Funny, sarcastic, and entertaining, this debut novel is filled with nuggets of wisdom and humor!

This story is told by a giant Pacific octopus, an octogenarian janitor, and a young dude living in a camper and searching for his father in the Northwest. Set in a small town, toss in a Scottish shopkeeper with a nosh for gossip and a group of best friends, The KnitWits. All of these threads are woven together to create a delightful tapestry about friendship and community. Author Shelby Van Pelt balances the seriousness of loss with sharp-edged humor and even a few tender moments. Her quirky style reminded me of TJ Klune.

I kept listening to this tale with baited (pun-intended) breath. The American Library Association Summer Reading Theme is “Oceans of Possibilities” and this book fits right in!

Enjoyed this audiobook and thought both narrators did a great job. This book has a hopefulness to it as characters overcome grief and anger through new connections. Marcellus, Cameron and Tova have well crafted personalities. I enjoyed the imagery in this book. Marcellus's description of the fingerprints on glass was well done. Thanks NetGalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

OMG, this book! I never thought I’d empathize with an octopus, but here we are. I liked how the author used both an elderly human woman and a 5-year-old octopus to explore what it means to be near the end of one’s life. I also appreciated the way the story grappled with unrealized potential.

The author does something really interesting with POV. All the chapters centering on human characters are told in third person. Meanwhile, Marcellus’s chapters are relayed in first person by the octopus himself. I felt like this was a very effective storytelling tool. As a reader, I felt very connected to Marcellus even though I have no idea what it is like to be an octopus.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel. Most of the story is narrated by Marin Ireland, but the chapters told from Marcellus’s perspective are performed by Michael Urie. It’s a great audiobook. I thought Marin Ireland was particularly effective with Tova’s chapters. My favorite was Michael Urie voicing Marcellus. He somehow made me believe that Marcellus was this highly-intelligent, aloof, sarcastic octopus that is also lonely and unknowingly yearning for connection.

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" was a sweet, multiple POV listen! I loved that the book had different narrators for each POV which really helped to distinguish who was talking via audio book.

A story of loss, finding purpose, and community, this book is a great reminder to never let a day pass without telling those close to you that you love them.

The narrators for this audiobook were great, I especially loved how the narrator for the octopus perfectly captured his personality. I normally don't like books that jump from multiple characters but this book brings them all together and the further I got into the book the less I minded the jumping from the various characters.

I loved, loved, loved the narration. The voice of the octopus (Marcellus) was so much fun to listen to. At first I was a little confused with the two different story lines, but everything became much clearer once they came together. I would definitely recommend this as an audio book because the narration was so great.

Delicate. Gentle. Kind. Hopeful. Engaging. Excellent story. Marcellus the octopus takes on the role of a modern greek chorus or fairy godmother. My favorite character by far was Tova who was elegant, soft spoken, and kind in her own private loneliness. It's comforting to know that no matter how unassuming we may be, there's magic for us.

What a wonderful debut! I literally hugged it when I finished reading, wishing that all books could make me feel this way afterwards.

Tova, a widow now in her seventies, works the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, in the Pacific Northwest, mopping the floors and taking her mind off of her son, who vanished when he was a teen.

It’s here that she encounters Marcellus the octopus, who has been in captivity since he was a juvenile, now in his final days (living up to four years) of his life span. I loved the alternating chapters and POV between Tova and Marcellus, and listened to the ALC audiobook, but loved it so much I bought the hard copy.

The audiobook was fantastic! Marcellus’ chapters were my favorite, and I have a soft spot in my heart for a curmudgeon like him.

*many thanks to Ecco and Harper Audio/Netgalley for the gifted ALC copy for review

A feel-good story about characters who are trying to navigate life and their loneliness. Narrated at times by an all-seeing giant Pacific octopus, this tender novel brings together an array of different characters while highlighting the strength of community, trust and hope.

A family mystery tidily wrapped up that hangs on Tove and Marcellus--two great characters I am so pleased to have spent a few days with. An engaging narrator tells the story well, and Michael Urie does Marcellus justice. People will love this one.

The story of a 70 year old and a giant Pacific octopus forming an unlikely but moving connection.

This book warmed my heart! It was charming, wholesome, and thoughtful. This book explores themes of grief, healing, aging, loneliness, and friendship.

I loved the bond between Marcellus and Tova, the switching POV’s - especially Marcellus’s, and how the story perfectly connected all together.

This is one that will pull at your heartstrings and make you smile!

Thank you to @eccobooks and @netgalley for this ARC/ALC in exchange for an honest review! ✨

I was not sure what to expect from this book. The summery really interesting and the octopus is what really had me interested. I am glad picked this book because it was really good. It had a beautiful story and I really loved all of the characters. The story telling was soft and lyrical in the best way possible. I especially loved the chapters from the octopus's point of view. He sounded like a wise old man. I read this whole book in one day because I was just so invested in the characters. I wanted them to be happy so bad.
If you enjoy soft character driver books this is the book for you. The characters feel like old friends and the story was so beautiful. I would recommend this book to everyone.

I know many readers to recommend this as a sweet story of relationships, but it's not for me personally.

I highly enjoyed this audiobook! The story had be binge listening as I needed to know what happened next. Marcellus was just such an important part to this story and it show cased how gentle these creatures are.

Is it too early to claim this as my favorite book of 2022? This book was very enjoyable to listen too. It was so intriguing and so captivating that sometimes it was hard to stop listening. The narrator for Marcellus was perfect and by far my favorite POV. The story gives us the compelling and unlikely relationship between a 70 years old woman named Tova and a giant pacific octopus named Marcellus. I loved how both storylines were woven together perfectly and the ending was perfection. This book is quirky, heartfelt and also gives you a powerful reminder that animals can be a source of comfort and happiness after a tragedy. I cannot recommend this enough!

I haven't read a novel with as much heart as #remarkablybrightcreatures in quite some time. #partner @eccobooks @shelbyvanpeltwrites

Elderly, recently widowed Tova loves her job cleaning the aquarium in town in the quiet of the night, especially because of her fondness for Marcellus, the octopus. She finds solace in the aquarium as it makes her feel closer to her son, Erik - a marine life lover - who disappeared on a boat when he was 18.

But when she hurts herself and is unable to return to work at full capacity, she grows close with her replacement, Cameron, a young man newly arrived in town looking for his birth mother.

Meanwhile, Marcellus knows what really happened to Erik and he wants to help Tova find the closure she needs. His narration is interspersed with Tova and Cameron's for a story that is compelling, heartwarming, and utterly unique.

I will be shoving this book into the hands of everyone who asks for a book recommendation. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's my favorite book of the year so far.

I absolutely loved this deeply moving and humanistic story about the power of friendship, learning to overcome grief and grappling with loss and mortality. Perfect for fans of Fredrick Backman.

This story grabbed me right from the beginning as we get to know a cast of unforgettable characters, including a dying giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus, Tova, a grieving octogenarian who cleans the aquarium and a young man searching for his father. The story is told in multiple POVs and we slowly uncover the mysterious connection linking each of these characters.

Marcellus, with his dry, sarcastic wit and keen observations into the human condition really made me feel like this was a Backman novel. I love when animal narrators are done well and this one is done to perfection! The mystery woven throughout the story kept me guessing and was resolved so beautifully at the end.

I can't recommend this one enough, especially for fans of The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett, A man called Ove or Lily and the octopus. It was particularly wonderful on audio too narrated by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie (who also voiced Lily and the octopus). Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy! You don't want to miss out on this one!

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a wonderful, multi-layered story with richly conceived characters who, are all struggling with something missing in their lives. Cameron is a young man who, abandoned by his mother and raised by an aunt, has been floundering through life, unable to truly take the leap into the responsible life of an adult. When he reluctantly sifts through a box of his mothers’ things he is suddenly compelled to go in search of the man who may be his biological father and this leads him to travel from California to Washington State. Tovah is a widow in her 60’s, working as a cleaning person at the local Aquarium. Having lost her son to a sailing accident 30 years before and more recently her husband, she is making her way through life missing plenty. It is inevitable the two eventually meet. The tickler in the story is the voice of the Giant Pacific Octopus at the aquarium, smarter and more cleaver than any human whose observations of human behavior keep you chuckling. It’s about connection, kindness and redemption of character. Great narrators for the flow of the story keep you listening with pleasure to the unfolding. Shelby Van Pelt has written a delightful book that focuses on the innate goodness of people and a Giant Pacific Octopus!
Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Audio for the privilege granted to listen and even learn something new about life in our world. I have received no compensation for my honest review.

I finished this book with a bittersweet feeling and a smile. Now important is that? For me it's priceless. How rare was that for this reader? Pretty darn rare. Maybe I've been reading the wrong books.

Three wonderful characters and one giant octopus. Tova. Cameron, Ethan, and Marcellus. All searching for something and as I listened I so wanted them to succeed. If the wily Marcellus has his way, Tova will get hers. I should mention that one learns a bit about the lives of giant octopi and how Marcellus came to live in a tank in a aquarium.

The narrators were great. Ethan's Scottish voice made me melt and Tovas voice fit my picture of her wonderfully. Well done!

More like a remarkably bright COVER! This one called out to me with its dreamy colors.

I've heard this compared to A Man Called Ove, and it is spot on! Tova Sullivan is a sweet little old lady that cleans a local aquarium every night, especially bonding with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who lives there. Tova has definitely been through some tragedies in her life, losing her son mysteriously when he drowned at age 18 and she’s been recently widowed. All of a sudden a new person moves to town, the grocer asks her out, Marcellus keeps leaving his tank, and a clue or two comes up that could shed some light on her son's disappearance.

So not only is Tova a narrator, but Marcellus the octopus is too! He notices everything from his aquarium tank, especially how remarkably NOT bright humans can be. However, he warms to Tova and even helps her piece together the mystery of her son's death.

Okay, so I know this can sound kinda corny. Like, it's Angela Landsbury and a genius octopus, crime solving duo! 👵🏻🐙 But it really doesn't come across that way in the book at all. From Marcellus' first chapter in the beginning of the book, I was completely charmed by the original premise.

And honestly, I just wanted to love on these characters who are all searching for something and mourning parts of their past. Well, maybe not Tova's small group of girlfriends. They are terribly annoying.

The ending really is lovely and I found myself tearing up. If you're looking for a wholesome, feel-good, sweet sort of read, pick this one up. Also, excuse me while I go Google everything there is to know about the giant Pacific octopus.