Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It took forever for me to finish this book and forever for me to review it. I did finish reading it, even though I was tempted several times to stop reading. It was so weird. I don’t really understand the purpose of it. There’s a story that’s hard to follow, characters I struggled to like, and everybody just has sex with everyone. It was nothing like I thought it was going to be from the description, and I’m not sure who would go for the book, honestly.I haven’t read anything else by the author and can’t compare it to anything else, but if this is the general way her other books go, I wouldn’t read anymore. There’s a lot of creativity that went into the book, but it really fell short for me. FYIviolence, profanity, sexual content

This is Kelly Link's first novel, and boy is it a big one! Coming in at over 600 pages, The Book of Love follows a group of undead high schoolers as they try to figure out the game they're stuck in and learn about magic. There is a lot of love and lots of magic and music. The pacing felt uneven to me personally—it was slow at the start and too fast at the end. There's a lot to like here for longtime fans of Kelly Link, though.

Unfortunately this one was a DNF for me, As soon as I picked it up it became apparent that this was written in a prose that just wasn't for me. The section of this book that I read often felt long winded which made the experience of reading it a long one for me. While the writing is beautiful I felt very aware that I was reading instead of getting lost in the story.
I also struggled to feel invested in any of the characters. I did not find them particularly likable of fun to read about and that is always a struggle for me in books.
Overall I definitely think there is an audience for this book it just happened not to be me. But if you are looking for magical realism and lyrical writing I would give this one a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Book of Love is a tough book to capture in a quick summary but, in essence, this book is about three characters— Laura, Mo, and Daniel— who learn at the beginning of the book that they’ve died. They are given the opportunity to return to life and must complete a series of magical tasks in their return.

I’d like to first start off by saying that I have mixed feelings generally about this book. It was very long and there were several points where I really felt there length. But, there were also points in the book where I got swept up in the characters and the writing and pushed through. I felt that by the end of the book, I got to know the characters very well and I enjoyed this journey of getting to know them. However, the journey itself that they go on throughout the book just felt anticlimactic to me; I kept asking myself throughout the book “Ok, so what?”. I did not feel very connected to the characters’ mission throughout the story and it just felt like I was waiting for some big payoff at the end that did not ultimately come to fruition for me. The ending was a bit disappointing and it felt like all of the effort/pain the characters experienced did not really get them anywhere.

I will need to sit with my thoughts for a while on this book but, I’m ultimately glad I read it. The characters will stay with me for a while, even if the plot did fall a bit flat. It’s possible it was also just me, as it was not clear what the ultimate point or take home of the book was supposed to be.

This is a good book to sink your teeth into if you have a day to just get lost in a long book and especially if you like character centric books.

At first, it was tough to get into the book, but the intriguing premise kept me going. The writing was good but sometimes too detailed, and some chapters felt a bit aimless. I'm glad I stuck with it because the pace picked up in the middle, and things got really engaging. The world-building and characters turned out to be highlights that made the effort worthwhile. Overall if you don’t mind a book with a slow start that lead to rewarding payoffs, this might be the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

I kept getting echoes of David Mitchell, maybe with a sprinkle of Stephen King, in the best way. And I have to say upfront that the title is terrible and does this book a disservice.

This is the story of a small town, a handful of (primarily) young people and their dreams and relationships, and godlike entities who interfere with them. It is epic.

This is my first Kelly Link book, and I’m really impressed with the quality of the writing, the super distinct characters, and the unique premise.

It did feel longer than even its 640 pages should which is why I just couldn’t give it the full five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House!

I would call this a “in the meantime” style of book. Each chapter forms a part or whole of the story of a person. There are several overlapping stories that take the reader back and forth so you can view pieces of the plot from various perspectives.

Susannah has lost her sister, lost her bandmate, lost her friend. She’s terribly angry at Laura, but misses her acutely, and takes it out on her sister’s old guitar by smashing it against her desk. While Susannah sleeps, the guitar fixes itself. Where did they go? Somewhere horrible and dark, a prison that they finally escaped. Now they find themselves in their music teacher’s classroom; Mr. Anabin magically provides them with bodies. There are Laura Hand, Susannah’s sister; Daniel Knowe, drummer for My Two Hands both Knowe You; Mo Gorch, Susannah’s friend; and a no-name mystery of a person named Bowie. Then Bogomil arrives. He is the keeper of the realm from which the four have slipped. He is ready to take them back, but makes a deal with Anabin, who seems ready to plead on their behalf. Two will stay and two must return. They learn they have been dead for a year, but Anabin “fixes” things so that it seems like they were in Ireland for a study-abroad year. They will appear to be home for a holiday visit. Anabin tasks them to try to remember details from the night they died, then gives them the first of three trials: to use magic and bring proof. Those who do not complete the trials risk returning to Bogomil.

As the group works on the task of digging into long-dormant memories, they re-enter time changed. They have obviously changed: they know death, know the horror of Bogomil’s realm, and know that they’ve been gone a year, so things at home have changed too. Mo’s grandmother has died; everyone else is a year older, and those who have been dead have a hard time filling in the gaps. They know they died the night of Daniel’s birthday, sometime after My Two Hands both Knowe You played a set at the Cliff Hangar, after Susannah kissed Rosamel Walker, Laura’s long-time crush, and Laura took out a petty revenge by kissing Daniel during the pause in “The Kissing Song” when kissing happens. Beyond that, they adapt to the lie that they were in Ireland and pretend like things are normal, even though Daniel and Laura have switched ears, and they are all ravenously hungry all the time.

In the meantime, Susannah, brainwashed by Anabin into thinking that Laura, Daniel and Mo have been gone, not dead, is mad at them all, and she doesn’t know why. She indulges in angst and risky behavior: casual sex with a new boy in town, Thomas. In the meantime, Mo, in his grief about the passing of his grandmother, indulges in casual sex with Vincent, a minor character. Aside that is purely personal opinion, and one that other readers might think I have antiquated views about: there is a lot of sex in this book, some explicit, and I feel like it is treated like another thing you do when you’re bored or when you don’t know what to do with yourself, or when you’re hurt by someone and want revenge. There are instances where the sex brings joy and wonder, but these instances are unexpected and tinged with anxiety or insecurity (getting found out, breaking rules, breaking hearts, fear). I get that it’s a book of love - eros is definitely covered.

In the meantime, Daniel and Laura, taking the task set by Anabin more seriously, are trying to piece together what happened the night they died. Daniel remembers that prior to the event, he had told Susannah that he was quitting the band. They make their way to the Cliff Hangar to replay the events of the night. There, they meet Malo Mogge, a red-headed nightmare of a person who wants Laura to sing…

As the stories progress, the reader learns from Thomas, who is Malo Mogge’s servant, that Anabin and Bogomil’s stories are wrapped up in a convoluted past where Malo Mogge is worshiped through sacrifice. It’s a past that Laura, Daniel, Susannah and Mo, along with the mysterious Bowie, must unravel in order to make sense of their deaths and in order to give themselves a chance to live.

As I think back, these are the things I liked about the book: Laura and Susannah have a complicated relationship, and Link does a fantastic job with these characters. She’s skilled at getting into the reality and grittiness of bereavement, and skilled at developing scariness - of Bogomil, his realm, and of Malo Mogge and her excesses. I like the music theme, and appreciate how this is woven throughout the stories.

There are lots of strands that make the plot interesting: the story of dead kids who come alive; a mystery that needs to be solved and a set of tasks that need to be filled at the behest of a god; the story of bad communication and deception “for one’s own good;” sibling rivalry; actually, truly falling in love and not understanding or wanting to understand that’s what’s happening. These are the pieces I want to remember the most.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley, for granting me a copy of this book for review. Any opinions are my own; I’m not receiving any kind of douceur for my write-up.

Finally, a novel from Kelly Link! It's just as magical as anything she writes and might appeal to anyone who's skipped her work because they "don't do short stories." For such a big book with multiple POVs, I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the plot moved and how much depth every single character had.

Although the book was a bit of a struggle to get through, Kelly Link's prose was beautiful and atmospheric. Her writing took me a bit to get used to, it felt like I was in the character's mind with them-it was so descriptive. Her characters and their stories were engrossing and after 50% I was able to grasp what was happening. Overall, I'm glad to have gotten into the mind of Kelly Link and her characters, but I feel like the book could have been cut in half.

A synopsis of this book does little to explain what it contains. The story unfolds like a dream. You never know where it’s headed. The fantastical elements are matter-of-fact. Link’s deep imagination is something to behold while her characterization keeps the story grounded. While long, the novel’s multiple points of view kept the plot interesting and the pace manageable. You’re never quite sure whose side you should be on, and in the end it doesn’t much matter. This book will appeal to readers of many genres (fantasy, mystery, literary).

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up. I love Kelly Link's short stories, but translating her writing to novel-length proved a bit tricky. The story dragged from the beginning, and it took me a long time to really get into it. It does eventually pick up the pace, and I ended up enjoying the last third or so more than the rest of it.

The premise itself was sound, the characters were well-thought out, and ultimately it was an enjoyable read. I think it's one that I need to sit with for a bit to really let the full experience sink in.

DNF at 9.5% (the page count on Goodreads and NetGalley are different 🤷)

Okay so Susanna and Laura Hand live across the street from Daniel Knowe. They've grown up together, done all the usual shenanigans that childhood friends get into together, including starting a band. The name of the band is ✨ My Two Hands Both Knowe You✨
That's it. That is why I'm DNFing this book.

I could tell you all that the reason I'm putting this book down is because the language is excessively flowery and the book feels overwritten within an inch of its life. Or I could tell you that at nearly 10% in I feel absolutely nothing for these characters and the story feels like it's going to be a slow trudge through cold molasses. But what really sold me on the " I'm never going to like this book" is the name of their band.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I was very eagerly anticipating this but it fell flat for me unfortunately. What i thought was going to be a beautifully captivating story left me with only lyrical writing but no real sense of a story. I got through the parts that i read, but with no benefits of a good story. I haven’t read anything by this author so im unsure if this is just her writing or if i just didn’t mix well with this story when i read it.

What a strange but very original storyline! The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but after the first few chapters the story is totally engaging. I was simultaneously very frustrated with but rooting for all of the characters, including the antagonist (can she be called that?) Malo Mogge. Thanks to netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book.

Wow, what a trip. This book had me totally on edge and so curious I couldn’t stop flipping the pages. The mystery was done so well I had suspicions but could never quite figure it all out, and that’s my very favorite feeling. So glad I got a chance to read this early, now I can sit back and watch other people fall in love with these characters and their mind-bending story!

Unfortunately, this book was almost a DNF for me. I'd say about 60% of this book (right from the beginning) was slow and a smidge hard to into. It just wasn't as interesting to me, as I hoped it would be. Sadly, I finished it, but lacked enthusiasm doing so.

With a hefty dose of surrealist fever dream, Link brings readers along several stories of love in its many forms. A bigger game is at play when three teens are resurrected months after they mysterious demise. Bringing her distinct voice from short stories, Link's novel is full of snapshots threaded through a compelling narrative.

This just wasn't for me - and no one is more disappointed than I am. The synopsis was exactly the sort of book I was looking for - fantasy mixed with mystery. I was so excited to be approved... but from the very beginning I struggled with this book. The prose just did not work for me from the very first chapter but I pushed on, thinking it would get better or I'd get used to it, but it never happened. The book was also quite slow, with little to nothing actually happening, and mixed with the prose... it just wasn't for me. I do hope this book finds its audience though and that others end up enjoying it far more than I did!

I had to DNF this one at 35%.

Kelly Link's The Book of Love presents an interesting premise and characters that are clearly well thought out; unfortunately, it trips over its own feet and doesn't quite go anywhere, even with its beautiful prose.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The premise of this book sounded right up my alley and I really wanted to love it, but I had some trouble feeling invested in the characters. The story felt too convoluted, and while I usually don't mind being patient and waiting to see how things resolve, this particular book was too long-winded for my personal taste. That being said, I think Kelly Link's writing has a lot of potential, and I'd still be interested in trying out her other works.