July is the foster daughter of grocery-store owner/operator, Anita. On the death of Anita’s aunt who is July’s adopted mom, July is sent to live on this San Juan island with her only remaining family. Middle-aged Anita leads a quiet life as the grocer and feels the immediate impact of taking July into her home.
As for July’s gift, she has a sense of the deep feelings of the people she meets. And, she takes actions to help them see things about themselves. She also longs for family and belonging which is understandable after being uprooted from her life on the mainland.
This is a story of second chances and forgiveness and community. I found the story refreshing and the character insight to be amusing.

The Peculiar Gift of July is a book I went in having no expectations for, and ended up blowing me away. It follows July, a 14 year old girl, who, recently orphaned, ends up in the care of her cousin Anita. While July is the center of the story, we follow several members of the small community she and Anita live in. Sometimes, personalities get lost in books with so many characters, but everyone in this was fully recognized. The slightly speculative element, which I don't want to give away, really works here. Its balanced well with the everyday lives of the characters. This book has something for everyone, including deep friendships, complicated family dynamics and complicated romantic entanglements. There is also a deeply cozy vibe to this, as we see July settle into and connect with her small town and its occupants. Ashley Ream reminds the reader, over and over, that people are layered and complicated. While there is a decent amount of grief in this, there is even more love.

I think all kinds of readers will like this. Besides the drama and coziness, there are also a few reveals and twists that left me shocked. My only complaint is that the ending felt slightly abrupt. That being said, the rest of the book was satisfying enough to make up for it.

THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY by Ashley Ream is a charming novel which deals with the idea of family, "everyday magic," and belonging. The story takes place on Ebey's End, a small fictional island community near Seattle that is reached by ferry. It is into that interconnected, caring community that July, a fourteen-year-old girl is plummeted after the death of her adoptive mother. Somehow July seems to instinctively know what others need... whether it is Anita, the lonely middle-aged retail grocer with whom July now lives, or Mack, Anita's eccentric and garrulous father, or Jim, the librarian caring for his disabled sister, or Chet, the local pastor and his teenage son, Malcolm, or Carol and Doc, a couple dealing with being unfaithful to each other. Reading about everyday events allows for developing affection towards July and the island's inhabitants, making the contrast with the fast-paced and surprising ending even more evident. THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY received a starred review from Booklist ("readers will face the dilemma of consuming this book as quickly as possible or limiting pages to slowly savor.").

4.5 stars overall

Book review: 3.75/5 ⭐️
Genre: magical realism
Themes: family, small town relationships, infidelity, loss
📖 Read if you like: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, A Town Called Solace, Twilight Garden

This is one of those small town books that clarifies the meaning of life for ordinary people. With a cast of lonely people across all ages it explores forgiveness, loss and the depth of family, both the one you are born to and the one you make. The forms of grief range from loss of beloved mothers to loss of innocence to loss of ignorance. The disillusionment that happens when the people you thought you knew were hiding secrets from you all along, or from the heart wrenching trauma of loosing your rock in life. It is a heartfelt novel full of sadness and hope in equal measure, with just enough weird to add a lighthearted edge.

On the small town island off the coast of Seattle lies Ebey’s End. It is a place of familiarity and isolation where everyone knows your name, but they are all keeping their own secrets too. Here we find grocer Anita Odon who has just been made the guardian of 14-year old July. Having never met the girl before and no real aspirations for motherhood, Anita approaches the situation with a correct level of apprehension and anxiety. Dread is perhaps the right term.

As the two learn to co-habitat, a series of small disasters will be thrown their way. Secrets will be unearthed, relationships will be formed and identities will be discovered. For July is no ordinary girl, but one gifted with dreams of the future. With every seed she plants - a Martha Stewart Housekeeping magazine here, a coconut cream pie there, a box of bandaids here or a new book there she begins to transform the lives of her neighbours and friends. Each small gift will start a change in their lives that will set them on a course to newfound happiness or survivial. As everyone in Ebey’s End will have to confront their own hearts and desires, a little story of hope in the darkness emerges.

It is a lovely tale about community and the close bonds created within them. With quirky characters that are utterly relatable these will feel like people you know, or want to! There are several serious issues from infidelity to death within this novel so it isn’t exactly a light read. There is also an undercurrent on the difference between men and women experiencing these with different societal expectations that was very astute. And the magical insights from July lead to rather sweet moments that were well developed as the plot continued.

Thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for an e-book for review. It was a well woven story and an introduction to a new author for me.

Thank you so much to Dutton for the gifted book!

3.5 Stars

First of all, I have to say how adorable the cover is! It definitely drew me in!

I'm a huge fan of women's fiction and magical realism and this seemed like a nice blend of both! I absolutely loved July as a character and found her to be delightful from start to finish!

This story was heartwarming and very unique; I've never read anything quite like it!

I do think it could have been a little more enjoyable had it been just a tad bit shorter, but overall, I'd still definitely recommend!

I've taken to looking, really looking at book covers before turning the first page. My latest is the Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream.

The figure could be a woman, but I thought it was a teenage girl. She's holding a small building gently in her hands. And I think the lights are fireflies.
The book is set in a small island where you know everyone and they know your business as well. I love quirky characters - and there are many in this tale. I think Malcom was one of my fave characters - and July as well.

July's interventions are very subtle the first time. Common things and actions that nobody really notices. Until others do. And the tone changes. The past needs to leave and let the now in. I think Ream really caught the emotions of the players. I enjoyed her writing very much.

THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY is sprinkled with just the right amount of light-hearted humor and quirky wit to ease the weightiness of the complex issues the story tackles.

What I loved:

➛The writing style
➛The characters
➛The small town setting
➛The touch of magical realism
➛The friendships and found family
➛All the vibes

Reading this book left me feeling happy.

*Thanks to Dutton Books for the free eARC, provided via NetGalley!*

July has a peculiar gift of somehow knowing what someone may need, even though they are completely unaware of it at the time. When the orphan finds herself in the care of a distant cousin, she turns the island community upside down by bringing changes to many lives. This contemporary novel with a bit of magical realism tackles some serious issues like infidelity and adoption but it is primarily a story of found family. The quirky characters in this novel are a delight and I couldn't put this novel down.

Really a 3.5 rating but I rounded up. The idea behind this book really caught my eye and while the description matched the actual book, it was a little lacking. There were so many characters and we bounced between everyone so much that I often times felt confused. And there were parts in the middle that just moved slow. However July was such a sweet character and her “talent” was truly a gift to that island. That kept me reading. And the ending, wow! Cannot say more because I don’t want to give it away.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the Advanced Reader's Copy of The Peculiar Gift of July.

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream is a beautifully written and emotional novel that really stays with you. The story dives deep into grief, healing, and human connection in a way that feels honest and heartfelt. That said, I did feel the pacing dragged in places, and the story could have been a bit tighter. Still, the emotional payoff in the end made the journey worthwhile. If you enjoy reflective, character driven fiction, this is one to pick up.

I don’t know what it is about this book, but I picked it up and put it right back down probably 10 times over the last couple months. This was just not my type of book at all, and I can’t seem to put my finger on why. The premise sounds amazing, I mean, hooked me enough to keep picking it up time and time again, but the first couple chapters were painful. And thus, I give up.

Unfortunately, a dnf for me.

I went into this thinking it was a fantasy and was happily surprised to realize it was literary fiction with a hint or fantasy/magic elements. While it wasn't what I was initially expecting, I was really pulled in by the characters and the dynamic in this small town and the found family elements of it all. At times it feels jumbled and discordant but it's worth it for when it all finally comes together!

The Peculiar Gift of July
By Ashley Ream
Fiction
July 2025
Dutton

Anita has lived her entire life, which is now firmly middle age, on the small San Juan Island out on Puget Sound. Her parents owned the grocery store and lived in an apartment above it. Now she manages her father's store and lives in that apartment. Her widowed father now lives in the mobile home she used to live in.

She knows her customers and knows things about their lives based on what they buy. Not much changes.

Until Anita becomes a foster mother. She is the second cousin of a teen whose adopted mother has died. July arrives shellshocked, because life was just her mother and herself. Now she is living with a stranger in a strange town where everyone knows she is new. There was even a Welcome, July notice on the junior/senior high signboard.

Whatever kind of gift she has, July sometimes knows just what people need. As she helps her cousin out at the store, her suggestions to people change lives, including her own.

The focus of the novel is not on July's gift, but on how she and the people in town learn about each other, affect each other and learn to care for each other. One of the kids at school, the preacher's son, is a friend she trusts from the beginning. The lonely empty nester of a doctor's wife, a woman whose husband cheated on her with Anita years ago, becomes an important part of July's life. The empty movie theater downtown becomes an important locale for many in the community.

The Peculiar Gift of July is more about what a gift she is to those who get to know her, and love her, and what gifts they are to her. There are sweet moments in the story, serious moments, even nearly absurd and outrageous moments. They all contribute to a lovely story about family.

I love a book with quirky characters and different vibes but the cheating at the beginning triggered me. I’m sure it’s good!

July has been devastated by her mom’s death. Anita however, is shocked to hear that her cousin is gone, and that her adopted daughter is headed to Ebey’s End to live with her. Anita does not know if she is ready to take on a teenage girl, but once July arrives, Anita begins to realize that July seems to know exactly what people need, and when they need it.

This book was about a little island, with a group of fun and quirky characters. Everyone has a secret, or something they are struggling with, and July comes in and manages to give them what they need, without them even knowing they needed it. I really love the friendship that grew between July and Malcom, and just adored how July fit in with this entire town of people in the most perfect way. I did have to pause and connect everyone to who they were a few times while reading…there is a large cast of characters, but I wouldn’t want a single one to be cut, so it didn’t bother me! Overall this was a delightful read!

Thank you to @duttonbooks for my gifted copy of this book!

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream is reminiscent of books by Elizabeth Strout which is complimentary. The odd twists in the story due to July's gift make it an intriguing book.

Anita, a grocer in a small island town, has her world turned upside down when the orphaned 14-year-old July, daughter of Anita's recently deceased cousin, moves in. July seems to know what people need before they know they need it, often without her even knowing why they need it, sometimes small things like a magazine that helps a customer organize his life. But some seemingly small things cause much bigger ripples than expected. I really liked this a lot and couldn't put it down. 4.5 stars rounded to 4.

This is my first book by Ashley Ream. It won’t be my last. She has the same sense for imperfect people that Fredrik Backman and Catherine Ryan Hyde have, and I am here for it.

This time, it’s loner and borderline misanthrope Anita, who suddenly finds herself in charge of her late cousin’s adopted daughter, July. July has a…knack…for knowing what people need, things they don’t even realize they need (or will soon need). Her filling those needs sets many things into motion on their little (not real) island in Washington’s San Juans.

Although the book is named for July, and she’s an important character, there are many important characters in this book. So many people with needs. Thanks to July, people’s lives are made easier in countless small and large ways.

There are a variety of conflicts and difficult moments in this book. It is how those moments are met and dealt with that gives the book its heart and soul. It’s a story of imperfect people living imperfect and often difficult lives, but there is love, and hope, and beauty here.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Swearing, including the f-word. Infidelity. Homosexuality.

Who Might Like This Book:
If you like Backman or Hyde, definitely try this one. If you like stories about imperfect people doing the best they can, try this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/07/imperfect-people.html

#ThePeculiarGiftOfJuly #NetGalley #AshleyReam #BookReview #MagicalRealism

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 0/5

Plot: 5/5

Primary Genre: Magical realism/cozy fantasy

Blurb: With a dash of magic and an ensemble cast of oddball, small-town characters, this feel-good novel explores forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most.

Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday). It’s a comfortable, familiar (but okay, fine, sometimes lonely) life for its resident grocer Anita Odom. That is, until fourteen-year-old July shows up on her doorstep.

Taking in the recently orphaned daughter of an estranged cousin had not been on Anita’s to-do list. In fact, it’s a terrible idea. Anita is ill-suited, ill-prepared, and absolutely certain the entire enterprise will end in disaster—for both of them.

From the moment she arrives, July seems to “know” what each customer at the Island Grocery needs. They’re small: a housekeeping magazine slipped into old Mr. Daly’s basket or a coconut cream pie pressed into the hands of Pastor Chet. But one by one, these gifts start to change the lives of nearly everyone in town in ways much larger than they—or July—could have imagined.

It's not long before secrets are exposed and questions emerge, and everyone in Ebey’s End has to open their hearts a little wider to make room for it all.

My Thoughts:

It took me a bit to get into this book. It has multiple POV which can tend to be a challenge/a little confusing. Beyond that, the book seemed to be full random anecdotes that didn’t really seem to pertain to the storyline. As the storyline progresses, these anecdotes become recognizable threads that are being woven into the tapestry of this incredible story that I did not see coming. The ending GOES OFF. If you pick this book up and start to feel a little bored, trust me when I tell you to keep reading. The ending is incredibly rewarding. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable but they make an interesting story about the human condition and how the choices we make affect our lives and the lives of those around us. Definitely worth the read.

Centered around July, a recently orphaned girl after the death of her adoptive mother, and her relationships with the residents of a small island. She seems to know what people need or should do before they do, and nudges them in that direction with subtle and not so subtle clues.

The concept of this book was interesting, and while it was well-written, it never really made me feel anything besides slight intrigue. I don’t really know what to say about it other than that it was unremarkable. Not bad, not good. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend it.