The cover image, which showed groups of houses in Halifax, Canada's North End from above, caught my attention. This book appealed to me since I frequently ponder the daily lives of persons who reside in those homes. The narrative, which follows June and Lulu's parallel lives, takes place in 1979 and 1980. Gerald, who is mentally challenged and in his late twenties, is married to June, a single mother in her forties. She works as a hairdresser, and she and Gerald reside in a little house with her mother. Lulu is a teenager who works part-time at the neighborhood pharmacy while juggling a variety of children at school and the tumultuous marriage of her parents.This was a glimpse of small-town life, where secrets were difficult to maintain and everyone knew one another. When Gerald disappears, the village is in turmoil at the start of the book. June and Lulu, the two main characters, were both likable, genuine, and well-developed. This was a delightful "quiet read"—a term I use to describe works that portray relatable scenes from daily living. This was nostalgic and relatable to me as a teenager growing up in the seventies, doing a part-time job, and coping with first boyfriends and friends of all income backgrounds. I found June's handling of significant life issues, such as having a special needs man-child, sustaining herself financially, caring for a mother who was on the verge of dementia, assessing romantic options, and surviving a horrific violation as a teenager, to be admirable. This author's debut was really promising, and I would love to read more of her work in the future.

The Nowhere Places by Susan LeBlanc is a relatable and uplifting read with well-developed characters and an engrossing plot.

The Nowhere Places by Susan LeBlanc

This novel follows the lives of two women over one year, 1979-1980, in North End Halifax (Canada). June is a middle-aged single mother to Gerald, and Lulu is a teenager in high school, working at the local pharmacy. Although their lives seem parallel, the small town they live in means they intersect throughout the book.

Wow this book is AMAZING - I absolutely loved it! Fabulous characters, interesting themes and events, fantastic storytelling... very VERY highly recommended. I can't wait to read what Susan LeBlanc writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the pubisher for an ARC of this book.

A quiet novel about the everyday lives of a teenager and a middle-aged woman in a small town and how their choices affect them over an eventful year in their lives. Both struggle with finding who they are in a world that is often unkind and difficult for females no matter their age. It is a thoughtful novel with well-developed characters and the plot is believable, tragic, and ultimately uplifting. I enjoyed this debut novel and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a character driven plot. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

This was a great book! it followed two different people who were more similar than you would think they were. It was based in 1979-1980 and it focused on the feelings of our 2 main characters. Both of them are feeling something off and going through periods of their life where they are uncomfortable. I think it was well written, a bit much at times but overall it was good!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

I was drawn to the cover photo- an aerial view of clusters of homes in the North End of Halifax, Canada. I often wonder about the everyday lives of people living in those homes, and such was the appeal of this book. The story takes place during the year of 1979 leading into 1980, tracking the parallel lives of June and Lulu. June is a single mother in her forties to Gerald, in his late twenties and mentally challenged. She's a hairdresser and she and Gerald live with her mother in a modest home. Lulu is a teenager who works part-time at the local drugstore, navigating life in school with a cross section of different kinds of kids, and also the turbulent married life of her parents.

This was a snapshot of small-town life where everyone knew everyone and it was hard to keep a secret. When the book begins there is upheaval in the town when Gerald goes missing. Both main characters (June, Lulu) were well-crafted, likeable, and authentic. This was a pleasurable, "quiet read"- a term I use for books that depict everyday life that you can relate to. I was a teenager growing up in the seventies and working a part-time job, dealing with first boyfriends and good and bad types of friends of varying financial situations- so this was nostalgic and relatable. In the case of June, I admired how she dealt with major life crises like having a special needs man-child, financially supporting herself, handling a mother on the cusp of dementia, weighing romantic prospects, and surviving a shocking violation as a teenager. This was a very promising debut from this author and I would love to read anything she writes in the future.

Thank you to Nimbus Publishing / Vagrant Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I always enjoy books set over a particular timeline. The Nowhere Places from Susan LeBlanc is one such book.

In North End Halifax, in the years 1979-1980, two people experience all of the emotions in that year. Lulu is a teenage, entering high school. She works at a pharmacy, Right now, she's uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in her friendships, as her best friend as started pulling away. Uncomfortable in her body, because it feels foreign to who she is inside. Uncomfortable with the boys in her neighborhood.

June has been a single mother to Gerald his entire life. Now, middle aged, June live with her mother and Gerald, who is developmentally disabled. One day, Gerald goes missing and the family (and Gerald's friend at work, Lulu) into chaos. June is shaken to the core. She's also open to reconnecting with a long-ago ex.

I think that all stories about women are similar. Meaning we've all gone through the weirdness of our aging body - be it middle age or adulthood. We all deal with wanting to be better, wanting success, wanting more. This book captures that feeling and shows how patched together families and friendships are vital for all women/people.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Nowhere Places was a phenomenal debut novel. Susan LeBlanc set the bar high with this novel! I can’t wait for her next book!