I got it as an ARC from NetGalley on a whim and absolutely loved it. When her father begins to lose his mind and claims to see the ghost of the man who served as the model for Dr. Doolittle, Emma returns home to take care of him and to put her life back together. What follows is a delightfully weird story about kidnapping, ghosts, and small-town life.

Quirky is the word. There’s a rescue dog and a pet fox, along with unusual narrators and some crazy characters in this story. Tackling several tough subjects, this is endearing and heart-warming, but it is also both funny and sad.

"Unlikely Animals" is an unlikely read for me, as I am not typically a fan of magical realism. I had loved the voices of the dead as characters in Saunder's novel, "Lincoln in the Bardo" so I gave it chance, but as expected those portions of this novel just didn't sit well with me. However, I would absolutely read another book by this author because MR aside, I loved the way they built the characters, storyline, and setting. Unfortunately, "Unlikely Animals" felt absurd to the point of taking me completely out of the story too many times.

An unlikely cast of characters make up this warm novel set in New Hampshire. Its hard not to fall in love with the misfit cast and their relatable problems. The book is a little scattered, set with a narrative that hops between village ghosts observing the residents and main characters, the Starlings themselves but somehow it works. I would have rated higher, but the last 20% of the book seemed rushed and somewhat mashed together and was a little anticlimactic after such great story weaving and character development. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

This was a delightful book that I could not put down. The town ghosts narrate the majority of the story, which is also intertwined with the history of the local conservationist who kept foxes and bears as pets. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I kept this book on my TBR list for too long. I am mad at myself for not reading it months ago. It was sweet and endearing but also funny and tragic. It was such a good book.

Animals and ghosts.. Do I need to say more? This story pulls you in and such interesting characters.
Beautifully written and creative.

(3.5 stars rounded up).

When Clive Starling finds himself seeing a historic ghost and hallucinating animals, an entire New Hampshire small-town starts to weigh in on his life and impending death. Thus, a large cast of eccentric characters is introduced: from the town's ghosts to the elderly shut-in, from the struggling Starling family to the town drug dealer (and many, many more).

I am not usually a fan of magical realism, and <u>Unlikely Animals</u> certainly had its absurd moments, but the only real issues I ever had with this book were the ones that should have been researched and written realistically, but fell short. As someone who has worked in a public school, the chapters of Emma subbing for the 5th graders were slightly cringey. I guess you could argue that maybe some of the events that happened would be allowed in a very, VERY rural town...but even then, I think most of the events that happened in the classroom would have still resulted in a lawsuit! Also, at times I really struggled with how everyone treated Clive. The lack of care and compassion shown to a seriously ill and dying man (and by his own family nonetheless) was somewhat jarring. I understand Clive was never the perfect husband or father, but as one incident after another unfolded, I just couldn't believe the callousness and disregard for his wellbeing...At the end of the day, this was a relatively quick read and I enjoyed the story and the absolutely massive cast of characters (though admittedly some more than others). I would recommend this for fans of magical realism/contemporary/historical fantasy and would probably pick up another novel by Hartnett without hesitation.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t really know how it review this one without giving things away. The biggest thing I can say is that I went in blind and it was NOT what I was expecting.

I was surprised to find that the story is narrated by the ghosts of the townspeople from their graves in the local cemetery. It was a very unique point of view.

At one point the ghosts apologize for a tangent they were on right as I was wondering what the point was. That made me chuckle.

Lastly, I was very surprised at the ending. It was quite thriller-ish.

Please be aware of a trigger warning for dementia. One of the main characters is beginning to deteriorate and while the character has a great sense of humor about it, it could certainly be triggering for some.

Overall, I do recommend this one for someone looking for a story outside of the norm.

I went into this with no background information, and I can't even express how pleasantly surprised I was!

This book is heartwarming in such a lovely way. It's not overtly sappy, but it is just so incredibly real and genuine. I loved the writing. It approached a very difficult thing, having a father who was declining and would shortly pass away and turned that into a fabulous tale of a family coming together. I loved the addition of people talking from the graveyard, and the things that the dead ponder. This book is about redemption, kinda, but not in a preachy way. It is about love, but not in a sappy way. It is all of the best things, with a pet fox thrown in for fun.

I have recommended this to many people -- and I'll continue to do that. It's a wonderful book that deserves attention.

loved this quirky little book 🦊 1) it takes place in NH, my home state 2) there were a lot of animals that played a huge part in it 3) it dealt with heavy topics in a way that felt lighthearted and hopeful.

If I told you this book dealt with memory loss, aging, addiction, kidnapping, infidelity - you’d prob think it was super dark and heavy but it wasn’t! It was quirky, funny, and heart warming. I loved all the characters so much, esp the main character Emma and her dad Clive ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {UNLIKELY ANIMALS - Annie Hartnett}

Emma begrudgingly returns home to New Hampshire after being away in California for college. Its not exactly the happy homecoming you would want after so much time away. Her brother just finished his second stint in rehab, her father is slowly dying from a mysterious brain disease, her best friend has disappeared amidst a drug addiction, and Emma has to break it to her family that she dropped out of med-school months ago.

The madness that ensues in the months after her return will entertain you endlessly! Theres a pet fox🦊 shipped from Russia, a wild goose chase for Emmas missing friend, a classroom of wild fifth graders Emma ends up long term subbing for that has balloons of heroin hidden in the ceiling 😮 her fathers vivid hallucinations of small animals and his friendship with the long dead naturalist Ernest, and a cemetery full of local ghosts👻 running commentary on the whole thing. I enjoyed every second of it and will most likely buy a physical copy because I loved it so much 💙

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was incredibly charming! Normally omniscient voice is pretty tricky to pull off, but the fact that the ghosts in Everton are telling this story makes it work. They have really funny observations. Annie Hartnett hit their voices right on the head. Well done!

Occasionally, though, it felt like the ghosts' musings were a little random, and I'm not sure that the "journal entries" from Ernest Harold Baynes work all the time. The information in them is interesting, but it was a little hard to see how they fit the overall narrative arc of the book.

Also, there were way too many commas in the novel; in many places, a semi-colon would have worked much better. I kept getting tripped up in reading with all the commas, so I wish different choices had been made with the punctuation in many spots.

The opioid epidemic comes and goes as an anchoring point for the book; in a few scenes, I actually forgot that that's what the story was supposed to be tackling. That's not necessarily a bad thing; Emma is sweet and likable, even if her special powers remain kind of vague.

Auggie mystified me as a character. He started out with such resentment, but it seemed to turn around fairly quickly. I'm not sure I bought into the speed of his redemption arc. Also, there's a particular character who is briefly mentioned in the first third of the book who becomes important later. In the interest of not sharing spoilers, I won't give the character's name but I do think the book was missing the answer to a crucial question about this person. That's why I'm giving this three stars instead of four.

Regardless, I still enjoyed it. It was fun to read, and I'm glad it came across my desk. Lovely novel!

A heart warming, quirky little book. I love the tinge of family drama, the bits of historical fiction and contemporary. This is the kind of book I have been looking for and I'm definitely hungry for more. Probably best read as break after heavy books. The narration and style took me awhile to get used to but it served its purpose well. Annie Hartnett is a talented author.

This is a delightful, charming novel that might just make my top 20 novels of all time. Such well-drawn characters with wise infusions of humor and heart, this book is one I've already recommended to several fellow readers.

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I was unsure if I was going to enjoy this book for the first third. The story is a little quirky. After the first third, I enjoyed this immensely and read it quickly. Highly recommend.

Emma Starling is coming home after several years away at college and med school. Well, not really at med school, but her family thinks that is where she has been. Born with a healing touch, Emma’s mother assumed she would be a doctor and everything seemed to be going that way, except no one asked Emma.

Now she’s home because her father, Clive, is dying and hallucinating that he sees cats and rats and Harold, the famed local naturalist. He’s been forcibly retired and is spending more time talking to Harold than to his family. Emma needs to forgive her father for cheating on her mother. She also should improve her relationship with her brother Augie who has fought his way to sobriety after opioid addiction, a problem plaguing the town. As she nears her home she sees missing person posters and the person missing is her best friend from high school. Why didn’t anyone tell her?



I loved Unlikely Animals. I love the narration by the ghosts in the town cemetery. I love the quirkiness of the town, and the weirdest elements are reality-based I love how big things happen in small ways. Emma gets a job offer and perhaps finds a life purpose. Clive orders something on the internet and fails to cancel the order. Chaos happens again and again but there is real love animating the conflicts and the chaos.

I cried a lot during this book. I also laughed a lot. For such a small story, it has big ideas about love lasting even when it’s hard.

I received an e-galley of Unlikely Animals for review from the publisher through NetGalley

Unlikely Animals at Penguin Random House
Annie Hartnett

Do you hand out second chances to authors very easily?

I must confess, that if I read one book I don’t like, it’s possible I won’t seek out anything from that author again. I wasn’t a huge fan of Rabbit Cake, however, Unlikely Animals — by Annie Hartnett — sounded so promising in its summary that I just had to take a chance on it. I am so glad I did, y’all. This was the sweetest, snarkiest, most charming yet real tale of friendship, family, love, loss, aging, moving forward, and making peace.

Much thanks to @NetGalley and @randomhouse /Ballantine Books for an early copy for review.

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett.

What is it about a "girl returns to her small town home after ___ years?" They just hit the spot! Especially when what she has in store is just so heartwarmingly juicy.

First off, I LOVED the narration, which was essentially done by the folks in the graveyard who have already met their end. So quirky and creative. It was also interwoven with pieces of this New Hampshire town history, in particular with one of it's eccentric robber baron.

But the real story was with Emma, who was once known to have a magical touch that could help heal a person. Feeling destined, she leaves her town for medical school, but drops out feeling like she has completely lost her touch. Now she is staying with her family, a brother that is a recovering addict, a dad with a terminal disease, and a mother who remains angry for all of the past injustices she's endured. On top of everything, her best friend is missing and has yet to be found, a friend that Emma fell out with years ago.

And that's what it is, just a lovely, kitschy, funny, sad story. It was so unique and enjoyable. I liked it even more reading the author's notes at the end, helping me to understand the actual history of this town as well as the heroine epidemic it endured. All of the peripheral elements of the story really helped to make this such a rich and well rounded read.

When I started reading “Unlikely Animals” I thought Annie Hartnett was channeling Fannie Flagg. It all sounded sort of familiar and took me back to Elwood Springs, Missouri and “The Whole World’s Talking”. Hartnett like Flagg also infused portions of the books with that down home charm and “aw shucks” kind of feeling. Flagg and Hartnett use the residents of their respective cemeteries to give us insight into the behavior of the local residents and goings on which may not be known to most. The conversations of the omniscient members of the Maple Street Cemetery in Everton, NH is a clever and useful device which lightens a somber story.

In “Unlikely Animals” the use of humor helps to lighten the sorry story of Professor Clive Starling who has stated seeing small animals in his classroom. It is a distraction and while entertaining it leads to his forced retirement. This is where the story picks up steam and falls apart but in a funny, sad, cruel, introspective way. It is a tribute to Hartnett that she is able to infuse humor, love and forgiveness while exploring a serious disease, imminent death and loss.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this sad, charming, humorous story.

The main character Emma has been having a hard time of it. She keeps failing med school. Her father has brain cancer and finds himself talking to ghosts. Emma's old best friend is missing and the police aren't searching for them. The book deals heavily with the opium epidemic. Even though the book deals with heavy topics, it is still often heart warming and hilarious. Sometimes with how dark the world is, it's nice to have a little light shine in.