This was an unexpected story about a woman's life long desire to make sense of her history. Might not be best suited for Audiobook for since 90% of the text is the main character stream of consciousness thinking. Otherwise, it was charming over all, and enjoyed the WV references that didn't portray them as bumpkins.

Audiobook ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

All of the pieces that fall together in this one were interesting. There were so many building blocks that came together and the author did a fantastic job of bringing it all together. Ultimately, this one was just okay though. It was just a nice read, nothing too exciting but nothing that I didn’t really like either.

This is a story about midlife and trying to figure out who you are and how you fit. A lot is happening in this story: navigating family relationships, learning to trust your instincts, dealing with an empty nest, and a husband with acute anxiety who is having an affair. The story is fast-paced and well narrated.

The story wasn’t enjoyable to me. It was weird. Cassie’s infidelity was not something I love and surprisingly she was naive and unbelievably awkward. The narrator was monotone and from all the energy I have I decided not to finish this one. I just cannot enjoy something that was so bland.

I went to mark this in Goodreads & saw some reviews & frankly? I’m mad. I think the folks who DNF actually just did not get it… & that’s on them. This was a surprising gem of a book. It took me a few false starts to get into it, but I am so grateful that I gave it a listen at a time when I wasn’t about to fall asleep & could give it a few extra minutes to let the tale unfold. The moth motif worked for me. I feel like we all have these things that we really can’t explain to anyone else… whether it’s something we never fail to notice or an unshared quirk or a secret obsession. I felt like this normalized those things in our lives. As someone who is much closer to Cassie’s age than I would care to admit, I felt seen in a really unique and meaningful way. At the same time, I loved the glimpses into someone else’s life—especially one with so many detours. I am a fan.

Talk about a struggle. Unfortunately this audio wasn't for me and after a third of the way in, I've called it quits. I have no idea what's going on in this book and couldn't even give you an idea of where this is going because all we've done is heard the same few tidbits recycled ad nauseum and I don't even care. There was no hook and no impetus to hang in there - if felt purposless or directionless. I don't like giving low star reviews but this was not a good fit.

Real Life and Other Fictions was more than a little challenging for me. I listened to it several times in an attempt to pinpoint the genre and to fully form an opinion about it. After saying that, I landed on this book being three stars for me. It’s certainly unique and intriguing which I’m sure a large audience will love!

I was frustrated in not really being able to nail down a genre. The story starts with Cassie leaving her meteorologist husband who had suffered both personally and professionally after a disaster of a weather report. She packs us her dog and hits the road.

While on her road trip, she believes there is a moth in the car which she finds strange as it’s winter. Seeing the moth reminds her of the stories of the Moth-Man whom many claimed was sighted when a bridge collapsed in 1967, taking the lives of her parents when Cassie was two. As she got older, she obsessively watched the Moth-Man movie and saw numerous connections between the movie and her life.

Deciding to find out more about the bridge collapse while figuring out what to do next in life, she goes back to where her parents died. Once there, she meets many people of the small town who all have their own ideas of the supposed strange sighting and occurrences in the area. Also in the small town, she meets a man who seems to be after answers to similar questions Cassie has. Does she find the answers she seeks? And does she go back home? If so, what happens?

I originally thought this was going to be a cutesy romcom and having a second chance at love after a failed marriage. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was part mystery, part folklore/urban legend, mixed with serious family issues and drama.

Overall I like the story of this book. Cassie is having a crisis in her life. Her marriage is falling apart, her daughter has just left her an empty nester and an even that happened years ago is beginning to look like it wasn't all true, at least the story she was told.
I really did like Cassie and her story, my problem was for some reason Susan Coll decided to add the Mothman element to the story. There really was not reason to, she had a lovely story without it. For me it distracted from the story way to much and was not needed.

This one definitely wasn't for me AT ALL. I wasn't a huge fan of the author's last book but the cover and description for this one had me intrigued. Unfortunately I ended up wishing I DNF'd when I first had the inclination early on. I found this one quite boring, and a little all over the place and didn't love the narrator either. Definitely not a romance more women's fiction/family drama where one older woman embarks on a road trip with her dog to dig into what really happened to her dead parents and the bridge collapse that killed them. There was also a weird thing with moths and the Mothman myth/movie/prophecy. It got weird. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was like nothing i expected and not in a good way.

I thought i was going to read about a woman discovering not only her family story, but also herself, instead it was a kind of creepy yet boring book revolving all around a "moth man". the narrator didn't keep me on the edge in fact i feel like i didn't even listend to the second half of the book.

This is obviously only my opinion and maybe you'll like it, but i advise you to not get into this book thinking is a women's fiction focusing on the discovering of yourself, you'll only end up disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Focus for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a strange, yet fairly boring book. Cassie, is an empty nester, whose husband, a failed meteorologist is living a separate life in the basement due to his weather anxiety. Cassie, a failed journalist, is traveling for the holidays when she sees a moth in her car which causes her to crash. She has a lot of built up anxiety about moths as her parents died in a bridge collapse where moth man appeared. Wildly bizarre read, that did get better at the end once Cassie finally got some answers about her life after almost 50 years.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A little bit slow, but an impressive book.

Cassie and her dog became my friends for some time and I loved to follow their inner journey and reveal of secretes.

I specifically loved how the chapters were titled, it seemed unrelated to the book, but it all knotted down at the end.

This book just really was not for me. I found the narrator dry, the prose pretentious, and the story boring. I just could not care about any of it.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book and DNF. While the synopsis was interesting and intriguing, perhaps I am not the right audience for this book. I’m sure others will love it!

At 50 years old, Cassie is going through it. She is on the verge of a divorce, dreams of becoming a novelist that never came to fruition, and is still looking for answers about her parent's mysterious death. Naturally, she gets behind the wheel and drives in search of all the missing pieces in her life.

It is a thought-provoking exploration of the traumas and obsessions that we carry with us, which are the catalysts for the storms that mark the seasons of our lives.

Initially, the story appears normal and relatable, but then the extraordinary seeps in. The narrative blends real-life characters and scenarios with the intrigue of cryptids and local folklore in a casual and quirky tone. Through Cassie's introspective narration, we uncover the myriad connections between her life and literature, prompting us to delve into our own experiences similarly.

"The DNA of the entire story is contained in the opening pages. The same is true in a marriage." This quote got me good.

Cassie also offers some literary criticism, such as rejecting the famous first lines of Anna Karenina by reflecting that not all happy families are alike, just as this story isn't your typical romance novel.

The audiobook's narrator is Jane Oppenheimer, has worked on various trending novels. A beautiful voice that suits Cassie perfectly. I sped up the narration quite a bit as it flows more slowly than I like. Despite that, she does a great job of bringing this story to life.

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Thanks, NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus, for approving this ARC. I was really looking forward to it.

Real Life and Other Fictions was not what I was expecting. I thought I would be reading women's fiction with a focus on books. Instead, it was a creepy, surreal story that was so drawn out that I almost gave up several times. The narration was good, but the story itself was not.

Surprising, in the best of ways! I went into this book without reading the synopsis or having any real idea what the book was about. Having read other Susan Coll books I was expecting a heartfelt, slow romance/lit fic. I was not prepared for a deep dive into the lore of mothman nor a story about a woman whose life is so intimately intertwined with that lore. To say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book would be an understatement. Coll has created a story that details generational trauma, historical events, and mythology without having a definate stance on any of these things, She leaves the door open for readers to draw their own conclusions about what really happens. While Coll leaves readers to their own devices when it comes to cryptzooloy, she does an excellent jobs of winding the novel down, without anything feeling final. Readers get the sense that this is just the beginning of Cassie's life and story. It was refreshing to have a character over 35 in a story that felt like it would continue off the page. Overall, I really great novel with lots of fun elements and many emotional moments. The narrator was excellent!

Enjoyed listening to this book. It was a bit slow to start; however, discovering the journey that Cassie was on helped draw me in and kept me going to connect the dots. I would be interested in reading more from this author. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very different from what I initially thought it would be. I enjoyed how the book started off and all of the events that led to Cassie going on this journey. I could not wait to find out why there was so much secrecy around her parent’s death. This book got a little odd at points with the moth man and talk of aliens, but overall it was an interesting read.

"Such minor fictions speak more powerfully to reality than reality itself."
This book is not any other book I have read!
I love how it parallels the fictional world and you are questioning everything.
It did take me about 25% of the way into the book to really "get into" the book. I love the connection to the Moth Man Prophecy and how interwoven it all was.
I also love the connection to the dogs---and the mention of heterochromatic eyes---which I have. :)
So much of the book was "creepy" but not scary exactly.
The relationship between the mother and daughter was beautiful---and the MC's commitment to truth.
The audio book was good---however, there were moments where I was considering this book may have been better in text. The stream of consciousness feel of the book really made it a bit over the top sometimes, especially when she was being repetitive about the past memories or pieces of writing she had read.
I highly recommend this book for the story. It sure gives you a lot to mull over.