Sarah Addison Allen’s books are always must reads for me. This one did not disappoint. It had her trademark touch of magic and beauty, and it was a lovely book to get lost in for a few days. The characters were great and her writing is so poetic. Another great one by this author! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely beautiful. I loved every minute of this. Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this ARC.

I am a long time fan of Sarah Addison Allen, and have eagerly waited on news of a new book from her. When I found out she had a new book Other Birds coming out this summer, I knew I had to read it.

Allen's newest book takes place in South Carolina and has several POVs as it follows several people living in a small condo unit called the Dellawisp Condos, named after the birds that reside there. This is the story of found family, ghosts, love, and loss. I couldn't put it down. Allen has such a way of telling a story, and this might be an all new favorite from her. I found myself tearing up a few times from touching moments.

I highly suggest reading this if you crave a book that has themes of home and found family, and you like a touch of magical realism.

Zoey comes to Mallow Island off the coast of South Carolina to go to college. Or is it to make a connection with her deceased mother who loved the island and left her an apartment in the Dellawisp, a unique small complex hidden down an alley but named after the birds that live there. Oh, Zoey brings her invisible bird with her.
The other residents of the Dellawisp become a part of Zoey's life - a legendary author, a lonely henna artist running from something, a brilliant chef who is deeply grieving, two estranged sisters living in neighboring apartments and keeping secrets, a son of one of the sisters who returns to the island reluctantly, and three ghosts. Zoey begins to change their lives while they change hers. Lovely magical realism and full of hope, Sarah Addison Allen continues to delight readers.

I loved other books be Sarah Addison Allen so I was excited to receive her newest book. I enjoyed the magical elements in her other books; however for me this book wasn’t it. I did not finish after reading 40%. I didn’t feel like I could connect to any of the characters and the pacing was slow. I can see how some would enjoy this book but it wasn’t for me.

This book follows Zoey as she leaves her home and moves into her mother's studio apartment before heading off to college. There, Zoey meets a cast of characters and ends up forming a "found" family.

I love the way that Zoey brought the group of people together in her apartment. The element of ghosts added a touch in the way only Sarah Addison Allen can.

Thank you so much, Netgalley for this book!

OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen is a beautiful story of finding friends who become family. Four lonely people trying to make their way through life alone meet on Mallow Island. With the help of some ghosts, Zoey, Charlotte, Mac and Oliver might have a chance at leaving old hurts behind and attaining acceptance and happiness. Delightful and touching, this novel left a smile on my face and in my heart.

This is the story of Zoey, who inherits an apartment within a small complex tucked away on an island in South Carolina. She slowly gets to know some of her neighbors, and helps to unravel a mystery. As with all of the author’s books it’s full of whimsy and magical realism. It was a lovely summer read and I am so grateful to have a new book by one of my favorite authors.

Of note, I received an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Zoey is about to turn 19 and start her freshmen year of college when she moves from Tulsa, OK to her late mothers studio apartment on Mallow Island, SC. The small apartment complex (only 5 units including her own) is full of residents who keep to themselves, all holding on to the past in one way or another, until young Zoey arrives. Zoey brings with her an invisible bird named Pigeon and an urgent need for connection, as her father and stepmother have essentially ignored her for years. Zoey's arrival finds the residents coming together, forming their own little family and unearthing secrets along the way.
Other Birds was a very quick, light, charming read. It contains elements of the spirit world but that shouldn't discourage anyone who does not enjoy any type of fantasy or supernatural. It's minimal and does not take away from the story, if anything, it adds to it. Great read, I would recommend this for sure and will certainly look for more by this author.
Thank you to St Martin's Press, the author and NetGalley for access to this ARC.

"This was an enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won't let you go."

"Between the real and the imaginary there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways."

The characters in this book are Zoey, a girl on the run, two estranged middle aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts along with Zoey's quirky and secretive neighbors.

I loved this quote in the book.

"I told her that's what I want too, for someone to love me so much t
that they can't let go of me. She says its about the love you give not the love that you get.
But the way I see it, its not really love if you aren't loved back.
Its just something you make up."

This was such a cute charming story. It was so magical. I loved Garden Spells by this author so much more but I loved this one too.
I loved the ghosts in this story. They were not scary ghosts.
There is so many things that I loved about this book. There are some surprises in this book. I loved the magical realism. I loved the characters too, especially Zoey. The writing was beautiful.
I loved Mallow Island and felt like I was there along with the tiny turquoise birds.
After I finished reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

This was a buddy read with DeAnn!

I want to thank Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press, for the copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
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This story is one of such beauty. Of families made, or families born. Of running away from the past and embracing it. Of ghosts that linger in our lives, and finding hope and love in the present. Definitely my first Sarah Addison Allen book, but certainly won’t be my last.

Sarah Addison Allen delivers another great book! I love the quirkiness of the characters and the story. It evolves as you get deeper into the book and has a wonderful and a little surprising conclusion. This is a magical unique story with characters that draws you into their worlds. Each character has a unique story and a few of them surprised me. I love in this book the way friends turn into more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Other Birds.

"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 am a complete lover of Sarah Addison Allen novels- she has a way of conjuring up such a sense of magic and whimsy that you fall in love with immediately. I immediately googled Mallow Island- I have such a weakness for small islands- sadly, it isn't real. We meet several characters, all alone and lost, broken in their own ways, and see them slowly come together, all the while learning some history of this small, haunted town. There were several plot points that I predicted at the end, but I enjoyed this story so much, I don't even care. I adore novels like this- quirky, likeable characters, small town charm in a unique location, a random ghost or two, a bit of mystery. Highly recommend Other Birds (as well as ALL her other novels!)

4 stars. I don’t know why it took me so long, but once I got into this story I couldn’t put it down! Beautiful writing, and this was one of those books I got lost in.

Welcome to Mallow Island, the Dellawisp complex, and Sarah Addison Allen’s latest, remarkable, and best book.

Other Birds opens with an empty, rattling birdcage and 18-year-old Zoey Hennessey leaving her father’s house and arriving at the studio in the horseshoe-shaped Dellawisp condo complex on Mallow Island, where her late mother lived until her death twelve years before. There Zoey and Pidgeon (the invisible, protective resident of that birdcage) meet the singular few other residents, as well as the “swirl of tiny turquoise” dellawisp birds, native to the Island. The other residents with their own broken wings have found havens there. But they are not the only ones. Ghosts still linked to the present rustle in and out of those rooms as well. Mysteries thread through one another. The complicated, unknown history of two eccentric sisters, Lucy and Lizbeth, ominously permeates the complex. The henna artist, Charlotte, wears her art as armor and beauty, to survive a horrific past. Mac, the redheaded, towering chef with magical cuisine talents, holds fast to the only love that sustained him early in life. Young Zoey hopes to uncover and find love from any secrets of her late mother’s life. The past dark traumatic places in their lives are handled with a subtle, but effective touch by the writer.

Their stories smoothly unfold and blend with each other in this memorable and beautiful book of self-acceptance, letting go of the past, and finding hope and love in others and the future. While magical realism is not a genre I’ve lingered in, years ago I read the writer’s previous works as they were places with magical moments as well as imprints of what “could be” and they made my world better. Other Birds is a book I will reread and recommend – and linger in the writer's touching story, eloquence, and wistful images. “Everything around her was suddenly stitched together by unseen threads, as thin as gossamer.” Other Birds lets us slip into and become part of those invisible threads. “A dream, a story, an invisible bird—it was all the same thing, really. Not everything has to be real to be true.”

I am grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Addison Allen for the early access and opportunity to read Other Birds. My opinion is all my own.

Sarah Addison Allen's first book in seven years arrives at a time when we have all been changed by catastrophic events including a global pandemic and (depending on who you ask) the partial or complete collapse of American democracy. On a more personal note, Allen experienced the death of both her sister and her mother in the course of writing this book. So I was wondering how the author's typical mix of Southern gothic and magical realism would land, and if the losses she endured changed her voice.

Zoey arrives at the Dellawisp Condos on Mallow Island, South Carolina, to take ownership of the unit previously owned by her late mother. She is starting college in nearby Charleston soon, but is glad to escape the cold treatment by her father, stepfather and stepsisters a few months earlier than planned. She is greeted by the elderly property manager Frasier, who fills her in on the other condo residents: paranoid, furtive Lizbeth Lime; her reclusive sister Lucy; young artist Charlotte; and genial chef Mac. But during Zoey's first night on Mallow Island, Lizbeth is killed in a horrible accident.

With nothing to do until school starts, Zoey agrees to clean out Lizbeth's apartment, which is full of boxes and boxes of seemingly useless flyer, receipts and other paper. As Zoey struggles to figure out the reasons for Lizbeth's hostility towards the world, she also strikes up a tentative friendship with Charlotte, who has issues of her own, and Mac, who carries the past with him in a very physical way. Everyone at the Dellawisp has secrets, one of which is about to be revealed in a way that puts all of the residents in danger.

The book's chapters are written from several different POVs, including Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Frasier, and an assortment of ghosts who are lingering around, waiting for something to happen before they can move along. Zoey doesn't see or feel the ghosts, but she has an invisible pigeon who has been with her for many years. These paranormal touches are generally accepted by the characters, but they don't overwhelm the plot.

Zoey's arrival is the catalyst for change, as friendships start to build and a romance or two emerges. The tone is a little darker than Allen's previous books, but not at all bleak or depressing. She still knows how to tell a page-turning story that celebrates found family and explores the challenging dynamics of maternal and sisterly bonds. I may be more cynical than I was the last time I read one of her books, but I am still charmed and moved by the troubled, lonely characters who are looking for connection even as they are afraid of what will happen if they let down their guard.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.

Wow. Just wow. This book is so very touching, I cried many times and I am not much of a crier. The characters in this book all were so important and I felt attached to each of them! I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone I come across.

Years ago, I devoured Sarah Addison Allen’s books. There is just something so magical about her writing and I was thrilled to see she was coming out with a new book, Other Birds. We’ve had to wait seven long years for her newest novel!

I absolutely loved the setting of South Carolina, the group of characters, and pretty much everything about Other Birds. There is a little magical realism that I don’t usually like but in this book, I didn’t mind it.

Here’s the plot:

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways. Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning 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 Mallow Island, she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, and a legendary writer, and three ghosts. Each with their own story, Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t written yet.

Out on August 30!

Wow!! I’m almost at a loss for words! I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Sarah Addison Allen but this might be my favorite of all!

I’ve read many great books lately that I’ve given five stars but Other Birds deserves at least ten!

SAA has such a way with words and drawing you into a story. Every book she’s written has drawn me in and made me wish I lived in that world and I can easily say that I’d love to be a resident of the Dellawisp on Mallow Island! To be a part of a family that includes Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Oliver and Frasier would be tremendous!

If you enjoy magical realism and being swept away to special places full of extraordinary people, get your hands on a copy of Other Birds! I know that I’ll be reading it again myself!

The people living in the Dellawisp building are all trying to find their place in the world. They all need a little help from the people they have lost who come back in a variety of ways to figure out just where they belong.