This book is honestly difficult for me to review. In the end I’m glad I read it, but it took a long time to get there. I’m not even sure it’s the book’s fault or just where my head was at, but at least the first half felt like a slog. I’m not sure I would have finished it if I hadn’t been given it as an ARC and felt like I should review it. But by the end, I’m really glad I did.

The plot is a really tightly woven story. It borders on slightly too twisty, but lands on the right side of it, which is such a satisfying place to be.

The style of the writing isn’t bad but I think it’s just not my style. It’s very descriptive in places, but then it makes it all the more odd when it leans on telling rather than showing. There was one line that really irked me where it said something like “he hilariously described…” - either say something funny or don’t, but don’t tell us that it’s hilarious. Even just changing it to “he cracked them up by describing…” would have been an improvement because then you’re showing us how the other characters reacted to his alleged hilarity rather than just telling us that it was. The biggest problem with the book as a whole is that a major plot point centers around a brilliant celebrated novel, which is always a difficult thing to pull off. If you’re going to show something that is supposed to be incredible and life-changing, now you have to write something incredible and life-changing. Anything from fine to good isn’t going to cut it.

If you like magical realism and the found family trope, you’ll probably enjoy this. But you may have to push through a slow start to get there.

This was a very good read. It had likable characters, each with their own story waiting to be told. It took place on Mallow Island which you will want to visit, if only to meet the birds. Oh! And the ghosts. Easy reading, a feel good book. I recommend it as a vacation for our busy minds, as a way to unwind and appreciating the joy of curling up with a good book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC (kindle format) in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen in return for an honest review.

I have missed Sarah Addison Allen’s novels. She is a gifted, unique storyteller, creating relatable, likable characters, in interesting settings, with a touch of magical realism. Her stories are good for your soul; they fill you up, make you smile, and lift your spirits. Other Birds is no exception.

It is amazing the people that touch our lives and impact us for the better. Those that touch our hearts never truly leave us; their legacy carries us through life’s journey. Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Lucy, Elizabeth and Fraser all have their secrets, upbringings that will break your heart, and whether it is by the kindness of others or through their own inner strength they are survivors. Together they become a family by choice. I am not sure if it was purposeful, but how lovely that these characters that have experienced so much suffering and ugliness find themselves living in the same condo complex, the Dellawisp, set in charming, quirky Mallow Island, off the coast of South Carolina, where initially marshmallows dominated the local cuisine.

Reading a Sarah Addison Allen novel is like a warm embrace, relieving you of your worries for awhile as you escape into her magical worlds. Read the acknowledgement to get a better understanding of what the author has been through these past few years. I hope writing this book provided her with some healing. I know it gave me a reprieve from the worries of the day, and for that I am forever grateful. I already can’t wait for her next book to be written. That being said, The Girl Who Chased the Moon remains my absolute favorite of her books, but all of them are to be savored.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Reading a Sarah Addison Allen book is like coming home. You have no idea how much you missed it until you finally open the book, turn the pages, and let the magic wash over you. You might initially have forgotten where everything is supposed to go, having been away so long, but you find your place soon enough. This was so beautiful. It was perhaps a little more emotionally raw than per previous books given her recent losses, plus the themes are around love, family, letting go, learning that your past does not define you, and learning how to embrace the future.
Each character was quirky, damaged, sweet (ok Lizbeth wasn't sweet), and I just wanted to give each of them a tight hug. I love how SAA incorporates food and smell into all her books--never have I wanted marshmallows so much! And I always love the subtle magic in each book. The ghosts packed a really big emotional punch in this one. I cried quite a bit honestly.
I really loved this book and I hope we don't have to wait so long for another one!

4.5 stars

The Dellawisp is home to Zoey and her quirky neighbors, each haunted by their own ghosts. When Zoey returns to the Dellawisp to claim her late mother’s apartment, she has no idea the people she will meet and what she will discover.

This story is beautifully written and the characters masterfully developed. The Dellawisp and Mallow Island are places I wish to go - to sit in the haunting magic Allen has crafted in the pages of this novel.

𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 is truly a story of discovering oneself and letting go of the past. I was moved by the ending and unabashedly shed a tear — it’s not often I can connect with characters this way, but this felt like magic.

“A dream, a story, an invisible bird — it was all the same thing, really. Not everything has to be real to be true.”

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC - I will be thinking of this story for a long time to come.

Oh Sarah Addison Allen, how I have missed your magic. The characters, the setting, and the stories are so interesting and well-written.

One small thing that I hope gets corrected before the final publication was that Charlotte gave Mac a witch ball and then a few chapters later she gave him one again, but it made it seem like he never received the first one.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sarah Addison Allen. Her books are magic and never fail to introduce me to something new!

This book is mostly about the relationships we hold onto for too long and letting them go. It's relatable and heartbreaking in ways her previous work has not been. It's timely for me, and I know I'll carry this book in my heart till I fly away.

Other Birds was absolutely magical. Sarah Addison Allen wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.


The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

I've been a fan of Sarah Addison Allen since Garden Spells came out in 2007. She's one of the authors that I'll read no matter what she writes, because I know I'll love it. When I saw this book being released, I was THRILLED - it has been a while since I've read one of her books. Worth the wait!
A band of misfits, creating their own family, a bit of mystery and the little touch of magical realism in all her books - this one kept getting better and better as I read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

It's been seven years since Sarah Addison Allen released her last book, and it's been well worth the wait. The author is beloved for her unique and beautiful stories, tinged with a dose of magical realism. This book is no exception.

It's all about "found family," bringing together a small and disparate cast of characters who have struggled throughout their lives to feel loved. They all live now on Mallow Island, SC at the Dellawisp Condos, named for the tiny turquoise birds that surround them, and many of them are visited by the ghosts of those who have played meaningful roles--some positive, some negative--in their lives. Writer Roscoe, now a recluse, put the island on the map 50 years ago with his bestseller, Sweet Mallow, but has never had another literary success. Frasier manages the condos where the Lime sisters, Lizbeth and Lucy, live separately because they can't stand the sight of each other. Charlotte is a henna artist on the run from her childhood in a cultish religious community where she lost her best friend. Mac is an executive chef who was taken in as a child by an elderly woman when his parents abandoned him. Zoey is searching for memories of her late mother, who owns the condo where Zoey will live during college breaks. And Oliver is the son of one of the Lime sisters, who is looking for his first post-graduate job and remembers how Frasier helped him when his mother made his life difficult and lonely.

The details in this heartfelt story--from the evocative food Mac cooks, to the beautiful witch balls Charlotte hangs in her condo, to Lizbeth Lime's huge paper collection, to Zoey's invisible "Pigeon"--are original and expressive, poignantly demonstrating that "other birds" doesn't refer just to the island's actual bird population, but to the otherness of the inhabitants of the Dellawisp Condos. There is a lot of darkness in the characters' lives, but hope and positive emotion shine through as the story comes to a most satisfying conclusion. And best of all, there is more than one revelation that made my jaw drop, even as it made perfect sense. I can't recommend the book highly enough.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I love reading anything by Sarah Addison Allen, so I was so excited to see that she had a new book called “Other Birds” coming out this year. “Other Birds” is a beautifully written story about a group of misfit people who live at a condo building owned by a famous writer, tucked away from view on Mallow Island, where each resident does not mix with each other. That is until Zoey moves in and makes it her mission to make friends with her quirky neighbors. There are the estranged sisters, a girl who is a henna artist, a chef, and the caretaker Frazier. In essence, they make their own little family. In the midst of all that are the Dellawisps, special birds who flit about in the courtyards. But they each have a story that hasn’t been yet told. And then there are the resident ghosts, as we hear their stories, that only the caretaker can see, along with an invisible bird, Pigeon, owned by Zoey.

I loved the magical realism of this story. Allen has a way of telling her magical stories, rich in character and emotion that make them joyful. Not to spoil this, but at 3/4 of the way, all of a sudden, I went “Whoa!” I love when a story takes me by surprise and I don’t see something coming. Talk about a plot twist. I also liked Zoey very much as she was so joyful and the ray of hope for all the dysfunctional residents, helping them to let go of their past in order to move forward. Frazier was also a favorite and I loved his outlook on life.
“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’d much rather be an ‘other bird’ than just be same old thing.”
Once I started this, I could not put it down. One of my favorites so far this year. LOVE this book!

Many thanks to #netgalley #sarahaddisonallen #otherbirds for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I saw this book and had actual heart palpitations. And just like every book before this one, this is pure magic. I truly don't even feel worthy of writing this review. Its like I'm writing a letter to the PRESIDENT and I know he'll read it so I want it to say everything perfectly but I'm just so excited I'm sure I'll get it wrong and not be able to find the words to adequately express just how I feel. So here goes...

Sarah Addison Allen has always had a knack for making the everyday magical and extraordinary. This book was no different. If anything, it was entirely worth the wait! I've read her whole catalog and was (im)patiently waiting for this one. Told from the perspectives of the residents of the Dellawisp on Mallow Island, we quickly learn everyone has a story. And all of the residents aren't exactly human. The truly beautiful part of the story is finding out that love truly does last forever, and sometimes the very best families are the ones we make for ourselves. Reading the acknowledgements and finding out that the authors mom inspired some of the book made it truly all the more special. I am so sad to see this book end and now I'm again waiting on the next one. Five stars truly isn't enough.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Sarah Addison Allen, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"Other Birds" by Sarah Addison Allen was a beautifully written book! I was excited to see she had another book out. Its been quiet a while since I read one of her books. I absolutely loved the story. I was hooked in the story and honestly, I didn't want it to end. I would recommend this book to others!

Oh, how I loved this book! Sarah Addison Allen never disappoints and with this upcoming novel she draws the reader in with a great storyline, heartwarming location, and characters that you want to be a part of.

Secrets abound in this story, as do spirits, ghosts and the adorable birds that make this place their home. Magic flows through every page and the ghosts are not the ones you need to fear…..something more sinister lurks in the background.

Highly recommended!

After graduating high school, Zoey Hennessey inherits a condo on Mallow Island off of South Carolina that has been closed up since the death of her mother years before. Zoey settles into her newly independent life at the Dellawisp Condos and sets out to befriend the eclectic mix of individuals residing there. Two sisters (one a Karen-esque neurotic and the other a chain-smoking agoraphobe), a henna artist covered in her own designs at various stages of fading, an executive chef with an odd secret, the building caretaker with a paranormal gift, and the condos' namesake dellawisps - odd little kleptomaniac birds that have taken over the front garden and hang their pilfered treasures from the tree limbs. After an event tips life at the condos on its edge, Zoey works to solve a mystery and to forge relationships with her new neighbors.

While reading, I found myself wishing Mallow Island wasn't fictional so I could plan a trip to visit the sugar factory artist stands, various sweet shops, and to eat at Popcorn. I pictured elements of Savannah, Key West, and Mackinac Island. The individual condos and their unique residents materialized in my mind in the style of Janet Hill paintings, complete with distinctive furnishings and magical realism.

I have loved all of Sarah Addison Allen's novels that I've read, and Other Birds is no exception. As an avid birder and lover of all things avian, I found the curiously naughty dellawisps and frequent references to birds very endearing. The themes of love and loss and the importance of finding family outside of those who are related to you by blood resonated and felt meaningful. The storyline was also a good reminder that no matter how put together someone looks, everyone is experiencing life in their own way and nothing is perfect.

#OtherBirds #Netgalley
It has been seven years since Sarah Addison Allen has written a book. Now, finally, there is another magical, hopeful, intricate, ghostly story about love, loss, and forgiveness. Full of nuanced details and unexpected twists, Allen's latest read is worth the wait. Thanks to Netgalley for gifting me this ARC.

OTHER BIRDS
BY: SARAH ADDISON ALLEN

This is the first novel that I have read by this very talented Author, Sarah Addison Allen, but it definitely won't be my last. I have had her debut novel, called, "Garden Spells," which I don't have any more, but I will soon remedy that. Reading her newest offering called, "Other Birds," was nothing short of what I felt was a spiritual reading experience after I finished it. It is whimsical but at the same time just absolutely STUNNING! I adored it and when I read the last few lines in the Acknowledgments section it absolutely took my breath away.

The characters are fully fleshed out and contain a real depth to them. The setting is BRILLIANT and a place that is quaint and so charming. This is about finding your own tribe in your friends and in this case the inhabitants who live at the Dellawisp Condo's on Mallow Island, in South Carolina. The place has history. It has a famous author who masquerades his identity by taking an ordinary job which I cannot reveal what that is. It has a lovable character named Zoey, who lands on Mallow Island to move into the studio condo inherited to her by her long deceased mother. Charlotte whom Zoey befriends as they both clean out a hoarder's condo that is wall-to-wall boxes of papers where it just has a path left. That hoarder was named Lizbeth Lime whose reclusive sister Lucy also has her own condo but she never is seen leaving. Lizbeth is killed by having a bookcase topple over her while she was on a stepladder. There is Mac who is the executive chef at the restaurant called Popcorn which is located inside the Mallow Island Resort Hotel, who creates mouthwatering gourmet dishes all of which incorporates the Marshmallow.

The Marshmallow is originally from a leafy green plant that grew in the marshes before Mallow Island was renamed. The Confectioners used to use the root of the marshmallow plant as a thickener to make it. These days, modern marshmallows are mass-produced using gelatin and don't include any part of the marshmallow plant. But the name stuck.

When this novel begins Zoey is just arriving by cab to the Dellawisp Condos. She is due to start College in the Fall. Meanwhile, she meets and bonds with the above mentioned characters and they all become close as if they are family. I know what that is like because I have some very close friends who are like family to me. So I could really relate to how these lovable characters bond over a Summer and become to mean so much to each other. There is the beautiful garden on the Condos estate that is filled with turquoise birds. The garden is beautifully described. ""...a brick pathway lined with short trees bearing clusters of disproportionately large, bell shaped blooms. They gave off a cloying scent like a bottle of dropped perfume". Brugmansia is the name of the flowering trees, but some folks call them the angel's trumpet. These exquisite birds love the Brugmansia trees best. They are everywhere in this center garden some no bigger than ring boxes with their sherbet orange beaks. A veritable feast for the senses, this novel is pleasing, especially visually and taste-wise, not to mention our sixth sense. This is a loving tribute to all of the people we meet in life that are warm and precious to us that we keep them close to us because we value them. This review sadly, I don't feel does this gem of a novel justice. I just want to reiterate again just how much I loved this and it is an all time Favorite and one I will not forget! I highly recommend this and I will be buying this for friends, family and myself, when it is published. Put this one on your TBR list. Now I am so thrilled to know that I have all of this Author's previous work to enjoy.

Publication Date: September 13, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Sarah Addison Allen and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#OtherBirds #SarahAddisonAllen #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Zoey moves to Mallow Island to live in the studio apartment her mom had once lived in, to feel close to the mother she lost, and to maybe find herself.

I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books, filled with whimsy and love; not just romantic love but self-love, and love for others, and love for the magical moments that make life worth it.

"Second chances are not to be wasted. It is one of the most valuable lessons we can learn in life."

It's been so long since Sarah Addison Allen had a new book published that I forgot just how much I love her stories. And this is a book of stories. Welcome to the Dellawisp Condos, located on Mallow Island off the coast of South Carolina. Our story begins with 18 year old Zoey, who is moving into her new condo the summer before starting college in Charleston. Zoey has left her unhappy life in Tulsa behind and looking forward to starting over in the place her deceased mother has left her. As the novel progresses, we meet the other residents of Dellawisp, and the caretaker, Frasier, all of whom also have pasts they would like to forget. We learn each of their stories as they all struggle with moving on and starting again, creating a new family amongst themselves in the process of healing from the past. And while this book doesn't quite have the magic seen in the author's other books, there is definitely some whimsy - in this case, some resident ghosts, some quirky, thieving birds called dellawisps, and an Zoey's invisible bird Pigeon.

While some of the characters were more likable than others, there wasn't a single one I disliked (well, okay, maybe just one) once I understood them and why they acted as they did. About 3/4 of the way through the book, the twists started coming, one after another, right up to the end. The pacing was perfect and I didn't feel like I had read a 300+ page book when I finished. This book was the perfect one to curl up with on an unseasonably cold, snowy March day.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martins' Press for the ARC.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen is a story of neighbors who reside on Mallow Island. The Dellawisp Condos are a place where lost and unloved souls reside. These characters alive and otherworldly; share their stories about loss, rejection and a yearning to find a place to belong. I was pulled in with the pain that each viewpoint felt. The story wove the all the threads together to create a tapestry of connections.

It took quite some time for me to feel hooked into this story. I am glad I kept reading because the ending was full of life and big surprises.