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The Meadows
"A story of pain, injustice, love, resistance, and hope, this glorious book will lodge inside you and make you feel everything.” —Helena Fox, award-winning author of How It Feels to Float
A queer, YA Handmaid’s Tale meets Never Let Me Go about a dystopian society bent on relentless conformity, and the struggle of one girl to save herself and those she loves from a life of lies
Everyone hopes for a letter—to attend the Estuary, the Glades, the Meadows. These are the special places where only the best and brightest go to burn even brighter.
When Eleanor is accepted at the Meadows, it means escape from her hardscrabble life by the sea, in a country ravaged by climate disaster. But despite its luminous facilities, endless fields, and pretty things, the Meadows keeps dark secrets: its purpose is to reform students, to condition them against their attractions, to show them that one way of life is the only way to survive. And maybe Eleanor would believe them, except then she meets Rose.
Four years later, Eleanor and her friends seem free of the Meadows, changed but not as they’d hoped. Eleanor is an adjudicator, her job to ensure her former classmates don’t stray from the lives they’ve been trained to live. But Eleanor can’t escape her past . . . or thoughts of the girl she once loved. As secrets unfurl, Eleanor must wage a dangerous battle for her own identity and the truth of what happened to the girl she lost, knowing, if she’s not careful, Rose’s fate could be her own.
A raw and timely masterwork of speculative fiction, The Meadows will sink its roots into you. This is a novel for our times and for always—not to be missed.
"Evocative prose and worldbuilding shot through with equal parts melancholy and hope" —PW (starred review)
“Timely and gripping, [with] a new revelation always around the corner” —Kirkus Reviews
"Atmospheric and unsettling . . . Belongs in every collection" —Natalie C. Parker, author of the Seafire series
“Extraordinary” —Helena Fox, author of How It Feels to Float
A queer, YA Handmaid’s Tale meets Never Let Me Go about a dystopian society bent on relentless conformity, and the struggle of one girl to save herself and those she loves from a life of lies
Everyone hopes for a letter—to attend the Estuary, the Glades, the Meadows. These are the special places where only the best and brightest go to burn even brighter.
When Eleanor is accepted at the Meadows, it means escape from her hardscrabble life by the sea, in a country ravaged by climate disaster. But despite its luminous facilities, endless fields, and pretty things, the Meadows keeps dark secrets: its purpose is to reform students, to condition them against their attractions, to show them that one way of life is the only way to survive. And maybe Eleanor would believe them, except then she meets Rose.
Four years later, Eleanor and her friends seem free of the Meadows, changed but not as they’d hoped. Eleanor is an adjudicator, her job to ensure her former classmates don’t stray from the lives they’ve been trained to live. But Eleanor can’t escape her past . . . or thoughts of the girl she once loved. As secrets unfurl, Eleanor must wage a dangerous battle for her own identity and the truth of what happened to the girl she lost, knowing, if she’s not careful, Rose’s fate could be her own.
A raw and timely masterwork of speculative fiction, The Meadows will sink its roots into you. This is a novel for our times and for always—not to be missed.
"Evocative prose and worldbuilding shot through with equal parts melancholy and hope" —PW (starred review)
“Timely and gripping, [with] a new revelation always around the corner” —Kirkus Reviews
"Atmospheric and unsettling . . . Belongs in every collection" —Natalie C. Parker, author of the Seafire series
“Extraordinary” —Helena Fox, author of How It Feels to Float
442 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2023
40 people are currently reading
7326 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Oakes
4 books489 followersStephanie Oakes is the author of THE SACRED LIES OF MINNOW BLY, which was a Morris Award finalist and a Golden Kite Honor book, THE ARSONIST, which won the Washington State Book Award and was an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, and THE MEADOWS, published in 2023. Stephanie lives in Spokane, Washington with her wife and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
October 10, 2023
This book absolutely broke my heart.
What I liked: I thought that this book explored a lot of important and sensitive topics really well. Particularly, I felt it succeeded at showing how insidious a system is that gives the illusion of “choice” when forcing people into the rigid societal expectations of gender, sexuality, race, etc. Eleanor’s journey was a very painful one, but Focusing on a character who at first wasn’t sure of herself or her belief/rejection of society telling her she’s “wrong” was really powerful.
What I didn’t like: The second quarter of the book dragged a bit, and while I think it was meant to introduce the illusion of paradise in the meadows and slowly start to deconstruct it, I think it could have been condensed a bit to improve pacing. I did also have a few lingering questions. What about people with disabilities for example? How are they treated in this society that views any difference as something to be “fixed”?
Overall: This was a really important, thought provoking, and well-written book that shows the harm and horrors of conversion therapy through a dystopian setting.
Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, conversion therapy, murder, death of a parent
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Thank you so much Dial Books/Penguin Teen for the ARC!
What I liked: I thought that this book explored a lot of important and sensitive topics really well. Particularly, I felt it succeeded at showing how insidious a system is that gives the illusion of “choice” when forcing people into the rigid societal expectations of gender, sexuality, race, etc. Eleanor’s journey was a very painful one, but Focusing on a character who at first wasn’t sure of herself or her belief/rejection of society telling her she’s “wrong” was really powerful.
What I didn’t like: The second quarter of the book dragged a bit, and while I think it was meant to introduce the illusion of paradise in the meadows and slowly start to deconstruct it, I think it could have been condensed a bit to improve pacing. I did also have a few lingering questions. What about people with disabilities for example? How are they treated in this society that views any difference as something to be “fixed”?
Overall: This was a really important, thought provoking, and well-written book that shows the harm and horrors of conversion therapy through a dystopian setting.
Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, conversion therapy, murder, death of a parent
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Thank you so much Dial Books/Penguin Teen for the ARC!
September 16, 2023
The instant I saw queer handmainden’s tale I knew I would have to read this book. I thought the premise was very interesting even if it was in equal parts horrifying. To imagine a world that has been told that allowing men to marry men is the cause of the destruction of the earth (instead of global warming and our general disregard for our planet). I will admit the main character was hard to connect to, but I felt that pretty much fit the story given what she went through. Eleanor dreamed of getting her letter to one of the special schools where the best and brightest children went. When she got her letter for The Meadows she was ecstatic. This was her chance to leave her tiny home town of The Cove and become someone important. When she got to school she was surprised to find a finishing school that was only teaching her how to be a wife and mother, but she was more horrified when she realized that the school was not about finding the best and brightest but those most likely to stray from the strict societal gender norms and reform them. I liked the ending and overall enjoyed this story (although the back and forth between timelines was hard to follow at times and the story could have moved a little faster).
September 21, 2023
A quieter Dystopia story about a Lesbian girl who is basically clocked by her oppressive government as a child, taken to a school where she's told they're the "best and the brightest" and years later after she's left, has to deal with the trauma that has followed her, while trying to save her school friends from being trapped in a life they don't want.
We get a back and forth POV in this story, seeing Eleanor's time in the Meadows and her school friends as they were, and then the future, seeing the choices they had been forced to make and how that had affected them, which I thought was really interesting.
I loved that the YA Dystopia trend of having the main character be the one to overthrow this massive government has all but gone now, and Eleanor, while making small changes, is never intended to do that. She's just a citizen, trying to survive and find the girl she left behind in her village, and the girl she met in the Meadows.
Towards the middle, the pacing felt really off and started to slog a bit, but it was so worth slogging though, as the last hundred pages gave us so many answers, uncovered some incredible secrets and gave me hope for Eleanor's future world, as she met the people looking to change the world, and she started to find her own path. It was such a fitting ending (or beginning) for her character, and left a lasting impression on me.
We get a back and forth POV in this story, seeing Eleanor's time in the Meadows and her school friends as they were, and then the future, seeing the choices they had been forced to make and how that had affected them, which I thought was really interesting.
I loved that the YA Dystopia trend of having the main character be the one to overthrow this massive government has all but gone now, and Eleanor, while making small changes, is never intended to do that. She's just a citizen, trying to survive and find the girl she left behind in her village, and the girl she met in the Meadows.
Towards the middle, the pacing felt really off and started to slog a bit, but it was so worth slogging though, as the last hundred pages gave us so many answers, uncovered some incredible secrets and gave me hope for Eleanor's future world, as she met the people looking to change the world, and she started to find her own path. It was such a fitting ending (or beginning) for her character, and left a lasting impression on me.
October 18, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
The Meadows is a queer dystopian sci-fi novel that deftly navigates difficult topics surrounding queerness, gender identity, intersectionality, and state oversight in a story reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale where the goal is to flatten everyone into being the same and where cis, straight, whiteness is the norm. There was a lot that I liked about this conceptually, but I did think it was quite a bit longer than it needed to be and some of the sci-fi elements seem cool in theory but don't necessarily make a lot of sense. Similarly some of the specifics of how this society that is somehow anti-religion while also being deeply conservative don't make a ton of sense to me. The author discusses how this novel was inspired by what she learned about the realities of "conversion therapy" and the harm it does- that element was definitely the strongest one in the book. It does a good job of showing the different ways people might respond to this kind of attempted deprogramming and how the gaslighting might be effective in getting people to suppress who they really are. Ultimately I liked what this book was trying to do and thought it had some real strengths, but it's definitely not perfect. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
The Meadows is a queer dystopian sci-fi novel that deftly navigates difficult topics surrounding queerness, gender identity, intersectionality, and state oversight in a story reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale where the goal is to flatten everyone into being the same and where cis, straight, whiteness is the norm. There was a lot that I liked about this conceptually, but I did think it was quite a bit longer than it needed to be and some of the sci-fi elements seem cool in theory but don't necessarily make a lot of sense. Similarly some of the specifics of how this society that is somehow anti-religion while also being deeply conservative don't make a ton of sense to me. The author discusses how this novel was inspired by what she learned about the realities of "conversion therapy" and the harm it does- that element was definitely the strongest one in the book. It does a good job of showing the different ways people might respond to this kind of attempted deprogramming and how the gaslighting might be effective in getting people to suppress who they really are. Ultimately I liked what this book was trying to do and thought it had some real strengths, but it's definitely not perfect. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
September 24, 2023
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am devastated.
I wrote that when I first finished this book, overcome with the urge to cry and laugh and yell, all at once. It holds true. The Meadows is a story that I hold near my heart. I hope with everything within me that this book blows up — because it's such a special, beautiful story of struggle in the face a world that fights your existence — but I hope it at least finds the people who need it.
In a country torn apart by climate disaster and remade with the abolishment of religion, race, and culture, Eleanor is accepted into the Meadows, a prestigious school for the "best and brightest." Four years later, Eleanor has a job in the city, living the beginning of a life she was always told to image for herself. But as secrets are uncovered and the dark truths of this picture-perfect school start to tear her apart, Eleanor is left to pick up the pieces of what remains of herself.
The Meadows is a hard book to discuss without spoilers. It's a YA dystopia, but one more in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale than any of the 2010s YA classics. It's about pain and struggle, but it's also full of love and strength. It captured my heart, expanded my mind, and hit me harder than I have been in a while. I truly hope this book finds its audience. It's devastatingly important, with beautiful writing and a story that will keep you guessing throughout.
This is a story that never truly ends. So much is packed within it, and it's beautifully explored. There are so many quotes that took my breath away, so many themes and moments that made me unsure of myself. I truly was never far away from the story when reading it, and I don't foresee it ever leaving me.
I buddy read this with Ash (@smokedshelves), and it was such an engaging experience — sharing our theories, our favorite quotes, our screams and teary eyes. Grab a friend when you pick up this book. Share this experience. I'm sure you'll find the pieces of yourselves just waiting for you to let them in.
Trigger Warnings: conversion therapy, parent death, gaslighting, violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, cultural erasure, self-harm, suicide
I am devastated.
I wrote that when I first finished this book, overcome with the urge to cry and laugh and yell, all at once. It holds true. The Meadows is a story that I hold near my heart. I hope with everything within me that this book blows up — because it's such a special, beautiful story of struggle in the face a world that fights your existence — but I hope it at least finds the people who need it.
In a country torn apart by climate disaster and remade with the abolishment of religion, race, and culture, Eleanor is accepted into the Meadows, a prestigious school for the "best and brightest." Four years later, Eleanor has a job in the city, living the beginning of a life she was always told to image for herself. But as secrets are uncovered and the dark truths of this picture-perfect school start to tear her apart, Eleanor is left to pick up the pieces of what remains of herself.
The Meadows is a hard book to discuss without spoilers. It's a YA dystopia, but one more in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale than any of the 2010s YA classics. It's about pain and struggle, but it's also full of love and strength. It captured my heart, expanded my mind, and hit me harder than I have been in a while. I truly hope this book finds its audience. It's devastatingly important, with beautiful writing and a story that will keep you guessing throughout.
This is a story that never truly ends. So much is packed within it, and it's beautifully explored. There are so many quotes that took my breath away, so many themes and moments that made me unsure of myself. I truly was never far away from the story when reading it, and I don't foresee it ever leaving me.
I buddy read this with Ash (@smokedshelves), and it was such an engaging experience — sharing our theories, our favorite quotes, our screams and teary eyes. Grab a friend when you pick up this book. Share this experience. I'm sure you'll find the pieces of yourselves just waiting for you to let them in.
Trigger Warnings: conversion therapy, parent death, gaslighting, violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, cultural erasure, self-harm, suicide
September 19, 2023
thank you penguinteen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i… genuinely don’t know where to begin. how much should i say? everything i want to say, really, feels like a spoiler.
i guess, let me just say. i hope this book receives the recognition it deserves. the importance it has to our current day. the slippery path our world could easily go down, if extremist parties gain more traction. this book, does a beautiful job portraying how deeply frightening it can be if this does happen. it scares me with how unfortunately probable this path is in our current political landscape, especially here in the states.
but also, throughout it all. it gives us hope. it shows people like eleanor, people like me, who subtly fight back. like sheila, who’s a flame, burning almost too bright. like betty, who bury their hurt deep deep down until they drown. the amount of times i held back sobs reading this story. it’s so damn powerful. so well portrayed. it uses a dystopian landscape with highly advanced technology to “mask” the how similar it is to our modern world. but at its core, its a story about us now. and it’s done so well. so intricately constructed. i really, truly, could not explain this all this book contains properly.
i had the lovely opportunity, albeit completely unplanned, chance to buddy read this with mel (@mel.muses). and i honestly think this is the way to go. grab a friend or two. make a lil group chat and buddy read it. because your brains will be swimming with theories and confusion and beautiful quotes. and you will want to talk to it with someone.
this book is made for conversations. so lets start them.
i… genuinely don’t know where to begin. how much should i say? everything i want to say, really, feels like a spoiler.
i guess, let me just say. i hope this book receives the recognition it deserves. the importance it has to our current day. the slippery path our world could easily go down, if extremist parties gain more traction. this book, does a beautiful job portraying how deeply frightening it can be if this does happen. it scares me with how unfortunately probable this path is in our current political landscape, especially here in the states.
but also, throughout it all. it gives us hope. it shows people like eleanor, people like me, who subtly fight back. like sheila, who’s a flame, burning almost too bright. like betty, who bury their hurt deep deep down until they drown. the amount of times i held back sobs reading this story. it’s so damn powerful. so well portrayed. it uses a dystopian landscape with highly advanced technology to “mask” the how similar it is to our modern world. but at its core, its a story about us now. and it’s done so well. so intricately constructed. i really, truly, could not explain this all this book contains properly.
i had the lovely opportunity, albeit completely unplanned, chance to buddy read this with mel (@mel.muses). and i honestly think this is the way to go. grab a friend or two. make a lil group chat and buddy read it. because your brains will be swimming with theories and confusion and beautiful quotes. and you will want to talk to it with someone.
this book is made for conversations. so lets start them.
August 31, 2023
Marketed as a queer Handmaid's Tale vibe, this YA dystopian did not disappoint.
Aside from the gorgeous cover, The Meadows is beautifully written and immersive. This book is not to be missed, especially if you're a queer youth.
It is told over different timelines, and the pace is slower in some places, but that didn't bother me. I enjoyed this story and would definitely read more by this author. The ending made me shed some happy tears.
Tysm to Penguin Teen for the ARC.
Aside from the gorgeous cover, The Meadows is beautifully written and immersive. This book is not to be missed, especially if you're a queer youth.
It is told over different timelines, and the pace is slower in some places, but that didn't bother me. I enjoyed this story and would definitely read more by this author. The ending made me shed some happy tears.
Tysm to Penguin Teen for the ARC.
July 23, 2023
The books premise is given to us as handmaids tale but make it gay. This premise works of course but felt forced and contradictory in the world building since it was made as a dystopian.
We begin in a facility where the best of girls are sent. Early on we find out it’s all the girls found to even have a hint at being gay that are sent here to be reformed as refined housewives and then forced to marry or have a job snitching on others, which is the job our main character has.
My main complaint is that I wish the past and present were specified at the start of each chapter. I had to reorient myself every time and read ahead to see which POV I was reading before actually diving in. Especially since it wouldn’t be an exact back and forth every chapter.
Now on to my world building complaint. This dystopian world just felt so forced to me. For example: this world got rid of discrimination based on race but then went on to suggest a character be more “black” to get the job? How is that not job discrimination? And yet in a world where religion is no longer a thing (good luck getting rid of Christianity unless they were the ones who died out) they are forced to suffer under the gender binary in yet another patriarchal society.
I found the main character to be quite plain and not likeable. The Meadows was probably the worst reform house Ive ever seen because they just suck at their job. It’s conversion therapy disguised as a private school. Every girl is supposedly sent to this place because they like girls but they are never even told that this is a bad thing! Multiple times girls are caught kissing and yeah they will split the couples up but then they just ignore it. Hell one of the matrons offers Eleanor to randomly come live with her?? Why?? Who the heck knows! Everyone needs to be fired and this whole world just needs redone again
The ending was good as well! This is not a kill your gays book thank god and I did love the ending turn I guess bc I didn’t like [REDACTED] LOL! We love a gay happy ending for once!
Altogether if you’re a dystopian fan then this is definitely the book for you but if the premise is what enticed you, I would say take it with a grain of salt. Be sure to check out other reviews as well as I am just one lonely reviewer in a sea of many!
We begin in a facility where the best of girls are sent. Early on we find out it’s all the girls found to even have a hint at being gay that are sent here to be reformed as refined housewives and then forced to marry or have a job snitching on others, which is the job our main character has.
My main complaint is that I wish the past and present were specified at the start of each chapter. I had to reorient myself every time and read ahead to see which POV I was reading before actually diving in. Especially since it wouldn’t be an exact back and forth every chapter.
Now on to my world building complaint. This dystopian world just felt so forced to me. For example: this world got rid of discrimination based on race but then went on to suggest a character be more “black” to get the job? How is that not job discrimination? And yet in a world where religion is no longer a thing (good luck getting rid of Christianity unless they were the ones who died out) they are forced to suffer under the gender binary in yet another patriarchal society.
I found the main character to be quite plain and not likeable. The Meadows was probably the worst reform house Ive ever seen because they just suck at their job. It’s conversion therapy disguised as a private school. Every girl is supposedly sent to this place because they like girls but they are never even told that this is a bad thing! Multiple times girls are caught kissing and yeah they will split the couples up but then they just ignore it. Hell one of the matrons offers Eleanor to randomly come live with her?? Why?? Who the heck knows! Everyone needs to be fired and this whole world just needs redone again
The ending was good as well! This is not a kill your gays book thank god and I did love the ending turn I guess bc I didn’t like [REDACTED] LOL! We love a gay happy ending for once!
Altogether if you’re a dystopian fan then this is definitely the book for you but if the premise is what enticed you, I would say take it with a grain of salt. Be sure to check out other reviews as well as I am just one lonely reviewer in a sea of many!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2023
What worked: YA meets Handmaid's Tale set in a futuristic world where teens are sent to camps to 'better' themselves. Only in these camps, there is an ugly truth. A truth the matrons try to suppress by using gentle coaching methods to force out any differences.
While reading this novel I instantly thought of the horrific practice of conversion-places that try to force GLBTQ teens/YA to not be themselves. These places unfortunately still are around but like the author mentions at the back of this novel, are given different titles. The harm they cause are the same though.
Eleanor wants so much to belong and to be loved. She shares a forbidden kiss and then is summoned to the Meadows. She's excited thinking this will lead to wonderful things. The dystopian backdrop with hints of The Handmaid's Tale is chilling. But more so is how the matrons who run the place come off as caring and gentle. Though in a way it's almost passive-aggressive in how they interact with the girls with the subtle and not-so-subtle comments if one of them doesn't follow their directions.
The characters are multi-complex and there are surprises that turn up throughout this engaging story. The truth about Eleanor's parents and Matron Maureen shows the complexity of this world. Nothing is what it appears. Secrets and truths aren't as hidden as one might believe.
I love a good dystopia novel and this one didn't disappoint. The world-building is intriguing with the 'new' world and how far the caretakers go to have their so-called perfect society. A society that is more traditional and frowns on anyone who questions them.
Queer dystopian where any difference is suppressed by 'gentle' but horrific ramifications and the girl who fights to find her way back to the girl she left behind.
Originally posted: https://www.yabookscentral.com/the-me...
While reading this novel I instantly thought of the horrific practice of conversion-places that try to force GLBTQ teens/YA to not be themselves. These places unfortunately still are around but like the author mentions at the back of this novel, are given different titles. The harm they cause are the same though.
Eleanor wants so much to belong and to be loved. She shares a forbidden kiss and then is summoned to the Meadows. She's excited thinking this will lead to wonderful things. The dystopian backdrop with hints of The Handmaid's Tale is chilling. But more so is how the matrons who run the place come off as caring and gentle. Though in a way it's almost passive-aggressive in how they interact with the girls with the subtle and not-so-subtle comments if one of them doesn't follow their directions.
The characters are multi-complex and there are surprises that turn up throughout this engaging story. The truth about Eleanor's parents and Matron Maureen shows the complexity of this world. Nothing is what it appears. Secrets and truths aren't as hidden as one might believe.
I love a good dystopia novel and this one didn't disappoint. The world-building is intriguing with the 'new' world and how far the caretakers go to have their so-called perfect society. A society that is more traditional and frowns on anyone who questions them.
Queer dystopian where any difference is suppressed by 'gentle' but horrific ramifications and the girl who fights to find her way back to the girl she left behind.
Originally posted: https://www.yabookscentral.com/the-me...
June 7, 2023
The Meadows is a fantastic YA book about a dystopian society that wants everyone to abide by what they consider normal. The main character Eleanor gets accepted to the Meadows and comes to find out that things are not what they seem. I really enjoyed the plot and found it disturbing and thrilling. It really comes close to how awful people are currently in our society and that really hit a nerve with me. I kept thinking is this where we are headed? The writing is top notch and the story flows easily back and forth between present and past. The characters were very well written, they all were strong individuals that had a lot of dimensions. I loved Eleanor, Rose, and June. This is such a great story! I look forward to reading more by this author.
March 7, 2024
Shocking, beautifully written, somehow even realistic in a way. A book about a dystopian future where being different is against the law, it’s wonderful. I have so much to say about this, and it’s only good things. It absolutely resonated. I might write a bigger review soon!!
December 26, 2023
The cover is sublime and Eleanor's story seared my soul.
"I do what I can: listen, and see them, and hold on to their stories."
October 28, 2023
4,5 stars, this book was excellent and 200% recommending it. :)
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My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bookstagram
September 25, 2023
3.5 stars
I appreciated the author making her MC one that is not the Katniss Everdeen who will bring down the establishment, as well as showing how insidiously conversion therapy techniques work. Individual choices that make small contributions to the greater good are still important and significant.
I think the scope of this story just felt a little limited, however, and I needed more character development across the board. When the plot is slower and the characters are not as dynamic or deep, you also notice logic gaps and inconsistencies more. Most importantly, on subjects so important and timely as transphobia, homophobia, internment, and the denial and repression of identity, I really wanted to feel the confusion and pain and panic and despair—or even the breathless wonder of discovery—and it just never happened.
Stephanie Oakes’ The Truth About Minnow Bly is still one of my favorite YA novels, but this one could have used another pass.
I appreciated the author making her MC one that is not the Katniss Everdeen who will bring down the establishment, as well as showing how insidiously conversion therapy techniques work. Individual choices that make small contributions to the greater good are still important and significant.
I think the scope of this story just felt a little limited, however, and I needed more character development across the board. When the plot is slower and the characters are not as dynamic or deep, you also notice logic gaps and inconsistencies more. Most importantly, on subjects so important and timely as transphobia, homophobia, internment, and the denial and repression of identity, I really wanted to feel the confusion and pain and panic and despair—or even the breathless wonder of discovery—and it just never happened.
Stephanie Oakes’ The Truth About Minnow Bly is still one of my favorite YA novels, but this one could have used another pass.
June 6, 2024
Este libro nos presenta un futuro distopico donde hay un nuevo “orden” que se ocupa de tomar decisiones por toda la sociedad. A sus ojos, las costumbres de las personas fueron las que causaron desastres e hicieron casi extinguir la raza, así que “los mejores” se juntaron y propusieron restaurar todo volviendo a las viejas costumbres.
La protagonista de este libro es Eleanor, una chica que vive con su madre adoptiva en una aldea alejada de la ciudad. Ella es libre de correr y vivir su vida y experimentar, sobre todo junto con su mejor amiga June. Hasta que un día le llega una carta que la invita a “The Meadows”, un lugar donde solo las niñas mejores y más brillantes pueden ir para convertirse en grandes mujeres.
Pero este lugar oculta su verdadero propósito en secreto ya que lo que busca es hacerle entender a sus estudiantes que no deben sentirse atraídos por personas del mismo sexo porque eso fue lo que causó que la humanidad casi no sobreviva. Eleanor intenta con todas sus fuerzas creerlo y casi lo consigue, hasta que conoce a Rose.
La trama está narrada en presente, pero en dos tiempos, donde conocemos los días de Eleanor en la institución y lo que vive una vez que sale. A veces es un poco confuso saber que momento nos están narrando ya que ambos están en presente y no tienen identificadores, pero fuera de eso creo que es una gran forma de mantener al lector enganchado y conectando los puntos sueltos.
Me gusta mucho como la autora trata todo lo relacionado a la terapia de conversión, que, aunque uno cree que estando en 2024 ya no existe, la verdad es que hay muchos que aun creen que esto es necesario. Se nota que la autora ha investigado bastante del tema para poder escribir esta novela.
Eleanor como protagonista es bastante particular. Su personaje me gustaba aunque me irritaba un poco, pero me gusta que nunca es la heroína del libro, ella no busca salvar a nadie ni cambiar el sistema, sino que intenta vivir su vida lo mejor posible librando con la confusión constante entre lo que quiere, y lo que le hicieron creer que quiere. Siempre pienso que el punto de las distopías del estilo de El cuento de la criada o Vox es hacer que uno se sienta incómodo leyendo y agradezca vivir en la actualidad, este sin duda no falló en esa parte.
El resto de los personajes me gustó porque hay muchísima representación LGBT+, y cada uno tiene su propia mini trama dentro de esta historia.
Finalmente remarco que me gustó mucho también como la autora utilizo la tecnología como parte de esta historia, aunque no puedo dar detalles, tendrían que leerlo para descubrir a que me refiero.
Creo que, siendo consientes de los TW que tiene esta historia, vale la pena darle una oportunidad.
TW: homofobia, misoginia, racismo, estrés post traumático, suicidio y terapia de conversión.
La protagonista de este libro es Eleanor, una chica que vive con su madre adoptiva en una aldea alejada de la ciudad. Ella es libre de correr y vivir su vida y experimentar, sobre todo junto con su mejor amiga June. Hasta que un día le llega una carta que la invita a “The Meadows”, un lugar donde solo las niñas mejores y más brillantes pueden ir para convertirse en grandes mujeres.
Pero este lugar oculta su verdadero propósito en secreto ya que lo que busca es hacerle entender a sus estudiantes que no deben sentirse atraídos por personas del mismo sexo porque eso fue lo que causó que la humanidad casi no sobreviva. Eleanor intenta con todas sus fuerzas creerlo y casi lo consigue, hasta que conoce a Rose.
La trama está narrada en presente, pero en dos tiempos, donde conocemos los días de Eleanor en la institución y lo que vive una vez que sale. A veces es un poco confuso saber que momento nos están narrando ya que ambos están en presente y no tienen identificadores, pero fuera de eso creo que es una gran forma de mantener al lector enganchado y conectando los puntos sueltos.
Me gusta mucho como la autora trata todo lo relacionado a la terapia de conversión, que, aunque uno cree que estando en 2024 ya no existe, la verdad es que hay muchos que aun creen que esto es necesario. Se nota que la autora ha investigado bastante del tema para poder escribir esta novela.
Eleanor como protagonista es bastante particular. Su personaje me gustaba aunque me irritaba un poco, pero me gusta que nunca es la heroína del libro, ella no busca salvar a nadie ni cambiar el sistema, sino que intenta vivir su vida lo mejor posible librando con la confusión constante entre lo que quiere, y lo que le hicieron creer que quiere. Siempre pienso que el punto de las distopías del estilo de El cuento de la criada o Vox es hacer que uno se sienta incómodo leyendo y agradezca vivir en la actualidad, este sin duda no falló en esa parte.
El resto de los personajes me gustó porque hay muchísima representación LGBT+, y cada uno tiene su propia mini trama dentro de esta historia.
Finalmente remarco que me gustó mucho también como la autora utilizo la tecnología como parte de esta historia, aunque no puedo dar detalles, tendrían que leerlo para descubrir a que me refiero.
Creo que, siendo consientes de los TW que tiene esta historia, vale la pena darle una oportunidad.
TW: homofobia, misoginia, racismo, estrés post traumático, suicidio y terapia de conversión.
February 4, 2024
3.5
Overall it was pretty good. The world building was relatively unique and wasn’t hard to follow. My one issue would be that some of the past parts where Eleanor was in The Meadows were kinda boring/felt like they dragged on a bit. But otherwise I really liked it, it was a good idea
(Oh, and the part with Cora + Stella was really sad…)
Check content warnings… (this isn’t all of them) a lot of homophobia and transphobia, suicide, panic/panic attacks
Overall it was pretty good. The world building was relatively unique and wasn’t hard to follow. My one issue would be that some of the past parts where Eleanor was in The Meadows were kinda boring/felt like they dragged on a bit. But otherwise I really liked it, it was a good idea
(Oh, and the part with Cora + Stella was really sad…)
Check content warnings… (this isn’t all of them) a lot of homophobia and transphobia, suicide, panic/panic attacks
November 10, 2023
i don’t think this was for me. i was bored, confused and just couldn’t keep myself interested in this.
October 23, 2023
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: homophobia, self harm, conversion therapy, racism, killing of a pet (frog), implied self harm & depression, domestic violence, suicide
4
I’ve never read a conversion therapy dystopia before- and it was certainly unique. This has the markings of general dystopia, but done in a way far different than the books of the genre I’ve read before. This story also has a weight and an exhausted maturity, making it often read more like adult fiction than YA, which could be a pro or a con depending on the reader.
The hidden truths of this story were not impossible to guess, but I also think were hinted at very well, enough to give you the idea and feel the dread before it becomes officially announced.
This future is one not that unfamiliar to someone who reads dystopia, but the focus on the people within it instead of the looming government, and the casual holes poked made the whole thing feel so much more real. Eleanor, too, benefitted from that kind of treatment. She is sympathetic and flawed in her mundanity, her role as a cog in the machine, used to be made into a shape and then continually used after.
This story, however, did seem to lose track of itself quite a few times. Things are taken for granted, details are reneged. There are a few timeline spots that felt like the author had simply not thought them through. And that would bother me less if the plot itself hadn’t been so slow it was hard not to notice missteps. The back and forth drags everything, and even without that it takes a very long time for things to feel as if they are moving. In some ways this pacing works, because it is, again, about the mundane, lived dystopia of it- but at the same time, that doesn’t make it that readable.
I also feel like the tonal change at the end was too abrupt. For a story so heavy and realistically imperfect the sudden optimism of the last 5th is just fast and clashed.
TW: homophobia, self harm, conversion therapy, racism, killing of a pet (frog), implied self harm & depression, domestic violence, suicide
4
I’ve never read a conversion therapy dystopia before- and it was certainly unique. This has the markings of general dystopia, but done in a way far different than the books of the genre I’ve read before. This story also has a weight and an exhausted maturity, making it often read more like adult fiction than YA, which could be a pro or a con depending on the reader.
The hidden truths of this story were not impossible to guess, but I also think were hinted at very well, enough to give you the idea and feel the dread before it becomes officially announced.
This future is one not that unfamiliar to someone who reads dystopia, but the focus on the people within it instead of the looming government, and the casual holes poked made the whole thing feel so much more real. Eleanor, too, benefitted from that kind of treatment. She is sympathetic and flawed in her mundanity, her role as a cog in the machine, used to be made into a shape and then continually used after.
This story, however, did seem to lose track of itself quite a few times. Things are taken for granted, details are reneged. There are a few timeline spots that felt like the author had simply not thought them through. And that would bother me less if the plot itself hadn’t been so slow it was hard not to notice missteps. The back and forth drags everything, and even without that it takes a very long time for things to feel as if they are moving. In some ways this pacing works, because it is, again, about the mundane, lived dystopia of it- but at the same time, that doesn’t make it that readable.
I also feel like the tonal change at the end was too abrupt. For a story so heavy and realistically imperfect the sudden optimism of the last 5th is just fast and clashed.
November 25, 2023
I had the privilege of reading this book less than a month and a half after its release. And boy what a privilege it was. This book is a *must read* sapphic novel for queer folks who enjoy dystopian stories. I highly recommend you scroll down and read other reviews praising it and introducing you to the plot, as it’s late and I don’t have energy to summarize. However, I’ll chime in my 2¢, which are: this is a remarkable novel about the power and resilience of queer people, and I loved every character— never guessed a single plot twist. The author keeps you on your toes until the very last page. I rarely ever rate anything 5 stars, and this book easily reached the 5 star zone,— no rounding up needed. Go get this book. ..read the first 25 pages one night,- the next day I read 403. Read this all day long. That hasn’t happened to me in ages. This is a good one !!! The author’s note at the end is a must-read as well. What a sweet woman.
TW: self harm, death of parent, state sanctioned murder, suicide, conversion therapy, intimate partner violence
TW: self harm, death of parent, state sanctioned murder, suicide, conversion therapy, intimate partner violence
Want to read
September 7, 2022This is going to make me sob, isn't it?
September 21, 2023
Oh, this book. This book bruised my heart in so many ways, but what's telling, to me, is that despite how frightening and sad 98% of this book was, the only part that made me cry was the epilogue, which (no spoilers) ends the story on a note that's hopeful and triumphant.
In the author's note, Oakes (who I'm a huge fan of; The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a book that's stayed with me for a long, long time, and which I reread this year!) says that this is a story that's been with her for many years. It's scary, and remarkably prescient, that in those years, the world described in this book has become even more plausible. And in that world, Oakes's criticisms are scathing and many: the blaming of global-warming related disasters on the existence of LGBTQ+ people, rather than on the people at the very top who are actually responsible, doesn't feel all that far-fetched in a world where far-right politicians can say pretty much whatever ridiculous, unfounded thing that pops into their heads and be praised for it. A future in which an algorithm sees, knows, and controls all feels more and more real every day. Oakes's cleverest turn, in this dystopia-adjacent world, is in her decision to make the official law of this land that there is no more organized religion or racism...except that the "non-religious" holidays still celebrated mirror Christianity in many ways, and the "post-racial" world is only possible because non-white people are expected to conform to norms of whiteness. This so easily could have been a religious dystopia like the one in The Handmaid's Tale, especially since conventions such as strict "traditional" gender roles and purity culture are rampant; but Oakes's decision to make this world more quiet and sinister in its control was, in my opinion, extremely smart.
At its heart, though, this is a novel about what happens to us when we grow up believing that something essential about us—something that, if you'll forgive the reference, we can't change even if we tried or wanted to—is deeply, grossly wrong. Some characters are defiant in the face of what they're told. Some conform completely. All are, in some way, worn down by these teachings, and none are left unscathed by them. And I think any queer person of any stripe, reading this, will find something that resonates, because, hey, this isn't so different from how some parts of society think of us still, and we aren't unscathed by it, either. So ultimately, yes, this was a difficult read, and one that got under my skin; but also, I believe, an important and ultimately hopeful book.
In the author's note, Oakes (who I'm a huge fan of; The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a book that's stayed with me for a long, long time, and which I reread this year!) says that this is a story that's been with her for many years. It's scary, and remarkably prescient, that in those years, the world described in this book has become even more plausible. And in that world, Oakes's criticisms are scathing and many: the blaming of global-warming related disasters on the existence of LGBTQ+ people, rather than on the people at the very top who are actually responsible, doesn't feel all that far-fetched in a world where far-right politicians can say pretty much whatever ridiculous, unfounded thing that pops into their heads and be praised for it. A future in which an algorithm sees, knows, and controls all feels more and more real every day. Oakes's cleverest turn, in this dystopia-adjacent world, is in her decision to make the official law of this land that there is no more organized religion or racism...except that the "non-religious" holidays still celebrated mirror Christianity in many ways, and the "post-racial" world is only possible because non-white people are expected to conform to norms of whiteness. This so easily could have been a religious dystopia like the one in The Handmaid's Tale, especially since conventions such as strict "traditional" gender roles and purity culture are rampant; but Oakes's decision to make this world more quiet and sinister in its control was, in my opinion, extremely smart.
At its heart, though, this is a novel about what happens to us when we grow up believing that something essential about us—something that, if you'll forgive the reference, we can't change even if we tried or wanted to—is deeply, grossly wrong. Some characters are defiant in the face of what they're told. Some conform completely. All are, in some way, worn down by these teachings, and none are left unscathed by them. And I think any queer person of any stripe, reading this, will find something that resonates, because, hey, this isn't so different from how some parts of society think of us still, and we aren't unscathed by it, either. So ultimately, yes, this was a difficult read, and one that got under my skin; but also, I believe, an important and ultimately hopeful book.
September 28, 2023
4.5 STAR - Another example of how Goodreads either needs a 10 scale or half stars.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a final copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this novel. I genuinely appreciated that it was a bit longer than most YA in this genre which allowed the author to dole out details to the reader that built the world in a way where while I obviously didn't agree with the politics of the world it was believable how a society could end up in a state like this.
This is world where in essentially queer youth are being slowly converted to straight youth and while not always on the nose with the inspiration the book acknowledgements by the author provide a lot of really powerful background points that supported the development of this novel, which is obviously rooted in the danger of conversion therapy and how sneaky it is in the modern era where i can hide behind life coaching and unlicensure of practioners, which makes the connection into this world in which the characters are separated both methaphorically and physically from the rest of the world even more powerful.
I think this is also a novel where the less you i know the better since the mystery get's shown to the reader over between the dual timelines in a way that felt real and allowed you to feel connected to each of the girls. I do wish that maybe a companion novel or short story was written that would show the boys perspective as I think both extremes make a good story, but I can also understand why the author didn't go that route.
I really enjoyed this one. It was right up my alley as a reader and I am glad I read it. I don't think it is going to make it into my top 10 of the year, but I can easily see how this going to be in my top 25 of the year (which at the time of writing I have read 130 books in 2023).
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a final copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this novel. I genuinely appreciated that it was a bit longer than most YA in this genre which allowed the author to dole out details to the reader that built the world in a way where while I obviously didn't agree with the politics of the world it was believable how a society could end up in a state like this.
This is world where in essentially queer youth are being slowly converted to straight youth and while not always on the nose with the inspiration the book acknowledgements by the author provide a lot of really powerful background points that supported the development of this novel, which is obviously rooted in the danger of conversion therapy and how sneaky it is in the modern era where i can hide behind life coaching and unlicensure of practioners, which makes the connection into this world in which the characters are separated both methaphorically and physically from the rest of the world even more powerful.
I think this is also a novel where the less you i know the better since the mystery get's shown to the reader over between the dual timelines in a way that felt real and allowed you to feel connected to each of the girls. I do wish that maybe a companion novel or short story was written that would show the boys perspective as I think both extremes make a good story, but I can also understand why the author didn't go that route.
I really enjoyed this one. It was right up my alley as a reader and I am glad I read it. I don't think it is going to make it into my top 10 of the year, but I can easily see how this going to be in my top 25 of the year (which at the time of writing I have read 130 books in 2023).
September 17, 2023
Won Paperback ARC in BookishFirst.com Giveaway!
This was my first Stephanie Oakes book and I was not expecting a dystopian book where life Before and life After are so different. Where life Before is life as we know it today (mostly), and life After is life where women are again treated as second-class citizens with far less rights than we have today. The "Turn" is when nature supposedly took back and righted itself. We don't learn much about the Turn, except that races, genders, and sexualities were deemed "against nature" and those are what supposedly caused upheaval (I assume flooding, starvation, climate change, etc etc, all the bad things essentially), per the Quorum, a nameless and faceless group of men.
We get to know Eleanor, a thirteen-year-old living with her adoptive mother in a rundown place called the Cove. She receives a letter inviting her to attend the Meadows, a school for the country's "best and brightest." She will attend for four years, then be introduced into society to meet a husband and fulfill her obligation to be a mother and housewife. But Eleanor knows there is something different about herself, though she has no words for it. She likes girls. But the algorithm has chosen her to attend the Meadows and off she goes to learn how to be a proper lady.
We watch Eleanor navigate two timeframes, while she is attending the Meadows and a year after she is released (graduated?) and is working as an adjudicator, checking up on fellow facility attendees who needed to be "reformed" and how they are getting along.
The book starts off pretty slow but once I hit about page 150, I was invested in Eleanor's past and present and wondering what exactly is going on in this society. I really enjoyed the book and where it went, what it had to say, how not very far we are in real life from this dystopia...
This was my first Stephanie Oakes book and I was not expecting a dystopian book where life Before and life After are so different. Where life Before is life as we know it today (mostly), and life After is life where women are again treated as second-class citizens with far less rights than we have today. The "Turn" is when nature supposedly took back and righted itself. We don't learn much about the Turn, except that races, genders, and sexualities were deemed "against nature" and those are what supposedly caused upheaval (I assume flooding, starvation, climate change, etc etc, all the bad things essentially), per the Quorum, a nameless and faceless group of men.
We get to know Eleanor, a thirteen-year-old living with her adoptive mother in a rundown place called the Cove. She receives a letter inviting her to attend the Meadows, a school for the country's "best and brightest." She will attend for four years, then be introduced into society to meet a husband and fulfill her obligation to be a mother and housewife. But Eleanor knows there is something different about herself, though she has no words for it. She likes girls. But the algorithm has chosen her to attend the Meadows and off she goes to learn how to be a proper lady.
We watch Eleanor navigate two timeframes, while she is attending the Meadows and a year after she is released (graduated?) and is working as an adjudicator, checking up on fellow facility attendees who needed to be "reformed" and how they are getting along.
The book starts off pretty slow but once I hit about page 150, I was invested in Eleanor's past and present and wondering what exactly is going on in this society. I really enjoyed the book and where it went, what it had to say, how not very far we are in real life from this dystopia...
January 7, 2024
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dial Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Only the best and the brightest have a chance of receiving a letter, of being invited to study at one of the facilities. So when a letter arrives for Eleanor from the Meadows, she's as surprised as she is elated for the chance to leave home and to forge her own path. The Meadows follows Eleanor in a timeline that switches back and forth between her years in the Meadows and in her first year outside of the facility living in the city as an adjudicator monitoring other facility graduates like herself to see that they have remained on the right path.
I want to keep it brief for the summary of the book, because this book is something that both needs and deserves to be experienced the way it is written. The relationships between Eleanor and the other girls at the Meadows as well as with her neighbors, friends, and the other graduates she looks in on for work breathed so much life into the story, because at the root of it, the characters are the heart and soul of this story. They're just little girls (and boys when we meet boys from other facilities) with strong, brave hearts living in a world that wants to mold them into something they are not, into something that society expects them to be. They are Eleanor and Rose and June and Sheila and Jo and Penelope and Marina and Betty. And they are all of us, too. A world of people trying to find who we really are--who our different paper dolls are, all stacked together from past to present, and who they all come together to make when we stop trying to bury them.
The use of a dystopian setting to tell this story was perfect, in my opinion, and honestly, despite a short period in the middle of the book when the story moved a little more slowly than I would have liked, this is one of my favorite reads of the year simply for the heavy, beautiful, heartbreaking topics it tackles and how beautifully Stephanie Oakes wrote out each step of those tackles.
As a note, there are quite a few CONTENT WARNINGS to be aware of going into this one: conversion therapy, suicide, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, gaslighting, racism, cultural erasure, emotional and physical abuse, parental death, and mention of violence against peaceful protest.
"If you're not angry at the people who deserve it, you get angry at yourself."
Don't ever be angry at yourself. Direct that anger somewhere more useful. And know you're never alone. I hope that this book finds its way to everyone who needs it, and that it forces us to talk about our world and the ways that we can make it a better place to live for everyone.
Only the best and the brightest have a chance of receiving a letter, of being invited to study at one of the facilities. So when a letter arrives for Eleanor from the Meadows, she's as surprised as she is elated for the chance to leave home and to forge her own path. The Meadows follows Eleanor in a timeline that switches back and forth between her years in the Meadows and in her first year outside of the facility living in the city as an adjudicator monitoring other facility graduates like herself to see that they have remained on the right path.
I want to keep it brief for the summary of the book, because this book is something that both needs and deserves to be experienced the way it is written. The relationships between Eleanor and the other girls at the Meadows as well as with her neighbors, friends, and the other graduates she looks in on for work breathed so much life into the story, because at the root of it, the characters are the heart and soul of this story. They're just little girls (and boys when we meet boys from other facilities) with strong, brave hearts living in a world that wants to mold them into something they are not, into something that society expects them to be. They are Eleanor and Rose and June and Sheila and Jo and Penelope and Marina and Betty. And they are all of us, too. A world of people trying to find who we really are--who our different paper dolls are, all stacked together from past to present, and who they all come together to make when we stop trying to bury them.
The use of a dystopian setting to tell this story was perfect, in my opinion, and honestly, despite a short period in the middle of the book when the story moved a little more slowly than I would have liked, this is one of my favorite reads of the year simply for the heavy, beautiful, heartbreaking topics it tackles and how beautifully Stephanie Oakes wrote out each step of those tackles.
As a note, there are quite a few CONTENT WARNINGS to be aware of going into this one: conversion therapy, suicide, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, gaslighting, racism, cultural erasure, emotional and physical abuse, parental death, and mention of violence against peaceful protest.
"If you're not angry at the people who deserve it, you get angry at yourself."
Don't ever be angry at yourself. Direct that anger somewhere more useful. And know you're never alone. I hope that this book finds its way to everyone who needs it, and that it forces us to talk about our world and the ways that we can make it a better place to live for everyone.
January 17, 2024
"Terror has a taste. A metallic tinge."
The Meadows is a bold, futuristic dystopian story about the misuse of conformity and manipulation. The writing was pretty uniform overall, but there were a few parts that felt flat. Character development and world building were executed well. I'm not a big fan of first person point of view so I struggled a bit. The transitions between alternating timelines were hard to follow but the conclusion was appropriate and satisfying.
Thank you to Goodreads for offering this title in their giveaways. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This book will continue on as a traveling book in LiterALLy BOOKiSh (Facebook book club).
The Meadows is a bold, futuristic dystopian story about the misuse of conformity and manipulation. The writing was pretty uniform overall, but there were a few parts that felt flat. Character development and world building were executed well. I'm not a big fan of first person point of view so I struggled a bit. The transitions between alternating timelines were hard to follow but the conclusion was appropriate and satisfying.
Thank you to Goodreads for offering this title in their giveaways. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This book will continue on as a traveling book in LiterALLy BOOKiSh (Facebook book club).
February 11, 2024
I have not read a dystopian novel in a very long time. Once upon a time it was all I read. I was obsessed. And I’m actually sad that I stopped.
This book was really interesting and disturbing. It’s scary when you start to realize that some of this already happens.
The Meadows is truly beautiful and so heartbreaking all at once. This book is so important. While this is YA, I think it could be read by older folks too. Please look up the triggers if you need them.
I highly recommend reading this one. The audiobook was also fantastic.
January 15, 2024
A unique, poignant and moving novel and one that becomes all the more terrifying when you ponder over how easily the sate of our own society and political landscape could shift this from a dystopian category to contemporary. I found this to be a fascinating, heart-aching and cleverly written read and one I'd love to revisit at some point in the future.
TW: homophobia, transphobia
TW: homophobia, transphobia
October 10, 2023
The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes is such a thought-provoking novel. It delves into themes of identity, conformity, and the consequences of trying to fit into a predetermined mold. The story takes place in a lush yet sinister setting, creating a compelling atmosphere. The characters, especially Eleanor and Rose, are well-developed and relatable. Oakes weaves a tale that keeps you engaged from start to finish. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
You should read this if you liked The Handmaid's Tale, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or if you enjoy dystopian societies with loads of secrets.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You should read this if you liked The Handmaid's Tale, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or if you enjoy dystopian societies with loads of secrets.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2023
Thank you netgalley for providing this arc.
Because of some of the reviews, I did not start with super high hopes, but I was presently surprised. This was amazing. For whoever is missing the dystopian era? This is for you. And with the added benefit of queerness ofc.
The only critique I have is that the first 30 pages don’t grab your attention. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but as soon as the plot dropped in-omg-I was hooked.
I loved Eleanor. Sheila I loved at first, but was back and forth with. June I kinda liked but not my fav. Rose was cool, Jo as well.
The setting of this story was so good; I loved the unsettling feeling it gave, but it also felt mysterious and never ending.
The author did the topic well, and I would definitely read another book by them.
Queer dystopia for the win, mate.
“I see you. You are good, just as you are.” -author. :)
P.s: poor frog😪
Because of some of the reviews, I did not start with super high hopes, but I was presently surprised. This was amazing. For whoever is missing the dystopian era? This is for you. And with the added benefit of queerness ofc.
The only critique I have is that the first 30 pages don’t grab your attention. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but as soon as the plot dropped in-omg-I was hooked.
I loved Eleanor. Sheila I loved at first, but was back and forth with. June I kinda liked but not my fav. Rose was cool, Jo as well.
The setting of this story was so good; I loved the unsettling feeling it gave, but it also felt mysterious and never ending.
The author did the topic well, and I would definitely read another book by them.
Queer dystopia for the win, mate.
“I see you. You are good, just as you are.” -author. :)
P.s: poor frog😪
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