A fabulous read about three strong women and how they cope with the setbacks of everyday life. A realistic inclusion of the pandemic in 2021 made the story even more relevant. A thoroughly satisfying read.

Birds of a Feather is the fourteenth novel by Australian author, Tricia Stringer. Eve, Julia and Lucy: they are probably the least likely trio to gather by intention, but life and circumstances have thrown them together in Wallaby Bay, and they need to make the best of it.

Evelyn Monk has hit seventy without depending on anyone, so she’s most displeased that a (surely minor?) shoulder injury needs surgery and homecare thereafter. While her self-imposed exile has already cut down on many of her community activities, not being able to drive, to be independent, is unthinkable!

While research work is always dependent on funding, to lose her job at forty-five has Julia Paterson reassessing her priorities, and the best place to do that is back home in Wallaby Bay, where she can catch up with her brother on the family farm and stay with her godmother, Eve. A break from Glen Walker, the man she has kept at arm’s length for three years, won’t hurt either.

Registered nurse and mother of two, Lucy Ryan has had an extended break from nursing after a scare during the previous year. While her de-facto, Alec is often away doing FIFO work, the move to Wallaby Bay has allowed their children to better get to know his ageing parents. At her mother-in-law’s suggestion, she warily agrees to provide in-home care for the rather cranky prawn-fishing matriarch of Wallaby Bay, Evelyn Monk.

While their first few encounters are a little prickly, Lucy and Eve soon come to an understanding and get on rather well. When Julia and Lucy meet, though, they seem to instantly rub each other the wrong way and barely do more than tolerate each other. Their grudging but necessary cooperation for Eve’s sake gradually morphs into friendship, surprising them both.

Stringer’s setting in a small town on the Spencer Gulf in South Australia is well-rendered, and no wonder, as she is very familiar with the area. Her depiction of the community, with its gossip and loyalties and petty jealousies, is convincing, as are the townspeople who inhabit it.

The challenges that Stringer throws her protagonists highlight various topical issues including feeling relevant after retirement and the unique problems faced by FIFO workers and their families. Her characters are appealing for all their faults and foibles, and it is heartening to watch them triumph over the adversities that life poses, and help each other doing it.

The story starts in June 2021, and it’s certainly tricky to set a novel in the undefined landscape that is the aftermath of a pandemic: who could predict a Delta variant that throws states back into lockdown? Nonetheless, the pandemic aspects of the story are handled realistically without being overwhelming. A thought-provoking and heart-warming read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

Good read about women in a small town who learner to appreciate each others skills and experiences. Enjoyed how each of the women were portrayed and how their characters developed. Excellent weekend read.

Three women of different generations who are coping with change. This is the basis of this story with a fabulous taste of the prawn industry.
I enjoy historical fiction too, and enjoyed the history about this South Australian town.

I like to support Australian authors and Tricia Stringer is a favourite. This books does not disappoint. There is even a detour into the pandemic which we have all lived.

A gentle book reminding me to look forward, not back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.

When Eve’s Monk’s husband Rex passes in 1988, she’s a widow and with two young sons to raise. Eve continues to run the Wallaby Bay prawn fishing fleet with her husband’s business partner Spiro, now he wants to sell and Eve’s not sure if she’s ready to retire. Her sons have grown up, moved away, she lives alone in a beautiful old house overlooking the bay and she loves still being involved with the prawn boats.

Eve’s seventy, she’s fit and very independent and when she damages the rotator cuff in her shoulder, she’s in a lot of pain and needs surgery. For the first time in her life, she feels old, useless, isolated and she doesn’t know what she’s going to do? Lucy has recently moved with her partner Alec and their two children to Wallaby Bay, she’s working as a casual cleaner and she’s a registered nurse. Eve needs help at home, someone to drive her to see the specialist in Adelaide, when she has her surgery and during her recovery. The obvious person for her to employ is Lucy, and she can fit helping Eve in with her schedule of being a busy mum.

Lucy and Eve are just getting into a routine, when Eve’s goddaughter Julia arrives for a surprise visit and it causes tension. Julia’s in between jobs, she's taking a break from her partner, the perfect opportunity to catch up with her brother, sister-in-law and Eve. Julia isn’t used to sharing her godmother, she and Lucy don’t hit it off when they meet and Julia can’t see why Eve needs Lucy when she’s available? Eve explains that she needs help that Lucy’s trained to provide, and she’s not changing her plans. When Lucy’s rental's damaged, she moves in temporarily with Eve and brings her two children Noah and Polly with her. All three women, Eve, Lucy and Julia have had personal challenges in the past, while staying under the same roof, they share their stories, insecurities, feelings and form a special friendship.

Tricia Stringer has a way of making you feel a connection with the characters in her stories, and I really wanted to sit, have a cuppa and a chat with Eve, Julia and Lucy and I felt like they were real women and I really wanted to be part of their group. I received a copy of Birds of a Feather from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review, I was hooked from the first page and five stars from me.

Lovely book! I've read and loved other Tricia Stringer books, and definitely love this one. It's a beautiful story, with lovely characters. A beautiful story about the interaction between them. Such a lovely read and sense of community that keeps you turning the pages. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I have enjoyed other books by Tricia Stringer, but this one has been my favourite so far. It is an interesting story set in the fictional Wallaby Bay in South Australia, the centre of the state’s wonderful prawn fishing industry. Eve is a 70 year old widow, part owner of a prawn fishing business and a well known figure in the town. Her god daughter Julia is a scientist, originally from Wallaby Bay, but now living and working in Melbourne. Lucy is a young woman, a nurse, who has just moved to Wallaby Bay with her partner and their two young children. Lucy’s partner Alec is originally from the area and they have moved to the town to be close to his parents. The story is about the relationship between the three women and how they all help and support one another.
I found the novel engrossing and really enjoyed the plot and the development of the very interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the character of Eve, a feisty and independent woman who is determined to live as she chooses. I’m sure Tricia Stringer fans will love this one and will draw new fans with its interesting plot and complex characters. Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for an ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

Thanks for NetGalley and Harlequin for the early access to Tricia Stringers newest book. Birds of a feather will be released on the 29th of September 2021.

Tricia is now one of my instant reads. Her books are always amazing and suck you in straight from the start and you can’t put it down, until you know what happens. This was no exception.

Birds of a feather presented a real sense of community and unlikely friendships between Eve, Lucy and Julia. 3 women from completely different backgrounds and in totally contrasting stages of life and the power of being kind.

I’m so glad everything worked out in the right way for each women and was extremely content with the ending.

Thanks Tricia for another gorgeous book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5