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.

With a title like “Prickly Company” I was not sure what I was getting into and this was an adorable book about a community who comes together to help these little hedgehogs have a way to survive cars an the highway. Hilltop Villages is known for their hedgehogs, Frances is an elderly widow who stays inside and doesn’t connect much with the neighbors but Frances has come up with an idea to keep the hedgehogs in her neighborhood safe. She wants to create a “highway” for the hedgehogs. She ends up getting her community involved. Each of the houses on the street all have a story and each story is slowly revealed in this book. Ultimately, they all come together to help the hedgehogs and in the end they end up helping each other too. this was an adorable read and many of the characters were so likeable.

Hedgehogs are curious creatures. From the outside they seem unapproachable; possibly downright dangerous. They also have a habit of curling into a tight ball, hiding away until it feels safe to come out. But once you gain their trust, they also have a softer side.
The same could be said for a fair few residents of Hilltop Place. At first they seem a disparate lot without much in common, but they are brought together in a quest to save the local hedgehogs by creating a ‘highway’.
Prickly Company is a book about community and what matters to us as individuals and collectively. By banding together to save the hedgehogs, the characters also save themselves and find unexpected connections. Moving and entertaining, this is a book for lovers of wildlife and anyone who loves a cracking yarn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book! It was such a surprising read! I had no expectations but was absolutely delighted! It is one of the more unique books I’ve read in some time.
This is a feel good fiction that brings a community together. It is an ensemble, or written from several points of view, and it was captivating how interwoven the characters lives become. The writing is done well that I connected with all of the characters.
Prickly Company is written well, thought provoking and educational. I loved learning about hedgehogs and the comparisons that were made with the human characters.
I love a good HEA and this definitely fits that! I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Set in a small town called Hilltop Place in England, “Prickly Company” is a story about a close-knit community with lots of hedgehogs roaming around.

Frances is a widow who wants to protect hedgehogs, so she decided to start a project called Hedgehog Highway with the help of her neighbours. Jesse lives with her husband and a four-year-old daughter, Stella, and has adopted a 1-year-old boy, Toby. Jesse is in distress, thinking she made a mistake by adopting because she couldn’t feel any affection towards him, and Michael was not helping her at all. Ryan lives with his mother, Irene; he is a wounded war reporter and wants to stay connected to his son Eric. Tara is a single mother who lives with her daughter, Hermie.

This book surprised me with how much I loved reading it. All the characters’ stories are connected to each other. All characters have their problems and worries. The characters are portrayed realistically. The character arc is so well-written.

This book is an easy and cute read. I loved the pacing of the book and the simplicity of the writing.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It is recommended if you like books on small communities, relatable characters, and wildlife.

So, it was the cute hedgehogs on the cover that sold me on this book. Unfortunately, that was the most it had going for it. I read the whole book waiting for some sort of happy redemption, but all the storylines were horrible. Who finds out their husband is cheating on them, then days later falls in love with their neighbor? Conveniently all the neighbors end up together despite tearing up each others lives.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Hedgehogs huh? It was a unique story element that nicely tied all the lives together in a common thread. I loved the use of multiple narrators to help get all the stories and perspectives, and I thought Jess was really well written. Through her, you can see the ugly, honest truth that sometimes comes with motherhood, and that made her so relatable.

The characters are super relatable and it's easy to see why so many people have enjoyed this book for me it wasn't everything that I wished for but it was good.

Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)

"Prickly Company" by Kitty Johnson is one of those books that just grabs you and doesn't let go. It's all about the drama, love, and laughs in this little community, where even the hedgehogs play a part in the story. The way Johnson writes makes you feel like you're right there, living alongside characters like Frances, who's trying to make the world a better place for hedgehogs, and others who are dealing with all sorts of life stuff like rocky marriages, parenting challenges, and the messiness of just being human. I was totally wrapped up in their lives, laughing one minute and getting teary the next. The story's got twists that keep you guessing and moments that warm your heart. It's really about the big, messy, beautiful thing called life, and it's told in a way that's both down-to-earth and deeply moving. Honestly, I love this book to bits and I'm telling everyone I know they've got to read it. It's a real gem that makes you feel all the feels and reminds you how interconnected we all are, prickly bits and all. 5++++++/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book but probably wouldn't read it again. It surprised me by being the only book that I was able to sit with start to finish since I finished the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I had three other books that I had started and this is the one that seemed to stick. It was a quick and easy read but I did feel like it could've been shorter and there wasn't a major event to look forward to and complete the book at the end. I think there were too many storylines to follow and as a result I didn't feel like the conflicts were developed enough.

Prickly Company is the perfect title for a book about neighbours who keep themselves to themselves - until they get involved with a neighbourhood hedgehog project. The cast of characters is broad, layered, nuanced and real, and as they work through their struggles with themselves and one another, themes of loneliness, love and friendship emerge. But most importantly, the story reminds us about the warmth of community and the rewards of having purpose. A satisfying and uplifting read.

This is my first book by Kitty Johnson and I was pleasantly surprised. This is a genre that I have been gravitating towards lately, up-lit. Feel good fiction that brings a community together. Ever since COVID-19, I have wanted to read books about the downtrodden and their fight to come out on top. Prickly Company fit the bill perfectly and made me feel all the feels.

I loved most of the people in Hilltop Village, they wormed their way into my heart, and let's not forget the hedgehog narrator. I know that sounds weird but trust me, it works and I learnt so much. I like how the community came together to triumph over a big company even though they each had their own difficulties and were suffering.

Hilltop, led by recluse Frances, leads the way to building a hedgehog highway and along the way we meet the different residents of this amazing community. I love how most of them banded together and I cheered them on and rooted for their success. Everyone in this community is connected and there is a lot going on...Abuse, neglect, disability, PTSD, adultery, divorce, death, adoption.

The characters were realistic with depth, issues and flaws. I especially felt a kinship with Hermie, she was terribly abandoned by her mother for boyfriends and was left to fend for and raise herself. As the saying goes "Always be kind because you never know what someone is going through."

This was one of the most unique books I have ever read and would have been a five star read if it wasn't for all the coupling going on. It was too much and a bit farfetched for my liking. I can see some couples getting together, but all of them? Too neat and tidy and HEA for my tastes, it just wasn't needed.

Quirky neighborhood secrets abound in this comical, and sometimes almost slapstick, romance built around a small neighborhood with some strong personalities and stubborn attitudes. Looking for something light with some laughs to take a brain-break - this is it.

This was such an unexpected feel good book that I hadn't expected. The characters felt so multidimensional and I got immersed so quickly. I hadn't expected to finish this so quickly, but I devoured this in a single sitting. A must-read author for sure - I'll be on the lookout for anything else she publishes.

Charming and whimsical, Prickly Company is a must read for fans of books with an ensemble of characters. Equally delightful was the side storyline of neighbors coming together to save their local hedgehog friends! Highly Recommended.

I couldn't help but fall in love with the cast of characters, hedgehogs and all, in this lovely novel. I enjoyed learning the quirks and imperfections of each characters, even the ones I hated as I watched the residents of Hilltop Place navigate all of the normal challenges of life. Kitty Johnson did a phenomenal job of capturing real life without making the book a heavy read and even threw in a few unexpected twists along the way!

There were moments where the book seemed to creep along and others where the relationships developed at what seemed to be lightning speed and yet I loved it all the same.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGally for the advanced copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really adored this book. I love reading about a whole community of people, working together (or not) toward a common goal and discovering themselves along the way. These characters felt so real and imperfect and I loved that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc!
Pub date: 5/28/24