The Ophelia Girls is partially set in 1973, when Ruth and her girlfriends spend their summer days taking pictures of each other in the river with flowers adorning them, reminiscent of drowning Ophelia. It jumps to 1997, when Ruth has a 17=year-old daughter, Maeve, and two young twins. Ruth is barely holding it together, partially from the economic expense of their large, old house. She did her best during the years Maeve battled leukemia, finally beating the cancer thanks to a bone marrow transplant from her younger brother.

When Ruth and her husband Alex’s good friend from their youth, Stuart, stays with them, Maeve feels seen as an adult and not the sick child she was for so long.

This is not a fast-paced book. The writing is good, but some of the content made me wince a little. It’s fun to imagine the social mores of 1973 and 1997 and how I might have flourished or not under those circumstances, but I didn’t find this a particularly enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 10, 2021.