Writing about mental health can be challenging - you have to get the balance between respect and reality just right and Louise Nealon achieves this brilliantly. I found myself really invested and caring about Debbie - the main character.

The audio was brilliantly narrated too. I really missed this once I had finished listening.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been on my radar for a very long time. This book is for people who love atmospheric books with very very complicated characters.

This book follows the life of an 18-year old Debbie, who lives on a farm in Kildare. She has had a neglected childhood from her mom and a complicated relationship with herself and all people around her. It was an understandably frustrating journey with Debbie trying to figure out who she is and why she is while her life as she know is changing with her starting college at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin. The beauty of the story is nuances that are presented like fitting-in vs belonging, friendships vs acquaintances, love vs care.

To sum up, its a story of growing up, of becoming, or almost! Debbie made me mad and sad, yet I did want the best for her. It also gives you a small taste of Irish rural vs city living and lifestyle.

I will recommend this book to Sally Rooney and Kawaguchi lover.

TW: SA, Parental neglect, Suicide attempt, Death, Anxiety, depression, Panic attacks, Self harm, Suicidal ideation, Nudity

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The protagonist was so compelling and seeing the world through her eyes was fascinating. I loved how she was both simple and complicated, shy and confident, alone but with the desire to make friends. Wonderful!

this was okay, but read very juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

Louise Nealon tells the story of Debbie and her transition from an eccentric life in rural Ireland to university in Dublin. Tough themes of mental health struggles, family and acceptance are handled with an assured touch, and humour throughout. The audiobook is narrated superbly by Louisa Harland.

Snowflake is well worth a read, although what really made it for me was the narrator by listening to the audio version.
Described as ‘a beautifully written, coming-of-age debut novel’ it was certainly that. For me personally I prefer a story that goes somewhere, but this one certainly shouldn’t be dismissed!
Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review- a good 3.5 stars.

I listened to this alongside a kindle copy that I purchased myself.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was listening to as I progressed through this book. I liked the character development and the grit that came with a kind of coming-of-age story, but found it was bordering along the lines of magical realism, whilst there is nothing wrong with that and I enjoyed it, it through me a little bit. Unexpected, but not bad.

I found some parts of this quite close to a realistic approach on events that I have seen or been exposed to. I found Debbie's uncle particularly frustrating. I could empathise with her and her mothers situation and the mental health was a pivotal point I feel. It was well written and narrated well.

Overall I enjoyed the listen/read and I think it will prove to be a popular choice amongst readers.

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Press and Bonnier UK Audio for providing me with an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really am getting a sense that a lot of contemporary Irish literature falls under the ‘literary fiction’ genre and this is the case for Snowflake too. I do prefer other examples but this was certainly a good book and one I’d recommend.

We follow the main character Debbie via a first person POV as she recently turns eighteen and will be starting university in Dublin. She talks of her life living and working on her family’s dairy farm with her uncle Billy who lives in a caravan in the garden, mum Maeve who suffers from psychosis-like episodes, deteriorating mental health and an obsession with dreams, and James the local farmhand and Maeve’s younger lover. Things do happen and there are other characters - the other main one being a friend Debbie meets called Xanthi who’s a Dubliner - but it’s less of a plot-focused story like others in this genre. Most of what actually happened was okay but I did question a few parts and there were a couple loose ends as it were too. The character analysis/development, human interactions and messages are what Nealon places an emphasis on. This is primarily the case in the discussions on mental illness, depression and the views people take with a lot of nuance. Many of the attitudes towards those suffering and seeking of help via counselling or therapy aren’t the best but there’s a lot of growth. A major part is how the healthcare systems in place aren’t working at their best due to the strains, slowness and highlighting the need for money to get good/quick treatment but some parts narrative-wise fitted together a bit too well where in reality it likely wouldn’t have. Other topics touched on include alcoholism, class/urban-rural differences, animal rights (sort of ~ I personally wasn’t the most keen on these parts, despite showing different sides of the debate I felt vegans (what I am) was the more negatively portrayed and the animal abuse/gore parts were hard to read at times), self-esteem, suicidal thoughts/attempt, everyday misogyny and sexual harassment and a few others. Whilst some were discussed well I do feel that a bit more rounding was needed. They were good and I saw where Nealon was taking us, how the messages the reader was supposed to take fit the narrative and moved us on. It was a very decent debut and I would like to check out more of her work where her writing is likely to mature. Nealon’s natural wit and humour was great to read, it’s never forced and easy to follow. The talks on literature were a bit to be desired and wished there were more but were enjoyable.

Something that I didn’t really like was the character of Griffin whom she met at university. He’s a long-term friend of Xanthi, a gay man, but wasn’t written as very nice. There was some nuance and a realness at times but he’s portrayed as rather bitchy, sexually focused and there’s a pushing of this notion he’s uncomfortable in his sexuality. This leads to questions over his true intentions in regards to his friendship with Xanthi and how there’s likely this internal homophobia or ‘queer shame’ hovering over his actions. It wasn’t nothing that bad and I (as a gay man) wasn’t personally offended, it’s just something I picked up on and it’s a shame where such details or portrayal wasn’t really necessary. Furthering this is how he’s the only queer character in the book where a contemporary Dublin surely has more. All the characters are likely white Irish as well so I sensed some diversity was lacking.

I would recommend listening to this as an audiobook and the narrator Louisa Harland speaks very clearly and has a soothing Irish accent. This is great at bringing the characters to life with the ‘right’ accent reinforcing this.

Lovely portrayal of growing up in a normal family, until you interact with another normal family, what is normal anyway. The characters are all described so well and they evolve throughout the book and feel real, like you know them. Reminds me a little of 'normal people' how leaving all you know to go to college can force you to reassess what you know, is there an alternative, should you stick with what you know. The struggle is real and beautifully told. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

I really enjoyed this coming-of-age novel set in Ireland. It follows Debbie White and her life in rural Co. Kildare and her experiences going to university. It explores the family she has and the people she meets. I especially enjoyed the narration and how it reminded me of my recollections of Ireland with my connections there, I look forward to future books from this author.

I adored listening to this audiobook. This is a coming of age story and I love this type of genre even though I'm middle aged! I think it's nice to be reminded of being youthful and the nostalgia that comes with trying to navigate our way into adulthood.

Debbie is a young woman experiencing life at Trinity College which is an enormous change from her life in the country side in Ireland. I loved reading how Debbie navigates through her experiences at college and at home.
Debbie comes across as somewhat shy and awkward but is very much loved by her rather eccentric family, Love gets you through anything. I really felt for her at times going through such painful experiences. The characters are very well written and brought to life by Louise Nealon. I look forward to hearing more from this author in the future.

The narrator Louisa Harland has such a lovely Irish voice and reads the story so beautifully. She brings all the characters to life so well and keeps you engaged with the story. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this Audiobook.

I thought Louise Nealon's writing was well formed, her characters believable and the conversations relatable. But I found the story lacked charm. I wasn't desperate to finish it and wasn't looking forward to going back to it.
It's well read but the narrator is a little dry.

Snowflake is a lovely debut novel, beautifully narrated by Louisa Harland. It has that unique ✨ magic ✨ and charm that a lot of Irish novels tend to have.

I loved the raw and honest dialogue throughout (including discussions on mental health), the character focus and character development. But being a vegan, I slightly struggled with some of the dairy farming scenes.

I'd highly recommend this book if you love Irish novels and / or coming of age stories. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This was so good! Really funny moments that are relatable to anyone who's ever felt like a social misfit combined with poignant tragedy that feels real and never gratuitous. Loved the (very slight) bit of magical realism, too. Also, great narrator!

I went into this book not knowing what to expect at all so was quite surprised whilst reading it. The characters were all very interesting but at times lacked development and personal growth. I found the secondary characters much more likeable than the protagonist, that may have been the intention however. As much as I was interested in the story and the rural backdrop, I found it disjointed at times and felt like the chapters didn’t always flow into each other with ease. Having said all this, the author is clearly very talented and I feel that we will see big things from her.

Another great audio narrator as well 👏🏼

A startling, honest, laugh and cry novel about growing up and leaving home, only to find that you've taken it with you, Snowflake is a novel for a generation, and for everyone who's taken those first, terrifying steps towards adulthood.

I really enjoyed this book, definitely for lovers of Sally Rooney, but less pretentious.

Especially recommend on audiobook as I definitely enjoyed it more the way it was performed and narrated.

I read the ARC of Snowflake a while ago and LOVED it (already reviewed on NetGalley) and since I enjoy audiobooks and often listen to a book when I've already read the print version, when I saw this, I just had to request it. I wasn't disappointed at all.
The narrator was PERFECT! Really perfect. Such a good fit. I cannot now imagine anyone else could narrate this book. Thank you so much for letting me have the opportunity to hear the audiobook too.
So hoping there'll be a second book from Louise Nealon soon.

Snowflake is like the combination of Sally Rooney and the Aisling series, with added unexplained magical realism (maybe?) and more mental illness.

The characters and atmosphere? Brilliant....but something just didn't connect for me. We never got too into the characters (for better or worse) for this to be so character focused, I needed more. I'm disappointed that this wasn't for me, but lots of people will (and from previous reviews have!) connect with the characters and story more than I did. The depiction of mental illness is really good, and realistic - the story came from the authors own experience with depression and mental illness. So with that said, I think because I had very different experiences with my mental illness I didn't connect as much as others might...

This is not a very good review, but it's because I can't put a finger on what I didn't like. It wasn't a bad book....just the connection to the main character wasn't there for me - which is needed in a book like this - not to relate to necessarily (I adore many books where I cannot relate to the MCs!) just feel more than ambivalence about... However, the unapologetic Irishness did work for me and was part of the established atmosphere of the book.

I look forward to what Nealon writes in the future, and I am upset that this book didn't connect with me.

Narration was fantastic!

I love coming-of-age narratives and novels set at universities so I was very excited when I heard about this novel. And it did not disappoint me. I'm very glad that I got to listen to the audiobook because the narrator does a fabulous job.
The transition from the Irish countryside to Dublin was so interesting and I loved to read about Debbie's experiences. Louise Nealon captures these confusing and sometimes painful experiences so well and one just has to feel for Debbie.
The novel deals with a lot of important topics and I hope it finds a lot of readers who love it because it deserves it.

I listened to list as an audio book thanks to NetGalley and publishers. The narrator was perfect for this book, she gave the characters more depth. The story was an honest portrayal of a young person from a small village growing up and experiencing a more modern life in a bigger town. I loved the friendships and family relationships - they felt very real to me. I totally enjoyed every second of this book.