"That's why we like living with animals so much; they exhibit their joy so outwardly, remind us how to be better alive.”

What I love most about Hartnett’s writing is that she is able to craft heartfelt, bitingly funny stories and isn’t afraid to tackle hard-hitting topics. In UNLIKELY ANIMALS, Hartnett touches on the opioid crisis, the loss of a parent, feelings of inadequacy, and complicated relationships. She has (once again) mastered the art of dark humor and caused me to laugh my way through the book. Hartnett seamlessly weaves so many captivating elements into this story, from cemetery ghosts and curious critters to family drama and a missing childhood friend. The characters are multidimensional and messy in the best possible way. The dash of magical realism is the icing on the cake. This is a charming story about human connection, self-discovery, grief, friendship, family, and about finding hope when it feels impossible. It’s a warm hug of a book and I loved every minute of it.

I highly recommend UNLIKELY ANIMALS (out 4/12) and Hartnett’s previous novel, RABBIT CAKE if you haven’t read it yet!

Emma was born with the gift of healing. Her family referred to it as the charm and would not let her be exploited in her childhood, but instead said she could use it when she was older. She’s older now and everyone thinks she’s in med school, but she’s lost the charm and has lost her way. Coming home to help take care of her dying father, Clive, everyone is about to learn of her failures. Clive is eccentric to say the least and is dying of a dementia like illness, hallucinating animals and befriending the ghost of Harold Baynes. (Harold was a real life Doctor Doolittle and naturalist for Corbin Park a 26,000 acre park in New Hampshire that is still around today). Emma has no plans to stick around Everton for long, after all she’s a little put out by her fathers recent actions. When she learns her best friend is missing and no one but her father is looking for her, she joins in the search. Falling into a substitute teaching job she’s soon quite busy in Everton and little does she know that losing the charm might be the best thing that ever happened to her and coming home might just be the best thing to heal her broken spirit. This book was completely delightful. Hartnett writes about some subjects that could be maudlin (dementia, opioid crisis), but does it in such a way that’s uplifting and in using some quite humorous situations has the reader laughing out loud without taking any of the seriousness of the situation for granted. Intermixing chapters of the historical life of Harold Baynes and using some very unique narrators from the Maple Street Cemetery, this book was a winner!

First of all, I’m so thankful to Ballantine Books via NetGalley for letting me read Unlikely Animals before it comes out. This was one of my favorites of the year so far!

First of all, I tend to really enjoy books with quirkiness done well, an this one just hits that out of the park. I mean, it’s narrated by the ghosts of people in the town who’ve died and are now buried in the town’s graveyard. One of the main characters sees and interacts with a ghost (and not-real animals), and another main character is doing her job of teaching a group of endearing 5th graders without any prior experience (or education) in education.

All of that made this story so unique, fun, funny, and heartwarming. If you’ve read Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, I’d compare this book to that one in terms of quirkiness and endearing-ness.

I think my favorite character in this story was Clive. He continue losing some of his cognitive function to a brain disease as the book goes on, but he’s just the most interesting guy with a heart of gold. I loved that he told his daughter to do a C-average job at teaching the kids so nobody expected too much of her. And of course, the fact that he interacts with a ghost on a daily basis makes him rather interesting.

Of course, I loved Emma, too. The prodigal daughter returns from college, only to not really turn out to be much of a prodigal daughter in her family’s eyes. She’s mourning the loss of her dad before he’s gone because of his deterioration, and she’s also just mourning the loss of what her life could have maybe been if circumstances were different. She’s a fabulous character and I loved following her as she really has to grow up after college to help her family and her town.

This book has mystery, a little magical realism sprinkled around, and a whole lot of family growing/changing pains. It was quirky, fun to read, and engaging, and I was a little sad when it ended. I really highly recommend picking this up! Do it! 5 stars.

Emma Starling, born a healer, returns to her small town in New Hampshire to see her dying father. Diagnosed with an unknown brain disease, father Clive is left jobless after seeing invisible cats in his college classroom. Left to his own devices, accompanied by an assortment of hallucinations, including the ghost of naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes, Clive searches vainly for Emma's childhood best friend, believed to be dead of an overdose. This interesting family drama, narrated by the ghosts in the town cemetery, is a slow start but will hook you in no time. Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this quirky novel.

This started out as unique and fun, with humor from the residents of the local cemetery, but it quickly devolved into the absurd.

I read to 40%, and speed read the rest.

Recommended for those who enjoy OTT quirky characters, ghosts as the (sometimes) omniscient Greek chorus, and excerpts from the writings of the long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, who also makes an appearance as a ghost. Whew....

I'm giving it 2 stars because there were moments of humor and I loved the author's previous book Rabbit Cake. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't be for other readers.

What a fun quirky novel! Unlikely Animals gave me some Under The Whispering Door mixed with a hint of Anxious People vibes.

While the book primarily focuses on Emma and her return to her hometown after years away, the main star of this book is her father, Clive. You see Clive is dying. But, as part of his decline, Clive’s imagination has exploded. He sees animals no one else can see and has frequent conversations with a ghost named Harold.

This book puts a fun, if not almost supernatural spin on some difficult topics. Death, heroin abuse, drug dealing, cheating, and other tough topics are explored in a way that’s respectful, relatable, but with a certain lightness. I enjoyed the characters in the book and loved hearing the various perspectives of the dog Moses and the ghost gang at the Maple Street Cemetery.

Thank you to Netgalley & Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a quirky and lovely read. It took me a minute to get into it, but mid-way through I was hooked. Emma was born with a healing touch, but loses it and is now aimless. The prodigal daughter returns to her hometown in New Hampshire where her dad is dying for a mysterious illness and is hallucinating animals and ghosts. This story includes precocious 5th graders, a missing friend, the opioid epidemic and of course the chorus of ghosts living at the graveyard.

I felt attached to the characters and was rooting for them throughout this read. I think this would make a great book club read, as there are a lot of different parts to dissect.

Don't skip out on this beautiful written and surprising book.

4.5 stars rounded up – Such a great book! This was one of those novels I knew, within a very few pages, would be magical. By 10 pages in, I had that same buzzy feeling I always have when I start a book that I just KNOW will be good. I tried to explain it to my husband as being slightly like the anticipatory excitement you feel when you start up that first big hill of a roller coaster – you recognize you’re about to be blown away and you’re just so excited for the ride you know is coming.

There were shades of Bennett’s The Mothers, Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, and Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo felt in the use of the Greek Chorus literary device. I ALWAYS enjoy when that stylistic choice is made--it feels like you’re getting the inside scoop, or breaking the fourth wall and having a conversation with someone else as you read the story.

Characters that were equally loveable, quirky, and flawed, a multi-faceted storyline that kept me turning pages, and elements of true stories/real people (be sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end) all made the story feel incredibly tangible and memorable for me. Yes, Unlikely Animals was definitely worth the ride.

I haven’t read the author’s previous work, Rabbit Cake, but you can rest assured I will now. 4 stars for writing/style. Five stars for feelings. Meeting in the middle for overall rating. Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this advance copy. This one is out on April 12, 2022. Highly recommended!

A beautiful, funny story of family, friends, and love based in small town Everton, New Hampshire. Readers are introduced to the Starling family: Clive, a professor who was forced to retire mid-semester due to health issues; his wife, Ingrid, a college librarian; their daughter Emma, who was born with a healing charm and that goes away with dashed dreams of attending medical school; and Auggie, the son who is recovering from addiction after a high school football injury. Add in a recused big white dog and a pet fox. The narrative is supported with humorous and watchful commentary by the bodies buried in the Maple Street Cemetery who have a lot to say of about the Starlings and the other residents. This novel is a wonderful snapshot of small town life, its history, and its families. A great book that deserves to be talked about.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4634851574

A most unusual book with a crazy cast of characters. For those who enjoy a dollop of paranormal in their books, this is a must read. At its heart it’s a story about human connection — to family, friends, animals, the past, and children. And it’s a story that pulls readers in as you get to know the residents of This small New England town. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I loved it in the end. It's a story about family at its heart, but it also includes moments of magical realism and laugh out loud hilarity. It would make a fantastic book club pick!

Having the voices of those interred in the town cemetery serve as the narrators of this very creative and funny novel was genius! Based on a real town, the living residents are very heartwarming and likable. This is a totally uplifting story that will make you smile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

I loved how quirky and charming this was, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I liked the idea of those buried in the cemetery talking about the main characters, but it felt unnecessary after awhile. Keeping track of them and the Dr. Doolittle guy took away from the complex story, which was great in itself.

Quirky and fun story of family dysfunction. Loved that the spirits of the dead chimed in with random quips.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

This one was a little too quirky for my taste. The narration with the ghosts was unexpected. While I enjoyed the humor and witticisms, it wasn't really my thing and I found it hard to get into.

This was a fairly decent read except that the graveyard chatter was just too reminiscent of Lincoln In the Bardo. I found that hard to get over. Otherwise the characters were (mostly) interesting and the real life history from NH was woven into the story fairly well. Ingrid was an abomination, she came off as totally abusive towards every member of her family and yet still revered.

Book: Unlikely Animals
Author: Annie Harnett
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing with me an ARC.

This is another one of those books that I really did know nothing about and I think that was the best way to go about this one. When you first start reading this one, you really can’t get a sense of what the author is trying to do, where this book is going to go, or even what gerne of a book you are reading. You are along for the ride and I think is this the best way to approach this one. There are so many levels and so many things going on that it just best to let the story do its job and show you what is going to happen. After all, you have a small town with a missing person, a father who is dying, a daughter who comes home, and the dead are shouting at you. As you can see, there is a lot and it’s packed into a book that is under four hundred pages long.

We open with the dead from the local cemetery yelling about how they would give anything for one more day of life. It’s not all gloom and doom though when it comes to the dead. They become almost a cheering section for the living. They celebrate the good times, as well as reflect when things go wrong. They are there to support our main characters as they encounter some very difficult things and, trust me, the book does cover some very difficult topics. The dead kind of move us through the book. They comment on events happening in the book. Now, to some people, this may come across as being super annoying, but I personally liked it. I found it to be a nice touch that added to the complexity of the book and I think it is what really made the book stand out. It shows us that we should embrace life and all that it throws at us instead of trying to ruin away from it.

Emma is our main character and we get most of the story from her point of view. She is coming home because her father, Clive, is dying. However, she doesn’t want to stay in her small town. She still has ever intention on going back to California-even if things aren’t going according to plan out there. She has been feeding her parents this big lie. She has been telling them that she has been going to medical school and she actually isn’t. Emma is a natural healer, so medical school seems like the logical place for her to go. Only, she has sort of lost her gift. She comes back home and finds herself in charge of her father. She takes a job and seems to be putting down roots back home. However, I still kept getting a sense that she was still living the life that she really didn’t want, but isn’t sure what she wants. Does that make sense? We see her almost reset and see her start to become the person who she is supposed to be. I really liked Emma. We have this character who everyone thinks has it all going for her, but we get a sense that she is actually hurting and just needs a break. Not only that, but she wants people to stop telling her who she is and what she is and just wants them to see her. She wants to be seen as a person, not as this label that has been created for her.
The other characters are just as realistic as Emma. However, it was Emma who I really latched onto. I don’t know, but out of all of them, she felt the most real to me. I did enjoy, well, maybe that is the wrong word to use here, Clive. I thought the author handled his mind with extreme grace. He is dying and his mind is really messed up. I thought she did a great job as to showing us a character in this state.

If I had all of these great things to say, then why four stars? I’m going to be honest, it was the ending. I thought the rest of the book was really thought out, realistic, and put together. However, I thought the ending was rushed and just tacked on for the sake of having an ending. I can’t help but to wonder if the book had been longer, if the ending would have worked a little bit better for me.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. If you are looking for a book with characters that feel very real, then I highly encourage you to give this one a go.

This book comes out on April 12, 2022.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/V97bMzRAfFw

A heartwarming, adorable, and unique story. This book lifted my spirits and will stay with me for a long time.
Emma's character is great and you want to root for her all along, Highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. #UnlikelyAnimals #NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book. It’s early in the year, but I know that it will stand out as one of my very favorite books of 2022. The author takes serious subjects like aging and death and handles them with a light touch. The story is fun, quirky, and warm hearted.
Ghosts from the Maple Street Cemetery act as a kind of Greek Chorus telling us the story of the Starling family. The daughter, Emma, is the main character. Emma and her father are delightful characters whom you grow to love. Emma becomes a long term substitute teacher for a fifth grade class of more quirky characters to fill your heart with warmth. I really can’t say enough how much I loved the characters and story in this book.

I loved Rabbit Cake, so I was thrilled to get an advanced ebook copy of Unlikely Animals. This is my honest review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect after having read the author’s previous book and the synopsis for this one. Unlikely Animals is as unique as Rabbit Cake yet completely different. Congratulations to Annie Hartnett! What a talent! I loved this story from start to finish. It was based on some facts with some fiction and some wonderful magical realism. I’ll read anything this author writes and I plan to buy a copy of this on its release date for my bookshelf!