Bleeding with intelligence and trauma, Kern's stories are ones to read, enjoy, and live with to share and re-read. Each story is more unique and fresh than the one that came before it, and while Kern's sensibility for social justice and ecological awareness come through in every one, the lives and worlds of their characters are so real that everything works in tandem. Some of these stories will live with me for ages, and this is the first book in a long time that's made me wish I were still teaching so that I could share this work with my students. Kern's language and creativity show what it means to be an author in tune not only with their art, but the world around them, and the results are magnificent.

Among my favorites in the collection are "The Listener", "Unwhole", and "What Can't Be Undone"--and I would recommend all of them, along with the rest of the stories in the collection.

Note that there are some extremely sensitive themes and subjects discussed in the book, and that detailed content warnings can be found at the end of the book, organized by story. (On a side note, I really appreciate Kern's choice to make a note in the beginning that this is the case, alerting readers up front that content warnings are in place, and where to find them, but not putting them at the forefront for readers who may want to go in 'blind'.)

Really, though, there are no words to write an adequate review here. This is a fantastic collection, and it deserves to be read. ( )

Kern's collection spans speculative genres from space colonies to near and far-future dystopias, fantasy, and body horror, but all are concerned with the same topics: caregiving, climate change, and resilience through connection. At the heart of the collection is a grappling with what it means to bring children into a dying world and the resulting urgency to alter the current trajectory, though the way climate change impacts people of different genders and economic backgrounds is a strong through-line as well. The thematic elements of the stories were so consistent that the voices tended to blend for me, such that the protagonists of many of the stories felt like the same person in different scenarios, but I suspect this will bother most readers less than it bothered me. As bleak as the subject matter and settings get, the collection feels like a call to hope through coalition, a message that is sorely needed and from a writer trying to help us avert disaster in multiple ways. ( )

I reallly enjoyed about half the stories in this book especially the titular story. Some were hard to get into because they felt deeply lacking in tension or felt like earlier drafts compared to some of the stronger pieces. I do appreciate Kern's efforts at worldbuilding in ways both utopian and dystopian and how much of the world building isn't a concern with technology but an interest in refiguring human relationships beyond what is the present norm. ( )

Though not my first encounter with Sim Kern’s work, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this collection, in the best ways. What I found was a diverse garden of narratives. Many of them deal with intense and traumatic themes, yet the thread for me as a reader engaged how we heal through community and relationship with ourselves, our chosen families, and the landscapes we call home. These stories planted hope for making sense of a nonsensical world, and guideposts to imagining realistically hopeful futures. Like a tapas menu in a foreign tongue, each story dished up a surprising flavor or texture leaving me satiated in unexpected ways. At times the raw honesty left me bereft of useful words for my feelings, as catastrophes of all size encountered the truth of each character’s choices. The best sci-fi helps us imagine the best futures. Each of these stories-even the most fanciful-left me hopeful for us as a singular species in the universal webs of life, death, and all that exists between. ( )

Gorgeous book! This might be the best ER book I've ever received. Real Sugar is Hard to Find is a collection of short stories featuring magic, other planets, and imagined futures of earth. Lots of dystopian themes, but somehow most manage to end on a hopeful note. I've been having a really rough reading year so far, just can't seem to find anything I've enjoyed, but this book reminded me about how great a really good book can be. This author manages to be incredibly thought provoking and beautiful in so few words, it's truly amazing. There are trigger warnings listed in an appendix at the end for those who need it. ( )