I love historical fiction and a good mystery, so I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately the story was too slow for me, and the narrative did not flow well.

I decided to read this twisty mystery novel because it was set in New Orleans. It is a historical novel full of action and should be of interest to readers who like the atmospheric setting of New Orleans.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Themes:
Class struggles, racial profiling, grief, kinship, murder, and family betrayal.
I was excited to dive into this story, and it started strong—the first chapter hooked me completely! But when I hit the 20% mark, the pace started to slow down, and I struggled to stay engaged.
The setting was beautifully written, and I felt transported to the story setting. It had an original style and an authentic historical fiction vibe that I looked for. Some sections, however, felt slightly disjointed, with dialogue that didn’t always come off naturally. It occasionally felt forced, which interrupted the immersion in the story.
As a character, Francesca (Franny) had more potential and could have been more fleshed out. I am not exactly sure about her age, but she came across as somewhat self-centred and immature, which made it hard for me to connect with her character. I hoped for more depth and complexity, such as her mom's character.
Overall, I think the premise was good and had great potential. However, the execution did not do justice to the story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

a good book that took me out of my reading slump! i thought the setting, both place and time-wise, were very intriguing. i honestly didn't know about the prejudice against sicilians in new orleans during this time, but i love any book that explores the plight of immigrants. the general plot of the story was so good as well, it definitely kept on the edge of my seat. also i loved franny and remy, they were cute! a solid read for me, a well written piece of historical fiction with themes of justice and feminism.

A captivating historical mystery that takes the reader to 1890’s New Orleans. The writing is very atmospheric of the setting and era. The novel brims with mystery, adventure, and a touch of romance.
Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If Our Books Could Talk is a well written and satisfying debut. It follows a young woman living in late 1800s New Orleans with her complicated Sicilian parents and little brother. The father, an oyster fisherman, ends up mysteriously dead and the brother is made an immediate suspect. Franny, knowing this is not true, goes through hell trying to prove his innocence.

The twists and turns for this truly surprised me. I was left gasping at one point towards the end and felt such anguish for Franny and her family. It does end in happy place, though it comes with some pain. I will definitely be on the look out for more stories from this author.

The book started off promisingly, but dragged after that. I struggled to get through it, and had to abandon it midway.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Interesting story. I was hooked fairly quickly but then it really started to drag a lot. I found myself skimming text and debating a DNF. It picked up a bit at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This book is divided into three parts, and I’ll be reviewing this book according to these three parts. In part one, the story starts out slow. Very slow for my liking. After the death of her father, it’s like what everyone surrounding Franny, herself included, could do was complain. And complain a lot she did. For someone who was seventeen years of age, she didn’t seem very mature. Her younger brother, Giuseppe, though overly spoiled and rude, seemed more mature that her. Several times I was surprised in the book when it was mentioned that he is only twelve years old. He manner of speech was far too advanced for someone his age. There was also the fact that Franny’s attitude towards her mother at times seemed contradictory. For someone who claimed to love her mother, she was very ashamed of the woman that birthed her. This part that confused and irritated me much. Towards the end of part one, things start to pick up, especially on the mystery aspect.

Please click on the attached link to check out the longer version of this review on my blog! Thank you so much!

Franny, a young New Orleans woman, is caught in a struggle for her own and her family's survival after her father's body is recovered. As a Sicilian immigrant woman, she doubts that she or her family will get any chance at justice if she doesn't take matters into her own hands. Along with finding justice, and the truth of what happened to her father, she needs to work out what she can do next to move on to a better life. The resolution felt a bit rushed but otherwise this was a good novel that draws readers into life as an unwanted immigrant in post-Civil War New Orleans. .

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!

Non-spoiling synopsis: A tale of class wars, racial profiling, grief, kinship, murder and family betrayal.

This novel had so much potential but just missed the mark for me. As an avid historical fiction lover, I could not wait to start this adventurous read. The first chapter had me hooked. By chapter 6 however, nothing was really pulling my attention to keep reading. The pacing was too slow for me.

Setting: 8/10

The lyricism of this setting was so powerful and immersive. True historical fiction charm.

Characters: 6/10

The characterisation of Fran was too one-dimensional. I was craving more complexity and criticality yet instead she was portrayed so childish and self-centred. Her mother was my favourite character, so brightly written.

Narrative flow: 4/10

Some areas of writing do not flow very well; with clunky articulations and awkward and unnatural/forced sounding dialogue

My opinions are my own, agree to disagree.

This is book had me gripped from the beginning. There was a main storyline to follow with twists and turns throughout. Frannie was a believable character and easy to like. I would recommend this book!

When Francesca Ferro is faced with the mysterious death of her father, she finds herself the sole inheritor of a failing saloon and new head of the family. With new responsibilities, she must figure out a way to move forward however when her younger brother is arrested for their fathers’ murder, she has to put everything aside to find the true murderer and save her brother from hanging.
If our bones could talk is a historical fiction and mystery novel based in 1800’s New Orleans. This is not the usual genre of book I would go for and very much judged a book by its cover on this one and headed into this read completely blind and I’m glad I did.
The book was full of mystery, intrigue, and adventure and while reading I felt like I had no idea where the book was going but in an enjoyable way, it was not predictable, and the twists were excellent.
The authors world building and descriptions of new Orleans felt incredibly authentic and it was easy to picture. I loved reading the relationship between Francesca and her brother and how it progressed throughout the book.
The only downside I found to the book is that there were some parts of the story that seemed almost like filler and didn’t necessarily need to be in there or have any greater meaning toward the plot.
Overall I am glad I decided to read this book and very much look forward to reading other words from Melissa Quitadamo


- Review added separately to Goodreads

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, & Melissa Quitadamo for this ARC of If Our Bones Could Talk! This is an excellent book if you're looking for a relatively quick standalone mystery with intense stakes and great twists. I easily read it in one evening. I say easily because the writing drew me right in and I really didn't want to put the book down until I was done. I think I was most impressed with Melissa Quitadamo's writing style! She was able to make me feel like I was in this story right away. All of the characters are phenomenally written and I felt that the setting was really brought to life, which isn't always easy to do with historical fiction so that was nice.

Francesca is a particularly well done character, and I was really connected to what she was feeling throughout the book. I loved her relationship with her brother and how much she's willing to do to save him. I loved Remy as well! It was fun to see the two of them working together and growing closer. I also really enjoyed how the more complex relationships Francesca has with her dead father, her mother, and her uncle were done! I think that complexity being depicted so well is a good part of what made the book as satisfying as it was for me.

I think the first part of If Our Bones Could Talk was great and had me hooked early on. I couldn't help but be invested in finding the killer when I was so connected to Francesca and her motivations. The third & final part was emotionally intense and there were times I was very surprised. I appreciate how I was able to be fully taken by twists that still made perfect sense. I do think there were times in the middle that were a little slow. I never skimmed but there were a few moments I felt like I wanted to a bit. It does definitely pick back up and I was right back to having to turn the page to see what would happen next.

I think if you're a fan of historical fiction, If Our Bones Could Talk is a good choice. It's set in a popular time period for historical fiction (1890s), but in a place that I don't think is as common for a setting in that period. I found myself intrigued by that and I'm glad I did because of how much I enjoyed this. Of course, I recommend this book to fans of mystery novels. I really liked that aspect of the book and how it was done. Also, if you're a fan of one of those genres and looking to try the other, I think this book could be a nice bridge for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I genuinely did not know a thing about this book when I requested it to read. The cover was so pretty and I just can’t resist a good whimsical historical fiction/mystery. And that’s exactly what this book delivered!

It sits at an even three stars so there were obviously many things to love and also some things I didn’t love as much. The concept of this book was right up my alley and I won’t deny being hooked onto it from the very first chapter. The writing flowed so easy and there was a good balance between dialogue and description. I also loved that it was relatively fast-paced and didn’t seem to drag out much which was good.

There were certain points where I skimmed through the words a little more than usual because it seemed like fluff that wasn’t particularly adding to the plot, which is probably one of my criticisms. I do think there was some filler content for me personally, and that was when I lost my reading pace.

I also don’t think I was overly invested in the characters. I liked the main characters, but not enough for a four-star rating. I have to mention that I wanted more Fitzgerald!! I don’t even know why but I feel like he was such a complex character and we barely got scenes with him, unfortunately. I liked Francesca and Remy, and I liked the ending as well. The mystery part of this was wrapped up well (I did get emotional towards the end which is always a plus), and I had an inkling of who it was, but I still was invested in the confrontation scene, and that was executed well.

If Our Bones Could Talk is a solid 3.5 stars in my books and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did end up enjoying this read, given that it was nowhere on my radar until I had it downloaded to my shelf!

If Our Bones Could Talk by Melissa Quitadamo was a good novel I felt that it dragged in some places and and had some loose plot threads.

Set in New Orleans in the late 1800s, a young woman tries to sort out the family business after the murder of her father. The stakes grow higher when her brother is arrested for the crime.

This book is a wonderful glance into a period of time where women had few rights or protections, and few options other than marriage. Francesca navigates through all those obstacles while searching for her father's killer, trying to exonerate her brother, and earning enough to keep herself and her mother fed. Traveling with her while she faces dangers seen and unseen will keep the reader engaged all the way through to the unexpected ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If Our Bones Could Talk is a phenomenal debut novel that is stock full of mystery, intrigue, adventure, tenacity, fortitude and love. There is a wonderful theme in new literature that celebrates the strength of women in the Victorian era, defying convention and I am absolutely here for it

Francesca Ferro lives in New Orleans and in 1890, she is faced with her fathers murder. He was a truly awful father and terminally unpleasant man, but he left behind an Oyster Bar and a mountain of debts for Francesca to take over. However, things become even more desperate when Francesca's 12 year old brother Giuseppe is accused of their fathers murder and looks like he will hang for it

Francesca's fight to save her brother and unmask the real murderer takes her from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, encountering a litany of varied characters on the way

This book is so elegant, the narrative is lyrical yet strong and the character development is exceptional. The era and locations are very well researched, transporting the reader so well, that you almost feel the heat on your face as you read

A stunning debut that I cannot recommend enough

Thank you to Netgalley, BooksGoSocial and Melissa Quitadamo for this beautifully written ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Good read. Set in 1890's New Orleans, Frankie struggles with all that life throws at her.

4☆