Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided an audio galley of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Comfort Me With Apples is Catherynne M Valente’s newest novella that seems to defy genre. There is a bit of horror, a bit of fabulism, and a literary sort of vibe all wrapped into a mystery as readers try to figure out what is going on with Sophia. Rules from the homeowner’s association are revealed throughout the tale and give insight as readers learn more and more about Arcadia Gardens.

My rating above is likely very misleading. I Did Not Like this audiobook. I distinctly did not enjoy the method of narration. I very much had trouble following with the story, and found the delivery to be rather monotonous for my personal preferences. If I were rating the book solely based off of the audiobook, which is what I received for review, I would rate this 2.5 stars. However, I do not feel that this rating is fair to the author.

I very much liked the story. I liked the writing. I liked the way Valente retold a familiar story and revealed just enough at a time to gradually draw a reader in and make it clear what tale Sophia was part of. Likely, I would have enjoyed a great deal more about it had I been reading this one with my eyeballs instead of listening to this audiobook. I rated 3.5 to reflect my feelings toward the story itself and then rounded up to 4 as I’m certain that’s what the story would have received if I were reading physically or digitally rather than audibly.

I would still recommend this book, but I would absolutely hesitate to recommend the audiobook specifically.