A review by serinas
Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring

dark funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is an ARC that I read on NetGalley for free, but this will not sway my opinion. Where the Forest Meets the River will be released September 3rd 2024.

Disclaimer: This is a sequel, but you can read it as a stand-alone. I have not read the first book in the series, and my review will take that into consideration. I would also recommend to go through the trigger warnings before reading. Some mentions are: suicide, homophobia and lgbtq+ issues, grief, hoarding, abuse, and more.

I'm at a loss of words after finishing Where the Forest Meets the River. This was an amazing read, and I feel like I stumbled upon a hidden gem on NetGalley. I truly loved this book. I was hesitant about if I should even ask for the book on NetGalley, but I'm trying to expand my bookshelf with new genres, and decided to give this a try.

It reminds me in many ways of We Deserve Monuments - in the way that it was written, and the small town vibe it gave off. Where the Forest Meets the River was definitely more relaxing and didn't have a clear plot, and just 'followed' several POVs with very different characters compared to We Deserve Monuments. 

We have bisexual Greg, the widow Nate, the alcoholic Annette and Dr. Haskell (and more). This was definitely a challenge in the beginning, but I truly became invested in every POV throughout the book. Every character is unique, and I didn't have any trouble recognizing whos chapter it was.

It explores dark themes, like grief and loss - but Where the Forest Meets the River also shows that there's hope. I was on the verge of crying many times, became frustrated, happy and angry on behalf of the characters. 

I've rated it 5 stars. I can't really compare Where the Forest Meets the River to anything, as this is a genre I haven't gravitated towards before, but I will definitely try more books like this. Everything, from the writing style to characters, really resonated with me. I can't pinpoint what I loved so much about this book, but I truly loved it. You can say that I loved it based on vibes, as I didn't really notice the writing style, pace or anything else while reading. I was truly absorbed into this. I will definitely buy the first book when I have the money to do so.

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