"Nealon’s razor-sharp focus on the shame surrounding mental health issues, sexual promiscuity and substance abuse in Irish culture — and her female characters’ determination to not only face but conquer their shortcomings . . . makes an indelible mark." — Washington Post
“An endearingly off-kilter coming-of-age story. . . . Debbie will win your heart.” — People, “The Best New Books”
“A vivid tale of courage and discovery, of engaging with a world that contains so many interpersonal traps, so many sources of shame, guilt, and self-deception. . . . The jokey give-and-take of the craic—and there is plenty of it—lightens the book's serious subject matter. . . . Nealon keeps us laughing to soften the rawness. And as all is filtered through Debbie's sharp consciousness, we come to appreciate the protagonist's fierce curiosity about how to guide oneself to live in the world.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“In an entirely unique, dark, and hilariously human novel, Nealon manages to weave the pressure of youth with the hopeful reality of unconditional love.” — Shondaland
“A lithe and limber debut. . . . the reader who, like Debbie, allows herself to be carried along by the swift and unexpected world of Snowflake will be rewarded in the end.” — Chicago Review of Books
“A fresh and often humorous debut. . . . this tale of two worlds vibrates on an otherworldly frequency.” — Publishers Weekly
"Reminds the reader of James Joyce’s most brilliant short story 'The Dead.' Like Joyce’s story, Nealon’s Snowflake is about compassion and acceptance, about the difficulty in aligning one’s dreams with reality. Nealon navigates that territory well, making the reader empathize with her damaged characters, allowing an understanding of depression and its consequences, and fashioning out of eccentrics and outcasts a company of ordinary heroes." — New York Journal of Books
“What are they putting in kids’ milk in Ireland? Snowflake marks the arrival of yet another striking Irish literary voice. . . . But Debbie’s fresh, bleakly funny voice marks her out as original. So are her brilliant, brittle family. . . . Screen rights have been bought by the team that adapted the hit TV series of Normal People.” — Sunday Times
“A sweet, clever coming-of-age novel that finds charity and depth for its older characters as well as the young.” — Irish Times
“The idea that everyone is suffering something, even unseen, is not a new one, but it is refreshingly presented by this cast of wonky, wonderful, traumatized characters in a chaotic, beautiful, flawed world . . . . twisty-turning, multifaceted, smart, funny even when it is at its most serious. Nealon's debut shows an expert eye for detail and pitch, and an appreciation for the absurd, the profound and the ridiculous—especially when they converge.” — Shelf Awareness
“Will inevitably gather comparisons with Sally Rooney. But Nealon has her own voice. Her writing is clever, witty, wryly elegant and full of emotional truth.” — The Irish Independent
“Packed with emotion, terrific dialogue, raw and real characters, and spiritual elements . . . . A genuine, wise, and promising debut.” — Booklist
“Beautifully written . . . . emotionally intelligent and thought-provoking. . . . I can’t stop thinking about it.” — Daily Mail
“An accomplished debut novel. . . . One of newcomer Louise Nealon's many skills is in finding the tenderness lurking underneath everyday exchanges in a captivating story about a smart working-class country girl who is trying to adjust to Trinity College and its privileged social set. . . . Made me laugh out loud and cringe simultaneously. . . . the book has the power to make you gasp at its revelations and its sheer poetry, which often unfolds with the languid pace of a lucid dream. There hasn't been a book quite like it out of Ireland in years.” — Irish Central
“Clever, witty, wryly elegant and full of emotional truth." — The Sunday Independent
“Louise Nealon’s Snowflake is one of the most heartwarming, honest and brilliant coming-of-age novels you will read this year . . . . This novel is a true gift . . . . Reading it is to lose yourself in reveries about the imperfections of life, the people we love and care for, self-doubt and the pursuit of joy.” — BookPage, starred review
“Nealon’s bald honesty about rural life is reminiscent of Patrick Kavanagh and his anti- pastorals." — RTE.ie
“Snowflake is mad and wonderful. I thought I was reading one thing, then discovered—several times—that I was reading a different, even better thing.” — Roddy Doyle
"Can a young woman be innocent yet outrageous, longing to succeed at university yet close to failing, deeply embarrassed by her manic depressive mother yet devoted? Yes, yes, yes. Louise Nealon’s beguiling narrator Debbie is all these things, and much more. Snowflake is a wonderfully inventive, deeply felt novel full of the best kinds of surprises." — Margot Livesey
"A novel for anyone who’s ever felt lost in the world. Louise Nealon balances humor and tragedy in a sharp debut." — John Boyne
"Snowflake is raw, sharp-sighted, affirming, and also very very funny. Louise Nealon's prose shimmers as do her irregular and damaged characters. Stunning." — Una Mannion, author of A Crooked Tree and Tell Me What I Am
"It's a long time since I've loved a novel as much as Snowflake. The prose shines with observations about life love family mental health, milking the cows and what it means to be coming of age in the times we live in—I felt I had discovered a diamond—a real treasure!" — Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo
"Beautiful and truthful and touching." — Marian Keyes, author of My Favorite Mistake
“Snowflake is a beautiful novel; tender, laugh-out-loud funny, and deeply moving.” — Louise O'Neill, author of Idol
"Astonishing. Louise Nealon is a ridiculously talented writer." — Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars
