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!

This was really beautiful. It was a slow, gentle book and yet the pacing didn’t drag. The ever so slight whisper of a mystery helped keep my attention. And the characters all grew together in such heartfelt, gorgeous ways.

I just finished Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen and this is my review.

Zoey didn’t know what to expect when the cab pulled up to the apartment her mother had left her after she died. The building, full of South Carolina charm comes with the interesting name of The Dellawisp. Named after the little turquoise birds who reside there.

Zoey yearning to belong, sets out to befriend her neighbors. Charlotte, the girl who is always running away. The chef who isn’t over the loss of his surrogate mother and 2 estranged sisters…. Everyone has their skeletons and they all seem to have a ghost too.

When one of the neighbors dies unexpectedly, Zoey is tasked with cleaning out the apartment and discovers the secrets hidden there. Can all the lost souls, dead and alive, make their way into the light?

This book exceeded my expectations. I found the book delightfully quirky with a hint of magical possibilities that really stretched the imagination on a realistic level. I really enjoyed how all the characters came together and became this little mismatched family. Every single character had something they needed to let go of in their pasts and I loved watching it all unfold.

I loved the setting of mallow island and I wanted to know more. I could just feel the vibe of the island, how it looked and smelled. I actually enjoyed the pace of this read, it wasn’t super fast but just kind of hit it stride and stayed there. It was a novel take to have POV from the ghosts. I actually thought that was kind of clever. Loved the twist at the end too, it was very unexpected and I felt it was a smart way to end the book.

If you are looking for a beautiful women's fiction read with magical realism and a whole lot of love… This has to be your next book!

4.5 stars Thank you to netgalley and St Martin's Press

This book is extremely hard for me to rate, as I have loved and adored so many of Sarah Addison Allen novels in the past...but sadly this one just didn't quite live up to the others for me.

The positives are that the overarching themes send a wonderful message. i.e. Even outsiders can find their "family," even if it's not by blood. That those we love are always watching over us. That it's okay to let go of those we've lost, while still never forgetting or loving them deeply.

The negatives are that I never felt like any of the characters were fully developed. They never quite seemed real or authentic to me, and mostly all of them conveniently had terrible mothers, just in different types of ways. I also didn't feel the "magic" of the magical realism that Allen's books normally have...as the "magic" here were really just ghosts/spirits.

I liked the book, but didn't love it, and aside from the above reasoning, I just can't quite put my finger on truly why that is. If the synopsis peaks your interest, please give it a read, as so many others have loved it!

💭My review🐻
It was my first time reading a book by Sarah Addison Allen and it absolutely didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed it. It was a sad story but so beautiful. I loved all the character's stories and backstories. There is soo many details to this book it was awesome and you can forget the twists and turns ( I said Wow so many times while reading this book). I really enjoyed reading it. I really felt like I was in the story. LOVED IT!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I wish this was a real place because I'd like to live there. Unfortunately, Mallow Island and the Dellawisps, tiny turquoise birds only found on the island, are completely fictional. Otherwise, it would have been my next vacation destination, as it is sunny and beautiful, and I would have loved to explore the small town and sample the marshmallow dishes. Mallow Island is also famous for the author Roscoe Avanger, who wrote one bestseller decades ago and then disappeared from the public eye.

Zoey's mother has died and left her an apartment on the island, which was a surprise. Zoey is very young and is planning on starting college in the fall. She goes to the island intending to clean out her mother's apartment and possibly put it up for sale or rent. Her companion is Pigeon, who is invisible, can fly, and can be confined in a birdcage. Her mother's apartment is in The Dellawisp, a building named after the birds, which are numerous around the building. It is in the shape of a horseshoe and has only a handful of apartments owned by the tenants. The other tenants are sisters who don't get along, a talented henna artist with a past, a chef with a crippled cat, and ghosts.

I loved this book more than I can say and have already re-read it to pick up all the clues I missed before. My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These are my opinions of the book.

✨Book Review✨

Yesterday was publication day for Other Birds and I tried so hard to finish it in time to post. Alas, adult/mother duties overtook my afternoon and I finished yesterday evening.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC of this book.

I’m not typically one for magical realism, but this book was so well done. It’s quote where you understand the title is *chef’s kiss* :

“There are birds, and then there are OTHER birds. Maybe they don’t sing. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe they don’t fit in. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be an other bird than just the same old thing.”

This book is about the residents of a Dellawisp condominium finding themselves while finding each other. It’s beautiful and I especially loved the fact that one character, Zoey, was kinda sorta from Tulsa and had an invisible pigeon.

It was so funny going from Carrie Soto to this book because Carrie’s father’s endearment for her was the Spanish word for pigeon “pichóna” and then Zoey (you guys already know I love this name!) has this pigeon in this book!

This cover is gorgeous and this book was like a warm hug. Read this if you love characters finding themselves, found families and a dabble of magical realism.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
(Round up to 4 for Goodreads)

Sarah Addison Allen has long been one of my favorite writers. I hadn’t read a book of hers in about five years so I was ecstatic to discover the release of Other Birds. It sucked me in on the first page and still hasn’t quite let me go, hours after finishing it. Aside from the hard lives these characters have led, this book is a delight. The characters and setting have so many wonderful details and the plot had two big twists I had no idea were coming (and one that I did see, but that’s okay). I love Pigeon, the ghosts, the Dellawisps, the details of the apartments. I love that Mallow Island has a rich history and such a presence that it’s one of the main characters. I tried to savor it but I also couldn’t put it down. This is a book to fall in love with and get lost in.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you want found family, a supernatural cozy mystery story, and edge-of-fall vibes, pick up this book stat! Other Birds is the story of a group of people who live at The Dellawisp, a small apartment building on an island. Each person has their own baggage that they are dealing with, and through their newest tenant, Zoey, they connect with each other.

I don't want to say too much, because I think going in without knowing much about the story is a great way to read this one. Read this while you're cozied up beside the fire this fall!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC!

Other Birds by Sara Addison Allen is a story about a town, it’s quirky residents, and a reclusive author. It’s about abandonment and how people navigate grief. It’s about writing a new ending to your own story.

There are very few authors that are autobuy for me. There are very few authors that I’m a ‘completist’ of, having read all of their books (at least once). There are even fewer authors I’ll preorder, waiting months (or longer) for their next release. The number of authors that hit all of these are very slim indeed, and Sarah Addison Allen is one.

I believe that words are magical, they matter, they have power. Books quite literally saved my life. There was a time when nothing else made sense, but books did. Sarah Addison Allen’s books found me when I needed magic. They spoke to me in such a deep, hopeful way that’s hard to explain. But that’s how books work.

Fans of her writing know that several years ago she lost both her mother and sister, a loss so profound she needed to tend to her own soul before writing again. Thus the gap between her last book and Other Birds. It’s clear she’s a different writer now, something I appreciate. I think this is an extremely personal book for Sarah Addison Allen.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy, to Netgalley for the digital ARC, and to Goodreads for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I so enjoy Sarah Addison Allen's books. She has a way of turning fantasy into reality. Of making magic "ordinary" and normal. I love that when I read her books, the fantasy aspect doesn't hit you in the face; it's woven so seamlessly that it is just a subtle gift that makes the story sparkle and shine. The Other Birds is just a beautiful little gem of a book. The characters were wonderful - Zoey, Charlotte and Mac all just spoke to me in so many ways, how broken, yet hopeful they all were. I loved how all the little nuances and connections evolved and made themselves known in a quiet an unassuming way - the author let them all play out in time, without hitting the reader over the head with them. It was refreshing to be able to simply lose myself in the beauty of this book without having to work at it - it felt more like I "experienced" this book instead of just reading it. Highly recommend!

I’m such a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen. I’ve been waiting forever for her newest book and this did not disappoint. She’s an amazing storyteller and I could not put this down.

Really enjoyed this book! A large cast of unique characters. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Other Birds but so glad that I had an opportunity to review the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

When you google the location and some other items in the book to find out information, the author has done an excellent job transporting you to another locale. Nicely done.

Adding to my best of 2022 shelf.

I had not realized that another book by Sarah Addison Allen has been on my TBR list, this is my first read by this author (although she has published many books). Once again I thank NetGalley for introducing me to a new-to-me-author.

Other Birds is making me reconsider how I rate books. This one is 5 stars, in the future other books will have a bit of a more difficult time getting to 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Addison Allen (the author) and St. Martin's Press the publisher for this opportunity. Publication date is 8/30/2022.

“If the people around you don’t love or accept you just as you are, find new people. They’re out there.”

Sarah Addison Allen has created something special in her latest book, Other Birds. There’s a quirky cast of characters combined with a touch of magic. The residents of the Dellawisp all have their own baggage, but until they let go of the past, they will never be able to move on.

This is an enchanting story of found family, community, secrets, and comfort food! I loved it, and it was definitely worth the wait! I recommend grabbing a copy now along with a marshmallow treat!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.