Stephanie Oakes

What would you do if everything you had been taught was a lie? This is what Eleanor has to grapple with as she spends time at The Meadows. The matrons are trying to shape her into the perfect woman, but she is grappling with “seeing [herself], perfectly made. Who didn’t fit only because the rules had been written that way.”

This book was incredible from start to finish. I loved the word choice and descriptive language Oakes used. The character development of each character was believable and realistic. The story was a great look into what people in the LGBT community face every day. It really makes you think and question whether you truly are living your life how you want to or are just going along and playing by other peoples’ rules. I would say this is a must read for those who are struggling with being ok with who they are. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long time.… (more)

The Meadows is set in a future in a country which has been ravaged by climate disaster. The Quorum, a totalitarian government has taken control and has created a society based on homophobia, misogyny, white supremacy and lies.
The story follows Eleanor who lives in a small rural, coastal community. She is delighted when she receives an acceptance letter from The Meadows, a facility for the "best and brightest" children. The Meadows, and the other facilities, however, conceal a sick and sinister agenda.
The story is set in dual timelines alternating between Eleanor's time at The Meadows and her life in the city four years later when she works as an Adjudicator, monitoring facility graduates to make sure they haven't strayed from their training.
The Meadows is powerful and important Sapphic dystopian fiction. Eleanor's world is an extreme example of a society that many people in today's world are promoting. The assaults on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people, the promotion of white supremacy, the erosion of voting rights, book bans, gaslighting, conversion therapy and climate change denial are all dangerous signs that tell us that the world in The Meadows is not that far-fetched. The Meadows is well written, immersive and heartbreaking. I liked Eleanor and her journey to self-acceptance, and the other characters especially June, Sheila and Jo.… (more)

The cover is the most eye-catching cover of the year for me, and it has writing to match. Dreamy and evocative, slowly enveloping you in its dystopian world. I specifically love how it gradually lets you in on just how the world is operating, and what the purpose of The Meadows is. It works wonderfully as a suspenseful read, and was at times chilling.

About the dystopian world; the government removes queer individuals from society and puts them in what amounts to a conversion camp. The main character is Eleanor, and at The Meadows, girls are forced to learn how to be housewives to men. I found the world-building to be immersive and mostly successful; some details I thought could have been changed.

I liked the characters for the most part. We're kept at some distance from the Eleanor, but I think this works well with the tone of the book. She's gone through some stuff. I was invested in her story, and was rewarded with a perfect ending.… (more)

Trigger Warnings: conversion therapy, homophobia

Every youth hopes to get a letter to attend one of the places where only the best and brightest go to be even better and brighter: the Estuary, the Glades, the Meadows…

When Eleanor is accepted to go to the Meadows, it means her escape from the Cove and a hard life by the sea. But, though the Meadows is filled with beautiful and wonderful things, it hoards dark secrets: its purpose is to reform its students from their attractions, to show them that the way of life is only possible through their way. Maybe Eleanor starts to believe, but then she meets Rose, and everything changes.

A year after leaving the Meadows, Eleanor and her friends are on the outside, living back in society - but not everything is as they hoped. Eleanor is an adjudicator, someone who makes sure former students haven’t strayed from the lives they were trained to live. But the past isn’t letting go of Eleanor and as secrets unravel, Eleanor must fight against everything she has been taught to be, especially if she can find the girl that she lost.

I originally was interested in this title when I saw it on BookishFirst because it was being marketed as “a queer, YA Handmaid's Tale meets Never Let Me Go” and I was all about that. I also love a good dystopian novel so this was really right up my alley.

That being said, I absolutely loved and devoured this novel over the course of the weekend when I didn’t have the interruption of work. The world building is intriguing and the “perfect” society is everything but (aren’t they all). The characters were also complex and engrossing - even the ones I wasn’t the biggest fans of, I still wanted them to succeed.

I absolutely recommend this book to those not only those who love dystopian novels, but those who want a page turning science fiction with queer characters.

*Thank you Dial Books and BookishFirst for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review… (more)