Oh my sentimental little heart was going to love this book no matter what was in the pages, but wow I did not expect this beautiful, unconventional story. I love Sarah Addison Allen, I've been reading her books with my family since I was in high school, with my grandma giving me my first one, and then continuing to facilitate my love of her by sharing her books with my aunt and my cousins. We all love her books, they feel like home, especially with their lush locations and the realistic magic. The peaches that grow, the love that blooms, and in the case of Other Birds, the birds that carry the past in them. I literally tear up thinking about how much this book meant to me, especially with my Grandma now passed and my own unconventional family.

Unrelated to my own personal ties, Other Birds is a stunning release from Sarah Addison Allen, one that I have long awaited and one that is distinctly different than her previous releases. While we've read the love stories and the magic of that love, Other Birds follows the outcasts, the left behinds, the runners. It's not so much about the unloved, but rather, those who have yet to learn how to love and be themselves, who don't know how to accept that loneliness is part of life. It's a magical, woven story with unique characters, with equally unique journeys, who are all at the same place at the same time and there's a reason for it. The Dellawisp is unassuming, it's residents even more so, but the birds that live in its trees hold their stories and when Zoey arrives to take over her mother's condo, it's time for the birds to let those stories be told.

Other Birds feels like a story about the people who feel like misfits, but who truly fit in just as they are, it's a matter of them discovering those qualities in themselves are the very best parts of them. It's their unique stories, from wilting to blossoming, that make them special and it takes others who know that same experience to appreciate it. It's the small parts of their stories that are all connected, that truly is magical, even more so than the birds that keep causing messes. It's beautifully written, each character's voice is distinct, and it's the kind of story I don't think one can ever forget. It's a book I know I'll return it and I think others will too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC
Another ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ book by Sarah Addison Allen.
Highly recommend...

Sarah Addison Allen has done it again. Other Birds was a story with lovably quirky characters, all coming together in a beautiful place with a few ghosts thrown in for good measure. Our lives are all just a story waiting to be written. I love reading her books and Other Birds was no exception. I can't wait to read more from Sarah Addison Allen!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I rarely re-read books in ARC form (I wait until I have the final copy in hand), but I re-read this one. I’ve been waiting for a new story from Sarah Addison Allen because I found her earlier books beautiful, evocative, and soothing. Other Birds is all that and more.

The thread of mothers and daughters that winds through this tale is what hooked me, I think. Allen gives us a flawed protagonist striking out on her own for the first time and trying to learn more about the mother she doesn’t remember. She begins her new life in a place her mother loved, where she encounters other sorts of mothers and daughters and sons, all with complicated maternal relationships.

Allen weaves a rich and gentle story about ordinary people living seemingly ordinary lives, who are touched by magic for just a little while. The stories and their many pathways circle around, duck under, and weave back in to create a bubble of a world that is full of love, love, regret, and hope.

One of the best of the year.

You know those knick knacks that you find around your grandmother’s house? Old and beautiful and oddly comforting? This book felt like that. At times it felt a little slow, but by the end I couldn’t stop reading. The way the author writes made this story feel extra whimsical and lighthearted. Five out of five stars.

Zoey just left her old home in the midwest to start college at a small island off the coast of South Carolina, Mallow Island. The town is named for the tremendous confectionery trade that once thrived there, with businesses still boasting its flavors, and old buildings painted pastel colors. She moves into a very small complex into a place her long ago passed-on Cuban mother once lived in with her as a tiny baby. She hopes to learn more about her mother there, and hopes that her invisible bird will get along with the current courtyard birds, the blue dellawisps.
There are other strange residents inhabiting the Dellawisp Condos, including a couple ghosts.
The building was bought by a man notorious in the town for writing one great bestselling novel about the island and its colorful history, then an odd little book about the dellawisps, then he became a recluse hiding in his mansion that visitors like to catch glimpses of on tours.
One of the other condo residents is a young woman who does henna for a living, running from her tragic, cultish childhood in Vermont. There’s a man who wakes up with cornmeal sprinkled on him every morning. A reclusive older lady who watches everyone from her windows, and her attention-seeking, histrionic sister. As Zoey seeks to learn about her own past, she also learns those of the Dellawisp residents and of the island itself, with its pink sunrises and artists’ center, and a restaurant that elevates Southern cooking into unimaginable gourmet concoctions.
Other Birds is absolutely consuming magical realism. This book is full of strangeness, mysteries, and the undiscouraged hope of youth. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will love this more than anything else she’s written before, and be hard pressed to put the book down as they learn the beauty of being an “other bird” in this engrossing, fun story.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect that of the author or publisher.

In this quirky, yet lovely story, Ms. Addison creates multiple endearing characters with seemingly nothing in common, then weaves a subtle thread that links each together. The hardships of life and how we react to them is explored in such a beautiful way that the reader barely recognizes the lessons but still benefits from the moral.

All this is done in a such a creative way, as well! Everything revolves around a quaintly refurbished, five home condominium set on the touristy Mallow Island. The cast of characters range from the young teenager just starting college, to a run-away trying to stay afloat, to a lonely but kind chef and the reclusive famous author. Add in a bitter and paranoid woman and her drug-addicted broken sister, along with just a hint of ghosts and one is set for an absolutely endearing and enlightening experience!

This isn’t a story that will grab a reader and never let go, however. It is more one that can be thoroughly enjoyed,, yet easily put aside when needed. It is perfect as a story to relax and read when one just needs a break or before bed to indulge in, then happily fall asleep with!

The Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite books that I’ve read so far in 2022. I was swept up in the story and will be recommending this book to everyone! Magical and Perfect!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Other Birds was a fantastic, welcome surprise to my reading repertoire.

Every character has a backstory – something they’re trying to outrun or forget. Throw in some magical realism and a touch of found family, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a deeply engaging, thought-provoking read.

With twists and turns, I was utterly spellbound by this story, the characters, and what transpired.

“Stories aren’t fiction. Stories are fabric. They’re the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them.”

I highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a read! Other Birds is definitely a favorite of 2022 for me!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

When you've had an invisible pigeon as your dearest friend your entire life, anything is possible.

In this wonderful book of magical realism, Sarah Addison Allen explores the ties of family, the thin veil that meanders between the world of dreams and the world beneath our feet, and the impact out choices have on those we love.

Zoey arrives on Mallow Island with a heart full of hope. She's here to immerse herself in its tranquility and find memories of her mother. What she finds instead is a cast of misfits living in disjointed harmony. When the tenuous peace of the resort is upset by an unexpected death, Zoey unexpectedly becomes part of the mystery and obscurity that colored the life of one of the residents.

Zoey is tasked with both cleaning up and untangling the threads of the woman's life. She comes to understand the woman's obsession, peculiarity and neurosis. She is pulled into the intricate details of the lives of her neighbors, and reaches out to the deceased resident's estranged son in an attempt to mend bridges.

This book has several narrators, but they do not detract from the power of the story. Instead, they enrich it and add layers of understanding for the reader.

I received a galley of this book in return for an honest review. Another awesome book by Ms. Allen. I loved the interweaving of the stories of the characters and the different themes. The characters are all haunted in many ways It is also a.story of love and connection. The development of plot and character and the ending were satisfying. Complex and heartwarming it was a good read and worth the time. I recommend it

✨Book Review✨

🐦 I absolutely love magical realism stories and this book did not disappoint.

🐦 I love how genuine this story felt. This is a story about everyday people living their lives and dealing with their pasts. The characters feel like people you would know… people you would be friends with. And, yes, it is a ghost story, but not a scary one. This story is full of hope and love from page one.

🐦 I love how food symbolized love in the book.

🐦 This is an awesome found family story! I love that trope and this one was exceptional.

🐦 Every single character in this story deserves their own book. Even the ghosts. I’m not kidding! I would be first in line to read a full backstory for any of the characters in this book if the author wrote them! *Hint hint*

🐦 While I didn’t want the story to end, I did find the conclusion to be very satisfying. I will even admit that I had a tear or two as I turned the last page.

🐦 Amazing writing, genuine story, completely engaging, and an ideal example of magical realism IMO. I’ve never read this author before, but I will definitely be reading more now.

Thank you @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This was a beautiful book, with a touch of magical realism, which I love. Every character in this book was unique and I loved how everyone's stories tied together and how this random crowd of people found solace in each other. The birds and how they tied into the story was just such a beautiful addition and truly felt magical. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC title. This one fell really flat for me and I really struggled to finish it. The story was choppy and hard to follow. The characters were so boring I could barely focus as I read. I’m not even entirely sure what I just read.

✨ Review ✨ Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

I adored this beautiful little book by Allen -- it's a story of found family and magical realism and stories and pasts and futures.

The book follows Zoey, a 19-year-old who moves into her dead mom's apartment on Mallow Island, a tourist island in South Carolina know for it's marshmallows, sweets, and Southern charm. The small apartment complex is surrounded by little turquoise birds called dellawisps that hate outsiders and love hoarding stolen items.

Zoey befriends the tenants of the magical little apartment complex and increasingly we see the perspectives of tenants like Mac, a chef specializing in cornmeal, Charlotte, a henna artist, and Frasier, the building manager. I love how the book gradually expanded its POVs, showing us the ghosts that haunt each of the residents. Allen gracefully unravels their stories like a ball of yarn and shows us that they're all beautiful in their quirks.

As bonds grow between the residents, the story brings in magic not only in the ghosts that surround the residents, but also a magic of hope and possibility, as we can see possible new futures for each of them. The book is short and brimming with warmth, and perfect for a crisp fall read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: magical realism, literary fiction
Location: Mallow Island, South Carolina
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ found family
⭕️ magical realism & ghosts
⭕️ stories about the insiders in tourist places
⭕️ adorable, naughty little birds

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

It has been way to long since we were blessed with a book from Sarah Addison Allen but the wait was totally worth it! Other Birds was just the story I needed from her right now.

Zoey drops herself right in the middle of a bunch of oldball, quirky neighbors at her deceased mother's condo. From the very first line, I knew this was going to be a magical trip through the lives of some amazing characters. I loved all of them and was fascinated to discover all of the secrets they were keeping while watching how they all came to mesh with each other.

If you are a lover of magical realism like I am, you're going to love this story that allows you to escape your life for a bit to enjoy some love, friendship, quirkiness, and a few ghosts. I highly recommend Other Birds! I loved it!

I really do hate to be Negative Nelly, but Other Birds lacked the magical spark contained in her past novels. The magical realism aspect was there, albeit in a diminished state and wasn't fully threaded through the tale as a whole. The setting was honestly the most charming aspect of the whole thing: the Dellawisp, named after the magical turquoise-colored birds that reside there. The residents of the Dellawisp all possess their own secrets, but I found myself less intrigued with the residents that I think I was meant to be. I am glad to see more SAA in the world, in spite of my personal feelings of this novel, because I'm happy that she was finally able to find her way back to writing.

Magical realism is not usually my favourite type of books, but I enjoyed this one! It’s the first book I read by Sarah Addison Allen, didn’t have much expectation but I think I’ll definitely read more books by her! Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC :)

There’s just something about a Sarah Addison Allen story…

The first time a read a story about Sarah Addison Allen I was spellbound! It is hard to describe her stories. Heartwarming? For sure!

Other Birds is a story about acceptance and love. I love the characters and the setting! If you are looking for a light story that is heartwarming and satisfying, then look no further.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book!

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Other Birds
AUTHOR: Sarah Addison Allen
FORMAT: Physical
GENRE: Magical Realism
DID I CRY: No
PUB DATE: 8/30/22
RATING: 4/10
2 stars

Thank you stmartinspress for my #gifted advanced copy of OTHER BIRDS, out 8/30!

MY THOUGHTS

Hmph. I was super excited to pick this book up because the early ratings were so high & it had rave reviews, but unfortunately this one didn’t quite work for me.

I love magical realism. I’m always fascinated by the ways the author is going to twist reality to enhance the plot. In this case, the plot definitely was made better by the magical realism components. I also enjoyed that this book was character-driven. The writing was pretty good in the sense that it flowed nicely from one POV to another. The themes of this book also were nicely done. Loss and grief were portrayed in a really beautiful way and the author did a nice job of wrapping that up in the end.

My qualms… well I was bored. I actually DNF this book at around 60% or so, but I had taken this picture before that and I loved the picture so I forced myself to pick the book back up. It’s nice when a book is character-driven, but not when the characters are dry and uninteresting. They were all quirky which I enjoyed, but I just found that there wasn’t a single POV I enjoyed. And while the ending was better than the first two-thirds of the book, it felt like reading an entirely separate book. It had action & fighting & was just out of control.