Wow. This book was certainly... published.

Look, dystopians are RIGHT up my alley. I love them. I grew up on the Hunger Games. I adore The Lottery. And you know what? The marketing team / publisher / who ever made the blurb really set the bar way too high. What made those books work was succinct, clear, and well-woven world building. Additionally, the characters were developed well and felt like real people. If you liked those things about those other books, do not read Curdle Creek.

One thing Curdle Creek did well was the creativity and ideas. The Widow's Race and Moving On were very interesting concepts however, the execution was poor.  60% into the book, suddenly time travel is introduced, which is only used to visit the town a few decades earlier. A lot of time is wasted here and suddenly we are transported to the underworld. Then to England (ireland?). It's so bizarre to cram all of these settings changes right at the end. 

What makes it worse is that the main character, who is a 45 year old woman, acts like an impulsive teenager. She is difficult to root for because she is so immature. It's difficult to remember she is a mother until she reminds the reader because of how she acts. The supporting cast of characters are just completely unlikeable. They aren't villains, they just aren't good people.

Overall, this was a rough read and was no where close to the books it compares itself to in its own blurb. Maybe some more brainstorming and discussion with ARC readers would've improved this book. I'm not sure, but I can't recommend in good faith.