The more I read this novel, the more I enjoyed "Dream State." This novel follows two close male college friends and the woman who they both love through generations. Years later, after the love betrayal (trying to avoid spoilers), the friends reunite in Montana, and renew their friendships, their children, and more or less watch each other age as their grown children go their directions, one of the three more or less disappears from the novel, while one spirals tragically out of control and the other becomes successful making films. Throughout the novel, we also see the impact of climate change through their skiing, swimming in the lake, and endless wildfires. It's a novel filled with love. and grief.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first half of Dream State was great and very promising. Cece and Charlie are in love - college-aged, Charlie on the path to becoming a doctor and Cece a medical school drop out, trying to carve her niche in life. The week of the wedding, Cece meets Garrett - Charlie's best friend from college. She marries Charlie but when he leaves for L.A. and she is left at his family's home, ill after the wedding, she decides Garrett is the one for her. Charlie remarries, has children but he and Cece obviously never stopped loving each other. The story follows them through their lives, their children's adulthoods but somehow about halfway through the book, the story lost its momentum and it was difficult for me to finish the book.

First thanks to NetGalley for the early release. What a book! Started this book on an airplane and couldn’t wait to get home to continue the story, which follows three main characters. The storytelling was so engaging you never knew what lies ahead, and a perfect page turner. (I hate books where within the first chapter you know how the story will end.) The writing style was perfect, engaging, as each character’s life unfolded based on their choices. Expect many twists and turns in Montana. Loved every page of this story and each word moved the story along. Bravo to Eric Puchner as a storyteller, for writing the perfect story, with vivid characters. Highly recommend this book!

I received this book as an early release through Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Puchner has crafted 3 engaging main characters in Cece, Garrett and Charlie and the initial conflict of 3-way, star-crossed lovers lifted the energy of the early chapters as flashbacks developed the backstory and conflicts that rendered these three-dimensional. However, about halfway through the novel and once most of the backstory is revealed, nothing much happens. They main characters get older. They have children who have problems. They get older. The author attempts to flesh out the same, tired love triangle of the initial conflict, but by this time the reader doesn't care anymore. Then suddenly, there's more attention paid to the Montana setting and the future-world becomes dystopian as climate change impacts the characters' health and surroundings. None of this was foreshadowed in the early chapters.
I'm not sure what this novel was attempting. At first it seemed how early tragedy shapes our choices as adults and then we live with the impacts forever. But then the climate change focus in later chapters gave me pause as to what, exactly, the author was attempting. I would not recommend.

Dream state describes perfectly my experience reading this book. Once I started it, I never really put it down.

Dream State by Eric Puchner starts in the not-so-distance past, whizzes by a recognizable present -- wild fires, cell phones, COVID-19 -- before flinging us into an unrecognizable, but unsurprising future -- daily AQI monitoring, coral boneyards, vegetable shortages, the frantic beeping of the last living wolverine. The story is co-narrated mainly by a trio, Cece, Charlie, and Garrett from young adulthood to senescence, and features the many supporting characters that come into and out of their life. Two best friends and the woman they both love. The characters endure moments of intense frustration and break each others' hearts, and yet through the years they are so full of love for one another. Dream State is a love letter to Montana, to parenthood, but most of all to the testament of friendship.

If this review reads all over the place it's because I'm having a difficult time summarizing my thoughts on this book. Finishing this felt like waking up from a trance or like I had had the opportunity to look into a crystal ball. It made me hug my husband and my dog. I saw the abundance in the produce section of the grocery store with fresh eyes. I took a giant deep breath outside. Having read Puchner's realistic portrait of the future, I felt gratitude for the present. Further, it checked all the boxes for me, personally, for being an entirely captivating book. The characters were flawed. They endure morally grey situations and make good (and sometimes bad) decisions. There are moments of such intense humanity in the book in the that I had to put it down. If you're still reading this mess you should STOP and read this book! In particular, I think fans multigenerational novels and of Maggie O'Farrell, Charlotte McConaghy (especially Migration), and Anthony Doerr will really enjoy the ride.

Thank you to Doublesday Books and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Well done story that takes place in Montana. So, a great backdrop for a book about friendship, marriage, and relationships. Puchner takes his time unfolding the main characters to the reader. It felt a bit slow from time to time but overall it was an enjoyable novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I say I *loved* this book....it had all the feelings and gravity of a heartwrenching drama and uplifting saga. The development of these characters was SO GOOD. It actually felt like I was watching the lives of people I know and love play out, and that to me is the hallmark of incredible writing. My investment in their stories was palpable. I just cannot say enough about this story. This felt like a classic "you think it can never happen to you until it does" type of trope and I loved it. I really did. Five stars.

A lyrical love letter to the state of Montana, Dream State is an epic saga that tells the story of two families forever linked through a wedding gone wrong. The state is another character in the book, and the author doesn't shy away from addressing environmental changes that take place as the characters move through time. The writing is deeply emotional, peering into the minds and hearts of the characters as they question their own motivations and desires. This book will leave you thinking about your own relationships as well as your environment and the impact it has on your life.