I like this book! I still think about it weeks after reading it. I think it was very well written!! I like the way it was flowing, and how the story was told. I was a big fan of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

A very confusing book. 📕

Lucy moves to Colorado after her brother Mikey moved there a few years ago. After Mikey’s death she seeks out the woman he loved, Helen. I really disliked both Lucy and Helen as characters, as they seemed very hopeless and irritable. There is a big disparity between the rich and the working class in this book and a focus on pharmaceuticals as a solution to anything.

The book has a dream like quality that I personally found difficult to follow. I enjoy speculative fiction and books with a climate change theme, but this one did not grab me.

Others did enjoy it quite a bit, though, so maybe it’s just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for the ARC. Book to be published June 3, 2025.

When Lucy's older brother Mikey dies out west, she decides to move out there as well. She's in search of Helen, Mikey's girlfriend. Once she gets to know Helen, she is in search of something more, but unable to articulate exactly what.

This book is set in the slight future but has a further-out feel to it. There are climate disasters almost daily, that the world generally seems to ignore. And there's a lot of resignation and hopelessness in the (non wealthy) characters. The descriptions are quite dreamlike at times, which kept me reading and wanting to see what happened.

Recommended for lovers of speculative fiction with messy characters, with LGBT representation.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc of There Are Reasons For This. This book had a lot of twists and turns, but it was really good. Lucy's brother died and she's in search of the women he loved to find some answers. As she's around her she notices nothing is as it seems.

this was a very quick and enjoyable read! i don’t often read a lot of speculative fiction, but i feel like this had a perfect balance. it’s set slightly in the future, and the ever-present threat of the climate-crisis-induced end of the world is even more omnipresent than it is today. i appreciated how the “advancements” made really felt like a natural development from where we stand today, lending an immersion to what could quite possibly be our own future.

the balance comes in with the interpersonal dynamics — between helen and lucy + helen and mikey especially. in a world so gripped by loneliness, their relationships with each other mattered more than ever, and i felt that weight keenly. i will continue to pick up this author in the future!

“There Are Reasons for This” by Nini Berndt is a novel centered on themes of loss and connection. Set in the very near future, the story unfolds in a world dominated by technology and AI, where the climate crisis impacts daily life.

Although society has adapted to these changes, many people struggle with loneliness in what often feels like a nihilistic environment. As a means of coping, individuals frequently hire aides and escorts to alleviate their feelings of isolation.

The protagonist, Helen, works in one of these roles and encounters Mikey, an artist who has fled from his family in the plains. Despite Helen being gay, she and Mikey develop a deep bond. However, tragedy strikes when Mikey suddenly passes away. Following this loss, his sister Lucy arrives in search of answers and becomes captivated by Helen.

For those looking for a story that explores themes of coping, hope, and connection in contemporary society, this book may be a perfect choice. Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for providing the ARC.