Amazing. I honestly had no clue how I was going to feel about this book when I started this. Ghosts? Missing Person? Magical Touch? Family drama? I didn't know how it would all fit together and I was afraid too much was going to be shoved into a small space. BOY, was I wrong. This book was interesting and factual and intense and emotional and funny and lively. I never knew which way this story would turn and I loved every minute of it. It's safe to say I'll be looking out for foxes from now on ;)

Calling to mind the quirk of Kevin Wilson’s #NothingToSeeHere with the darkly funny family dynamics of Jonathan Tropper, Annie Hartnett’s #UnlikelyAnimals is a charming, delightfully feel good book that’s a major crowd pleaser.

Her father Clive having been stricken with a brain disease, Emma Starling returns to her home in Everton New Hampshire with her tail between her legs. She has yet to inform her parents she’s dropped out of med school and has been essentially drifting until the news from home arrived. Her brother, a recovering drug addict harbors particular resentment to his sister, and her Mother, who’s run out of patience with her husband and his philandering ways has begun having an affair with Clive’s doctor. Two things have gripped Clive’s ailing mind: One he’s now seeing things. Specifically animals of all shapes and sizes as well as receiving regular visits from Ernest Harold Baynes, now long passed naturalist and real life person nicknamed the Doctor Doolittle of New Hampshire.
He’s also begun to devote an extraordinary amount of time in trying to find Emma’s best friend, Crystal who has suddenly gone missing and the sheriff in town hasn’t been able to turn up any clues as to her whereabouts. It isn’t long before Emma has joined her father in the search while balancing her time subbing at an elementary school, a job that unexpectedly falls into her lap but could be the anchor she needs in her life.

Hartnett’s book could easily become depressing or maudlin dealing with a double whammy of coping with a parent who has a debilitating disease as well as touching on the grip drug addiction has taken on so many small town communities. But she deftly turns it, populating her story with charming characters, a winning protagonist and a lot of laugh out loud humor, including an ‘Our Town-esque’ group of deceased narrators buried in the towns cemetery. I don’t know that they’re entirely necessary, but used to good comedic effect. I’ll be really surprised if positive word of mouth doesn’t make this one a commercial hit. It should. Thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the early copy.

This was such a delightful interesting read and I couldn’t put it down. I have never read anything like it. The POV the story is told through is unique and the fact that the story is rooted in a real town and real people makes it even more interesting. I highly recommend this book!

Whimsical and wise! Narrated by the dead from the cemetery of Everton, New Hampshire (great name for a town in this context), Unlikely Animals tells the tale of creatures (human and animal) in limbo. They are simply "out of whack and waiting." Funny and poignant at the same time, this novel is a delight, and, like a deus ex machina, an unexpected miracle occurs just in time (hilariously) to set things right!

A little bit of a take on I see dead people. Professor Clive Starling has been acting strange, claiming to see cats, rats and other dead things. Doctors seem to think he has dementia. Only he sees the previous owner of the largest private park in the state. In the midst of all this, his family is either falling apart or just figuring life out. Professor Starling is also looking for Emma's best friend who has gone missing. Once Professor Starling goes missing, it is all hands on deck. You'll be amazed as to what is found at the private park. The ending is perfect.

At first, this book was an enigma to me. What was it really about: the wild animal preserve? the ghosts in the cemetery? the father who was dying from an unknown brain disease? the daughter who was trying to find her way after being admitted to but never attending medical school?

When I was asked what the book was about, the answer came easily: a man who is halucinating, seeing the ghost of a poet he admired, and seeing animals: cats in his classroom, rats in a restaurant, bunnies in his kitchen, to name a few..

Each section of the book is named after an animal and the stories are imaginative. Amidst all the goings-on, we hear the thoughts of the dead buried in the Everton cemetery.

Once I got my mind around what was going on, I really enjoyed the book. Creative and thought provoking.

4 stars

How to describe this book? It is described as tragicomic and it is that. The overall premise of a young woman returning home to care for her father who has a mysterious brain illness is tragic but there are many parts like the school play that are ROFL. The book also has great characters both dead and alive, family drama, new beginnings, old friends, a mystery, history, and the ever-present opioid crisis. Emma Starling was born with charismata iamaton, supposedly able to heal with the touch of her hands. So with that and the ghosts talking from the Maple Street Cemetery the book has an undercurrent of spiritualism. Everton, NH is a town in the throes of the opioid epidemic as represented by Emma's brother who has been in and out of rehab for years. The book is a mystery about Emma's childhood friend who is missing and everyone but Clive presumes dead likely from drugs. It is a story about new beginnings as Emma, med school dropout, finds her true calling at home. And then there are the unlikely animals. Clive Starling's illness causes him to see things like cats and rabbits and rats. Emma finds a stray dog on her drive home, names him Moses and brings him home. And then there is Rasputin the Russian fox. I found this interesting because I recently read the book How To Tame A Fox And Build A Dog by Dugatkin and Trut about the Russian program that tamed foxes, and they did indeed sell them as pets. We also have historical elements in Clive's friend, the ghost of Ernest Harold Baynes, a naturalist in the area who had wild animals living in his home. He and Corbin Park are true elements of this story. This wasn't a edge-of-your-seat book that I couldn't put down, but it was a book I was always happy to return to. It made me think and it made me laugh. I am so glad NetGalley and the publisher gave me the chance to read and review this book. I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, and I am so very glad I did. I loved it!

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I enjoyed the whimsical nature, setting, numerous backstories, and particularly the unique deceased narrators. It also prompted me to look further into the history of the nature park, which, during my many years in New Hampshire, was pretty mysterious.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and heartily recommend.

I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Annie Hartnett has written a story that delighted me from start to finish. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for UNLIKELY ANIMALS.

Emma Starling comes back to her hometown in New Hampshire as a disillusioned med-school no-show. Her childhood gift of healing has disappeared and when she returns home, she finds her former best friend has too. The only one who seems to care is Emma's father, Clive who is battling a brain disease that causes hallucinations of animals. Oh, and he talks to the ghost of a renowned naturalist who seems to try and help Clive, but not so much that he will explode. Emma is also confronted with a brother in recovery from an opioid addiction and a mom who isn't sure she can handle all of this.

Did I mention this is narrated by the former residents of this quaint town from their Cemetery perch?! This perspective, since they can know all thoughts give some really funny levity in what could be very sad moments. And oh, how they cheer on the living!

I loved so much of this story: the family dynamics, crazy 5th grade students Emma substitute teaches, Clive and his hilarious antics (and sad ones too), and the friends that come together in this town to support their own.

Thank you so much @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. This book published this week, so please go out and get this one. This story shows some of the hopeful possibilities of humanity despite harsh realities, and don't we all need a bit of hope?

Calling all lovers of weird books, this one is for you! Part family drama, part missing person mystery, and partly narrated by the ghosts of the town cemetery, this book does it all. It's so quirky and fun, and I especially enjoyed the audio narration. I think this book has something for most people, tackling hard subjects such as marriage, growing up, the opioid epidemic, and confronting death, all with a side of humor and levity (as well as a pet fox). Pick this one up the next time you want a fun read with some substance.

Good story!

Description
“This tragicomic novel is heartfelt, touching, and delightfully quirky. You’ll fall in love with the offbeat cast of characters (both living and dead) and find yourself rooting for them right through the last page.”—Good Housekeeping (Book Club pick)

A lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of Rabbit Cake.

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—The Millions

It was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best.

Natural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she’s lost her way. A medical school dropout, she’s come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to spend his final days.

Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad’s illness, her mom’s judgment, and her younger brother’s recent stint in rehab, but she’s unprepared to find that her former best friend from high school is missing, with no one bothering to look for her. The police say they don’t spend much time looking for drug addicts. Emma’s dad is the only one convinced the young woman might still be alive, and Emma is hopeful he could be right. Someone should look for her, at least. Emma isn’t really trying to be a hero, but somehow she and her father bring about just the kind of miracle the town needs.

Unlikely Animals is a charming story, set in the small New Hampshire town of Everton. When prodigal daughter Emma returns home to be with her father as he dies, the last thing she expects is to see the town plastered in Missing Persons fliers bearing her best friends face. Told using multiple narrators (including the ghosts of Maple Street Cemetary!), Unlikely Animals is a wonderful small town tale with just a hint of magic sprinkled throughout.

My favorite part of this book were the characters. I loved the ghost narrators providing commentary as they rooted for their townsfolk. Everton has all of the kooky characters you would expect to find in a small town and it was a pleasure meeting them all, both living and dead. I enjoyed Emma’s character development and her reconnection with her brother after many years of being apart. It was easy to root for these characters and I truly wished for them all to succeed.

If you like quirky books with interesting characters (Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here comes to mind) then you will love Unlikely Animals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. I can’t wait to check out what is next from this author.

This was such a poignant, and quirky almost fairytale book. I thought the premise sounded really unique. Once I started, I realized quickly how much I was going to like this one. It was fun, and lighthearted although dealing with some difficult topics.

Emma Starling was born with the gift of healing, but she lost that gift. She was going to go to medical school but has changed her mind and goes back home to her small town in New Hampshire. Her father has a terminal, degenerative brain disease, her brother has completed 2 stents in drug rehab for opioid addiction, and now her estranged best friend is missing. Her father has hallucinations and sees animals that aren't there and the ghost of Ernest Harold Baynes, who had lived with wild animals throughout his life.

The ghosts in the Maple Street cemetery can watch over the residents of the town. We hear from the living and dead who reside in this town. This is a family saga dealing with drug addiction, infidelity, and terminal illness, but in and odd way can be felt to be uplifting. I really enjoyed the character of Clive, Emma's father. You want to forgive him for his wrong doings in life. I loved Emma too. I enjoyed reading this story and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Loveable characters. Sweet and funny tale. The crystal story line didnt really grab me though. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"He was reading the newspaper and having his coffee. There was a dog at his feet. The fox was curled in the fruit bowl."

This book was the perfect amount of nutty and heartwarming. I'm not sure how an author can make me laugh on one page and sob the next (and vice versa, multiple times).

Rather than a summary (because honestly they don't do this book justice) here are some bullet points:
🔸A father dying of a brain disease who has animal hallucinations
🔸A daughter said to have been born with "healing hands"
🔸A town (and son) overcome with the opioid crisis
🔸A missing girl

Whatever summary you read you may say to yourself, that sounds really complicated and I don't really think I want to read a complicated book. Well, let me tell you, ignore that voice and just give it a go, just keep an open mind because this book does get a bit kooky at times. What it ended up being about to me was a broken family with broken individuals coming together, all the while being hilarious and heartwarming.

So have I confused you or intrigued you? This book came out on April 12th so just borrow, buy, whatever you have to do, just do it.

A tip: read with a buddy. This book was a really fun one to exchange texts with Katie - the hilarity, the shock, the animals, the tears and made the book that much more enjoyable.

Thank you @netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
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Emma Starling was born with a healing touch, according to the midwife who said the infant she delivered cured her sciatica. People watched her for years, waiting for big things from her, but she only could hurry along minor healing, really. She left her small town of Everton, New Hampshire, for the real big things: college in California and medical school. But Emma dropped out of med school before it even got going, and months later, her mother has convinced her to come back home to be with her father. Clive has some kind of brain disease, which is causing tremors, confusion and hallucinations—he’s seeing animals indoors, as well as the ghost of long-dead naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes, who once lived in Everton and was a real-life Doctor Doolittle.

Emma isn’t thrilled to be home, not at all, but she has nowhere else to be. She is still angry at her father for his affair, and she has to deal with her younger brother again, who recently had a second stint in rehab for drug abuse. He’s clean for the moment, but these things aren’t guarantees.

On top of all that, Emma learns her best friend from high school has been missing for months, and her father is the only one trying to find her. Everyone, including the town’s two police officers, knows Crystal did drugs, and it’s likely she’s dead. But Clive is working hard every day to find her, putting up missing-persons posters and asking around everywhere for clues.

Unlikely Animals is on one layer a common-enough story about a young adult who’s trying to find her way in life and has to go back to her small town to deal with family matters. Those stories tend to lead to their heroines finding new meaning and a path for themselves. Another layer of the story is about a family coming to terms with the illness of one of the parents, in this case a type of dementia, and impending death. Yet another layer explores the opioid crisis and its horrible toll on individuals, families and communities. Add in the book being narrated at times by the ghosts of the town cemetery, who are cheering on the living, and it gets a little extra interesting. Next, add the layer of the real-life-naturalist Baynes, who plays a fairly big role in Clive’s last months, and it’s a lot more interesting. Quirky, clever, unusual, poignant and big-hearted but light on its feet, Unlikely Animals is a novel with an unlikely mix of ingredients that had me smiling, chuckling, and cheering for the Starlings and, indeed, the whole community of Everton. What a charming book.

I loved this story and its “Mare of Easttown” vibes—small town, mystery, and other similarities that I won’t mention (no spoilers). The magical realism element was great and played well into the story. I loved the ending and how the healing played into that part.


I docked a star for the unnecessary elements of this story. While the historical ghost was interesting and could have been his own story, he did not seem to contribute anything to the story other than being some thing kind of interesting. There were a lot of elements that felt mashed together for no reason—the ghosts, the animals, the fifth graders, etc. Reading how this novel came to be made it make sense; however, it didn’t make sense in the novel itself. It read like a novel pulled from multiple novels, which, come to find out, it was. I understand the writer’s journey to write this novel, but I don’t think that journey translated well into the narrative of the novel.

I considered giving it three stars, but the Titanic scene was redeeming in many way. I laughed and thought it very clever.

What a unique reading experience! The characters each tugged at a special place in my heart. The relationship between Clive, Moses, and Rasputin is so very heartwarming. I do not want to spoil anyones enjoyment of this amazing book so I am not going to share any of the amazing storylines. Suffice it to say that this is one of those rare books with so many messages contained throughout -many from the citizens residing in the Maple Street Cemetery.
Many many kudos to Annie Hartnett, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this very special book, just published on April 12th.

Admittedly, the cover drew me in. My 5 year old is obsessed with foxes and I wanted to show him how "cute" the little critters were on the cover. Then, after further inspection, this story sounded so unique and interesting ... and I was right about that!

I enjoyed the various, unconventional perspectives that this book conveyed throughout the "journey" of this story. It felt a bit like magical realism meets cozy mystery ... and fantasy elements were woven in but I can't say more than that without giving it away.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking to get lost in an enriching and heartfelt adventure set among the mysterious woods of New Hampshire.

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett is a debut novel centered around Emma Starling, a medical school dropout who was once considered the healer in her small-town, but has recently discovered she has lost her gift. After discovering her dad is dying from an unknown brain disease, Emma returns home to her dad who now claims he can see animals that others believe to be hallucinations. However, Emma is also returning to a host of secrets and things left unsaid that she and her family have been avoiding. One of those secrets is that her estranged best friend from high school has gone missing and no one cares to look for due to a drug addiction. With a new purpose, Emma decides to work with her dad to try and solve the mystery of her friend.

I had not initially heard buzz about this novel when I requested it, but something about the synopsis drew me in. Fortunately, this debut novel knocked it out of the park for me in an unexpected way! From the first chapter, I was hooked on this novel. The author writes with unique points of view that can shift and also make the town seem like a character itself. This may not work for everyone, but for me I loved the life it brought to the book.

This writing does a fantastic job of creating a sense of place and made you feel like you were watching someone's life from a window. This built some curiosity and tension on the things left unsaid and where things may lead. The characters in this novel were nuanced and three-dimensional with their flaws and quirks. However, I understood the motivations or came to understand why the characters made the decisions they made. The novel was well-balanced in tackling difficult subjects like serious health issues, mental decline, and death, while bringing some levity with the creatures of the otherworld. This lead to feelings of both joy and warmth, while also experiencing pained grief for the characters. Together, this lead to a complex, but heartwarming novel that felt wholly original.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel for those that enjoy a poignant novel with some quirky elements!

Many thanks to the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.