Read this gem of a book ALL DAY yesterday so if course here’s another…

✨Book Review✨
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Stories aren’t fiction. Stories are fabric. They’re the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them.” - Roscoe Avanger, Sweet Mallow🕊💕

First, thank you so so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC copy. I am so happy to have gotten the chance to read this sooner rather than later!

Oh you guys, 🥰 I absolutely LOVED everything about this book! This is a book my heart didn’t know I needed right now!

It’s been a couple of hard weeks, emotionally recently and this book put me all in my feels and said all the things I cannot put into words. I definitely shed some tears! 🥲

I stayed in my room all day yesterday flipping through these pages because I was captivated by every single character in this book!

From Zoey, to Pidgeon, to Lucy and Lizbeth. Mac and Camille, to Charolette, and Oliver and oh Frasier you all stole my heart 🥰 I will forever remember this book!

One of my favorite books of the year!

Did I do any responsibilities yesterday , aside from the bathroom and taking care the pup you ask? Nope and I’m okay with that 🤷🏽‍♀️ Nothing negative to say.

This was my first @sarahaddisonallen read and I will be looking for more after this one hands down!

Be on the lookout for this at times funny, whimsical, magical, all in the feels book coming to your shelves August 30th 2022!

And as always friends, happy reading 💕 Xx

Sarah Addison Allen is one of those authors that is an instantaneous, no-questions, I don't even read the synopsis, I'm going to read her books. 

The way she blends magical realism with real-life emotions and scenarios is nothing short of brilliant. She uses the magical elements to bring about situations and responses in her characters that are beautiful, poignant, and--at times--devastating. 

I don't think I've read a book by her that hasn't left me with quite the book hangover. And, of course, Other Birds is absolutely no exception. 

A story of a group of people who all have, not much more than, their residence in common. They all live at the whimsical Dellawisp--a condo on the lovely Mallow Island. 

Even though they have nothing in common, many of them build a bond based upon loneliness, kindness, and heartache of all different kinds. 

The wonder of this book is wrapped up in the secrets, the beautiful island, and, of course, the crazy group of Dellawisps that live at the condo. 

Addison is forever going to be a go-to author. One who manages to always evoke emotional responses--both sadness and joy--through her words. 

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. My review will be live, at the link given, on 8/24/22.

"We all want to think we're worth the trouble."

Other Birds is a character-driven story that centers around the people that live at the Dellawisp. With a bit of otherworldly at play, the author focuses on Zoey, whose remaining family is less than stellar. So she heads to college early to stay at her mother's condo in the Dellawisp. Her bubbly personality might be just the thing the other residents need.

Zoey is a fount of positivity. She's been through so much in her young life, but her personality draws people in. This is a sweet story about friendship and found families. The characters are flawed and unique, and they're healing. With the added birds, both ones you can see and those you cannot, there is a touch of whimsy in the storyline. Overall, this is a thoughtful and touching read. Thank you, St. Martin's, for sending this along.

I received a digital ARC from St Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

This is the first book I have read by Sarah Addison Allen, and I will now make sure to find her other novels, too. Other Birds is a story about family at its core. It is beautifully written. The story unfolds in such a way that I felt like I was inside of it.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me approval to read Sarah Addison Allen’s new book. Though it’s been awhile, she hasn’t changed. Her writing is specifically full of wonder. She has created another lovely story filled with magnificent characters with hints of magical plot lines along the way. One of the things (among many) that I love about Allen, is that she always writes mystical mysterious stories. There is always a magical moment. As continuous reader I am able to just go with it. The acknowledgements at the end brought sweet understanding and closure. A genuine special read. No sexual content. No swearing.

I couldn't get into this book. i picked it out because it was one of the monthly reads for a book group that I am in. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't the one for me. One thing I did like was how one of the characters was a ghost. I am grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, anyone who knows me knows I love a good magical realism book. This one is definitely at the top this year. It's been some time since I've read one of SAA's books - The Sugar Queen. Just like that one, which has stuck with me all these years this one will too. It was just so heart warming and you couldn't help but want to be a part of the Dellawisp community. ♡

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways. This book was very kindly gifted to me by NetGalley and St. Martins Press all thought's and opinions are my own.

This book follows the lives of people who reside on Mallow Island specifically in the Dellawhisp condos named for the birds who have made the area their home.

Our Main Cast:

Zoey: New to the island and came here because her mom had left her a condo before she died.

Charlotte: A henna artist who was finally feeling settled when she loses her booth.

Mac: The cornmeal chef of Popcorn. He cooks with it, he ends up covered in it every morning. It's a whole thing. A kind, caring and talented cook who's had a hard time giving up the one person who had showed him unconditional love.

Our story kicks of with Zoey coming to town and one of the residents dying in a way that I've been known to imagine, being crushed to death by books falling on top of her. Slowly the residents start getting to know each other and we get little peaks of some of the residents that were with a few ghost POVS as well.

This book was a delightfully charming as I expected from Sarah Addison Allen. Sweet touches of magic, little twists and turns and above all deep connections. This book has a strong focus on found family that I really enjoyed. None of our main character had good relationships with their birth family and they find those connections in others.

All in all I definitely recommend reading this, just a heads up there are allusions to child neglect nothing explicit but it is mentioned.

I found Sarah Addison Allen nearly 15 years ago while browsing the library shelves, and I've read her books many times over. Other Birds is another to add to my re-read pile. This book is magical realism at its finest. It stands tall with Allende and Hoffman.

I have to preface my review by saying that Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors and I have been waiting YEARS for this book so I went in with very high expectations. And I loved it! Allen is the queen of creating characters that you empathize with, love, and root for. I especially loved the way the book touched on grief and how we can hold onto events and relationships in our lives long after they are gone. All of the character’s stories were unique and came together seamlessly. I could have read about them forever. This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a something heartwarming and magical!

I've been eagerly awaiting this book and I wasn't disappointed. It's not my favorite from this author but it's close.

The setting of a small island known for its history in marshmallow production was almost otherworldly, the descriptions are vivid and I could picture it all so well. Typical for a SAA novel, we've got a cast of quirky characters and a little bit of magic!

I loved all of the characters and the ways they interacted with each other. They seemed drawn to each other by some external force. They each had a complicated backstory too.

It was an enjoyable read from start to finish. I couldn't put it down because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I highly recommend this for SAA readers and fans of magical realism.

Other Birds, By Sarah Addison Allen

This book comes together in a very meaningful way. By the end, I was teary-eyed, in a good way.

The action takes place on a fictional island, (Mallow, outside of Charleston), and at the Dellawisp, a beautiful and haunted old place that’s got a few condos and a lot of ghosts. Indeed, the main characters are all haunted. They include college freshman Zoey, skittish Charlotte, sweet and lonely Mac, and Frasier, the apparent caretaker of the building who has a supernatural relationship with the rare Dellawisp birds who live in the garden.

This being a Sarah Addison Allen book, the supernatural unapologetically exists in this story. I’d have been very disappointed if it hadn’t been. But the book itself seems haunted, and like ghosts, the outlines and details come together slowly. That’s okay, because Addison Allen pulls it all together slowly, then much faster and very completely.

There are literal and figurative ghosts here, and Addison Allen doesn't shrink from showing that everyone suffers and that everyone keeps secrets. Yet it is not a book about suffering. It’s more a book about how we continue to grow up and surprise ourselves and others all of our days—and beyond. And the last few pages are exceptionally moving.

Sarah Addison Allen is back, and in top form. Hooray!

NetGalley very kindly gave me this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Addison Allen for letting me read Other Birds early. This book publishes on August 30.

This book felt so dreamy and was a very nice escape. I love all of these characters and I’m kind of sad that the book is over. I don’t want to give anything away but just trust me, this setting and these characters will become very close to your heart. This is my first book by Sarah Addison Allen and I’m very excited to read more.

Mallow Island is rich and sweet just like the marshmallows it’s known for. Tucked away on the island is the small but quaint apartment building, the Dellawisp. Zoey is nineteen and has decided that before she starts her first year at college, she will stay at her mother’s Mallow Island apartment that she inherited. Zoey is a lonely, disenfranchised girl who longs to belong somewhere. When she arrives at the Dellawisp, she finds the residents are quirky and odd but nonetheless, endearing.

When the owner of one apartment dies, the other residents become more closely involved in each other’s lives. Each of them has lived an isolated existence and Zoey is the catalyst that brings the residents closer together. She draws them out of their shells and helps create a family-like unit that helps sustain each of them.

Allen weaves her magical realism in seamlessly. The ghosts that haunt the Dellawisp are connected to the residents and they contribute to the dreamlike atmosphere. The dellawisp birds who are the source of the building’s name, are a delightful creation. They are colorful and charming little birds that live in the courtyard and are often found sitting on the head or shoulders of the manager.

The delightful characters are memorable and fit in perfectly at the curiously eccentric building. Everything about the Dellawisp is unusual, from the individual owners of the units to the book that made Mallow Island a tourist hub. Zoey breathes new life into the lives of the residents and in doing so, finds something she has been looking for. Touching and sweet, this is another great story from a magical storyteller.

Magical…transporting…absorbing… Sarah Addison Allen’s long awaited novel, Other Birds, delivers an enchanting read.

The human and avian characters, including a few ghosts, and the Mallow Island setting melded together to wrap me in a gossamer nest of charm, warmth, and delight while reading this amazing novel. Each figure has a difficult journey through life but eventually finds peace and healing on the captivating island.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful ARC.

Devotees of SAA, this new book is ABSOLUTELY worth the wait! It's a gorgeous "found family" story about ghosts and birds and second chances and new beginnings. Wonderful and magical and I highly recommend!!

Thank you, Netgalley, for my arc.

Loved this book. Have always been a fan of S.A.A. and this long-awaited for story did not disappoint. What is family? Who becomes family and why? If we deceive for the right reasons, does it make it ok? This is a lovely story of people lost, people found and the truths that family is all about who we care for and who cares for us - DNA not necessary.

Other Birds
by Sarah Addison Allen
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility. Allen continues to serve heaping helpings of the fantastic and the familiar in fiction she describes as "Southern-fried magic realism." Clearly, it's a recipe readers are happy to eat up as fast as she can dish it out.
This was my first novel by the author, but it won't be my last. I loved this cast of characters who resided in this building… they are all lonely souls, some with secrets from the past...
the way they come together and become like family.
It's a beautiful story with a few meddling ghosts.
4 stars

Birds of a feather flock together. The Dellawisp residents have migrated there for different reasons but are seeking shelter from society. When Zoey arrives with magical Pigeon in tow, she's sure to ruffle some feathers.

Sarah Addison Allen pens a novel depicting that our departed loved ones are always with us, watching over their family members. Sometimes their earth counterparts can hold too tightly keeping them grounded. As readers fly through the pages to learn more about the residents, they'll fall in love with Addison Allen's quirky but charismatic characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of 'Other Birds' in exchange for an honest review. I'm a fan of the author's work and when I heard others chirping about the powerful novel, I eagerly awaited my copy. The book kept me guessing throughout the story and even the final chapters caught me off guard. A few seeds were planted but the others were surprising twists.

I was so excited to receive this arc as I have been patiently waiting for Sarah Addison Allen to release a new book. But, unfortunately, this book didn’t resonate with me the way her others have. The storyline was interesting, but I felt everything, including the plot, characters, and setting could have been elevated, and I missed the light-hearted southern charm of her previous works. Although not what I was expecting, I still enjoyed the read and the messages it conveyed, so I give this one 3 stars.