This book is amazing. I enjoyed every second of it, it almost brought me to tears by the end. I have no notes. It was phenomenal.

Note: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Warbler as an e-ARC!

Rating: 4/5 stars!

Summary: Elisa has been moving all her life, never staying in one place for more than ten months because of the curse on her family affecting the women; if she doesn’t, she’ll become a tree. When Elisa arrives in Greensborough, Massachusetts, Elisa is warned that the people who go there tend to stay there, and then a woman, near desperate, pleads with Elisa to help her leave: and then she walks into the path of an oncoming truck. When Elisa comes to a home some hours later looking for a place to rent, she finds the same woman, who doesn’t seem to remember their encounter… or does she?

And then Elisa learns her grandmother was born, lived, and died in Greensborough, and that her mother lived there for most of her life, and is forced to confront if she’s lived a lie her entire life… or if something much stranger is going on in this town than Elisa’s own curse. Alongside Owen, the charming shopkeep of the bookstore she weedles a job from, Elisa works to unravel the mystery of her grandmother and mother, and the mysteries of the town itself, which may just be the same thing.

Review: I’ve been a fan of Durst’s work since I read Vessel and Drink, Slay, Love when I was much younger, and so when I saw the work available to request an ARC for, I went for it. Durst has a way of drawing you intimately into the life of her narrators from the very first page, and it was the same thing here. Elisa and her mysteries captivated me and compelled me to read the entire thing in one sitting. I loved the addition of perspective chapters from Rose (Elisa’s grandmother) and Lori (her mother) as Elisa began unraveling the mysteries they’ve left behind. My heart broke for Rose, and for Lori, and I was rooting for Elisa to break the curse that loomed over her in honor of them.

I won’t say this is a perfect book, but it is well worth your time as a quicker read with both magical realism and mystery. I would have wanted more time between Elisa and Owen for their relationship to develop, especially since the book happens over the course of less than a week (for Elisa) and she’s just walked away from her last relationship spanning 10 ½ months, but I will forgive that in light of how fantastic the characters themselves are.

The mystery here is, as another person mentioned in their review, kind of given away in the summary offered by the publisher, but there are enough twists and somewhat misleading clues to keep you guessing if you’re not too focused on solving the mystery before the reveal, and just along for the ride.

Thank you again to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC! I can’t wait to catch up on Durst’s catalogue of books!

I'm honestly kind of torn about this one. On the one hand, I think the writing in this is just stunning. The descriptions and more intimate character moments were illustrated in a way that made the neurons in my brain activate like crazy. I also think the premise itself is an interesting mix of mystery and magical realism. I'd love to see more in this genre, to be honest.

On the other hand, however, I feel like this was a bit too short for my liking. I think the way the mystery was unraveled was well-done, there just wasn't enough time I think to sit with it and the addition of other POVs meant that, as the reader, we were way ahead of the main character in terms of figuring things out, so it did drag a bit and make Elisa feel a bit slow on the uptake in a way that frustrated me. That, and the ending felt a bit more abrupt than was warranted.

I think there were interesting discussions happening, too, about autonomy and doing the opposite of what's expected of you. Again, though, the length of the novel meant that those conversations didn't always feel like they hit in quite the way I wanted.

There were also a few minor things that kind of made me pause. There was one description of a Latina character that I wasn't quite sure of; mentioning THAT boy wizard book in a book slated for publishing in 2025 is.... a choice....

Overall, while the writing and premise really hit with me, there were too many other things that didn't.

Elisa has lived her life believing what her mother said. That a curse on the women in her family means that she can never stay long enough in one place for it become home. They can never put down roots or they will become a literal tree. Look what happened to her mother! She’s been researching her family, trying to understand where the curse may have come from and what it means. Then she’s drawn to a town where things seem to fall into place for her. But other strange things begin to happen. Can she figure out what’s going on before she turns into a tree herself?

Durst’s writing is, like always, beautiful. The scenes she paints are so real… if a bit unreal! I love the mix of real and normal with the things that might or could be.

This was a unique premise examining the gravity of familial and societal expectations. I greatly enjoyed the unfolding of this story and was anxious to find out what was happening to our cursed MC. The three different storylines belonging to three generations of mothers and daughters was most enjoyable but I quickly figured out the “villain”. Overall, an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

A whimsical and heartfelt story with strong female characters. While the beginning was slow for me, the pace picked up in the middle and had me on the edge of my seat at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy.

Starts slow then can't be put down! I loved the story and the magic which may or may not exist. Mystery, small town, magic. Characters get to tell their stories from where they are, but it all comes down to a woman who believes she cannot live in any one place for more than ten months or she will turn into a tree. Sounds wild, doesn't it? But she starts by telling us that her mother turned into a tree, a willow. She is on a mission to find the beginning of this curse, unraveling family secrets along the way. Great!

I enjoyed The Spellshop so I was curious to read this ARC. So I couldn't decide how to write this review without giving things away and then I read the blurb and everything is given away in the blurb so I guess I can spoil some things. I like to go into books blind and I liked that those things were surprises for me. So just stay with me here but Elisa has been told all of her life from her mother that they cannot set down roots anywhere or they will turn into a tree. The women have all been cursed. So Elisa and her mom have moved usually about every ten months. After her mother's death Elisa has a mission to try to find the source of the curse and break it. She arrives in a town in Massachusetts and finds out her mother and grandmother lived there so she feels she is on the right track. But how did they live there and not have to move? Has her mom been lying to her? People in the town are very strange. But how do you bring up that you are cursed to a bunch of strangers? I enjoyed the book. I don't know if it will be for everyone but I liked all of the twists and such in it.

-"You want too much, Rose. It worries me."
"I don't think it's too much to want the world."

-"Also, if you hear voices in the stacks, don't be alarmed. We've been having a problem with that."
With that odd statement, she sweeps back to toward the circulation desk.

-How can anyone move on when you carry your past with you?

I had a really good time with this. I loved The Spellshop by this author and so thought I’d give this a go, and it didn’t disappoint.

The writing in this is beautiful - I love the way Sarah Beth Durst is able to touch on more sensitive issues in such a sensitive way, and the intimate moments between characters gave me chills.

Like other readers have said, I do think the blurb gives away quite a lot about the story and I would have loved for it to keep some things a secret so that the reveals and moments in the book were more shocking.

It also felt quite short - I read it in one sitting and would have loved for it to be longer so that I could spend more time with it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story is about Elisa and her family of women being cursed to travel and never stay in one place more than 10 months. If she tries to stay, she'll take roots and turn into a tree literally. Alone, Elisa follows her list of places and the next place she visits has a history that could help Elisa with her curse. Will Elisa find the magic intertwined with her life and free herself is the rest of the story.
I really enjoyed the story and how each character was unique and how lives change when the choices are taken out of our hands. A magical story filled with love and loss and hope.

After reading and ADORING The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, I was so excited to get approved for this ARC. The Warbler was no different and I can’t wait to re-read on audio and check out more by this author. Gorgeous writing, and a magical way of exploring mother and daughter relationships.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for the E-ARC!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst is a mixed third and first person multi-POV contemporary speculative following three generations of women. Elisa has spent her entire life moving to a new place every ten months, unable to settle anywhere or to build a home with someone besides her mother. When her mother is turned into a tree, she leaves her old life behind and heads to another new town. Unknown to her, it’s the town that started it all.

I moved around a lot as a kid and there is something so meaningful to me about stories that depict that feeling of how hard it is to plant roots in adulthood because you never could in childhood but also showcase feeling trapped in one place and wanting to go out and see the world. The balance here was perfect: some people are content to stay in one place forever and others would rather go anywhere else. But it’s when you try to force your preferences on others, even if you believe you have positive intentions, that it becomes a problem.

Tying into this theme is also the theme of being pressured by society to conform, particularly the feeling many women face to give up everything for the white picket fence life. Rose wants to go out and see the world, Paris, Cairo, Tokyo, etc. She wants a life outside of her small town and maybe settle down with her high school sweetheart somewhere down the line. As life keeps getting thrown her way, she becomes more and more tied to her small town and the more discontent she is even if she does actively choose to do a lot of her activities that embed her in the fabric of the community. So many of us get comfortable or things come up so we keep putting off the things we really want to do and then we blink and all that time to do it is gone.

Of the three POVs, Lori’s was the most fascinating to me. She was once perfectly content to live her life in one place and then she grew comfortable moving around. Does that make her adaptable, does it make her someone who needed a push to get out of her hometown, or was it fear of what could happen to her and her daughter that made her adjust? It’s probably all three and there’s a lot of tragedy in her story. Sandwiched between her mother and her daughter who feel like opposite sides of two extremes, Lori is the in-between phase and is also the one who, arguably, had the most stolen from her.

Content warning for depictions of chemotherapy and cancer.

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary books with a handful of speculative elements, readers who love books about the dichotomy between having wanderlust and being stuck, and those looking for a book that covers multiple generations of women and the choices we make

I love anything magical realism! This was a book that tugged at my heartstrings the whole time. Love the themes of strong women, generational growth, and what it takes to truly feel alive.

My full review on my blog (link attached).

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one: I hated this book. A perfect storm of failed expectations, little patience, and my increased demand that the depicted world be at least internally coherent made the experience of reading the newest Durst book a train wreck. But let’s unpack this statement one part at a time, and maybe something here will help you make up your mind before the official publication date in March next year.

I have read one book of this author before, Race the Sands, and while I had my quibbles, the overall experience was tentatively promising. The writing style was good, the plot was engaging if rote, and the characters likeable enough even if not transcending their tropes. In consequence, I had planned to give Sarah Beth Durst another chance – she has been writing for a while, published a bunch of books, and there are people swearing by her novels. The Warbler looked interesting, sort of UF verging into horror territory and set in a small American town – I mean, what can go wrong? It sounded somewhat similar to The Hazel Wood, and that book had been pretty good.

Oh, I should’ve been smarter than that.

The Warbler has nothing in common with Albert’s book – except the blurb. Rather, it is a member of a genre inexplicably growing in popularity – “cozy fantasy”. Think hot beverages in unholy amounts, think curses but not really serious, they sound bad initially but the consequences are never really thought through or delivered, so the curses fizzle out in a wet brain fart, without good explanation or any kind of rationale. Think insta-romances that try hard to be anything but. Think walking stereotypes that valiantly spend most of the time talking to try to cover up the fact they have nothing to talk about. Oh, just think T.J. Klune and you will be set.

[...]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

Magical realism?! Yes please! I’m always there for it. This book had me captured from the first paragraph, never mind the first page! I absolutely loved getting to know Eliza and her family history.

This book was written beautifully. This book also breaks your heart in ways you wouldn’t expect. I also loved how the mother-daughter relationship was represented in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I fell in love with The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst and was very excited to read The Warbler early. I enjoyed the different POVs and how they help the story and family curse unfold. The way Durst used magical realism to show how grief and maternal expectations can shape your life was wonderfully done. Overall, 4.5/5 stars rounded up. I highly recommend picking this one up.

The Warbler was provided by Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Spellshop, so I was delighted to discover a new book by Sarah Beth Durst on NetGalley !

The story is a magical mystery that deals with themes of filial love, unhealthy mother-daugther relationship, home, grief, fate, generational trauma. The setting is a wonderful little city, it's bookshop, its coffee shop, and its resident eccentric old ladies.

I love how the mystery slowely unraveled, chapter by chapter, point of view by point of view. It was a delight to "investigate" with Eliza, to try to guess what happened before she did.

I really liked the writing in this book, and the beginning was SO strong and gave me Addie Larue vibes. I found the middle frustrating, and a bit repetitive. Everything did make sense once it was explained, but I found the ending disappointing. I would try this author again!

This book was incredibly magical. The beginning started off a little confusing with the different characters and timelines, but came together and made the story so beautiful. I have never read a book by Sarah Beth Durst before (although The Spellshop is very popular right now) but this book made me want to read everything written by her. The Warbler follows the curse of the women of a family that cannot stay in one place for more than 10 months, otherwise, they will turn into a tree and become rooted there. If you want to get swept away, absolutely read this book. It was whimsical, heart wrenching, and relatable. Highly recommend!

Love, love, love! Sarah Beth Durst writing is lovely. I like how jumping through the years is smooth, the setting is lovely. It feels original.