This book was not what I expected at all. This book is tagged as "horror," but I don't really think that's true. There is a talking skeleton, yes, but this book is much sadder than it is scary. It kinda gave me Pan's Labyrinth vibes, like in how it could be listed as horror, but the fact that it contains elements of horror doesn't really make it so. I might suggest cataloging this as magical realism or character driven, because this story is mainly about the development of the character Josie. We see that on the surface she is successful, but as the book progresses we get a look at all of the things she's struggling with and how she turns to some rather unhealthy coping mechanisms.
I enjoyed this book okay, but I'm not sure I really understood it, nor did I really get what the author was trying to do. Maybe it just wasn't for me?

I loved it! Just not one of my favorites but still loved it. My opinion I think the author wrote the book really good. I also read this in one sitting because I was hooked. There is a character named Josie, she has a complicated life. And this story is about found family and no matter how crazy it is. She finds skeletons in her back yard. That’s what got me hooked because I’m obsessed with them lol

I still can´t comprehend how did I become THIS invested in this story despite not liking ANY of the characters. I just got grabbed and couldn´t stop reading.
If I decided to look into it, I could point out a lot of flaws. Me being lost in metaphors. Unlikable characters. Strange pacing. Plot that is vague with its goal at best.
And yet I enjoyed the whole ride.

A few pages in, I didn’t think I would even like this book. A few chapters in, I was hooked by the characters’ sarcasm and wit. By the end, I was teeming with love. Without giving spoilers, I feel like while reading this book I had my own moments of introspection, my own heartaches were echoed, my own fears realized. The climax had my eyes blurry with wetness that I determinedly blinked away so I could continue reading.

If I had to give this a genre, it would be contemporary low-fantasy paranormal psychological dramedy. There’s a sour sense of humor pervading Josie’s life. She’s the sardonic standoffish quasi-bitch many of us modelled ourselves as (at one time or another), but her motivations are so human and her hurts are so like our own. Finishing this book feels like I’ve just left an amazing therapy session where I’ve laughed, cried and faced some parts of myself that I’d been hiding under the dust for years.

The author’s writing style is very easy to read, very ‘bare bones’. I don’t mean that it’s simplistic, but instead that the writer has expertly trimmed the story down so that everything that remains is necessary. There’s no filler, no extraneous details – everything within seems relevant and well crafted. I had never read Tiffant Meuret before today but I will certainly be looking for more of her works.

(I received a free copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

This was so fucking weird, I loved it. The ending was a bit twee but everything else was spectacular, particularly the hilarious narrative voice.

This book wasn't at all what I expected! I grew rather fond of the comforting character of Skelly.

As a sarcastic, twenty something home-body with a dog, I immediately found myself drawn to the main character. However it did take me a third of the book to get into the storyline and be gripped by the magic (the plot skews more towards contemporary fiction in the beginning).

It wasn't until the middle third that I started to enjoy Skelly and the magical stories she told. I also liked the dynamic between Josie and her new friend, preferring the fantasy element to the contemporary chapters before it.

However the ending went in a very different direction to the uplifting 'The Magic Library-esque' ending I expected and, without giving too much away, left me feeling a little sad for the life and relationships Josie could've had, had she chosen a different path.

Additionally, keeping things spoiler-free, I found there were some minor details throughout the novel that were left unexplored or unexplained with Josie's neighbours, mother grocery delivery (yes really!) and job that have lodged themselves in my brain without answers.

Whilst it wasn't one of my favorite reads, it had some great one liners. If you're interested in character-driven story with a magical element and are feeling a little introspective, this book might be worth picking up.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting but in a good way. It was odd, eerie and unexpected. It was also sad — Josie who has shut herself away after the breakdown of her marriage and the death of her father, she’s turned to alcohol to cope. But it also had underlying humour to it as well. It was one of those books where I didn’t know what was going on half the time but at the same time, I liked it. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I really liked the cover and was intrigued by the synopsis, but it didn't take me much further than that.

The narrative voice is sarcastic, which matches the main character, Josie. I'm not typically a big fan of this voice for narration to begin with, but the fact that it was largely indistinguishable from the voice of Josie and some of the other characters made it all kind of sound the same. It was hard to differentiate the characters from one another apart from their names and role in the story.

Speaking of the characters, I felt there could have been more development for each of them. Whatever development was there did not really feel believable to me. I think that's in large part because most of it occurs in the final pages of the book.

As far as the plot goes, the book was short enough that there wasn't much opportunity for it to drag on, but there wasn't enough substance there for me to stay happily engaged. The conflict that the Josie endures throughout the book is fairly vague. We know that something strange is happening and that something unknown will happen in a short amount of time—and presumably that unknown thing is bad—but aside from that, it was hard to identify the stakes. Even the protagonist, Josie, was sufficiently confused by the challenge she was facing that she spent a solid portion of the story procrastinating instead of worrying about it.

I think the overall plot of the book is pretty novel, but unfortunately I found it to be underwhelming. Awesome cover though!

2.3/5 stars.

This book was weird in the best way. The whole story was so new and refreshing, it was an absolute pleasure to read. Skelly was my favourite character, and despite her shaky introduction, Sue was okay in the end. Although the ending became predictable towards the end I enjoyed the journey it.. The way the story was written made me keep wanting to pick up the book after putting it down. I felt compelled to finish it.

Just cba. Sorry.

It’s not even many pages long but it doesn’t feel enjoyable to read. There’s something about the way it’s written that I just don’t vibe with.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC of Little Bird. I just finished this book and it will probably take some time to process. I found it magical and very strange at the same time. I think everyone who reads this will take something different from it.

This book had great characters and was generally a good book. Not horror though was a bit too cutesie for that. Decent book though and would recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for providing me and ARC

I really, really liked this book. The story was original, the writing was great, and the characters were interesting.

I can't help but feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness for Josie throughout the book. She's really going through it all.

There were moments I was super annoyed with Josie's antics and how curt she was to Sue, whom I thought was a quite sympathetic character. I think that was the intention though, Josie was depressed, drunk, and lacking direction even with her issues she was still a likeable character

I had a great time reading this book and I will absolutely pick up other books by this author.

Little Bird was strange, quick, and beautiful. The writing flows, the characters are compelling, and despite the weirdness of the story, I could not put it down. It's a unique exploration of grief, loneliness, and self-destruction that hit me harder than I thought a story about strange backyard skeletons would. There's also touches of humor which helps make the story not overwhelmingly heavy.

I loved this book. It is a very unique, character driven story. It will definitely make you feel things, and I enjoy that in a book. The boom is about loss, grief and confronting your demons. I would recommend this, especially to those who are fans of witty dark humor.

Outrageously fun and oddball read -totally LOVED it! When three of the five main characters are a talking and somewhat sarcastic skeleton, rather lively vines, and a cute little Chi named Po - how can you lose. The author does a great job of creating entertaining dialogue while forming a rather intense character study at the same time - and everything comes together in the end. A quick and fun read - you'll read this in a day!

When a skeleton ends up in your backyard and it has stories to tell. It happened to Josie in 'Little Bird'. The strange situation seemed to be a message from faith.

This is a very strange story, and that's softly said. Certain things about this book are confusing. It's categorized as 'horror', yet, there is nothing which hints to a creepy story which is about to make you scared. You will frown during the whole story. Besides, the skeleton is described in such a cute way; that it is harsh to not see it.
I waited and waited, for something to happen. They story is very flat. Josie isn't the nicest character, nor the most interesting one. The first part of the book felt so arrogant. There is nothing to like about Josie due to her pessimistic attitude and horrific behavior.
I liked the idea, the plot and the casual setting; but it wasn't enough to catch my attention and make me warm to read more. It is a quick read and the writing style is fine, but still, it does feel like a struggle to continu. Some scènes were beautifully writing and had amazing quotes to them.

To me, Little Bird felt something like a love letter to grief and depression. It's so easy to get lost in the all consuming darkness that comes with those things, and Josie was just that - lost. Then enters seemingly sentient vines and a skeleton who can communicate with her telepathically and Josie doesn't know how to cope. Her interactions with Skelly, the skeleton, mimic the stages of grief and with these interactions Josie is forced to confront the reality of how she's not coping with things that have happened in her own life. In the end, the message is hopeful. Or at least, it was to me as someone who has suffered with depression and had people I love also suffer from it. This is a hard read. There were times it made me cry and want to put the book away because it made me feel things that were a little too much, but I kept reading and I am so grateful I did. Little Bird is a beautiful story that's a little weird - okay, maybe a lot weird - and very real in a way that will stick with you after you've read the last page.

2 1/2 stars

It's a shame. I think this book had the potential to be grim, scary, and surreal, but the biggest piece missing was a sense of atmosphere. The little things that might've helped us relate to Josie and her surroundings more than just wasting two or more pages on the clients she works with.

The only things I got out of Josie are she loves vodka, has a house that smells like dog shit, and is holding onto trauma that should've been the main focus. But, instead, most of her dialogue equals out to her convincing herself this skeleton isn't real and, yeah, I get it, you want the audience to understand she's freaked out, but you don't have to dedicate most of her character to telling Skully to piss off.

And I really enjoyed Skully. I enjoyed its presence and the stories it told, I loved how sinister it could be, and I wish it were described more as a corpse than a Halloween prop. Unfortunately, I think the ideas for a good spooky novella centered around Skully but were weighed down by everything else in the book. Including juvenile writing that got really distracting at times.

As is, it's not horrible, just a little confused about what it wants to be and, therefore, not for me.

Content Warnings: alcoholism, death, terminal illness (cancer).

Before anything else I'm going to state what I'm sure most people are looking for: the fate of Po, the dog. He does not die.

Now that that is out of the way, I will begin my review. I'd be remiss to not mention the amazing cover art. I love that each of the main characters on page (Josie, Skelly, Po, and Sue) are represented in some way or form.

Meuret's Little Bird is one of those reads that you go in with one idea but get thrown through a loop. Calling this a horror is the main reason I was not expecting the journey I went on. Magical realism, or contemporary supernatural, would have been more fitting as the main genre descriptors used. Or maybe even horror-lite if we must include horror.

Little Bird is about a woman named Josie who is struggling with the loss of her father as well as her alcoholism. One day, in her barren backyard, she discovers something growing. Creepy vines that have a life of its own, and in the midst of it a skeleton... named Skelly. And she talks... and she wants to make a deal.

The introduction of Skelly is where we veer off from horror for me. Meuret describes Skelly as a Halloween prop, and I just can't unsee that. I know Josie is utterly disturbed (I would be as well if a skeleton started talking to me), but I still couldn't wrap my brain around being afraid of her. If anything, the vines are what gave me a chill, not the talking skeleton.

Taking the idea horror out of it, I saw Little Bird as a story of self-discovery and acceptance. I related to Josie. I rooted for her. I wanted to know more about her. The core of this novel takes place in an eight-day span, and it was a pleasure to see how far Josie comes along personally and in the relationships she made with Skelly and Sue. I would recommend this novel for those who are more interested in character driven stories.