I was intrigued by the cover and description for this small island town magical realism story about found family, secrets and a gifted girl who is able to know things before they happen. Slow-moving at times, there's a wide cast of characters that were hard to keep track of until you really get into the book but I found by the end I was invested and I did enjoy it overall. Would recommend for fans of books like A million things by Emily Spurr and authors like Sarah Addison Allen. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The perfect summer cozy read! July, a teenage girl, with a special gift, is sent to live with her adult, much older cousin. Anita, pretty much single all her life and on her own, now has to figure out how to take care of a teenager. She owns a grocery store on a small island with your usual cast of quirky characters. I loved this book and it was just lovely! 3.75 ⭐️

The Peculiar Gift of July is a quirky story about a girl (July) who has moved to Ebey’s End. July seems to have a gift of known what people need before they do. I enjoyed this book very much. A fun read. Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley.

I loved this one!

- Found family
- A slice of very-small-town life
- Beautifully fleshed-out characters
- A touch of magic ensuring everyone gets what they need the most

This is the first book I've ever read by Ashley Ream, and it definitely makes me want to check out her others.

Highly recommend!

Thanks very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

This was such a lovely, magical, hopeful story! When you first start reading it, you may find this to be an unusual and seemingly off description, but as you continue to read and watch the universe develop, you will see what I mean. This one is chock full of heartbreak, but things come together in ways that will surprise you - and bring a smile to your face.

The writing style is very engaging. The characters are delightful - they are complicated and bent-not-broken, having persevered despite obstacle after obstacle. There is magic here - not obvious, in-your-face magic, but the sweet and slowly unfolding magic of perception and optimism despite the odds often being stacked against so many of the characters.

Ebey's End is a fabulous setting for the book; its insular nature suits the secretive nature of the story perfectly. This was a lovely read and I'm looking forward to more from Ashley Ream - but not in a stressful, pressure-inducing way, since I learned my lesson from Carol! (that will make sense after you read the book)

What a gem this is! Heartwarming without being saccharine it was an unexpected pleasure that made me smile. July's adopted mother has died and she's sent to live with her cousin Anita in Ebey's End. This changes everyone's lives. July's gift is that she can see things before they happen-maybe not exactly what's coming but she focuses on what's needed. And she doesn't view it as a gift. Anita is running the family grocery store and living a small life but the arrival of July makes her feel new things. I love that she can gauge her customers lives by what they buy. Malcolm, son of the pastor befriends July. Carol, wife of Henry, with whom Anita once had an affair, leaves him and moves in with Anita and July. And so on. This is one to read and savor as it unfolds (no spoilers) because there is a surprise out there. Even the minor characters leap off the page (love Tiny, love those dogs!) Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a terrific read that I very much enjoyed.

This book completely stole my heart. As someone who adores Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen, I felt right at home in its pages. The story is full of charm, warmth, and just the right sprinkle of magical realism—it was everything I hoped for.

Reading it felt like getting a long, comforting hug. I couldn’t get enough of the small island setting and its delightful, quirky residents. I found myself smiling, laughing, and even tearing up at times.

If you love stories with small-town charm, heartfelt moments, and a touch of magic, pick this one up! I didn’t want it to end—and honestly, I’m already missing the characters. Highly, highly recommended! A perfect summer read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me to read an ARC of The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream, in exchange for my honest review.

What's not to love?! A delightful story with charming characters, a little bit of magical realism, and a few secrets, set in a small island town where everyone knows everyone (they think).

Found family, mistakes forgiven, and a young girl who somehow knew how to make things happen.

I adored this book and look forward to reading more by Ashley Ream.

The Peculiar Gift of July has that little bit of magic that I love in books! It also has secrets, found family, community, and a cast of quirky and interesting characters. When fourteen-year-old July shows up at Anita Odom's doorstop she doesn't know quite what to do with her. July who has been recently orphaned, was the daughter of Anita's estranged cousin.

Anita runs the local grocery, and July has a knack for knowing what each customer needs. Her gift of knowledge soon begins to brighten the lives of those in town. This book is like a smile wrapped in a hug served along a slice of coconut cream pie! I enjoyed the quirky cast of characters and how July came to their small town and changed all their lives. I especially enjoyed watching Anita's transformation from being a lonely woman set in her ways to being a warm embrace and supportive caregiver.

This is a lovely tale about found family, the bonds of a close community, secrets, learning the truth, relationships, and magic! Speaking of magic, I enjoyed the 'gifts' or 'knowledge' that July had. It was used in a minor way in the book and appeared naturally and seamlessly.

Charming, heartwarming, delightful, original and a joy to read! I look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future.

I enjoy this intergenerational story of community, family, and relationships. Ream does a good job of making her characters come to life and does not breeze over developing even the secondary characters.

x ♾️

I'd like to give this book all the stars. It hit me right in the heart and it made me cry a lot of tears. It's a cozy warm hug that makes you feel all the things. it makes you think in all the best ways. July has a peculiar gift that doesn't make sense until it eventually makes sense. I love her random gift giving that helped so many people. I'm really thinking this book deserves a permanent place on my bookshelf. I will definitely want to read this book again and again.

Contemporary Fiction | 14-Adult
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Regular readers of this blog will know how much I enjoy books with oddball characters in quirky little towns. Set in Washington state’s San Juan Islands, in the fictional town of Ebey’s End, this is the story of how one girl’s desire for family brings a community together. Anita is a 40-something businesswoman who took over managing the family grocery when her dad Mack retired. For convenience, she is even living in his apartment above the store, while he has moved into her place just out of town. They are both shocked to learn Anita is tapped to foster a long-forgotten cousin’s adopted daughter, the eponymous July, when the 14-year-old is orphaned after a car accident. July is troubled, unable to sleep and reluctant to speak, but slowly Anita wins her over, with Mack’s help as well as Carol, a neighbour who needs a helping hand herself. Anita begins to notice how July seems to “know” what customers at the Island Grocery secretly need. Each little gift – a magazine, a pie, some bandaids – helps to change the lives of the recipients in ways no one could imagine. But when July takes a DNA test, hoping to find her birth mother, she could not image the impact on those around her. This sparkling story of family, forgiveness includes just a touch of magical realism, giving it a wide appeal to adults and teens who like heartwarming stories of normal lives where difference is accepted. I really enjoyed it. My thanks to Penguin’s Dutton Books for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219848366

4.5 stars.

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream is a captivating novel with a hint of magic.

An island off the coast of Washington state, Ebey’s End is home to gossipy yet caring residents. Anita Odom works at her family-owned grocery store where her neighbor’s purchases provide invaluable insight into their lives. Anita unexpectedly becomes guardian of her late aunt’s fourteen-year-old daughter, July Harris. July has a unique gift of knowing what some of their customers need. People change and relationships are altered. But it is July’s need to know the identity of her birth mother that sends shockwaves through the people she knows.

The Peculiar Gift of July is a wonderful novel that is quite riveting. The characters are well-drawn, unique, and interesting. The storyline is engaging with intriguing elements that bring this incredible story vividly to life. With unanticipated twists and turns, Ashley Ream brings this touching novel to a heartwarming conclusion.

July is a teenager whose adoptive parent has died. So she is sent to a remote island to live with a distant cousin, Anita. July has a gift for knowing how to bring people together, and soon many people on the island have benefited from her kindness. But when July pays for a DNA test to determine her birth parents, it turns out that they both came from the island, and that she has half-siblings there—something she perhaps would have chosen not to know.

Anita Odom is a grocer on Edey's End, a small town that can only be reached by ferry. It is a close-knit town where everyone knows each other's business and secrets are held very close. When 14-year-old July shows up on Anita's doorstep, she takes in the recently orphaned child from an estranged cousin.

While Anita is sure that this is a terrible idea, July seems to know exactly what people need. Soon, the gifts (a slice of pie or a magazine) start changing people's lives in small but good ways. July begins to change the lives of the people in Ebey's End in ways they never knew they needed. They realize their lives are connected in so many ways.

Trigger Warnings
Death of a parent

Why Jackie loves it
I did not know what to expect with this book. Even if magical realism is not your thing, this book reads more like fiction. I love the relationships between the people in the town and how the characters grow and change. I read this book quickly and loved it. #Gifted from PRH Audio and Dutton

3.5 stars

I really enjoy cozy reads with lots of atmosphere and magic thrown into the mix, and this one was just that. I loved the small town setting, the richly layered characters and the steady plot pacing that kept the story moving.

I will say that some elements of the story were left hanging at times, and this was a bit of a distraction for me.

All in all, an entertaining read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Evocative prose pairs with magical realism for a unique look at what it means to be a family.

Fourteen-year-old July has been orphaned. A social worker locates her late adoptive mother's closest living relative. An estranged cousin Anita who has no experience with children. July arrives in a little (fictional) island town called Ebey's End located in the Pacific northwest. Small town life is a culture shock. She also has to adjust to living with Anita who is single and calls the tiny apartment over the grocery store that she runs home. Is Anita prepared? No, but when it comes to parenthood, who is? July has a gift for knowing what people need. A magazine here, a pie there, and a novel for a friend each sound like small gestures. These particular actions have reverberations that are deeply felt. Her gift while paranormal in nature isn't shoved in the readers face. The author handled it with a graceful touch. It was used enough to push the narrative forward without becoming the focus. People, relationships, secrets, and forgiveness are at the center. Despite her gift July is a teenager in a lot of emotional pain and so having lost one mother she begins to show an interest in locating her birth mother or really any biological family through a DNA test. No one can foresee the can of worms this becomes.

A heartwarming story with small town vibes and an interesting twist on found family. I enjoyed many of the characters and how everyone was experiencing growth or acceptance. The teenage characters July and Malcolm were heartbreaking and uplifting. They bond over having deceased moms a club no kid wants to belong to. The kindness they showed others despite the pain each carried made them easy to care about.

The town might have a few secrets the local gossips haven't latched onto yet.

When it all comes out in the wash, who is going to have a little dirt on their hands?

Thank you to Penguin Group | Dutton for providing an Advance Reading Copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

On a remote Puget Sound island with sporadic ferry service, Anita is unprepared and totally unsure when the daughter of her cousin arrives for Anita to raise. July brings the unexpected with her not only for Anita but all the quirky residents of the island. Hopeful, with a bit of magic, readers will be drawn to this community and this found family.

atmospheric and gorgeously written novel with a wonderful sense of setting and of plotting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was a cute small town book with quirky characters. I found it a bit slow but did enjoy the characters. I lived in a small town and trust me, people in small towns do not keep to themselves lol. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.