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Five stars.
I think this book is semi autobiographical, from reading about the author’s past. I am giving this one five stars because it is unique and different and I know it will remain in my thoughts and memory for some time. This is also Kate Gale’s debut novel, so I am keen to see what she will come up with next. The author herself is obviously a very impressive woman, and this is reflected in the story she has produced here.

My thoughts are all over the place on this one. I have to applaud Kate Gale for how she wrote a situation that is ultimately very sad and ultimately depressing in such a way that I read it with hope. Sometimes when I read books that have difficult situations it makes me feel stifled and frustrated and angry. This book didn’t do that for me and that is partly contributing to my five star rating. Being able to read about someone who is homeless and downtrodden and whom for every day is a battle, and not feel depressed by it, well they certainly takes a skilful writer.

The characters in this were unique, well rounded and complex. I did get a little confused between some of the rich families Mia cleaned and tutored for, but that could have been a purposeful thing as they were very similar. I really liked how interwoven through the story was a sharp commentary on the state the US is in. It didn’t seem pervasive, and I enjoyed the perspective that was presented here. It was also interesting that this was written as happening during the pandemic, and I got to see how people doing it tough even before this handled the new circumstances.

Overall, Mia is clearly a strong, intelligent, capable and determined young woman and I enjoyed how much she knew her mind and trusted herself. I think this is a book which should really be read by a lot more people, as there are definitely some important messages here.

Thank you NetGalley, Three Rooms Press and Kate Gale for providing an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 50%

"I drive away, thinking about rich people and how weird they are."

Mia is a broke college student who cleans houses for rich people. Her story takes place during the pandemic when the only ones that are allowed to go outside are service workers. She decides to run errands for them and charging them more money.

Although this book has an interesting concept (Our main character providing her services for rich people in the middle of a lockdown), I found that there's too much problems going on at once and it's not easily understandable. There are a lot of characters and every chapter, Mia usually visits them and then they would appear again on a couple chapters.

All the characters have something going on with their lives so things get complicated. It gets confusing at times reading this, I would have to go back a few pages just to remember who they are. Despite that, I thought the relationship Mia built with the people around her is nice. I'm sure someone else will enjoy this book if they're interested in this genre.

Thank you to Three Rooms Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I think I really enjoyed this unique easy piece of historical fiction. It's essentially "RENT" for 2020. The protagonist drew me in with her way of life and personality and had me rooting for her the whole time.

It's 2019 and Mia is homeless in California. She ran away from her mom's toxic cult environment at an early age. Living in her car, she cleans houses, tutors kids, and runs errands for the wealthy. Her work ethic is admirable and she works for every dime. She's saving to go to UCLA. As she encounters new clients, we begin to see her admirable qualities. She is honest, funny, fights for the justice of the oppressed, and takes care of the women she meets. Just when she starts falling into a groove of making money, COVID hits the USA in early March sending the county into shutdown. Not surprisingly, the wealthy cannot do without their lifestyles and Mia comes to the rescue cleaning, nurturing, and helping. She always makes time for her family, made up of dear friends along the way. And with the death of George Floyd, Mia joins in the protest for justice.

I am glad I read "Under a Neon Sun". I'm still unsure what the title has to do with the book, but I found myself wanting to know more about Mia and what happens in the lives of her clients, friends, and long lost family. The writing is simplistic, but raw. I've not encountered writing like this in fiction. I see it more commonly in Biographies and Memoirs. The drama unfolds mostly within the houses Mia cleans. There is something very stereotypical in the way the wealthy characters are written, creating a shallow monotony among them. The less fortunate characters have much more depth because the reader is meant to empathize with them. Of course, I get it. It's from Mia's POV. I just felt the wealthy characters could have been more multidimensional. The entire through-line of the book is social justice. It was actually the point, the focus, and the heartbeat of the storyline to a point where it got extremely political on every page. I liked the message of the book. It's a necessary focus. I just didn't want to hear about Trump and Biden, positive or negative, on every page. Overall, this was a good easy read and I hope it does well when it's published!

Thank you Kate Gale, NetGalley, and Three Rooms Press for this special ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a story set deep in that unsettling time between the beginning of COVID and the American insurrection. It follows Mia, who is living in her car and her poor friends as they tend to the needs and wants of their unpleasant, spoilt, rich employers. It focuses on class, money and privilege and what not having these things can lead to. It's an interesting point of view - particularly as many of the rich people are unpleasant in a general sense and then quite nice to Mia, giving her food and shelter and clothes. It's like that person we all know who says homophobic things and has gay friends because they make exceptions for the known.
The ending of the book gets a little clunky and rushed - the thing with her father could have been a whole book in itself. I'm not sure that the author knew how to end it, since it was the story of one group of people doing their best under difficult circumstance and another throwing money at problems, and that's a story that doesn't have a neat ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for and honest review

This story covered an event what is very relevant to the time and I enjoyed it. The main character was enjoyable and relatable.

This novel follows Mia as she navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. I really liked reading about the pandemic through the lens of this story as it helped me understand how another person may have experienced this time differently than I did. The human experience really shined in this story. However, some of the plot felt mundane, with many of scene lacking in narrative and momentum.

An accurate representation of the 2020 pandemic and the people it affected most, who it affected least, and the emotional toll it took and everyone; specifically those living in the United States.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a jumbled mess, no one knew how to address it; politicians, civilians - the elite nor the poor, residents/citizens, immigrants. It was a free for all and it was represented quite clearly that survival was everyone’s only interest, that there were more selfish people than those pursuing a greater good.
Though the story sums the events well while following the lives of those less fortunate, the story itself was also hard to follow. The narration was difficult to understand, as there was 3rd person and 1st person used throughout. This then added to confusion with the dates, was this a journal or a mere timeline to guide the reader. There were also significant holes in time, within the same chapter, without adequate spacing in the text format to guide the reader.

I have not read other works by Kate Gale, so I have nothing to compare it to. All I can say is that this story had a lot of potential, but missed many marks.

This Story follow pov Mia during the pandemic, She ran away from a cult at 14 and has been on her own since. Mia works Several jobs to pay her way through school; She wants to attend UCLA. She has been living in her car on some land owned by a generous employer. As a reader you are given a lot of insight in the different perspectives and experiences at the different households during Covid. You see some different affects of the Lock downs within the households; Divorces, Addictions (Xanax).
Great story, Rooting for Mia the whole way through. Despite all the grief and drama, You also recognize the generosity, the empathy, community and love within each story. I love that Mia was able to find her own family and the pieces all come together for everyone together.

Thank you Netgalley and Three Rooms Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book sound great on paper, with good representation from the Latin American community, and those living in poverty when the pandemic struck.

However, there is simple too much going on in the book and non of the themes seem genuinely explored. It feels as if the author had a list of social justice issues in America and just mentioned all of them, without having a genuine understanding of them, or giving them enough information to feel genuine.

There were also too many characters to keep track of, and they all blended together. Although the main character and her found family were very likeable.

Also, the dead girlfriend? What happened there? It was mentioned briefly and then just passed over.

I will not be publicly reviewing this title.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was caught off guard at how much I could relate and agree with everything in this book. I wish there were more characters like Mia. Actually, I wish there were more real humans just like her. It was weird for me to read about the Covid pandemic since it just happened, but I think that’s why I had such big feelings from this book. The writing was fantastic and the book was the perfect length,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read Under a Neon Sun.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for granting my request to read this book for FREE in exchange for my honest review.

Alot of things happened during covid and this book is an eye opener on what happened during that period. I loved how resilient Mia and her chosen family was and I admire her bravery for standing up to some things. In a world where people choose to dwell on their despair Be a ray of hope. I loved Mia as a character.

But..... The story did not hit home for me

This book brought back Covid times to the forefront of my mind. Mia is currently living in her car and attending community college. She wants to graduate with no student debt so she cleans houses, tutors kids and whatever else she can do to make money. When Covid happens and the world shuts down she has to figure out what happens next.

This book definitely made me think about different elements of Covid and how it affected people who don't have homes or steady jobs. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it wasn't something I really thought about before. Luckily, at least for Mia, she has great friends who are her chosen family. They support her and are there for her in all the ways that matter.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.