Growing up in San Juan, a small island off the coast of Washington, Sam has relied on her sister Elena as a lifeline. Their mother has increasing health problems after struggling to make a living for their family in a nail salon. After a scarring childhood, Elena comes up with a plan to get away to give Sam something to look forward to. After their mother passes, they will leave. They will start again. They will be together. Sam holds tight to this dream of a better future, and in order to get there – resists any distractions that might keep her on the island outside the tight orbit of her family. When a bear swims to the island outside of its natural habitat, the bear’s presence reveals the inner workings of the family’s relationships, differences, and assumptions. Fraught familial relationships are so visceral in this novel and I was hooked immediately. Just as the bear looms large in Sam’s fears, the bear represents differences in values, relationships, and communication that haunt us all.

This is a beautifully written, character-driven novel with a strong focus on sister relationships. The story is frustrating and heartbreaking as the sisters grapple with their ill mother, growing debt and the appearance of an unexpected Bear. Their experiences + attitudes with the Bear throughout the story differ greatly leading ultimately to a dark ending. One thing I did love was how the author made us feel the San Juan islands and I felt transported there while reading the different sights and smells. 3.5 stars!

Bear by Julia Phillips was so beautifully written!
This story is mesmerizing. I loved the writing and these characters will be with me for some time!

Thank You NetGalley and Random House | Hogarth for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

🌟 Pub Day Review 📖 Bear by Julia Phillips 🐻🚶‍♀️🏡🛥

This quietly tense portrait of two sisters struggling to stay afloat in an island town off the coast of Washington state is a compelling story imbued with the essence of a Brothers Grimm fairytale.

What I liked:
🌹 It's as if the author imagined, what if Snow White and Rose Red took place in contemporary times... what struggles would they face in this day and age? What would their poverty look like nowadays? What would their humble home be like? In today's world, could there even be a happy ending? And if so, what might that be? You don't have to be familiar with that fairytale to enjoy the book, but I do think it adds a dimension to the story that enriches the experience.
👧🚶‍♀️The character study of the sisters, focusing on Sam in particular, and Elena through Sam's eyes, is rich. Ms. Phillips is excellent at putting into words the intimate personal struggles and flaws that make her characters seem so real. This made her prior novel, Disappearing Earth, so powerful. She does it again here, on a smaller scale, focusing on just a few instead of a varied cast.
✍️ The gorgeous prose conjures an atmospheric and captivating setting, as well as profound insights into the characters' lives.
🐻 The tension escalates as the novel progresses. Should we feel hope or dread over the Bear coming into their lives? Which sister's perspective can we trust - Elena's optimism and enchantment, or Sam's apprehension and fearful suspicions?

Other thoughts:
🛥 This release is timely, with the social media debates about whether a woman would rather meet a bear or a man in the woods if walking alone. This book explores who has potential for danger, and how the different characters' worldviews impact that assessment.
🏡 The build-up is gradual but then the pacing quickens in the last quarter of the book. It was a bit jarring but that may be the point.
🌳 I appreciate what the author accomplished with this story. Nevertheless, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.

Thank you to Hogarth and Random House Publishing Group for granting me an e-ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Bear is an interesting, fairy tale like, story different from disappearing earth. The story is about two sisters who discover a creature in the post-pandemic world. What does this bear represent and how will it impact their lives and relationships? These questions propel the reader forward as we want to find out more about this creature and what its purpose for these sisters is.

I don’t want to say more as the plot revolves around the mystery of the bear. This didn’t fully work for me. It was beautifully written and the relationship between the sisters was very well- developed. I couldn’t follow the plot as well i would have liked, but I truly that was an issue of me than the book itself.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

3.25. A very dark novel about two sisters in the San Juan Islands, where expectations and dreams, miscommunications, secrets and mysteries and reality twist around. Add a bear in the mix and everything explodes. Frankly I found the book a little too flat to get into. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for a candid and honest review

There are many scales that people use to rate books that they have read, and I am sure many people have more than one scale they use to rate the same book. I was torn with what I wanted to rate this one. I found it to be pretty simple and a little predictable, yet I can also see how it is really deeper than the obvious words and there is quite a bit of talent that was used. What is throwing me is that I am MAD at what happened. Very mad and disappointed. I do love how the author demonstrated her talent at revealing the deeper poetic interpretations after a crucial scene, but, for me, it was not enough to dull my mood and negative feelings. I did wait over one day to write my review so that I was not quite so emotional and it did help. Just like when people say if you write an email when you are feeling overly emotional, save it for another day instead of sending it as soon as you write it. More often than not, people do not send that email and it is deleted. I can appreciate the beauty more now but my disappointment is still a little strong and outweighs all else. Please note that my disappointment is WHAT the author wrote, not her writing talent, skill, or style. I found all of that to be positive. For a book to leave me feeling so emotional deserves many stars.

#bear #netgalley #bookreview

Neither Sam nor Elena could remember their fathers, but when they were very young they had loved living on their picturesque island, hiking, whale watching, feeding their neighbors’ farm animals and picking wild berries. Sam assumed that when she and Elena moved off-island, they would tell people about the beautiful place where they had grown up where “the air smelled like cedar and sugar.” But their childhood version of paradise was no longer.

Distrustful and isolated, 28 year old Sam spends her days on a ferry that loops around San Juan Channel’s scattered islands where she toils in the galley serving coffee and cellophane wrapped pastries to tourists who treat her like a peasant. “Sam was a nobody doing work that meant nothing. . . .” Her better socialized older sister, Elena, is a server at a golf club and her regular hours had supported them through their tightest times when the virus spread and the tourists stopped coming. There were two years during the pandemic when the ferries shut down and Sam just stayed at home taking on-line surveys for pocket change and tending to their beloved mother who had worked for years as a manicurist in a local salon inhaling chemicals that caused her terminal lung disease. Everything the sisters made “was siphoned away by taxes and bills and their mother’s healthcare needs.”

Sam’s dream was to sell their grandmother’s 1979 vinyl-sided house that was awful but was set on a scenic wooded lot on San Juan Island that “would mean something to somebody, someday.” The hope was that the sale would mean “an end to the service sector, to split shifts, to suffering. . . .” Sam was naive, assuming that with the half million dollars that they would realize from the sale “they’d have all that money to do what they liked.” Sam imagined that they’d “get a hotel in Seattle and stay there for a few days, or a week, or, if they really liked it, housekeeping and continental breakfasts, forever. If not, they could rent a luxury apartment. Someplace glass-walled, with a doorman and a parking garage.”

One day on the ferry, Sam saw a huge bear swimming in the channel. Sam and Elena woke the next day to the grizzly bear at their door. The wildlife authorities were not concerned, assuring Sam that it was not unprecedented for bears to come through the San Juans island-hopping on their way to Canada. Elena is exhilarated and begins seeking out the bear while Sam is intimidated, recalling the terror she felt when their mother’s violent boyfriend would rage at her when she was a teenager. Elena tries to convince Sam that the bear is a gift, “What’s going on here is not dangerous. It’s magical. It’s the best thing that ever happened to us.”

The tension between the sisters ratchets up in this propulsive, mythical, and richly imagined novel. Phillips has crafted a modern fairy tale of sisterhood, class divisions, and our relationship to the natural world. Phillips’ debut, “Disappearing Earth,” was one of my favorite novels when it was published in 2019, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting her follow-up. “Bear” does not disappoint, revealing new dimensions to Phillip’s mastery of her craft. Thank you Hogarth and Net Galley for an advance copy of this luminous and touching novel that has deservedly landed on most “summer must read” lists.

Two Sisters, Dying Mother, Hardship and a Bear

Apparently, this haunting setting has a real history for this mysterious tale. There is a stretch of six islands off the coast of Washington’s Puget Sound. In 2019, these San Juan Islands boasted of a black bear who apparently was looking for a mate. Julia Phillips most likely embellished this story to give the reader a narrative of two sisters who had a tenuous, sad life.

Elena, almost thirty is the older sister. She is beautiful and has become the sole caretaker of her sister, Sam. They both live with their terminally ill fifty-one year old mother. She is bedridden. Her life focuses on taking her next breath with her damaged lungs. Dependent on her daughters to dote on her and fulfill her physical needs, it is a tenuous situation. But the girls have a plan. They love their mother and when she dies, they will sell the valuable land they own. No more scrimping for every dollar, paying bills for their mother’s medical care and somehow buying food and substance for the three of them.

The girls have minimal freedom. They have their jobs, working long hours, and come home to their sick mother. There are no fathers in this story. Presented in third person to the reader, we get as closely as we can to the feelings of Sam, who desperately looks to a possible future and works very hard. Meanwhile, Elena is in charge. Sam pushes everyone away except her beloved sister. Everything changes when they find a big bear on their front stoop.

The story evolves into Elena’s relationship with the bear and the reality of their financial future kept as a secret from her sister. Elena is a complex character; the reader suspects Elena’s reality with the bear, finances and her male relationship. Poor Sam, she is trapped and only allows her sister inside. She is waiting for her salvation and tempering her anger.

Excellent story, well-crafted and despite the prolonged repetitive description, the reader can feel the rage. My gratitude to NetGalley and Hogarth for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book hooked me, and I was drawn into the sisters’ world. I loved the depiction of the relationship and its unraveling after their mother’s death. However I found the ending too melodramatic.

The unique premise of this book is what drew me to it in the first place, and this, combined with the Pacific Northwest setting, made it a must read for me.

Two sisters, Sam and Elena, live with their mother in Friday Harbor, Washington, located in the San Juan Islands west of Seattle. Sam works the concession stand on a ferry transporting commuters and tourists to and from the mainland and around the Islands. Elena works at the local golf club in town. Both sisters are in their twenties and are trying to navigate the arduous task of making their meager paychecks spread to cover all household finances as well as their sick mothers never-ending medical expenses. Most of their time is spent working or taking their mother to doctor's appointments, but Elena has one good friend, Sam has a semi-boyfriend, and they both have a neighbor they went to high school with, who proves to play a substantial presence in each sister's life. Oh, and they have a bear. Okay, it's not exactly THEIR bear, but just try telling Elena that. From the moment the bear first appears hanging out on their front porch and throughout it's various sightings, Elena is completely enthralled and curious.

I enjoyed the sisters relationship with each other and the protective nature they held for their mother. I appreciated the distinct personalities of each sister and how they each approached their life differently - one with a do what must be done attitude and one with a brooding but forward-looking perspective. The concept of a wild animal sharing space as a main character and it's interaction with the sisters was a unique storyline that kept me interested throughout.

4.5 stars !

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Julia Phillips for allowing me to read the ARC of The Bear in exchange for an honest review.

As two sisters, Sam and Elena, struggle to care for their mother and make ends meet to keep their childhood home, life has some surprises for them. Each girl has a job that surrounds them by rich people who take their lives for granted, making the girls wonder if things will ever get easier for them. A big black bear, seen swimming by the boat where Sam works, ends up sitting on Sam and Elena’s porch, blocking their way out. The way each sister reacts to the bear will shape their lives forever. Be ready for an exciting, but thoughtful story of two people finding their goals in life and their true love for their family and each other.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued and thought this book sounds like something that will definitely capture my attention . However I really struggled with this one and felt it was missing some flavor and found it very bland .

While this story is centered around two sisters who are taking care of their mother and yearning for a better life . The Bear is a bit a grey family drama that kind of gives little Snow White Vibes set on the beautiful San Juan Islands.

I really struggled to get through mostly with the main character and her actions just did not make sense to me and I found no connection which made it really hard for me to stay engaged .

I thank Netgalley for this advanced ARC, I wish this book lots of success as I know there will be lots of readers who will love this book , at the time it just wasn't for me .

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

BEAR by Julia Phillips is a bewitching blend of the hard reality of two sisters struggling to make ends meet when a bear enters their life and transforms everything. The whole-hearted, fully trusting bond between the pair is challenged when one sister is baffled and afraid of the bear, while the other is fascinated and intrigued by it. The language of this hypnotic tale is beautifully done, dropping me smack into the small islands off the coast of Washington state, with the economic hardship and wild beauty with its ever-present mysteries. While not enchanted with the constant harping on exhausted and exhausting commentary on social and political realities, the magic and the setting of the story and the fierce love between the sisters, their ailing mother, and their dreams for a bigger, brighter, and better future kept me immersed in this memorable story. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

This book is hard to pass over with such a lovely cover. Even though the story is sad, Julia Phillips has written it in a beautiful way.

Two young adult sisters are living with their dying mother, working to survive and pay their mother’s medical bills. They have long been saving for the time when the mother dies and they can leave the Island for a better life on the mainland.

When a bear is standing right outside their door one morning, it frightens Sam, the younger sister. Sam realizes the danger the bear can bring. Her older sister Elena is mesmerized by the bear and sees it as an omen or a sign of good luck.

Things escalate when the bear sticks around and begins following Elena and devouring animals on the Island. The sisters differing views on the bear cause strife in an already stressful relationship.

Not having a sister, I often felt as if these girls were too close, and that Sam was very dependent on Elena. However, they were living a very difficult life, supporting the household while watching their mother waste away.

Phillips does an excellent job at conveying a sense of foreboding throughout the book. This was one story I will not soon forget.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for allowing me to read and advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend the book to other readers.

In "Bear," Julia Phillips takes us to the San Juan Islands in Washington, where sisters Sam and Elena struggle to pay for their mother's medical bills as she suffers from a terminal lung illness. They both work in service jobs, Sam at a concession on the ferry system and Elena at a golf course. The story, told from Sam’s point of view, takes a mystical turn when a large black bear appears on their front porch. Sam is anxious and scared of the bear, while Elena feels a spiritual connection to it and believes it to be a special presence in their lives. Their difference in perception causes tension between the sisters. As their mother’s condition worsens, they face the reality of her impending death, financial hardships, and the desire to sell their family home and move away from the island. Sam's internal struggles, including her feelings of resentment and the emergence of old secrets, lead her to slowly unravel.

I found Bear to be a captivating story of sisterhood, grief, obsession, and the burdens of caretaking. The narrative delves deeply into Sam’s psychological state, capturing her fear of the bear and resentment towards her life circumstances. Elena’s spiritual bond with the bear was a little hard for me to relate to as she’s written as the more level- headed and wiser of the two. But it does add to the mystical feel to the story, like a modern-day fable. I liked the way the sisters work together to pool their money in order to have a better life. I also liked the slow build of tension between them. This book is a thought-provoking read that blends the mundane with the mystical in a compelling narrative about family survival. I wasn’t familiar with the Brothers Grimm fairy tale which has a small excerpt in the beginning of the book. Perhaps if I had, I may have a deeper understanding of the themes in the riveting conclusion.

I loved Julia Phillips book Disappearing Earth and could not wait to read Bear. Huge THANK YOU to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC! It was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024.

Once again, Phillips sets her novel in an area that not many people know of, a disconnected landscape that adds to the overall feel of this wonderful story that follows two sisters who long for a better life. Bear is a meaningful allegory that explores family expectations and how those expectations can affect people in different ways.

Secrets abound in Bear, and those secrets unfold like a modern-day parable. It is full of dark suspense and readers might not get the answers that they would like, but trust me, the journey and the ending are worth it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bear is the story of two sisters that on a small island working dead end service jobs to make ends meet and take care of their terminally sick mother, their costly family house, and each other. One morning, a bear takes an interest in their house and each sister reacts differently to that event. One is steadfast in the plan to sell the house once their mom passes and the other becomes infatuated with the bear and wants to change course and keep it.

The story is well written and the characters are well developed but thats about all of the greatness I can proclaim about this one. Its a very slow paced, literary fiction that did not hold my interest. The ending was weird as well.

If you love a well written, meandering lit fiction, this is the one for you! I unfortunately did not connect with it.

On the far away San Juan islands off the coast of Washington State, sisters Sam and Elena are scraping by to meet ends meet. With dead-end jobs catering to wealthy tourists and a homebound mother living on borrowed time, the sisters often dream of another life even though there's far too much tethering them heavily to this one.

Then one day, most unexpectedly, a giant bear appears swimming in the island channels. Next, it turns up near Sam and Elena's home in the woods. As the bear's presence becomes more frequent and it draws nearer to the sisters each time, Sam is terrified but Elena is bewitched: she's certain that the bear has a deeper meaning, a message for them.

Maybe the bear is the escape the sisters have been hoping for.

Or maybe, readers, "Bear" is a could-have-been-beautiful, unfortunate swing-and-a-miss from acclaimed author Julia Phillips. The premise of this story felt just intriguing enough for me to dive in; while I expected an undercurrent of fantasy or even unreliable realities from sisters Sam and Elena, "Bear" ultimately felt woefully underdeveloped. With no spoilers, it quite frankly is the story of a bear that appears on the sister's property.

Again, and again, and again.

And that, without much further detail or embellishment, is the totality of the story. What could have been infused with mysticism, magic, or simply a deeper message (sisterhood is a clear theme here, but nothing earth-shattering) was really just the shell of a potential story. Phillips' writing was just enough to make me want to go back and read "Disappearing Earth," but "Bear" was a struggle at just over 300 pages.

I knew for certain that this would be a very good read for me - sometimes the vibe is just right despite the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. What I did not expect was to be so deeply impacted by this novel. Julia Phillips’ BEAR is all of the good things that a novel can be - and more.

Sam and her older sister Elena are just scraping by in their small life on an island off the coast of Washington. Their beloved mother, a complicated woman in her own right, is dying. They’re living paycheck to paycheck, stacks of bills on their kitchen table. And they’re still managing the scars left behind when an abusive boyfriend moved in with their mother only to completely destroy the little family’s sense of safety. But they have each other - and for Sam, that is more than enough.

And then one day, there is a bear at their front door. It changes everything. I’m not sure how else to describe the premise because it really is that simple, at least on the surface. What unfolds is a story about grief, sisterhood, and the beliefs we cling to in order to feel safe. It’s about isolation and the constant, desperate need for home. BEAR is the kind of family story that feels almost too intimate, as if you’re accidentally inside this family’s home, witnessing every moment of connection and conflict. The truth is, this book is somehow beautiful and devastating at the same time. I will think about it for a long, long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.