This is a collection of 11 stories that are very poignantly written. Writing style is something that always sticks out to me and I appreciate the author's ability to craft a voice as she tells us a tale—sometimes this is even harder in a short story. This collection does deal with heavy themes and, as I said, the stories are well-written. I do enjoy the perspective she provided and the different voices but I am an avid short story reader and I couldn't necessarily find anything about this collection that made it an immediate stand out. That said, she is incredibly skilled and I greatly appreciate her ability to pull on emotional threads and take us through a life in such a short amount of time.

MONARCH: Stories is a collection of fears, dreams, and realities that will both haunt and inspire readers.

The short stories in this debut are magnetic— in each story, I found characters that I wanted to cling to. Emily Jon Tobias understands all the things people normally leave unsaid, and she puts them in this book.

This was one of my first short story collections, but it certainly won’t be my last. This collection is a must-read for readers who like their fiction truthful. In short flashes of life, Tobias writes about love, loss, grief, lust, anger, disappointment, addiction, and so, so much more. I would advise readers to check trigger warnings, but Tobias approaches the difficult topics in a raw and honest way. I took my time with this collection, and I would recommend other readers do the same— Tobias’ stories are most impactful when you let them linger.

I gave this collection 4 stars. I really enjoyed a few stories in particular and found myself wishing I could read about them in a full-length novel.

Thank you to Black Lawrence Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC, and congratulations to Emily Jon Tobias on a wonderful debut!

A collection of short stories exploring glimpses of American life. Flawed, broken characters are portrayed alongside hope and small joys and each story leaves you satisfied. I really enjoyed this one!

I’ve never read anything like this and it definitely made me feel every emotion in such a deep way.
This is such a great piece of art for anyone wanting to feel human, and to remember that everyone struggles in their own way. It was enlightening to peak into the lives and hardships of others that I may not have experienced, or at least not in the same way.
I also think this is great for mood readers looking for something to be swallowed up in that isn’t one specific to one genre or experience but rather a plethora of human experiences.

Thank you to Black Lawrence Press for the ARC!

Monarch is a collection of short stories focusing on cycles of life, death, and rebirth, where social justice issues are the catalyst of each journey.

<u>TW: SA, micro aggressions, addiction, abuse, death, mental health, body image</u>

Each story was unique and different from the other while also focusing on the issue at hand. Every character went through a transformation to some degree and each shared an ability to change, but it was the connection that each one was seeking which really had you thinking, and had you feeling that each character deserved their second chance. Each story reminded me, metaphorically, of a monarch’s life cycle.

I wish there was more. Just as I was craving more and wanting more of how the character finished their transformation, the story ended and moved along to the next. Each one felt like it had a cliffhanger ending to me, and while not necessarily a bad thing and good for some of the stories, I felt that others could’ve been better told with more to their ending… but at the same time, the entire point was to subvert the reader’s perception. Many of us are shaped by our grief but not defined by the scars we bear, an ideology seen quite frequently throughout.

<b>LIFE: Loss & Love - “What will come is sure to go”

DEATH: Suffering & Surrender - “What is born is sure to die”

REBIRTH: Chrysalis & Change - “What dies is sure to go on and fly”</b>

After reading each story, it is evident that each character wanted change, whether it was visibly noticeable or not. Each had to learn how to survive while working through their different forms often trauma. You’ll feel a lot of heartbreak and sadness, but it’s eye opening at the same time. This entire read was filled with grief and fear, with each character’s story SO compelling you felt as if you were along for the ride with them.

<i>Thank you so much to Black Lawrence Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I loved this collection and am looking forward to reading more from Emily Jon Tobias.</i>

My Rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this one, it made me feel all the things!!!

This is a collection of stories depicting love and loss and suffering, how people deserve second chances and how not everyone gets a happy ending. America’s city scars, sewers, alleyways and bars are the landscape for these tales.

It is a collection of the human condition through the lens of damaged survivors as they learn to love through small acts of kindness, given and received.

First up I want to say that this wont be for everyone, you will also need to mind your trigger warnings. These stories are by no means happy, they as stated above are drawn from traumatic events and sadness. Major TW for Miscarriage, SA, Addiction and many others.

I really enjoyed this collection, the author opens with some raw information on her own journey of mental health, addition and exploration of finding her way back to herself and to happiness which I found really helped me understand how she wrote these sad stories so beautifully, that is not to say that these are all reflective of her own situation I can’t imagine they are but I would guess that she has met many of these characters by different names in her life and I really liked the realism that gave each story. They are raw and real and they are sad. Which is exactly how life is.

I am not going to break down every individual story because they are all short and they are all worth reading. Some are a bit weird and some are downright depressing… but I love me some dark and sad because as I said that is all part of life. Things cannot and definitely are not happy all the time. I found myself with some tears in my eyes throughout this book which does not happen very often and that is one of the main reasons I have 5 starred this. It is just so real. The writing is really excellent as well and for a debut book I am super impressed.

I will be keeping an eye out for this author again… I do hope she does some more work similar to this or a full length novel with some of this looking for happiness in the sewer themes. I think some really important issues were touched on and I normally don’t read for social justice issues I like to keep my views on those things out of my hobby but this was done so well that it didn’t feel like a political agenda in anyway it just was … and it just is the human condition at its most vulnerable and I really enjoyed that.

If you read this and you say to me, why did you give this 5 stars when you gave X 5 stars they are so different and I didn’t like X or Y or whatever… well this is a different 5 stars. This is a short story collection Lit Fic 5 stars and it ticks my personal boxes. The writing was excellent, I felt sad and happy and amused… I got teary which is hard to do to me so it was a definite factor and I personally love reading sad stories that don’t always get a happy ending… or don’t always get the ending you are hoping for. Because to me that is real life… life is not all running into the sunset with the person you wanted to run off with… and that is sad… but its so damn real that this book really highlighted the flaws that live and breathe in ourselves and our world. Ooooh Karly thats deep…

So… overall, if you like the stressy and depressy but very very real and relatable (and often times close to home if you suffer, have suffered or know those that do) then this might be for you. The writing is fantastic Emily can sure tell a tale. But if you are thinking wow this seems like it will make me feel shit and I don’t like that… then please skip it and please mind your TWs as I said before.

I want to thank Emily Jon Tobias for an amazing story and Black Lawrence Press and NetGalley for my Advanced Reader Copy for an honest review. I really loved this story and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Oh and PS: there is a reader guide at the back to use for your own journalling or book club and I thought that was really cool. Its not done like others I have seen before and I really liked it.

// monarch stories

monarch is a collection of short stories focusing on human connection and delving into themes such as grief, abuse, addiction, and change. i enjoyed the writing and found some of the stories made a big impact considering the short amount of time we spend with each of the characters. there were a lot of similarities between stories which at times made them harder to separate, but lends itself to cohesion as a collective.

‘While the issues faced vary, all characters share an ability to change relative to their wounds against harrowing transformative obstacles.’

3🌟

thankyou to NetGalley and Black Lawrence Press for the eARC copy

“MONARCH: stories” tracks the changing social climate of life in America. Each short story uses the changing nature of each character as an extension for the changing ideas and sentiments in American Culture. I found the book extremely pertinent as a woman living in this country. I would suggest this book to anyone in a period of change and personal development in their life, to serve as an opportunity to reflect on how much you have come and everything you still want to become.

3,5 stars
Monarch focuses on issues like addiction, abuse, neglect and self-punishment. Each story have a new perspective that showcases one of the issues, how it can effect oneself and others around you. The stories all also written in different perspectives, depending on who it is that you are following in it. Every story has their sweet moments as well as the thought ones, giving a good balance to it. Some stories I connected with more than others, but they were all good overall with showing the points of views from different characters.

MONARCH: stories is an incredible collection from Emily Jon Tobias. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read these stories.

Every human has a capacity for change, but society often gets in the way.
The author writes like a best friend telling you a story at the end of a long day -- familiar and winding, as if you know all the tangents and thoughts in their head, too. Her stories read more like poetry than literature, and flit between trauma and love and the trauma of loving and being loved.
Safety, (mis)trust, desire, and grief are themes throughout this collection, which is sometimes rambling in the best ways, but always written from the heart.
I devoured this collection in one sitting, but in rereading I would definitely spend more time with each short story's protagonist, if I could do it all over again. I look forward to revisiting these characters again in the future.

I have never read anything like this debut. It’s poignant, dark, ethereal, tender, and dreamy. I was blown away by the writing style, and by how different the characters are yet how so much connects them. The collection explores painful subjects like addiction and abuse, but it also explores belonging, identity, and parental influence. I loved the fact that women are at the centre of the stories, but the men are also incredibly interesting characters. We have a window into their yearnings and wants, and what continues to haunt them. The stories have such creative titles.

Thank you, Emily, for the incredible debut. Thank you, NetGalley, and thank you, Black Lawrence Press for the ARC. I can’t wait to attend a book signing.

#MonarchStories #NetGalley

3.75. This collection of stories coming out May 17 offers a glimpse into the fringes of American life. Characters are drug addicted, finding hope in their interpersonal relationships, looking to escape everyday life and all of the above/everything in between. Some of the stories that particularly stood out to me were the titular "Monarch" about a mother struggling with PPD and body image as well as the story of two sisters handling the aftermath of their mother's death in "Fish and Flowers".

All stories had moments of tenderness and connection which I appreciated. There is definitely a clear theme that ties all the stories together - the experience of being human in America. At times, I found myself wishing the stories were a bit longer with more detail or feeling as if the stories were sections of a larger novel. I think some fragmentation is normal in a short story collection, but I felt like Tobias's strongest stories were those that were the most contained and succinct (particularly "Punished").

I'd be excited to read more of this author, especially if they ever decide to branch into long form fiction. Thank you to Black Lawrence Press for the ARC!

NOW this is how I’d picture I’d experience America , the real America, the middle America, the raw America… you get the picture.

In Monarch, Emily Jon Tobias writes with an unflinching rawness, and grittiness that fans of Cormac McCarthy would love. With every story, Emily manages to evoke a different emotion whilst keeping true to her style of writing. Taking you through a journey of a country and its people so vast and diverse. If I had a Birds Eye view of America that is on the road trip from east to west coast… I’d assume this is the kind of stories I’d encounter.

Emily writes with empathy, honesty and is a refreshing breath of fresh air from all that is out there - at the moment. I had to read this in one sitting and didn’t stop till I was done.

I loved this.

Thanks to Black Lawrence press and NetGalley for this ARC

Brokenness and struggle abound in this collection of short stories, but so does the possibility of change and growth. I think what I appreciated about this book the most is the gritty context these stories take place in. In the places I've worked I've seen this brokenness and grown up around it to a large extent. It's the world I know, but there are also occasions of beauty and revelation. In some ways, Tobias reminded me of what I feel when I read Flannery O'Connor. The most unlikely people experiencing flashes of grace even if it's not what you would expect. Tobias is clearly a talented writer and this is a collection I think that will connect with many people that contemporary fiction does may not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Lawrence Press for the ARC.