This book is such a perfect examination of abuse, how it can start slow and then ramp up. Sorcha initially has an excuse for everything Chris does that her friends see as red flags. As time goes on and the abuse ramps up, Sorcha can no longer make excuses and begins to look for a way out for herself and her future child. I really enjoyed this book even though it was a tough read at times.

My fourth grade teacher would spend about half an hour a day reading out loud to our class. As someone that was already an avid reader by that point, this book-focused time was something that I both looked forward to and dreaded in equal measure. I looked forward to it because any time spent amongst the magical worlds of stories like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Wrinkle In Time or even Where The Red Fern Grows was something that felt meaningful and necessary to my existence. They were an escape from those parts of the real world that would keep my eyes open at night - unable to calm my brain, unable to dream. But I also dreaded our time with those books because it meant that eventually, we would have to leave those worlds and wait an entire day to find our way back to them. I longed to skip ahead with my own copies of the books, but I felt some sort of allegiance to experiencing the stories at the same pace as the rest of the class and not ruining things.

As I grew up, I found solace in books where the worlds that were presented to me were quite a bit less magical and more grounded in some form of reality. Stories that enveloped themselves in pain and regret, stories that basked in the triumph and the fall of love, stories that didn’t shield me from their pulsing, damaged hearts and invited me inside to bathe me in warmth as they simultaneously ripped me to shreds. I began to live for stories that exemplified what the London-based band Shame once wrote, “They say ‘don’t live in the past’ and I don’t. I live deep within myself, just like everyone else.”

Despite the difficult subject matter of Jaime Burnet’s Milktooth, I mowed through it in two sittings over the course of one day, but then found myself pausing to write or post anything about it over the past…two months (?!?) as the intense struggle at the core of the story rattled around my brain like a handful of forgotten stray coins loosed from a pair of jeans in the dryer. Milktooth and it’s narrator, Sorcha, have lived with me over these past months in a sort of delicate balance of wanting to hold on to this story just for myself, while also feeling like I am bursting at the seams to talk about it, open up about it, connect it to every experience I’ve ever known - connect it to every feeling that I’ve ever hidden deep inside of myself.

In the first half of Milktooth, we are thrown into Sorcha’s current life as she spends her days working at a glorified mini-mart in the intensely gorgeous, but remarkably remote village of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Immediately, a number of hallmarks of abuse are present - the sheer panic she feels when missing a text from her partner, sneaking food that her partner wouldn’t approve of, the endless guilt of having to ask her partner to drive her anywhere, the disassociation that she works in a bookshop rather than a convenience store. As the story unfolds, we are given glimpses into the past where we allowed to see a happier, more outgoing and vibrant version of Sorcha in the larger city of Halifax as she immerses herself into a world surrounded by her found family of best friends.

Sorcha’s life is upended when she meets Chris, described early on as a lesbian Leonardo DiCaprio look-alike, and the two embark on an intense relationship that immediately consumes her and alienates Sorcha’s friends. Chris is jealous, possessive and becomes a wedge between Sorcha and her merry band of misfit friends and eventually convinces Sorcha that it would be best for them to move away from the distractions of the city to isolate themselves in a small town where they can work towards the process of starting a family together. Despite the lingering voice in the back of her head that she’s had enough of Chris’ constant emotional manipulation and her insistence that Sorcha choose her over her friends, she makes the decision to leave her life in the city and follow Chris just about as far to the east as she can go, to the middle of nowhere.

While what follows in the second half of the story becomes much more hopeful, that hope also presents itself attached to a significant amount of change and upheaval in Sorcha’s reality, which is, at times, absolutely gut-wrenching and nerve-wracking to read. Jaime does a phenomenal job of allowing us to live inside of the mind of someone being deeply emotionally abused and manipulated to the degree that you begin to feel it across your skin and in your bones. The tension and worry that she creates on behalf of the situation that Sorcha has found herself in is thick and I found that as I read along, all of my nervous tics came flaring outward in grand procession as I went along for the ride.

Milktooth is a piece of art that examines how the abuse that you accept from the people you trust implicitly early on in your life - your family - can translate into a reality where you will continue to accept that level of abuse until you work to break the cycle…and even then, it never fully disappears. As her story unfolds and she finds herself handcuffed even further to Chris via an IVF pregnancy, Sorcha discovers family secrets that unlock doors in her mind that had always been closed off to her and help guide her to the people in her life that have her best interests at heart without any expectation of receiving anything in return outside of love.

With Milktooth, Jaime has crafted a document that shines an essential and bright light on queer relationships, the machinations of abuse and the lifetime of trauma they create, the human ability to fight and to survive at all costs and the beauty of finding your place among a found family and allowing yourself even an infinitesimal shard of happiness. Milktooth is a force of nature in the shape of a novel that I will have planted in my brain for many years to come.

milktooth is a novel detailing the progression of Sorcha’s relationships – with her girlfriend, her friends, and her family. When Sorcha’s abusive relationship with her girlfriend Chris ramps up in intensity when they move out into a remote city and attempt for a child, she turns to her estranged aunt for help.

Burnet created a book that was both terrifying and heartwarming. The gradual ramping up of the abuse, both physical and psychological, was scary to bear witness to but written extremely well. Sorcha’s voice and the pacing of the book was incredible, and kept me invested throughout. The recurring imagery of the milk and the salamander was really interesting, and I felt like it fit really well. It was a devastating story, showing how hard it is to escape toxic and abusive relationships like these. The psychological abuse is quite detailed, so that is definitely something to keep in mind if that is a trigger for you. However, the story is also about Sorcha’s healing, and how it is possible to get away and the importance of a support system. All of the side characters, Sorcha’s friends, her family, etc., were also full of depth and there was not a single boring moment in the book. Definitely got emotional at more than one moment in the book.

I really enjoyed this novel, and will definitely be checking out Jaime Burnet’s future writing! Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a love letter to all those finding their way out of emotionally abusive relationships. The first half of the book had me both pinned to the page while simultaneously feeling sick to my stomach. Burnet captures the very real feelings of words being twisted, blame being turned, the fear and guilt. I appreciated that we got to see the build up of the relationship over time and see how it tied in with Sorcha’s identity as a queer woman and also her desire to have a baby.

At about 60% into the book, I felt it hit a bit of a lag after she’s in Scotland for a minute. It felt very repetitive of she goes to work, eats a scone or something milky, talks to Agnes about plants and life. I guess I just found it jarring compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, but maybe that’s the point.

And a slighter note, I found Sorcha’s thoughts mildly biphobic (judging the queerness of a queer woman dating a straight man as if it negates her identity) and I thought that was icky.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the way the story flowed. The internal conflict of the main character felt really real, and I was rooting for her so hard. I think the way the abuse was portrayed was incredibly realistic, how easy it is to be manipulated and how trapped you can feel in that situation. It was lowkey triggering to read, but I persisted because I wanted that happy ending. I wouldn't say the ending was happy, but it was satisfying.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Vagrant Press for an e-ARC!

I was unfortunately unable to download the file before it got automatically archived, however I remain very excited to acquire a copy, post my review to all platforms and adjust my rating as soon as release date has passed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was layered, emotional, raw, heartfelt, and a meditation on love (or what masquerades as love) in various forms. To read Sorcha's story surviving emotional abuse was difficult, heart-wrenching, and unbelievably empowering. I really appreciated that the story focused on a queer couple, and how Sorcha's forgiveness or excuse of Chris was wrapped up in being a 'good dyke'. Speaking from my own perspective as a dyke, too often we try to soothe the trauma of our partners to our own expense and confuse messy partnership with red flags that we need to actually run from. When you're treated from society as less-than, it's easier to accept maltreatment from others, since oftentimes our self-worth has already taken a beating from just living through a queer/transphobic world. The backstory we get from Sorcha informs so much of her present with Chris. Burnet casts this lyrical dance between past and present which only becomes more clear as Sorcha reels from PTSD flashbacks. What seems to really ground Sorcha is her pack of incredible friends and her generous Aunt Agnes. This book really speaks to found/chosen family in a way that I think many queer people can relate to.

The theme of dairy throughout the book was very clever. From her chugging the carton of milk in quiet defiance in the first chapter all the way to the end where she licks milk off her finger. Burnet wove a complex story with dairy as a compelling metaphor. As much as this book is about showcasing the insidious reality of emotional abuse, it's very much so about Sorcha (re)building herself perhaps for the first time ever- abuse from Chris might be the inciting incident but we see throughout the novel that I'm not sure Sorcha has ever truly chosen herself and felt whole. I found her pursuit of herself terribly moving. Hauntingly, I don't think Chris even understands her wrong-doings; she thinks of herself as a victim throughout this story which made my skin crawl. This book illustrates so clearly how volatile and at times naturalized this type of abuse is.

As a Canadian who has travelled through Cape Breton and Halifax, it was cool to read a book that was so unapologetically Canadian (and the East Coast at that). The similarities, yet stark (emotional) differences between the Cape and the Scottish Highlands, offers so much depth to the novel that I really appreciated.

If you're a vibe/seasonal reader like me, I think that if you're travelling to Eastern Canada or Scotland Highlands then this would fit perfectly. It would also really work if you're somewhere remote in a forest (think cottage-core) to really bring out the theme of isolation that is present in a good chunk of the book. I did note that there were a few important Christmas scenes, though this is not a holiday book by any means. BUT if you're looking for something that briefly touches on Christmas while not being cheery (it's giving Trauma Christmas) then this book might fit that need for you. Friendship as family is such a huge theme of this book so if you're in the midst of relishing in your queer friend group, or if you're longing for something like that, then I think this book will offer a really lovely perspective in chosen family.

This book is beautiful as it is heart-wrenching. It's a story of resilience and the importance of having a support network. I recommend everyone and anyone to read it, but especially to my fellow dykes out there. <3

"milktooth" was such a gripping read from start to finish. In this story, Jaime Burnet skilfully portrays the reality of romantic partner abuse, touching on the importance of having a chosen family. The situation of initial love-bombing and then controlling and isolating is showcased believably, as well as the process of exiting such a dynamic and the aftermaths of it.

Despite the dark and uncomfortable topic, "milktooth" is simultaneously uplifting and at times quite funny. The author takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride that is well paced from the beginning to an end.

This is a beautiful book that fills me with hope. It covers heavy subjects, such as abuse, but love ultimately wins out in this story. I really took to Sorcha and the relationship she had with her aunt/grandma and her pack. This story could have fallen into the trap of being ordinary lit fic, but there's something special about it. Every detail matters, and I was always excited to keep reading.

This was so painfully & beautifully written. If you’re in a toxic relationship & need some extra strength to move on, please read this. You travel through the life of a woman who falls too fast for the wrong person, and cheer her on as she digs herself out of it. She can do it. You can do it too. It puts into perspective how grateful we should be for our “chosen family” 🖤 Get yourself a cup of tea, a scone & a comfy chair cause you’re going to want to eat this book up as fast as you can.

Thank you Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for this ARC!

this book was gut-wrenching and very well done. it took a bit to understand some of the time jumps happening but ultimately i feel like that choice makes sense when you think about how memories are affected by abuse. highly recommend this queer litfic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just much too smart for me, and I also felt like it also wasn’t that smart at the same time?

I’m not really sure how to explain that reading experience, but I overall just didn’t really enjoy it.

I loved this book. Such a quietly powerful story about coercion and gaslighting in a relationship. This is brilliantly written and so tense that I really regretted every minute that I didn’t spend reading it. I raced through it.

This book was hard to read.

Emotionally heavy from start to finish, I think this might be the most realistic portrayal of an emotionally and verbally abusive relationship that I've ever read. I just wanted to reach in and hug Sorcha. There were so many lines in this book that broke my heart and will sit with me for a very long time. My only real complaint is that the ending felt really rushed- I'd have liked to have some more time and development there.

Sorcha, with a history of abusive relationships finds herself in another with Chris, the 90s heartthrob like woman of her dreams, and then isolated from friends and family, she has to figure out how to escape and make a new life.

I really liked this book about the quiet banality and domesticity of abuse and how it’s not always black eyes. How controlling Chris was and how the cycle of abuse continues. But more than that I enjoyed the way Sorcha, after finding love from friends and other family is able to bloom and grow and escape.

This was well written and really interesting.

This was a very engrossing book that tackled difficult themes with a lot of care. I read this in a few hours in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down!

this was a great book! I think it was extremely well written, it had so many good scenes, and it kept me entertained the whole time!! It was so well written, I love the connections the characters had, and how the story flowed. I think it is extremely good!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was that it's a first person narrative written without the use of quotations and it was very easy to follow (not an easy thing to do). I really wish that I would've been able to connect with the character more because it was a really easy read.

What the book is:
🔘 Sorcha is a thirty one year old woman who wants emotional growth, to be in an adult relationship, and most of all to have a baby. The partner she chooses is an incredibly flawed and emotionally abusive woman called Chris.
🔘 As a birthing parent who is married to a woman, I feel that the parts of the book dealing with non-birthing parents custody/rights could've been handled better. This was one of the many places that the book felt decidedly heteronormative which was odd for a book with so many LGBTQ+ characters.
🔘 Sorcha does not evolve as a character which was frustrating. I absolutely do not understand how the tipping point for Sorcha to cut her crappy family from her life is that they continue to misgender her best friend Ruth. Though when Chris makes a totally inappropriate and incorrect gender reference to Ruth, it's not equally transformative. Ruth is more family than her crappy family, so that was confusing for me.
🔘 Agnes was the absolute best character in this novel.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can see this becoming a big movie one day. Burnet's writing feels considered and thoughtful. The lacing in of Gaelic and Sorcha's explorations of her roots provides strong support for her personal growth throughout the novel. The changes of scenery and their subsequent pace changes also helped to keep the novel interesting as the intensity waxed and waned much as it would in real life.

The psychological abuse is described incredibly well and provided insight into the types of experiences that an abused partner might have whilst from the outside not raising many, if any, red flags. I haven't read many novels where this form of abuse is explored and I liked Sorcha's metaphor of the little workers in her brain providing constant reminders that she isn't oblivious to the abuse but how difficult it is to break free from a relationship of this nature.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance copy of Milktooth.
I really enjoyed this book.
It became my guilty pleasure as I felt like I was reading about a bad situation but it was so different than many other books I read, that I was learning about a new community while doing so. I am not sure if I liked this one or Finding Flora better.......I could go for either on my top ten of the moment list. This is another book that I think some will not appreciate or think is great, but I liked it quite a lot.
I felt like this was two different parts. The first part was the tumultuous lesbian relationship of Sorcha and Chris, while the second part highlighted the fears of Sorcha as she considers the rest of her life.
The guilty pleasure for me was to open up the book and wonder what the heck Chris was going to do next to be abusive, controlling and demeaning. I loved reading about it but hated the character, hence guilty pleasure.

A quote, Sorcha speaking: Good morning I said quietly, I made you breakfast. I offered the scones, said I'd opened the cloudberry jam, which garnered a pressed smile. She put her laptop down and folded her legs to make room for me. I laid my offering down and climbed gratefully into bed.
She is like a dog that is looking for a reward.
This quote goes on to talk about how she spilled coffee and is chastised and even then how badly she wanted Chris to eat the scones so that they will have a good day

Abuse comes in many forms. Chris was good at saying the right things to keep Sorcha happy after verbally and mentally abusing her.

Another quote
Chris reminded me that I was not adhering to my resolution. I forgot to clean Della's litter box two days in a row, I left the hummus coated spoon in the sink. And I wanted to abandon her to visit my friends. So I guess I only have myself to blame for her moods. Maybe the cold weather makes me selfish.

I think about this one.....my wife takes care of the litter box and definitely is not perfect with it. I like hummus a lot and regularly leave the hummus spoon in the sink. I am pretty sure neither of us have abused each other over these scenarios.

Then we look toward the second part of the book :
How many women have gotten pregnant in the hopes that it saves or makes a relationship better.
But immediately, she hopes it does not work, that she is not pregnant.
This leads the book to her next phase of her life that will be important in finding herself, figuring out what she wants and what place Chris plays in that life.

I felt like this book was relevant. Whether or not it gets tied up in a neat bow at the end is up for debate, I think it is a realistic ending.