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Dear Humans
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thanks to the publisher for the e-arc
i don't know if it's just because it was the last one in the set, but out of the thirteen short stories written, i enjoyed "How to Survive."
read full review here
i don't know if it's just because it was the last one in the set, but out of the thirteen short stories written, i enjoyed "How to Survive."
read full review here
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This collection is definitely a wild ride! In this book, Hollie Adams uses her dry wit to give us 13 stories that zigzag between absurdity and mundanity. Short stories are often hit or miss for me, which can make short story collections a little difficult to rate, but this collection is obviously quite the labor of love. It’s also quite the commentary on our modern age — I particularly enjoyed her bit on the current job market requiring a bachelor’s degree to change urinal cakes… she’s not wrong. What really made the book for me was Hollie’s use of language. Every story had multiple sentences that stood out to me for being hilarious, beautiful, or poignant. It felt utterly human. Again, often weird and absurd, but very human. I strangely adore reading about unlikable characters, of which there were many in this book.
There were three standout stories for me in this collection, which I’ll give short summaries of below:
Eyebrow - the story of a cat named eyebrow and a woman who spontaneously grows a unicorn horn
Liking It - a commentary on our social media focused world and the ways that we lose our identities to create an online identity that’s palatable to the masses or portrays us the way that we want to be seen - but also, how that can become our identity. Delivered to us in a letter to her ex she’s been directed to write by her therapist, of course.
How to Survive - A story which switches perspectives between a mother and daughter, the mother‘s perspective counting up by months after her diagnosis with cancer, the daughter‘s perspective counting down by years through both global and personal tragedies
Sometimes the stories bounced around a little bit or rambled on, but with the nature of her stories’ content it honestly made sense and enhanced the reading experience in a lot of ways. The main reason why this gets a 4 star review instead of a 5 was that while I enjoyed many of the stories, there were also some that simply didn’t hit. I don’t think that this book will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m certainly glad that I picked it up.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
There were three standout stories for me in this collection, which I’ll give short summaries of below:
Eyebrow - the story of a cat named eyebrow and a woman who spontaneously grows a unicorn horn
Liking It - a commentary on our social media focused world and the ways that we lose our identities to create an online identity that’s palatable to the masses or portrays us the way that we want to be seen - but also, how that can become our identity. Delivered to us in a letter to her ex she’s been directed to write by her therapist, of course.
How to Survive - A story which switches perspectives between a mother and daughter, the mother‘s perspective counting up by months after her diagnosis with cancer, the daughter‘s perspective counting down by years through both global and personal tragedies
Sometimes the stories bounced around a little bit or rambled on, but with the nature of her stories’ content it honestly made sense and enhanced the reading experience in a lot of ways. The main reason why this gets a 4 star review instead of a 5 was that while I enjoyed many of the stories, there were also some that simply didn’t hit. I don’t think that this book will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m certainly glad that I picked it up.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
May 30, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars
This author truly has a talent for writing. That could honestly be enough said for her, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed so so many of these stories.
I can tell (after reading the acknowledgments and seeing similar themes within characters of these short stories) that each one of these stories holds a piece of Hollie Adams’ heart.
She has a specific sense of self in each story, and I felt as though each story was her own personal telling of something - even though each story was individually crafted differently. Specifically, ‘Pavones’ felt like a diary entry of her own personal life. These stories were so easy to read and I liked what they had to say.
Thank you to NetGalley!
This author truly has a talent for writing. That could honestly be enough said for her, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed so so many of these stories.
I can tell (after reading the acknowledgments and seeing similar themes within characters of these short stories) that each one of these stories holds a piece of Hollie Adams’ heart.
She has a specific sense of self in each story, and I felt as though each story was her own personal telling of something - even though each story was individually crafted differently. Specifically, ‘Pavones’ felt like a diary entry of her own personal life. These stories were so easy to read and I liked what they had to say.
Thank you to NetGalley!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
With a few exceptions (for me specifically How to Survive, Eyebrow and Not Dead Yet) the stories in this collection are okay, but nothing amazing. I enjoyed reading it and would read more from Hollie Adams. 3.5/5 overall
The Other Portland: Alex and Margot are moving from Portland Oregon to Bangor Maine, about two and a half hours north of Portland Maine, because Margot has been offered a tenure-track position after years of limited appointments at other colleges. Alex is not excited about the move, though he hasn't mentioned this to Margot, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As the two settle into their new home, Alex must decide what matters most to him and what he is willing to give up. 3.5/5
Eyebrow: Dr. Mary Watkins is a professor, archeologist, cinephile and a bit of an introvert. When she watches her colleague Ben's cat when he is away, she bonds with Eyebrow and is happy to accept another opportunity to watch the cat. She begins experiencing some health concerns, and wonders what it could mean, especially when it seems to have an effect on Ben as well. 4/5
Like That but Times a Million: Sarah is young, and her friend and neighbor Robbie's father recently died. He had cirrhosis and kept drinking until he died, Sarah has pieced this information together through overheard conversations with her parents. The story is entirely from Sarah's point of view, reminiscent of a first brush with death. 3.5/5
The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Years: Weirdest one so far. A group of friends are supposedly making a sasquatch documentary but come to realize it has simply documented their lives. 3.5/5
Safe Topics: Shawn and Libby have been best friends since they were children, with a typical close encounter of a romantic nature in their past. Libby just had her first child with her husband Luke, and Shawn goes to see her in the hospital. 4/5
The Meek: A family in everyday crisis. 3/5
Liking It: A woman lives her life solely for the validation of her Instagram followers. 3.5/5
The Charges: Dealing with mentally ill family members is never easy. 4/5
The Sessional Years: Britney is twenty-seven and teaches at a college, she lives in a studio apartment and sparingly returns to the two hours away city she used to live in that still houses her friends and ex-boyfriend. A student takes an interest in Britney. 3.5/5
Not Dead Yet: Clementine lives with her best friend Brilla, the two are both PhD candidates sharing a bedroom working minimum wage jobs. When a new coworker Quin moves in to help with rent, the dynamic changes. 4/5
Pavones: Leda is going on a surf retreat in Costa Rica despite not knowing how to surf. She is dealing with the recent death of a friend and a sense of being unmoored in her own life. 3.5/5
Trial Separation: Turk and Tank are twins, but Tank is dead and Turk (real name Teddy) finds himself at a Christian summer camp with his sister Tink (real name Christina), as their parents attempt a trial separation. Turk must deal with the loss of his twin and the potential dissolution of his family. 3/5
How to Survive: Lillian is diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Her daughter Sarah has an alternating POV, working from her life in 2012 backwards. This is the same Sarah from the story "Like That but Times a Million". 5/5
The Other Portland: Alex and Margot are moving from Portland Oregon to Bangor Maine, about two and a half hours north of Portland Maine, because Margot has been offered a tenure-track position after years of limited appointments at other colleges. Alex is not excited about the move, though he hasn't mentioned this to Margot, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As the two settle into their new home, Alex must decide what matters most to him and what he is willing to give up. 3.5/5
Eyebrow: Dr. Mary Watkins is a professor, archeologist, cinephile and a bit of an introvert. When she watches her colleague Ben's cat when he is away, she bonds with Eyebrow and is happy to accept another opportunity to watch the cat. She begins experiencing some health concerns, and wonders what it could mean, especially when it seems to have an effect on Ben as well. 4/5
Like That but Times a Million: Sarah is young, and her friend and neighbor Robbie's father recently died. He had cirrhosis and kept drinking until he died, Sarah has pieced this information together through overheard conversations with her parents. The story is entirely from Sarah's point of view, reminiscent of a first brush with death. 3.5/5
The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Years: Weirdest one so far. A group of friends are supposedly making a sasquatch documentary but come to realize it has simply documented their lives. 3.5/5
Safe Topics: Shawn and Libby have been best friends since they were children, with a typical close encounter of a romantic nature in their past. Libby just had her first child with her husband Luke, and Shawn goes to see her in the hospital. 4/5
The Meek: A family in everyday crisis. 3/5
Liking It: A woman lives her life solely for the validation of her Instagram followers. 3.5/5
The Charges: Dealing with mentally ill family members is never easy. 4/5
The Sessional Years: Britney is twenty-seven and teaches at a college, she lives in a studio apartment and sparingly returns to the two hours away city she used to live in that still houses her friends and ex-boyfriend. A student takes an interest in Britney. 3.5/5
Not Dead Yet: Clementine lives with her best friend Brilla, the two are both PhD candidates sharing a bedroom working minimum wage jobs. When a new coworker Quin moves in to help with rent, the dynamic changes. 4/5
Pavones: Leda is going on a surf retreat in Costa Rica despite not knowing how to surf. She is dealing with the recent death of a friend and a sense of being unmoored in her own life. 3.5/5
Trial Separation: Turk and Tank are twins, but Tank is dead and Turk (real name Teddy) finds himself at a Christian summer camp with his sister Tink (real name Christina), as their parents attempt a trial separation. Turk must deal with the loss of his twin and the potential dissolution of his family. 3/5
How to Survive: Lillian is diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Her daughter Sarah has an alternating POV, working from her life in 2012 backwards. This is the same Sarah from the story "Like That but Times a Million". 5/5
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own.
Solid 4 star read! It's always a little hard to rate a collection of short stories as some stories don't work and will be a low rating while others are stellar and a solid 5. This is very much the case with Dear Humans, however I enjoyed more of the stories in this one than I didn't.
Overall I really like the authors writing style and although none of them have complete or satisfying endings, that is something I'm more understanding of with short stories. These stories are short (none feel like they go on too long), each story draws on the human experience (even if presenting it in a weird/bizarre way) and stirred up a lot of emotions.
Some of my faves were "Eyebrow" (gave the weird vibes I was really wanting from this collection), "Safe Topic" was weird and simple and made me side eye Shawn (like dude stop imagining everyone naked) but I loved the story as a whole. "Liking it" was a great take on living your life online and I loved the way the story was laid out and how things were revealed throughout. "The Charges" was great especially how it connected to another story, it made me question whether I had possibly missed other connections. "Pavones" was possibly my second favorite story and had some absolutely beautiful moments in it, the way the story progressed and how much the story references itself made me question how much of themselves the author put into this book. Finally the last story "How to Survive" was incredibly powerful and really tied the whole book together.
The ones that were my least favorite were "Like That but Times a Million" while it had some parts that shined I think the way the story flowed was a little clunky and the ending too unresolved. I really didn't understand or resonate at all with "The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Year". Having those two stories back to back made me a little worried for the book as a whole but it quickly turned around. After those "The Meek" was the only story I gave only one star to, I found it hard to follow and just confusing. I'm sure that someone will get something out of it just wasn't one for me.
Overall if you like short literary story collections I think this is a great one to check out!
Solid 4 star read! It's always a little hard to rate a collection of short stories as some stories don't work and will be a low rating while others are stellar and a solid 5. This is very much the case with Dear Humans, however I enjoyed more of the stories in this one than I didn't.
Overall I really like the authors writing style and although none of them have complete or satisfying endings, that is something I'm more understanding of with short stories. These stories are short (none feel like they go on too long), each story draws on the human experience (even if presenting it in a weird/bizarre way) and stirred up a lot of emotions.
Some of my faves were "Eyebrow" (gave the weird vibes I was really wanting from this collection), "Safe Topic" was weird and simple and made me side eye Shawn (like dude stop imagining everyone naked) but I loved the story as a whole. "Liking it" was a great take on living your life online and I loved the way the story was laid out and how things were revealed throughout. "The Charges" was great especially how it connected to another story, it made me question whether I had possibly missed other connections. "Pavones" was possibly my second favorite story and had some absolutely beautiful moments in it, the way the story progressed and how much the story references itself made me question how much of themselves the author put into this book. Finally the last story "How to Survive" was incredibly powerful and really tied the whole book together.
The ones that were my least favorite were "Like That but Times a Million" while it had some parts that shined I think the way the story flowed was a little clunky and the ending too unresolved. I really didn't understand or resonate at all with "The Documentary We've Been Making for Fifty Year". Having those two stories back to back made me a little worried for the book as a whole but it quickly turned around. After those "The Meek" was the only story I gave only one star to, I found it hard to follow and just confusing. I'm sure that someone will get something out of it just wasn't one for me.
Overall if you like short literary story collections I think this is a great one to check out!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a wonderful collection of short stories. The writing is beautiful and I often paused to appreciate the author's style and use of language. Most of the stories I would consider weird women literature and I believe the collection would appeal to fans of that genre as well as to readers who enjoy interesting and quirky stories. The author shares in the acknowledgments that some of the stories were inspired by Miranda July and Lorrie Moore, so if you enjoy those authors, perhaps you'll enjoy this book.
Some of the stories are a little confusing ("The Meek," for one) but each is unique in its own way and holds a certain charm. I found myself thinking about many of them days after I finished the book. There's something ineffably Canadian about many of these and I enjoyed that immensely. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Some of the stories are a little confusing ("The Meek," for one) but each is unique in its own way and holds a certain charm. I found myself thinking about many of them days after I finished the book. There's something ineffably Canadian about many of these and I enjoyed that immensely. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 4, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.
Thank you to Literary Press Group of Canada and NetGalley for the advance copy of Dear Humans. Although there's certainly a lot to like in this collection, ultimately, I finished each story wanting more, unsure of what Adams was trying to say through her writing.
Each of these stories appears to be a reflection on identity and human discomfort, but -- in my opinion -- Adams falls short of reaching those depths. Many of the essays were compelling, built around interesting plots and characters, but lacked the development necessary to make me feel any certain way about what I'd read. Ultimately, each story feels about 80% complete -- but the missing 20% is what is what I remember.
Thank you to Literary Press Group of Canada and NetGalley for the advance copy of Dear Humans. Although there's certainly a lot to like in this collection, ultimately, I finished each story wanting more, unsure of what Adams was trying to say through her writing.
Each of these stories appears to be a reflection on identity and human discomfort, but -- in my opinion -- Adams falls short of reaching those depths. Many of the essays were compelling, built around interesting plots and characters, but lacked the development necessary to make me feel any certain way about what I'd read. Ultimately, each story feels about 80% complete -- but the missing 20% is what is what I remember.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy!
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. This author is new to me, but I believe several of these stories are reworkings of stories she had published in some other places.
Each story was a very compelling read, but I probably like “How to Survive” the best. I loved the story, and I loved the way it was written.
If you like short stories, I would recommend this collection. I think the best way I could sum up the collection is that it feels very “human”. The stories aren’t wrapped up in neat little bows but they do a good job of shining a light on the different internal and external struggles of the human experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. This author is new to me, but I believe several of these stories are reworkings of stories she had published in some other places.
Each story was a very compelling read, but I probably like “How to Survive” the best. I loved the story, and I loved the way it was written.
If you like short stories, I would recommend this collection. I think the best way I could sum up the collection is that it feels very “human”. The stories aren’t wrapped up in neat little bows but they do a good job of shining a light on the different internal and external struggles of the human experience.
September 14, 2026
I received this as an ARC, so thanks to NetGalley and NeWest Press for the opportunity. The length of time it took me to read it is a reflection on me and not on the stories themselves.
This was a joy to read! As with most short story collections some stories outshone others, but I genuinely enjoyed each one. They fluctuated between the real world and fantasy and I enjoyed the switch between the two. Ranging from sweet, funny, emotional and chaotic, they were engaging and enjoyable.
I normally am not drawn to collections of short stories because I usually want favor one over all of the rest, but I really loved this.
This was a joy to read! As with most short story collections some stories outshone others, but I genuinely enjoyed each one. They fluctuated between the real world and fantasy and I enjoyed the switch between the two. Ranging from sweet, funny, emotional and chaotic, they were engaging and enjoyable.
I normally am not drawn to collections of short stories because I usually want favor one over all of the rest, but I really loved this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Literary Press Group of Canada and NetGalley for my arc!
Some stories were funny, some seemed repetitive and a little too on the nose for me. I love the cover - super intriguing. I'm excited to hear more thoughts from readers once this publishes. The short story 'Eyebrow' was probably the frontrunner.
Some stories were funny, some seemed repetitive and a little too on the nose for me. I love the cover - super intriguing. I'm excited to hear more thoughts from readers once this publishes. The short story 'Eyebrow' was probably the frontrunner.
May 17, 2026
A book of short stories is so fun because you get the joy of reading about different characters. I loved that throughout the book, the author brought back one family in multiple stories. The placement was well thought out and all of the stories were enjoyable.
June 21, 2026
One of the more consistent story collections I have read, but still, some stories are better than others. This is certainly a writer to watch.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews