This book gave me Maeve Binchy vibes in the best way.

You get to know the characters as multifaceted people with flaws and strengths and feel like you’ve met real people by the end.

The story kicks off with one neighbor in a community feeling passionately about supporting the local hedgehogs. And as the neighbors all do their thing we get to weave in and out of each neighbor’s life learning more about what them and their struggles.

I'm unfortunately DNF'ing this book at 31%. Whilst the writing itself is beautiful, I'm personally finding the development of the story a bit too slow for my liking. The concept itself sounded interesting and I'm disappointed that I discovered this book isn't for me. From what I have seen so far, the characters appear to be diverse with well formed personalities.

I have a weak spot for contemporaries that include animals as well as stories with a community vibe, so I was immediately intrigued by Prickly Company. I loved the sound of Hilltop Place with its neighbors as well as the focus on the hedgehogs... Can we all agree just how cute those little creatures are?! Anyhow, I've been looking forward to tackle this story, as I've been in the mood for an uplifting and fun contemporary. Sadly, Prickly Company doesn't fit that description at all for me though, and I can't say I was a fan of what I found instead.

First what I did work for me in Prickly Company. I love a good animal POV, and as a result I did truly enjoy the chapters written from the POV of the hedgehogs living at Hilltop Place. It was interesting to learn a little more about them through the facts mentioned, and I liked how they played a role in the plot in general. I kind of wish the story would have spent more time with them, because it was without doubt the part of the story I enjoyed most. The rest... Well, let's just say that the book and me didn't get along.

Part of the issue probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was expecting a fun, feel-good and uplifting contemporary, and this story is anything but. Instead, we get drama stacking up on more drama, and there isn't much relief to be found along the way. Ever tried cooking pasta with a bunch of friends, only to discover that every single one had salted the water and the result was inedible? Well, that is what felt like happened in Prickly Company; so much drama thrown in that the result was truly unpalatable.

Every single character has their issues and negativity, and just when you think you have reached the limit, yet another bombshell is revealed. Seriously, my eyebrows worked overtime while reading this story, as it just wasn't credible anymore to have that much drama going on on the same street. To make things worse, you get full drama during 70-80% of the book, and then the plot does a full 180 and suddenly it's happily ever afters for everyone. Apart from the fact that it's just not credible or realistic, it almost felt like I was reading the ending of a completely different story instead. Disjointed indeed!

The plot uses a multiple POV structure, and we switch between the different neighbors of Hilltop Place. In a way this structure helped a little, because it ment spending less time with each character at a time. The thing is... The majority of the characters in play are considerably unlikeable, and it felt like a chore having to spend time with them. There was so much negativity going on (including the dreaded cheating/love triangle trope), and I think that the only reason that I kept reading was because I was curious to see just how much of a trainwreck it was going to be for me. Newsflash: without doubt fatal.

All in all, there is no doubt that Prickly Company wasn't the book for me, and definitely don't expect a fun and uplifting story if you decide to read it. If you don't mind an overdose of drama and mainly unlikeable characters, you will probably enjoy it a lot better though! Most people seem to do so, so it might just be my fickle reading mood acting up again.

I liked the title of this book, I'm a big hedgehog lover but I didn't find this book exciting enough to keep me interested. I found it too slow paced, very descriptive and the characters were a bit 'flat' A bit too nice for me.

A wonderfully unexpected read! I did left this on my TBR shelf for along time since I didn't really know what to expect. A fun, beautifully flawed cast of characters that you'll fall in love with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to an early copy!

This book exceeded my expectations; it was both emotional and heartwarming, and the characters were so loveably flawed in their own individual ways. I was totally engaged throughout and I was thrilled that everybody got their own happy ever after endings 💛

Prickly Company by Kitty Johnson is a feel-good story about how protecting wild hedgehogs in the UK brings a community of unlikely friends together. While it is firmly footed in the literary fiction genre, Johnson incorporates true facts about wild hedgehogs and the pursuit to protect them that she gleaned from her own experience. The characters each have unique and diverse attributes and stories that have alienated them in some way. There is Jess, a mom who after miscarrying and trying for a second child, adopts a one-year-old son with her husband. There is Ryan, a journalist and absentee father until a land mine took his ability to walk and gave him PTSD. There is Frances, an older woman who has given up on love and companionship after an abusive marriage. There is Tara, a single mom whose boyfriend is married, and comes in and out whenever he pleases. Through the connection these neighbors find in making hedgehog highways in their backyards, they learn to find connection, friendship, and sometimes even love in places they would not have otherwise expected.

As enjoyable as a read as Prickly Company, the pacing felt unbalanced. While the first 60% of the book gave a good look into the lives of the characters as they experienced everyday life with the hedgehog project, the last 40% felt rushed and overly dramatic. Rather than a weaving of character and plot development throughout the book, it felt split into two sections, first character and then plot. By the end, the unfolding drama felt far-fetched but ultimately did not take away from the coziness and enjoyment of the story as a whole. I would recommend this book if you liked A Man Called Ove, the Sweet Magnolia series, or books with a happy ending.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

I really enjoyed this super cute feel good book. All of the characters had depth and I enjoyed them all.

Thank you to netgally for an advanced copy. My opinion is my own.

I honestly don’t know why I couldn’t connect with this book, especially since the description and presence of hedgehogs drew my attention to it. I guess because maybe it seems a bit uneven, having a very strong and emotionally moving first half and rather weak second. The introduction to the characters, their stories, emotional state and relationships, as well as the hedgehogs, made the beginning very interesting. It was moving, it was funny and sad, it was smart and surprising, raw and full of life. The way Johnson writes is absolutely incredible. I wish the storyline power lasted until the end of the novel, because in my opinion it’s missing the same energy and creativity levels.
I really appreciated the different age of characters, the disability representation, adoption being a part of a motherhood journey and all the things that helped building the community there in Hilltop. It was very inspiring to read.

3.5⭐️rounded up!

Spoilers ahead!

I just adore this author. I did like Five Winters better but I still really liked this one. A fairly simple plot with not so simple characters. I loved the “all knowing narrator” parts with the hedgehog information. I just kept imagining Julie Andrews speaking those parts, 😂.

The cheesiest part about the book was the way that literally all the characters just all switched partners like it was such a normal thing, it was a little comical. It was silly that a bunch of people that all live in the same neighborhood are all equally unhappy with their lives but that’s ok! Just do some swap-a-roos and we’ll all live happily ever after! 😂 because of this, I’ll say the first half of this book was much better than the second half…

But I honestly didn’t even mind the cheesiness. Because I love this author’s writing style. She just has this soothing way of storytelling that makes you so involved in the story even when it’s a bit ridiculous at times. She also really makes me laugh. It might just be that I’m really drawn to British humor, but the woman can really make me chuckle out loud. This book will evoke a lot in the reader. One second I was rolling my eyes and the next I was tearing up but no matter my reactions, I kept needing to read.

Overall, this book was so unique and once again, I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

Thank you to Kitty Johnson, NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I wasn't sure about this one...but it's a great story about community. Feels like it could be a series. I went in skeptical but ended up falling in love with this cast of characters.

A quick, funny and intelligent novel about building a community and working together. With its quirky characters and especially the hedgehogs readers will be transported to this charming village.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

The book is very cute and the running commentaries on the lives of hedgehogs as well as of the characters works really well! I found the pacing a bit slow towards the middle but the final 10 chapters have so much packed into them it speeds it up. I wasn’t really a big fan of Jess despite her being the main POV but I loved Ryan and Frances!

I genuinely enjoyed this read! I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, but I am so glad that I read this. It gives such a sense of community and covers difficult topics like PTSD. I loved learning about each character, their journey and their trials and tribulations. The author did a wonderful job creating an emotional connection to each character.

Johnson wrote such a feel-good, heartwarming novel. I will definitely be recommending this to friends/family.

I think timing was a bit off for me for this book, and I just felt like the first part was really depressing and a bit too dramatic. I didn't realize how mitch drama there would be, it felt like one thing after another. I did like the parts about the hedgehogs though and thought the ending was nice.

Witty and charming with quirky characters, Prickly Company by Kitty Johnson tells a story about a group of people with various personal issues who live in a neighbourhood with many hedgehogs.

Summary: Hilltop Place has a lot of hedgehogs. The residents include a woman who wants to save hedgehogs by creating a hedgehog highway, a woman who recently adopted a boy, a man who recently lost his ability to walk and a single mother who's new to the neighbourhood.

Tropes/Genres:
• contemporary fiction
• adopted son
• hedgehog protection
• disability rep
• set in the UK
• small town

Review: As a whole, this book was very interesting and had a unique premise, but I especially highly invested in the part about the adoption, where Jess deals with her lack of motherly feelings towards Toby, the boy she adopted, despite wanting to and how the adoption affected her relationship with her biological daughter, Stella. I love how the author handled it! It's an experience that I can see happening to many families who have decided to welcome a child to their home.

I felt Jess and Stella's frustration towards Toby, especially with his constant screaming. I could hear the screams through the pages... Anyway, the point is that the author touched on Jess, Toby and Stella very well. It's probably the most memorable subplot in the story among a few others.

The characters in this book are realistic and interesting. They're flawed, and some of them may seem a bit immoral (I mean, Tara is screwing a married man – no, it's not a spoiler), but somehow, I just enjoyed them as the flawed characters they were... even though I disagree with their actions. Speaking of Tara, I felt so bad for her daughter Hermie, who was forced to be independent at a young age.

Anyway, it's nice to read all their stories, such as that about Ryan and his newfound inability to walk after stepping on a land mine, and that about Frances wanting to build a hedgehog highway. All these seem so different, yet the author weaved these individual storylines together into one big story so well.

The hedgehog analogies are fun, and I also enjoyed the list of hedgehog facts at the end of the book. I love how the author related hedgehog facts to the events occurring in the story.

All in all, this is certainly a nice book, and I recommend this book to people who may be interested in hedgehogs! If you enjoy contemporary fiction, here's a book worth picking up.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the read.

wow. this book was so amazing!! i can't believe netgalley let me read this early .thank you so much! it was amazing and wonderful and fun and the characters were just so so so great!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this as a Read Now choice.

What a fascinating book, full of intriguing characters. We meet the occupants of 5 neighbouring houses whose lives intertwine more and more during the continuation of the story. Frances wants to create a hedgehog highway through all the gardens to improve their habitat and tries to get all the neighbours engaged with this. We are told a lot of facts about hedgehogs, and clever parallels are drawn with the humans. There are Jess and Michael who have just adopted a baby boy, Ryan, a former war correspondent who is now in a wheelchair and living with his mother again, single mother Tara, Helen and Justin, and of course, dark horse Frances. I had a feeling she wasn't telling us something, and also what it was, and finally, at the end, the shoe did drop so I wasn't in the least bit shocked. My favourite characters were Jess and Ryan, who in my opinion had to deal with the most upset. Tara, on the other hand, I could not stand. Maybe at the end everything resolved a little too neatly, but if someone could do with a happy ending, it was this group of people.

I read this in a day, it was so good.

I loved Five Winters, and I've been waiting for my author's sophomore novel since the day I finished her debut. When the cover and blurb were revealed that was ecstatic; and I'll just spoke to me. Yellow is my favorite and hedgehogs have sentimental meaning for me. The blurb had me curious, so when it was a read now, I snagged it up. Unfortunately I only got through 20%; there was more than one instance of ableist language and as a disabled person, that was truly heartbreaking. So despite the premise and the writing style itself speaking to me, I couldn't continue.