At first, I really didn't know what to write in this review, or even how to rate it. The subject matter interested me, as having attended catholic school, taught by nuns and at one time thought of being one. I found the book getting slow toward the middle, and I almost felt as if I were reading a teenage girls' diary. The stories and descriptions of some of the main characters were just like high school clicks. And then it took off, and I couldn't read fast enough. Although I heartly disagree with some of the author's decisions, how can I say that a book you couldn't read fast enough deserves less than four stars? I thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance read.

Cloistered: My Years as a Nun by Catherine Coldstream is an interesting memoir about one woman’s journey into the faith and then out.

I picked up this book initially as I was hoping to read something inspiring and even at the attempt to get a peak inside a Carmelite monastery. This really wasn’t that kind of a book.

This was a memoir of one woman’s journey into joining a specific monastery and her bad experiences with the Sisters inside of it, and her decision to leave to go back to secular life.

While I sympathize with her to a certain extent, I also felt that this was just one side to the story and that there were probably faults present within multiple people. The Sisters are all imperfect, as we all are, and to expect more from humans is not something that will be achieved. I am sorry for her rough experience, but I have a feeling it isn’t “like this” everywhere.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and St Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on3/12/24.

An interesting book about a life most of us no nothing about. The authors journey was intriguing but I did find myself skipping some sections as it became a little dull. Perhaps that is a result of the life of a cloistered nun. I will say this, the author was able to find her true self that the majority of us never succeed in achieving. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.