This was simply a delight to read. The characters were complex and layered, the plot mysterious and fast moving and the setting magical. I wish I could revisit already!

A young college girl moves into an apartment on an island and slowly makes friends with the other people living there. I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me. The characters seemed like stereotypes and everything was over explained. Read this book if you are looking for a story about a group of people all dealing with various childhood traumas and who heal through making connections with each other. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion.

What I always love about Ms. Allen's books is the whimsical magic they all share. This book does have magical elements with the spirits surrounding their loved ones but it lacks the whimsy. It was a darker magic. I enjoyed the book very much though. There is always a great cast of characters involved. These "misfits" all find each other and become family.

Mallow Island is off the coast of South Carolina. It smells like the sweet marshmallows that it is named after. Zoey moves to the Dellawisp apartment complex, left to her by her late mother who died when she was little. She comes in with her bubbly personality and her invisible bird Pigeon, and enters a world that is full of secrets and secretive people. When one Lizbeth Lime passes away, the manager asks Zoey if she would like to clean her apartment. Zoey begins to uncover things for a few of the residents. They are always watched over by departed loved ones. One being a surprise to me at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book for review.

Other Birds is a comforting book about relationships. I loved all the characters in this book, their weirdness, and their humanness. The POV of the ghosts is a good addition to the story and keeps it moving. However, all the main characters had lack of mother's love, which seemed repetitive. I could not put this book down and also loved the setting of the town and the apartment complex.

This book was absolutely amazing! I’m definitely hoping for a sequel. It was requested of me to read this for a book group and I absolutely cannot wait to discuss it.

I anticipated loving this book the description really caught my eye, but unfortunately I didn't care for it as much as I anticipated. The writing is good, but I didn't care for the pacing and found myself only reading a few pages at a time and then putting it down again. I also expected to connect to the characters more, but they didn't come to life like I expected.

I would like to live in a world imagined and written by Sarah Addison Allen. There's a little shimmer of the mystical and magical that offsets the ordinary and it is lovely.

In this new novel, we spent time with a cast of characters that are brought to the Dellawisp Condos by chance...or is it? Zoey inherits her condo from her mother who died long ago and who Zoey longs for a connection to. Charlotte found her way there while on the run from a traumatic childhood, and while fulfilling the wish list of an old friend. Lizbeth and Lucy didn't travel far to get there and are a few doors apart, but really a world apart from one another. Mac is looking for someone else to love besides his deceased and adored caretaker, but he doesn't really know that. Oliver has run away from the Dellawisp, looking for another place to belong.

Birds are special to me and they have a special place in this book too. From the beginning, I envied Zoey her Pigeon.

My only complaint about "Other Birds" is that it ended too soon. I look forward to the next book by SAA!

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

Tiny, turquoise-colored birds, ghosts, and a legendary writer--it didn't take me long to fall under the spell of Other Birds, by NYT best-selling author Sarah Addison Allen. I love books with magical realism and this one, which is rich in both sadness and hope, is a new favorite.

Highly recommended for Allen's existing fans and anyone who craves a page-turning distraction from the harsh realities of the present.

Once again, accomplished storyteller Sarah Addison Allen weaves together a beautiful literary journey in Other Birds. Set off the coast of South Carolina on Mallow Island, the main character, Zoey, is pursuing her mother's story. Her search leads to a historic building where the residents are as intriguing as their stories. Add in a splash of Allen's signature magic, and readers find themselves on an exploration through multiple storylines and gentle plot twists. In the end, Other Birds leaves readers with a satisfying ending and a longing for a glimpse of the fantastic.

This book was a long time coming. I am a fan of Sarah Addison Allen's magical realism, and this book did not disappoint. It felt clear to me that this book was heavily influenced by the passing of Allen's mother and sister, and how could it not be?
Whimsical birds and magical cornmeal are just two of the things that make this story unique. There were several surprises, and most of them I did not see coming!
This was an ode to family and I am here for it.

I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books. I’ve been waiting so long for a new book from her. This was totally worth the wait. Full of warmth and magic, it’s what we need right now.

I am not sure there are enough superlatives to describe how much I loved this book. To be fair I always love her books but this one felt special. And then to read the author’s notes and see that she suffered such great loss while writing this book made it feel even more special. Each of the characters brought their own energy to the story and then melded together to form a community of people that you just want to be part of. The mystical/magical elements of this book were just right, not too much not too little. I certainly did not anticipate who the mysterious visitor was and this revelation really added another level to the book. In less capable hands this story could have just been marshmallow sweet, but Ms Allen builds on relationships and how the past informs our destiny and most of all the importance of always being willing to develop new friendships and let go of the past, whether it was pleasant or unpleasant. So - I just really loved this book and have already spread the word to my friends to watch for this one to be published. All opinions are my own and were not influenced by the ARC I received from the publisher St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.

I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this review is in my own words. I really enjoy this author's work. There is so much hidden in this story that you just can't put it down. The characters each have their own quirkiness and stories. The setting for this story sounds so magical with a town famous for making marshmallows to the Dellawisp birds. Zoey breaks down the barriers of this apartment complex with her outgoing personality and creates a community.

This is my first book by Sarah Addison Allen and now I can't wait to read her other books. I always love books that have multiple point of views and this story was so beautifully written. It was so atmospheric you felt like you were right there with the characters. Filled with love, loss, magic and newfound family you won't be able to put this down!

REVIEW:

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I could describe Other Birds in a word, it would be warmth: this book brims with it, nestled in the wonderfully soft setting of Mallow Island, among the dellawisps and the spun-sugar air and the candy-colored buildings. The main character, Zoey, moves to her mother's condo in the Dellawisp the summer before college starts, where she meets a misfit cast of characters, each with their own eccentricities and tragic pasts. Other Birds soars in the atmosphere and the lightness it has even when discussing heavy topics, but it also falls startlingly flat in other, more essential aspects.

The main thing that drew me away from this book was the plot — or lack thereof. There is little driving the story forward, and the result is a narrative that meanders from character to character without truly committing to anything of substance. Seemingly unrelated issues are connected at the end, but with little satisfaction; the climax's grand villain is one we never met prior, the mysterious Roscoe Avanger's identity is revealed and then rushed past with no ramifications, Zoey's tumultuous relationship with her mother, despite being referenced so often, gets a few pages at the end for resolution and nothing else. The characters are given the same treatment: at first, charming, but often underdeveloped to the point of becoming dry. Even when given backstories of severe neglect or religious cults or angry, bitter families, the characters themselves aren't interesting enough to dwell on or flesh out. Even Zoey felt startlingly forgettable in her own story.

I think the premise of Other Birds is a good one, but the book fell short of what it promised not just in its summary, but throughout the developing story.

WRAP-UP:

+ Pros:

— atmospheric setting
— comforting writing

+ Cons:

— plot that quickly becomes boring
— dry/uninteresting characters

FINAL RATING: 2.5/5

This was another fabulous read from Sarah Addison Allen. Living in South Carolina, the low country setting felt so familiar and the characters were lovable and intriguing.

This felt different than other Addison Allen books, but not in a bad way. There's a bit less emphasis on finding significant other love and more about a mother's love and finding peace. There was a surprising reveal, I was genuinely surprised when I found out, and there are not so surprising things. I think the assortment of both help to create a red herring effect because you KNOW about a couple things even though you aren't explicitly told yet so you don't really think about other things.

This is more about Zoey's ascent into adulthood (she's college-aged) and hoping to reconnect with her dead mother (figuratively) by moving into her mom's old apartment on Mallow Island. It's also about the relationships we form with other people since Zoey tries to make friends with the five others living in the small apartment complex tucked out of the way.

This was a fun quick read. I'm glad to see a new Sarah Addison book out as I've missed reading her stuff.

Other Birds was a beautifully written magical realism novel. It was obvious to me the author was very passionate about this story and those emotions were conveyed throughout the story. This cast of characters (including ghosts) come together as they are trying to find their way in life, all desperate to be loved and accepted. I loved all the quirky ghosts and I enjoyed the use of food to convey care and emotion throughout the story. Overall this was a solid magical realism and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I just finished Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen, and I am so glad to have received the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I love everything I've read by this author and was not disappointed by this one. In fact, I think it just may be my favorite one of hers. It was a bit magical, in a good way!