What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
10 days and 20:13:32
20 copies available
U.S. only
Tilt
Win a free print copy of this book!
10 days and 20:13:32
20 copies available
U.S. only
Set over the course of one day, a heart-racing story about a woman facing the unimaginable, determined to find safety
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there’s nothing to do but walk.
Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. She’s determined to change her life if she can just make it home.
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there’s nothing to do but walk.
Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. She’s determined to change her life if she can just make it home.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2025
475 people are currently reading
58.5k people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 495 reviews
January 31, 2025
This is a tough one to review because I liked parts of it, but felt it was missing something.
is tagged as 'thriller' and 'suspense', but, while the story follows a woman in the aftermath of an earthquake, I do not think either is truly accurate. Pattee shares her concerns about the Pacific Northwest 'Big One' in the Acknowledgements, but the story mainly uses the disaster as a backdrop to reflect on Annie's life, her marriage and her pregnancy through flashbacks.
At first, I enjoyed it enough. The author explores life dissatisfaction and pregnancy anxiety by revisiting Annie's recent past. In the present, a nine-month pregnant Annie begins walking across a devastated Portland, trying to reach her husband. During this walk, she contemplates all aspects of her life that have led her to this point.
I quite liked the idea of the earthquake as a metaphor, because Annie's story is ultimately about forces that move us and shape our lives, ones that we cannot control. Annie feels very much out of control of her life. Her dreams are unrealised; nothing has gone the way she planned or imagined. She fancied this one guy, but ended up with another. She got pregnant-- not by trying, but by not not trying. She is someone who clearly feels like her life is something that happened to her.
In fact, I really wanted Annie’s characterisation to go further. She was really unlikable and kinda inexplicably reactive in parts, so I was expecting that to be explored more, for an explanation to emerge from her past, or at least for her to experience some growth. It all felt like it was building toward a climax of realisation or epiphany but� it wasn’t?
I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending of the book, and I'm sure this will be many people's reason for not liking it. While open endings can sometimes be appropriate, I don't feel it was here.
is tagged as 'thriller' and 'suspense', but, while the story follows a woman in the aftermath of an earthquake, I do not think either is truly accurate. Pattee shares her concerns about the Pacific Northwest 'Big One' in the Acknowledgements, but the story mainly uses the disaster as a backdrop to reflect on Annie's life, her marriage and her pregnancy through flashbacks.
At first, I enjoyed it enough. The author explores life dissatisfaction and pregnancy anxiety by revisiting Annie's recent past. In the present, a nine-month pregnant Annie begins walking across a devastated Portland, trying to reach her husband. During this walk, she contemplates all aspects of her life that have led her to this point.
I quite liked the idea of the earthquake as a metaphor, because Annie's story is ultimately about forces that move us and shape our lives, ones that we cannot control. Annie feels very much out of control of her life. Her dreams are unrealised; nothing has gone the way she planned or imagined. She fancied this one guy, but ended up with another. She got pregnant-- not by trying, but by not not trying. She is someone who clearly feels like her life is something that happened to her.
In fact, I really wanted Annie’s characterisation to go further. She was really unlikable and kinda inexplicably reactive in parts, so I was expecting that to be explored more, for an explanation to emerge from her past, or at least for her to experience some growth. It all felt like it was building toward a climax of realisation or epiphany but� it wasn’t?
I was extremely dissatisfied with the ending of the book, and I'm sure this will be many people's reason for not liking it. While open endings can sometimes be appropriate, I don't feel it was here.
April 1, 2025
Diving into this book, which takes place during a natural disaster, forced me to face my own fears! Living in a city still experiencing wildfires and high earthquake risk, reading fiction inspired by real-life events can be challenging - I often prefer fantasy. However, I must admit this book is well-written and honestly executed. I couldn't help but follow Annie's journey step by step, squirming anxiously in my seat, biting my nails, barely breathing. The storytelling is engaging and genuine, making us deeply resonate with Annie's struggles and survival journey.
Annie is 37 weeks pregnant, 35 years old, and once an aspiring playwright. Now stuck in an office job to support her marriage, she's still grieving, questioning her life choices, dealing with fears of motherhood, financial struggles, and moving from the city and house where they built their life. These thoughts and fears lie buried, ready to burst with any tragic triggering pressure. And burst they do when Annie finds herself in the middle of a horrifying earthquake while shopping for a crib at IKEA on a random Thursday in Portland, Oregon.
She gets trapped between boxes but is fortunately rescued by a store employee. In her rush to escape, she leaves behind her purse and phone as she joins the crowd seeking safety.
As she walks through the city's wreckage, she forms a plan to reach the café where her husband works, motivated by the desire to reunite their family. Throughout her compelling journey, she talks to her future baby, nicknamed "Bean." Annie's survival experience leads her through increasingly bizarre and tragic situations, including waiting beside a dying woman alone in a park while the woman's husband searches for help. She also reflects on her past: meeting her husband, watching her playwright dreams diminish, and seeing her plans to change the world through words fade while her husband, in his late thirties, still pursues his acting dreams. She mentally converses with her mother, sharing her fears and loneliness during the crisis. Will she find her husband? Can she protect her baby and give birth in a city of chaos? Most importantly, will she survive as her journey becomes increasingly dangerous with each passing second?
I loved this heart-wrenching, moving, emotionally rattling, honest story of Annie's life-changing journey. Without spoiling the ending, I'll warn that those expecting sweet, clichéd moments may be disappointed. Sometimes, in the midst of darkness, when you've lost your way, the best thing to hold onto is a crumbling hope. Annie's story offers that crumb of hope in an inspirational and resonating way, making us wonder: what would I do in the same situation? This is one of the year's most thought-provoking, well-executed novels that you shouldn't miss.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element/S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for sharing this engaging fiction's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
Annie is 37 weeks pregnant, 35 years old, and once an aspiring playwright. Now stuck in an office job to support her marriage, she's still grieving, questioning her life choices, dealing with fears of motherhood, financial struggles, and moving from the city and house where they built their life. These thoughts and fears lie buried, ready to burst with any tragic triggering pressure. And burst they do when Annie finds herself in the middle of a horrifying earthquake while shopping for a crib at IKEA on a random Thursday in Portland, Oregon.
She gets trapped between boxes but is fortunately rescued by a store employee. In her rush to escape, she leaves behind her purse and phone as she joins the crowd seeking safety.
As she walks through the city's wreckage, she forms a plan to reach the café where her husband works, motivated by the desire to reunite their family. Throughout her compelling journey, she talks to her future baby, nicknamed "Bean." Annie's survival experience leads her through increasingly bizarre and tragic situations, including waiting beside a dying woman alone in a park while the woman's husband searches for help. She also reflects on her past: meeting her husband, watching her playwright dreams diminish, and seeing her plans to change the world through words fade while her husband, in his late thirties, still pursues his acting dreams. She mentally converses with her mother, sharing her fears and loneliness during the crisis. Will she find her husband? Can she protect her baby and give birth in a city of chaos? Most importantly, will she survive as her journey becomes increasingly dangerous with each passing second?
I loved this heart-wrenching, moving, emotionally rattling, honest story of Annie's life-changing journey. Without spoiling the ending, I'll warn that those expecting sweet, clichéd moments may be disappointed. Sometimes, in the midst of darkness, when you've lost your way, the best thing to hold onto is a crumbling hope. Annie's story offers that crumb of hope in an inspirational and resonating way, making us wonder: what would I do in the same situation? This is one of the year's most thought-provoking, well-executed novels that you shouldn't miss.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element/S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for sharing this engaging fiction's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
August 19, 2024
TILT incorporates a familiar tope—natural (earthquake) or other disaster and then protagonist goes on an “odyssey� of finding loved one(s) while reflecting back on their life. If you are a Millennial or younger and have not read many similar plots/themes, you may be swept away. I enjoyed following Annie, three weeks away from giving birth, trying to find her way back to her husband, Dom, after an earthquake flattens half the city of Portland, Oregon, while she is shopping for a crib. She blames herself for procrastinating this purchase for so long. Her precarious marriage with a struggling actor creates financial issues that preoccupies her. Annie’s husband is selfish and self-regarding, which adds to her stress. During her long walk post-quake, she talks to her currently unnamed baby, which Annie calls “Bean.�
Author Emma Pattee gifts us a promising debut, with confident, organic prose and themes of motherhood, pregnancy, marriage, family, survival, and trauma. The novel builds momentum as Annie toggles back and forth between past and present, with her eye on the immediate future and inevitable birth of baby. She has reached an emotional crisis just as the earthquake crisis has occurred. We comprehend Annie’s empathy as she reaches out to others, some who are separated from their children. A woman who helped save her from the crushed IKEA store becomes he walking mate.
The stakes keep rising as the narrative progresses. Although a natural disaster has occurred, Pattee balances the interior landscape of Annie’s life with the destruction of the city. As we go back and forth, we head toward a surprising but inevitable finale. Readers wanting an ending tied up in a bow may be disappointed. Although the book doesn’t break as much ground as the earthquake, there’s enough space between the words for considerate contemplation. Pattee has the chops for a long future as a writer.
“Here’s how this will go, Bean. Listen to me now. It can only go one way. I will cross the bridge. I will walk to the theatre. Your father will be there. I will find him. He will cry when he sees us. And together we will walk home. We will walk home together. We will be home because we are together. We will be every cliché about home once we are together.�
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy for review.
Author Emma Pattee gifts us a promising debut, with confident, organic prose and themes of motherhood, pregnancy, marriage, family, survival, and trauma. The novel builds momentum as Annie toggles back and forth between past and present, with her eye on the immediate future and inevitable birth of baby. She has reached an emotional crisis just as the earthquake crisis has occurred. We comprehend Annie’s empathy as she reaches out to others, some who are separated from their children. A woman who helped save her from the crushed IKEA store becomes he walking mate.
The stakes keep rising as the narrative progresses. Although a natural disaster has occurred, Pattee balances the interior landscape of Annie’s life with the destruction of the city. As we go back and forth, we head toward a surprising but inevitable finale. Readers wanting an ending tied up in a bow may be disappointed. Although the book doesn’t break as much ground as the earthquake, there’s enough space between the words for considerate contemplation. Pattee has the chops for a long future as a writer.
“Here’s how this will go, Bean. Listen to me now. It can only go one way. I will cross the bridge. I will walk to the theatre. Your father will be there. I will find him. He will cry when he sees us. And together we will walk home. We will walk home together. We will be home because we are together. We will be every cliché about home once we are together.�
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy for review.
January 19, 2025
For how short this book is, it's unbelievable how much it has stuck with me since I've finished it. I think what sealed the 5/5 star fate was the Acknowledgments - the Cascadia earthquake is real, my friends. Regardless of whether of not you're a mother, that's terrifying.
In hindsight, the natural disaster plotline took a back seat to the profound unveiling of motherhoods' countless dimensions. How Emma Pattee was able to articulate the dualities mothers face daily is beyond me. It was done so seamlessly, too. I was so busy holding my breath for Annie that I couldn't prepare myself for the emotional toll this book would take on me with each chapter.
At one point, my kindle kept slipping through my hands they were so sweaty. Next, I'd have to take a second to breathe so I didn't cry - the sentiments hit THAT close to home.
I bring up motherhood in my reviews (almost to a fault) because your lens is forever smudged by tiny fingerprints once you enter it. BUT I can say with certainty that you have a mom somewhere. Even if you don't want to become a parent yourself you still have that one vital link to someone's motherhood, at the very least. So, you start from that place of understanding. Maybe you've felt a baby kick inside their mom's belly? Okay, now you have a little more understanding and can identify more closely with mentions of baby's kicks. You've had a baby in your own belly kick? Okay, now you can remember the strange sensation of little schools of fish flipping around, bumping into your bladder. You see what I mean? I know this is a simple idea to grasp - I only mention it because SO MUCH of the beauty I found in the book lies in that idea. Beyond the living roles (pregnant, freshly postpartum, toddler mom, etc as they grow up) the absolutely heartbreaking exploration of becoming a mother without having a living mother to guide you is yet another perspective to be had. I'd bet you could read this book over again with each shift of roles in your personal life, and find your appreciation for it deepening each time.
Thankfully, the intensity was broken up really well. Annie is only a few years older than I am and I can confirm the millennial vibes were immaculate. We've grown up embedded with such a fun (this is sarcasm) mix of shame and need for validation, seeing something and immediately thinking "I need to Instagram this" or "I can't wait to tell so-and-so this story" instead of actively participating in the world around us and helping where we can.
I don't know much about writing, but I'd think that taking on a novel with a timeline of A SINGLE DAY is hard. I only said "there's no way this would really happen" 2x; I usually hit at least 5x when reading anything remotely dystopian. I could keep writing about this book forever probably, and am very willing to if anyone else would like!!! Buuut for my review, I'm going to call it after mentioning... This is Emma Pattee's debut novel!?!?!?!?!? No way??? Can I have dibs on #1 fan?
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Emma Pattee and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}
Editing to add a thank you to Marysue Ricci & Emma Pattee for sending me a print ARC as well, it's beautiful 😍
In hindsight, the natural disaster plotline took a back seat to the profound unveiling of motherhoods' countless dimensions. How Emma Pattee was able to articulate the dualities mothers face daily is beyond me. It was done so seamlessly, too. I was so busy holding my breath for Annie that I couldn't prepare myself for the emotional toll this book would take on me with each chapter.
At one point, my kindle kept slipping through my hands they were so sweaty. Next, I'd have to take a second to breathe so I didn't cry - the sentiments hit THAT close to home.
I bring up motherhood in my reviews (almost to a fault) because your lens is forever smudged by tiny fingerprints once you enter it. BUT I can say with certainty that you have a mom somewhere. Even if you don't want to become a parent yourself you still have that one vital link to someone's motherhood, at the very least. So, you start from that place of understanding. Maybe you've felt a baby kick inside their mom's belly? Okay, now you have a little more understanding and can identify more closely with mentions of baby's kicks. You've had a baby in your own belly kick? Okay, now you can remember the strange sensation of little schools of fish flipping around, bumping into your bladder. You see what I mean? I know this is a simple idea to grasp - I only mention it because SO MUCH of the beauty I found in the book lies in that idea. Beyond the living roles (pregnant, freshly postpartum, toddler mom, etc as they grow up) the absolutely heartbreaking exploration of becoming a mother without having a living mother to guide you is yet another perspective to be had. I'd bet you could read this book over again with each shift of roles in your personal life, and find your appreciation for it deepening each time.
Thankfully, the intensity was broken up really well. Annie is only a few years older than I am and I can confirm the millennial vibes were immaculate. We've grown up embedded with such a fun (this is sarcasm) mix of shame and need for validation, seeing something and immediately thinking "I need to Instagram this" or "I can't wait to tell so-and-so this story" instead of actively participating in the world around us and helping where we can.
I don't know much about writing, but I'd think that taking on a novel with a timeline of A SINGLE DAY is hard. I only said "there's no way this would really happen" 2x; I usually hit at least 5x when reading anything remotely dystopian. I could keep writing about this book forever probably, and am very willing to if anyone else would like!!! Buuut for my review, I'm going to call it after mentioning... This is Emma Pattee's debut novel!?!?!?!?!? No way??? Can I have dibs on #1 fan?
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Emma Pattee and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}
Editing to add a thank you to Marysue Ricci & Emma Pattee for sending me a print ARC as well, it's beautiful 😍
August 29, 2024
Add this one to your 2025 reads! The setting is in Portland, Oregon. Annie is 8 months pregnant and shopping for a crib in IKEA. The book is set in one single day as she focuses on her survival after an earthquake and trying to reunite with her husband.
The reader is privy to her inner feelings as she navigates her way through the city’s ruins to her home. She has had concerns about her marriage, career, finances, and mothering. At the same time,flashback chapters create character development allowing the reader to understand why Annie has these feelings. It was engaging!
The reader is privy to her inner feelings as she navigates her way through the city’s ruins to her home. She has had concerns about her marriage, career, finances, and mothering. At the same time,flashback chapters create character development allowing the reader to understand why Annie has these feelings. It was engaging!
March 20, 2025
Finished Reading
Pre-Read notes
I was honestly smitten with the Title of this one, and that bird on the original cover. That image force my perspective to shift, I felt, and I was in for any story that did the same!
Final Review
My aliveness is beaming out of me, every pore shining with the fact that I’m alive. I’m so fucking alive I’m shaking. We’re alive, you and me, we’re alive, and that’s why I’m running now, running down the trail with my Birkenstocks flopping and my great misshapen belly straining to stay upright, p56
Review summary and recommendations
I admit I have an embarrassing weakness for disaster and survival stories, and this one is both. This completely miserable but totally memorable protagonist is a young pregnant woman who must survive a massive California earthquake and its aftermath.
The FMC of this book will probably be a terrible mother, but I love her as the protagonist of this story! I was rooting for her the whole way. I loved how this story's is unafraid to be hopeful in a high stakes and terrifying situation.
I recommend this to readers of thrillers, disaster stories, and action books. I also think fans of strong female characters, fast-paced reads, and mom narratives.
People have done harder things than this. People have been through worse than this. Nobody I know, but still, people. p162
Reading Notes
Seven things I loved:
1. My belly distended, a blimp exiting sideways out of my body. I walk in stiff little jerky motions like a stork. p6 Best description of pregnancy ever 🤣
2. Some really brilliant depictions of anxiety from first person POV. Her efforts don't feel forced or hurried, which is sometimes my experience of anxiety from first person. The details of her experience are perfectly fish-out-of-water.
3. The description of inflation over the last 30 years from first person is actually sort of harrowing to read. It's really brilliant writing!
4. Maybe we’re not telling the jokes, we are the joke. Now that we’re pregnant, we’re forced to be part of some enormous collective joke about women.... I really like how this author writes about being pregnant. It's so real and, yes, darkly funny, even given her circumstances.This would be a great joke: the pregnant woman who couldn’t just stay home like she was supposed to, like everybody else would have preferred, who couldn’t wait for the ambulance, who forgot to grab water, who lost her phone and purse and keys, who didn’t buy the whistle even after being told to buy the whistle, didn’t text her husband back, didn’t tell anyone where she was going, who couldn’t JUST WAIT. Who doesn’t even know if her baby is alive, even though she is a mother and a mother is supposed to FEEL THESE THINGS. I am the joke. That damn bra strap sliding down my arm over and over. p142
5. The thread of the plot is fascinating, both seemingly random and clearly the cohesive force of the story. Just excellent work on this unique form!
6. Throughout this brilliant disaster story, the fmc speaks in first person to her unborn baby. I don't always go for this kind of first/second person mashup, but it works really well here, becoming part of the character's internal monolog.
7. Some moving depictions of grief in this book, without going over the top. Hyperbole, in the few instances it arises, seems to be in response to the setting, which is unfriendly.
One thing I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. The confrontation in the opening scene feels theatrical to me. It's just a little too out of reach. But the scene is propulsive for sure. *edit honestly I think it was intentional for the author to do this, because she has some interesting development in for these two characters. You almost need this scene to establish the characters' grit.
Rating: 🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨 /5 pieces of rubble
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 17 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
☄️ disaster stories
🫄 mom stories
🏋🏻♀� strong female characters
👩🏼🤝👩� unlikely friends
Thank you to the author Emma Pattee, publishers MarySue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of TILT. All views are mine.
---------------
Pre-Read notes
I was honestly smitten with the Title of this one, and that bird on the original cover. That image force my perspective to shift, I felt, and I was in for any story that did the same!
Final Review
My aliveness is beaming out of me, every pore shining with the fact that I’m alive. I’m so fucking alive I’m shaking. We’re alive, you and me, we’re alive, and that’s why I’m running now, running down the trail with my Birkenstocks flopping and my great misshapen belly straining to stay upright, p56
Review summary and recommendations
I admit I have an embarrassing weakness for disaster and survival stories, and this one is both. This completely miserable but totally memorable protagonist is a young pregnant woman who must survive a massive California earthquake and its aftermath.
The FMC of this book will probably be a terrible mother, but I love her as the protagonist of this story! I was rooting for her the whole way. I loved how this story's is unafraid to be hopeful in a high stakes and terrifying situation.
I recommend this to readers of thrillers, disaster stories, and action books. I also think fans of strong female characters, fast-paced reads, and mom narratives.
People have done harder things than this. People have been through worse than this. Nobody I know, but still, people. p162
Reading Notes
Seven things I loved:
1. My belly distended, a blimp exiting sideways out of my body. I walk in stiff little jerky motions like a stork. p6 Best description of pregnancy ever 🤣
2. Some really brilliant depictions of anxiety from first person POV. Her efforts don't feel forced or hurried, which is sometimes my experience of anxiety from first person. The details of her experience are perfectly fish-out-of-water.
3. The description of inflation over the last 30 years from first person is actually sort of harrowing to read. It's really brilliant writing!
4. Maybe we’re not telling the jokes, we are the joke. Now that we’re pregnant, we’re forced to be part of some enormous collective joke about women.... I really like how this author writes about being pregnant. It's so real and, yes, darkly funny, even given her circumstances.This would be a great joke: the pregnant woman who couldn’t just stay home like she was supposed to, like everybody else would have preferred, who couldn’t wait for the ambulance, who forgot to grab water, who lost her phone and purse and keys, who didn’t buy the whistle even after being told to buy the whistle, didn’t text her husband back, didn’t tell anyone where she was going, who couldn’t JUST WAIT. Who doesn’t even know if her baby is alive, even though she is a mother and a mother is supposed to FEEL THESE THINGS. I am the joke. That damn bra strap sliding down my arm over and over. p142
5. The thread of the plot is fascinating, both seemingly random and clearly the cohesive force of the story. Just excellent work on this unique form!
6. Throughout this brilliant disaster story, the fmc speaks in first person to her unborn baby. I don't always go for this kind of first/second person mashup, but it works really well here, becoming part of the character's internal monolog.
7. Some moving depictions of grief in this book, without going over the top. Hyperbole, in the few instances it arises, seems to be in response to the setting, which is unfriendly.
One thing I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. The confrontation in the opening scene feels theatrical to me. It's just a little too out of reach. But the scene is propulsive for sure. *edit honestly I think it was intentional for the author to do this, because she has some interesting development in for these two characters. You almost need this scene to establish the characters' grit.
Rating: 🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨 /5 pieces of rubble
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 17 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
☄️ disaster stories
🫄 mom stories
🏋🏻♀� strong female characters
👩🏼🤝👩� unlikely friends
Thank you to the author Emma Pattee, publishers MarySue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of TILT. All views are mine.
---------------
January 13, 2025
3.5 Stars
This was a story about a married thirty-something named Annie who was 9 months pregnant. It's her first day of maternity leave as she drives out alone to her local IKEA in Portland, Oregon to buy a crib. While there, a massive earthquake hits. The chapters weave back and forth from past to present as Annie recounts her relationship with her husband, as she is one among the masses of people trying to get to their loved ones amid this environmental catastrophe.
I liked the honest way the main character looked back at her life with her husband, weary and cynical about the fact that her husband relentlessly persued his passion to be an actor. She watched other friends take more traditional job trajectories and build lives with financial security, feeling wistful and a bit depressed that their own best lives were possibly passing them by. I also admired her inner and outer strength, navigating this natural disaster and the dangers all around her...while 9 months pregnant. The present day story takes place within one day, and the tension/suspense kept me tethered as I cheered for Annie to get home and keep her unborn baby safe.
Thank you to the publisher Simon Element / Simon & Schuster/ Marysue Rucci Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
This was a story about a married thirty-something named Annie who was 9 months pregnant. It's her first day of maternity leave as she drives out alone to her local IKEA in Portland, Oregon to buy a crib. While there, a massive earthquake hits. The chapters weave back and forth from past to present as Annie recounts her relationship with her husband, as she is one among the masses of people trying to get to their loved ones amid this environmental catastrophe.
I liked the honest way the main character looked back at her life with her husband, weary and cynical about the fact that her husband relentlessly persued his passion to be an actor. She watched other friends take more traditional job trajectories and build lives with financial security, feeling wistful and a bit depressed that their own best lives were possibly passing them by. I also admired her inner and outer strength, navigating this natural disaster and the dangers all around her...while 9 months pregnant. The present day story takes place within one day, and the tension/suspense kept me tethered as I cheered for Annie to get home and keep her unborn baby safe.
Thank you to the publisher Simon Element / Simon & Schuster/ Marysue Rucci Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
December 15, 2024
4.5
If you're into apocalyptic fiction, you'll want to preorder this gem or grab it when it releases in March 2025.
Let me set the scene for you:
Our MC is 37 weeks pregnant.
She and her wanna be actor husband can barely afford the rent.
She's in Ikea, planning to max out her credit card buying a crib when...
🫨〰🌀🌏🏚️⚠� Earthquake!
THE earthquake! The one that collapses bridges, buildings, and dreams in a matter of seconds.
Told in dual timelines between Annie's past and her devastating present, this is a novel about resiliency, love, grief, and hope. It was so well written that I felt like I was right there with Annie. I couldn't put it down.
If you're into apocalyptic fiction, you'll want to preorder this gem or grab it when it releases in March 2025.
Let me set the scene for you:
Our MC is 37 weeks pregnant.
She and her wanna be actor husband can barely afford the rent.
She's in Ikea, planning to max out her credit card buying a crib when...
🫨〰🌀🌏🏚️⚠� Earthquake!
THE earthquake! The one that collapses bridges, buildings, and dreams in a matter of seconds.
Told in dual timelines between Annie's past and her devastating present, this is a novel about resiliency, love, grief, and hope. It was so well written that I felt like I was right there with Annie. I couldn't put it down.
January 27, 2025
A massive earthquake hits when a 9 months pregnant Annie is shopping at a Portland, Oregon IKEA. It’s the big one folks, the natural disaster scientists have been predicting for years. Amidst the chaos and destruction, Annie decides her best option is to find her husband so she begins walking to his workplace. Along the way she reflects on her life.
TILT has a unique mix of heart pounding moments as Annie is in the middle of a dangerous situation and others that are more quiet and subtle in nature. I loved the setup of Annie filling her unborn child in on her past and what got her to this point. On some level most people can relate to the disappointment when you realize you veered from your intended path. It’s a raw and honest look and that’s why the story hits hard.
An impressive debut and worth checking out.
Thank you to Marysue Rucci Books for sending me a free advance reader’s copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
TILT has a unique mix of heart pounding moments as Annie is in the middle of a dangerous situation and others that are more quiet and subtle in nature. I loved the setup of Annie filling her unborn child in on her past and what got her to this point. On some level most people can relate to the disappointment when you realize you veered from your intended path. It’s a raw and honest look and that’s why the story hits hard.
An impressive debut and worth checking out.
Thank you to Marysue Rucci Books for sending me a free advance reader’s copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
March 11, 2025
I liked this story much more than expected. The audio version was very well done. Full review to follow.
March 29, 2025
TILT by Emma Pattee
A pregnant overwhelmed woman’s epic journey across a ravaged city with the weight of her past and her hopes for the future.
Narration by Ariel Blake was very well done for this rapid paced literary thriller debut.
An impressive read set over the course of a day, in Portland, Oregon, where a massive earthquake has rocked the city. Annie, nine months pregnant, out shopping, must now try and survive and protect her little “bean� trying to get back home to her husband. Annie encounters the human desperation and kindness of others; reflecting on her marriage, career, the anxieties of becoming a mother, and how to pursue your dreams and deal with your disappointments.
I thought this was written beautifully and I was impressed by this dynamic debut. For a 240 page novel, it has a powerful impact. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book already.
A pregnant overwhelmed woman’s epic journey across a ravaged city with the weight of her past and her hopes for the future.
Narration by Ariel Blake was very well done for this rapid paced literary thriller debut.
An impressive read set over the course of a day, in Portland, Oregon, where a massive earthquake has rocked the city. Annie, nine months pregnant, out shopping, must now try and survive and protect her little “bean� trying to get back home to her husband. Annie encounters the human desperation and kindness of others; reflecting on her marriage, career, the anxieties of becoming a mother, and how to pursue your dreams and deal with your disappointments.
I thought this was written beautifully and I was impressed by this dynamic debut. For a 240 page novel, it has a powerful impact. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book already.
April 1, 2025
Climate disaster meets Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
This is the whoppingly great story about 37 weeks pregnant, Annie, the Millennial:
Without a phone, I’m like an animal without legs. You have to understand about people my age that we got phones before we had sex, we got phones before we got credit cards, before we started therapy, before we started drinking beer and coffee and two-for-one margaritas at the shitty bar down the street. I learned to drive by following the glowing blue arrow wherever it took me.
The author brings me back to the end stages of pregnancy like no other. And that was 26 years ago. On describing how most women find out they are pregnant in some bathroom:
“There you are. One of us walked into the bathroom, two of us walked out.�
“We are not ready to be mothers; we need mothers.�
The descriptions of her end stages taut belly and gripping pain - like no other pain in the world - had me instantly remembering the baby in my belly whose foot got stuck underneath my ribs for the last two weeks.
For some reason I did not save any of the more descriptive pregnancy parts.
I should leave with this though:
“A couch is like a mother, takes all your weight, asks nothing in return.�
Yep, another best of 2025 here. It won’t be for everyone. I will just give a little whisper to Monica. Could this be something you’d like?
This is the whoppingly great story about 37 weeks pregnant, Annie, the Millennial:
Without a phone, I’m like an animal without legs. You have to understand about people my age that we got phones before we had sex, we got phones before we got credit cards, before we started therapy, before we started drinking beer and coffee and two-for-one margaritas at the shitty bar down the street. I learned to drive by following the glowing blue arrow wherever it took me.
The author brings me back to the end stages of pregnancy like no other. And that was 26 years ago. On describing how most women find out they are pregnant in some bathroom:
“There you are. One of us walked into the bathroom, two of us walked out.�
“We are not ready to be mothers; we need mothers.�
The descriptions of her end stages taut belly and gripping pain - like no other pain in the world - had me instantly remembering the baby in my belly whose foot got stuck underneath my ribs for the last two weeks.
For some reason I did not save any of the more descriptive pregnancy parts.
I should leave with this though:
“A couch is like a mother, takes all your weight, asks nothing in return.�
Yep, another best of 2025 here. It won’t be for everyone. I will just give a little whisper to Monica. Could this be something you’d like?
March 31, 2025
Dear universe; I am sorry about all the times I complained about being super pregnant. I realize now it could have been much, much worse.
Taking place over just a few hours, Annie is super pregnant and buying a crib at IKEA. She knows she should have bought a crib earlier, but the time is right. She and her child’s father have around $800 in their checking account.
That’s when the earthquake comes. The big one. The one that takes all of Portland and leaves it completely and ruins. She’s lucky to get out of the IKEA, but she does. As she walks towards town, she drifts back, thinking about the earlier times in her life. When she met her husband, her relationship with her mother, and her career as a playwright.
A short, comedically haunting novel that is really just an image, this is not a story with a beginning, middle, and end. This is an adventure that feels like a very long short story. Some of the images that the author uses will stay with me for a very long time. A major theme is that we only have today, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
My favorite lines�
The key to a happy life is wanting what you already have.
No matter what they say on Instagram, everyone learns they’re pregnant in the bathroom.
Nobody told us that it is worse to try and fail than to not try at all. Because when you don’t try, you can always imagine the life you could’ve lived .
“you know what makes an animal an animal?� “That it doesn’t know it’s an animal�
Taking place over just a few hours, Annie is super pregnant and buying a crib at IKEA. She knows she should have bought a crib earlier, but the time is right. She and her child’s father have around $800 in their checking account.
That’s when the earthquake comes. The big one. The one that takes all of Portland and leaves it completely and ruins. She’s lucky to get out of the IKEA, but she does. As she walks towards town, she drifts back, thinking about the earlier times in her life. When she met her husband, her relationship with her mother, and her career as a playwright.
A short, comedically haunting novel that is really just an image, this is not a story with a beginning, middle, and end. This is an adventure that feels like a very long short story. Some of the images that the author uses will stay with me for a very long time. A major theme is that we only have today, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
My favorite lines�
The key to a happy life is wanting what you already have.
No matter what they say on Instagram, everyone learns they’re pregnant in the bathroom.
Nobody told us that it is worse to try and fail than to not try at all. Because when you don’t try, you can always imagine the life you could’ve lived .
“you know what makes an animal an animal?� “That it doesn’t know it’s an animal�
March 6, 2025
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
’At the end of the world, the men with the guns make the rules. We’ve known this forever�
Tilt is a short but entertaining read, exploring motherhood at the end of the world.
Annie is 37 weeks pregnant and at IKEA when an earthquake strikes. Living in Portland, Oregon, this is a very real worry America needs to address, as the city rests on a subducting tectonic plate. I think, in part, that’s what makes this so terrifying. In a matter of moments a major American city and much of the US East Cost could be completely destroyed, and there is no way for us to predict when. Pattee takes this horrifying eventuality and exacerbates it, by following a woman on the brink of giving birth, an also, horrifying eventuality. It’s a clever idea.
Fortunately, it is also executed pretty damn well. Tilt is simply written but incredibly engaging, with short concise ‘chapters� and consistent flashbacks throughout the main timeline to keep you not only entertained, but to make Annie just that more real. I I loved her character, loved her humour and her glass half empty approach to life. I’m always a massive fan of cynical characters, and Annie’s drive to find her husband based on her pure annoyance at him was hilarious.
My favourite part of the book by far, however, had nothing to do with the earthquake or Annie’s pregnancy at all. It was her relationship with her mother, who in so many ways reminds me of my own. There was a section towards the end of the book that had me in absolute pieces, and I loved the commentary on grief. Really stellar stuff.
My main issue is that I wish the book had had more of a resolution at its conclusion. The ending was incredibly abrupt, and I had so many unanswered questions about the people Annie met along the way. I understand that ‘less is more� can be a powerful tool when it comes to endings, but I did feel a little deflated at the sheer amount of loose ends.
Overall, however, Tilt gets 4/5 stars. A really great debut!
’At the end of the world, the men with the guns make the rules. We’ve known this forever�
Tilt is a short but entertaining read, exploring motherhood at the end of the world.
Annie is 37 weeks pregnant and at IKEA when an earthquake strikes. Living in Portland, Oregon, this is a very real worry America needs to address, as the city rests on a subducting tectonic plate. I think, in part, that’s what makes this so terrifying. In a matter of moments a major American city and much of the US East Cost could be completely destroyed, and there is no way for us to predict when. Pattee takes this horrifying eventuality and exacerbates it, by following a woman on the brink of giving birth, an also, horrifying eventuality. It’s a clever idea.
Fortunately, it is also executed pretty damn well. Tilt is simply written but incredibly engaging, with short concise ‘chapters� and consistent flashbacks throughout the main timeline to keep you not only entertained, but to make Annie just that more real. I I loved her character, loved her humour and her glass half empty approach to life. I’m always a massive fan of cynical characters, and Annie’s drive to find her husband based on her pure annoyance at him was hilarious.
My favourite part of the book by far, however, had nothing to do with the earthquake or Annie’s pregnancy at all. It was her relationship with her mother, who in so many ways reminds me of my own. There was a section towards the end of the book that had me in absolute pieces, and I loved the commentary on grief. Really stellar stuff.
My main issue is that I wish the book had had more of a resolution at its conclusion. The ending was incredibly abrupt, and I had so many unanswered questions about the people Annie met along the way. I understand that ‘less is more� can be a powerful tool when it comes to endings, but I did feel a little deflated at the sheer amount of loose ends.
Overall, however, Tilt gets 4/5 stars. A really great debut!
Read
March 27, 2025The writing in this was accomplished and a pleasure to read. I see where I think this book intended to take me, but it never really got me there.
For my thriller fans, do NOT go in expecting a "thriller." Yes, Tilt had harrowing aspects and gripping moments but those scenes were interspersed with long flashbacks that slowed the pace.
Annie, who is nine months' pregnant, is trying to buy a crib at Ikea. But as she struggles to get the box into her cart, a massive earthquake strikes Portland. Annie then valiantly tries to get herself and her unborn child to safety and find her husband. As she does, she reflects on her life choices and where they have led her.
I have seen some people describe Annie as unlikeable, while others saw her as relatable. I think she was both. She has a nice sardonic first person voice, but her thoughts and choices in the face of disaster were so odd to me. The woman has survived a massive earthquake and is literally stepping around dead bodies yet her main thoughts are the same sort of whiny thoughts we all think every day and post on social media. She wishes she was more successful in her career. She and her husband are not where she thought they'd be at 35. To me that was ... weird.
I think the book intended to have themes of a mother's love but again, Annie let me down. I think having Dom be a POV character might have helped the story because it was hard for me to understand their relationship at all, which was supposed to be a main driver of the story.
Finally, the ending was VERY weird to me and I think will not please many readers.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
For my thriller fans, do NOT go in expecting a "thriller." Yes, Tilt had harrowing aspects and gripping moments but those scenes were interspersed with long flashbacks that slowed the pace.
Annie, who is nine months' pregnant, is trying to buy a crib at Ikea. But as she struggles to get the box into her cart, a massive earthquake strikes Portland. Annie then valiantly tries to get herself and her unborn child to safety and find her husband. As she does, she reflects on her life choices and where they have led her.
I have seen some people describe Annie as unlikeable, while others saw her as relatable. I think she was both. She has a nice sardonic first person voice, but her thoughts and choices in the face of disaster were so odd to me. The woman has survived a massive earthquake and is literally stepping around dead bodies yet her main thoughts are the same sort of whiny thoughts we all think every day and post on social media. She wishes she was more successful in her career. She and her husband are not where she thought they'd be at 35. To me that was ... weird.
I think the book intended to have themes of a mother's love but again, Annie let me down. I think having Dom be a POV character might have helped the story because it was hard for me to understand their relationship at all, which was supposed to be a main driver of the story.
Finally, the ending was VERY weird to me and I think will not please many readers.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
March 30, 2025
This was a fictional, first person account of being in a major earthquake where you suddenly have lost your phone, your car and all your connections with other people. What to do when you are 9 months pregnant and have just escaped from IKEA? Start walking.
March 25, 2025
Pattee's novel is one of those read straight through in one sitting book. Actually, this book is one of those where you have to physically restrain yourself from reading the last few pages to find out what happens! Tilt tells the store of one day in the life of Annie, who is 37 weeks pregnant and at IKEA alone buying a crib when a massive earthquake hits Oregon. As Annie tries to walk home through the destruction to get back her partner, her interior monologue is a frantic, ripped from the headlines searing indictment of climate change, the staggering cost of American healthcare and dental care, the pregnancy industrial complex, urban real estate prices, and the futility of making art in a broken world. In a taut 240 pages Pattee accomplishes so much. What a debut! What a voice! Thanks S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for the DRC.
December 24, 2024
WOW WOW WOW-I loved this book so goddamned much, and not to be dramatic, but I’m mourning the fact that I’ve finished it and that there’s not another 200 pages to read, because I have so many questions that need answered and I want to keep following Annie and Bean and see what happens next. I hope there will be a sequel some day-there aren’t many books that I’ve read that deal with life after a massive earthquake has struck (just sayin-if the author is reading this)
I’m a HUGE fan of dystopian books and disaster movies, and I love even more when the story builds up the characters and really allows you to get to know them. Not only do I know Annie, I AM Annie, or at least a big part of her, and I know many other millennials that will also agree. Her and Dom’s struggles with bills and dreams and jobs and just life was a truly honest depiction that I haven’t read about in a long time. Equally honest is Annie’s thoughts and fears regarding her impending motherhood and just motherhood and children in general.
Portland is a favorite city of mine to visit, and it’s one I’ve always dreamed of living in. Even if you’ve never been there, the author describes the city and its neighborhoods in a richly detailed way that you can almost imagine taking a break from the book, liking Il and seeing the city through Annie’s eyes. And if you ever doubt how much Annie walked during the story, just google map the route and you’ll see how determined our protagonist was.
Another favorite part of disaster movies/books I love is the actual disaster part. The author says in her afterword how she consulted with scientists and disaster planners, and her research shows. For those of you unfamiliar with the city of Portland, its buildings aren’t made for earthquakes, so an earthquake of substantial size, like in the book, would be devastating for the city. There are depictions of death and destruction in the book, but nothing overly graphic for readers that are looking for a trigger warning.
I’m a HUGE fan of dystopian books and disaster movies, and I love even more when the story builds up the characters and really allows you to get to know them. Not only do I know Annie, I AM Annie, or at least a big part of her, and I know many other millennials that will also agree. Her and Dom’s struggles with bills and dreams and jobs and just life was a truly honest depiction that I haven’t read about in a long time. Equally honest is Annie’s thoughts and fears regarding her impending motherhood and just motherhood and children in general.
Portland is a favorite city of mine to visit, and it’s one I’ve always dreamed of living in. Even if you’ve never been there, the author describes the city and its neighborhoods in a richly detailed way that you can almost imagine taking a break from the book, liking Il and seeing the city through Annie’s eyes. And if you ever doubt how much Annie walked during the story, just google map the route and you’ll see how determined our protagonist was.
Another favorite part of disaster movies/books I love is the actual disaster part. The author says in her afterword how she consulted with scientists and disaster planners, and her research shows. For those of you unfamiliar with the city of Portland, its buildings aren’t made for earthquakes, so an earthquake of substantial size, like in the book, would be devastating for the city. There are depictions of death and destruction in the book, but nothing overly graphic for readers that are looking for a trigger warning.
December 22, 2024
Easily one of the most gripping books I have read this year. I would have finished it sooner if I could survive without sleeping. Though it’s a short read, SO much happens.
Initially, I was so focused on the earthquake timeline that I didn’t appreciate the flashbacks as much because I was so concerned about what was going to happen next. The insights from chapters only propelled the story even more though.
The narrator Annie reminded me a bit of Fleabag in her dry humor and the way she processed frustration and tragedy. Rather than breaking the fourth wall though, she spoke directly to her unborn child. While not a mother myself, her one-sided conversations and questions to her child hit me hard.
I had been anticipating this book since I read the description of it over the summer and am so appreciative of author Emma Pattee and NetGalley for sending me a copy to read prior to its release. I haven’t felt this much anxiety and sorrow and hope reading a book in a long time.
Initially, I was so focused on the earthquake timeline that I didn’t appreciate the flashbacks as much because I was so concerned about what was going to happen next. The insights from chapters only propelled the story even more though.
The narrator Annie reminded me a bit of Fleabag in her dry humor and the way she processed frustration and tragedy. Rather than breaking the fourth wall though, she spoke directly to her unborn child. While not a mother myself, her one-sided conversations and questions to her child hit me hard.
I had been anticipating this book since I read the description of it over the summer and am so appreciative of author Emma Pattee and NetGalley for sending me a copy to read prior to its release. I haven’t felt this much anxiety and sorrow and hope reading a book in a long time.
July 24, 2024
3.5 stars that I'm rounding up simply because of how relatable this woman and her internal thoughts are. It's a page turner as you tag along with our main character, in her last few days of pregnancy, who is traversing the city after an earthquake while in an IKEA store. She is trying to get to her husband and this is the story of that event with inner dialog and discussion with her unborn baby, which she calls Bean or Garbanzo Bean. She is not the perfect person, mother to be, or wife. She is unhappy with where her life is and her husband and life seem to have become a disappointment. She's not even sure about motherhood, but it's kind of late for that now. I didn't love how it ended, as it felt very abrupt and didn't give me a closure, but I think that's the intent. To leave you unsettled and come to terms with what you think would be the best outcome.
September 3, 2024
Read this book in one day, I couldn’t put it down!
October 29, 2024
3.5
4 for the writing, 3 for the ending!
4 for the writing, 3 for the ending!
October 8, 2024
I went on a great emotional and propulsive journey with Annie through the pandemonium of a massive earthquake. Annie, at 9-months pregnant, was shopping for a crib at Ikea when the big one hit. And so begins her action-packed expedition. Her only goal now is to find her husband on the other side of town. On foot, Annie meets obstacle after obstacle in this adventurous and powerful story. All the way she is reflecting on how she got here: her pregnancy and love story of her marriage. I felt the whole range of emotions along with Annie.
Emma Pate is an impressive and dynamic new force in fiction.
Emma Pate is an impressive and dynamic new force in fiction.
September 13, 2024
4.5 rounded up
My love for disaster movies definitely transfers over to disaster fiction, ha! This was stressful and interesting, heartfelt and honest, scary and apparently the future? Tilt was part surviving the aftermath of an earthquake, and part coming to terms with motherhood and how life doesn’t turn out the way you imagined it. Really excellently done all around.
My love for disaster movies definitely transfers over to disaster fiction, ha! This was stressful and interesting, heartfelt and honest, scary and apparently the future? Tilt was part surviving the aftermath of an earthquake, and part coming to terms with motherhood and how life doesn’t turn out the way you imagined it. Really excellently done all around.
March 22, 2025
Tilt is a contemporary novel about a pregnant woman navigating a devastated Portland after an earthquake.
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when the “big one� hits. Her only goal is to find her husband, miles away, in a city of leveled buildings, fallen bridges, and panicked residents. As she trudges, exhausted, through a broken city, she reflects on her life as a daughter, playwright, wife, and now anxious, expectant mother.
Emma Pattee has written a gripping novel about a woman struggling to find her partner in a world turned upside down. The post-earthquake landscape of Portland is realistic and gritty, showing people at their best and worst. Many readers will relate to Annie as she looks back on her failed artistic career, her husband’s struggles to make a living as an actor, their stretched finances, and her own fears about motherhood while mourning her own mother.
This is a tense and beautifully written novel that packs a lot of punch in under 250 pages.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclosure: An advanced copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when the “big one� hits. Her only goal is to find her husband, miles away, in a city of leveled buildings, fallen bridges, and panicked residents. As she trudges, exhausted, through a broken city, she reflects on her life as a daughter, playwright, wife, and now anxious, expectant mother.
Emma Pattee has written a gripping novel about a woman struggling to find her partner in a world turned upside down. The post-earthquake landscape of Portland is realistic and gritty, showing people at their best and worst. Many readers will relate to Annie as she looks back on her failed artistic career, her husband’s struggles to make a living as an actor, their stretched finances, and her own fears about motherhood while mourning her own mother.
This is a tense and beautifully written novel that packs a lot of punch in under 250 pages.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclosure: An advanced copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read
March 24, 2025I am very glad I don’t live in an earthquake zone
4⭐️
4⭐️
March 31, 2025
Review to come. Thank you Simon Audio for my gifted copy ☺️
January 30, 2025
It’s been a while since I read a whole book in one day but I could not put this down and couldn’t stop thinking about during the moments I was forced to put it down anyway.
More so than being about the aftermath of an earthquake, this felt like it was about the journey of pregnancy, but the earthquake aspect certainly served to heighten the highs and cast more shadow on the lows. Plus, I LOVE a good disaster.
I loved living inside Annie’s head as she walked, and even during the “before�. Who hasn’t struggled to like their husband, or thrown away a dream in favor of joining the rat race to pay bills? Or occasionally wanted to lash out at a stranger?
Annie is SO real, and everything she experienced along her way home felt real as well. The fear of being a woman walking alone, people choosing themselves when no one is looking, joining the angry mob. This was an incredibly wild and introspective ride and a really good read.
That ending left me hanging though 😖
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title in exchange for my review.
More so than being about the aftermath of an earthquake, this felt like it was about the journey of pregnancy, but the earthquake aspect certainly served to heighten the highs and cast more shadow on the lows. Plus, I LOVE a good disaster.
I loved living inside Annie’s head as she walked, and even during the “before�. Who hasn’t struggled to like their husband, or thrown away a dream in favor of joining the rat race to pay bills? Or occasionally wanted to lash out at a stranger?
Annie is SO real, and everything she experienced along her way home felt real as well. The fear of being a woman walking alone, people choosing themselves when no one is looking, joining the angry mob. This was an incredibly wild and introspective ride and a really good read.
That ending left me hanging though 😖
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title in exchange for my review.
March 28, 2025
I really enjoyed this one! It was really unique in how there are elements of a thrilling disaster story, but this is definitely not a thriller in the traditional sense of the genre. The dramatic events are merely a backdrop to the protagonist's interior musings grappling with her own questions and doubts about her pregnancy, her relationship, and her life as a whole. I personally really enjoyed the balance the author struck; the subject matter was particularly interesting to me as I myself am 30 weeks pregnant. Visually I feel like this would make for a really great video game, from the earthquake's origin as our protagonist is in IKEA buying a crib, following her journey to get home across the city of Portland. I did find myself by the end feeling like there was something missing; I don't know how memorable this one will be long-term. But I definitely recommend picking it up--and it's a short one, too.
April 3, 2025
Wow! I am pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this debut novel. I also can’t believe it’s her first novel� it’s so good!
This book takes place over the ~13 hours after a major earthquake hits Portland. The main character is snarky, funny, depressed� and 9-months-pregnant. This follows the shock and turmoil in the immediate aftermath of the destruction from the earthquake. Interspersed with that are vignettes from her life that paint the picture of who she is, who she loves, and the mid-life crisis she is facing.
The earthquake becomes a metaphor, so to speak.
This book takes place over the ~13 hours after a major earthquake hits Portland. The main character is snarky, funny, depressed� and 9-months-pregnant. This follows the shock and turmoil in the immediate aftermath of the destruction from the earthquake. Interspersed with that are vignettes from her life that paint the picture of who she is, who she loves, and the mid-life crisis she is facing.
The earthquake becomes a metaphor, so to speak.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 495 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.