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The Weight of One Pomegranate
From the author of Orpheus Girl and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry, this lyrical YA novel follows a teen as she unravels a personal mystery as she tries to understand her older sister’s death.
A discovery of authentic self and sapphic love—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Lily Braun-Arnold.
Seventeen-year-old Isadora is reeling after the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni, to a pulmonary embolism. Her grieving parents can’t offer much support—her only reprieve is her close friend Ani, but lately the intensity of her feelings for Ani have been more confusing than comforting. Then Isadora discovers secret letters in Eleni’s belongings that suggest her artist sister was hiding more from her family than Isadora ever expected.
Isadora travels to her uncle’s apartment in New York City, where Eleni lived, determined to unravel the threads of her sister’s life. As she searches for clues, Isadora embraces her own sexuality and begins to fall in love. But can she learn to live when Eleni will never have the same chance? Heartbreaking and healing, this gut-punch of a novel is an essential read for anyone who’s ever lost—and loved.
A discovery of authentic self and sapphic love—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Lily Braun-Arnold.
Seventeen-year-old Isadora is reeling after the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni, to a pulmonary embolism. Her grieving parents can’t offer much support—her only reprieve is her close friend Ani, but lately the intensity of her feelings for Ani have been more confusing than comforting. Then Isadora discovers secret letters in Eleni’s belongings that suggest her artist sister was hiding more from her family than Isadora ever expected.
Isadora travels to her uncle’s apartment in New York City, where Eleni lived, determined to unravel the threads of her sister’s life. As she searches for clues, Isadora embraces her own sexuality and begins to fall in love. But can she learn to live when Eleni will never have the same chance? Heartbreaking and healing, this gut-punch of a novel is an essential read for anyone who’s ever lost—and loved.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2026
About the author
Brynne Rebele-Henry
7 books134 followersBrynne Rebele-Henry was born in 1999. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Rookie, and Blackbird, among other places. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the 2015 Louise Louis/Emily F. Bourne Award from the Poetry Society of America. She has two books of poetry: Fleshgraphs and Autobiography of a Wound, which won the AWP Donald Hall Poetry Prize and is a finalist for the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry. Orpheus Girl is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 9, 2026
Isa's sister Eleni was her north star—but Eleni died recently, suddenly, unexpectedly, and her death has torn Isa's whole world apart. And to make matters worse, she's only now finding out just how much Eleni didn't tell her.
I read this largely on the strength of Rebele-Henry's Orpheus Girl. I'm cautious with books about grief these days, but I like a coming-of-age story and stories with queer characters, and, well, curiosity calls. Isa's grief is still new and raw, and she's still trying to understand her place in the world now that her sister is no longer there to show her the way.
Some mornings, when I wake up, I've forgotten. Then I swing open the bedroom door only to realize that it's not the door to our room anymore. And something dark and sharp edges its way into my throat and makes it hard to speak. It's like falling, the remembering. (loc. 49*)
That grief is visceral and real, but I struggled to connect with the characters in other ways. Isa's parents are shadows of themselves and whispers on the page (or, more often, off the page); she starts to understand her sexuality throughout the book, but it's unclear how close she really is to the person she likes and whether she really likes them or more the idea of them. I can read Isa as neurodivergent or as someone who simply hasn't found her people yet, and though it doesn't really matter for the purposes of the story, I'm left with a lot of questions. (There are some letters in the book, incidentally, one of which brings Isa some peace but for me again raises some questions.)
The language is lovely, and I do wonder whether I might take more away from this one if I come back to it in the future. Not a bad one to pick up for poetic writing and a quieter look at grief.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
I read this largely on the strength of Rebele-Henry's Orpheus Girl. I'm cautious with books about grief these days, but I like a coming-of-age story and stories with queer characters, and, well, curiosity calls. Isa's grief is still new and raw, and she's still trying to understand her place in the world now that her sister is no longer there to show her the way.
Some mornings, when I wake up, I've forgotten. Then I swing open the bedroom door only to realize that it's not the door to our room anymore. And something dark and sharp edges its way into my throat and makes it hard to speak. It's like falling, the remembering. (loc. 49*)
That grief is visceral and real, but I struggled to connect with the characters in other ways. Isa's parents are shadows of themselves and whispers on the page (or, more often, off the page); she starts to understand her sexuality throughout the book, but it's unclear how close she really is to the person she likes and whether she really likes them or more the idea of them. I can read Isa as neurodivergent or as someone who simply hasn't found her people yet, and though it doesn't really matter for the purposes of the story, I'm left with a lot of questions. (There are some letters in the book, incidentally, one of which brings Isa some peace but for me again raises some questions.)
The language is lovely, and I do wonder whether I might take more away from this one if I come back to it in the future. Not a bad one to pick up for poetic writing and a quieter look at grief.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
Want to Read
January 25, 2026Holy fuck I need this, I loved Orpheus Girls
July 28, 2026
3.5*
There's a lot of beautiful language in this book about grief. I can tell the author is a poet, in terms of how she expertly uses language and focuses on small details--a necklace, a fact about insects, a painting--to try to reveal the characters' journeys. The trouble is, a novel is not a poem. There is a lack of a sense of urgency, of conflict in the relationship between the living and the dead sister. Even Isadora and her friend/girlfriend Ani's relationship only gains any real, brief stakes at the end (a drunken kiss at a party gone wrong). It's not just that the book is quiet--it's virtually static as a painting, and every external conflict is resolved quickly. (Isadora doesn't register for college, so her uncle just brings her to the school, explains the situation, and things are fine.)
I appreciated this book more than I enjoyed it, although I will say that many of the images and phrases will linger in my mind, like a poem. Like a poem, despite its particularity in the Bosnian community, it feels open and opaque and about moments to the point where the reader is asked to read him or herself into the scenario, rather than live and experience the lives of the characters as I long to do with a truly satisfying novel.
There's a lot of beautiful language in this book about grief. I can tell the author is a poet, in terms of how she expertly uses language and focuses on small details--a necklace, a fact about insects, a painting--to try to reveal the characters' journeys. The trouble is, a novel is not a poem. There is a lack of a sense of urgency, of conflict in the relationship between the living and the dead sister. Even Isadora and her friend/girlfriend Ani's relationship only gains any real, brief stakes at the end (a drunken kiss at a party gone wrong). It's not just that the book is quiet--it's virtually static as a painting, and every external conflict is resolved quickly. (Isadora doesn't register for college, so her uncle just brings her to the school, explains the situation, and things are fine.)
I appreciated this book more than I enjoyed it, although I will say that many of the images and phrases will linger in my mind, like a poem. Like a poem, despite its particularity in the Bosnian community, it feels open and opaque and about moments to the point where the reader is asked to read him or herself into the scenario, rather than live and experience the lives of the characters as I long to do with a truly satisfying novel.
August 9, 2026
Wow. This is a very heartfelt book. Ia lost her sister very suddenly and she's having to learn to live without her. Her favorite person. While also learning who her sister was outside of their immediate family. This book will absolutely pull on your heart. Very well written and emotional. Highly recommend.
Thanks netgalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review
Thanks netgalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Press for the ARC!~~
In theory, this should've been a lot more moving and emotional for me. But it just wasn't.
Don't get me wrong, the exploration of grief and death were the best parts of the story. Ia navigating her life after her sister's sudden death was interesting, especially when it came to her methods wit dealing with grief versus her parents and Ćazi, a character very close to Eleni at the time of her death. It especially hits when Ia begins to believe her sister thought her to be a burden. It's those kinds of moments, and Eleni haunting through the whole narrative in general, that made the main meat of the story.
As for the other half of the story, her exploring her sexuality, it was very much a dud. I liked the connection she discovered that both her and her sister were queer, but her romance with Ani felt forced, especially at the end. Ia never seems to think about or remember her only friend unless the plot calls for it, then suddenly when Ia screws up by kissing another girl at a party, it's suddenly "I'm sorry, I've always loved you." It rang out so hollow. The relationship as a whole barely registered to me; I just wished the focus of the discovery of queerness and identity centered around Ia and her learning that about Eleni (And her grieving the fact they'll never be able to experience queer joy together). At least the story recognized Ia shouldn't have been in a relationship that deep into mourning, but I still didn't like there was hints she could get with Ani in the future.
Overall, this wasn't what I was hoping for, but I can see this connecting a lot more with other readers than me, personally.
In theory, this should've been a lot more moving and emotional for me. But it just wasn't.
Don't get me wrong, the exploration of grief and death were the best parts of the story. Ia navigating her life after her sister's sudden death was interesting, especially when it came to her methods wit dealing with grief versus her parents and Ćazi, a character very close to Eleni at the time of her death. It especially hits when Ia begins to believe her sister thought her to be a burden. It's those kinds of moments, and Eleni haunting through the whole narrative in general, that made the main meat of the story.
As for the other half of the story, her exploring her sexuality, it was very much a dud. I liked the connection she discovered that both her and her sister were queer, but her romance with Ani felt forced, especially at the end. Ia never seems to think about or remember her only friend unless the plot calls for it, then suddenly when Ia screws up by kissing another girl at a party, it's suddenly "I'm sorry, I've always loved you." It rang out so hollow. The relationship as a whole barely registered to me; I just wished the focus of the discovery of queerness and identity centered around Ia and her learning that about Eleni (And her grieving the fact they'll never be able to experience queer joy together). At least the story recognized Ia shouldn't have been in a relationship that deep into mourning, but I still didn't like there was hints she could get with Ani in the future.
Overall, this wasn't what I was hoping for, but I can see this connecting a lot more with other readers than me, personally.
July 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.
This novel was the perfect length for what it set out to do. Any longer, and it would have become repetitive and boring, as there's only so much you can say (within this story) about grief, but as it ended where it did, there was only the potential for boredom and not actual boredom as part of my listening experience.
This is a very emotional novel, and the narrator did a great job at bringing Isa to life and expressing her grief about the loss of her sister and how this affects everything she does and every relationship she has. The search for the "truth" about Eleni, about her relationships, and especially about how she felt for and about Isa was very well done and written very empathetically, showing both what it means for Isa to lose her sister and what it means for everyone else to be around Isa in this search while coping with their own version of loss, either of Eleni or of an Isa who existed as herself instead of as Eleni's sister. We get to witness Isa's desperation and how this can at times marginalise the experiences of other people who ALSO loved Eleni, and we get to witness how Isa comes to realise this and grow while still clinging onto this version of Eleni that existed for her, but is not necessarily the version of Eleni that everyone else knew. She slowly has to learn that, while there is HER Eleni, that does not mean that this Eleni is any truer than her uncle's Eleni, or the Eleni that her girlfriend knew, or even just the Eleni that her classmates knew. She has to come to terms with not knowing everything about Eleni, and by extension, not getting answers to every single question she has about what SHE was to Eleni.
All this sounds like a lot for such a short novel, but as said above, it was written in a way that all this fit in perfectly into the length of the novel, and any longer and it would have run risk of becoming repetitive.
Definitely a great story about loss and grief and moving on.
This novel was the perfect length for what it set out to do. Any longer, and it would have become repetitive and boring, as there's only so much you can say (within this story) about grief, but as it ended where it did, there was only the potential for boredom and not actual boredom as part of my listening experience.
This is a very emotional novel, and the narrator did a great job at bringing Isa to life and expressing her grief about the loss of her sister and how this affects everything she does and every relationship she has. The search for the "truth" about Eleni, about her relationships, and especially about how she felt for and about Isa was very well done and written very empathetically, showing both what it means for Isa to lose her sister and what it means for everyone else to be around Isa in this search while coping with their own version of loss, either of Eleni or of an Isa who existed as herself instead of as Eleni's sister. We get to witness Isa's desperation and how this can at times marginalise the experiences of other people who ALSO loved Eleni, and we get to witness how Isa comes to realise this and grow while still clinging onto this version of Eleni that existed for her, but is not necessarily the version of Eleni that everyone else knew. She slowly has to learn that, while there is HER Eleni, that does not mean that this Eleni is any truer than her uncle's Eleni, or the Eleni that her girlfriend knew, or even just the Eleni that her classmates knew. She has to come to terms with not knowing everything about Eleni, and by extension, not getting answers to every single question she has about what SHE was to Eleni.
All this sounds like a lot for such a short novel, but as said above, it was written in a way that all this fit in perfectly into the length of the novel, and any longer and it would have run risk of becoming repetitive.
Definitely a great story about loss and grief and moving on.
July 11, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley for giving me access to an advanced audio copy of this one.
I'll start with the audio was wonderful.
The story itself is one of grief, wrapped in a whole lot of guilt.
Even though this one is 'short' it packed a lot into it.
Isadora's love for her sister shone as brightly as her grief did. I just wanted to hug her.
I'll start with the audio was wonderful.
The story itself is one of grief, wrapped in a whole lot of guilt.
Even though this one is 'short' it packed a lot into it.
Isadora's love for her sister shone as brightly as her grief did. I just wanted to hug her.
July 6, 2026
I am not sure why this book is getting such low ratings but it is a beautiful story of grief, family and coming of age.
July 18, 2026
This is a beautiful novel about losing someone and realizing you never truly knew them.
I only wish it had been longer because I loved every single second of it. The writing is absolutely brilliant, and even after finishing it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I only wish it had been longer because I loved every single second of it. The writing is absolutely brilliant, and even after finishing it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for the ARC copy of this book. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.
At barely seventeen, Isadora has just lost her older sister Eleni to a pulmonary embolism, and she doesn't know how to keep leaving without her. Moreover, when her grieving parents aren't able to offer the proper support, and so she refuges herself in her close friend Ani, for whom Isadora's feelings have been changing from calming to confusing and complicated. And so, when Isa finds some letters among Eleni's belongings that suggest that her older sister was hiding thins from her, Isa decides to travel to her uncle's apartment in New York City, where Eleni was staying, and find the truth. Yet, the more Isadora learns to appreciate life and learns about herself, the more she resents it, because Eleni didn't have the chance to experiment it all. And she fears that grief will crush her no matter what.
If I had a cent every time I've read a book about grief and exploring the character's sexuality, with this second aspect not being as compelling for me as the first one, I'd have two cents. And I'm not proud of it, because I would like books to explore their both themes on equal parts, really; I would enjoy them more (and I'm sure other people would, too).
Anyway, I think that previous paragraph explains my issues with this book quite well. Because, the exploration of grief, how it affects everyone differently, were treated really well. Eleni was there in spirit, she haunted the pages and Isa's life, even when gone. Meaning, she was always there with Isa throughout the younger's life, and so now, Eleni's spirit and memory will follow Isa everywhere. To her house, to New York, to the art gallery where Eleni was going to expose his work, and even to Eleni's girlfriend's life, where Isa enters without knowing that Eleni have been hiding her romantic life from her and that they have more in common than Isa suspected.
And that's the crux of my issues with this book, the exploration of Isadora's sexuality, finding who she is in that aspect, and the possibility of romantic love at young age. Because, sure, Eleni's girlfriend is suffering from loss too, and yet, she speaks with Isadora, they get to know each other and the love she had for Eleni can be felt throughout the book. yet, is Isa's part and her conflict over her feelings for Ani that bothered me. Not for the feelings, but because of how little it was explore. Isa was invested in finding the truth about Eleni and such, yet, she barely remembered Ani unless it was necessary for the plot, or, rather, it felt like the author remembered the girls were supposed to develop a romantic relationship and so forced to interact again. But it was so little in comparison to the other half of the book's theme, that it didn't come across as compelling or successful to me. It felt like an after thought to me, even though I'm sure (I hope) it wasn't one.
And it's not even the first novella I read that lets me down like this. I wish authors started to give more of an equal attention to characters exploring their sexualities in these type of stories.
So, the book isn't bad per se, It moved me. As a sibling myself, I found myself feeling for Isadora, wan ting to hug her; I don't know would I'd do if my sibling suddenly die, either, so I understand her completely. But, I think it could have been better in some places. Otherwise, a solid novella and one that deserves a chance, even with it less good parts
At barely seventeen, Isadora has just lost her older sister Eleni to a pulmonary embolism, and she doesn't know how to keep leaving without her. Moreover, when her grieving parents aren't able to offer the proper support, and so she refuges herself in her close friend Ani, for whom Isadora's feelings have been changing from calming to confusing and complicated. And so, when Isa finds some letters among Eleni's belongings that suggest that her older sister was hiding thins from her, Isa decides to travel to her uncle's apartment in New York City, where Eleni was staying, and find the truth. Yet, the more Isadora learns to appreciate life and learns about herself, the more she resents it, because Eleni didn't have the chance to experiment it all. And she fears that grief will crush her no matter what.
If I had a cent every time I've read a book about grief and exploring the character's sexuality, with this second aspect not being as compelling for me as the first one, I'd have two cents. And I'm not proud of it, because I would like books to explore their both themes on equal parts, really; I would enjoy them more (and I'm sure other people would, too).
Anyway, I think that previous paragraph explains my issues with this book quite well. Because, the exploration of grief, how it affects everyone differently, were treated really well. Eleni was there in spirit, she haunted the pages and Isa's life, even when gone. Meaning, she was always there with Isa throughout the younger's life, and so now, Eleni's spirit and memory will follow Isa everywhere. To her house, to New York, to the art gallery where Eleni was going to expose his work, and even to Eleni's girlfriend's life, where Isa enters without knowing that Eleni have been hiding her romantic life from her and that they have more in common than Isa suspected.
And that's the crux of my issues with this book, the exploration of Isadora's sexuality, finding who she is in that aspect, and the possibility of romantic love at young age. Because, sure, Eleni's girlfriend is suffering from loss too, and yet, she speaks with Isadora, they get to know each other and the love she had for Eleni can be felt throughout the book. yet, is Isa's part and her conflict over her feelings for Ani that bothered me. Not for the feelings, but because of how little it was explore. Isa was invested in finding the truth about Eleni and such, yet, she barely remembered Ani unless it was necessary for the plot, or, rather, it felt like the author remembered the girls were supposed to develop a romantic relationship and so forced to interact again. But it was so little in comparison to the other half of the book's theme, that it didn't come across as compelling or successful to me. It felt like an after thought to me, even though I'm sure (I hope) it wasn't one.
And it's not even the first novella I read that lets me down like this. I wish authors started to give more of an equal attention to characters exploring their sexualities in these type of stories.
So, the book isn't bad per se, It moved me. As a sibling myself, I found myself feeling for Isadora, wan ting to hug her; I don't know would I'd do if my sibling suddenly die, either, so I understand her completely. But, I think it could have been better in some places. Otherwise, a solid novella and one that deserves a chance, even with it less good parts
August 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5 Stars)
The Weight of One Pomegranate is one of those books that asks you to slow down. It isn't the sort of story you rush through.Instead, we sit with the main character, her choices and everything she is carrying from the death of her older sister.
We have a story that focuses on grief, the heaviness of it, the ties of family, and the things we inherit from the people who came before us—both good and bad.
Sometimes, though, we will be given a decision that can change our lives forever, and the path we choose determines our fate. Sometimes in our families, we inherit a lot of pain, unfair expectations to meet, and traditions going back centuries.
There is a saying for when you're grieving someone: "The dead sleep peacefully because the living carry our sins."
The memories we have can hold secrets, and they can shape who we become by holding on to them.
I found myself thinking about how easy it is to judge someone without knowing everything they've lived through. Reading this book made me think of how many times in my life I have judged others, yet over the years I have learned to see beyond a person's actions or words to see deeper. But there is only so much grace a person can give in any situation.
As the story unfolds, you begin to understand why the characters make the choices they do. Some are running away from the pain, some are so deep in the pain they lose themselves, and some, like the main character, go to find out more about her sister, yet it ends up taking her on a journey to find herself beyond everything she knew.
The writing felt gentle and very emotional, which for me made it feel very personal—like we ain't reading a book, but are right there with her, watching it all release and being experienced. It doesn't rely on dramatic twists to make you care; it brings you in with a soft hand, building its story through conversations, relationships and the quieter moments that often say the most.
The quieter moments in life are what many people fear because it's in these moments you're alone with yourself and your thoughts. Depending on how you see yourself determines the environment of those times.It also made me think of the saying: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
One thing I liked the most was that the book doesn't offer easy answers; it makes you think about yourself while reading or listening to the story being told. Life rarely gives anything easy, and I appreciated that the ending reflected that.
It leaves room for hope while acknowledging that some things will always stay with us deep in our hearts, souls and memories.Overall, I really enjoyed The Weight of One Pomegranate.
It's a bit of a hard-hitting story about family, identity, love, and learning to carry the past without letting it define your future—which isn't easy to do.
This book left quite an impact on me, and I will be adding it to my own collection.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5 Stars)
The Weight of One Pomegranate is one of those books that asks you to slow down. It isn't the sort of story you rush through.Instead, we sit with the main character, her choices and everything she is carrying from the death of her older sister.
We have a story that focuses on grief, the heaviness of it, the ties of family, and the things we inherit from the people who came before us—both good and bad.
Sometimes, though, we will be given a decision that can change our lives forever, and the path we choose determines our fate. Sometimes in our families, we inherit a lot of pain, unfair expectations to meet, and traditions going back centuries.
There is a saying for when you're grieving someone: "The dead sleep peacefully because the living carry our sins."
The memories we have can hold secrets, and they can shape who we become by holding on to them.
I found myself thinking about how easy it is to judge someone without knowing everything they've lived through. Reading this book made me think of how many times in my life I have judged others, yet over the years I have learned to see beyond a person's actions or words to see deeper. But there is only so much grace a person can give in any situation.
As the story unfolds, you begin to understand why the characters make the choices they do. Some are running away from the pain, some are so deep in the pain they lose themselves, and some, like the main character, go to find out more about her sister, yet it ends up taking her on a journey to find herself beyond everything she knew.
The writing felt gentle and very emotional, which for me made it feel very personal—like we ain't reading a book, but are right there with her, watching it all release and being experienced. It doesn't rely on dramatic twists to make you care; it brings you in with a soft hand, building its story through conversations, relationships and the quieter moments that often say the most.
The quieter moments in life are what many people fear because it's in these moments you're alone with yourself and your thoughts. Depending on how you see yourself determines the environment of those times.It also made me think of the saying: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
One thing I liked the most was that the book doesn't offer easy answers; it makes you think about yourself while reading or listening to the story being told. Life rarely gives anything easy, and I appreciated that the ending reflected that.
It leaves room for hope while acknowledging that some things will always stay with us deep in our hearts, souls and memories.Overall, I really enjoyed The Weight of One Pomegranate.
It's a bit of a hard-hitting story about family, identity, love, and learning to carry the past without letting it define your future—which isn't easy to do.
This book left quite an impact on me, and I will be adding it to my own collection.
July 28, 2026
Seventeen-year-old Isadora, or Ia, has just lost her older sister, Eleni, to a pulmonary embolism in “The Weight of One Pomegranate” (Soho Teen 2026) by Brynne Rebele-Henry. Ia’s parents are too devastated to help their remaining child through her grief, so she moves into her uncle’s place in Brooklyn, a place Eleni had lived while going to art school.
Ia’s friend, Ani, an aspiring concert violinist, is her sounding board and support, which is good, but Ia misses her talented big sister. The two shared a penchant to lecture each other on obscure subjects such as the maggot that Eleni expertly sketched, saying that the hatchlings help decompose a body. Ia remarks, “my sister spent most of her short life thinking about all the different ways to leave it.”
In her grief, Ia describes how she means to cook but forgets to turn the stove on. She worries that Ani will realize that she’s a ghost of herself, “becoming incomplete” and invisible.
In a lengthy flashback we see Elena being frustrated by Ia’s middle school obsession with facts and a book which describes and names 70 sex positions ranked from best to worst. Eleni blurts out a warning to her sister not to mention these positions—the Starfish or the Crepe—in school, let her classmates think she’s too weird. Thinking back, Ia is mortified that she was a burden to her big sister. She comes to believe that the stress she caused her sister caused the embolism that killed her.
Ia knows that Eleni had a friend, Cazi, who she’d never met. Ia finds Eleni’s journal and an address for Cazi. They meet up at the Bosnian Cultural Center where Cazi works. Ia knew that Eleni and Cazi took a trip to Bosnia, but Eleni never brought Cazi home. She thinks it’s because her big sister was embarrassed by her eccentric spaced-out parents and even by herself.
Cazi assures Ia that Eleni loved her, was proud of her brilliance. Ia learns that Cazi and Eleni’s relationship went deeper than friendship, just as Ia is exploring her deepening relationship with Ani. But does Ani feel the same way? Ia is terrified.
This is a coming-of-age story, a story of discovering her sexuality, but most importantly it’s a story of grief which is told with insight and poetry.
Patricia Hruby Powell is the author of the award-winning books: Josephine; Lift As You Climb; Loving vs Virginia; and Struttin’ With Some Barbecue all signed and for sale at Jane Addams bookstore. Her forthcoming books are about bird migration, Martha Graham, Ella Fitzgerald, and waterfowl; as well as a paperback version of Loving vs. Viriginia releasing in 2027. talesforallages.com
Ia’s friend, Ani, an aspiring concert violinist, is her sounding board and support, which is good, but Ia misses her talented big sister. The two shared a penchant to lecture each other on obscure subjects such as the maggot that Eleni expertly sketched, saying that the hatchlings help decompose a body. Ia remarks, “my sister spent most of her short life thinking about all the different ways to leave it.”
In her grief, Ia describes how she means to cook but forgets to turn the stove on. She worries that Ani will realize that she’s a ghost of herself, “becoming incomplete” and invisible.
In a lengthy flashback we see Elena being frustrated by Ia’s middle school obsession with facts and a book which describes and names 70 sex positions ranked from best to worst. Eleni blurts out a warning to her sister not to mention these positions—the Starfish or the Crepe—in school, let her classmates think she’s too weird. Thinking back, Ia is mortified that she was a burden to her big sister. She comes to believe that the stress she caused her sister caused the embolism that killed her.
Ia knows that Eleni had a friend, Cazi, who she’d never met. Ia finds Eleni’s journal and an address for Cazi. They meet up at the Bosnian Cultural Center where Cazi works. Ia knew that Eleni and Cazi took a trip to Bosnia, but Eleni never brought Cazi home. She thinks it’s because her big sister was embarrassed by her eccentric spaced-out parents and even by herself.
Cazi assures Ia that Eleni loved her, was proud of her brilliance. Ia learns that Cazi and Eleni’s relationship went deeper than friendship, just as Ia is exploring her deepening relationship with Ani. But does Ani feel the same way? Ia is terrified.
This is a coming-of-age story, a story of discovering her sexuality, but most importantly it’s a story of grief which is told with insight and poetry.
Patricia Hruby Powell is the author of the award-winning books: Josephine; Lift As You Climb; Loving vs Virginia; and Struttin’ With Some Barbecue all signed and for sale at Jane Addams bookstore. Her forthcoming books are about bird migration, Martha Graham, Ella Fitzgerald, and waterfowl; as well as a paperback version of Loving vs. Viriginia releasing in 2027. talesforallages.com
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars
What a devastatingly raw and heartbreaking story of grief, sisterhood, discovery, and life after loss.
The Weight of One Pomegranate follows Isadora as she navigates the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni, from a pulmonary embolism, exploring the reverberation of unexpected death and a lack of closure on the family system. Upon discovering secret letters in Eleni’s belongings, Isadora heads to New York in search of understanding her sister’s life and identity. Along the way, she discovers truths about herself as well.
While the entire book was beautifully written, I wanted to mentally highlight (and commit to memory) every single line of that opening paragraph as I listened. The closing line hit me just as hard. What a way to make a first impression and leave readers staring into space after wrapping up!
“Nothing is ever really gone”. Hearing things that aren’t there, looking for signs, and holding onto memories and reminders of people when they are no longer physically present. Such a haunting reality of absence and pain that hits right to the core for anyone who has experienced loss of any kind. This book encapsulated what life is like both navigating and surviving loss with such nuanced care and attentiveness.
I loved the way Isadora found connection to her sister through art, mutual secrets they kept from one another, and the shared experience of grief with others in her sister’s life. The narration was just as poetic and beautiful, bringing the characters’ emotions and experiences to life. Wow. This book will stay with me for a while.
Thank you so much to RBmedia, Brynne Rebele-Henry and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
What a devastatingly raw and heartbreaking story of grief, sisterhood, discovery, and life after loss.
The Weight of One Pomegranate follows Isadora as she navigates the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni, from a pulmonary embolism, exploring the reverberation of unexpected death and a lack of closure on the family system. Upon discovering secret letters in Eleni’s belongings, Isadora heads to New York in search of understanding her sister’s life and identity. Along the way, she discovers truths about herself as well.
While the entire book was beautifully written, I wanted to mentally highlight (and commit to memory) every single line of that opening paragraph as I listened. The closing line hit me just as hard. What a way to make a first impression and leave readers staring into space after wrapping up!
“Nothing is ever really gone”. Hearing things that aren’t there, looking for signs, and holding onto memories and reminders of people when they are no longer physically present. Such a haunting reality of absence and pain that hits right to the core for anyone who has experienced loss of any kind. This book encapsulated what life is like both navigating and surviving loss with such nuanced care and attentiveness.
I loved the way Isadora found connection to her sister through art, mutual secrets they kept from one another, and the shared experience of grief with others in her sister’s life. The narration was just as poetic and beautiful, bringing the characters’ emotions and experiences to life. Wow. This book will stay with me for a while.
Thank you so much to RBmedia, Brynne Rebele-Henry and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
• 3.5 ☆ •
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The Weight of One Pomegranate is the kind of book I wanted to cry at and just... didn't. Which surprised me. The setup is genuinely heartbreaking. Seventeen year old Isadora is trying to navigate life after the sudden loss of her older sister Eleni, who died unexpectedly from a pulmonary embolism. Her parents are barely functioning, she's confused about her feelings for her best friend Ani, and then she discovers secret letters in Eleni's belongings that reveal her sister had an entire life she never shared with her family, including a long term girlfriend and an upcoming gallery show. There's so much there to feel.
That said, the writing itself is really lovely. Rebele-Henry has a lyrical quality to her prose that suits the subject matter and Frankie Corzo's narration on the audiobook is lovely, she captures Isadora's voice in a way that felt natural and real.
I think the problem is just the length. At under five hours it's a very short listen and the story doesn't really have room to let the grief breathe. Every emotional beat that should've wrecked me felt like it moved on before I could actually feel it. The parents, Eleni's hidden life, Isadora's own journey with her sexuality, all of it deserved more space than it got.
Still a solid, quietly affecting little book. Just one that left me wishing it had trusted itself enough to go deeper.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ grief-centered coming-of-age stories
✔️ queer YA fiction
✔️ sibling relationships
✔️ lyrical writing
✔️ family secrets
✔️ emotional contemporary fiction
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jul 7, 2026 🎧
💌 Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The Weight of One Pomegranate is the kind of book I wanted to cry at and just... didn't. Which surprised me. The setup is genuinely heartbreaking. Seventeen year old Isadora is trying to navigate life after the sudden loss of her older sister Eleni, who died unexpectedly from a pulmonary embolism. Her parents are barely functioning, she's confused about her feelings for her best friend Ani, and then she discovers secret letters in Eleni's belongings that reveal her sister had an entire life she never shared with her family, including a long term girlfriend and an upcoming gallery show. There's so much there to feel.
That said, the writing itself is really lovely. Rebele-Henry has a lyrical quality to her prose that suits the subject matter and Frankie Corzo's narration on the audiobook is lovely, she captures Isadora's voice in a way that felt natural and real.
I think the problem is just the length. At under five hours it's a very short listen and the story doesn't really have room to let the grief breathe. Every emotional beat that should've wrecked me felt like it moved on before I could actually feel it. The parents, Eleni's hidden life, Isadora's own journey with her sexuality, all of it deserved more space than it got.
Still a solid, quietly affecting little book. Just one that left me wishing it had trusted itself enough to go deeper.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ grief-centered coming-of-age stories
✔️ queer YA fiction
✔️ sibling relationships
✔️ lyrical writing
✔️ family secrets
✔️ emotional contemporary fiction
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jul 7, 2026 🎧
💌 Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Weight of One Pomegranate is the kind of novel that lingers in the quiet spaces between chapters. Brynne Rebele-Henry brings a poet’s sensibility to the page, shaping a story that feels reflective, intimate, and emotionally precise.
What stands out most is the tone. The writing carries a lyrical quality that allows the story to move through grief without becoming overwhelming. Instead, the narrative feels contemplative—almost like a series of emotional fragments slowly forming a clearer picture. That stylistic approach works particularly well for a story centered on loss and self-discovery, where understanding rarely arrives all at once.
Isadora’s journey unfolds with a strong sense of interiority. Much of the novel’s power comes from how carefully it captures the disorientation of grief: the feeling of searching for meaning in memories, in objects, and in the pieces of a loved one’s life that suddenly feel unfamiliar. At the same time, the book gently explores the uncertainty of adolescence—especially the complicated process of understanding identity and desire.
The result is a story that reads less like a traditional plot-driven YA novel and more like an introspective coming-of-age meditation. Rebele-Henry’s background in poetry is evident in the language and structure, giving the novel a quiet intensity that builds gradually rather than dramatically.
The Weight of One Pomegranate is ultimately a thoughtful exploration of grief, identity, and the difficult work of understanding the people we love—even after they’re gone. Readers who appreciate lyrical prose and emotionally reflective storytelling will find a lot to absorb here.
What stands out most is the tone. The writing carries a lyrical quality that allows the story to move through grief without becoming overwhelming. Instead, the narrative feels contemplative—almost like a series of emotional fragments slowly forming a clearer picture. That stylistic approach works particularly well for a story centered on loss and self-discovery, where understanding rarely arrives all at once.
Isadora’s journey unfolds with a strong sense of interiority. Much of the novel’s power comes from how carefully it captures the disorientation of grief: the feeling of searching for meaning in memories, in objects, and in the pieces of a loved one’s life that suddenly feel unfamiliar. At the same time, the book gently explores the uncertainty of adolescence—especially the complicated process of understanding identity and desire.
The result is a story that reads less like a traditional plot-driven YA novel and more like an introspective coming-of-age meditation. Rebele-Henry’s background in poetry is evident in the language and structure, giving the novel a quiet intensity that builds gradually rather than dramatically.
The Weight of One Pomegranate is ultimately a thoughtful exploration of grief, identity, and the difficult work of understanding the people we love—even after they’re gone. Readers who appreciate lyrical prose and emotionally reflective storytelling will find a lot to absorb here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This story follows seventeen-year-old Isadora as she navigates the sudden, heavy loss of her older sister, Eleni. When Isadora discovers secret letters in Eleni’s belongings, she travels to New York City to unravel the threads of the hidden life her sister left behind. It is a deeply moving exploration of family grief, identity, and healing that stands out for its raw, lyrical approach to how love and loss intersect.
The prose is incredibly rich, poetic, and atmospheric, delivering a heavy emotional punch that stays with you. One of the most unique aspects of the book is Isadora’s distinct voice, which is sprinkled with random scientific facts as she tries to process her world. It was a really fun and quirky element that added a lot of personality to her perspective early on.
However, as the narrative progressed, the execution tripped up a bit for me. At a certain point, the scientific facts started feeling less like natural thoughts and more like a structured list, which pulled me out of the moment. The book also suffered from a strange pacing dilemma—it somehow managed to feel too short and too long at the exact same time. The progression felt scattered in places, making it a bit harder to stay fully focused and invested in the timeline of her journey.
Ultimately, it is a beautifully written, emotional novel with a fantastic premise and a very unique main character. While the scattered pacing and heavy data-dropping held it back from being a total favorite, it remains a touching and worthwhile read for anyone who appreciates a poetic look at grief and self-discovery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this free copy, all thoughts are my own!
The prose is incredibly rich, poetic, and atmospheric, delivering a heavy emotional punch that stays with you. One of the most unique aspects of the book is Isadora’s distinct voice, which is sprinkled with random scientific facts as she tries to process her world. It was a really fun and quirky element that added a lot of personality to her perspective early on.
However, as the narrative progressed, the execution tripped up a bit for me. At a certain point, the scientific facts started feeling less like natural thoughts and more like a structured list, which pulled me out of the moment. The book also suffered from a strange pacing dilemma—it somehow managed to feel too short and too long at the exact same time. The progression felt scattered in places, making it a bit harder to stay fully focused and invested in the timeline of her journey.
Ultimately, it is a beautifully written, emotional novel with a fantastic premise and a very unique main character. While the scattered pacing and heavy data-dropping held it back from being a total favorite, it remains a touching and worthwhile read for anyone who appreciates a poetic look at grief and self-discovery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this free copy, all thoughts are my own!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Weight of one Pomegranate is a story of loss, grief and identity, and if you know me, you know that’s exactly the kind of a story I enjoy.
Isadora’s story is mostly about trying to find out who you are (whether that means your identity or your sexuality) in the wake of losing a sister and dealing with all that grief. Adolescence and finding a sense of belonging can be hard by themselves, and here on top of that you have unimaginable sadness and trauma.
I enjoyed the story, but I was hoping to feel much more connected to the characters. I love sapphic, coming-of-age stories, but with this one I didn’t feel very drawn to the characters. And, unfortunately for me, if I don’t feel a connection to the characters, it’s harder for me to love the story completely.
And even though the book is mainly plot-driven, there were still times I found myself uninterested in finding out what’s coming next.
One thing I loved was the writing, so many gorgeous quotes, practically begging to be annotated—can’t wait to get myself a physical copy!
At the end of the day I will always enjoy and recommend a sapphic love story full of sadness and grief, and this one is no exception!!
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an early copy of this book im exchange for my honest review!
Isadora’s story is mostly about trying to find out who you are (whether that means your identity or your sexuality) in the wake of losing a sister and dealing with all that grief. Adolescence and finding a sense of belonging can be hard by themselves, and here on top of that you have unimaginable sadness and trauma.
I enjoyed the story, but I was hoping to feel much more connected to the characters. I love sapphic, coming-of-age stories, but with this one I didn’t feel very drawn to the characters. And, unfortunately for me, if I don’t feel a connection to the characters, it’s harder for me to love the story completely.
And even though the book is mainly plot-driven, there were still times I found myself uninterested in finding out what’s coming next.
One thing I loved was the writing, so many gorgeous quotes, practically begging to be annotated—can’t wait to get myself a physical copy!
At the end of the day I will always enjoy and recommend a sapphic love story full of sadness and grief, and this one is no exception!!
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an early copy of this book im exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own. <3
I’m having a difficult time trying to rate and review this book, as I didn’t like it and would have probably DNFd it if it wasn’t a short story.
It deals with grief, self discovery, family and relationships, but -despite loving these kinds of books- I was bored most of the time. The self discovery, especially when it comes to sexuality, felt rushed and unimportant; I know it’s not the main focus of the story, but it felt unrealistic due to how fast everything happened. The love interest herself only appeared for a short time, and I wasn’t moved when reading about them. I liked how Elani hunts the narrative, being absent but still omnipresent, and the idea that every person got a different side of her - not because she was hiding herself, but because she was just a teen having to deal with a lot on her own.
Isadora, instead, felt uninteresting to me, and once again every thought she had, every realization and challenge was dealt with so fast that it made the entire thing feel rushed and unrealistic. I think the writing style itself made it feel so.
Definitely not for me.
I’m having a difficult time trying to rate and review this book, as I didn’t like it and would have probably DNFd it if it wasn’t a short story.
It deals with grief, self discovery, family and relationships, but -despite loving these kinds of books- I was bored most of the time. The self discovery, especially when it comes to sexuality, felt rushed and unimportant; I know it’s not the main focus of the story, but it felt unrealistic due to how fast everything happened. The love interest herself only appeared for a short time, and I wasn’t moved when reading about them. I liked how Elani hunts the narrative, being absent but still omnipresent, and the idea that every person got a different side of her - not because she was hiding herself, but because she was just a teen having to deal with a lot on her own.
Isadora, instead, felt uninteresting to me, and once again every thought she had, every realization and challenge was dealt with so fast that it made the entire thing feel rushed and unrealistic. I think the writing style itself made it feel so.
Definitely not for me.
July 8, 2026
grateful to NetGalley, the Author, and Publishers for granting me this e-ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
this book had a beautiful premise and some genuinely moving moments, but it didn't completely work for me. the writing is beautifully lyrical in a way that isn’t too flowery or in your face, and i appreciated how thoughtfully it explored grief, sisterhood, and identity. isadora's emotions felt authentic, and i liked that the romance stayed in the background rather than taking over the story.
that said, the pacing was a little too slow for my taste, and the mystery surrounding her sister's secret life wasn't as compelling or emotionally satisfying as i'd hoped. i also think this book would have benefited from being a bit longer as it introduces several heavy, complex themes, but many of them are only brushed over instead of being fully explored. because of that, some of the emotional weight and gravity of those themes didn't land as strongly as they could have. iwas left wanting something more substantial and a much deeper exploration of the ideas the book raised.
overall, it's a thoughtful, character-driven novel with beautiful prose, but i never felt fully invested. excite to check out more of this author’s works though!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
this book had a beautiful premise and some genuinely moving moments, but it didn't completely work for me. the writing is beautifully lyrical in a way that isn’t too flowery or in your face, and i appreciated how thoughtfully it explored grief, sisterhood, and identity. isadora's emotions felt authentic, and i liked that the romance stayed in the background rather than taking over the story.
that said, the pacing was a little too slow for my taste, and the mystery surrounding her sister's secret life wasn't as compelling or emotionally satisfying as i'd hoped. i also think this book would have benefited from being a bit longer as it introduces several heavy, complex themes, but many of them are only brushed over instead of being fully explored. because of that, some of the emotional weight and gravity of those themes didn't land as strongly as they could have. iwas left wanting something more substantial and a much deeper exploration of the ideas the book raised.
overall, it's a thoughtful, character-driven novel with beautiful prose, but i never felt fully invested. excite to check out more of this author’s works though!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.25 stars
It probably wasn't a great idea to read this short novel while I'm grieving someone....
I liked how this book portrayed grief using Isadora/Ia as a character study. Through Ia's sudden loss of her sister, I also felt a heavy sense of being unmoored and being lost in life. There were also feelings of confusion and a bit of a betrayal when Ia found out about her sister's secrets. Away from home, Eleni lived another life in college that Ia wasn't privy to, which opened up another layer of grief for Ia.
I just wish that this novel was longer though. It was too short to make too much of an impact on me. It felt like it ended just as quickly as it started. I expected to spend more time with Ia so I could understand both her relationship with Ani and her dawning queer identity. But the book only gave a snapshot of a will they, won't they situationship with Ani, so that plotline didn't hit me as hard as it could've.
Despite my complaints, I still think that this will be a good book for older teens who are facing the loss of a closed loved one, or who are trying to understand their queer identity and sexuality.
Thank you to Soho Teen and NetGalley for this arc.
It probably wasn't a great idea to read this short novel while I'm grieving someone....
I liked how this book portrayed grief using Isadora/Ia as a character study. Through Ia's sudden loss of her sister, I also felt a heavy sense of being unmoored and being lost in life. There were also feelings of confusion and a bit of a betrayal when Ia found out about her sister's secrets. Away from home, Eleni lived another life in college that Ia wasn't privy to, which opened up another layer of grief for Ia.
I just wish that this novel was longer though. It was too short to make too much of an impact on me. It felt like it ended just as quickly as it started. I expected to spend more time with Ia so I could understand both her relationship with Ani and her dawning queer identity. But the book only gave a snapshot of a will they, won't they situationship with Ani, so that plotline didn't hit me as hard as it could've.
Despite my complaints, I still think that this will be a good book for older teens who are facing the loss of a closed loved one, or who are trying to understand their queer identity and sexuality.
Thank you to Soho Teen and NetGalley for this arc.
July 9, 2026
I started to listen to this audiobook at the gym but I’m very glad I didn’t finish it there because I was already sobbing by the time I reached the end.
The narration was so compelling, I felt the weight of profound grief on my chest the entire time. Frankie Corzo did a wonderful job of portraying the profound grief of the sudden loss of someone that meant so much to you.
I believe that the author captured so well the confusion and pain of facing life without someone that had always been there and to find out there was much you didn’t know about them and they’re no longer physically present to share with you. It’s incredible how one person’s entire existence is reduced to what they left behind, the memories shared and their secrets and the survivors are left to face the reality that you only knew a version of them. In the back of mind, I kept thinking about the quote: “What is grief, if not love persevering?”
The romance is present throughout the story but I felt like it was not the main focus of the book. I didn’t mind that it had an ambiguous ending.
Thank you to Brynne Rebele-Henry, RBmedia and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC.
Rated 4.5 stars
The narration was so compelling, I felt the weight of profound grief on my chest the entire time. Frankie Corzo did a wonderful job of portraying the profound grief of the sudden loss of someone that meant so much to you.
I believe that the author captured so well the confusion and pain of facing life without someone that had always been there and to find out there was much you didn’t know about them and they’re no longer physically present to share with you. It’s incredible how one person’s entire existence is reduced to what they left behind, the memories shared and their secrets and the survivors are left to face the reality that you only knew a version of them. In the back of mind, I kept thinking about the quote: “What is grief, if not love persevering?”
The romance is present throughout the story but I felt like it was not the main focus of the book. I didn’t mind that it had an ambiguous ending.
Thank you to Brynne Rebele-Henry, RBmedia and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC.
Rated 4.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2026
This was good! Very moving.
It follows a teenage girl in the months after her sisters sudden death. Her death was due to a medical emergency and happened without any warning. And it follows this girl as her parents are grieving and she's learning that there were parts of her sister that she never knew and grieving for both the person she knew and the one that she missed out on.
Overall I think this is a really solid book and the audio narration is excellent. Sometimes with shorter books it's hard to have dynamic characters and I think the only character in this book that is really memorable is the main character and her sister. Everybody else just kind of wavers in the background.
I do think this book would have benefited greatly from a prologue/ before death section so readers could get a better grasp of who her sister was. But all in all a solid book about grieving and learning to live past those who won't.
3.5 stars
It follows a teenage girl in the months after her sisters sudden death. Her death was due to a medical emergency and happened without any warning. And it follows this girl as her parents are grieving and she's learning that there were parts of her sister that she never knew and grieving for both the person she knew and the one that she missed out on.
Overall I think this is a really solid book and the audio narration is excellent. Sometimes with shorter books it's hard to have dynamic characters and I think the only character in this book that is really memorable is the main character and her sister. Everybody else just kind of wavers in the background.
I do think this book would have benefited greatly from a prologue/ before death section so readers could get a better grasp of who her sister was. But all in all a solid book about grieving and learning to live past those who won't.
3.5 stars
July 13, 2026
*3.5 Stars*
I was provided an audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not really sure what I thought of this one to be honest. It was really short but spoke of really heavy subjects... I just felt like I didn't have time to fully connect to the main character and that kept me from being properly invested. It still wasn't bad though. I did enjoy how the main character got to know her sister and her sister's partner despite everything and I did see some growth by the MC throughout the book but I kept waiting for more? More layers I guess. I wasn't really invested in the romance either, I just didn't feel it. Maybe it's the audio format that didn't really work for this one ? I don't know... It's still wasn't bad and the narrator was good but it just didn't fully work for me.
I was provided an audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not really sure what I thought of this one to be honest. It was really short but spoke of really heavy subjects... I just felt like I didn't have time to fully connect to the main character and that kept me from being properly invested. It still wasn't bad though. I did enjoy how the main character got to know her sister and her sister's partner despite everything and I did see some growth by the MC throughout the book but I kept waiting for more? More layers I guess. I wasn't really invested in the romance either, I just didn't feel it. Maybe it's the audio format that didn't really work for this one ? I don't know... It's still wasn't bad and the narrator was good but it just didn't fully work for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a quietly introspective book about formative grief. This really hit home for me in all the specific ways I recognized navigating grief as a new adult, desperately looking for traces of the person you lost, scrambling to make sense of who to become in order as some kind of compensation for their life cut too short, and the nihilistic catharsis of wanting to let your life slip away, one act of self-sabotage at a time because it makes no sense that anything should continue when your loved one doesn't. The scope of this story was very specific, queer, neurodivergent and so respectful of the grief journey, without being entirely bleak. Beautiful and poetic. Thanks Netgalley for the ebook ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5⭐
We follow Isadora as she uncovers her sister’s secrets, the life she never got to see, and the ways she deals with sadness and grief, as it is different for everyone.
The exploration of her sexuality didn’t feel as connected as the exploration of grief and the discovery of her sister’s life. There were fleeting moments with Ani but they seemed rushed for my liking.
Frankie Corzo did an amazing job giving life to Isadora through her voice, not once did I feel disconnected from her narration.
A book about loss, sisterhood, and self-discovery worth your time.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to this ALC!
We follow Isadora as she uncovers her sister’s secrets, the life she never got to see, and the ways she deals with sadness and grief, as it is different for everyone.
The exploration of her sexuality didn’t feel as connected as the exploration of grief and the discovery of her sister’s life. There were fleeting moments with Ani but they seemed rushed for my liking.
Frankie Corzo did an amazing job giving life to Isadora through her voice, not once did I feel disconnected from her narration.
A book about loss, sisterhood, and self-discovery worth your time.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to this ALC!
Read
July 10, 2026The Weight of One Pomegranate features truly poetic, evocative writing that makes for a quick and easy read. I appreciated how it handled themes of grief and self-discovery; there is a lot of beauty in the prose.
However, it wasn't quite my cup of tea. I struggled to connect with the characters, which made it difficult to get emotionally invested in their journeys. Additionally, the short length felt like a double-edged sword, as many pivotal scenes felt rushed rather than fully developed. While it wasn't for me personally, it’s a well-crafted book that others will likely enjoy.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
However, it wasn't quite my cup of tea. I struggled to connect with the characters, which made it difficult to get emotionally invested in their journeys. Additionally, the short length felt like a double-edged sword, as many pivotal scenes felt rushed rather than fully developed. While it wasn't for me personally, it’s a well-crafted book that others will likely enjoy.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This is such a heavy one. I knew it would be heavy due to what it is about, but this one really hit me. I think I just kept thinking about losing my own sister and it forced me to confront some feelings I don’t like to feel or think about.
This was a beautiful coming of age story about grief and life. There were such beautiful scenes throughout. It did start a little slow, but after that, it was a quick read that gripped you with emotion in a quiet way.
This is such a heavy one. I knew it would be heavy due to what it is about, but this one really hit me. I think I just kept thinking about losing my own sister and it forced me to confront some feelings I don’t like to feel or think about.
This was a beautiful coming of age story about grief and life. There were such beautiful scenes throughout. It did start a little slow, but after that, it was a quick read that gripped you with emotion in a quiet way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all I want to thank NetGalley for the arc
This story follows Isadora who has lost her older sister out of the blue in a very unexpected way, and we follow her journey trying to work with grief and the possibility she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did.
Now the best parts of this book were by far the passages about mourning and grief which resonated with me. However it was also supposed to explore Isa's sexuality and this specific part was a disappointment, her relationship with Ani felt forced and was always in the background only being brought up when it was convenient. At the end when she kissed another girl at the party it was really unnecessary. I was expecting Isa to find some connection to her sister due to both of them being queer.
I think this book didn't completely resonated with me, but it probably will to other readers.
This story follows Isadora who has lost her older sister out of the blue in a very unexpected way, and we follow her journey trying to work with grief and the possibility she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did.
Now the best parts of this book were by far the passages about mourning and grief which resonated with me. However it was also supposed to explore Isa's sexuality and this specific part was a disappointment, her relationship with Ani felt forced and was always in the background only being brought up when it was convenient. At the end when she kissed another girl at the party it was really unnecessary. I was expecting Isa to find some connection to her sister due to both of them being queer.
I think this book didn't completely resonated with me, but it probably will to other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2026
I really appreciated how Rebele-Henry writes about sudden loss and the grief that follows. Not only is Isadora ("Ia") navigating the absence and disconnection from her parents following her sister's sudden death but she is also navigating life without her sister, whom she admired greatly. Throughout this story, Ia uncovers what her sister's life looked life without Ia and similarly Ia must figure out what her life looks like without her sister.
While I had hoped for a more intense, thriller-type read it turns out this is exactly the kind of story I didn't know I needed.
While I had hoped for a more intense, thriller-type read it turns out this is exactly the kind of story I didn't know I needed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was an emotional story of loss, life, and grief and the love and friendships you make during the healing process. We follow Isa, who is dealing with the sudden loss of her older sister, Eleni, and through that all, she discovers who her sister was and who she loved. Which also helped her to come to terms with her own self and sexuality. This is a short read and some of the parts dragged a little for me, though that is possibly a me problem.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
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