Reviews

Bear by Julia Phillips

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I was drawn in right away to Sam and Elena’s story and found myself immersed in their existence.

Right away you realize the struggle for this little family to survive. Their mother is literally dying and the girls are her caretakers. Sam is dreaming of leaving the island and the life she and Elena will have once they do.

Then, a bear swims to their island and literally knocks everything in their lives of course. Sam begins to see what she’d been avoiding, their mother’s health declines and their lives are altered beyond recognition.

Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley and Hogarth. All opinions are my own.

aimeelag's review

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

marisatn's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Nothing happens and then everything happens. In between, Julia Phillips does an amazing job rooting you in a specific place.

lostinherpages's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

readlit247's review

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of Bear by Julia Philips in exchange for an honest review. It took me a minute to warm up to this book, partly because I wasn't sure if it should be considered realistic fiction or an allegory. the blurring of the lines between the two made this a most engaging read.

This is the story of two sisters who have always been close and reliant upon one another. They tke turns caring for their dying mother. Sam, the protagonist, years for the day whe she can escape the Pacific Northwest island she lives on, but she is bound by her obligation to her mother and her seemingly inextricable bond to her sister, Elena. When a rare bear sighting occurs on the island, Sam and Elena's reactions to its presence are vastly different.

The plot hooked me, the characters somewhat repelled me at first, but I became vested in this modern day retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.

mjsteimle's review

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dark mysterious

1.0

rphalange's review

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This book is so boring that people actually have a conversation about poop.

I wish the book had been called literally anything else, but a book titled "Poop" wouldn't have sold well.

NetGalley was right to allow me access to an ARC of this book because I tend to like literary fiction. But this was just... I'm not sure what it is.

I think my main gripe about the book was that there was a lot going on about people that I just couldn't care less about. I tried. I stuck around long enough to see a bear. But even that was the most boring fiction about a bear ever written. Gosh, I wanted this to be interesting. With a bold title of simply "Bear" you'd think it would have been. Oh well.

At least the writing was decent.

If you like slow literary stories about family and just about nothing else, you might actually like this.
Just prepare for poop.