A review by orionmerlin
Mudflowers by Aley Waterman

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Characters – 7/10
Sophie is the queen of self-inflicted existential crises, and while that can be engaging, it often feels like she’s spinning her wheels rather than developing as a character. She overanalyzes everything to death, which is relatable to a point—until it isn’t. Alex is the classic “sensitive, artistic best friend” who somehow remains more compelling than Sophie, while Maggie exists solely as a mysterious, indie-lit dream girl with little depth beyond Sophie’s obsession with her. Secondary characters like Lionel and Casey had potential, but they mostly served as props for Sophie’s endless internal monologue. They’re good characters, just not as “life-changing” as the book seems to think they are.
Atmosphere/Setting – 6/10
Ah, Toronto—home of bars, small apartments, and people who live off vibes alone. The setting could have been immersive, but instead, it reads like a string of mildly depressing Instagram captions. Yes, I get it: city life is lonely, bars are full of people pretending not to care, and love is elusive. But does it all have to feel this monotonous? Instead of capturing the vibrancy of a place, the book repeatedly emphasizes Sophie’s ennui, making the city feel smaller and duller than it should.
Writing Style – 6/10
Waterman’s prose is trying to be poetic, and sometimes, it succeeds. Other times, it reads like a Tumblr post from 2014. There’s a lot of beautifully crafted melancholy here, but it’s buried under layer upon layer of navel-gazing. The book prioritizes aesthetic over clarity, which would be fine if it didn’t drag the pacing down. Sentences frequently stretch out into the literary equivalent of someone staring into the distance while rain falls on a city window. It’s moody, sure, but not always in a good way.
Plot – 5/10
Plot? What plot? This book operates on vibes alone, and while that’s not inherently a bad thing, it makes for an exhausting read when there’s no real progression. Sophie is stuck in a cycle of feeling things very deeply without actually doing much about them. The tension that should be there—her romantic confusion, her unresolved grief—never quite manifests in a satisfying way. Instead, the book just meanders, like someone wandering aimlessly through the city, unsure of whether they even want to reach their destination.
Intrigue – 6/10
Did I feel the need to keep reading? Kind of. The book has its moments of emotional honesty that hooked me in for short bursts, but then Sophie would start another internal monologue, and I’d find my attention slipping again. The interactions with Maggie provided some of the only real tension, but because Maggie is so thinly drawn, that intrigue started to fade too. This book is best read in short sittings—otherwise, you might start questioning your own life choices right alongside Sophie.
Logic/Relationships – 7/10
This is one of the book’s stronger aspects—Sophie and Alex’s relationship, in particular, felt complex and real, even if it could be frustrating. They have a believable history, and their dynamic is messy in the way that long-term friendships often are. That said, Sophie’s obsession with Maggie leans more toward infatuation than actual chemistry. The book seems to think it’s making some grand statement about love and longing, but mostly, it just highlights how much time Sophie spends fantasizing about someone she barely knows.
Enjoyment – 6/10
Look, I didn’t hate it. But I also didn’t love it. There were moments of brilliance that made me think, okay, maybe this is onto something, but they were surrounded by so much self-reflection that it became tedious. The writing is often trying too hard to be deep, and the lack of narrative momentum made it feel longer than it actually was. I’d only recommend this book to someone who enjoys slow, introspective, “feeling everything all at once” novels—otherwise, it’s a bit of a slog.
Final Verdict:
Mudflowers is the literary equivalent of staring wistfully out a rain-streaked window while clutching a cup of lukewarm tea. There are interesting ideas here, but they’re buried under a mountain of self-conscious introspection. The prose is stylish but often overwrought, the characters are compelling but underdeveloped, and the plot is… well, barely there. If you love deeply moody books where not much happens, you’ll probably vibe with this. Otherwise, it’s a decent read, but nothing groundbreaking. Overall Score: 6.1/10. 
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