I’m a diehard Kelly Link fan—and her stories are often what I recommend to friends who want literary fiction with just a twist. So naturally I was delighted to receive a galley for her debut novel.

It took me a bit to get into it, but eventually I was hooked and read until the end. If I wasn’t a loyal fan of her short fiction already, this novel ultimately did it for me. And now I’m telling all my friends to catch up and read it!

Interesting concept. Overall, I like the story. I do agree with others who have said that there are too many characters. There were times when I felt a bit lost or that just when we were getting to understand what was happening, it would cut back to a different character. It just jumped back and forth a lot.

That said, I loved the more whimsical elements in the book. I also loved the references to Chattanooga, TN as it's my hometown. It was fun to read the little details about some of our landmarks within the book. Does anyone happen to know Kelly Link's connection of the author to Chattanooga? I'd be curious if she has lived here, visited, or something else. Regardless, it was neat!

🧚🏻Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House, and author Kelly Link for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Grateful for the opportunity to read the ARC. This was a little slow for me at times but overall I enjoyed this book

I went into this knowing that very long books are generally not my jam, but I wanted to love this one. I enjoyed the characters and I never felt bored, but the main feeling I took away was not a feeling of love is powerful, but more that magic is complicated and confusing. Maybe that's sort of the point, love is a complicated and confusing magic of its own. Life is magic. I haven't read the author's previous works, but I think I would appreciate her style more in short story format.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭
Kelly Link always has original tales, and her debut novel is in the same fashion as her short stories. My mind was a bit all over the place with this book, it took me longer to finish reading but I have been in a strange headspace lately anyway. In one of the most bizarre stories, I have ever read, teenagers Daniel, Laura and Mohammed “Mo” have died but don’t stay dead. They are not quite sure what happened, nor where they were after whatever happened occurred. They know it was a terrible place, a nothingness, a prison and they do not want to go back. They dragged themselves out of that world and ended up in Mr. Anabin’s music room at Lewis Latimer Public School. Though they have materialized, something is off, even their skin feels wrong. The strange middle aged music teacher tells them “I made you out of yourselves, what you were and had been.” They brought along luggage in the form of a fourth person, but how can that be? Not a person really, more of an entity? Then there is Bogomil who had them, who haunts them and wants to know how they got out.

Nobody wants to go back with Bogomil and Mr. Anabin says if they wish to stay, he and Bogomil must come to an agreement. “Perhaps a game?” A series of tests, a trial and if they succeed, all will be…normal and right as rain. Obey the rules and they can stay alive, go home. But what is written by creepy Bog on the blackboard, “2 Return 2 Remain”, makes no sense. How can sense be made if they don’t even know what happened? When they learn they died a year ago, it is 2014 now, and their bodies weren’t found leaving their family a rotten mystery, doesn’t fill in the blanks. Mr. Anabin has fixed it, they have been abroad and have graduated after attending (on Full Scholarship) a program at a private conservatory in Ireland. They return to lives that moved on in their absence and they must cope, fit back in with this battle to face. The characters appear to us readers as if they are in a dreamlike state, and it could be the author’s intention, this haziness could be remnants of the dark place. They have magic, but it is not of the Harry Potter wow factor, which actually is more believable here. Bogomil changes form and terrorizes them, a man one minute, a white dog the next. He manipulates with his advice and warnings, dropping in as he pleases. We met Susannah first at the start of the novel, on her dead sister’s bed, and learn they have ‘issues’ with each other. Their father left the family a while back and they just got on with their lives. Laura was/is the good one while in their mother’s eyes Susannah is “sleepwalking through life with no plan for the future.” Mo is a gay orphan who had been living with his famous grandmother (a romance writer). He is crushed to learn she died while he was in that strange realm. She was all he had left, a mother to him after his own died. We get to know her through her library, writings and he wonders if her ghost is around. Mo feels guilt, that she was all alone when she died. Daniel is connected to Laura and Susannah, the three even had a band, and lived next door to each other all their lives. He has a huge family, many half-brothers, and half-sisters from his mother’s second marriage, as his father died when he was little. He knows they must feel letdown with his disappearing act, and then there is the complicated relationship with Susannah.

This novel is a strange soup composed of the supernatural, gods, magic, death, mysteries, animals, love, doom, strange weather, teenage drama. I cannot wrap my mind around what just happened. I enjoyed reading but I am not sure I understand all of it. Mo’s grandmother moved me, but I could not warm to Laura and Susannah. This book takes its time with you, but it was interesting and unique.

On that note, I have not given much away, and I haven’t unpacked the magic. I am still catching up on reviews after health issues, and this was a hard one to write about. I enjoy a challenge but this is something else. I do wonder though where Link gets these ideas from, for me it had a David Lynch quality.

Published February 13, 2024

Random House

The prose is undeniably beautiful, but the story itself felt boring for most of the book. I was hoping for a quicker pace to keep me engaged.

The characters didn’t click with me, which made it harder to stay interested, despite the intriguing premise. Also, for a book marketed as YA, there are some pretty graphic sex scenes. It’s not that teens shouldn’t read about sex, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Overall, the writing is lovely, but the story fell flat for me.

Oh this dragged on forever, to the point where I DNFed. I still don't understand how the title relates to the book, the cover feels so random in relation to the book's content, and the storyline (and its ten billion characters) felt endlessly distracted. As a reader, I didn't get the time with the more interesting characters that I craved, and I was instead forced to read the stories of characters I did not care about. It was a slog to get through, and I gave up at about the 40% mark. The prose is, inarguably, beautiful, but that is not enough to make up for immense pacing and focus issues.

I don't really want to rate it on the basis that I DNFed, but if I must rate it, I will unfortunately give it 1 ⭐, because not finishing the novel kinda speaks for itself...

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I liked the concept of this book, but it was way too long overall. I didn’t end up finishing I’m sorry to say. Started out strong but really kind of lost its way and got very dry.

I had no idea what to expect from this but from the title I was expecting something softer in tone and theme. The premise is actually focused on 3 friends that find themselves being brought back from the dead to attempt to reintegrate into their old lives a year after their death. Also, they can now do magic 🤷‍♀️ what follows is part fantasy (learning the limits of their magic), mystery (they can't remember how they died), and love story (triangles upon triangles).

I found myself unexpectedly drawn into the story mostly because of how unique it was. The characters were pretty complex and we get to dive into them given the shifting POVs. I also liked the exploration of different kinds of love (romantic, familial, friendship, etc). I think though there was something missing for me, maybe because it was trying to do too much so it didn't quite land as powerfully in any one message.

Overall, 4/5🌟

I read half of this book and made the decision it put it down. I was not invested in any of the characters and did not really care what happened to any of them. The fantasy elements were intriguing at first but the book felt like it was dragging on and on.

Three teenagers find themselves in the music classroom of their former high school, and are informed by their weird music teacher Mr. Anabin that they've been dead for a year, but are now back. Their families think they've been on a music study abroad program in Ireland. Because Mr. Anabin is magic. And so are the other two "beings" who join them in coming back from the realm where they'd spent the last year: A guy named Bogomil who can turn himself into a wolf and other animals, and another really odd guy named Bowie. Mr.Anabin welcomes Bogomil into the room. Bogomil. Bogomil tells them that they left his house without even saying thank you which has not happened to him in a very long time. Mr. Anabin tells the teenagers that if they want to stay, he suggests a “series of tests or a game with prizes like the old days.” He also tells that there will be rules. What are the rules? Bogomil writes his answer on the blackboard “two return two remain.” Mr. Anabin tells the teens that they can go home and has already arranged an excuse for the three of them being gone for a year. What did he do? What will the tests and/or game be?. They already have been told one impossible thing to do by Monday and meet him in the music room at 2 p.m. what will happen if they can’t do it? Have they lost already?

The author is known for writing short stories — this is her first novel. I enjoyed reading the book but it is very long — over 600 pages. It’s an excellent fantasy. I never thought that I would read such a long book but there is humor at time. There are no real chapters except for “the book of Laura” so you know who is telling their experience at that time. It is different but refreshing to read. It’s the perfect fantasy read to forget our everyday life.

I have long been a fan of Kelly Link's short stories and eagerly anticipated this novel. Can Kelly Link jump to a longer form successfully? Absolutely she can, as it turns out. I thoroughly enjoyed this strange tale despite being generally reluctant to try a cast of mostly young (or young-presenting) main characters. I admired how distinctly each person's voice came across and especially loved the way the two sisters' spats were rendered with peevish love. Another thing I admire about KL's writing style is how she introduces and anticipates potential resistance to fantastic elements with humor as a way to blend the real and imagined. This book is richly imagined and also deeply felt, which is its most enduring power. The story arc of Book of Love is a rite of passage that jumps from adolescence to timelessness. Quite a feat.

Kelly link is a master writer. I loved this novel and appreciated the weaving of magic. It didn’t feel long as I blew through it.

I adore Kelly Link, and I was so excited to have the opportunity to read and review this newest collection. It was amazing!!! Fantastic, original work that I will definitely return to time and time again.

I was very excited for this one but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The characters were pretty basic and the story really dragged - I found the amount of time it took for the plot to get interesting a bit unforgivable in a book of this length. Once it got going it was quite engaging but the amount of work it took to get to that point just wasn't worth it.

I enjoyed The Book of Love by Kelly Link. It took me a bit to finish but once I got into it I flew though it. The writing was very good and the premise was interesting! I liked the interpersonal struggles, the relationships, and the magic. With that being said for a 600 page book I wish the magic system would have been explained better because people being able to turning into animals is so fun! I would say that this book though marketed as an adult fantasy this book felt more young adult for me personally as most of the characters are teenagers and the relationships felt younger than a typical adult novel. It is multiple POV and set in a short time span both of which I enjoyed. As always with multiple POVs, I enjoyed reading some POVs more than others. Overall I did enjoy this and would recommend it if you think the premise is interesting or you enjoy other works by Kelly Link.

How long have I been reading this book? It feels like eternity. And the entire time I was somewhat amused, but also had no idea what the point was. There were so many characters, and the events were so random, and it was exhausting. I switched to audiobook after a while and that was better – the narrator did a great job.

It’s about a group of kids who come back from the dead and they have to do magic in order to find out what’s going on. I enjoyed the first part of the book, which is absurd urban fantasy, kind of in the Good Omens vein.

Then a bunch of other people/supernatural beings show up and things get more bizarre and grotesque, and the vibe turns more to horror fantasy (think Library at Mount Char) with a side of Animorphs.

Add to this a lot of smut, scenes about eating and playing music, references to keys, cups, and doors, as well as some talk about sexuality and race. It’s like the author wanted to put a little bit in her book for every reader out there.

At over 600 pages, this book felt like a long, slow walk up a really gradual slope. Really enjoyable at first, but then I got tired. Near the top I got my second wind, but it still took longer to get to the end than I expected. I don't mind a long, slow book, but the length has to be warranted. I don't think it was for this one.

This is so far the most original book I've read this year. The third person multiple POV really worked for me. I found the characters really well developed and watching them grow throughout the book was really fun. The magical elements and world building were well done, but for me secondary to the community of characters and their journey through dealing with these mystical and mythical situations. I liked the small town, close knit atmosphere. I loved the author's ability to write about young people just on the cusp of becoming adults and the feelings and thoughts they had about that stage of their lives. At its core this is a book about relationships and love and self reflection and understanding ones own feelings. I really loved this oddball book, and will be recommending.

I loved this book! I’m a big fan of Kelly Link’s other works and I was excited to read her first full length novel! The book takes place in a small seaside town in Massachusetts and follows Mo, Laura, and Daniel who disappeared and suddenly months later come back from the dead with no memory of what happened the night of their disappearance. The book is full of mystery and magic and I loved every minute of it. Definitely worth reading!

I really enjoy Kelly Link's short stories, and have long hoped for a full-length novel. I got what I hoped for and more - maybe a bit too much? This felt too long, and not at all like her stories. Fell flat for me unfortunately.