Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger
I cannot say enough about how much I loved this novel, it was outstanding. I think it's one of my most favorite reads and will stick with me a very long time. It's the first novel I've read by this author but won't be the last. I need to read her other two books now.
The writing is so real, almost basic but not at all. The words flow with so much reality. There is so much emotion but not too many words.
I feel these characters, It's like real life, these characters were so realistic for me and going through an unfortunate life event.

I love this author's writing style, the realness with how she writes. I liked how the events unfold, some past, some present, and yet we didn't need to be told what was past and present
This is a book you won't want to put down!

This is a book I happened across by chance, as the opportunity to read and review it was offered to me one day in my email inbox. This is not a book that would have normally caught my eye or even my interest, necessarily, but sometimes, the most unknown, unlikely books are the best ones.

This book delves into grief and loss, especially when not accompanied by closure, and the ebbs and flows of hope at finding your missing loved one. Katherine and Yannick, once married, decades ago, embark on a cross-country road trip after receiving a call that human remains - bones, specifically - have been found and may, or may not, belong to their adult daughter.

This story looks at complicated family relationships, especially among blended families and ex-partners. Emotions are described realistically, with an almost nostalgia. This is a very touching story, which I recommend to those seeking a deep, impactful read.

🙏Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for a gifted advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ Potential Trigger Warnings (may not be an exhaustive list): missing person, loss of a family member.

This was a captivating character driven story. Yannick and Kathleen have not spoken in years until he suddenly shows up in town. The disappearance of their daughter many years ago tore their friendship and lives apart. Kathleen lives a very static and isolated life in her small town and every year still plans a get together to rally the town to remember her daughter and the hope that she will return. Yannick has other children and ex wives to deal with but still mourns the daughter he is missing. There are some human bones found on the other side of Canada and they join together to make the road trip to see if the mystery can finally be solved. The trip is filled with a lot of reminiscing and soul searching by both of them and maybe there is a chance they can come together and close their divide. It was gut wrenching to think of their pain and sorrow for so many years with no answer about their daughter’s whereabouts. This book was beautifully written and the relationships and characters were engaging. If you like a family drama character driven novel with a lot of depth be sure to check this one out.

I feel that I'm usually quite generous when rating a book. If something is a 3.5 star read for me, I almost always convince myself to round up because this is someone's labor of love. Moon Road is a 5 star read for me, it earned every single one and if I could give one more star I would. This novel has been out for 4 months now and how this book is not being more widely read is beyond me.

A mix between general and literary fiction, this novel does the near impossible of taking an extremely difficult subject matter and making it palatable and bearable to read about. The story is not a tear jerker, you don't need any tissues, but it still packs a punch. It's full of heartfelt emotions, the good, the bad, and the petty. I loved Kathleen, stubborn and blunt, Yannick, lovable and sensitive, and Una the lost daughter. These characters are all flawed but real and the imagery and writing is beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am grateful to have read this and can definitely recommend.

Kathleen and Yannick haven’t spoken in 19 years, not since she threw an ashtray at his head. However, when a call comes from across the country regarding their daughter, they take on the road trip together. As they drive out west the history of this once shattered family is revealed along the way, and so too is a path for them to move forward.

I think Leipciger wrote these characters extremely well! They are not loveable by any means but still relatable enough that you can sympathize with them throughout their journey. Overall, it’s a story that really makes you think about what really happens to families after the unthinkable happens.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada & Viking for a copy of this book to review!

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger is a touching exploration of connection and loss set against a stunning natural backdrop. The characters feel real and relatable as they navigate their personal struggles.

Leipciger's writing is beautiful but straightforward, making it easy to get lost in the story. The themes of grief and healing hit home, and while the pacing can feel a bit uneven at times, the emotional journey is worth it. If you're looking for a thoughtful read that stays with you, Moon Road is definitely worth your time!

*I received and advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada | Viking in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't get into this book. The characters didn't grab me, and the story moved very slow and didn't interest me. Originally I was excited about this book based on the blurb out the execution of the story made me really not care about it. About 15% in I stopped reading. I intended to go back and read more but could never get the interest to do it so I now consider it a DNF.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Moon Road is an beautifully written book about family and the exploration of grief. The story centers on a divorced couple who have lost their adult daughter many years ago, the mystery behind her death, and the couple's reconnection. The characters felt very real, each with their own issues and frustrations. I liked that we got to learn who Una was and she was not relegated to being a plot point.

I found the beginning to be quite slow, as there was a lot of lead up to the actual trip across Canada. I enjoyed the trek across Canada, and wish more of the novel had been devoted to it. I had to push myself through the beginning chapters, but once the Yannick and Kathleen started their journey, I breezed through the rest of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed Moon Road and would recommend it.

Thank you for the chance to review this book.

Moon Road is an emotionally raw and compelling journey across Canada, both literally and metaphorically. The story centers on the strained relationship between Kathleen and Yannick, who have been estranged for nearly two decades following a traumatic event with their daughter. The premise of the road trip brings them back together, but the beauty of the novel lies in its emotional depth and the complex layers of their relationship.

I found the characters extremely relatable in their imperfections. Kathleen and Yannick feel real because they carry the kind of emotional baggage that many can identify with — loss, resentment, and years of unresolved pain. Their bickering, vulnerability, and moments of tenderness felt authentic, making me root for their reconciliation despite all the hurt in their past. There’s an undeniable grittiness to their interactions, but also moments of hope and rediscovery.

The descriptions of their journey across Canada are striking, painting vivid imagery of the landscape and adding a layer of wonder and beauty to the otherwise tense atmosphere of the narrative. This mix of emotional intensity and the enticing backdrop of the Canadian wilderness makes the book all the more captivating.

At times, I felt uncomfortable, which speaks to how well the novel taps into deeper, sometimes painful, truths about family and the passage of time. However, this discomfort is what kept me reading — it’s a story that digs into real human experiences and emotions, making it impossible to set aside.

In conclusion, Moon Road is a gripping and provoking novel. It leaves you with more questions than answers about love and family, but it’s that complexity and authenticity that make it so memorable.

This book was truly beautiful. It was almost haunting in its depiction of human love and grief, and the ways our lives are both ordinary and extraordinary. I think it's such a strong story, both in the characters and the writing. It truly is mesmerizing how well-crafted this book is. As someone who has always loved books that explore the different ways people grieve, I thought this was excellent. You can feel the characters emotions on page, and I just think this was so heartbreakingly wonderful.

Moon Road unfolds beautifully and slowly like peeling away the petals of a flower in Kathleen's garden. It was a pleasure to watch these two intimate strangers react so differently to the same life problems being thrown at them. The open and unfinished ending is perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I truly didn't know what to expect going into this but I'm sure glad I started it. I have thought about this book and Una so much since reading it. It is a devastating and heartbreaking book that will rip your soul out. Are you sold yet? No. Okay well it's also a book about love and family and hope. Not convinced yet? It takes place in Canada. This is definitely going to be a must read author for me. Excellent novel.

Thank you to the publisher for providing the arc for a honest review.
NO Spoilers...
This book took me to the core of my heart as a mother and how grief of your only child/daughter who has been missing over the years (20 years)… and how she as a mother manifested in that time. Also, the father who also grieved in his way to be able to just continue with life and his other children.
The author kept the storyline entwined closely with the daughter’s experience with her parent’s memories and current timelines.
This book is definitely character-driven with the plot unfolding with the past and present.
The road trip by both parents throughout Canada from east to west after 20 years of their missing daughter was a bonus for me being a Canadian and having concept of miles…kms ;) travelled and landscape. 5 glorious stars from me😊

Four and a half stars.

A haunting, undulating look at the ebbs and flows of love, of aging, of loss - of ordinary life, made extraordinary, then settling back (over time, and pain, and anger and grief) into what is, after all, a life-story maybe live-able after all.

Kathleen, one of our two main protagonists, is, by the reckoning of her from friends, somewhat of an “asshole”. At sixty-five years old, Kathleen has survived, just barely, the loss of her twenty-ish daughter, Una, who disappeared in remote British Columbia more than twenty years ago. Laced with insurmountable grief that rears its ugly head often as bitterness and anger, Kathleen can be unpleasant, caustic, and aggressive to literally everyone in her path, including her closest friends and her ex-husband, Yannick, who as Una’s father, is suffering every bit as equally.

Yannick, seventy-three years old, is by all accounts, a gentle man, with echoes of a thread of violence and rage within that has been worked out of his system fifty-years ago. Divorced many times (beginning with Kathleen, his first wife) Yannick’s quest for love and solace has, if anything, intensified since the loss of his eldest daughter.

As Yannick and Kathleen, in the present day, travel to BC to witness a possible lead on Una’s case, their backstories, and their very complicated feelings for each other, slowly unpeel, taking the reader on a winding, meandering journey, captured in each of their voices, across a lifetime of timelines.

Heartbreakingly thick with the emotional remnants of what could best be described as the radiating infection of their loss, Yannick and Kathleen’s story (both in the past, and including the present day) is affecting, immersive, and brilliantly told.

A lovely poignant read, graceful in its handling of terrible events, and the characters forever stained by its traces.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Moon Road is an interesting book about a couple who are looking for answers and closure related to a family mystery. The exposition hooked me but then it continued for quite some time. I felt like I had enough of a background story on Kathleen and Yannick to understand their motivations after the first few chapters however the background continued almost through every chapter thereafter. The pacing was a little slow for me. I almost stopped reading a couple of times however there was enough of a mystery that I wanted to read through to find out how it all resolved. The book leaves no loose ends. It's ultimately about a couple finding closure and finding a way forward through tragedy. I appreciated how the mystery was revealed even if it wasn't what I was expecting. As a fellow Canadian I loved the Canadian Scenery and being transported into this couples' messy lives in this book and finding hope.

Thank you for the opportunity to review the book.

Moon Road is a wonderful book about a divorced couple who have to go on a multi day road trip to help get answers to a family mystery.

I ended up DNFing at 61%… This book had wonderful detail about the scenery, and the characters were very well described. I thought the characters of Yannick and Kathleen were wonderful represented, and were very flawed which was very nice to see. Unfortunately this book was just too slow of pacing for me, it was getting to the point where the very intriguing plot just wasn’t cutting it. I plan to take a break from the book just to see if that’s what I need right now. I will update when I’ve finished the book.

This book follows Kathleen and Yannick, an older separated couple, on a cross-Canada journey to figure out the "mystery" of what happened on the other side of the country. Throughout the road trip, they fight, argue, make up, then fight again, but remain focused on the issue at hand.

As a fellow Canadian, I always get excited seeing books based in Canada. Especially ones that have Indigenous characters. This book is slightly different than what I would normally pick up, but I was hooked within the first few chapters trying to figure out the "mystery." I will say I was a little disappointed with the ending, but glad there was an explanation. I loved how descriptive the book was, giving me a chance to imagine the different provinces I have yet to travel to. I would definitely pick up another book from Sarah Leipcigar.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Sarah Leipciger for the opportunity to read Moon Road in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very different from my typical genre, but I really think that that speaks volumes because I really enjoyed it. I have read so many books lately that fell flat for me for the simple reason that you don't get to know enough about the characters before really diving in. This was absolutely not the case for Moon Road. This book felt so real, in such a beautiful way. This story of grief, pain, life after loss and growth.

Sarah Leipciger's writing was so incredible, I felt like I was transported into Kathleen and Yannicks bubble just observing their journey from afar. Most importantly, and what I appreciated, was that at its core, this book felt human. It felt so incredibly real.

Kathleen and Yannick, once married, now long divorced, have agreed to meet after 19 years without any contact. Their daughter, Una, has been missing for over 20 years but recently they learned that bones have been discovered on Vancouver Island that might be hers and the coroner is requesting Kathleen’s DNA for comparison. The tests can be done where she lives in Ontario but she knows Yannick wants to go out to BC to see where she may have died, hoping for closure and he wants Kathleen to go with him. The problem is Yannick is afraid of flying and Kathleen has no desire to spend the several days of driving with her ex that it will take to get there. Still after a disastrous annual party Kathleen has for Una, she agrees and the pair set out on a road trip. In the process, they will bicker, reminisce, and grieve together but, most of all, they will rediscover the strong bond that had once held them together even after their divorce.

Moon Road, by Sarah Leipciger, is a beautifully written tale of love, loss, grief, and the renewal of old ties. It is, at times, poignant, heartbreaking, and hopeful. The story moves between present and past as we learn more about their early lives, about how the lack of resolution to Una’s story has affected them and coloured their lives. Kathleen, always head-strong has become a curmudgeon, rude, angry and seeming without empathy, indifferent to the needs of others, her only interest outside of Una’s disappearance, is her flower-growing business. Yannick has thrown himself into work, through several marriages producing several children but always unable to throw off the sorrow caused by Una’s disappearance and the inability to find closure. The tale is interspersed with chapters detailing the story of a young girl referred until the very end as ‘our girl’.

The pace here is slow but that isn’t a criticism. This is a quiet, almost contemplative tale. Leipciger’s beautiful, almost lyrical descriptions of Kathleen’s garden and the changing nature and vastness of Canada kept me enthralled partly, admittedly because I have made my own road trips across Canada and I know many of the places she references. I even enjoyed the humour expressed as Yannick sees the Wawa goose for the first time - it really is quite impressive.

But it is not just the descriptions of Canada’s beauty and changing landscapes that kept me engaged. Leipciger has an amazing ability to not only introduce her characters and to tell their stories but to bring us into their lives, to feel what they are feeling, to evoke empathy and acceptance of their failings even when they seem as unlikable as Kathleen. A beautiful tale, one that will stay in my thoughts for a very long time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

'Your kid is two people: the one that belongs to you, needs you, and the one that does not. Una, she is neither and she is both'.

I don't know how I haven't heard of this author, especially as she is a CanLit author (even if currently living and raising her family in England), but this book was hauntingly beautiful. A total character study on grief and family. Love and Loss. It's about being fractured within and yet somehow surviving. Kathleen isn't likeable at all...but I suspect we know that no one would be after losing their daughter. Or at least that is what I attributed the obnoxious traits to. Her daughter's memory held in a party each year and the behaviours just seemed...ugh. But you cannot say that about Kathleen without understanding what trauma does to a person. And so I know, that the author must have written her specifically that way, for that reason.

The majority of the novel is the reconnection of Yannick and Kathleen, the parents of Una who disappeared 19 years ago. As the reader can expect, there are uncomfortable moments on the car ride. Both with rediscovering the pain of that loss and perhaps the blame too...but there's also age of themselves that feels heavy because time has marched forward and parts of them have not.

Bottom line, if you enjoy Lit Fic, then try this one. It's heavy and frustrating but a real life character study of how two parents go on...or don't.