Some books grab you by the throat. This one gently suggested a nap.
I tried. I really did.
I picked up The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride with good intentions and a full cup of coffee. I made it about 100 pages in… and kept finding reasons to wander off. Fold laundry. Scroll my phone. Stare at the wall. You know. Important things.
On paper, this book should have worked for me. Small-town setting, layered community dynamics, secrets bubbling under the surface. That’s usually my jam. But the pacing? Slower than crawling. I never quite found my footing with the characters, and instead of feeling immersed, I felt like I was trudging uphill in wet cement.
It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t for me.
I’m a pretty determined reader, but when I start looking for excuses not to pick a book up, that’s my sign. Life’s too short, and my TBR pile is too tall.
So this one is officially a DNF at 100 pages. No hard feelings. Just a gentle “we’re not compatible.” And that’s okay.
