Fiction

Review: Fret by Nadia Bozak

August 24, 2026

Synopsis:

Once a rising star of indie rock, Kate is now a middle-aged single mom living far out of the spotlight. Everything changes for her when an unprecedented heat wave and a stolen car set off a chain of events that threaten to upend her new, peaceful life. Fired from her job, separated from her children, and overwhelmed by public shaming, Kate must navigate the cold realities of the child welfare and family court systems while struggling to stay cool in an increasingly unbearable world.

Determined to rebuild, Kate finds herself forging new connections and fostering a sense of community — something she hasn’t felt since her music career ended in disaster more than a decade before. As Kate finds a new voice, she makes her way back to her children and her love of music, and steps closer to reconciling with her former bandmate and her little sister.

If building community is Kate’s way of reckoning with the mistakes of her past, can it also be a way to mitigate the deeper, more urgent issues and structural injustices that threaten our future?

Review:

This was a book where I had an idea of what to expect, but no one could have prepared me for what lay ahead.

Kate is raising two children by herself. She is doing the best she can, but it becomes clear early on that she is barely hanging on by a thread. Every day comes with new and unforeseen challenges, and when the day is over, she knows the next one will be just as exciting.
When a heat wave arrives and everyone’s tension rises to an all-time high, something happens that suddenly makes her feel as though simply surviving is no longer enough. She feels like she can’t do it anymore. But she also doesn’t have a choice.
Raising two children by herself, constantly feeling overwhelmed, struggling financially, and being judged for doing the best she can—this was heartbreaking to witness.

Adding to her already overwhelming stress is a situation that no parent ever wants to be in. Watching everyone around her suddenly feel the need to judge her was the moment I wanted to give her a hug. The strength it took to wake up every day, keep going, and do the best she could showed just how strong a person she really was, and I applauded her for it.

The way society judges mothers and how quickly people think they know better reflects real-life situations very well. It also shows that life isn’t perfect, and sometimes you have to accept it for what it is and hope that one day things will get better.
Absolutely worth the read, and one I will remember for a long time.

🌙 Recension: Fret by Nadia Bozak
📚 Genre: Fiction
📅 Release Date: August 25, 2026
📖 Publisher: ‎ECW Press
📗 available in various formats
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
📆 Pages: 246
⭐️ 4/5