Solidly 4.5 stars. This excellently written and sharply strange debut is about the dangers of denying desire as well as the risks that come with giving into them. It’s also a look at the complexities of sisterhood and womanhood and lets you peer through the eyes of two different sides of these spectrums. Sheila and Angie are stellar characters, and I loved the deep amount of honesty the author showed for them both. The rural setting was perfect and really I loved all of the spooky side story tendrils; don’t come looking for clear rationales or conclusions as girlhood rarely has them. I wish I had gotten to devour this one in one setting as I think the punch would have been even more powerful.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. Check this one out July 16th, 2024.

Smothermoss seemed to have all of the components I love - hardship, a murder mystery, and a lot of strangeness - yet it never seemed to pull me into its grip. I did not feel it was a terrible story, but it did little for me. It didn’t provoke thought, fear, or sadness, and I’m fairly certain that was its aim. It felt like the author was trying to be edgy, but it wasn’t sharp enough. Perhaps it was a bit too forced. I felt nothing for the characters, although I appreciated the symbolism demonstrating how Sheila was bound to a life she despised. I wish I could have felt more regarding how the author worked that out as the novel concluded, but I was largely disconnected by then due to my own boredom. Others may feel differently, and I have no desire to deter you from trying it. The writing is quite lovely, and its overall atmosphere likely makes it a worthwhile visit.

I am immensely grateful to Recorded Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!

Well, that was weird.

The writing was nice, but the story was so meandering! And hoo, boy, these girls are not likeable at all. They're one-dimensional broke (And broken) country girls. And whose idea was it to talk about masturbation in a book centering on two underage girls? It's super gross and I very nearly quit reading over it. Maybe that's a me problem, as a sex-repulsed asexual, but yuck.

Two stars out of five for Smothermoss.

Sorry but DNF at 19%. The cover design was cool. I also enjoyed the narrator. She’s a good American narrator. The book was just extremely strange to me. A few metaphors that were too literal and the younger sister was next level gross, rude and crazy delusional. Was excited for the murder mystery and the Appalachien mountains spookiness. Didn’t grab me enough.

It's hard to categorize Smothermoss, by Alisa Alering, because it's an unusual story. I really liked this audio book, I love all things Appalachia, 1980's, magical realism, and complex sisters. The narrator did a great job with the difficult accents.

When I read the description of Smothermoss, I anticipated loving it, and, after reading, there is indeed a lot to recommend it. The two things I liked most about the book are the depiction of the complex relationship between the sisters and the atmospheric descriptions of the setting and family. This book is truly all about the vibes, and it does vibes well. I also was impressed by the audiobook narrator, especially her deftness with distinguishing voices in ways that really brought out character. However, I will admit to having a bit of problem with the magical realism in the book - it sometimes felt gratuitous and I wasn't sure how to interpret it all. I also felt the book was very slow in getting going - I wish the stakes had been established more quickly and strongly - this aspect of the book often felt a bit oblique.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I won’t lie, I definitely picked this based off its cover. Once I read the description, I was sold. Living near these old mountains is wonderful and I don’t feel that I’d be at home away from the mountains, and I love Appalachia folklore.

That being said, this wasn’t what I expected. It was more women’s fiction than mystery or a thriller. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I picked this up expecting something a bit more fast paced. It had its moments of heavy action and mystery, but most of it was a slow paced journey of sisters finding themselves and the use of “something more”. The characters were interesting and I did like the use of the “other” in the book. I appreciate how old the mountains are and know we can’t begin to understand everything about them.

All in all, I give this a 3⭐️. The beginning plot was a bit choppy and I had issues following the beginning. Once I was in it, I was intrigued, but I wouldn’t read it again.

The narration was perfection! I loved it so much.
The story is weird. It is just so weird. I felt for the girls and loved the ending.

A very strange, intriguing, magical, other worldly, cruel, harrowing book! I’ve certainly never read anything like it before. Sometimes a little slow in its pace and confusing but still enjoyable.
Great narration

This was an original book following two sisters in Appalachia. I will be honest. At times I had trouble following what was real and what wasn't so that's why I gave it 4/5 stars but I still thought it was a good book overall.

Thank you to RB Media, NetGalley, Alisa Alering, and narrator Susan Bennett for the delightful opportunity of listening to an advance copy of Smothermoss. This is a rather unique and haunting story of two sisters living in the Appalachia Mountains in 1980 with their mother and grandmother. While both girls are not exactly a part of the popular crowd they are certainly a pair of unique girls just trying to grow up in a community that thinks everyone should be put into their own little niche, even if that is not where your heart leads you. The world in their small town is turned upside down when two girls are found murdered on the trail and everyone is watching for strangers around every corner. When the girls’ grandmother passed away they are left with so many unknown things in their lives and the only way to find order is to try to find out who the killer is and are they in danger.
I couldn’t put this book down, it was that great! I was so swept up in these girls’ lives I was sad when the story ended. I felt like these people were just such incredible characters and I adore when a writer makes me feel like I am having to say goodbye to friends at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book and definitely encourage you to listen to the audiobook if possible because I think that made the story resonate for me.

An extremely original, hard to categorize novel about two sisters in Appalachia. Part fantasy/horror, part serial killer thriller, part coming of age story, this book pulls you into its world and doesn’t let go until the very end.

3.5 stars

“(you are) Plenty old for romance… Did you find yourself a fella yet?”
If only it were as simple as being found., or not found. Sheila would build such a maze, that no one would ever find her. She would travel to the center and live there in a neat square of green to be known only by those she invited.”

Smothermoss had a bunch of buzzwords going for it, that immediately piqued my interest; queer coming of age, nature-focused, set in rural Appalachia, and described as a murder mystery with a “weird magical realism” element.
Although, yes, the book delivers all these separate elements, it fails to successfully pull them together into a coherent narrative. And I’m truly not sure if I minded…

The Story:
We follow two sisters growing up in 1980’s Appalachia; oldest sister Sheila, who’s exploring her identity whilst being relentlessly bullied by her peers, and younger sister Angie; the weird girl with an obsession for nuclear annihilation and drawing her own “tarot cards” which seem to have supernatural properties. When a pair of female hikers are brutally murdered on the nearby Appalachian trail, Sheila and Angie find themselves inexorably drawn into the hunt for the killer. As the ever-present threat of violence looms larger, the mountain might be the only thing that can save them from the darkness consuming their home and their community.

What I liked:
The story shines in its depiction of the sibling-relationship. Angie and Sheila both feel like realistic characters, with relatable conflicts between them. If you’ve ever been an anxious teen with an “obnoxious younger sisters”, you will feel for Sheila on multiple occasions here… Yet you will also recognize some of the beautiful moments of bonding these girls do under unforeseen circumstances. I loved that true-to-life balance of sisterhood, where your sibling can boil your blood and make your heart swell with love all in the same day.
Individually, their journeys make sense too. Sheila’s exploration of her own sexuality and creating her own future against the weight of familial tradition, contrasts well to Angie’s wild and chaotic nature.
The book also truly lived up in terms of atmosphere; I felt myself transported to Appalachia thanks to the lush nature writing and the variety of metaphors and motifs that adorn the story. The writing is a little gothic, lyrical and ominous (think Shirley Jackson with an obsession with nature), and I will 100% check out whatever the author does next.

What I didn’t like:
The variety of motifs is also where the story drops the ball a bit. Rabbits, invisible boys, an invisible rope around our protagonists neck, a sentient mountain, a killer without a face, tarot cards and a hint of naturalistic magic… All of these and more are prominent throughout the book, and I often found myself wondering: how is the author going to tie all of that together? The answer is simple; they don’t.
By the end of the story, nothing quite makes sense or is explained. Some of these loose threads aren’t resolved, and the ones that are don’t tie together into a whole. Although I liked the many different little plotlines (there’s a great coming of age novel about sexuality and sisterhood, a great “period-and-place-piece” on Appalachia, and a cool murder-mystery with witchy vibes in here), they almost felt like they belonged in different novels, instead of smashed into one. The result, unfortunately, was disjointed to me and lead me to love this book less in practice than I did on paper.

A note on the audio: brilliant narrator, whom soothing voice did actually add to my immersion.

Readalikes: Bunny by Mona Awad, not only for the weird-female-coming-of-age, but also because of the copious amount of rabbit-references…

Many thanks to Recorded Books Audio for providing me with an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What an artistically strange and intriguing work. This tale of two sisters in Appalachia had me twisting in and out of reality.

Angie and Sheila are sisters and they could not be more different. Sheila prides herself on being the more practical one, caring for the house and helping her mom with work at the asylum. Angie is more focused on fighting imaginary monsters and creating her own tarot cards that seem to come to life. They've never gotten along with each other. But when two women are found dead in the woods close to their house, they are forced to work together in staying on the lookout for anyone suspicious. The threat looms larger as Angie discovers a bloody ripped up shirt and Sheila's money is stolen. What if the mountain is more alive than they realize? Angie and Sheila see things and talk to people that aren't really there. And there is a rope hanging around Sheila's neck at all times. Is it imaginary or not?

This debut novel is very unsettling, yet atmospheric. It was hard for me to distinguish between reality and imagination during most of the book. And I liked it. I liked even more that there is no forewarning. I liked that the book was playing tricks on me. For me, that concept is what set this book apart from most thrillers. The more difficult aspect of this is the abstract writing. Not a bad thing. It really is stellar writing. I just had to push past the point of "Wait. What is actually happening right now" and "Oh this is clever." I am absolutely at a loss when it comes to the title. I have NO idea what it means or its significance. Maybe it is meant to be as abstract as the mindset of the book. I also think that there may be more the reader is to infer by the end of the book......POSSIBLY?? Like a plot twist open to interpretation??

I really enjoyed Susan Bennett as the narrator. Her southern accent embodied these girls and the people in their community as if she grew up there herself. FANTASTIC voice.

Special thanks to Alisa Alering, NetGalley, and RB Media for the chance to listen to this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this so much! The setting was the star, characters and story were great as well and I was immediately drawn to the authors writing style. Audionarration was top notch as well!