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.

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.

Unfortunately, while I loved the premise, this just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the story or become invested in the characters.

I went into this book with a bit of hesitation. Magical realism isn’t usually my thing, but I’m a big fan of the author, so I gave it a try—and I’m so glad I did. Yes, there’s this fantastical element about people turning into trees, which admittedly felt a little out there at first, but then again, no stranger than dragons or fairies (and I read plenty about those!). Once I moved past my initial hesitation, I found myself completely captivated by the story for what it is: a quirky, poignant exploration of freedom, motherhood, and what it truly means to put down roots.

The story follows Elisa, who’s spent her life moving from place to place, believing she’ll be cursed to turn into a tree if she ever settles down. When she arrives in a strange, close-knit town in Massachusetts where people can’t leave, she starts to question her own past and whether the curse is real. The vibe of the town is very “Gilmore Girls meets Twin Peaks”—a mix of small-town charm with an eerie, mystical undertone that really worked. Elisa’s journey through her family’s curse, her search for something to call home, and her discovery of how it feels to belong, made this story both unique and heartfelt.

This turned out to be one of my top reads of 2024, blending beautiful writing with a story that surprised me in all the best ways. If you’re up for something a little magical and a lot moving, this book might just steal your heart.

This book was soooo good!
I’m entering my magical realism era apparently and after reading The Spellshop, I was so excited to try this one out. Mrs Durst has this beautiful way of taking your hand and leading you into her magical stories.

Usually I am not a fan of multiple timelines and POV because I get lost. But this story was so easy to read. It was easy to connect with the majority of the characters, however I felt Lori was the one I connected with the least.

The story follows three generations of women as they face love, loss, instability, and discontent with their lives. Add in a generational curse and a town that you are unable to leave, with women who are unable to stay. I feel this story mirrors the discontent in life, wanting more out of life and unable to grasp it. It portrays how choices made affect generations to come. It portrays the consequences of manipulating someone’s free will.

I would have given this 5 stars had the ending not felt like it was abrupt. I was hoping for a different outcome. Still a good story and good ending. I honestly would give this 4.5 stars if I had that option here.

Can a girl with no place finally find a home? This novel plays with magic, longing, and desire. What does home really mean and how do we lose our path based on the desires of others. As the main character seeks to unpack the mysteries of her past we look back at her ancestors and their journeys. Is there more to the small town she finds herself in? This book lives happily between a cozy mystery and magical realism. The modern story is the most compelling but the past stories add richness to the narrative.

I’m a fan of magical realism, so this book was right up my alley. "The Warbler" by Sarah Beth Durst is a charming story that follows one woman’s quest for answers, perfectly illustrating the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Elisa can’t stay in one place for more than ten months due to a family curse. Stay any longer, and she risks turning into a tree. During one of her wanderings, she arrives in Greenborough, Massachusetts - a place where residents can’t leave. She must find the root of her curse and a way out of town before it's too late. I’ll avoid saying more to keep things spoiler-free.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The premise is original, the world-building is evocative, and the main characters are richly drawn. The story moves between three generations of women across three timelines, with the focus mainly on Elisa. I liked Elisa's voice more than the others and found her story the most engaging. The double meaning of Warbler (a wanderer or a small songbird) was also a nice touch, cleverly woven into the narrative. Oh, and there's a bookstore and a cat, which I adored!

The book explores themes of choices, or lack thereof, the tendency to do what's expected rather than pursuing one’s dreams, the need for belonging, mother-daughter relationships, grief, and how even the best intentions can go wrong. I found it frustrating how others' choices were imposed on Elisa and her mother, and the assumption that everyone needed or wanted the same things felt condescending.

The book started strong, lagged a bit in the middle, and then picked up the pace. I liked the conclusion, though it wasn’t entirely satisfying. I figured out the mystery before the heroine did, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment. A bit of tightening in the plot would have made it even more engaging.

In sum, "The Warbler" is a marvelous read with good writing, vivid imagery, and relatable characters. The author takes the reader into the mind of the book's main characters and exposes them to their emotions. I’d recommend this to Sarah Beth Durst fans and lovers of magical realism.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.