* I was sent this for free from the publisher *

This book is one I have been highly anticipating since I first followed Jen on Youtube as she's a wonderful lady filled with bizarre but beautiful ideas. I just knew this collection would be one I really enjoyed, and there was so much in this that I couldn't help but to adore. It's wacky, whimsy, and very wonderful too. Each story felt distinct and even the very short short ones had a story to tell. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys magical realism or poetry as these stories have a dream-like stream of consciousness flowing throughout them. I just adored some of them, and other ones made me really think. It was a great mixture and hopefully there's something for everyone here, as long as you like a bit of oddity.

I updated my thoughts for most of the stories as I went so I will re-list them below:

Pebbles - an LGBTQ+ story which related the chaos of the world with the love that can also be found. Fairly short but enjoyable and thought-provoking still. 3.5*s

Aunt Libby's Coffin Hotel - this one was steeped in mythology and deceit and I have to say I very much enjoyed (and was disturbed by) the idea of staying in a coffin hotel! 4*

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night - a conversation between two people called Julian and Evelyn and the beginnings they remember and recreate in the darkness of night. Loved this one :) 5*s

Margaret and Mary and the end of the world - the amount of cleverly woven references and art work within this story was just superb. I think it is one of my favourites in the collection. 4.5*s and definitely a vivid one with some fun tongue-twisty moments and distribution on fairy-tales I know

In the Dark - a short tale about a soldier visiting a woman and her encounter. Bit odd for me and a bit short so couldn't take as much from this one 2.5*s

Plum Pie. Zombie Green. Yellow Bee. Purple Monster. - This one was a story about a camp where children can go if they've sprouted plants in their bodies. It was the most easy to visualise of the stories so far, and I would for sure read about entire novel on the theme as this felt like a snippet. 4.5*s

Jacob - a letter-based story from the POV of a young boy writing to a stranger, Miss Winter, who is the weather lady. This one felt very much like stream of consciousness and yet asked lots of big questions I too would have liked to answer to. A heartfelt story, if a subtle one. 4*s

Animals - Fairytale inspired, grim and peculiar. Curious and quirky. Twisty, turny. I really, really enjoyed this. It had a sense of familiar with a sense of strange. Definitely my kind of story 4.5*s.

There were three other final stories which I read at the end and didn't update individually on, but the final story in the collection felt so raw and real to me. I think if you know Jen at all you can see some of her in each story, but the final one felt particularly real to me and I definitely loved that one so I gave it 5*s - Bright White Hearts

Overall I would say this is well worth buying for the combined beautiful cover and marvellous stories. if you get a chance to meet Jen at a signing or anything else you should definitely get this one, it was excellent. 4.5*s