I am not sure how to describe this book. It is definitely literary fiction and well-written. It is sad. Two sisters, together with their dying mom. Sam, the younger sister, depends on Elena for everything. Elena takes the weight of responsibility onto her shoulders. Misunderstandings between sisters as the younger takes the words from Elena as factual while those same words resonated differently within Elena. Elena piling on responsibility, seeming to hate it, but also taking it on without objecting. Sam believing that her sister and herself were practically intertwined as one. Elena wanting her own life. The bear--who wouldn't want to be loved by a bear--the headrush of making friends with one! Sam hating that her sister is in danger from a bear but more likely just feels pushed aside. A sad story full of misunderstandings with an ending that one can take as the want. Anyway it is taken, this was not a happy, easy book to read. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC. This review is my own.

Well written. This is a powerful character study. It is the story of two sisters, of trauma, of healing, and the things that can happen. Set in the San Juan Islands it tells the story of a family and the meaning that things take on. Julia Phillips makes powerful use of point of view and carries her readers into the world she creates.

I really loved the author's voice - I really felt like I knew these sisters and how trapped they felt staying on this island. Without spoiling it, I was super sad at the ending....I would not adapt this for the classroom - but I would recommend to others to read.

The setting: Two sisters in the San Juan Islands--Sam and Elena, both in their late twenties, live with their ailing mother in the house that was their grandmother's. Sam works on the ferry's snack bar and Elena bartends at the local golf club but they struggle to survive financially and take care of their terminally ill mother who can no longer work. They dream of selling the house on the wealthy enclave and leaving the island, but...

A bear turns up near their home. Sam is terrified; Elena is enchanted--obsessed.

The story deals with the sisters' relationship, their relationships with other islanders, their mother's health issues, and their depleted finances.

Once the bear enters the story a new character/plot line is introduced--a woman from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. {Enter Madeline Pettit who breathes some life into the tale, IMHO]. And the bear occupies a great deal of the story.

I was never really engaged in the novel though I kept hoping my opinion would change [it did not]. Loosely based on Show White/Red Rose/Brothers Grimm. I found this novel quite sad.

No spoiler from me: the ending really took me for a loop!

A disappointing read, 3 stars.

For anyone else who has been a caregiver, who needs a dark fairy tale sets in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, this may be just the book for you! I needed to read this. The writing was quite beautiful. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I find it odd that I'm about to give five stars to a novel (novella? This was short...) that made me utterly miserable, but here we are. It's more or less a dark fairy tale that takes place in the Pacific Northwest and involves poverty, abuse, secrets, death, and--you guessed it--a bear. Underlying the narrative is a very strong allegorical thread. You could write entire dissertations on the meaning of the bear. But, for me, the story as a whole was entrancing, even as I struggled against it. I think this is worth reading. I think it might even be a great work of literature, though the Covid angle still sits oddly--we are, perhaps, in that odd time when it is neither the present nor a digested history.

Well this book was super weird.

First of all; it’s borderline creepy how Julia Phillips managed to write this book and have it published at the same time the world started having a discourse called “Would you rather meet a bear or a man in the woods?” Are you a psychic, Ms Phillips?

Loved the setting. PAC NW island. Population 9000. Two sisters are just scraping by while taking care of their ailing mother in her last days. A bear swims to their island and starts having adventures around the town. The sisters very much love each other, but love is complicated.

Pros; dialogue, character development ,themes. Highly symbolic in the way that you know that the Bear symbolizes something, you just don’t know what. A story you see coming, yet don’t see coming all at once. I would love to read in a book club, because I just KNOW someone else is going to catch something I missed.

Cons; not for those who like happy endings. The last few paragraphs in particular are disturbing. The male characters are boring and one dimensional.

I can’t wait until it’s published so I can have a conversation with you about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for the ARC.

Sam and her sister Elena live on the San Juan Islands off of Washington State. They care for their dying mother while toiling at work to make enough money for her the mortgage and the medical bills. Sam has been dreaming of leaving the island with her sister for years, and she believes Elena has the same goals. But when an unexpected wildlife visitor (and the title’s namesake) starts visiting their neighborhood, Elena’s fascination with the bear both terrifies her sister and opens a rift that has devastating consequences.

Phillips is a beautiful writer and I can see how well-crafted this book is. It speaks to issues of class and family, and has a beautiful fairy tale-like quality. The characters are flawed but deeply drawn and realistically rendered. The descriptions of the bear and of Washington state make the setting come alive. Yet somehow I didn’t love this book. I had the same experience with Disappearing Earth, Phillips' other novel. I just found myself irritated, watching the sisters continuously make bad choices. But this is definitely a case of “it’s not you it’s me” as this book (and the author) are extremely well reviewed. So if you like lush descriptions, complicated relationships, and slower character-driven books I’d still recommend this!

While I really enjoyed the writing style and the setting of this novel, overall it just didn't work for me. Based on the description I expected a little more magical realism and action, but ultimately what I actually got was a pretty slow paced, character driven novel that had a promising start but never really delivered. The ending also had me shaking my head and wondering what exactly I just read.

A big bear swims onto an island in Washington state and everything changes for one family.
But what actually changes? The sisters, Elena and Sam, and their mother still live in poverty, just squeaking by. Their mother is ill and doesn't get any better. Their jobs are the same as are their romances. Actually, the circumstances of their life in San Juan, Washington stay exactly the same.
Yet their lives are turned upside down by the coming of the Bear. It is the relationship between Elena and Sam that is disrupted in volcanic ways. The two sisters were born a year apart and, until high school, walked the same path. They were as close as could be. Sam idolized Elena. She was all Sam ever needed. You can feel the longing in Samantha, as the two of them contend with their very different attitudes toward the Bear.
The Bear tears them apart and, thus, does change everything. This is a story about relationships. It is primarily Sam's story of yearning. And that yearning jumps off of every page. I found Bear to be a compelling read - one whose resolution I needed to know.

This book didn’t work for me and that’s unfortunate because I normally enjoy stories about sisterhood and family dynamics. But this novel is so slow pace and boring. I did enjoy the setting, these group of Islands outside of Washington State is a beautiful setting for a good story. But this story doesn’t really work. It seems that it is promising a good start that never comes, and you keep reading and waiting in vain. The characters, these two sisters and her dying mom, are blurry and the fascination of Elena with the bear, that could be an interesting thing, is not.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bear is a lovely symbolic novel of family, trust, and nature. The writing is superb and very atmospheric of the wilderness in which it is set. However, the only things that really move the plot along are the bear and the mother’s health. Not a whole lot happened in this book until then end, making it a slow, uneventful read. BUT. The writing is enchanting and mesmerizing and I flew through the pages. The majesty of the bear and its sporadic sightings created suspense and pushed me on, despite the dry spells of action. Thank you to Hogarth Books and NetGalley for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review- I enjoyed it!

Bear was a surprising story, slightly depressing, moody, and suspenseful. Who would think that a simple story about two sisters being stalked by a bear on the North West coast of the USA would make for such a gripping story?

Sam and Elena live on an island off the coast of Washington state in a dilapidated house with their ailing mother. The sisters work dead end jobs, have no money, and are struggling to survive, with only their sisterly bond keeping things afloat. When a bear appears in their lives, coming to their house and following them through the woods, it becomes a symbol of all that the sisters are and risk losing.

This story had dark fairytale vibes, with its woodsy rustic scenery juxtaposed with a grim reality for the the two sisters who faced threats in the woods of their relationship. The bear as a metaphor and symbol for mothers, sisters, maternal love, and protection were explored through the lens of Sam and Elena's tight bond, such as how love can easily turn into beastliness when it no longer nurtures, but consumes. The bear became a symbol of both freedom and danger for each sister, forcing them to embrace their inner wildness- of choosing their independence, dreams, and personal needs over co-dependency, fear, and complacency.

This was a fast read for me, simple, but thrilling with a lot of symbolic value.

Growing up, I always yearned for a sister to complete my dreams. The novel "BEAR" was a top pick for me, telling the tale of two sisters a year apart in age, striving for a better life while cherishing their sisterly bond above all. Julia Phillips paints a vivid picture of family dynamics and aspirations set on an island, drawing inspiration from Grimm's story of Snow White and Rose Red. As Sam and Elena navigate their late twenties on San Juan Island, grappling with financial struggles and caring for their ailing mother, they contemplate a future beyond their current hardships. However, a chance encounter with a bear sets off a chain of events that challenges their plans and alters their perspectives. "BEAR" delves into the depths of sisterly secrets and unforeseen revelations, delivering a gripping narrative that lingers long after the final page. Phillips' unique storytelling style keeps readers on edge, inviting them to decipher the hidden meanings within the story. If you enjoy tales with a touch of mystery and dark suspense, "BEAR" is sure to captivate you.

Special thanks to Hogarth Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

So many issues hold these two sisters together and drive them apart. They are in their late 20s, working dead end jobs, drowning in debt due to the pandemic and their mother’s medical needs. One is responsible and the other an immature dreamer. Enter a grizzly bear. I had a difficult time caring about either sister and actually liked the boyfriends and the bear more! It takes place in the Pacific Northwest so the setting is beautiful. This is an easy read but not as action filled as many might expect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth Press for the ARC to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me the ARC.

Beautiful and heartbreaking, Bear is a story of two sisters and their dependence on one another for survival. Although the story centers around the arrival of a bear on an island in coastal Washington (and how it connects/interferes with the sisters' relationship) I couldn't help but interpret the word in another way. Sam was given so much to "bear"-- in fact, both sisters were. While I don't want to give too many spoilers, I do think the ending is what Sam needed to move on (And perhaps there wasn't any other logical ending for Elena). I think Sam could have had a little more of a character arc, as I found myself frustrated with her many times. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but know it's heartwrenching.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth/Random House for letting me read an eARC of Bear by Julia Phillips. I really enjoyed reading this novel, which deals with themes of isolationism, feeling like an outsider, rural life, and nature. The story deals with two sisters, Sam and Elena, who struggle with life on their small island while trying to make a living. Eventually the sisters encounter a bear which changes Sam and Elena's lives. The encounter with the bear does this by putting things in perspective for the sisters. I loved the characterizations of Sam and Elena which made the novel an utterly enjoyable and brisk read.

Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #Bear. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I hadn't read this author before and the blurb intrigued me enough to request it, but this book didn't work for me. The story/plot was fine although I didn't pick up on the fairy tale retelling until I read some other reviews. I empathize with the main characters situation - barely getting by financially, caring for a dying parent, feeling isolated & alone - but I wanted more perspective. It would have worked better for me if the narrator switched back and forth between Sam and Elena. Unfortunately, I found Sam, the main narrator, really annoying and couldn't get past her attitude.

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for the ARC!

Bear was a departure from my typical reads, but it definitely kept my attention. This is a hard book to review, because I'm still trying to collect my thoughts even after finishing a week ago. I would say the last 50 pages were really shocking and kind of strange to me, which definitely impacted my feelings about the rest of the story.

Thank you again for the ARC!

Bear, by Julia Phillips! I am not even sure what to say... This book is so much more than the actual words printed on the page. As a teacher, I feel the need to go back through it and read for more depth. The initial read was wonderful, but there is so much hidden meaning in the pages that a re-read is necessary for me. Please read it for entertainment, but know that this is one you'll not likely soon forget!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.