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I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whew. That was a journey.

You know how certain books make an incredible impact on your life because of what you're experiencing when you read them? Yeah, that's what happened here. I was intrigued from the time I saw this book's page on Netgalley. Serious middle-grade fiction set in 1972? Yes, please. Despite this, I pretty much forgot about the book until yesterday, when I received an e-mail from one of the book's publicists asking if I planned to do a review. I replied that I would try to read the novel over the weekend.

I opened this book yesterday as the faintest bit of Fall crept into the air and the memory of August rested heavily on my mind. I tore through the pages with a vigor I haven't felt for a novel in a long, long time.

Esther Ehrlich wove an interesting story for an interesting category - literary fiction for middle-grade readers. Throw in some amazingly authentic characters (Chirp was marvelous - at last, an mg character who seems relatable, not only to the book's target audience, but to readers of all ages) and an admirable portrayal of mental illness (I commend the author for tackling the subject in a such a frank way - this, for me at least, was the absolute highlight of the novel) and you have a modern classic for the ages.

I honestly can't recommend Nest enough. I'll definitely be buying a hard copy on release day.