Allen is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for her latest book. This has everything I adore about her books - quirky characters, hints of magic and places I want to move into ASAP. The mystery is always interesting and the story moves at a great pace to keep me interested and reading just one more chapter. So happy for Allen to be writing again - I missed her stories

This book was simply a magical experience. I loved the meddlling ghosts and wonderful food descriptions. I have waited a long time for a new book from SarahAddison Allen and this one did not disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of the book.

“Not everything has to be real to be true.” -Zoey, Other Birds

Mallow Island is a picturesque town on the coast of South Carolina. Looking forward to starting college in the Fall, Zoey relocates to the island hoping for a better understanding of her mother’s past. Moving into her mother’s former condo at The Dellawisp comes with a slew of quirky neighbors, one of whom dies the very night Zoey moves in. Unexpectedly, this brings the tenants of the Dellawisp closer together, uncovering past tragedies while simultaneously exploring new friendships.

As a longtime fan of the author, I am not at all surprised that the writing took my breath away. From the charismatic cast of characters to the beautifully described setting, every detail of The Dellawisp floated off of the page to paint a magnificent scene in my head. Complete with a stunning location, ghosts, food, magical birds, and a bit of mystery…this book really has a little something for everyone.

Finished reading this on my dinner break because I couldn’t wait any longer. I cannot tell you how long I’ve been waiting for a new Sarah Addison Allen book. It felt like an eternity but I know now that this one came into my life at the exact time I needed it to.

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to miss reading any of Sarah Addison Allen’s books until now. Other Birds is simply delightful. It’s a bit of everything - several “broken” people, a beautiful setting, some magical realism, a little romance, a little backstory tragedy. Overall, it was a heartwarming story of found family of overcoming a difficult past, two themes I love.

Zoey arrives on Mallow Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, to take possession of the apartment her mother left to her, before starting college in Charleston. Her arrival seems to be a catalyst for change in the quirky and beautiful Dellawisp Condos (only five apartments). I found myself rooting for everyone in this book, from Zoey to Charlotte to Oliver to Mac. The two estranged sisters, Lizbeth and Lucy, have a truly interesting backstory, which gets revealed gradually. There are a couple of surprises along the way, both of which added depth to the story.

I love a bit of magical realism, but even if that’s not your “cup of tea,” I think you will really enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Zoey Hennessey has moved to her late mother’s condo on Mallow Island to attend college in the fall an hour away. There are five apartments in the stunning old style building named for the Dellawisp birds that inhabit the area around the building. There are also 3 ghosts that live with the other residents. Everyone has secrets and stories of there own, but the birds are the main inhabitants. What all the residents learn is to live, love and let go of their pasts.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4415183196

Welcome back, Sarah!!

It's been too long since her last book but she has made up for it. I always liked her books before but there were places where you could argue they were weak but she has used her absence to fix those. She has really constructed a book with lots of interlocking characters and storylines which are so rich and interesting. And the book has so much heart, most of the characters were such good people forced by fate to lead their sad lives. You really get absorbed into the story and after some awesome revelations I did not see coming (but then I was enjoying the book and not trying to connect things), it just pulled all together to be a really satisfactory conclusion. I cried and was annoyed when it was over cause I wanted to stay in that world forever but it was a good complete story.

To the naysayers, yes, it is definitely still magical realism so if friendly ghosts and magical birds annoy you, you should skip it. But that is only one part of a really really good story and should really not dissuade a person from this great reading experience.

My rule for a 5 stat rating is not only is it a good book, well-written with interesting characters, but it also sticks with you. The day after finishing it, I was at a craft fair and kept looking at things with birds. I'm not into birds at all! But this book really made me think of them differently and the magic they can bring to ones life. I have a feeling I will be thinking about this book for some time. I already miss it.

I did get an ACR copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review-- and this is! Not my fault it's such a good book! And hopefully this signals the return to regular writing of Sarah Addison Allen.

“Other Birds” is a story I wanted to go on forever. A haunting tale populated with engaging characters, a charming location, and contrary ghosts. The characters became friends I rooted for good fortune and hope-filled dreams.

This quote from the book reveals the importance of letting go of your past so you can enter your future:

"How odd that pretending to be someone else has made me happier than I was when I was just being myself. It's almost as if, once I got over the guilt of loving my future more than I loved my past, my old life dropped away and became make-believe, and my present life became my second birth."

“Other Birds” is as magical as Sarah Addison Allen writes. A story to read more than once to soak in the ambiance of all the characters, the dellawisps, and Pigeon. The ghosts are sweetly sad, and stay to nurture those they loved in life, the ones who cannot let go just yet.

"Not everything has to be real to be true." - Zoey Hennessee, Other Birds

This book is a sweet farewell to those we love and a wholehearted welcome to those who enter unexpectedly into our lives written in pure Sarah Addison Allen style. A must-have for your bookshelf.

A group of unfortunate people find themselves living as neighbors in a condo complex. Each one has lived a lonely life with hardships and secrets. Their relationships to each other blossoms as they become like family in a loving and caring way. This was a feel good book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Having a few ghosts in the story also made it better.

A lonely, isolated young woman looking for remnants of her mother’s life, a place to belong, moves to a quiet island off the coast of South Carolina . On Mallow Island she connects with several other residents of the condo she has inherited. All of them are looking for something more in their lives. If you are not willing to accept a little bit of the imaginary, you might want to skip this book, but you’d be missing out on a sweet story of friendship and hope, a feel good story. It’s not that this is a totally light read, but it does provide some respite from the full reality of some of distressing things happening around us.

Other Birds is a delightful read. The book is a great story with a touch of magical realism. Zoey, before college, moves to Mallow Island to learn more about her mom. While living there among strange birds and quirky neighbors, she finds friends that become like her family. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I am so thrilled to have another book from Allen after seven years! <I>Other Birds</I> is filled with Allen's usual warmth, quirky characters, and a touch of magical realism. The story takes place off the coast of South Carolina in a place called Mallow Island, where the residents of a small condo community create a lovely found family as they help each other heal from the wounds of their various past hurts. I loved everything about this book, and my only complaint was that it was over too soon. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.

My first book by Allen! I’m a huge fan of magical realism so this sounded right up my alley when I read the synopsis. It’s also been a very long time that I read a ghost story that wasn’t horror, which was quite nice. I enjoyed the writing and found it very easy to get into this story. The scenery was fantastic! Mallow Island sounds like a wonderful place. Other Birds is heavy on found family, misunderstandings, the importance of community, and overcoming your past: all tropes that I love. My only gripe is I feel there were too many characters to follow and had we focused on less then the character development would’ve been a bit stronger. They had fairly generic character arcs. There were some nice twists though and I loved the way the story eventually weaves together. The ghost chapters were my favorite. Beautiful ending! Definitely recommend to fans of literary fiction with magical realism.

3.5 ⭐️

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was intriguing and hooked me, however the story left me wanting more.

There were so many characters stories to follow that I feel like it drowned out Zoey’s. In the end I loved the way everything came together. Sometimes family is what you make it, and that’s exactly what these characters did.

I did find it hard to connect with the characters and it took me a little longer to read than normal. I liked the twists and thought they were clever.

I would still recommend this book to others because I felt like it was a heart-warming tale of finding one’s way through life.

I read Garden Spells by this author back in the day, so I was expecting Magical Realism. Instead, I found a heartwarming ghost story about finding belonging and letting go of trauma. It was a slow build, very character driven, but paid off in the end as I was emotionally invested. I particularly loved the chef character and his back story. The writing was much more purposeful than her earlier work, with the message and loose ends wrapping neatly together. Overall, a beautiful, sweet story that lingered in my mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

“Stories aren’t fiction. Stories are fabric. They’re the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them.”

“There are birds, and then there are other birds. Maybe they don’t sing. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe they don’t fit in. I don’t know about you, ut I’d much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.”

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

Sarah Addision Allen is an auto-buy author for me and Other Birds did not disappoint. I was hooked from the start. The Dellawisp on Mallow Island is a magical apartment complex with small, turquoise birds flitting about, and tenants that are likable, relatable, all struggling with something and unknowingly searching for their people.
I really loved the character development of this book. It was enchanting and complex and I will miss the characters. Allen portrayed their struggles with such beauty and grace that made me cry happy tears more than once. If you love the idea of ghosts, magic, strong character development, and a book that will stick with you for sometime after reading, you have found your people and your book!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress

5 stars

Other Birds managed to be a sweet story without being saccharine.
Zoey is 18 and right out of high school when she comes to claim her mother’s condo at the Dellawisp, on Mallow Island off of Charleston, SC. Zoey’s a bit of an oddball, with an invisible parrot as her only friend. She sets out to meet her neighbors, including a chef, a henna artist, the condo manager and two reclusive old sisters. Oh, and the place is also haunted by ghosts that are bound to the various individuals. On the other side of the country, a young man finds himself without a job or means and decides to return home.
Magic realism can be hit or miss for me. It works here. “Not everything has to be real to be true.”
I was impressed by the twists that turn up in the story. What initially felt like it might be too lightweight, added depth as it went on. The theme, that of a family made, not borne, might be common, but it always rings true to me.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I'm not really a fan of magical realism but Sarah Addison Allen does it so well that I am always enchanted.

Zoey is starting college in Charleston having left a disinterested father and a less than caring stepmom. She is staying the summer in her mother's condo at The Dellawisp on Mallow Island hoping to learn more about her mom who died when Zoey was young. She also brings along with her an invisible Pigeon. She meets her neighbors, Charlotte, a henna artist; Mac, a James Beard winning chef; and Frasier, the caretaker when Lizbeth Lime dies and Zoey is hired to clean out this paper hoarder's apartment. The other resident is Lucy Lime, Lizbeth's sister, but Lizbeth hates Lucy and they never speak. Lucy is a recluse and rarely seen.

The Dellawisp sounds like a delightful place. The small turquoise birds flitting around play a large part in the ambiance of the condos. Zoey's place, while devoid of anything personal of her mother's still sounds like a perfect place to live with the pink refrigerator and patio.

All of the characters are well-developed and likeable. They all had rough childhoods and secrets they kept. I was rooting for them to find a path in life that would finally lead them to the happiness they deserved. They had a little bit of help from the ghosts that also lived there.

Oh and one more thing - READ THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I won't say why but they are short and worth it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this thoroughly charming story.

Allen takes her time introducing us to each character within the story. You can almost view the beginning chapters as individual novellas - and to say that the Camille chapters left me smiling would be an understatement. I would classify Other Birds as a slow burn. I never felt that urgency to pick up the book and continue reading - but sitting with my hot coffee, in the early hours of the morning just as the sun was rising, it was the perfect read.

The Dellawisp is a magical condo complex located on Mallow Island and inhabited by a unique cast of characters. Zoey has inherited her mother's condo and chooses to spend the months leading up to her first year of college living on her own and reaching for a connection with the mother she lost at such a young age. In her eagerness to get to know her neighbors we learn the traumatic past of each individual in this small community and get to watch them grow and come together.

If you love found family, character driven stories, magic and whimsy then I definitely recommend picking up Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen.

Strength of characters wins again for Sarah Addison Allen. Her newest novel, Other Birds, is filled with quirky folks in a quirky place that she layers with ghosts and magic realism. I didn’t think I would care for this novel after the introduction of Zoey, a young naïve teenager who is new to the area with a desire to learn more about her mother. She seems overly detailed with sadness and nowhere to go. But once her fellow flawed souls that live in her condo area are added to the story, she reveals hope and sunshine that kept me wanting to go toward each additional chapter. The novel has reoccurring themes of absentee or less than adequate parents, being lost in life and hiding behind one’s true persona. I enjoyed the setting of a coastal south Carolina area with the placement of birds, ghosts and pets creating movement in its description. Each human character played their situation out in a different way. My favorite was Mac, a chef/neighbor who is stable and gives others a strong friendship which builds their confidence. As usual with Allen’s books, I was surprised by the ending. Other Birds was a sweet summer read. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an early read of this eARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a novel by Sarah Addison Allen, and I loved it! I have no idea why I haven't read her books before, but I plan on changing that ASAP.

Other Birds is delightfully enchanting, the writing is lyrical and graceful, and the characters are captivating in their flaws, brokenness, love, and grief. Allen takes these pieces of humanity, the grief and brokenness, and weaves them throughout the book, tying them as strands throughout the novel, binding Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Oliver, and Frasier (and Lucy) together into a found family, something they each desperately need. Of course, there are secrets involved and a mystery as well, like any good book set in the South and Other Birds is set on Mallow Island, a fictional island in South Carolina near Charleston (my favorite city) in my beloved Low Country.

Zoey, almost 19, arrives on Mallow Island with an empty bird cage and everything she owns to live in the condo her mother left to her when she died. She's never lived alone when she arrives at the Dellawisp Condos, but she's ready for a new start after growing up with an unloving father and stepmother. She soon becomes involved in the lives and stories of her unusual neighbors: Charlotte, a henna artist, Mac, a James Beard award-winning chef, Lucy, a recluse, Lizbeth, Lucy's sister and a hoarder, Frasier, the property manager with a secret, and Oliver, Lizbeth's son. Oh, then there are the ghosts on the property. And one must not forget the Dellawisps! These are the tiny turquoise birds that roam the property for which it's named.

This story unfolds slowly, magically as Allen tells the story of each character. I enjoyed how she used magical realism in the novel although I know that isn't the case for some readers. For me, this book felt like sinking into my favorite chair with a cozy blanket and a mug of tea, book in hand in front of a fire--so perfection! It will linger with me long after in a way a lot of books do not because I was really able to care about these characters, empathize with their grief and losses, and hope they could let go and embrace the future. Highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 8/10/22
-review will be posted to Amazon on publication