A Good Animal: A Novel

by Sara Maurer

"A stunning, unforgettable, and deeply American novel." —Julia Phillips, National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of Bear and Disappearing Earth

"Maurer’s prose is undeniably beautiful and evocative." —Kirkus Reviews

A heart-wrenching coming-of-age debut novel by a stunning new voice in fiction, for readers of Barbara Kingsolver and Ann Patchett.

Staying is his dream. Leaving is hers. One secret threatens them both.

In the farm country outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan—a border town where life moves slow and dreams run fast—most kids want out. Not Everett Lindt. He’s set on staying put, rebuilding his family’s sheep farm, and carving a future from the land he loves.

Then he meets Mary, a new girl in town with restless energy and bigger plans. When their relationship reaches a crossroads, Everett sees a life together. Mary, however, is desperate to find a way out. Together, they make an impulsive choice—one that could change everything.

Tense, lyrical, and deeply felt, Sara Maurer's unforgettable debut breathtakingly captures the ache of first love, the beauty and brutality of rural life, and how one decision can echo through generations and shape who we become.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming Of Age, Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Expected publication February 24, 2026

About the author

Sara Maurer is the author of A Good Animal, a coming-of-age novel set in Sault Ste. Marie. She lives with her family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 1995 and Everett is 17 years old and a senior in high school.
He has been raised on a sheep farm that goes back generations in his family and he plans to stay there, make his life there.. just like his parents have, that’s his dream. He loves caring for and raising the sheep, has a close lifelong friend Charlie, and he loves Sault Ste. Marie in the upper Peninsula of Michigan where the farm is.
Mary moves to town, the daughter of a Coast Guard officer, she has moved to all different places in the states because of her dad’s job. She lives only with her dad as her parents are divorced and she’s spending her senior year there in Sault Ste. Marie and then plans to leave. She wants to be by the ocean and go to art school.
Everett falls hard for her and as their relationship becomes more serious, he tries to convince her that she could have a good life there too.
Both their plans go awry as things become more serious.
A story of the heartbreaking choices people make for love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the
e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

[Lindsay L · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

I loved these characters!

1995. A small farming border town in Michigan. A generational sheep farming family with three children. In his last year of high school, the eldest son follows in his father’s footsteps on the cusp of buying into breeding lambs himself. A new girl moves to a local farm which begins a relationship that will change everything.

This is a slow burn, quiet, exquisitely written story. The characters were so very real, raw, genuine and endearing. I found myself invested in and caring for the main character immensely within a few pages. There was an honest, quiet vulnerability about him that really held my heart but he also had grit. His dedication and loyalty to his family business and land was admirable.

This book showcased farming life so brilliantly. I felt as though I was right alongside the characters. I was fascinated by the intricate detail of farm work and the sheep breeding industry. This novel will surely work better for animal lovers due to the heavy focus on farming and nature, but be warned there are some very hard to read scenes surrounding slaughter and euthanizing animals that are suffering. This is an animal centred novel, but at its core, it’s a coming of age story that will touch readers hearts with its endearing feel and genuine raw emotion.

I loved every single word of this story. My one tiny critique and why I didn’t give it 5 stars is that I would have liked a little more from the ending, but it still worked very well for me.

This book is a stand out for me this year. I am extremely impressed that this is a debut. It doesn’t publish until 2026, so be sure to mark your calendar.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to the coming-of-age genre, it feels very hit or miss for me so I was hesitant going into this one. When I saw Michael Crouch was the narrator, I knew he was going to bring our man character Everett to life and that’s exactly what he did. At the core, this is the story of Everett on the brink of adulthood. He lives on a farm in a rural community. He loves his animals and loves the farm life. This book won’t be for everyone because I know there are readers out there that refuse to read books with animal deaths (but they’re totally fine with reading deaths of children and adults so….), but there are animal deaths. Farm life just is what it is. I think this one will be a book talked about and an author we’ll hear more of in the future.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**

You are living your life peacefully and suddenly BOOM! stories taking place in 1995 are labeled as historical fiction.

A Good Animal is fairly typical coming-of-age story with 17 year old Everett falling head over hills for Mary. The young love explodes and the only thing that mars the romance is the fact that Everett dreams about starting his own sheep farm, preferably not far from the place where he grew up, and Mary dreams about an art college in California. It sounds like a story you've already read somewhere, right? But don't make a mistake of skipping this one as the atmosphere in it is impeccable, characterization is on point and the layering of the story is subtle but powerful. I've finished reading this book two days ago and I find myself constantly thinking about it and liking it more with each passing day.

Why only 4 stars then? First of all - its definitely to short; second of all - there is more information about sheep that I ever wanted to learn ; third of all - the ending is very abrupt and left me quite dissatisfied.

To sum it up - this is a strong debut novel and I will gladly read more books from this author. Wholeheartedly recommended.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 ⭐️ rounded up

This is a touching, very well-written coming-of-age story set in the farmlands of upper Michigan. The book covers nine months in the life of a young man growing into his own in his last year of high school. Everett is stepping out of his small town youth and the shadow of his sheep farming father into adulthood. He knows the life he wants - it’s the life his grown up with raising sheep, having land and being part of a simple and beautiful rural life. When he meets a new girl in town, Mary, there just until the end of senior year, everything changes.

I really enjoyed this book. Everett is an amazing main character. He is such a good, good person. To his very soul. He wants so much to be his own person and to live up to the bar his father has set. More than the shadow of his charming and outgoing best friend. He wants to do what’s right and what’s best but also to find happiness and love that’s all his own. I absolutely loved him and how well he was written.

Mary and Everett’s relationship begins with an expiration date as Mary, having moved around constantly with her father, is just waiting to be able to move on to her own life and dreams far away from this small town. The small town Everett never wants to leave. We watch their love bloom and then implode and all the impacts on their relationships and themselves. It’s just incredibly well written. You are right there amongst all of it in such a real and visceral way. Couldn’t stop reading.

All of this is set against the backdrop of sheep and pig ranching and all that entails. There are detailed and graphic explanations of this life but they are beautifully done, even when harsh or unappealing. It is a good and true life explained in a straightforward and honest way that I found so interesting.

Really enjoyed this book. The characters are unforgettable and the writing is just wonderful. A true look into Americana through the eyes of two young people in the heart of it. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sara Maurer for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this great book and share my thoughts.

[Mo Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb promises ‘….a heart-wrenching coming-of-age debut novel by a stunning new voice in fiction…..’

And that’s exactly what this was. I am left with chills.

Maurer’s debut novel unfurls in an outward leisurely fashion that feels wholly natural with a country town, farm setting...

The scenery she portrays for us through her words was one of the most vivid and tactile I’ve ever “witnessed” in a book. It was breathtaking. It was lyrical.

In A Good Animal we begin in the summer of ‘95 following Everett, our MC, before he begins his senior year of high school, observing as he navigates and cherishes farm life and the land it occupies.

What transpires that summer and the months that follow are some of the most touching and genuine and playful moments. Smile-inducing moments...
And then there’s those that will wound you. The frustration, the heartbreak & heartache. It’s all there.

An emotionally opulent and authentic read. One that will stir your soul.

I was lucky enough to win this gem of an arc through GoodReads via SMP. Big thanks for that!
Sara Maurer, you are a phenomenal talent & I will be on the hook waiting for your next novel.

Pub: 2/27/26.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GOOD ANIMAL
By Sara Maurer

3.5 stars (rounded up)

As someone from Michigan who has visited the Upper Peninsula many times, I thought I had a pretty good sense of life there—but I never once considered sheep farming. The UP is a place where life moves at a slower pace, where time seems to stand still. I certainly didn’t expect to be so drawn into a novel about raising and breeding sheep, yet A Good Animal surprised me.

This coming-of-age debut is set in 1995 on a rural sheep farm outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The story follows Everett, a seventeen-year-old boy whose dreams are rooted in the land he knows—wanting to raise and breed sheep and someday have a family of his own. When Mary, a teenage girl unaccustomed to small rural towns, moves to the area with her father, Everett is immediately smitten. But while Everett’s dreams are quiet and grounded, Mary imagines a much bigger life beyond the boundaries of the UP. One impulsive decision changes the course of both of their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tender coming-of-age story, and Everett quickly held a special place in my heart. A Good Animal is ultimately a story about first love, longing, and the bittersweet process of growing up. The characters felt real and meaningful. I could see this book appealing to mature YA readers as well. I’m partial to debut novels, and this one did not disappoint. I look forward to what Sara Maurer does next.

The writing style is quiet and reflective, capturing the slow pace of life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Maurer’s prose is subtle and atmospheric, focusing on small moments that carry emotional weight. The tone is tender and restrained, making the story of first love and growing up feel intimate and authentic.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Sault Saint Marie. The book suggests the area to be remote and somewhat thrown back in time. Everett and Joe are farm boys who work the fields in summer and raise their 4H animals for fair. I grew up in WI and can easily imagine Everett. I felt his love of the land and his life as a farmer. He comes from a farm family, with hard working class parents and two siblings. He shares his father’s passion for sheep and the life they have created. His love for the animals was sincere, and provided a backdrop for his story. Life is as it should be.

Then Mary comes to town. She is exotic in that she is from a broken family and had moved around the country, she is distant and different. She has dreams to go to art school and the big city. She is spending her senior year in Sault Ste Marie and piques Everett’s curiosity. At first she rebuffs his interest but eventually he tears down her walls and they become everything. Everett wants a future like his parents and Mary wants to leave. Everett’s desperation for Mary leads him to make some poor, risky decisions, but at his heart he is so good. It’s hard to know who to root for here as I want everything to be okay. This is a painful and bittersweet story but it was so well written, I could feel the characters anguish as they navigated growing up.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I was totally captivated by this story about two high school teens who experience their first love and are totally consumed by each other, as first loves usually are. Both are polar opposites but their connection is real. Their passion and devotions are all consuming. What started out as sweet and pure is later tainted by life choices made and tragic circumstances. I was surprised to learn that this book, A Good Animal, is a debut novel. I cannot wait to read more by this author, Sara Maurer.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy. The opinion expressed is my own.

[Pamela Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will say that the premise of this book is a classic coming of age story that is well thought out. But the first entire half of they book really leans in heavy with farm culture that I just think if it was cut back to not take up the majority the of the book it would’ve allowed the main plotline of the story to be thoroughly told. I felt that the problem that the protagonists go through was wrapped up quickly and didn’t allow for room to breathe really go into the intricacies of teen/young adult pregnancy. It also had a problem with character development I think there were too many characters that just didn’t get enough time for us to really care about most of them given that the first half really took too much space to educate us on sheep herding. But having said that it really did capture Midwest/southern America and the writing did paint a vivid picture and really took me there to these places. But yeah it was an ok read just cutting back on the farm culture would’ve helped a lot for this book

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. What a fascinating plot this book had. I loved the farm country setting and the fact that this was a coming-of-age book but once I met the characters that’s what really drew me in. The relationship between Everett and Mary sucked me right in and the gut wrenching result of an impulsive choice had me so emotional. This is a book that you will think about long after you finish. I miss the characters and I want to read it again and again just to reunite with them.

[Kaitlyn Barrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Based on the synopsis, I did not know that I would be reading a book that’s 60% about sheep. I feel like the synopsis is misleading. I couldn’t get on board once the narrator/MC sexually assaulted his girlfriend and kicked a sheep. The writing was good but I did not like this.

[Angie Miale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A haunting, atmospheric debut novel set in Sault Ste Marie of the upper peninsula. Set in 1995, this is about a high school senior, Everett, who falls head over heels for the new girl, Mary. He wants nothing more than to stay and work on his family's sheep farm. He wants to breed them and sell them and have a nice farm. The problem is, Mary has no desire to stay and wants to go to California.

Vivid yet simplistic in its descriptions, if you are nostalgic about simple farm life, you will love this book. Or if you are really interested in sheep farming, because the details are real. Everett is a simple young man, he is high on integrity and low on thinking things through.

The sensitive subject matter is, unfortunately, too much of a spoiler to reveal as it is not introduced until 90% of the way through. This would be a great book for book clubs who enjoy deliberate novels with open ended questions. I may be missing some symbolism here- but the title "a good animal" is a double entendre and the farm community is regionally specific.

The ending, while abrupt, is a breath of fresh air and leaves the reader with ambiguity and questions. The pacing is reminiscent of Wild Dark Shore or Broken Country.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published 2/24/26

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

A GOOD ANIMAL is quietly beautiful; powerful in its simplicity with no shortage of soul shattering moments.

I’m a city girl who married into a family with deep roots in dairy farming. I’m no stranger to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and I’ve heard numerous firsthand stories from relatives who have shown livestock at county and state fairs. The detailed depiction of farm life is authentic and does not shy away from the often hard choices that are part of this life. Some readers may find a few of the scenes difficult while others recognize them as part of the natural life cycle of farm animals.

This is a coming of age story that pulls the reader in so completely thus making it impossible to put it down or, in my case, stop listening. It is Everett’s story. Everett for whom raising lambs is the only life he’s known and the only life he wants. His dreams extend no further than making a home on the land, securing a genetically superior ram, and breeding prize winning lambs.

And then he meets Mary.

Newly arrived in their small town in the UP, Mary has moved a lot and has no desire to stay in Chippewa County. Her dreams take her far from farm life to college and beyond. Everett thinks a summer with Mary will be enough, but then it’s not.

What happens when one wants to stay and the other wants to go? For young people on the cusp of adulthood there are more questions than answers. And none of them are simple.

Michael Crouch’s narration is spectacular as I’ve come to expect from him. He voices Everett’s emotions and brings the reader along on this incredibly journey. Did I cry? More than once and not where I expected to. I felt it all and will need some time to reassemble my shattered heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted advance copies. All opinions are my own.

[Debbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in rural Michigan, this story could be set anywhere in the US. The rural life is never easy. Everett is a senior in high school and is living his best life on his family sheep farm. He and his best friend Charlie work hard at seasonal jobs. He dreams of continuing the family legacy, breeding and showing sheep. When he meets Mary, who is new to the town, he falls in love. He longs to bring her into the fold. Their dreams are different. This is a coming of age story set in the nineties, although it often it felt like the sixties.
The first half the book is focused on sheep farming. I struggled to guess where the story was going. It's is a story about crossroads, hopes and disappointments. The human characters were slightly underdeveloped, the sheep were the stars. The writing is good, the pacing uneven
and there is more sadness than joy in this story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy

[Ivy Withers Esterly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

An emotional, coming-of-age struggle that reflects on how we continue the mistakes our parents make and the tumultuous feeling of teenage love.

Everett has barely gone farther than the coast of the upper peninsula, content to stay forever on his family’s sheep farm for the rest of his life. Mary is new to town after having constantly moved throughout the country for the majority of her life due to her father’s job. Everett is mesmerized by how different Mary is from the girls he grew up with. Mary is desperate for the slightest bit of attention. Their care free obsession with each other leads to choices that will alter the course of their lives forever.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I loved this book. I felt understood by Everett and how he sees the world through the lens of his upbringing on his farm. The side characters, particularly his best friend Charlie, were so realistically portrayed as to how Midwesterners will react and act to situations. Mary was the perfect foil to what was familiar to Everett, throwing his life into up upheaval. It made me think about how do we make choices and how, sometimes, choices are made for us. And that ending LEFT ME FEELING RAW. Absolutely, absolutely phenomenal.

[Whitney Hubble · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This was a very well-written debut novel. A tender coming-of-age story about a teenage sheep farmer named Everett, and the all-consuming experience of first love. The beginning pulled me in completely, and I can totally see the connection/ likeness to Barbara Kingsolver, but this novel definitely did not move me in the way Demon Copperhead did. Sara Mauer’s writing felt authentic to farm life in the 90s (granted, I know very little about it to say for sure), and her characters were painfully real.

👍🏻 Pros: Mauer wrote the perfect teenage boy on the cusp of adulthood. Everett thinks he has it all figured out, has a plan for his life, and believes himself to be more mature and ready for the real world than he actually is. Anytime he made a questionable decision or voiced an unreasonable opinion, it was hard to feel frustrated because that’s exactly what a teenage boy should do. While he grapples with some very serious situations, they feel even more life-altering because he doesn’t truly have the maturity or experience needed to handle them responsibly.

👎🏻 Cons: The book was too short, and the story felt very rushed at the end. You spend over half of the book getting to know the characters, their town, the land, and the animals, and it’s truly beautiful. I wish the same time and care had gone into the second half of the book. Ultimately, I was left wanting more and not completely satisfied in the end.

While this wasn’t the emotionally life-changing read I had hoped it would be, I did enjoy it and would be eager to read more from Sara Mauer in the future.

Big thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for this advanced listener’s copy of #TheGoodAnimal 📖

[Yvette Jarrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Good Animal by Sara Maurer
Format: 🎧Audiobook

A Good Animal by Sara Maurer is a tender, heart-wrenching coming-of-age novel about first love, belonging, and the quiet devastation of realizing that love doesn’t always want the same future.

Set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the story is deeply rooted in place. Everett Lindt is a farm boy through and through—raised on land his family has worked for generations, devoted to the sheep he cares for, and certain that staying is not a failure but a calling. His dreams are humble, specific, and full of meaning: a strong flock, good breeding stock, and a life built on the land he loves.

Then Mary arrives.

She is restless, guarded, and shaped by a life of moving on. Where Everett sees permanence, Mary sees possibility elsewhere. Their relationship unfolds with the intensity of young love—urgent, consuming, and built on the belief that wanting each other will somehow be enough.

Maurer captures adolescence with painful honesty: the confidence of not fully understanding consequences, the belief that one risky decision won’t matter, and the slow realization that some choices can’t be undone. The tension between staying and leaving is ever-present, and it’s impossible not to feel for both characters as their paths begin to pull apart.

What makes this novel especially powerful is how seamlessly the land and the animals are woven into the emotional narrative. Farming isn’t just a backdrop—it shapes Everett’s identity, his values, and even his understanding of love and loss. The writing is lyrical yet grounded, evoking the beauty and brutality of rural life with equal care.

The audiobook narration by Michael Crouch is exceptional, bringing Everett’s vulnerability and quiet desperation to life. I cried more than once—and something I wasn’t expecting.

A Good Animal is a bittersweet, emotionally immersive novel about first love, inherited dreams, and how one decision can echo through generations. Quietly devastating and beautifully written, this story will linger long after the final page.

Wish the ending gave us more—I needed an extended epilogue.

A Good Animal comes out February 24, 2026. A huge thank you to the author, Netgally, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for my advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Shaina Perkkio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will stick with me all year. My immediate thoughts reading this were that there will be many that will pick this book up expecting it to be something else entirely. If you’re reading this and are tempted to DNF because of pace, I’d urge you to stick with it. This is wholly character driven, but the layers of depth in the characters would be a fantastic one to discuss in book club. They’re not perfect by any means, but they are real and honest. The writing was phenomenal and I can’t wait to read Maurer’s future works. The setting in this was so lush and detailed and visceral. You are in it with these characters and can feel yourself in these moments. If you grew up in a rural area or have any ties to farming, baling hay, 4H, even county fairs, I think you’ll really enjoy this one. Also, if you love books that get into detail about something you know nothing about like sheep breeding and showing, then you’ll enjoy this one too.

[Deana ❤️’s Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very well done. Not knowing anything about the subject matter it started off a little slow with the building of the characters who are very lovable. The MMC is just so likable and a hard working good teenage boy. Unfortunately, this takes a little bit of a dark turn and I was left feeling so sad for Everett the MMC. Teens in trouble is not uncommon but the isolation the poor boy dealt with I just wanted to mother him. The girlfriend wasn’t very likable but I sympathized with her and her situation. I just felt she could have been more compassionate with Everett as he tried everything to make her happy.

Spoiler below about trigger warnings.





Check trigger warnings if you are a person who has dealt with loss especially that of a child. This could be a tough subject for some.

[Douglas Scully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down. The prose was beautiful and I felt so deeply for all the characters. One of the best modern books I’ve read in a while.

[Traci Co · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book through a giveaway on Goodreads.

A Good Animal promises and delivers on a coming-of-age story that is so well told, reminding me of the story-telling inflections you experience when reading William Kent Krueger. The story is well-paced and brings with it a sense of relatability and youthful nostalgia. Taking care of animals, hauling hay, stealing moments to go fishing, sitting around the fire pit on cool evenings… the seasonal flavors that come with rural living were so fully captured. I was drawn into the characters, their emotional responses, their mishaps, their thoughtful moments, and the manner in which they approach the demands of the different aspects of their lives.

I enjoyed this book and would read any future novels of Sara Maurer in hopes of having a similar reading experience to what I had with A Good Animal.

Thank you to Sara Maurer and St. Martin’s Press Group for providing me this review opportunity.

[Anne Wolfe]

How often does a book like A Good Animal come along? Rarely. It is one in which you enter the author's world and do not leave until the last page is turned and the last deep sigh has left your lungs. What makes it even more impressive, particularly for a first novel, is the fact that Sara Maurer has succeeded marvelously in writing in the voice of a seventeen-year-old youth. There is not one false note in this emotional and moving story.

The setting is the Eastern Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a sheep farm where Everett lives with his parents and younger brother and sister. The family works hard to help raise these show sheep and I fell in love with all of them. including Fluffernutter, the rejected lamb raised by young sister Katie. (Fluff is delightful as well as beautiful and wins Reserve Champion at the County Fair.)

Maurer's writing is so skilled that the animals have as much life as the human characters. She never puts a foot wrong. . I loved Roman, the baby ram Everett buys to start his own breed line of show sheep, and disliked Caroline, the bossy old ewe. There is also Charlie, childhood best friend, Kylie, Charlie's girlfriend, and Mary, a new girl in town for only her senior year. The relationship between Mary and Everett is so relatable and real that you feel their emotions, their joy and their pain.

I look forward to Sara Maurer's next novel and send my appreciation to both Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. lThis is my honest review. I loved this book.How often does a book like A Good Animal come along? Rarely. It is one in which you enter the author's world and do not leave until the last page is turned and the last deep sigh has left your lungs. What makes it even more impressive, particularly for a first novel, is the fact that Sara Maurer has succeeded marvelously in writing in the voice of a seventeen-year-old youth. There is not one false note in this emotional and moving story.

The setting is the Eastern Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a sheep farm where Everett lives with his parents and younger brother and sister. The family works hard to help raise these show sheep and I fell in love with all of them. including Fluffernutter, the rejected lamb raised by young sister Katie. (Fluff is delightful as well as beautiful and wins Reserve Champion at the County Fair.)

Maurer's writing is so skilled that the animals have as much life as the human characters. She never puts a foot wrong. . I loved Roman, the baby ram Everett buys to start his own breed line of show sheep, and disliked Caroline, the bossy old ewe. There is also Charlie, childhood best friend, Kylie, Charlie's girlfriend, and Mary, a new girl in town for only her senior year. The relationship between Mary and Everett is so relatable and real that you feel their emotions, their joy and their pain.

I look forward to Sara Maurer's next novel and send my appreciation to both Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. lThis is my honest review. I loved this book.

[Julie Golin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-wrenching coming-of-age novel by a stunning new voice in fiction” is how the synopsis begins and that’s exactly what this novel is.

Perhaps it’s because this small town girl grew up in farm country, where everyone looks forward to the County Fair. Or maybe it’s the fact that one of my classmate’s was from a family of sheep farmers. My God, this book took my breath away. I was totally captivated by the story line and fell in love with the well-developed characters.

Many thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC. This one cracked my heart open from the very start.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the advanced copy.

As a Midwesterner living in a rural area with plenty of sheep farmers and county fairs, I appreciate Maurer's beautiful and accurate description of country life. Everett, Charlie, and their families are real characters written with honest feelings. The "fish out of water," Mary, could have been over the top and unbelievable. But, she wasn't. She was insightful, clever, and vulnerable. Their love story was exciting and tender and heartbreaking - all the things first love is.

[Katie Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story so much. I read this in a day and feel an emptiness now without Everrett. His character development was phenomenal. Exquisite writing and plot development. This is one I’ll love forever and could pick up and read again. I may be biased a bit as I grew up showing sheep and have spent a lot of time in the UP so I felt a real personal connection with this story. Regardless though I thought it was wonderful.

[Cherish · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. This one took me by surprise. This is the author’s debut novel. This is definitely a slower paced novel, very slice of life. If you are someone who prefers fast paced books, this may not be for you. I did like the depth of our main character, Everett. I also enjoyed the audiobook narrator. Although I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a stand out for me, but I would recommend if you want a literary fiction novel.

[Christian]

This was my February BOTM. I was really enjoying the first half of the book and thought it would get a 4-star rating from me. But the last 100 pages really took a turn and totally threw me off. I wouldn’t recommend.

[Brenda Engen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be an interesting read since it takes place in Northern Michigan. It was very focused on sheep farming and the impacts of small town rural community on two young adults finishing high school. I could have used a faster pace. Overall a good read.

[Susan Kovach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ no deep thoughts for my review…I liked it, it was a well written coming-of-age story.