Well this was just an adorable, cozy read perfect to get me through a winter cold snap. I adore books that focus on a cast of characters in a community (or family), so this was just a delight. I think the story balances light and airy story lines with heavier plots as well. The pacing in the middle half of the book felt a little slow, whereas the ending felt a little rushed. I also wish we got more of a wrap up of Jess’s story as the book felt more focused on her in the beginning. Would definitely recommend this! 3.5/5 stars.

I loved it! It is a captivating story with well-rounded characters, an interesting plot and an unusual main topic. It was really interesting to see how the dynamics changed between the residents of the close during the events. I loved the epilogue-like final chapter which also held some surprise! All in all, I can recommend this great book to everyone.

Kitty Johnson’s Prickly Company is a playful story filled with family antics, community rivalry, and surprising discoveries. Readers will adore the colorful characters and ravenous hedgehogs living in the United Kingdom’s
lush countryside.

I'm a sucker for great characters, and by extension, I'm a sucker for ensemble pieces--stories with several point-of-view characters whose stories are so interwoven that their personal arcs are inseparable. Kitty Johnson's "Prickly Company" is like a nice cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter day: filling, rich, and sweet all at once.

Set in small town England, the book takes place almost entirely on one, insular street in a small neighborhood. Of the many characters, three come to the front: Jess, struggling to bond with a new adoptive child as everything around her falls apart; Ryan, an embittered journalist raging against the paralysis sustained by an IED injury; and Frances, reclusive, sassy, and determined not to need anyone--but with a soft spot for nature and hedgehogs the size of the North Sea. The lives, loves, struggles, and past heartaches of these characters unfold as these three characters move from barely-acquaintances to close allies and friends.

You won't approve of all the characters in this book, or of everything they say and do. But you won't be able to resist rooting for them all the same.

What do Americans know about hedgehogs? Nothing! We don’t have them in the States! That was one fascinating part of Kitty Johnson’s novel, Prickly Company, due out on May 28. I loved learning about these little creatures and the efforts of the small village, the setting of the novel, to protect them. Among this crowd, the hedgehogs aren’t the only ones who are prickly. The most intriguing character is Frances, an elderly, sometimes abrasive widow who leads the neighbors in their efforts to build a “hedgehog highway” between the yards and gardens of the residents so the hedgehogs don’t have to venture into the road. She embraces Ryan, a disabled war correspondent who is struggling with finding purpose now that he is in a wheelchair. His prickly mother doesn’t help, either. Ryan's empathy for others and his helpful nature make him a favorite character of this reader. By the end of novel most of the characters have sorted their issues, reconciled or found love, or both. This is going to be a popular summer read!

What a wonderful warm hug of a novel!! Reading Prickly Company made me feel the way I do when I settle in to watch a PBS Masterpiece show like All Creatures Great and Small, which is to say it made me feel comforted, entertained, and very happy. It’s not that this multi-POV story is all lightness and fluff; in fact, there are many serious topics and themes running throughout (although it does have a great sense of humor, too). But Johnson handles the heavier issues with such a deft touch and writes her characters with so much grace and compassion, the ultimate result is one of heartfelt joy. If you love a feel-good book and an ensemble cast, this one is a must read. And even if you don’t have a particular passion for hedgehogs when you start, you probably will before the book ends!

4.5 stars, rated up

I adored this one. Initially, I grabbed Prickly Company because of the hedgehogs, but kept at it for the story.

With highly relatable characters living in a community that you can vividly picture, this novel absolutely charmed me.


This was my first time reading the author; I’ll definitely read more of her work.



Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

This book was so cute. I loved how fast you flew through it because of how short the chapters were. It made you not want to put down the book. It is one of my favourite books I’ve read so far this year.
The only thing is I felt when it got to about the 70% mark it did get a little bit rushed. Otherwise I really enjoyed the writing style and would definitely read from this author again !!

I never thought much about hedgehogs until now. What a cute story. I found the start to be a bit slow. I picked it up and put it down a few times. But then it picked up. It dealt with some deeper issues which I liked. Overall it was a solid read.

I loved all the storylines. It was entertaining and easy to understand. Sooo many emotions with this book. A great read.

If you’re looking for a book that follows character development in a neighborhood, this pretty much hits all those points. Bit of a slow start that read a little heavy, but it started to pick up at about 30%. I breezed through from there and couldn’t put it down. A lot of heavy topics but Kitty meshed them into the story without weighing down the pacing, which was perfect. Ending was a little too clean and too happy happy, but that’s okay.

Recommend!

This was a cute, easy read. The characters were relatable enough to imagine they could be your neighbors, and their stories all felt believable and easy to connect with.

I really appreciated the differences in life circumstances and the character development that helped the reader to become invested in each of their individual storylines. I also enjoyed that the story was based around nature and wildlife conservation.

For me the book was good to start, slow for the middle, and then it picked up and went fast. I really enjoyed how interesting things got in the last third of the book, but I wished it came sooner and gradually instead of all at once.

Overall I'd recommend this for someone looking for something easy to read and relatable.

Who knew hedgehogs could be the center of an entire neighborhood drama? 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 ending was all a bit too tidy for me, but it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book!

I love books that transport us into small towns and give us complex characters that we aren't sure whether to root for or against. The main characters of the book have complicated relationships with each other as they work together to create the project of a hedgehog highway (aka a connected series of yards with habitats and lawn maintenance more suitable for the little animals). There are several main characters, but none of them get lost in the shuffle and the author balances the storylines that are most important very well while dealing with an ensemble cast of characters. If you're not a fan of a lot of characters (and character development) I wouldn't recommend the book because it does really more heavily on character than plot.

However, I do think most people who pick up this book will like it. There's a lot of humanity in the way the characters are written and I like that none of them are 100% good or bad. Just like the hedgehogs, people are also complex - adorable but sharp. My favorite parts of the book centered around Jess, Ryan, and Frances, but the other parts are still enjoyable to read and I also left with a greater appreciation for hedgehogs.

5/5 for solid character development and very few negatives (got through this one very fast).

I love the cover of this book, but that's about it. For some reason, the opening chapter didn't keep my interest at all. I couldn't get past the hedgehogs. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I will try this again another time.

This was a pleasantly surprising read. I never knew exactly where the story was headed next, but it was also overall comfortably predictable. Prickly Company was a very easy read, with characters you hated and characters you rooted for and all the feelings that come with both. While I was reading, I felt like there were chapters where nothing really happened. However, by the time I finished, I realized what a whirlwind this book was. This book truly had everything happening! I also learned a lot about hedgehogs. If you’re looking for a cozy book that will entertain you, this is it!

I love a book where the characters revolve around the theme of community connection/disconnection and this one did not disappoint! It’s like a Melrose Place conglomerate of unlikely friends (and some enemies). You will not only root for the hedgehogs and come to love the diverse set of characters, but you will leave feeling like you believe in humanity again. I loved that she chose a character with a disability and I appreciated the differences between the characters she painted. Most are from differing stages of life, with varying backstories and life choices. If you like your books tied up with a sense of completion, this book is for you, This book reminded me of Clare Pooley’s works- The Authenticity Project and Ivona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my review.

Like others have said this was extremely unexpected for sure. It was cute, frustrating at times, definitely had my jaw drop at one particle part that I had a feeling happened with Frances. But all in all, a very nice breath of fresh air. Not the type of book I would normally pick up and read but I read this and it kept me hooked. My favorite character by far was Ryan. He to me felt like the glue to this community. I related to his feelings a lot. The vibe was almost desperate housewives in my opinion but with hedgehogs. Very very interesting read, with an ending that didn’t leave me with questions.

I liked it!

3 Reasons to read Prickly Company by Kitty Johnson:
1. Hedgehogs! And others British details, phrases like Christ on a Bike and the contraction d'you.
2. If you enjoy a very interconnected, small web of characters with A LOT going on you'll love this book.
3. Kitty Johnson has a knack for writing about heavy topics in a light way. You find yourself reflecting deeply while breezing through this read.

Happy Reading!

#pricklycompany is poised to be a 2024  summer reading list sweetheart. First, I love unique titles, and admire publishers who get that a title with a unique hashtag is a benefit to a book (or at least social-savvy readers). I was smitten by the drip-feed hedgehog knowledge via a charming chapter-opening device. The story reveals the dramas of a cast of characters who live on the same street, with a throughline of “save the hedgehogs.” Widow Frances is almost a hermit and the first to care about the hedgehogs. Jess is a struggling adoptive mother whose kid-drama is taking a toll on her marriage. My favorite character was Ryan, a journalist recently injured and using a wheelchair due to terrorist action when reporting in a war zone. His story arc is believable and touching. Other characters have their own quirks. Johnson’s prose is deceptively simple as she keeps multiple relationship plates spinning realistically and wraps it up (mostly) as expected in the end. She makes us care about her characters, who are a bit prickly themselves.

Bonus points from me as an adoptive parent (excellent portrayal) and a colostomate – I loved that Ryan’s colostomy was handled matter-of-factly. As you do. More bowel disease/ostomy rep in fiction, please. 
Thanks @netgalley, author, @lakeunion for this advance e-copy. Out May 28.
#lml_reads #netgalley #bookstagramcanada #colostomy