Sam has been waiting for her life to start, dreaming of escaping her isolated island with her sister. A unexpected series of events -and a bear- have her rethinking her plans.

I thought this book was very well written, but the further I got, the more obvious it became where the story was going and the inevitable ending. I did not like the ending or the continued fantasy the MC perpetuated in her head. Just felt a little annoyed. I guess in the end I kept reading because I hoped for a different outcome, and I did like the writing style. But kind of hated the MC by the end.

Thank you to Hogarth and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book.

On the islands off the coast of Washington State, two sisters struggle to support their beloved but dying mother. Sam, 28, and Elena, only 13 months older, work in dead-end jobs, with no benefits, to keep their small, dilapidated home that sits on an acre of prime real estate. Their plan is that when their mother dies, they will sell the land and escape together for their long-delayed adventures in the rest of the world. Isolated from others, disappointed repeatedly by services and authorities they turn to for help, they cope by imagining a better life.
Enter the Bear.

Bears are rare but occasional visitors to these islands, usually on their way farther north. This one stays, and seems to form a bond with the older sister, Elena. Sam, through whose eyes we experience the story, is suspicious and anxious, and increasingly frightened and horrified by her sister’s attraction to what Elena describes as this magical being, and the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Like many aspects of the book, the sisters’ closeness has an almost fairy-tale quality. In Sam’s eyes, they were, are, and always will be together in complete understanding and sympathy. Reality intrudes in the form of the Bear, who changes their journeys forever.
This book is poignant and powerful, so beautifully written that the story becomes believable. There are flashes of humor – Sam takes on-
This does not insulate her, or us, from a series of shocks that shake up her world and lead her to question what and why she understood about her sister, and reality, in general.

This strange story may haunt readers for a long time after leaving it.

Island off Washington State - Present Day

Adult sisters Sam and Elena live on a small island off the coast of Washington state. They live in the home where they grew up, and care for their mother who is slowly dying. Sam works on one of the many ferry boats that traverse the San Juan Islands, selling food and drinks to the many tourists and summer residents. Elena works in the restaurant of the local golf club. Both women have dreams of eventually selling the family home and moving to a more exciting life on the mainland. The pandemic restricted their incomes, and now, even though both are back to work, their lives are stagnating as they watch their mother slipping away.

One night as the ferry headed into her island, she and the crew and passengers spot a bear swimming beside the boat. It is fascinating to see, and Sam relates the story to her mother and sister. Sam had seen whales before, but never a bear. It was an amazing sight. A few nights later, however, Sam hears some snuffling noises outside, and the next morning as she leaves for work, she spots large droppings in the front yard, much larger than any dog would have left. And then, the sisters wake up one morning to a bear sitting on their front steps.

Despite the obvious danger of a bear on the small island, Elena continues to walk home from work along the forest edge. It is there that she and the bear "meet" - both seemingly curious about the other before the animal shuffles away. Elena is mesmerized and tells Sam that she and the bear seemed to have an agreement that they would peacefully observe each other. Sam, horrified, speaks to a wildlife person who warns the sisters not to encourage or feed the bear. But Elena is convinced that the bear is just curious, like her.

BEAR is an incredible novel of magical, and very human emotions. The two sisters have endured much hardship in their lives, and are very close. But the bear seems to have come between them in many ways as Elena's trust in the bear, and Sam's confusion about that sets them both off in different directions.

I think this book is beautiful in the sense that it shows two sides to the same situation. You have Sam who feels trapped by her life on the island and wants to get off. Then you have Elena who for the most part is quiet about the situation but wants to find beauty in the life she has. Throughout the story the sisters both struggle. When the bear shows up at their door literally the sisters have such different reactions to what it means, how to handle it, etc. I love seeing both sides of the same moment. The metaphors and allusions in this book are beautiful. So many people are faced with bears in their lives and how they respond can be just so unique. This is just a beautiful book. One that will be perfect for book groups and readers alike. I will be interested to see what conversations come out of this book.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Hogarth, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Initially drawn in by the cover and the title, as well as Phillip’s Disappearing Earth. The bear is both a real, symbolic, and mythical creature that gives the book a dark Grimm fairytale vibe. Sam and her sister Elena are the caretakers of their ailing mother in a hardscrabble home. The area is rich in nature, but their situation is hand-to-mouth. Sam works on a ferry providing cheap treats and drinks to mostly tourists. Elena works as a waitress in a club catering to the more monied crowd. Both sisters may have had more rewarding career paths if not for their dedication, love, and obligation to their mother. No other help or relatives can step in to relieve their lives of being primary care givers. Sam hopes that once her mother passes, they will have enough resources through the sale of the wooded property to begin lives elsewhere. She assumes that her dream is also the dream for Elena. But is it?

When the bear unexpectedly enters their lives, plans are upended in unexpected ways. The nature descriptions are beautiful. Insight into Sam’s thoughts and Elena’s imaginings show ways that isolation wrecks its own circumstances. Thoughtful, slow read but raises questions about nature and duty. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

I really enjoyed Julia Phillips’ Disappearing Earth so I picked up this book. The writing in Bear is just as good as in Disappearing Earth and the characters are interesting in how they misunderstand each other throughout. I had a hard time getting immersed in the story, though. I never became vested in the character’s lives. The most interesting character, in my opinion, was the minor character, Madeline. I also enjoyed how Ben redeemed himself, which was completely unexpected. As for Sam and Elena, I really didn’t care too much about them. Even with that, I still recommend the book. It is a decent read- but I was not as “wowed” as I was by Phillips’ earlier novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

It was sort of slow going. Each sister reacts differently to the Bear. Choices - hopes? It was different.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Random House/Hogarth for this book.

This book was very different and it took me a while to get into it for sure.

It was a bit of fantasy mixed with reality. The way the two sisters respond to the bear is htellingnof their personalities and inner struggles.

I found, once I became totally invested in the story, I could not put the book down.

Beautifully written and thought provoking.

A must read.

Five stars.

Had Elena allowed the trauma and grief of her life to deceive her to the point of believing that a wild and dangerous animal was actually her friend? Was she that lonely or disillusioned with life that she actually believed it? Could her sister Sam save both Elena and herself? Those are the questions that flow through my mind as I read this tale of two sisters, fiercely attached to each other, who struggle to find their way through life. I enjoyed the uniqueness of this story, unlike any other than I have read and found it to be as thought-provoking as it was engaging. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance rate copied.

I really loved this book and I can’t even decide if I loved the story itself, the characters or the island this all took place on. I have a nostalgia for anything that takes place in the PNW, so a small town in the PNW, on an island, female relationships and a bear?! Count me in.

It’s 300 pages, but BEAR reads like a short story. I don’t want to say nothing really happens, but nothing really happens. That being said, BEAR is profound and thought-provoking and I really enjoyed reading it.

The book focuses on two sisters whose lives are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a rarely seen bear on their home island in the San Juans. Sam and Elena are both working in the service industry and struggle to make ends meet. Their beloved mother has a terminal illness and they will care for her until the end. Sam is barely hanging on, but she warms herself with the promise of a new life on the horizon. The bear, however, knocks the sisters off their trajectory, much to Sam’s dismay.

In my mind, the bear is a metaphor for all the beautiful, exciting possibilities in life. It’s that thing that pushes you into the world and out of your comfort zone. Is it dangerous? Could you get your heart (or your body) broken? Absolutely. But the bear, like the best adventure in life, is worth the risk.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Hogarth and NetGalley for the early digital copy of BEAR in exchange for my honest review.

Two sisters who live on San Juan Island - a place where there are usually no bears - come across a Grizzly Bear that keeps coming back to their house. I read this pretty fast, and it did keep my interest, but I didn’t find any of the characters very likable which made it hard to care what happened to them. It was just an OK read for me.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

This is not a fairy tale.

It's clearly got "Snow White and Rose Red" very much in its DNA--there are two sisters and the love of a bear--but this is not a magic story, it is not transformative, it is not just rooted in reality but stays firmly put there. Elena and Sam have been barely scraping by, their mother getting sicker by the week. Their existence was always precarious, and the pandemic knocked a large dent in their hospitality industry jobs--and made them worry about bringing home an exposure to their mother's fragile lungs.

When they find a bear on their front doorstep, it's Sam's first flicker of awareness that the sisters' reactions to the world are not always attuned. She finds the giant beast's presence terrifying. But Elena seems exhilarated, even seeking out the bear in the odd intervals that her overwhelmed schedule allows. As their mother's condition deteriorates, Sam expected the two sisters to be relying on each other, but instead their differing reaction to the megafauna is only the beginning of the wedge between them.

If you're frustrated and appalled by people treating actual bears like teddy bears, this book will not disappoint you. Terrible decisions related to bears, finances, interpersonal relationships, whatever, are recognized as such by the narrative and not rewarded. As such it's not always a cheerful book--but the unfolding of the tragedy is vivid, sharply observed, and incredibly realistic about aspects of contemporary life that are often genteelly ignored.

I sort of hate how much I loved this. I hate the slow, devastating creep or inevitability, and I hate the low patter of despair that reads like the thing just before hope.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of Bear by Julia Philips in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a minute to warm up to this book, partly because I wasn't sure if it should be considered realistic fiction or allegory. The blurring of the lines between the two made this a most engaging read.

This is the story of two sisters who have always been close and reliant upon one another. They take turns caring for their dying mother. Sam, the protagonist yearns for the day when she can escape the Pacific Northwest Island she lives on, but she is bound by her obligation to her mother, and her seemingly inextricable bond to her sister, Elena. When a rare bear sighting occurs on the island, Sam and Elena's reactions to its presence are vastly different.

The plot hooked me; the characters somewhat repelled me at first, but I became vested in this modern day retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚. 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮.”

Sisters, Sam and Elena, born only thirteen months apart, live on an island in the Pacific Northwest with their mother, working hard to keep their lives afloat. They spend their spare moments longing for the day they will be able to escape the drudgery of their days. A tourist place, they feel more like peasants serving people who do not see them as anything but ‘the help’. Despite the weight of their days, they cling to hope and their plan, even as it gets harder and harder to believe in. The eldest, Elena, deals with practicalities, they need to save money before they can leave, and for now, all of it must go elsewhere- bills, food, and their mother’s care. The only thing of value is their house, “a 1979 vinyl-nightmare”. Rather than pulling them out of poverty, it has anchored them deeper in it. How will their lives ever change? How can they hope for better? They are too wise to believe anyone will save them but themselves.

Magic appears in the form of a wild creature, impossible and yet… Sam saw it with her own eyes while working on the ferry. A glorious thing, something to pull her out of the sorrows and the stark reality of facing their mother’s decline. Rather than feeling frightened, Sam is enchanted. Long ago they dreamed of something special happening, and finally it has. It’s like a fairy tale, it makes her feel young again, something they never really were, forced into adulthood too soon. They know all about sorrow, about being shattered, but for once, this experience is not something to come, it is now, it is here, and it lights up their lives. The past wounded them far more than any wild beast ever could. The experts do not have all the answers, do they? “All will be well”.

Will this be the turning point? Can the magic last? While reading, I was on the precipice of a big moment, smelling the musk, at one with nature, and boy did this tale pull me in. The end left me with a gasp. There is a perfect parable I wish I could share, but it would give too much away. Yes, yes, yes read it! I loved it.

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Random House

Hogarth

In "Bear," Julia Phillips weaves a mesmerizing tale of family, obsession, and the mysteries of the natural world. Set on an island off the coast of Washington, the novel follows sisters Sam and Elena as their lives are upended by the appearance of an unexpected visitor—a mysterious bear.

Sam and Elena dream of a life beyond the confines of the island where they were born and raised. Despite their efforts to make ends meet, they struggle to survive, working jobs that barely provide for them and their mother. But when Sam spots a bear swimming in the dark waters of the channel, their lives take an unexpected turn.

While Sam is terrified by the bear's presence and is convinced it's a sign they should leave the island, Elena is enchanted by the creature. Her fascination puts their long-held dream of escape in danger, as she questions whether they should stay and unravel the mysteries of the island.

"Bear" is a propulsive and mythical novel that explores the bonds of sisterhood, the mysteries of the natural world, and the limits of human existence. Phillips' richly imagined story is both haunting and beautiful, drawing readers into a world where the line between reality and myth is blurred.

With lyrical prose and a captivating narrative, "Bear" is a must-read for fans of literary fiction and those who appreciate a story that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. Phillips is a brilliant writer, and "Bear" is further proof of her talent and skill.

This was a struggle to get through - slow-paced, and because it was told by an unlikeable narrator, there was never really any sense of danger or suspense, as it got lost in Sam’s whininess. I also felt as though both girl’s came off as younger than their stated ages, which made much of the book a bit cringe-inducing. There were some beautiful descriptions of the woods and the surrounding natural environment, but the dialogue was not believable, the whole thing felt devoid of emotion and I never felt connected to either character.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with this ARC.

This is a beautifully written story of two sisters suffering in rather mundane circumstances and just when I thought it couldn’t get sadder, it does. But I just didn’t connect with this book, in part because I didn’t connect with the bear. I am sure the bear is a metaphor or an allegory that unfortunately just didn’t land with me.