This is my first trip into the genre of magical realism. I'm not sure that this genre is for me. I do love a good ghost story but some of the book was just a little out there for me. Don't get me wrong, It's not a bad book at all. Just not for me.

After losing her mother, Zoe moves to the condo her mom left her. A very eclectic group of people live there. They all had someone wonderful that influenced their lives but are no longer a part of it.
A story of moving on, loss, finding ones self, friendship and love.

There are heartwarming moments and heartbreaking ones too.

There were a lot of characters in this story and a little hard to keep track of at times.

Please don't let my opinions stop you from reading this one if this is a genre you enjoy. Many others have loved this book much more than I.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

This is the kind of book that you want to hug when you finish. A truly heart-warming story with magical realism woven throughout. It’s filled with hope and uplifting (although I did need some tissues at the end). The ghost perspectives were some of my favorite parts of the story. Such a sweet, hopeful book- especially if you’re in the stages of grief where you feel like you’ve mostly moved on but still just can’t let go (like me).

My only teeny-tiny annoyance was that at times it felt like Zoey was a pre-teen instead of an 18-19 year old, but it wasn’t so bad that it ruined the story.

Highly recommend giving this a read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Other Birds" and all opinions expressed are my own. I love magical realism books! I have read other books by this author, quite a while ago though. I was excited to read this one! The characters were great and loved the story! If I didn't have so many other books to read I would read this one again. Beautiful story.

I don't always know what to think of stories that deal with magical realism but this one is a winner for me. The Dellawisps are the tiny turquoise birds that the five unit, well hidden, apartment building in Mallow Island, South Carolina, is named after. This birds inhabit the courtyard garden of the apartment complex, and they can be found around and on the apartment manager, Frasier, too. These little birds seem to have a lot to say, strong opinions about everything, and are every bit as scary, for some folks, as they are tiny.

Nineteen-year old Zoey has just arrived at the apartment complex so that she can inhabit her late mother's studio apartment. Her mother died when she was seven, and she's lived a lonely life since that time. Her father, who is wealthy, wanted little to do with her even though she lived in his home, and neither did the woman he married after Zoey's mom's death. It was as if her dad, stepmother, and her two step-siblings were waiting for her to finally move out of their house so they could really be a family without her intrusion into their lives.

All the residents and the manager of the property have hurts and longings that keep them from living their lives fully. They are lonely and sad and try to hide these feelings, but instead they wear them like a cloak they can't take off. One resident, an intrusive, angry, bitter lady, dies as soon as Zoey moves in, and she can't help being interested in this woman. Frasier asks Zoey to go through her apartment to find some missing papers and to clean up the hoarded mess of this woman. Another neighbor, Charlotte, helps Zoey, and despite Charlotte's fear of befriending and trusting anyone, these women become close. And there is the big, redheaded chef, Mac, who has his own problems and secrets. Another resident is Lucy, the dead woman's sister, who is so reclusive that Zoey never sees her because the woman won't leave her apartment during the light of day.

This is such a sweet story, as these people come together and learn to give and learn to love. So much more makes a family than just blood ties. There is so much more to belonging than having the same last name as others. And just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist or isn't real. This story brought such a smile to my face, and I loved all the birds, including the invisible pigeon named Pigeon.

Where the Crawdads Sing meets Casper in this southern coming of age story set on a Carolina island with a history of wealth and poverty. All the characters in this story have suffered various levels of neglect and abuse and they find themselves as misfits together resolving complicated family histories and saving each other.

I struggle with the likelihood of stories like these, as I’m a bit of a concrete thinker. But if ghosts, saviors and happy endings with a little romance are appealing, this story just might be for you.

I received an ARC of this book.

A wonderful novel about love, loss and the family we make. Zoey's mom died when she was very young bur now she's 19 and taking her inheritance- a condo on Mallow Island, the place her mom was so happy. Her neighbor Lizbeth, a hoarder, is killed by a falling bookcase right after she arrives and Frasier, who manages things, hires Zoey to sort through Lizbeth's boxes . Charlotte, a henna artist who is hiding from something, pitches in and the two of them befriend Mac, a shy and talented chef. But what about Lucy, Lizbeth's sister? And Oliver, her son, who has moved to California? Everyone has their own story and everyone has their own secrets and ghosts. Yes there's magical realism - Zoey has Pigeon, an invisible bird, among other things- but that's only a minor part of the story (although I am going to buy a witch ball). A lot happens over the course of this summer before Zoey heads to college. This never gets saccharine or twee or over the top. Allen has created indelible characters, all of whom will eventually come together. It's a gentle and well told - and it made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I very much enjoyed this.

Summary:
A group of people all living in the same condo complex have more than their living arrangements in common. All of them have had their lives blessed by a loving person who changed their lives for the better. And all of them have lost that source of love, but have forged on. Here is the story of how unconditional love can come from anywhere, change your life and heart, and stay with you long after it has physically left your life.

Let me just say that I am so happy Sarah Addison Allen has brought another book to the world of readers who have missed her work. It's been a handful of years since her last book and I, for one, have missed her storytelling. She has been a beloved author to me ever since she captivated the world with Garden Spells. Welcome back! You have been missed.

Other Birds is all about grief and the different ways it can present itself. The characters within this story have all experienced sad, lonely and heartbreaking pasts. And they were all touched by someone who came into their lives with the unconditional love they never knew they needed. And they've all lost that said love one. However, several of them still have lingering traces of them in their lives.

Zoe has recently graduated high school and is waiting to start college. She has moved into her mother's old condominium after leaving her father's house. Within his house, she always felt like an intrusion and as if they were ready for her to leave. Always the outsider to the life he now has with his wife and her children. She was lonely and her world was tiny. Just her and Pigeon, her pet bird that is invisible to everyone- but her.

Lisbeth is the neighbor haunted by the compulsion of her mental illness. As the book unfolds, you get her perspective and you see her world through it's distorted lens. The day after Zoey moves in, Lisbeth is found dead. It doesn't take long for you to get a glimpse into her world of saving any and every piece of paper with writing on it. Boxes upon boxes are stacked in her apartment. Her compulsion had run unchecked. As the story progresses you get her perspective on how her life ended up so isolated.

Mac wasn't always the talented chef her is now. In fact, he came from nothing. He was the poorest of the poor in his neighborhood. Until an elderly neighbor takes him in and gives him the love and life he never knew could exist. She teaches him how to cook and he goes on to make a name for himself with her favorite ingredient as his inspiration: cornmeal. Now, every morning, he wakes up covered in cornmeal.

Charlotte is running from her past. After losing her best friend to an illness that was never treated, she leaves the cult her family had been in. However, she takes something with her that always has her looking over her shoulder and never staying in one place too long. Until now. Loving her life as a Henna artist, Charlotte doesn't want to leave.

Lucy is Lisbeth's sister. You learn about their dynamic and the heartbreak both sisters endured. You'll read how both lives were forever haunted by their pasts.

Lastly, you have the condo manager, Frasier. The man overseeing the complex and the residents. He knows them all and has a few surprises up his sleeve as to how he knows some of them.

I have to say, I had a hard time getting into this story. I wasn't enraptured with this book as I was with her previous ones. However, I think that's mostly because I wasn't able to relate to the characters. This book is aimed for those who are mourning someone they dearly loved. While I've lost loved ones, I've been able to accept the loss and carry them with me. I've been able to let them go. Other Birds is a love story to those people who love a lost soul so much that they change the person for the better. It's an ode to the people you love dearly, but had to say goodbye to- ready or not.

This book was beautiful, but heavy in ways I wasn't expecting. Sarah still tells a mystical, whimsical story, but it wasn't a feel good one. I wasn't charmed by the story like I thought I would be. But, maybe that wasn't the point of the book. Love and loss aren't always done in the ways we're ok with. Some readers are going to relate to everything within this story. Others may not. There are plot twists I didn't see coming. While I didn't love this book, I'm glad I read it.

On the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, there is a hidden gem.... an apartment building called The Dellawisp. It is named after the tiny turquoise birds that reside there, and they are just as magical as the place itself. There are only 5 apartments at The Dellawisp, and five people who all are in need of healing. Mac, a chef who cooks comfort food but finds no comfort in the food he fixes for himself. Lucy & Lizbeth Lime, sisters who have apartments on opposite sides of the courtyard, yet never speak to each other. Charlotte is a henna artist who never stays anywhere very long, and doesn't want to admit to herself what it is she is running from. Then there is Zoey, who has inherited her mother's apartment, and has come to stay in it for the summer before she starts college in the fall. She has spent her entire life feeling unloved and unwelcome by her father, her stepmother and the kids from her previous marriage. Her stepmother couldn't wait for Zoey to hurry up and move out so she could turn Zoey's room into a craft room. Right after Zoey gets there, Lizbeth dies in a tragic accident. Once Lizbeth's toxic energy is gone, the mood around The Dellawisp becomes lighter, and Zoey becomes determined to befriend the remaining residents,, and maybe even make them the family she never felt she had.
This book was both whimsical and magical. There were ghosts of past residents & ghosts of loved ones of the current residents, there was Zoey's invisible bird, Pigeon, and there were the witch's balls that Charlotte hung everywhere and kept giving everyone that kept mysteriously breaking. There were heartwarming moments with new friendships being formed and love in the air. This book shows how family is not just who you are tied to by blood, but can also be forged by friendship, and mutual love and respect. I loved seeing all of the residents find healing from their past traumas, and the ghosts from their pasts being able to move on. This delightful book is one that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen is about Zoey who has come to Mallow Island to learn more about her deceased mothers' past. Zoey will be starting college in Charleston, but she moves to a nearby Island over the summer to see if she can learn more about the time her mother spent on the island. When the woman in the next apartment is found dead, she bands together with her neighbors to figure out the strange occurances that are happening in the area.
This was cute and sweet, but it felt like there were too many characters to really get to know any of them. I also wish that there was more of the magical realism so it wouldn't feel so forced.

I was a late convert to @sarahaddisonallen books. I had just run through all of them and was despairing!

Releasing August 30th is her newest title, OTHER BIRDS by @stmartinspress. I love Allen's ability to blend just the right amount of sweetness to make this a light and touching read with the perfect amount of sass and snark to keep it from being too sugary.

18 year old Zoe has moved into the condo her late mother left her in the Dellawisp community on a South Carolina island. She's determined to befriend her aloof neighbors, a task that they don't always make easy for her. After the surprising death of a particularly cranky resident, the neighbors pull together to help battle each other's ghosts - both real and imagined.

You guys, this is a definite thumbs up. Bookstore, library, wherever you get books, snag this one and you will not be disappointed. If you're new to Sarah Addison Allen, just plan on reading alllllll her past books. You won't be sorry.

Thanks to @netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

OTHER BIRDS is a unique, powerful, and uplifting story written by the incomparable Sarah Addison Allen. Effortlessly twining magic with hard scrabble lives shaped by determination, good luck, and helpful assists from loved ones, ghosts, and kind people, this story is centered on a small, contained apartment complex located on Mallow Island. Through different points of view, Allen tells the story of what happens when a small group of new friends let go of the past and embrace the present and one another in friendship, love, and community. Highly recommended as a read you will not forget that will have you considering a visit to an island like this one. I was given an early reader copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I haven't read a book by this author in quite a few years. She was originally brought to my attention as being compared to Alice Hoffman, who is one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed her older books, but did not really think she was comparable to Alice. In this book, Other Birds, I see the comparison. This book was exactly what I needed and I am so thankful to my Goodreads and Bookstagram friends and their reviews because this book wasn’t even on my radar!

Zoey, almost 19, has just moved from Tulsa, OK to Mallow Island, on the coast of South Carolina. She shows up with an empty bird cage and everything she owns to live in the condo her mother left to her when she died and will be staying until she starts school in the Fall in Charleston. She's immediately mesmerized by the beauty of the island and it’s unusual birds, the Dellawisps, small turquoise birds. Zoey loves the beauty of the condo but was hoping to find some signs of her mother, Paloma, there, but she does not.

I loved the theme of "found family," and how the author united a small and disparate cast of characters who have struggled throughout their lives to feel loved. Each character had a unique voice and an interesting story. I cared for each one of them and enjoyed seeing how their narratives unfolded. There is a troubled, reclusive author, two estranged sisters who share a secret past, a henna artist on the run from something or someone, an amazing, lonesome chef and eventually a troubled young man who will return home. There are, of course, also a few ghosts because this author is known for her addition of magical realism.

I loved this book. Sarah Addison Allen has shown true growth and maturity in her writing and I bet it only gets better and better from here!

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen was a beautifully written story of a girl trying to move on with life after the death of her mother. The book had it's mystical characteristics which the author is known for but the characters are well developed and you can't help but falling in love with them. I would definitely recommend this book but know in advance it is heavy and may take some time to read and let it sink it.

Not usually a book quote gal, but this one spoke to me: "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."

I always enjoys this author and the magical and mystical touches her books bring. It has been quite a while since I read one, and I was excited to see this one!

Zoey arrives at The Dellaswisp to claim a place that was special to her mother who has passed. Zoey's father and stepmother have a new family and a new life, and she is searching for her place in the world.

The Dellawisps themselves (birds who have taken up residence) - I could almost feel them around me. Then there are the other residents - the apartment manage, who may or may not be what he seems; a quirky girl on the run; a chef whose food comforts everyone but him; and two estranged sisters. Zoey's invisible bird, Pigeon, is there as well. Oh, and the ghosts. Each of them, ghosts included, lost in their own way and struggling to find their path.

It was a story of found family. Family not having to be a blood relation. And how important connections are to others. These characters are real and relatable. All are broken in some way, trying to heal and find new beginnings. They suffer loss. There are misunderstandings. I felt I knew these characters and was invested! When a tragedy occurs at Dellawisp, they all come together and a new kind of family is formed.

I loved the reveal of who Pigeon is! I adored all the comfort food descriptions. And as always, the magical realism.

This book was just delightful to me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a little mystical, but you really learned to love the characters. It was about a girl trying to find her way after her mother died. I really thought It was a cute read!

Charming, spellbinding, and entertaining!

Some books come along once in a blue moon that you want to climb in the pages with the characters, visit with them, hang out in their quaint setting and just be for a while.

Sarah Addison Allen's OTHER BIRDS is one of those enchanting, memorable, and magical books. Everyday magic awaits to be discovered in the unlikeliest places.

I have adored Sarah Addison Allen's books since her debut and every one since. Each book features unforgettable characters, and OTHER BIRDS is one of my favorites.

The author herself has experienced grief and hardship from cancer to the most recent passing of her mother and sister. Her author's note is heart-rendering and makes you want to reach out and hug her for sharing this beautiful story with her fans and readers worldwide.

"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?"

A dream. A story. An invisible bird named Pigeon.

"Stories aren't fiction. Stories are fabric. They're the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them."—Roscoe Avanger, Sweet Mallow

Meet Zoey Hennessey, eighteen years old. She is starting college in Charleston, SC, in the fall. She is headed to her new home on Mallow Island with a birdcage in hand.

Mallow Island is a tourist spot due to the book by Roscoe Avanger. Nearby, The Mallow Island Resort Hotel, The Sugar Warehouse, and Historical Trade Street. The town is famous for its marshmallow candy over a century ago.

More importantly, she is moving to Dellawisp Condos (once horse stables) near the Sugar and Scribble Bakery. A beautiful old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe with a wrought iron gate.

Her mother, Paloma, used to live here surrounded by the exquisite little turquoise birds called dellawisps. Paloma and her brother had been raised by their grandfather, a birdkeeper. She and her brother left Cuba on a small boat when he died. Her brother died after a storm. She drifted on a boat and finally met Zoey's older father once in America.

Paloma had only lived in SC four years before Zoey's father retired, and they moved to Tulsa. But Paloma returned with baby Zoey to the same condo that Zoey's father had gifted her.

She has since died and left Zoey the condo and a trust. Her father has remarried a woman who is not so nice. Zoey is glad to be moving away to a new family she will soon meet that is not blood family, but they are often the best kind.

Once she arrives, she meets a quirky cast of neighbors that will become her new family. Frasier, the building manager, Lizabeth Lime, her estranged sister Lucy Lime, Charlotte Lungren (an artist), Mac Garrett, a lonely talented chef, a legendary writer, and a few ghosts. Plus, Oliver, a son, will return home. Lucy never leaves her condo and does not like being around people.

Each of Zoey's eccentric, quirky, bohemian-style neighbors has a past and secrets. Then Lizbeth died. She agreed to help clean out the condo for Frasier.

Everyone at the condos is changed by knowing Zoey. There are those haunted by their past and those who cannot move on. They learn from one another and develop a bond. They become family.

Each character has baggage and secrets that have shaped their lives. They soon realize they have a connection between friendship, trust, healing, love, loss, and forgiveness.

What a beautifully written, unique book that transports you to a world of believing there is good and kindness in this world if we take a chance on others.

Magical realism is woven throughout like most of Sarah's books, and the food, the stories, the birds, the love, and the characters will warm your heart and soul.

Atmospheric, whimsical, and enigmatic. Sarah Addison Allen shows us that between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways. For fans of author Karen White. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to #StMartinsPress and #Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #SMPInfluencers

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: 09/13/2022
Sept 2022 Must-Read Books

“Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on an island outside of Charleston, she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors…and three ghosts.”

I love it when a book meets my expectations. I enjoyed GARDEN SPELLS (2007) and had high hopes for a charming found-family story with a bit of magical realism. OTHER BIRDS was a perfect summer read, lounging by the pool. Allen’s writing pulls the reader into the story, and her characters are unique, well-rounded, and likable. The plot is interesting without being too heavy—a lovely book.

Of course, now I want a sketch of “old man Otis,” the cutest of the Dellawisps, and something cooked with cornmeal.

Thanks, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Addison Allen, for the opportunity to review OTHER BIRDS.

In a captivating story centered around Mallow Island in South Carolina, we find a flock of individuals who are so unique, but have ties that bind them together through the catalyst that is Zoey Hennessey. Allen has created a novel that is as beautiful in its themes as it is the imagery of the town of Mallow Island. As a reader, I felt immediately drawn to the beautiful southern landscape, the description of Mallow Island being so vivid that I could almost sense the Spanish moss hanging from the trees and the sweet mallow scent. The characters, while so incredibly different, were so delightful to get to know and became acquainted with. I cheered when Zoey got together this seeming ban of misfits, and was thrilled with the sense of family that they developed.

This was a truly an astonishing novel. I felt all the feels; the intrigue when slowly learning the characters stories and past, the fear when some of that past becomes part of the present, , and the overall sense of contententment and joy when a new family begins together. This is a novel that will stay with me for a long time to come, and I look forward to falling in love with these characters again and again when I inevitably reread.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this advanced reader copy of this breathtaking book. The opinions in this review are all my own.

I can see how the magic of this book.could pull you in. For me not so much. Not enough backstop on the characters to make me feel like I really knew them.
Was expecting more...sadly just wasn't for me.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

It was so good to be back in a world of Sarah Addison Allen's creation!! I've missed the magic and the intimacy that she brings to her books! The characters come to life and make you feel like you're a part of their world. This book is a beautiful reminder that there's always room in this world for the Other Birds like me.