DNFed, really great concept but the writing style wasn't for me unfortunately, a bit too fluffy/cutsey in terms of language. Too slow to get going as well. I think a lot of people will like it but just not to my personal taste.

Palm Meridian is heartfelt and bittersweet debut and I really enjoyed learning about the characters and setting in the retirement home. The focus on the bittersweet parts of life, death, love, friendship, and family was well done in my opinion.

The pacing was slow for probably about the first half of the novel, it took a while to get into the story but I quite enjoyed the exposition of the different characters at the retirement home and in Hannah’s life. So I can forgive the slow start. It was worth the despite some of its weaknesses as it was overall a fun read.

Okay I'm getting sick of writing "it's not you it's me" on my reviews, but once again I'm afraid I have to... I was so drawn to the concept of this one, it sounded sweet and endearing and fun and quirky. I loved the cover art, and thought this would be a quick and easy read. Unfortunately I struggled from the very beginning. I just could not connect to the writing style here. I don't really know why, and I'm definitely in the vest minority, but this one just didn't grab me at all...

This was a unique read! Set in a queer retirement home near Orlando in 2067, the book follows Hannah, a successful businesswoman who’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She’s preparing for her assisted death but not before throwing herself one last party.

The story jumps between the present (2067) and different points in Hannah’s life, exploring her relationships and career. I really liked the concept, but the pacing felt slow, and I didn’t feel fully invested until about 65% in. Once things picked up, I enjoyed it much more.

Overall, a good read but definitely one that requires some patience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publishers and Netaglley for an arc!

Minor spoilers ahead

While normally I'm the type of reader that devours a book in one sitting (or, on slow reading days, a day or two), Palm Meridian was (I think) the book that took me the longest to read so far in 2025, coming in at a whopping 6 days! Which I know might not seem slow for some people but for me is practically unheard of!

That's not to say I didn't enjoy this book. In fact, quite the opposite. I loved it. It was so real, such an honest portrayal of growing older but never growing up, that I couldn't handle binge-reading it. No, this type of book is best digested slowly, to really let its impact hit.

We follow Hannah, who has decided to end her life through medically assisted suicide. She's lived a long life already and does not want to suffer at her end. Hannah is a resident at a queer retirement resort in Florida, set in the not-so-distant future. Not one to go gently into that good night, Hannah is going out with a bang, with a party to celebrate her life, attended by all the retirement community residents and some important figures from her past.

The timeline jumps between 2067 at the resort and the past, from Hannah's birth up until her adulthood. The "present" day chapters are fun and raucous, decorated with a rambunctious cast of side characters -- there's Nate, the bar manager, Small and Tall Eileen, a married couple, Ricky, a young full-time staff member, Luke, Hannah's best friend from childhood and later business partner who comes to visit for the party, Esme, Hannah's college-love turned closest friend, along with many others.

The flashback chapters are perhaps even more artfully done, showing glimpses of Hannah through childhood, as she lives with her parents in an apartment without a working heating system. Hannah subsequently takes a liking to engineering, which is carried through her life. We also see glimpses of Hannah falling into- and out of - love with Esme, before meeting Sophie, her one true love.

Back in 2067, Hannah nervously (and excitedly) hopes for Sophie's arrival. The two haven't spoken in 40 years and Hannah has always loved her. On a whim, she invited her to the party. However, as the hours in the night tick past and there's no sign of Sophie, secrets begin to get revealed and Hannah questions everything she has thought.

All throughout, there's the undercurrent of the impacts of climate change. Flahive does a masterful job of weaving those components in -- simply making them facets of everyday life rather than focusing on them entirely. That's not to say it isn't important -- it is, and it truly impacts all of the resident's lives every day, such as when they lose phone service frequently -- but it's presented in a way that is truthful and likely more realistic to the direction we are headed.

The writing is unique, descriptive, emotive, and truly just filled with joy. You'd think this would be a sad book, but it's not. If anything, it makes growing older seem exciting, like something we all should be looking forward to rather than dreading. The Palm Meridian residents laugh and love fiercely and have entirely too much fun riding around on golf carts.

I really enjoyed all of the characters, especially Ricky, whose youngness plays a satisfying foil to Hannah's age, while still showing the connection between them. I had complicated feelings about Luke, but I think that was the point. I hated him and felt sorry for him and, by the end, forgave him - or at least tried to. If there's one thing this book teaches you, it's that life is too short for grudges.

Esme is great, of course. And Sophie, oh Sophie. I adored her. She's smart and witty and just a good person. Her and Hannah's story is heartbreaking but also beautiful.

As a reader, you really get to understand Hannah's inner turmoil about the event as well. As her appointment gets closer and closer, she starts to question whether she's making the right choice or not. I don't want to say too much as I think this is a book best gone into blind, but it really does a good job of making the reader also feel just as conflicted.

I do wish there had been a bit more (even if it would've been realistic) from the ending scene -- what can I say, I love a HEA, but it was bittersweet and honest and made me cry.

Actually, I cried several times throughout this LOL, both tears of joy and also tears of sadness. But such is life, right?

4.5 stars.

This was gorgeous. I cannot wait to read and follow this author on other projects because while the subject matter was so crushingly heavy at times, the writing kept it from feeling that way. Descriptive and beautiful and oftentimes funny, you could imagine yourself in this future with these people. The future painted is pretty bleak so far as the environment and the electrical grid go, but every chapter also underscores the ingenuity and hope.

Palm Meridian is my favorite book of the month and I'm sure will be a strong contender for my favorite book of the year. I know this will stick with me for a while.

I could not put this book down! I wanted to live in this queer paradise alongside this group of loving, hilarious, honest pals. The subject matter is naturally emotional but the author writes every moment with gorgeous and unflinchingly honest prose. Easy five stars! I want everyone to read this!

I flew through this book! I thought the heavier themes might feel ponderous and make me want to read slowly, but this book is a joyous celebration all the way through, just like Hannah's party. The climate-crisis-filled 2067 setting parallels the frightening mysteries Hannah will face in the morning perfectly, and manages to evoke sincere and well-earned hope even, maybe especially, in the face of painful endings. It's rare to find a book that's so fun and entertaining to read, but that will also stick with me for as long as I know this one will.

3.75
A sharply witty and heartfelt novel for the lesbians afraid of dying and aging, it stumbled a little with slightly over ambitious prose but it was so so full of heart, thoughtfulness and emotion that it was all freely forgiven and easily recommended.

Palm Meridian is set during the near future in a retirement resort near Orlando, FL. The amusement parks have fallen into disrepair, and the power grid is suspect, but Cheetos and alcohol survive for the women in this community. Hannah, a successful business woman had great success in designing heating and cooling systems. She is diagnosed with terminal cancer and plans her assisted death--but first she plans a party. The novel details Hannah's relationships and career. Although Hannah is facing death, the story is full of laughs and fun, and some heartbreak. Highly recommended for discussion groups who enjoy Florida novels.

3.5, but rounded up for a great debut novel. Obviously I wasn't the only one that grabbed it right away. According to the interwebs there was a “hard-fought” three-way auction over the course of Frankfurt Book Fair.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC so boilerplate, "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." This is the first time I've requested a book with a limited reading time (1 week) and I think it's a great idea. Otherwise it would have gone to the back of my TBR and be #409 or whatever.

Okay on to the review:
Set in Florida, 2062, Palm Meridian Retirement Resort is a residence for queer women living out their twilight years. Climate collapse has taken its toll and the southern part of the state is gone. Hannah has received a terminal diagnosis. It's now legal to choose to die and Hannah's made that decision, so the night before--party time!

The end-of-the-world scenes aren't really a factor here. I was thinking it might be similar to [book:A Better World|176443112] where the resort was walled off and competition was tough to enter, but no. Really, all the effects of the unstable grid and wonky transportation could also happen during a winter snowstorm.

And speaking of snow, I loved the Montreal setting. I was there in September and loved it! When they speak of Hannah's mother working in the building as the train station I could picture it.

My husband's dream job!
<img src="https://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/thumbs/2023/12/21/033136/87489076/zamboni.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="zamboni driver"/>

I'm not quite sure of the differences between an egret and heron, but I sure wouldn't pick either up as a character did. I kept picturing Alice in Wonderland playing croquet with an ostrich!
<img src="https://a-z-animals.com/media/2021/08/Egret-vs-Heron-1200x627-1.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="egret vs herons"/>