moment the book began, I was hooked into the story of the Joseph family trying to survive life in the 1990s blue-collar town of Mercury, PA. Burns’s way with words had me constantly saving lines in the book.

Perpetually butting heads, Elise and Marley, two women both trying to navigate their roles in the family, truly convey the hard lives that are lived in a place like Mercury.

Amy Jo Burns beautifully painted each up and down experienced by the Joseph’s and left me completely content in the end.

Although there is a little bit of a mystery in this book, overall it is a picture of a family of people, longing to love and be loved, all missing each other along the way. Each Joseph brother loves Marley in their own way, and Marley just wants to have a family and roots. The building of the business and the way she makes it hers and theirs, rather than their father's, mimics the way she becomes the anchor of the family and holds them together. In so many ways, the longing Marley has to not be the only woman in the family is strengthened by the way Elise pushes her out even before the struggle of her illness. And yet, Marley's character overcomes all the difficulties of the family she finds herself in. This book was a wonderful way to start the year.

Thank you to Celadon via Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you, Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of Mercury by Amy Jo Burns.

Release Date: 01/02/2014
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Marley moves to Mercury and quickly becomes integrated in the Joseph family. The book follows their lives from high school through adulthood where we see Marley grown into her role within the family.

We are constantly told the family is dysfunctional, and which characters we shouldn’t like, but it’s not until the end of the book that we get to see why people hold those opinions.

The prose is strong and beautiful but the way the story is narrated it feels like the author was keeping a distance between the reader and the characters.

If you are a fan of a slow burning book with a strong female lead this may be for you.

#bookstagram #books #arc #Mercury #NetGalley

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Amy Jo Burns, made even better with narration by Maria Liatis - 5 stars!

Marley has had a tough childhood, never staying in one place long as her mom moves around for work. When they arrive in Mercury PA, the first thing Marley sees is the Joseph brothers up on a roof. Soon she is at their table for dinner every night, wanting to belong. She begins dating one brother, then becomes wife to another, almost mother to the youngest. The father rules the business, but it is slowly failing. Marley steps in to help, but meets resistance. When an incident from the past raises its ugly head, does this family have what it takes to survive?

This book was wonderful. I lost myself in this family and felt so much for Marley as she tried to be everything to everyone, without losing herself in the process. Her best friend, Jade, is a marvel and the two women are always there for each other. All of these characters and this family just felt real - they all had secrets they were keeping, for various reasons, but at the heart they were family, in whatever form that takes, made of imperfect people who care for each other. I finished this a couple days ago and keep thinking about this story. Highly recommended!

I'd heard wonderful things about Burns' previous novel, Shiner, so I was excited to receive a copy of her newest. This book – this family – took hold of me and I couldn't put it down. Marley will be a character that sticks with me for a long time, as will the Josephs (particularly Elise and Shay). What Burns had to say about woman and motherhood wasn't necessarily profound, but it was shown in a way that was moving and powerful. What a book to kick off the new year!

So glad this was my first read of 2024 - the story of Marley and the Joseph family reeled me in, kept the pages turning as I teetered from wanting to keep on reading and wanting the story to not end. This is the first book I've read from Amy Jo Burns, although I have Shiner on my physical shelves to read. The town of Mercury felt visceral. The family dynamics, both within the Joseph family and also between Marley and her mom were so well told. I loved how Ruth, Marley's single mom, was portrayed. So often teen moms, moving from town to town, are portrayed negatively but Ruth was definitely portrayed as a strong and determined mother, doing her best for her daughter and not falling short in any ways that matter.

Marley and Shay were my favorite characters, but both Waylon and Baylor grew on me. And who wouldn't want a friend like Jade - strong, determined, funny and giving.

Although the mystery at the core seems...improbable (would shinkwrap REALLY stifle the smell??), I loved the way it all unfolded. I loved the writing, which made me think and pay attention, and how the author teased out the details without explicitly laying them out on the page. I wish there was a follow up that lets us visit the Josephs family again to see where Marley and Shay are 10 years from now.

I am finding it hard to rate this book - I am leaning towards a 4 star but it's really a 4.5...and I may come back and revisit and bump this one up. It's not a perfect book for me but pretty darn close, and I want to see if it stays with me which would definitely bump it up to a 5.

This character driven story absolutely blew me away. I think no matter who you are or where you come from, something about this book is going to move you in some way. This is a story of sacrifice and wow did it change the way I look at my own mom.

Mercury's Marley West reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing's Kya Clark; both characters find themselves compensating for lackluster men, both are strong and resourceful women who are looked down upon by their communities, and both build better lives for themselves against all odds. While I read Mercury, I thought about how our history books are filled with the deeds of men without giving credit to the women who made them successful behind the scenes. Mercury is a study of women's issues; gender inequality, economic justice, reproductive choice, maternal health, education, and property rights. It is hard to read Mercury and not see our mothers, grandmothers and ourselves and the struggles we have faced. I really enjoyed Mercury, and recommend it to readers who liked Where the Crawdads Sing.

This is a character-driven novel about a dysfunctional family. On Marley West’s first day arriving in Mercury, Pennsylvania she sees the three Joseph brothers, the sons in the roofing business of Joseph & Sons. Before she knows it, she is married to one of the brothers and is an ex-girlfriend to another. The family is quite dysfunctional and the story starts with what had been happening within this family to this point. It is the 1990’s and once Marley has married into the family, she is also integrated into the admin part of the business, which she is very good at. There is also a mystery within this family drama; when the church’s roof develops a leak, the Joseph Brothers are called and it is not long before they discover that the problem is in the attic, along with a dead body. The book continues to reveal past history and while the storyline of the body in the attic wasn’t the main narrative, it added to the story.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I think the character of Marley was well written and at times I could feel the narrowness and suffocating feelings of living in a small town.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for a copy of this novel so that I could provide an honest review.

I will post on Amazon on publication day.

This probably would have been a really good book if it was my style. I just dont care to much for the pixie woman troupe to care enough what happens to Marley or the Joseph brothers. I am sure someone loved it, but not me.

The overarching theme here is family. As a teen, Marley moves to a small town in Pennsylvania. As she rolls into town she sees three silhouettes on a roof. They are the Josephs and they own a roofing company. She soon becomes entwined in their family dynamic.

There is so much here that I can relate to as a wife who has in-laws. Marley struggles to be all the things: daughter, wife, mother, daughter-in-law, business owner. This book delves into the intricacies of juggling all the responsibilities women have in life. It was a good read.

There is a dead body within the first few chapters, but this is a book about family drama, and is a character driven slow burn. Families are messy and the author does a great job of capturing that.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complex family drama filled with secrets, loyalty, hardships, and love.

Marley and her mother Ruth move to the town of Mercury and Marley meets the Joseph family. The Josephs are well-known around town, and everyone holds the matriarch, Elise, in high regard. Baylor, Waylon, and Shay could not be more different from each other, but Marley is drawn to them in ways she can't explain. She becomes entwined with the family, eventually becoming one of them, but in a lot of ways she's still on the outside looking in. As much as she wanted to be like Elise, she realizes that Elise's life isn't as perfect as she thought it was.

This was a little slow to start, but speeds up about halfway through. For me, this was a little bit out of my wheelhouse, as I generally read mystery suspense. However, I did enjoy reading this. The writing was intricate and complex, and for people who enjoy literary fiction, I feel they would enjoy it. The characters all have their own voice, and the writing is evocative, making the reader feel for Marley and the Joseph boys.

All in all, this was a well-written, complex story of a family in turmoil.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @CeladonBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.