★★★★☆
(I really liked it)

This book is a little gem!

Jaime Burnet is an author to watch! She manages to craft a story filled with sweetness and cozy moments, despite being centered around a toxic romantic relationship. This book takes us through a whirlwind of emotions; while making us suffocate and hope that the character escapes her torment, it also lets us experience the simplicity of living in a small village and the tenderness of a community.

The characters are so interesting, unique, and complex. Sorcha's way of thinking and her strange actions make her an authentic character that we become deeply attached to.

A true discovery for me.

*.✧Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I originally applied for an ARC because I loved the cover, specifically the salamander, and the Scottish Highlands setting. That was enough to spark my interest, but the plot pulled me in from page one. Easily a top five read for me this year so far.

The story moves from the weight of an abusive relationship to the warmth that comes with healing. The writing is so captivating and vivid, I found myself easily immersed in Sorcha’s world. There’s a natural, conversational flow to the character’s dialogue. The familiarity really drew me in, as if I was overhearing a genuine moment between friends. At its core, this is a story of resilience and the strength it takes to shape the future you want.

The emotional abuse Sorcha faces is written with such heartbreaking realism. The slow erosion of self, the isolation, the constant feeling of walking on eggshells. Chris manipulates her into believing that if she just tried harder, if she was a little better, there would be no cause for anger. If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to meet someone like Chris, you’ll recognize how well the author captures the dynamic of control and manipulation. Sorcha’s list of things to remember struck a deep chord with me. These seemingly small rules, survival tactics disguised as considerations, serve as a painful reminder of how easy it is to shrink yourself just to keep the peace. Ultimately, this story delves into the lies we tell ourselves to justify staying in toxic situations and highlights that sometimes the hardest step isn’t leaving. It’s t’s believing we deserve something better, and finding the courage to take that first step.

I loved Sorcha’s fiercely loyal friends who stand by her and continue to offer unwavering support. Their presence is a reminder of the importance of true friendship. And then there’s her Aunt Agnes, the kind of family everyone hopes for. I absolutely adored her. Agnes consistently supported Sorcha in whatever she chose, providing both encouragement and the space needed for Sorcha to heal while gently guiding her toward building a future of her own. There were so many tender, sweet moments between Agnes and Sorcha that brought tears to my eyes.

As someone who’s been to the Highlands, it truly does feel like a magical. The quiet, the small-town feel, the remoteness. It’s the kind of place where you can breathe a little easier, where burdens feel lighter just by being hidden away in such a beautiful pocket of the world. The author captured that feeling so well, making the setting just as important as the story itself.

I absolutely loved this book, and found myself highlighting so many passages. Beautifully written, emotionally wrecking, and deeply resonant.

Thank you so much to NetGally and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC!

This book was beautiful and heartbreaking. My friends, family, and I have all had relationships that looked like Chris and Sorcha's in one way or another and this book is an amazing portrayal of the strength it takes to live through that.

This books will most likely be one of the best things I will read this year, it was phenomenal and I was so engrossed in the book that I had read 90% before I realised I had to go to bed!

We meet Sorcha who now in her 30’s wants to settle down after her 20’s that had hook ups with no long lasting presence. She meets Chris at a farmers market and swoons into a very quick and very serious relationship.

This book at times was emotionally heartbreaking as slowly we start to see maybe Chris ‘mood’ is rather unstable (mood is a generous term I am using), the sharpness to Chris responses with gaslight put downs to Sorcha that are upsetting plus emotionally abusive. Sorcha comes from a religious background and in places she thinks she can save her by being better - honestly at stages I wanted to pick Sorcha up and throat punch Chris. Chris if you have met one in the real world the portrayal is spot on.

There is a merry band of friends who are fantastic but become isolated out of Sorcha life so she seeks small escapism through her work and learning Gaelic. Chris the living red flag can provide the one thing that Sorcha wants and that is a baby. However upon realising she was successful at getting pregnant has an epiphany moment and realises she cannot go on with Chris.

This leads to a wonderful reunion with her Aunt Agnes’s who wraps her up in love and understand in her escape to Scotland from Canada, where she hides to nest with her baby to be. This part of the story is so gentle and opens up to Sorcha healing and moving on finding her own peace plus her own inner strength.

I highly recommend this book, there are so many things here to unpack from exploring friendships, found family as well as queer domestic abuse, but it’s well read and very funny to mix in. I will add there is no victimisation of Sorcha. I was given an opportunity to read this as part of an ARC so thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

I received a free copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

definitely an interesting read, it’s a bit slow to start and jumps in between different memories of sorcha’s. it was definitely a hard read at times, watching chris’s behavior towards sorcha escalate. despite how rough certain parts are, there are hopeful parts as well. my favorite part was being able to see sorcha connect with her aunt. the ending was a bit abrupt, but made sense since the story is less about closure and more about watching someone start to redevelop a sense of self after going through a difficult time.

I really enjoyed this ARC, although it does delve into difficult and painful topics. The author wrote scenes of domestic violence and manipulation that felt very realistic, and we sadly watch the wonderful protagonist, Sorcha, struggling with ideas of love and abuse, and what a 'bad' relationship is. The whole time you root for her; she's charming and funny, and really cares about her partner who continues to isolate and manipulate her, and you just want her to listen to her amazing friends and the voice inside of her.

Speaking of friends, I LOVED the supporting cast, especially Agnes! There are many tender moments between them that warmed my heart, and I loved the dual settings between Nova Scotia and Scotland. The dialogue about queerness and sexuality throughout was very interesting to me as a bisexual/queer woman, and I often felt Sorcha's sentiments and thoughts as though they echoed my own. She really evolves as a character throughout the book, and I think her journey will resonate with many people.

I am looking forward to reading more from Jaime Burnet, and I can't wait to tell folks about this title. Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC!

This is one of my favorite novels of the year so far!! This novel follows Sorcha, a woman who finds herself in an abusive relationship with Chris, her partner who is described as "the meanest person" Sorcha knows. The story is raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately empowering as Sorcha goes on a transformative journey of self-discovery and healing.

At the start of the novel, Sorcha is deeply in love with Chris. But as their honeymoon period fades, the red flags emerge. Chris begins gaslighting Sorcha, emotionally abusing her, and isolating her from her friends. The emotional tension between them builds as they make the decision to try for a child through artificial insemination. When Sorcha becomes pregnant on her first attempt, she’s forced to confront the reality of her toxic relationship. This leads her to make the brave decision to leave Chris and find solace in Scotland with her “aunt” Agnes, who, as it turns out, is actually her grandmother.

In Scotland, Sorcha reconnects with her heritage and discovers a new sense of happiness and peace. She finds a community that supports her and begins to heal from the emotional damage caused by Chris. When she eventually returns home, Sorcha has transformed into a stronger, more self-assured woman who is able to reclaim her friendships and move forward with a renewed sense of self-worth. The emotional arc of Sorcha's journey—from victim to survivor—is one of the most compelling aspects of this novel.

Burnet does an exceptional job at portraying the subtle yet devastating dynamics of an emotionally abusive relationship. The writing is immersive, and Sorcha’s experiences feel authentic and poignant. The pacing is perfect, and I found myself reading it at every chance I got. The story is not just about escaping an abusive relationship, but also about reclaiming one's identity and learning to prioritize self-love and self-respect.

Milktooth is an eye-opening novel that will resonate with anyone who has been in a toxic relationship. It’s a story of empowerment, healing, and the courage it takes to let go of what no longer serves you. Burnet’s writing is a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to find happiness, even after the most painful of experiences. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a transformative read.

Thank thank thank you netgalley for this ARC! <3

Where do I start with this one? It caught me so off guard at every turn.

Firstly, I want to say that the characters, their dynamics and the culture that surrounds them is such a gorgeous depiction of queerness. It had a really authentic way of showcasing the different parts of what it means to be queer, both good and bad, in a really honest and organic way. I really adored that. I also love love love how it felt like being a fly on the wall in their friendship group.

There's something unique about Jaime Burnet's writing that makes the story feel so informal in the best way. I understood each character so quickly-although, I have to say, I could've spent another few years getting to know them all and just hanging out with them.

I really enjoyed this. It showed so carefully the insidious little ways that someone can infiltrate every part of your mindset and your life without you noticing it happening, and the ease with which they can entirely isolate you.

I won't give any spoilers, but Agnes is the star of this show. She makes her presence known throughout the whole story, even before we realise she's there. She is absolutely the coolest.

Anyway, I cried at the end of this. Which, in my opinion, is the sign of a Very Good Read.

In requesting this book, I somehow missed the fact that the story centres on domestic violence - a topic I’m not really reading at the moment. Rating 5 stars so it doesn’t affect the titles success as it’s an important topic, just a little difficult for me ❤️

I tore through this book, staying up way too late, because I had to know how it ends. Heartbreaking, funny, beautiful - this is not for the faint of heart. It's a perfectly wonderful book for those who know both how brutal life can be, and how special the right people can make it.

5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc!

I really liked this. I found Burnet's writing style to be really interesting and engaging. I think the pacing was realy good because as we learned more about the characters it was done so in a way where each layer continued to push the story forward and kept me wanting to read more.

This was fantastic!

Sorcha you are hilarious, flawed, a survivor and I have the upmost respect for the journey you were on! I thought the author did a fantastic job of writing Chris as the villain, because she is such a gaslighter, manipulative, and so harmful. I was SOOOOO MAD most of this book.

To see Sorcha fall into this relationship after having already been in an abusive relationship was hard to watch, but when she does become pregnant, I was cheering for her.

I really appreciated that we had Ruth who represents our Transgender community and that she was such a wonderful friend to Sorcha when it was hard to be her friend.

Agnes is the family that we all need and played such a crucial role in Sorchas healing/taking back her own power.

This is going to be anyone who loves lithic, gay stories that will have you not wanting to put the book down.

Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you nimbus publishing and Jaime Burnet for this arc.

This book was truly a ride. Literary fiction with an almost all queer cast of characters reeled me in, but the promise of our main character finding her place, her tribe, her family was what I really wanted. I love a story of queer found family, especially when it involves characters in their 30's or older.

This was slightly slow to start--the extended flashback was sort of jarring to the rest of the plot--but once the story finds it's groove, you best find something to hold on to.

I'm sure we could get into a Withering Heights-esque metaphor debate on the similarities between the Scottish Highlands feral beauty and Sorcha's life story but I'll leave it for the literary scholars.

This book feels important, moving, heart-breaking and hopeful--all at the same time.

Wow. Just wow. I am genuinely speechless.

Read in one sitting, could not put it down

Also reviewed on Goodreads

general fiction. it was so much more. it rugby tackled a few of my own embarrassing judgmental bits. its tackled my own bias. and made more look in the mirror more than a few times and think i really need to do more. for woman. for humans.
i also though Chris would be a bloke. you would right? being the vile abusive coercive controlling d**. but then shes the woman. and abuse is abuse and happens when abusers abuse. but also then got a bit niggled thinking the author might be trying to make a point? that "not all man" see woman do it too! but again, trying to not be judgmental here!

but i loved this book. and then i didnt. and it made me emotional and uncomfortable. its made me want to be aunt Agnes and also run from Sorcha. it made me want to shake her and hug her. but it made me think. it made me feel. and i recommend anyone and everyone needs it but im not quite sure why. but i am sure why. and you see why im not a money making reviewer here peeps because i dont quite know how to put what i want to put and what i think from what i thought about this novel. haha. you see, some books ripple. and make you have all sorts of emotions. and you cant have too many of those books because youd be on emotional overload. but every now and then milk tooth comes along and you definitely need it,

I do not know how I feel about this book. How can this book be defined by star value? I am going to write out my typical review format, and hope that it will help me decide.

SUMMARY:
Sorcha is in her early 30s. Apparently this is the time all women decide to make stupid decisions in order to have a baby before they become a spinster at 40. Idk man ask me in 7 years. Sorcha's stupid decision is named Chris.

Chris sucks, y'all. She is just all the signs of emotional abuse. It is like googling "Signs You Are In A Toxic Relationship." Her name will show up. But she is RICH! And when you are a lesbian who needs to pay to have a child, that is good enough reason to stay with someone.

Let it be known that these wild opinions are Sorcha's, not mine. She grew up in an abusive household then jumped straight into abusive relationships. Pour one out for Sorcha folks. And by one I mean a gallon of milk.

Anyway, Sorcha gets pregnant first try. She INSTANTLY is like. I have made a terrible decision. Chris takes her phone and she is like alright. Time to flee the country. Enter Scotland and Aunt Agnes.

MY THOUGHTS:
What did I think about this book. Um. I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. Yet I am left reeling a bit. I guess I will talk about the easy stuff first.

Ruth? That is my girl. Love her. Aunt Agnes as well. I want to be her when I grow up.

This book is very funny. Which is crazy because I also felt like I might cry several times.

Alright. Let's talk about Sorcha. Have you ever hated a character and then realized it is because you are afraid you might BE that character, if only a little? It is like hearing the villain of your story go "You and I are more alike than you realize." I am Luke Skywalker and I have seen my face in the mask and been shamed.

I think a lot of us can probably relate to Sorcha a bit. She is us if we made the worst choice in every bad situation. I kind of loved her, by the end. You just want her to be happy.

LET HER BE HAPPY. "Bakers don't wear rings." GOD. We were rooting for you, we were all rooting for you, how dare you?!

I think this book might be the best??? I don't know. It just made me feel so many feelings.

I love that this book is able to be like. Yeah, non-straight non-cis people are also just people. Like, that person sucks. That one is awesome. This other one is just kind of mid. So often in media writers are afraid to have their minority characters be less than perfect. This was just great. I look forward to seeing people write full on dissertation level essays about it. 4 hour youtube video essay when??

FINAL OPINION:
I think I am going to give this book 5 stars. Is it my favorite book of all time? No. Will I ever read it again? I don't know. I don't think so. But I also know I will gladly recommend it to people. I feel like this is a book you have to read at least once. I can easily see it becoming a classic. The writing is so beautiful. The feeling of reading it is so unique. I can see this being discussed in a classroom setting. And this is only her second book!!! I can't wait to read her first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I have no notes.

This was a brilliant read, I couldn't put it down. The perfect balance of tense and comforting, the horror of an abusive relationship juxtaposed with the warmth of found families and true friendships. I'll be reading everything this author writes.

(one small gripe, I've never seen Tums for sale in the Scottish highlands - even in the bigger cities like Aberdeen and Inverness)

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Milktooth, but I quickly learned that sometimes the most unexpected covers hold the deepest, most gut-wrenching stories. I love a sad girl book, especially when the cast is almost exclusively queer. That cool cover and the promise of a story about a woman finding herself—mixed with the literariness (litfic) I adore—had me hooked from the start.

Sorcha, now in her early 30s, is determined to leave behind the fleeting hook-ups and gay haunts of her twenties. All she’s ever wanted is the stability and love of a family—a dream that seems just within reach when she meets Chris. With her buttoned-up plaid, 90s heartthrob hair, and grand romantic gestures, Chris sweeps Sorcha into a whirlwind romance that quickly turns serious. Despite the concerns of her friends, Sorcha clings to the hope that this could be the real-life fairy tale she’s longed for.

However, beneath the veneer of domestic bliss promised in Cape Breton, dark truths begin to surface. Chris’s volatile moods and manipulative behavior reveal her true nature. As Sorcha becomes increasingly isolated, the very person who promised her a baby and a life of stability becomes the architect of her emotional and physical confinement. For anyone who’s ever seen their own past traumas echo in present relationships, Chris’s character resonates all too painfully.

Yet, this is not just a story of destruction. Milktooth is also about the possibility of rebuilding from the ruins. When Sorcha’s estranged Aunt Agnes—a retired midwife with a mysterious past—reaches out, it offers Sorcha a lifeline: a chance to retreat to a bothy in the Scottish Highlands and piece together a new life. Amid the pain, moments of fierce friendship, raw intimacy, and the beauty of found family shine through. The narrative is painted in stunning, lyrical prose that marries trauma with tenderness, and even in the darkest moments, hope glimmers.

Set against the evocative backdrops of Halifax, Cape Breton, and Scotland, every location becomes a character in itself, reinforcing the book’s themes of isolation, identity, and transformation. The subtle exploration of Gaelic language and evolving sexual identity further enriches the story, making it both a cultural and emotional journey.

Milktooth is a compelling testament to survival—the journey from yearning to entrapment and ultimately to liberation. It forces us to confront the lies we tell ourselves to justify staying in harmful situations and reminds us that sometimes the hardest step is believing we deserve better. This beautifully tragic story, with its raw honesty and unforgettable characters, has already claimed its place as one of my favorite reads of the year.

Highly recommended for lovers of litfic, queer narratives, and anyone who’s ever struggled to break free from the chains of a toxic past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing | Vagrant Press for the eARC.

I requested and received an eARC of milktooth by Jaime Burnet via NetGalley. Sorcha is over hook-ups and the gay scene, she's ready to leave that behind with her twenties. Now thirty-one what Sorcha craves more than anything is the opportunity to have a baby. She formulates a plan to ensure this result, but then she meets Chris. With her plaid and DiCaprio hair, Chris is irresistible to Sorcha. Although her friends express concern, Sorcha quickly becomes serious with Chris. It isn’t long before Cris becomes increasingly volatile, constantly impressing her criticisms and insecurities upon Sorcha, the two of them isolated together in “domestic bliss” in Cape Breton. When Sorcha becomes pregnant Chris's abuse escalates, she realizes that she must escape.

I was very impressed by the writing in this book. The way Burnet unravels the story and these brilliant little glimpses of Sorcha's character are very compelling. The emphasis on her family history really made me understand and sympathize with her. Once I started this book I really felt as if I had been put under some sort of melancholy spell that made me supremely uncomfortable, but I couldn't break away from. There’s a delicate balance between the bleak and hopefulness in milktooth that I really came to appreciate while making my way through the story. The mood mirrors Sorcha's feelings and experiences quite nicely.

The first half of this novel is incredibly tense and well-written. Intimate partner violence among the queer community isn’t something I often see reflected in literature, but I think Burnet does a great job of handling this issue with sensitivity and without any sort of narrative blame. Sorcha has an incredible group of friends that I really enjoyed getting to know, all very rooted in queer culture in one way or another. The second half of the novel, which does contain tension of its own, felt much more like a salve. Burnet has a lot to say about abuse, familial trauma, found family, and rediscovering yourself and does so in a spectacular and affecting manner.

I read this book in 24 hours, including 90% of it in one sitting. Plot-wise, it’s like IN THE DREAM HOUSE meets Eva Baltasar, but written in the style of Emily R. Austin. The prose is straightforward, not in a bad way, but a little more general fiction and a little less litfic than I expected based on the cover. This book says things about queer culture and identity that I’ve thought but never really seen articulated before (though the book is not primarily about that). I would definitely read more from this author!