Emma is called home to Everton, New Hampshire because her dad is dying. She has to tell her parents that she has dropped out of med school and has no idea what to do next. Her dad is seeing animals that aren't there and searching for Emma's best friend who has been missing for a year and her brother, Auggie, is trying to stay sober having become a victim of the opiate crisis. Into this cast of characters throw in the ghost of a naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes. Parts of the story are narrated by the ghosts in the graveyard with a gossipy tone as they spy upon the living. I loved this quirky and delightful book. The characters were great. I also liked the mystery behind the disappearance of Crystal and Sid Wish and the drug bust.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me a digital copy.

What a fantastic premise for a novel and expertly executed, Heart warming tale and likeable characters that made me want to devour this in one sitting.

3.5⭐️

This book is so unique for the dead peanut gallery we have guiding us through the story! I loved that aspect so much.

On the other hand, whether it was the dead voices, journal entries, or the way the main characters were written, I felt distance between me the reader and their story. I was not emotionally attached to anyone.

5⭐️ for creativity, 4 ⭐️ for humor, 3⭐️ for characters.

Eccentric townspeople who have passed on narrate Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett making this an usual read in it's quirkiness. The departed neighbors are observing the people of town, supporting them, hoping for their happiness. Their emphasis is on Clive and his family as they deal with Clive's dementia, his son's drug addiction, his daughter's lack of direction, and his wife's crush on another man. It's a little town with not so little problems.

It is a bittersweet novel, I enjoyed it but did not love it, perhaps another time in my life I will pick it up again, it's the kind of book you have to be in the right frame of mind to read.

I LOVED LOVED this book! Everything about it. The story, the characters, the location, the animals… Everything. One of the best books I’ve read/listened to this year. All the book clubs missed the mark not picking this book. So much heart. Highly recommend!

This was such a sweet read. It gave off Schitt’s Creek and Gilmore Girls vibes with the small town setting where everyone knows everyone, but underneath all the sweet, quirky, and quippy layers of this book, was a beautiful story about grief and healing. The writing was reminiscent of Fredrik Blackman, with characters that instantly felt familiar. The first time I met the whole Starling clan, it felt like I was at a family reunion with my own dysfunctional family, complete with the kooky old rich uncle who’s always hanging out with your dad. The writing was sweet and easy to get sucked into; the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars was that the plot itself didn’t blow me away as much as the characters did.

I found Unlikely Animals a bit slow-going at first, but I ended up really loving this novel. The characters and town are endlessly charming. The story is told in the perspective of the dead who reside in a small New Hampshire town's cemetery. It largely follows the Starling family, made up of married couple Clive and Ingrid, and their young adult children, Emma and Auggie. Clive, the patriarch of the family, is suffering memory loss from a terminal neurological disease. Ingrid, his third wife, has recently had it with him due to his recent bad decisions. Emma has returned home to help her family and get her life back on track. Auggie is getting his life back on track as a recovering opioid addict. Humor is suffused throughout the story, from character comments to actions, bringing levity even the harder topics. I ended up loving the complex Starling family and the town in which they reside. I would recommend this if you enjoy novels by Frederick Backman or Rachel Joyce.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

4/5

Unlikely Animals is a moving and magical story full of characters that I loved and a great sense of wonder that pervaded every page. I greatly enjoyed this novel and look forward to trying whatever Hartnett writes next.

What do you get when you take a woman who had magic healing powers as a kid, her brother who's a recovering drug addiction, a dad starting to forget, a trial revolved around a drug dealer, Ernest Harold Baynes, a missing girl, a classroom of kids, Titanic the Musical, a fox, and catty dead spirits talking from beyond the grave and smoosh it all together?

Not much.

Unlikely Animals starts off very promising in it's own bizarre, quirky, dramatic nature, but devolves into a lot of meandering scenes by the time we reach the halfway point. The quirkiness becomes tiring and the numerous side plots going back and forth between one another becomes an exercise in patience. It's all too much in a book that's not even particularly long, but unfortunately it begins to feel twice it's length.

Also, one of the bigger mysteries in the novel is resolved out of left field that I got whiplash. It happens so suddenly and is so...boring.

I wanted this to be good and maybe it is? It just wasn't good for me.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. My apologies it took so long to finish!

🎉𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑷𝒀 𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾🎉!

📚𝑼𝑵𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬𝑳𝒀 𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑺, 𝑩𝒀 𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑰𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑵𝑬𝑻𝑻📚

❗️𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑻𝑶𝑫𝑨𝒀: 4/12/22❗️

💗Every once in a while, a novel comes along that warms your heart and refreshes your soul... and this is one such novel! I am in a euphoric state, having laughed out loud so often, shed a tear a few times, and ultimately finished this novel with a few new lessons on my ever-expanding "plate of virtue".

💯Damn, @annie_hartnett , you're good! The point of view from the "residents" of Maple Street Cemetery was sheer brilliance and each of the characters was an absolute delight! Whether it was a judgmental mom, a former drug-addicted brother, a missing best friend, a quirky family friend, a father in the throws of dementia, or one of the many "unlikely animals", each of these individuals lit up the pages and melted my heart. It was a joy to follow along on Emma's journey "back home".

🌟All the stars for this most charming treasure of a novel. Don't miss this one, y'all - it's worth every second!

A million thanks to @books_with_taylor from @randomhouse for reaching out to me with this advanced reader's copy from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars. Emma (once a natural born healer) returns to her childhood small town in New Hampshire to take care of her dying dad to find a lot has changed. Her high school best friend is missing, her dad bought a fox as a pet, and now she’s found herself as a full time substitute for the 5th grade.

This is a quirky story with a chorus of ghosts from the local cemetery. I enjoyed this story quite a bit and felt the characters were a well developed. This book made me laugh and cry. There is a mystery but mostly it's just a another great father daughter story. And there are animals!

I was given a copy of this book for review by the publisher. My Opinions are my own.

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett is billed as a tragicomic novel, and even with that, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Hartnett wrestles with intense topics like the opioid epidemic while also tapping into the paranormal with the essential core being that of family ties.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

A really lovely story about family. Emma, Auggie and Clive are such great characters and the powerful writing truly brings them to life. It is a unique story taking place alongside a nature preserve and woven through with the story of the really life Dr Dolittle. Highly recommended!

I was really looking forward to this one based on reviews by trusted sources, but this was just ok for me.

This was absolutely a quirky story and I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think it is a story that will stick with me. The characters were entertaining, and I really found the chorus of ghosts an interesting perspective .

Short synopsis: Emma (once a natural born healer) returns to her childhood small town in New Hampshire to take care of her dying dad to find a lot has changed. Her high school best friend is missing, her dad bought a fox as a pet, and now she’s found herself as a full time substitute for the 5th grade.

My thoughts: I’ll be honest, it took me quite a bit to get invested in this story. But once I was drawn in I didn’t want it to end! The characters were so well written, and while there was so much going on in the plot it all came together seamlessly.

This story and the characters will have you laughing and wanting to visit this small town. You’ll want to visit the Maple Street Cemetery to make friends with the Ghosts watching over the residents and buy tickets to the community Titanic play.

The animal facts were confusing to me for a minute, until I realized that Harold Baynes (the ghost in the story) was the real-life Dr. Doolittle. Now I not only want another dog, but I’m also tempted to order myself a tamed Russian Fox and call it Rasputin.

Read if you love:
* Unusual animal pets
* Black Sabbath cover bands
* 5th Graders
* Elements of mystery
* Ghost sightings and hallucinations

Thank you so much to Ballantine and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I had a hard time getting into this book, and ended up abandoning it about 80 pages in. I’ve only heard good things from others, but every time I sat to read it I found my mind drifting. Thanks for the chance to give it a try!

This was a roller coaster of reading for me. Without giving anything away, the voices at the beginning were NOT who I thought they were at first. When it was revealed (I got it probably later than you will), it added a unique twist to the story that put this on one of my all-time favorites. I really connected with the characters and their struggles. It's one of those books you even love the unlikeable characters. This book is a treasure that I think back fondly on frequently. Wish I could give it more than five stars.

A complex story about complicated people and the ghosts watching over them, this is an unusual book. It's sad and funny and weird (really weird) and heartwarming. I grew to love the residents of this fictional town. The author's note is essential.

I came to this book not knowing what a quirky fun read it would be. I was enchanted from the first page to the end. I love it when a new author ends up in my hands and I do not know what kind of read to expect. This is a story that I will talk about and recommend to anyone.