Based in small town Mercury, Pennsylvania, this book is a tender look at families, - the ones we are born into as children, and carry within us, and the ones we ache to build anew as adults - and the gaping chasm we may face bridging between the two.

Marley West and Elise Joseph are mothers (of sons) who are born twenty years apart, each struggling to understand her place or role in her world as both nurturer and individual.

This is a tale that begins when teenage Marley meets the three Joseph boys, professional roofers known as “Joseph and sons” who are sons of Elise and her ne’er- do-well husband Mack. Without giving the plot away, (no spoilers here), the story will eventually find its way full circle - with longing, and love, and the impossibility of letting go - as motherhood and caregiving, for Elise and now Marley, of children (born-to, or assumed) and the families that surround them, defines both their most tempestuous and their most precious moments.

"The continual opening of every door for children to pass through, stay a while, leave, and return".

This emotional and lovely read is infused with some of the most beautiful language this reader has encountered, as the voices of multiple characters (both male and female) come on board to tell their stories, gradually revealing secrets, and scars, long held close.

Along with Marley and Elise, we will come to recognize the voice of each of the Joseph boys - Baylor (gruff and tortured), Waylon (measured and repressed), and the innocence and rawness of Baby Shay (this readers favorite), as they grow from teens to young adults amidst family ties that come to strangle as much as they sustain them.

“The air around him felt thick, like honey and longing” .

"All of them felt the inevitability of loss, how it twined so tightly with life itself that there was no hope of ever pulling them apart”.

A thoughtful and poignant read, this book is written with sensitivity and awareness, paying homage to the soft spots we harbor, left behind from childhood and hidden in all of us, and the challenges inherent in facing (or ignoring) them.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

This book reminded me of We Are the Brennans. I really enjoy family dramas and appreciated the complex characters that were part of this one. I would read more from this author in the future.

I am finding Mercury difficult to review. I felt like I got right into it, but then very quickly found it soapy and repetitive. I had to push myself to half way through to get to the "meat", but then there was so much crammed in.

The plot is not linear which I liked. The first half could have been edited down so there was more time to get through the many plot lines in the 2nd half. The 2nd half was more compelling but seemed rushed because every single character's plot line was explained from beginning to end. I also struggled with the fact that I didn't like any of the characters.

The novel was a family drama coming-of-age portrait of marriage and motherhood. It dealt with loss of identity and self worth, as well as finding one's true self.

I would like to thank Celadon Books and NetGalley for advancing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

The description of this book was very interesting but I read for quite awhile and just couldn’t get into the story. To much description and no action.

Mercury is a beautifully written family saga that follows the members of the Joseph family in the small town of Mercury, Pennsylvania... At least that's what the synopsis leads you to believe. In reality, this beautifully written novel is about two fiercely protective women and the sacrifices they make in the name of family.

I was blown away by the complexity of this novel and just how beautiful the words on the page were. Amy Jo Burns is a beautiful writer and she captured the individual qualities of each character so well that it was impossible not to love, and hate, each of them.

This is a story about people who want to make an impression on the world and work every day to do that in the only ways they know how. It's a story about love and sacrifice. A story that personifies the human experience of balancing your own wants and needs with the needs and wants of others. And it's about loyalty.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of Mercury! Family dramas are one of my most favorite genres of books to read. Thinking back over Mercury, the best part of this story for me was without a doubt Marley. Marley was such a strong, full, devoted character. I loved how she persevered despite all the difficult situations that were thrown at her. The rest of the characters were just so so.

Unfortunately overall this book was a bit of a miss for me. It moved very slowly and so much of it felt heavy and depressing. I think the heaviness of it would have been easier to take if there had been more to the story.

What a great family drama! I really came to love the Josephs, especially Marley who held them all together with her grit and tenacity. The mystery kept things interesting but mostly this is just a deep exploration of a real family with all their flaws. Burns does such a good job of describing each character you feel like you really know them. Bravo!

I was so blown away with this book. I can't believe I waited so long to read it. It's a phenomenal story. So well written and pulls you right in from the very start.

Characters:
Mick Joseph-dad
Elise Joseph-mother
Baylor-oldest son
Waylon-middle son
Shay-the baby
Marley-Marley was an outsider who moved to Mercury with her mother in 1990 with her mother.

The Joseph family are a typical dysfunctional group but also there for each other most always. The older two boys tend to get into fights with each other but one word from their mother and they break apart and go on about their business.

Elise is a bit hard at times but you'll learn she kind of has to be. She married Mick the day before he left for Vietnam and barely knew him at all. She takes to Marley from the start. Marley is going out with Baylor. Things don't go well and she ends up with Waylon who she truly does love. Shay thinks the world of Marley and loves having her around. Elise starts being a bit cold toward her and eventually the reasons are understood.

This book is so good. It gives you quite a few of the feelings you will enjoy from a book. I laughed, cried, and cringed. I loved the sons in this book but not so much the dad. He had problems and maybe I should have been more understanding but he just wasn't likable. I did like Elise but at times felt she should be throttled. I love Shay more than any of them. He was just a young boy who was having his own problems and knew that he could depend on Marley no matter what. Baylor was a bit of a lost cause at times. Waylon loved his family and was trying hard to keep it together. All three boys seemed to do whatever they could to please their mother. And was a bit afraid of her at times it seemed.

This is a story of hope, loss, grief, happiness, growing, family, and starting over. It kept me reading from the beginning to the beautiful ending. These boys would do anything for each other and for the ones they loved above all. A strong family. A fighting family. A loving family. This book has it all.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmyJoBurns, #Celadonbooks, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for the story! Overall, I loved this book. It was a little slow getting into, but then the plot really picked up its pace! The characters were likeable and I loved the multiple point of views. I also liked seeing how the characters grew from the "before" to the "after" throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

This book pleasantly surprised me in every aspect. Focused on its characters and rich with emotions, I found myself deeply engaged in the lives of the Joseph family. Their relationships were authentic and flawed, each character resonating with genuine humanity. At times, I felt like I was a part of their family!
The central mystery surrounding the death in the church attic added an intriguing layer to the narrative, enriching the overall story without overshadowing its essence.
For those who appreciate character-driven narratives, this book is an absolute must-read. I already find myself missing the Joseph family and eagerly anticipate delving into more works by Burns.

I'm so thankful for the post-publication ARC! I LOVED this book. This is the closest any book has come to making me feel the way I feel when I read Fredrik Backman books, which are my favorite. I was highlighting quotes in this book from the very first pages, all the way through to the end. There are so many poignant and eloquent words on life and love and loss and all the thinks that make up our ordinary lives. I highly recommend this book for any fans of family-centered fiction.

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!

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complex portrayal of a dysfunctional family, the Josephs, with an exploration of toxic relationships between all the characters. Most of the book follows Marley, who moved to the small town of Mercury at the age of 17 and married Waylon, one of the three Joseph brothers. We also see the POV of all three Joseph brothers: Shay (the youngest), Waylon (the middle child), and Baylor (the oldest).

At the center of this book is a mystery concerning what is discovered in the attic of the local church. When I say mystery, I don’t mean in the vein of a genre mystery. Basically, none of the characters are particularly interested in finding out the “truth” of what occurred. Rather the opposite, in fact. Each of the characters’ involvement is slowly revealed during their respective POV sections.

This book is gritty and raw with complex, flawed characters who are trapped inside their own perspectives. There’s very little self-awareness shown by any of the characters which I’m sure is intentional on the part of the author. However, it did make for a frustrating reading experience as everyone acts, at best, complacent, and at worst, like a complete doormat.

This book ends with a lot of things unaddressed and I found the last two chapters to be really rushed, especially since it includes a huge time skip. I had no sense that the toxic dynamics between any of the characters were confronted or even changed. A lot of things are basically hand-waved away including Shay’s feelings and all of the problems with Mick, their father.

Overall, this was an engaging, slow-paced read that provided a nuanced perspective on toxic family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a family drama about a woman named Marley who is enveloped in the Joseph family. The Josephs are a family of three brothers who fall into their father's roofing "empire."

In the first half of this book I could not put the book down. I was so intrigued by the mystery introduced at the beginning and the workings of the family as Marley finds herself entangled in their lives. The characters are so rich and the tone dark and ominous!

In the second half, and after the unveiling of the mystery, I felt like all tension and suspense dropped. The focus began to shift between characters with the intention of showing their depth and complexity. The story in these point of view shifts also keeps going back in time to give a more full perspective, but it lost me. I wanted to see the plot and characters keep moving forward.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book. Amy Jo Burns does a really good job of fleshing out these imperfect characters while providing a vivid setting in Mercury.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early review copy in exchange for a review of this title!

4.5 stars
TW: miscarriage
I almost didn't read this one 🫣 I'm not big on family dramas, but believe me when I say, this one is SO good! This centers around 6 members of the Joseph family and their family business. It has: deceit, an affair, death/murder, dementia and more. The book is primarily told from Marley's POV, but by the end you've heard part of the story from everyone. I really enjoyed that as it made me understand the characters a lot more.
The main characters are:
Mick- father, runs the family business
Elise- self-sacrificing matriarch
Waylon- glue and fixer of the family
Baylor- firstborn, but instructed by his mother not to turn into his father
Shay- baby of the brothers trying to find his way (his story gives the book a coming of age feel)
Marley- moved to Mercury as a teenager and made her way into the Joseph family

Amy Jo Burns did a fantastic job with these complex characters. The book really delves into their relationships with each other while also exploring generational trauma, birth order, and why the characters are the way they are. This would be a great one to discuss as a book club and I also felt like it'd make a good mini series.

Quotes:
"Silence, more than anything else, is what it takes to be a Joseph"
"Sometimes a secret was all a woman had to call her own"

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the chance to read!

“They were all marionettes in the house Mick Joseph had built, dangling from his fingers, jumping to life at the flick of his wrist.” - From Mercury by Amy Jo Burns (@burnsamyjo)

Burns fastidiously chooses the words to a small town mystery set in Pennsylvania in the 90s. Centered around three brothers, their parents, and Marley, the wife of one of the brothers, this character-driven family drama is superb. The thoughtful, lyrical writing will satiate fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Dutch House.

“In the Joseph family, Mick aimed for the impossible, Waylon hoped for the best, Baylor planned for the worst. And Shay? Shay Baby was all right, always.”

Burns gives each character a distinct presence and develops their character as the story unfolds over multiple years. I love when a story can make you root for a flawed character and give depth to them.

I don’t want to say much about the plot other than that I enjoyed reading about this problematic family of roofers who struggle with communication, secrets, forgiveness, and love.

I hope this book is made into a movie. It’s the type of storytelling that would be in contention for awards. While it’s only March, I imagine this book will be in my top three for the year.

I highlighted a number of beautifully descriptive lines throughout the book. Here are a few of them:

“Shay loved best when he said, Show me your worst thing. I promise I won’t look away.”

“I wish I knew if I should have tried harder to be a daughter, or harder to be a wife.”

“He thought this might be love – to see past the worst parts of someone, to never see them at all.”

I read The Shiner by this author, which I also enjoyed. Amy Jo Burns is now a must-read author for me. 💛

Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Whoa. This one was emotionally captivating with it's character driven lead and depth of the dysfunctional family storyline. I wasn't expecting to want more to be honest, it was a little slow and dragged for me. In the end, it was a beautiful book about such a complex family and I liked it more than I was expecting.

I really wanted to read this but couldn’t get into it. It felt like a book that needed you to read about half of it before you were really into it. Unfortunately, my TBR pile is too big to commit that time right now. I appreciate the advanced copy and am sure most readers will enjoy this one.

What a great family drama this turned out to be. Two women, coming to the same town, building and keeping a family together. I loved that Burns ended up giving insight to more than the two female leads, with each Joseph man getting time to share their story and true selves. It was an overall great read and I will very likely return for more of Amy Jo Burn's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Loved this! Heartbreaking and real I wanted to give most of the member of this family a hug in the end. I thought the mystery was well done and added just a little bit extra to this family story. First 5 star 2024 release.