4.5 stars

Bear County, Michigan is a collection of stories involving the residents of a fictional county in northern Michigan.

Being from a small town in northern Michigan myself, now living in the city, reading this was almost a bit nostalgic, albeit dramatized. I felt like I actually knew these people, which made all the stories even more impactful! The writing style was fantastic, resulting in some pretty great quotes in here, such as "these were true moments he never knew could exist again. Maybe that's what made them true. The not knowing. The surprise." Or, my personal favorite, "sometimes to tell the truth you have to make stuff up."

Overall fantastic collection of short stories! Truly brought an imaginary county and its residents to life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Northwestern University Press for the chance to read this book.

As a native michigander I LOVED this book, it was so cool and a fun read for anyone from the state. I really liked the clear and concise writing style so you could picture what the author was speaking about