3.8 Stars
One Liner: Slow start but good

Marrow Island, on the coast of South Carolina, is more of a tourist destination. However, nestled in its center is Dellawisp, an old building in horseshoe design and secrets from the past.
Zoey goes to Dellawisp to claim her dead mother’s property and continue her education away from an apathetic father and stepmother. She meets-
• Fraiser, the caretaker of the building
• Charlotte, a struggling henna artist
• Mac, a sous chef with secrets
• The Lime sisters, Lizabeth and Lucy (who couldn’t be more contradictory even if tried)
• The Dellawisp birds
• Ghosts waiting for…
Everyone has a story that weighs them down. Everyone has ghosts from the past. But maybe it’s time to write the stories and let go of the past for a better future.
The story comes from the limited third-person POV of the main characters and the first-person POV of a couple of interesting characters. (Yep, too many POVs but each with a distinct voice).

My Observations:
This is my second book by the author, and I like how well she deals with heavy topics. The story could have been melodramatic but reads more like a melancholic narrative.
Having so many POVs and voices is not easy. This book manages it well, even when the POVs change in the middle of a chapter. That said, reading this when distracted can cause confusion. There are quite a lot of voices.
The use of magic realism starts with a promise. How can we not be curious about Pigeon or ghosts? However, a little more of it would have been great. The setting has the potential, but the story skims only the surface.
The same happens with the characters’ backstories too. There are hints of a lot of things (triggers listed at the end), but none are detailed. Though I like books with more depth, this one worked just fine for my current mood. I didn’t want anything too heavy or overwhelming. The characters are a bit stereotypical, which I didn’t mind.
The story doesn’t progress until after 70%. The first chuck is where we collect information and get to know the characters. Max action takes place in the last 15-20%, and it picks up pace. Feels like the book ended too soon. The last chapter made the ending interesting for me.
What I would have liked is an acknowledgment of the cultural heritage of henna. Charlotte is a henna artist, meaning there are too many opportunities to add a couple of lines about henna’s origins. There is one teeny reference, more like an indirect nod. Henna has been a part of Hindu, Islam, and other indigenous cultures (Egypt and Africa, I think). Google can help with more information. It’s not common for a white blond woman to be a henna artist. No issues with it (makes me glad that she likes it as much as we do), but proper acknowledgment would have been appreciated.

To summarize, Other Birds is a mellowed narrative that deals with various topics but doesn’t go deep. It still manages to be emotional in some parts. It will appeal to readers who like a light touch of magic.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
*****
Content Warning: Hints/ mention of pedophilia, child abuse, parental abuse, parental neglect, parental death, romanticized grooming (dunno if I missed any).

This one was nowhere near what I was expecting. Such a wonderful example that it takes more than blood ties to be a family. Our story takes place in Mallow Island, South Carolina and follows 18 year old Zoey who has just moved there from Tulsa the summer before starting college in Charleston. Her mother left her a condo in a community called Dellawisp, named after the birds that occupy the area. A resident passed away soon after Zoey moves in, and the building works it’s magic to get the others together. Along with Zoey, there are multiple perspectives shared from the residents and their ghosts. Yes, I said ghosts. I was both shocked and intrigued to learn of all the unusual happenings surrounding our characters. Everyone that lives in this quirky community is dealing with a loss, love, or friendship in some aspect. I think what I loved the most was that everyone had a story to tell. Magical realism is crafted so effortlessly that I forgot what is fantasy and reality. This is such a beautifully written story about love, friendship, and found family.

Thank you @netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was eager to read 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗗𝗦 by Sarah Addison Allen. I expected I’d enjoy it, but I didn’t realize what a breath of fresh air it would be. My August reading has been a little on the blah side, and I needed something to tweak my reading mojo. Who would have thought that a book full of magical realism, quirky characters, ghosts, and romance would be the ticket?⁣
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The story centers on Zoey, an 18-year old who has come to claim the apartment left to her by her long deceased mother. It’s one of only five units in a very special building on Mallow Island off the coast of Charleston. She’s there for the summer along with her invisible bird, Pigeon. As one might expect, Zoey meets up with the other residents and the building’s manager, all with their own sad stories and some with their own ghosts. Friendships develop, backstories come out, connections are found or grow. It’s a charming little book that left me feeling good and put a big smile on my face. If you’re feeling the need for something a little different, I definitely recommend giving Other Birds a try! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 stars⁣
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Many thanks to @stmartinspress for an electronic ARC of #OtherBirds.

Other Birds is out tomorrow and I could not be more excited for another Sarah Addison Allen @sarahaddisonallen book!
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This is a BOTM choice and it could be an amazing option for many of you. This book looks at the loss of loved ones, and what can happen when one grows up without love. It is beautiful, sad, powerful, heartwarming, and had me tearing up in the last chapter.
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Sarah incorporates magical realism into her stories and like her other books, this story is so unique. Some chapters were in the past, most were present, and some were told by ghosts. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming. The ending I was not expecting, and as the reader, I loved it! I just wish there was an epilogue with a little peek, so I could know how Oliver, Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Lucy, and Frasier (because I’m greedy)…
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I don’t want to say too much, but I do want to say that there are TW’s for this book and it may not be the right time for you. I will include the TW’s in the comments section.
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Sarah lost her mom and sister within a week of each other, and that loss and love came through in this story.
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Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC,

How does SAA always make me cry and have all the fluttering emotions? She has characters that will make you chuckle and ones that will break your heart. I loved every single character (okay well every POV) even the grumpy, slightly unhinged ones. I could feel their life stories pouring off this page and loved how Zoey in her innocence and earnestness brought them all together. I would visit Mallow Island in a heartbeat after these descriptions. I love the subtle magical hints throughout the book (no spoilers) and just how smoothly the story flowed even as it jumped between people and time. I highly recommend this along with all of her books!

I LOVE Sarah Addison Allen's books. I've read them all at least twice, and I've been eagerly awaiting another release from her. My wish was granted with Other Birds!

Other Birds feels a little darker and grittier than Allen's previous books, and it did take me a bit longer to become immersed in the story. Once I was in, though, I was IN. I loved this story of found family and the loved ones who never really leave us. The narrative also had the same surprises and magical touches I've come to expect from her work. I highly recommend it as a magical pick for fall!

Magical realism and Sarah Addison Allen go hand in hand. You are instantly transported into the world she wants you to land. In this book you land into Mallow Island, South Carolina where the air is perfumed with sugary treats, flocks of blue turquoise birds and tenants of luxurious condo units who have mysterious stories.
The beauty of this novel is the underlying connection of family, love and friendships that is formed in the most uncommon way. We all want a flock and we find it when we are not even looking.
I really like Sarah Addison Allen's stories though sometimes it takes a little while to get into the story. It comes together at the end where you are left with a wonderful sensation of togetherness. I give it a 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️

This beautiful book is a reminder that we have the power to choose: who we become, the people we call family, how we see the world, and whether we give ourselves permission and space to heal. Mallow Island, the Dellawisp, and the characters Sarah Addison Allen has created become places and people readers will hold dear, want to visit, and want to know. And you will come to know them through her words. This is the story fans of Allen’s work have been waiting for.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book! It's been awhile since this author has published a book but it has been well worth the wait! I adore Allen's magical realism and her incorporation of food as one means to communicate love and care. Definitely soul healing, emotional, powerful and another must read I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for access to this eARC. Other Birds was a perplexing, inventive story with a lot of heart, a collection of souls adrift, and a threads left unraveled. Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and the truly original setting of magical elements of the book. However, I had a hard time getting truly invested in the characters until around the 70% mark of the book. While the apex of the story was meaningful and well formulated, I found the twists and reveals and changes in the characters perceptions and presentations lacked a certain weight, and some of it almost felt unfinished. While I understand the author’s intention, I wasn’t as moved as I would have liked to be. I do think this author has a wonderfully distinct voice to her writing style, and I am always looking for new magical realism reads. 3.5 Stars.

Other Birds
by Sarah Addison Allen


It’s the summer before Zoey starts college. She has left her father’s home where she has felt less than welcome. In an attempt to connect with family, even if it is just the memory of her long deceased mother, she moves into the apartment where her mother last stayed. Zoey is hopeful to find reminders or mementos of the mother she barely knew. Here she encounters the residents of the Dellawisp Condos who all seem to have their own stories of loss and heartbreak, secrets and ghosts from the past to make peace with. This is a book about second chances, and “Second chances are not to be wasted.

In Other Birds, Sarah Addison Allen has wowed me once again. Her characters are written with such pathos and gentleness that she makes it easy to understand the basic humanity of even the most unlikable of characters. With comfort and ease, her words soar from the page and into the reader’s heart. Though the tone is wistful and a bit melocholy, she loses none of her signature magic and charm.


Many thanks to @SarahAddisonAllen, @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for the opportunity to read this advance digital copy.

I am a huge fan of all of her work and was shook excited to receive an ARC.

The book did feel like it had a bit of a slow start and didn't really pick up until about halfway through. The little bits of magic didn't feel as endearing or magical as they have in her other books.

I did really love the characters and the development was great.

The storyline over all was one that had great twists and things I didn't see coming.

Over all it was a wonderful book but for me didn't have the same level of charm or magic woven through out as her previous novels.

I've been a fan of Sarah Addison Allen for a long time, though it has been years since I've read one of her books. Other Birds was just as magical and fantastical as I remember her writing as being. She writes with such beauty and whimsy, and I absolutely devour her books. She really evokes magic in her writing, and I'm always enchanted by the worlds she creates. Her books also always make me hungry, and Other Birds was no exception. I definitely want to try out Mac's cooking and Zoey's potato chip sandwiches. I could practically smell the scent of marshmallows and sugar floating on the air, and I felt like I was right there on Mallow Island. I also love the characters that Allen creates, especially Otis and Pigeon. I can't wait to see what magical world Allen creates next

A young woman returns to the place her mother once called home to claim it for herself. She meets new friends and learns to navigate the past while also looking to the future. Author Sarah Allen Addison makes simplicity the forefront of her excellent new release Other Birds.

When Zoey Hennessey walks into The Dellawisp on Mallow Island, South Carolina, she doesn’t know quite what to think. Her mother, Paloma, always talked about the Dellawisp as if it was an essential part of who she was. But how can a little collection of condos tucked at the end of an almost-hidden alley be so essential?

Despite her misgivings, Zoey isn’t deterred. If her mother made the Dellawisp home, so can Zoey. And when she meets the manager of the hotel, Frasier, it seems like it’ll be easy enough to move right in. That’s more than she can say for the home she’s left behind where her father doesn’t have time for her and her stepmother thinks of her as a burden.

Life in South Carolina is supposed to be quiet but the night Zoey arrives, Lizbeth, one of the long-time residents of the Dellawisp, dies. Lizbeth’s sister, Lucy, also lives at the Dellawisp, although no one has seen her in ages. Eager to help the people in her new home, Zoey agrees to clean out Lizbeth’s condo and discovers the sad truth of Lizbeth’s hoarding ways. Rather than be deterred by all the stuff, Zoey takes it as a challenge and a way to help Lizbeth forge a bond with her absent son Oliver, even if Lizbeth is no longer around and Oliver lives in California now.

The residents of the other condos don’t quite know what to make of Zoey. Charlotte has been on the run for a long time, and it seems like Zoey could become a friend. However, Charlotte’s got problems of her own. She lost her spot in the large artists’ collective in town where she had a booth to apply henna for tourists. Then someone steals most of her earnings.

As much as Charlotte is charmed by Zoey’s wide-eyed look at life, she’s afraid she’s going to have to pack up soon and leave again. Zoey convinces her to stay and earn a little extra cash by helping her clean out Lizbeth’s condo. As the young women work side by side, they begin a tentative friendship.

Mac, head chef at one of the best restaurants in town, also lives at the Dellawisp. He’s had feelings for Charlotte since the first time he saw her, but he’s also nursing a broken heart of his own. How can he let someone new in when he’s having so much trouble letting go of someone dear to him? Even if Mac could let go, there’s the little matter of a ghost who won’t leave him alone.

Zoey, Mac, and Charlotte learn what it means to deal with their ghosts—literal and metaphorical—as they try to figure out some of Lizbeth’s secrets and why everything keeps tying back to a local author who put Mallow Island on the map with a novel he wrote decades earlier. Zoey suspects there’s more going on below the surface. What she learns will give everyone at the Dellawisp something they need more of: love.

Author Sarah Allen Addison delivers a simple story with a huge heart. Readers will find themselves charmed by Zoey’s positive outlook on life, even though any malice she could have had would have been completely justified. Her naivete is refreshing and will remind readers that sometimes taking care of the little things means the bigger things take care of themselves.

The elements of magical realism in the book work seamlessly into the narrative and enhance the small-town feel of the story. Addison treats each of her characters with care, building a deep back story for all of them that feels both real and idyllic all at the same time. In trying to balance those two characteristics, some authors might tip the scales heavily in one direction or the other. Addison keeps both level on every single page, making the book memorable and charming.

For those looking for a simple story with deep emotions and a memorable setting, readers will definitely want to add this to their TBR lists.

“ I go now to settle in a place where there is always happiness. But how can I be happy when my soul still needs to fly?“

This BOOK though! It was a giant warm hug and I devoured it. It was so charming and magical, with just such a fantastic story.

I loved this so much.

Magical, emotional, and charming are 3 words I’d use to describe Other Birds. Sarah Addison Allen is back with a tale of magical realism where birds play an important role - those we see and those we don’t.

“Birds are supposed to be messengers between heaven and earth”.

I wasn’t expecting the tears and emotions that were brought up while reading this. It felt like both a goodbye and a new beginning. Hope and loss. Love in all it’s forms. I was left feeling comforted that even when those we love aren’t with us, their love remains. This wasn’t a sad book, but there are elements that will resonate with those who have experienced loss in their lives.

Thank you to St Martins for an early copy. If you enjoy magical realism and found family, then this is a book for you.

Sarah Addison Allen has been one of my favorite authors for a long time, so I was delighted to receive this arc of Other Birds. It was absolutely amazing. The characters were all so quirky, unique, and perfectly imperfect. Zoey, Charlotte, Oliver and Mac are all people I would love to meet - I think they would make life a much better thing.

I especially loved the perspectives of all of the various ghosts. It added an entirely different dimension to the story.

So glad the author is back!!

I was enthralled from the very beginning and it continued to take me on a whimsical journey. And when I got to the part where the title was mentioned, I made an audible "aww" and smiled. This book was a cozy, fun read and I really enjoyed it. Loved the multiple perspectives too.

There are very few authors about whom I can say that I've read all of their books, but Sarah Addison Allen is one of them. I love her sweet tales of magic in real life and Other Birds does not disappoint. First, we meet Zoey, freshly graduated from high school, she is spending the summer before college hoping to learn more about her mother who died when Zoey was a child. She has moved into her mother's condo on Mallow Island off the coast of South Carolina, more than a thousand miles away from where she was raised in Oklahoma. The small condo community is populated with a strange cast of characters that include a hermit, an award-winning chef, a henna artist, and a mean old busy body who gets angry when people make any noise at all. Zoey is determined to get to know her new neighbors, but when one of them suddenly passes away, it changes the entire dynamic of the group.

Also part of this tiny little community is a reclusive author no one has seen for years, tiny birds named Dellawisps that rule the roost, an invisible pigeon, and several ghosts. The magic isn't as prominent in this book as it has been in some of Allen's other novels, but it was still a fun element that gives the reader a little break from the real world. I am a big fan of this author, and I will always auto-preorder anything she releases. I hope she continues to write for many years to come.

Ghosts, birds, invisible birds, secrets, old wounds, new starts, found family. This book is so full of seemingly small things that combine to make a powerhouse of a story. And as each secret is revealed a new layer of understanding and appreciate is created for the characters that inhabit the Dellawisp, a small cluster of 5 small homes on Mallow Island. The domino of events begins when Zoey moves in to her deceased mother's home for the summer before college. I loved her naïve positivity and how it impacted those around her. Despite some more serious subjects, the story kept this uplifting positive view throughout making for a small cast of very loveable characters: human, bird, and ghost. Really the only thing I can find to dislike about this book was the lack of recipes for the amazing sounding food Mac created. I think I can figure out the potato chip sandwiches on my own!