4.25⭐️

Mercury is a slow-burn full of understated beauty. Watching things shift and unfold between Marley and the Joseph clan is fascinating and moving, as buried secrets come to light and family dynamics prove ever more complex, in ways that are both very specific and yet universally relatable. Amy Jo Burns is a gifted storyteller, and I appreciated watching the well-drawn Marley grow and change and come into her own through these pages.

Thank you Amy Jo Burns, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Mercury" by Amy Jo Burns is a Blend of Family, Literary, and Romance Fiction with a Touch of Coming-of-Age!

Seventeen-year-old Marley West is the new girl in Mercury, Pennsylvania, a town where few new people come to live. She gets noticed quickly by Baylor Joseph and eventually gets her place at the table of the Joseph Family. She's attracted to Baylor but when football season calls him away, it's his younger brother, Waylon, that Marley falls in love with...

"Mercury" is an intense Family Fiction story that begins in 1990 and travels with the characters through the years. The Joseph Family is at the heart of the story with parents, Mick and Elise, and their three sons, Baylor - the oldest, Waylon - thirteen months younger, and Shay - the youngest by quite a few years. This is one complicated dysfunctional family, and the dynamics are deep and ingrained.

At the center of this family is the business, JOSEPH & SONS ROOFING, and along with it are the expectations that each son will join the business in some capacity. The business, all it entails and consumes, is like another character in this story.

What stands out most about this book is the simple writing style that quickly connects you to the characters and the family drama. The way the story is written feels different and multi-layered, told from the 'outside in' and then from the 'inside out', and it works for this story, giving it a higher level of backstory and a character-study feel.

There's a mystery built into the story that takes a surprising twist. Still, it's our protagonist Marley who steers us through this story with her resilience, growth, and determination that kept me reading and listening until there was no more story left.

This was an immersion reading experience through the gifted Digital Reading Copy and Advanced Listening Copy. The audiobook is narrated by Maria Liatis, whose voicing skills are strong, however, either format will deliver a great experience.

I love Family Fiction and this one is surprisingly good. I have added both of Amy Jo Burns' previous books "Cinderland: A Memoir" and "Shiner" her debut novel to my TBR List. I highly recommend "Mercury" to readers who enjoy books with blended genres, engaging writing, fully fleshed-out characters, and discovering a surprise or two within the story!

4⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Amy Jo Burns for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

A multi-layered story of love, hope, family, and regrets, Mercury is a very true to life narrative of small towns, growing families and deep feelings.

I have seen a few people compare this one to The Connellys of County Down and would agree insofar as it is a family story, focussed primarily on one character with others moving in and out of frame. Mercury doesn’t have as much driving it as Connellys does.

I enjoyed the depth of character in each of the family members and friends. I would have liked to have read more about the relationship between Elise and Hollis and seen an outcome of a major plot point. While I found warmth in the story, I also found myself unmotivated to pick it up at times.

Overall, it was an OK read for me. For readers who enjoy family stories with good character development, I would encourage you to pick this one up.

Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Mercury publishes January 2, 2024.

A moving coming of age story and family drama about three working class brothers and the people who love them. This was my first book by Amy Jo Burns and it lived up to its hype!

Perfect for fans of small town, domestic dramas, this story is told from multiple POVs and spans decades as 17 year old Marley West moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania and finds her life quickly intertwined with those of the Joseph brothers when she becomes pregnant and decides to keep the baby.

I enjoyed the look at small town life and the complex but powerful aspects of family life, especially in the face of tragedies like the death of a loved one, hidden queer identities and the unappreciated domestic labor of the female family members.

Highly recommended for those who enjoyed books like Mary Beth Keane's Ask again yes or Laurie Frankel's This is how it always is. Many thanks to thank Celadon Books for an early ARC copy in exchange for my honest review! This was also good on audio narrated by Maria Liatis.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved it. I read it on vacation, on the beach - so maybe that had something to do with why I loved it so. I thought it had major East of Eden vibes, with twist of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe. I've already pre-sold this to a dozen customers and can't wait for it to arrive!

What an amazing family saga!!! 5 huge stars for this story.

Marley moves into town and is immediately drawn into the mess that is the Joseph family. The family roofing business is disorganized and the sons and their mother and father just get through each day. Marley is the spark that ignites them to be more and do more. But secrets threaten to ruin this already fragile family.

I could not read this book fast enough!!! Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the honor to read and review this amazing book!

If you enjoy a slow-burn family drama with rich character development, you will love Mercury. The book takes its title from the name of the western Pennsylvania town where the story takes place. Marley moves to Mercury with her mother when she’s in high school (a senior) and meets the three sons of the Joseph family: Baylor, Waylon, and the much younger Shay. Mick, the father, runs a roofing business. Their mother, Elise, holds things together in the house but doesn’t involve herself in the business.

As the book opens, Marley and Waylon are married with a small son, Theo. The Joseph family is called in to help with a bad leak in the local church’s roof and a long-dead body is discovered in the attic. The rest of the book goes back in time and you eventually get the whole story.

Marley gets absorbed into the Joseph family and into the business. She turns out to be a whizz at the business side of things. They all live together in a large rambling house. After Elise dies, Marley is the glue that holds the family together.

This all takes place in the 1990s so there are no cell phones and almost no internet. I had to smile when Marley set up their first email and web presence - I remember doing that for a small business I worked at, at the same time.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Maria Liatis.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This novel follows the Joseph family, a family of roofers, in the small town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. This was a family drama full of struggles and secrets.

This book had me feeling a whole range of emotions. One chapter I was happy, one chapter I was sad, and the next chapter I was ready to throw my kindle across the room. When an author can make you feel so many emotions at once it is a gift.

One of my favorite genres to read are family dramas and this book was so full of the drama. I couldn’t get enough of it.

I have never read anything by this author before but I am definitely adding her to my list of authors to follow.

4.25 stars

I enjoyed Amy Jo Burns' sophomore novel MERCURY even more than her debut SHINER!

I would almost describe this novel as a gender reversed HELLO BEAUTIUFL. When Marley moves to the small town of Mercury, Pennsylvania, she changes the lives of the boys in the Joseph family and the mother Elise as well.

I felt for Elise in this novel. She gave herself to the men in her family, both her husband and sons, and she got precious little back in return from her family. I really liked the scenes with Marley and Elise.

This novel is very character-driven, and I really enjoyed that it was. You really got to know the main characters. MERCURY hit close to home, as both sides of my family are from near Pittsburgh, and there were some other parallels. If you're looking for a lot of plot, you may want to consider skipping this one. Even for me, there were some parts that felt repetitive when it went over the same scene from a different perspective. (Most of the book is from Marley's perspective, but toward the end there are a few other perspectives that are added.)

All in all, this is a fabulous book, and I'm so glad to spend time with the characters of Mercury, Pennsylvania.

Family drama set in Mercury, PA. Emotional roller coaster of a novel that shows the complexities of family life. I really enjoyed this fairy dark story of the family. It is also a coming of age story for Marley. The book is mostly Marley's prospective but some parts are other members of the Joseph family point of view.

MERCURY by Amy Jo Burns captivates with its intricate portrayal of a dysfunctional family in Mercury, PA. Reminiscent of "Hello Beautiful," it swaps sisters for brothers, weaving a narrative that skillfully explores mystery, secrets, and the complexities of human connection. Burns' wonderful writing delves into the lives of complex, vulnerable characters, making this novel a compelling and character-driven journey into the heart of familial dynamics.

Having enjoyed Burns’ SHINER, I eagerly anticipated reading MERCURY. It proves to be an excellent choice for a book club selection, and I look forward to discussing its nuances. I enjoyed the story through both the physical and audio formats, appreciating the excellent narration.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of Mercury any Amy Jo Burns. This is a story of a family, with all the messiness that comes from a dysfunctional one. Marley marries into a family of boys, and has a distanced relationship with their mother Elise. Elise has kept the family together while her husband chases dreams. The novel covers all of the family members, and their relationships with each other through the years, as they go through life changes and secrets being revealed. Burns creates characters that you route for and you keep reading to see if they are successful. If you like complex family stories, this is definitely a great read.

This book was definitely not one I would’ve found myself reaching for without Celadon allowing me to have an e-ARC, but I am glad I did! It was different than anything I’ve read this year, and I found myself transported to the world of 1990’s Pennsylvania.

I never wanted this book to end. I want to stay in Mercury and follow the Joseph family for the rest of their lives. Mercury brings us to a small Pennsylvania town where a teenager named Marley arrives with her mother. As the daughter of a single mother, Marley finds herself alone quite a bit and ends up at the Joseph family dinner table. The Joseph's are a family of roofers, run by the matriarch of the family, Elise. Elise keeps the great house in Mercury where the Joseph men all live running. Mick, Elise's husband is a war vet who seems to only be able to think of himself and his roofing, and the Joseph Sons - Baylor, Waylon and Shay - devote their lives to roofing and trying to prevent Mick from ruining his own life.

As time goes on, Marley's relationship with the Josephs grows, and we learn that while they all live under the same roof, when it comes to love, loyalty, and the secrets they keep, they have never been further apart.

Thank you to the author, Celadon Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complicated family drama set during the 1990's in Western Pennsylvania and spans ten years. The Joseph family is a blue-collar family of roofers in the small town of Mercury. Their story is one of family, loyalty, and secrets- many, many secrets. Burns's writing really pulled me in and I could not put this book down. haven't read Shiner's previous novel, but after reading this, I'll definitely pick up Shiner. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a digital copy for review.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a very highly recommended character driven drama that considers the dynamics of a dysfunctional family.

The first thing seventeen-year-old Marley West sees when she and her mother move to Mercury, Pennsylvania in 1990 are the Joseph's on a rooftop so it seems she was meant to become a part of their world. The Joseph and Sons roofing company is headed by father Mick, with the oldest two sons, Baylor and Waylon. Baby Shay is much younger than the older two. Their mother, Elise, serves a home cooked meal to all of them nightly.

Marley first meets oldest brother, Bay, and is invited to dinner. Dinner at the Joseph house becomes a daily occurrence, one Marley looks forward too. Marley ends up in a relationship with Way, becomes pregnant, and the two marry, moving into a tiny apartment in the Josephs large house. Marley soon realizes that the family's finances are a mess and she begins to help Way find more roofing jobs for the family. She also craves Elise's love, but the matriarch of the family, who has her reasons, remains cold and distant - until she needs Marley's help.

This is a character driven drama and Burns does an exceptional job capturing the strengths, flaws, and secrets in her fully realized characters. These are all damaged people in some way, certain characters more than others. There is insight into each member of the family, helping to show the origin of their pain and the impetus for their differing temperaments. The care taken with each character is what helps propel Mercury to a memorable novel.

The quality of the writing is excellent in this multi-generational family drama. The action covers a decade in their lives. Mercury opens in 1999 when a gruesome discovery is made, and then jumps back in time to 1990 when Marley first met the Josephs and became part of their lives. The narrative then marches through time and the interpersonal troubles in the family that preceded the opening discovery. There is plenty of drama and secrets in the plot to hold your attention throughout, although after the opening discovery the pace does slow down for a stretch before picking up again. 4.5 rounded up
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Celadon Books via NetGalley.
The review will also be published on Edelweiss, X, BookBub, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I LOVED this book. I loved the writing, the characters, the character development-the whole thing. That being said, it did take me until about 10% in to be hooked, but once I was hooked, I was hooked. This was a fabulous story about a family in eastern PA. They are a family of roofers, with so many secrets of their own, led by a mother who keep the family together like glue, but doesn't realize how she is actually hurting her own family by withholding her love and affection. Once Marley joins the family after getting pregnant by the middle son at age 18, things begin to change for the better, or so we hope. If you like stories about families that are beautifully written, you will adore this one.

For fans of We Are The Brennans by Tracey Lange and The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo... Mercury is set in western Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Spanning 10 years, it follows newcomer Marley as she meets and falls in love with the Joseph family. To the Josephs - father Mick, mother Elise, and brothers Baylor, Waylon, and Shay - loyalty means everything. It will take Marley to show them the true price of their allegiance.

Amy Jo Burns writes beautifully about family, friendship, and the lengths people will go to protect those they love. As the reader, I wanted to pick a villain, but Burns really shows that each character has redeeming qualities, no matter how great their flaws. It made me love each of the Josephs, even the ones I wanted to strangle. To me, that is a sign of a great novel and an even better writer.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

🏠 Mercury - Amy Jo Burns

4.25 ⭐️ - I was PLEASANTLY surprised by this one. I went in blind and didn’t really know what to expect, but I loved it ! A story that is mysterious, gripping, and well paced with complex, well developed characters. My character driven novel people - this one’s for you.

I was not expecting to love this one as much as I did. It has some really great messages, some hard relationship topics between families, significant others, and yourself, and tough conversation points. I really loved Marley and her story. Her character development is fabulous. All of the relationships and characters were interesting, infuriating, and lovable in their own way. This is a book that’s more thought provoking, has some tougher topics, and is very character driven so if you’re looking for that, I definitely recommend it. Keep your eyes open for this one hitting shelves on 1/2! I already miss reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan audio for the early reader and listener copies!

The Joseph family has it all together... but really? The Joseph family has a lot to learn about life. A daughter-in-law takes the reins and helps the family heal and learn from their secrets. All families have secrets but it's important not to let them become so important - especially in a small town like Mercury