Thanks to Spiegel & Grau and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. This book is getting so much buzz - I'm seeing it all over Bookstagram as well as recommended by booksellers and book adjacent people I trust. I read about 30% of this book before I stopped, but I am not entirely sure it's the book - it could just be me and my mood right now. I started this and was really into it, and then I put it down for a few days while I caught up on a chunkster book. When I picked it back up, Victoria had located Wilson on the neighbor's farm, and all they could seem to do was see each other in secret and have sex. I could not continue on, as that storyline seemed a bit unbelievable. However, I have heard from others that I might just have to read it a little further before the story really takes off. I am willing to put it down for now and see if it comes back around to me at another time.

I loved this book! The setting in Colorado starting in the 1940s and as the US expanded I didn't know whole towns were wiped out to move a river but this book is about so much more! I instantly was hooked on Torie's story and just loved her descriptions of life and the setting. The peach orchard plays such a beautiful and unexpected role in the book. Her growth throughout the book was heartbreaking but beautiful and I couldn't put this book down. Thank you to Netgalley and Spiegel and Grau publishing for an early e-copy of this book. It publishes February 28th 2023.

This was an ARC I received from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Shelley Read composed a beautiful story and is a great story teller. This story begins with the 17 year old main character residing in Iola Colorado on a peach farm. This novel covers several decades within the family’s lives and the changes that take place in the area including a government buyout. So much emotion, beauty and heartfelt characters.

This atmospheric look at life in the mid 1900s in Iola, Colorado is tragic and also harsh, while also being compassionate and redeeming.

"God will take a life, God will give a life, and God will make a life unrecognizable. God won't warn you what's coming next."

This story spans from the 1940s to a little past the Vietnam war. Centering on Torie, a 12 year old girl at the beginning of this story, who has lost her mother, aunt and cousin in an accident and must rise to take over all the duties that a mother/wife on a farm are expected to perform. All of the cooking, all of the cleaning, taking care of the chickens and helping her father pick the peaches their farm is famous for. The somberness of the book takes off early on and never really lets up. She lives a life of responsibility and duty - far too much for the shoulders of someone her age.

The story walks with her through her life as she finds love, finds joy and finds freedom, only to lose it all in a tragic set of events. So much of the book is about the Colorado terrain that it feels like a character. Throughout her life, Torie learns to rely on nature and finds solace in it. She lives a mostly solitary life, but then finds friendships in unexpected places. Her tenacity and grit will have you rooting her on. Her grief and loss will have your heart splitting in two.

"The landscapes of our youths create us, and we carry them within us, storied by all they gave and stole, in who we become."

I think this one will be enjoyed by many. I loved the fact that the ending leaves the reader hopeful, without telling them exactly what happens next. I love a book that leaves me thinking long after I've finished reading, and this one hits that mark.

Definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau publishers for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.28.23

The quiet simplicity of the telling of this story initially belies the strength of the main character. The loneliness of Torie Nash's life as she cooks, cleans, and looks after her father, brother, and uncle on the family's peach orchard is almost unimaginable. It's not surprising that she falls in love after a chance meeting with handsome outsider, Wilson Moon. Most of what happens from that point on IS surprising.

The monumental decisions Tori is forced to make, entirely on her own, are both brave and heartbreaking. This is the story of a fiercely private, independent woman who lives life on her own terms, while still managing to preserve the legacy of her family. For me, her relationship with neighbor, Ruby-Alice, who is largely shunned and ignored by the people of Iola, was especially touching. An unforgettable story.

Such a beautifully written story of Victoria Nash in rural Colorado and the coming of age as she searches for who she really is among the men in her family and the elements of farm living. Her struggle with loss, love, family, independence and finding herself are so evident in these words. Those who enjoyed Crawdads will find a kindred spirit in Victoria.

'There was beauty in the chaos. Every piece of life here had its role in the eternal business of living. I felt small and unnecessary but not entirely unwelcome."

💫 Go As A River 💫
By Shelley Read
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (DD Canada)
Genre: fiction
Debut author

I finished this one (and started) in the dark of the night when my “mama anxieties” were on full tilt and I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about my boys, that instant love and coupled with the fear of letting them go… letting them find their space and voice without me and how darn hard that is as a parent.

So when I found myself looking for my glasses knowing that my whole world was asleep under one roof, I opened this book… and then I closed it again before anyone woke in the morning.

My emotions are fresh with this as I write. It’s a story about found family with the lens of bigotry and race finding their waves within the pages. It’s also about the love of nature and finding peace within yourself. But I think where my heartstrings will always pull hardest will be with motherhood and loss… of that, there is much in this book.
It’s gentle, it’s not necessarily on the page, but the magnitude of what loss does to one’s journey is the gentlest waves within this book. First how cool is that last name

It reminded me of a mix between the movie “The Man in the Moon” with Reese Witherspoon and the quiet strength found in ‘Where The Crawdads Are’. I found the writing so lyrical and soft that I find it surprise to read that it was a debut.

This book is for the thoughtful reader, the emotional one who can turn the mirror on oneself and see how woven all our stories are. I read this alone, with my family asleep, but I’m grateful I’m going to be able to buddy chat about this with a bunch of ladies.

Two quotes I had to jot down:

“Carrying your sorrows all alone isn’t strength… it’s punishment…”

“Loss had nothing to do with what you deserve or don’t deserve…”


TW: Racism, misogyny, indigenous slurs, loss of mother

I don’t know if I can accurately put into words how beautifully written this story is. It is absolutely captivating from the first couple of pages to the last page. A story about life during the middle 1900s from 1950-1971ish. It takes place near the Gunnison area of Colorado in a little small town called Iota. The writing of this novel is beautifully done and so vividly detailed. It will be one of my top 10 favorites for 2023!

The main character Torie at 17 is dealing with a lot in her responsibilities to cook, clean and also help with the peach farm. She lost her mother, aunt and cousin, Cal in a car accident leaving her the only female of the house. Her fateful encounter meeting William Moon alters both their lives. I really loved Victoria’s retelling of her childhood and into her adult life. I felt her pain, grief, love, and all the hardships she endured. I think this book will be a favorite for many this year! Many thanks to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"Go as a River" interested me right away taking place in beautiful Gunnison County. Colorado. The town of Iola disappeared in the 1960s when they rerouted the Gunnison River and submerged the town. Victoria Nash was taking care of what was left of her family after a car accident killed her mother, brother, and cousin. Her family had run a well known peach farm on their land for decades, and at 17 she had learned to take her mother's place in duties around the farm. That summer she met William Moon on a trip to town and her world changed.

This is a good coming of age story that tells how Victoria manages to forge her way through the world and create a life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review,

WhenI heard Anne Bogel talk about this book on her spring book preview, I just knew I would love it, but I had no clue how much. This is a coming of age story about a girl who falls quickly in love with a stranger passing through her small Colorado town of Iola. Victoria (Torie) has suffered great loss in her life, losing her mother, older brother, and aunt in a car accident that completely altered the trajectory of her life and that of her father, uncle, and other brother, Seth. Torie is quickly forced to become the woman of the household and take care of the 3 remaining men in her life, who don't seem even remotely appreciative. Then, along comes Wilson Moon, and he sweeps Torie off her feet. They have a short lived secret romance until he is tragically murdered and Torie discovers she is pregnant. She knows their baby won't be accepted in the same way his father wasn't, so she flees the life she's always known to save herself and her baby. After delivering her baby boy and barely surviving, she knows she must get help. She ends up leaving her baby with a family on a picnic and running away before the unsuspecting family realizes what has happened. Victoria spends the rest of her life wondering about her baby boy. She moves, transplants her father's peach orchard, and makes a somewhat lonely life for herself, thinking of her son every day. This is a story about loss, love, motherhood, family, and forgiveness. Everything about this book is perfect and I can't believe it's a debut novel.

Thank you @netgalley and @spiegelandgrau for this advance copy.
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What a stunning debut from Shelley Read. It’s difficult to describe this book without giving away spoilers. This is a coming of age story that follows main character Victoria across decades, beginning when she is seventeen years old in a tiny Colorado town. There is solid character development, but also a plot that had me turning pages hours past my bedtime. Beautifully written, this book has it all - heartbreak, sadness, resilience, and hope. Be ready to shed a few tears.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 in 1948 Victoria Nash is the only surviving female on her families Colorado peach orchard. At 17 she manages all the household duties without complaint. When an unexpected traveler comes to town her life begins to change. Leaving home, she turns to the woods, learning to survive on her own and stand up to her past, all while facing heartbreaking decisions.

This was such a page turner. The writing flowed so easy. At around 300 pages the story progressed pretty quickly. I read this in three days, during the week, while working a full time job. I love these coming of age stories and seeing Torie progress through her life, grow, learn from her past and then face it. I know it’s early in the year but definitely a top read so far. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel and Grau for this advanced reader copy.

*Publish date 2/28/23. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

Victoria Nash finds herself as the woman of the house at age 17 after an accident claims the life of her mother, her cousin, and her aunt. She cooks, cleans, and cares for her father, her brother, and her uncle in addition to helping our with the family peach orchard in Iola, Colorado in the 1940s. A stranger, Wilson Moon, appears in town, helps Victoria when she injures her ankle and sparks ignite. Another series of events lead Victoria to the decision to run away from Iola and all that she has known. As she struggles to survive, she taps into strength she didn't realize she had and resolves to regain what she can of what has been lost.

Highly recommend!

Me loving another coming of age story!! What a story and how is this a debut?? It was beautifully written and knew it would break my heart. I love a strong woman in a book and Victoria was no exception. I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy on publication day as there is so much I want to tab.

Thank you so much to Spiegel & Garu and Netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Out on February 28, 2023

A beautifully written tale, and I really enjoyed reading this one and can’t wait for the love it gets upon its release. My thanks for an advanced copy!

A beautifully written story of a resilient young woman determined to survive in small town Colorado in the late 1940s. It is as lovely as it is sad.

Victoria is a humble, obedient young woman whose life drastically changes when she meets Wilson “Wil” Moon, a drifter passing through town. She risks her family’s and community’s scorn to spend time with Wil. Soon, she is on her own, wondering if and how to move on.

The writing is clear and deceptively simple and full of emotion. I enjoyed getting to know Victoria over the span of 23 years and recommend this to anyone looking for a moving mix of historical fiction and coming-of-age story.

Thank you to Spiegel and Grau and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

4.5
A sweeping saga spanning decades following our young protagonist Torrie in the Gunnison area of Colorado beginning in the 1950's. Life is hard working the land, where they grow and harvest the best peaches around. She becomes the only female in a household full of men, and with that her chores and responsibilities are long. As she begins to grow out of her youth she meets a handsome drifter that catches her eye and her world changes forever.

This was such a readable, engulfing book! I read it over a 5 days or so and with that it allowed me to savor and enjoy the story and for me to "Go as a River" with it. Some of the quotes and phrases shared are beautiful to consider-the writing is so well done.

I loved the location and sense of place. I loved the time period and to get a sense of what life was like for the people then. I loved following Torrie's life. There's something to be said about watching a young girl blossom into a woman through the pages of a book.

My one qualm is that I never felt fully committed to the relationships, I felt that I was "told" rather than "shown" about the true love or deep relationship of the characters. It was almost as if not enough time was spent on developing the story of the relationship-I was just told that all of the sudden they were madly in love, etc.

This will be on all the radars and it will be a huge book this year, I am certain of it!

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book.

This falls into the category of "compulsively readable literary fiction." Our characters are well drawn, flawed but likeable. The setting is atmospheric, with a strong sense of place high in the Colorado mountains. The plotting is well paced; I could not put this book down. My only complaint is a few instances where the author does more foreshadowing than I would have liked, but it definitely kept me turning the pages. Hard things happen in these pages, but the ending is ultimately redemptive. Add this to your TBR if you like books about found family with a survivalist element, like This Tender Land, The Great Alone, and Shiner.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

This will be one of the best books of 2023! I'm trying to find the right words to describe this poignant and deeply moving story about loss, family, motherhood and what it means to be a woman in the mid 1900s. From the first page, I could not believe that this story was written by a debut author - it is absolutely fantastic! The imagery and descriptions of this breathtaking and wild landscape was integral to this beautiful story and I felt myself hanging on to every word! This story has so many emotional aspects to it, including the star-crossed relationship between Wil and Torie, the relationships between Torie and her family and even of those with the forest and animals on the farm. Being a fan of historical fiction, this book reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House which are both a couple of my favorite reads. This book would be a wonderful book club pick because there is so much richness to the story that could easily be discussed and have many different viewpoints. I am looking forward to hearing more about this author and the inspiration for this thought-provoking story! Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a memorable story and one that will be one of my top reads this year. It is a story of a motherless Caucasian girl who meets a Native American boy; they know each other for mere days but that brief time affects the rest of her life. The writing is lyrical and polished; the setting transports the reader to the rivers and forests of Colorado; and the wonderful characters grab your heart and emotions for the entire novel. HIGHLY recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the ARC to read and review.