thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. i liked the setting but not much else. sam was the worst main character ive read in awhile. she was selfish and condescending to her sister.

A really strange and boring tale about sisters living in a gorgeous setting where absolutely nothing happens. The writing felt juvenile compared to her previous work and I was overall mostly irritated with Sam.

While I usually love the writing style and point of view of this author, this book ultimately failed to keep my attention. The pacing of the story was incredibly slow and did not pay off in my opinion. I would have liked a little more concise editing and faster pace. It felt like a lot of wondering and inner dialogue and not enough action. I look forward to seeing what this author puts out next!

Sam is annoying. She is beyond annoying. She is one those people who won't let you be with anyone else in fear of losing you. She is suffocating Elena while victimizing herself. She is focused on this dream that she kept saying it was Elena's to begin with. She thinks she is going to save her sister, while she might be the one needing saving.

Elena, on the other hand, is more realistic. She is doing her job, trying to look after her mother, and making sure money hits their account. Sam makes her to be this crazy girl who is fascinated with this particular bear. I wonder if that is really a bear they are seeing. Is it a symbol for something else? For some other person? some other dream? At the end, whether it is a bear or not, I understand why Elena would need that. It must be hard to be the reasonable one.

I wish we had more chapters focused on Elena instead of Sam. Sam sounded like she was suffering from some delusion, some type of mental illness. Not that I won't care for it, but she is too whiny for my taste.

I will not soon forget this read, which I read through to the very last word. Am still thinking about it. At a loss for how to "star" it. . .the story was not what I wanted. . . as in it didn't end how I wanted it to end. I believe I'm pouting about this, and so need to ponder more. Ann Patchett said it best about this author: ". . .She has my complete attention." That means something.

This story takes place on an island among a handful of beauties off the Washington state coast. The chug of ferries are the music of transportation in those parts. Another world completely, one that takes a rider / reader back in time just by the very journey. Remote is an adjective that wraps round all the day-to-day living details. A bear on the front porch is unusual, dangerous, but believable.

Born to the island (and their ailing mother) are Elena (oldest) and Sam (youngest). Three women in each other's company too long, trying to ferret out a way to live separately that doesn't mean losing their binding ties. Mother finds her way out. Two remain. There are reasons and worries, and hopeful moments. And there's a bear. He's beautiful and compelling. There are warnings from Those Who Should Know, and one wants to dismiss them out of hand. Two sisters heading in opposite directions, yet who know each other by heart like no other, like sisters. At the side doors Plan Bs present. And don't forget. There's a bear.

[I reserve the right to up-star]. Pondering on. . .I still don't "like" this read. . .but I can't stop touching it. . .

*A sincere thank you to Julia Phillips, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #Bear #NetGalley

Phillips's prose is evocative, vividly describing the landscape and its impact on the characters' lives. While some may find the pacing slow, the emotional depth and character development offer a rewarding experience. Overall, it's a poignant exploration of survival, both physically and emotionally.

3.5. Unusual story line. Although the book is entitled "Bear", the bear is really the catalyst for much of what happens to the humans in the story. Through their various encounters, fear, and/or euphoria, the characters learn a lot about themselves, their relationships, and their connections. The main theme of the novel is the relationship between the two sisters, Elena and Sam. The character development is good and the book is well written. It is staying with me. Recommend it.

A grizzly haunts the pages of “Bear.” It’s hard to identify at first, and so unlikely that everyone’s giddy with excitement, but there it is: a bear swimming in the San Juan Channel, where they’d never seen one. Folks on the ferry take pictures and call out to the animal.

This was a pensive and sort of somber story that was well written but it didn’t seem to click with me.

Sisters Sam and Elena grew up with their mother on a small island in Washington state’s San Juan Channel. As children, they would roam the forests, imagining the place as their own little kingdom, but now as young adults they find themselves toiling away at dead-end jobs in the islands’ tourism industry. Elena works as a waitress at the nearby country club while Sam spends her days manning the concession booth on one of the ferries that service the region, while both take turns looking after their mother as she slowly loses her battle against the cancer she obtained by breathing in fumes at the local hair salon.

Told from Sam’s perspective, we are acutely aware of how much the drudgery of her days is wearing on her, with only the plan the sisters once made of selling the house and moving off the island helping her to withstand it. But one day, she spots a bear swimming alongside the ferry. Some try to claim it must have been something more innocuous, but Sam is certain what she saw. Even more so when, “they woke the next day to a bear at the door.”

The bear winds up leaving their stoop of its own accord, but its appearance has a profound effect on the sisters. Sam is fear stricken after having the massive animal so nearly inside her home, but Elena is in awe, taking its arrival as a sort of minor miracle. Sam is dumbfounded by her sister’s new lighthearted attitude and even more so by her attempts to communicate with the creature further. She attempts to continue about her life, going to work, hooking up with an attractive deckhand from out-of-town, and tending to her mother, but she can’t help but worry over her sister, especially once Elena begins walking through the woods on her way home with food in her pockets.

Their conflicting responses begin to drive a rift between the sisters, and Sam increasingly feels the need to question everything she’s ever known to be true, leaving her even more lost and adrift than she was before. When she reaches out to the local Fish & Wildlife department, an agent tries to help only to be rebuffed by the sisters due to their distrust of authority figures. But Sam feels she has to do something, before Elena manages to put herself in any further danger.

Phillips’ lovely prose walks the line between realistic and dreamlike, taking cues from the fables that inspired the story and are referenced throughout. The stress of their mother’s impending death combined with their divergent reactions leads to long-simmering tensions erupting forth and secrets being revealed. Their relationship and its fracturing feels wholly believable, even if it is brought about by a highly unusual (though possible) event.

Using their story to look at the delicate nature of familial bonds, the ways people look at incredible occurrences, the act of losing a parent, and America’s sharp class division, particularly in tourist areas, Phillips has crafted something truly special here. She adeptly juggles tones, at times breaking readers’ hearts while at others having them turning pages in suspense. Bear is an engaging read that feels tailor made to launch many a book club conversation.

Julia Glass has my respect and gratitude for bringing back plot. This is a book that does not ponder or preach; it tells a story. And it's an understandable, and clear, and entertaining story with a fantastic wetting and memorable characters.

Kind of made me wonder if the whole man vs. bear thing was PR for this book. I liked the length, the writing, and the ambiance. I didn't love any of the characters; and even though the ending made me feel sick, it felt like it was the only way it could end.

I rated this two stars because I finished it thinking - what was the point?!

Bear is a beautifully crafted tale that intricately weaves themes of sisterhood, ambition, and the mysteries of nature. Set on a remote Washington island, the story follows Sam and Elena as they navigate their struggles for a better life, drawn into a conflict when a bear becomes a symbol of freedom for Elena while representing fear for Sam. Readers will appreciate the lyrical prose and rich imagery that bring the island to life, as well as the profound exploration of family bonds and the allure of the wild. This novel is perfect for those who enjoy character-driven stories that invite reflection on our connections to each other and the natural world.

This story is loosely based on the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red” and is about two sisters, Elena and Sam who live with their terminally ill mother on an island off the coast of Washington state. Like the fairy tale, the sisters, Elena and Sam, are incredibly close and work hard to keep their household afloat and tend to their sick mother. Also, like in the fairy tale, a bear shows up on their doorstep. Elena is fascinated by and forms an attachment to the bear, and that’s about when the fairy tale comparison ends. I am not an expert on wildlife, but have heard those who are (park rangers, wildlife biologists) warn against feeding or getting too close to animals in the wild and I see no reason to doubt this. There are plenty of YouTube videos of idiots trying to get a picture of the “cute bison” or climbing over a fence in a zoo to pet the “pretty tiger.” Usually nothing good comes of these irresponsible actions for the human or the animal. Everyone in the book, except Elena, seems to have the same understanding. This is the part of the book that lost me.
Sam is mad at the world and distrusts everyone except Elena who has acted as a protective mother figure. She is under the impression that once the mother dies, the sisters will sell their valuable property and live off the proceeds happily ever after. The land the family lives on is quite valuable, but the family is drowning in debt. I was not sure if Sam was oblivious or in denial to the reality of their financial situation (medical bills, mortgages), but she apparently didn’t know this. Turns out she also was oblivious and/or in denial about many aspects of her sister’s life.
I just finished Bear yesterday and am still digesting it. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the attraction to a huge smelly wild animal who is as likely to kill me as not and hope Sam gets therapy. I think this would be a good book club selection – lots to talk about.

A sad, sensitive portrayal of a devoted but downtrodden family struggling to survive and improve their lives despite circumstances beyond their control when an unusual event pulls them out of their routine.

dNF. Not sure what,s the point of this story. Writing is very well done, but lacks movement. I was interested in the sisters dynamic,relationship, but even that couldn’t keep me reading.

i love books about sisters, but this read more like a soap opera: everything bad that can happen will happen, with no time for character development along the way.

i wish i read this earlier, i enjoyed it and would recommend. i thought it was unique and i loved the setting.

I tried quite a few times to get into this novel, but unfortunately it felt just a little one-dimensional to me. I'm glad it appears to have found its readers, and maybe at a later time it'll strike me differently!

This one was not for me. Did not connect with the characters at all so it made it hard to sympathize.
Although I can understand why other people may have enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Hogarth for gifting me a digital ARC of this fairy-tale like story by Julia Phillips.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars!
 
Elena and Sam are two sisters living on San Juan Island off the coast of Washington.  They are just barely surviving financially, with Sam working concessions on the ferry and Elena waitressing, to help keep their family going.  Their mother has lung cancer from chemicals inhaled after years of doing other people’s nails.  Sam dreams of the day when they can eventually sell their family home and escape the small town with her sister.  But everything changes when a bear appears in the area. 
 
I loved this wonderfully written, atmospheric story of these two sisters and their encounter with the bear.  You feel for both sisters, trying to do the right thing for their mother, and still hold on to their dreams and some semblance of a life.  They had a tough childhood experience with a boyfriend of their mom’s that scarred them but tightened their bond.  But Elena is keeping secrets from Sam and their differing reactions to the bear only make things worse.  It’s very atmospheric and tense and I was gripped to the very last page.