I love Sarah's books and magical realism is one of my favorite genres so I really enjoyed this as expected. I loved the setting and all the characters, I did disagree with Frasier's decision about Oliver though, I'm still kind of mad about that.

Charming characters who all have some healing to do with ghosts from their past before they can get closure and open up to new experiences and a deeper understanding of their identities in the present.

No one is perfect, but everyone is loveable, almost everyone, in this light supernatural, magical realism read about an island and its inhabitants. The romance is just enough, the friendships are everything, and the mystery and anticipation had me cheering on Zoey and her crew.

This book found me after a string of reads that just weren’t doing it for me. It was a welcome retreat, and I’d recommend it for anyone who wants warm-hearted characters who are a little socially awkward but unfold with the gentle prodding of one daringly authentic protagonist with a knack for seeing into the heart of people.

I'm not sure I can do this book any justice in a review. I finished it a couple of days ago and the grip it has on me will not let up. This is Sarah Addison Allen's first book since the loss of her mother and I am so very glad she is back. She is always a beautiful author but I really think this book is something truly special.

Zoey is 18 years old, almost 19 and has moved to a small island to start the next chapter of her life. She moves into an apartment that her mother left her when she died. I compare the apartment complex to the Island of Misfit Toys from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Each one seems like an outcast but together, they make up a beautiful family. The book focused on grief and the aftermath of losing someone but more importantly, this is a book about found family. It's about processing your grief and navigating the world without your loved one.

There were also ghosts and I thought this part was also really well done. There is nothing about this book I hated. Sarah took a hard subject (grief) and turned it into something really amazing. I haven't had a 5 star read since June but this book just raced up to the top of my 2022 favorites.

Take care of yourself with this one. There are a lot of trigger warnings that should come with the story and if you are interested, please feel free to contact me for more information.

Other Birds comes out on Tuesday, August 30 and I highly suggest you pre-order this one and be ready to get engrossed. Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an early gifted copy.

A true gem. Haunting, beautiful, and hopeful that will stay with the reader for a long time. A tale of stories, ghosts, and love - lost and found. So glad Sarah is writing again.

Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen, is a magical story about a young woman named Zoey, who is trying to find her place in life. She returns to Mallow Island, where her late mother once lived, a small, winsome island off the coast of South Carolina. While living in her inherited studio, she connects with other residents of the complex. They are an unusual and unique cast of characters, each with their own pasts, troubles and secrets, and each looking for something more in their lives.

Zoey lost a sense of belonging and family when her mother died when she was a child, and as she now seeks a connection to her past, she finds unexpected connections with her neighbors. Their lives are all unalterably changed for the better by knowing Zoey, and her life is irrevocably impacted as well.

This is a tender story of finding healing from life’s hardships, finding a place for yourself in this world, and finding connection with others as a means forward. The magical elements made this an enchanting tale. This story is descriptive, heart-warming and charming. Other Birds is definitely a one-of-a-kind story.

Perhaps the sweetest story I’ve read this year, Other Birds proves through a cast of lovable characters and the mystique of Mallow Island that your past does not define you, and eventually, no matter how hard it may be, a time will come where the best thing you can do is to let go.

Zoey finds herself at the beginning of a new adventure. Heading to college and away from her family that wants no part of her, she moves to Mallow Island and into her mother’s old apartment in the hopes of getting to know the woman she barely remembers. Zoey’s sweet, kind spirit and desire to find herself in the midst of the life she almost had binds her small community at the Dellawisp together.

Charlotte has never had the luxury of the safety to be herself. Running from her past, she always maintains a barrier between herself and those around her -- until now.

Mac, a professional chef with a heart of gold and a soft spot for cats, is the epitome of ~ soft boy summer ~. A past ripe with abandonment and loss leaves him with a desire to be loved and clinging to the one person who took him in.

There are so many nuanced characters who bring heart to this story -- Frasier, Oliver, Lucy, Lizbeth -- I could go on all day! Each character is troubled by their past, but as they come together and grow to genuinely care for each other, Other Birds blossoms into a beautiful story of found family.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did if I’m being honest, but going into this book I didn’t really know what to expect. But, this book took me by the hand and guided me along.

“𝐼𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒, 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.”

This book is about holding grudges, escaping your past, grief, struggle of identity, lost connection, friendship and the struggles of letting go of loved ones who have passed on.

A small island located off the coast of South Carolina there lies a forgotten small condo complex with a group of misfits. A well-known author hiding in plain sight, a talented chef who can’t let go of his past, a recluse who sees everything, a know-it-all nosy neighbor, a runaway escaping her past life, and a young teenager trying to salvage a connection of her late mother’s past. When a tragic accident brings these people together, secrets and betrayals come to the forefront and beautiful friendships form.

This was the perfect palette cleanser between the romance and fantasy novels I’ve been reading and it was almost therapeutic to read a book that was a little slower paced but filled with beautiful life lessons.

Other Birds debuts 8/30 and if you’re a huge fan of found family, this is one the cutest ones!

Read if you like: small towns, found family trope, real life problems, mystery, magic realism, birds, ghost stories, food correlating to love, finding yourself.

Here is a delightful book- magical realism abounds- that I enjoyed very much. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read early in exchange for a honest review. Publication date to be August 30.

The story is that of Zooey who has had a difficult childhood, losing her mother and her father remarrying. She is about to go off to college and has inherited her mother's apartment on Mallow Island, South Carolina.
One thing I loved about the book is how the reader jumps right into the action and setting. I was immediately captivated by the setting and the characters (human and birds!). The story unfolded seamlessly and swiftly.
The plot is multi=faceted as the reader learns about all the people living in the community. Each has their own story and heartache to reveal. I loved each one. There are many surprises and twists that keep the plot so interesting. The ending was satisfying, definitely Love and a found family win.
The animals and the ghosts are an appealing touch to the unfolding of the story. I could just imagine the little turquoise Dellawisps flitting about the place. The book is an enchanting example of magical realism perfect for fans of Remarkably Bright Creatures and Unlikely Animals.

Other Birds
Sarah Addison Allen
August 30, 2022

Zoey Hennessey loaded her luggage in the cab along with her bird cage. The driver took off from the airport via Charlston, South Carolina and headed for her mother’s small apartment on Mallow Island. It was in an old amazing building with 4 or 5 other apartments. Her’s was small, more of an efficiency. Her dad bought it for her mother years ago. She died when Zoey was 12, and now at 18 she lives in the odd structure with amazing gardens surrounded by twinkle lights. Her greatest surprise was the Dellawisps, tiny turquoise birds that live in the unique trees only found near the coop. Frasier, the manager greeted her as he guided the new tenant to her flat. In Allen’s story we find the lifetimes of several distinct characters that reside in the building. It’s an interesting, odd storyline filled with those who have died and left their print on the island, and residents who desire not to have their secrets told.
Other Birds will be published by St. Martin’s Press of New York on August 30, 2022. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Sarah Addison Allen’s latest novel via NetGalley. It’s a delight to read but I must admit I became a bit lost in past lives having to re-read some of the details. What seems unimportant, needs to be acknowledged. I don’t want readers to be lost as this is a mystical journey that is an excellent read. By all means enjoy.

What an exquisitely written book! This is my first novel by this author, but definitely will not be my last. She's a true gem.

Other Birds is a book that can't be tucked into any one genre. It's truly a little bit of many things. It's a little magical realism, a little women's fiction, a little paranormal, somewhat southern gothic and more. And just like the book falls under multiple genres, there's also so much to like about it. The characters are well developed and thought out, the setting is sublime, the many blended plots are cleverly woven together and then there are the ghosts and the "other birds." I was engrossed in the book and couldn't turn the pages quickly enough.

Each of the characters in the book is carrying some form of baggage. With a few of them, you sense their heartache right away but with a some, it takes a good portion of the book to get to the bottom of it. Yet in each other, they've found a family to love and support them. It's magical in itself.

I'm originally from North Carolina, so any time a book is set in either of the Carolinas, I'm all in. This one is set on Mallow Island which is supposed to be right off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina and the descriptions are perfect. It's a magical place where the islanders seem to care about and take care of one another. The tourists come and go, but are some people stay. This story focuses on the events that take place at The Dellawisp - - a building of apartment units hidden off the beaten path. The tenants seem mysterious when the newest tenant, Zoey arrives to claim her deceased mother's unit. But over time, they will open up to one another and even learn to rely on each other. That's when the real magic is found - - the magic of love and family.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a lovely, enchanting book. Addison has done it once again. I loved the setting, the quirky characters, the della wisps and the magic woven throughout,

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Addison Allen for allowing me to read and honestly review Other Birds.

Wow! Other Birds will remain as one of my favorite books to share. Such a sweet story about feeling all alone, but how accepting friendship can fill the void. Zoey’s mother dies, so at age 19, she heads to Mallow Island, SC, to live in her mother’s apartment before college, in hopes of finding memories of her mother. Other dwellers include: a girl running from a checkered past, two old sisters, living across from each other, but not speaking to each other, a handsome aloof young chef, a famous writer in hiding, and ghosts who make strange things happen. This is a book that will make you smile for a long time. I love all of the author’s books.

Sarah Addison Allen has a way of immediately pulling you into her stories with the slightest bit of magical realism and relationship building.

Zoey is going to be a freshman in college in the fall, but as soon as she graduates high school, her step mom all but kicks her out to turn her room into the ultimate craft room. She heads to Mallow Island where her deceased mother has left her her apartment. Almost as soon as she arrives, she learns about the rare birds that live in the court yard: the Dellawisps.

She tries to suss out who is who in each apartment and by the 2nd night hears a loud sound that just doesn't sound right bringing not only her, but others to their doors. It comes to light in the morning that hoarding recluse has died when one of her bookshelves falls on her. The apartment manager soon gives Zoey the job of cleaning out her apartment hoping her son will come back to take over her apartment.

Along the way, we meet others in the complex: the recluse's estranged sister, someone who is hiding from her past and a lonely Michelin rated chef. Not the mention the legend of the Dellawisps and the author that has written about them, but is unknown to the public. All of these people or "other birds" become family to each other as the each struggle to find there way.

This book and it's characters were delightful and I was happy to get an early copy to review.

This is my first trip into the genre of magical realism. I'm not sure that this genre is for me. I do love a good ghost story but some of the book was just a little out there for me. Don't get me wrong, It's not a bad book at all. Just not for me.

After losing her mother, Zoe moves to the condo her mom left her. A very eclectic group of people live there. They all had someone wonderful that influenced their lives but are no longer a part of it.
A story of moving on, loss, finding ones self, friendship and love.

There are heartwarming moments and heartbreaking ones too.

There were a lot of characters in this story and a little hard to keep track of at times.

Please don't let my opinions stop you from reading this one if this is a genre you enjoy. Many others have loved this book much more than I.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

This is the kind of book that you want to hug when you finish. A truly heart-warming story with magical realism woven throughout. It’s filled with hope and uplifting (although I did need some tissues at the end). The ghost perspectives were some of my favorite parts of the story. Such a sweet, hopeful book- especially if you’re in the stages of grief where you feel like you’ve mostly moved on but still just can’t let go (like me).

My only teeny-tiny annoyance was that at times it felt like Zoey was a pre-teen instead of an 18-19 year old, but it wasn’t so bad that it ruined the story.

Highly recommend giving this a read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Other Birds" and all opinions expressed are my own. I love magical realism books! I have read other books by this author, quite a while ago though. I was excited to read this one! The characters were great and loved the story! If I didn't have so many other books to read I would read this one again. Beautiful story.

I don't always know what to think of stories that deal with magical realism but this one is a winner for me. The Dellawisps are the tiny turquoise birds that the five unit, well hidden, apartment building in Mallow Island, South Carolina, is named after. This birds inhabit the courtyard garden of the apartment complex, and they can be found around and on the apartment manager, Frasier, too. These little birds seem to have a lot to say, strong opinions about everything, and are every bit as scary, for some folks, as they are tiny.

Nineteen-year old Zoey has just arrived at the apartment complex so that she can inhabit her late mother's studio apartment. Her mother died when she was seven, and she's lived a lonely life since that time. Her father, who is wealthy, wanted little to do with her even though she lived in his home, and neither did the woman he married after Zoey's mom's death. It was as if her dad, stepmother, and her two step-siblings were waiting for her to finally move out of their house so they could really be a family without her intrusion into their lives.

All the residents and the manager of the property have hurts and longings that keep them from living their lives fully. They are lonely and sad and try to hide these feelings, but instead they wear them like a cloak they can't take off. One resident, an intrusive, angry, bitter lady, dies as soon as Zoey moves in, and she can't help being interested in this woman. Frasier asks Zoey to go through her apartment to find some missing papers and to clean up the hoarded mess of this woman. Another neighbor, Charlotte, helps Zoey, and despite Charlotte's fear of befriending and trusting anyone, these women become close. And there is the big, redheaded chef, Mac, who has his own problems and secrets. Another resident is Lucy, the dead woman's sister, who is so reclusive that Zoey never sees her because the woman won't leave her apartment during the light of day.

This is such a sweet story, as these people come together and learn to give and learn to love. So much more makes a family than just blood ties. There is so much more to belonging than having the same last name as others. And just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist or isn't real. This story brought such a smile to my face, and I loved all the birds, including the invisible pigeon named Pigeon.

Where the Crawdads Sing meets Casper in this southern coming of age story set on a Carolina island with a history of wealth and poverty. All the characters in this story have suffered various levels of neglect and abuse and they find themselves as misfits together resolving complicated family histories and saving each other.

I struggle with the likelihood of stories like these, as I’m a bit of a concrete thinker. But if ghosts, saviors and happy endings with a little romance are appealing, this story just might be for you.

I received an ARC of this book.

A wonderful novel about love, loss and the family we make. Zoey's mom died when she was very young bur now she's 19 and taking her inheritance- a condo on Mallow Island, the place her mom was so happy. Her neighbor Lizbeth, a hoarder, is killed by a falling bookcase right after she arrives and Frasier, who manages things, hires Zoey to sort through Lizbeth's boxes . Charlotte, a henna artist who is hiding from something, pitches in and the two of them befriend Mac, a shy and talented chef. But what about Lucy, Lizbeth's sister? And Oliver, her son, who has moved to California? Everyone has their own story and everyone has their own secrets and ghosts. Yes there's magical realism - Zoey has Pigeon, an invisible bird, among other things- but that's only a minor part of the story (although I am going to buy a witch ball). A lot happens over the course of this summer before Zoey heads to college. This never gets saccharine or twee or over the top. Allen has created indelible characters, all of whom will eventually come together. It's a gentle and well told - and it made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I very much enjoyed this.

Summary:
A group of people all living in the same condo complex have more than their living arrangements in common. All of them have had their lives blessed by a loving person who changed their lives for the better. And all of them have lost that source of love, but have forged on. Here is the story of how unconditional love can come from anywhere, change your life and heart, and stay with you long after it has physically left your life.

Let me just say that I am so happy Sarah Addison Allen has brought another book to the world of readers who have missed her work. It's been a handful of years since her last book and I, for one, have missed her storytelling. She has been a beloved author to me ever since she captivated the world with Garden Spells. Welcome back! You have been missed.

Other Birds is all about grief and the different ways it can present itself. The characters within this story have all experienced sad, lonely and heartbreaking pasts. And they were all touched by someone who came into their lives with the unconditional love they never knew they needed. And they've all lost that said love one. However, several of them still have lingering traces of them in their lives.

Zoe has recently graduated high school and is waiting to start college. She has moved into her mother's old condominium after leaving her father's house. Within his house, she always felt like an intrusion and as if they were ready for her to leave. Always the outsider to the life he now has with his wife and her children. She was lonely and her world was tiny. Just her and Pigeon, her pet bird that is invisible to everyone- but her.

Lisbeth is the neighbor haunted by the compulsion of her mental illness. As the book unfolds, you get her perspective and you see her world through it's distorted lens. The day after Zoey moves in, Lisbeth is found dead. It doesn't take long for you to get a glimpse into her world of saving any and every piece of paper with writing on it. Boxes upon boxes are stacked in her apartment. Her compulsion had run unchecked. As the story progresses you get her perspective on how her life ended up so isolated.

Mac wasn't always the talented chef her is now. In fact, he came from nothing. He was the poorest of the poor in his neighborhood. Until an elderly neighbor takes him in and gives him the love and life he never knew could exist. She teaches him how to cook and he goes on to make a name for himself with her favorite ingredient as his inspiration: cornmeal. Now, every morning, he wakes up covered in cornmeal.

Charlotte is running from her past. After losing her best friend to an illness that was never treated, she leaves the cult her family had been in. However, she takes something with her that always has her looking over her shoulder and never staying in one place too long. Until now. Loving her life as a Henna artist, Charlotte doesn't want to leave.

Lucy is Lisbeth's sister. You learn about their dynamic and the heartbreak both sisters endured. You'll read how both lives were forever haunted by their pasts.

Lastly, you have the condo manager, Frasier. The man overseeing the complex and the residents. He knows them all and has a few surprises up his sleeve as to how he knows some of them.

I have to say, I had a hard time getting into this story. I wasn't enraptured with this book as I was with her previous ones. However, I think that's mostly because I wasn't able to relate to the characters. This book is aimed for those who are mourning someone they dearly loved. While I've lost loved ones, I've been able to accept the loss and carry them with me. I've been able to let them go. Other Birds is a love story to those people who love a lost soul so much that they change the person for the better. It's an ode to the people you love dearly, but had to say goodbye to- ready or not.

This book was beautiful, but heavy in ways I wasn't expecting. Sarah still tells a mystical, whimsical story, but it wasn't a feel good one. I wasn't charmed by the story like I thought I would be. But, maybe that wasn't the point of the book. Love and loss aren't always done in the ways we're ok with. Some readers are going to relate to everything within this story. Others may not. There are plot twists I didn't see coming. While I didn't love this book, I'm glad I read it.