Clayton was found on the steps of The Puzzlemakers Fellowship when he was just a baby. He was joyfully taken in and raised by the founder Pippa, and the other members of the fellowship. While Clay always felt loved, he also yearned to know who his biological mother was. When Pippa died, she left Clay one final puzzle, the solution of which would lead him to the answer he had always sought.

Told in both the present story of Clay looking to solve the clues and find his bio mom as well as in the past and the formation of the puzzlemakers fellowship and how Clayton came to be dropped off there. This story has many puzzles of a wide variety to be solved as well as a couple sweet romance storylines woven through. The puzzles are complex - too much for me to solve, so I was grateful that the solution come quickly enough that I don't have to struggle with them. In some ways, though, the puzzles almost start to feel like too much and they overwhelm the rest of the story and don't let the characters develop as fully as they might otherwise.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers has blended a cozy mystery that's quite unique along with found family, community, acceptance, love of all sorts, and well, puzzles. Told in two perspectives and timelines of both the young man in search of his beginnings and the woman who raised him.
Clayton receives a series of letters and packages after Pippa, the founder of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and woman that raised him dies. These mysterious clues provide him with a series of puzzles that will challenge his knowledge of puzzle solving and create an avenue of a life beyond the walls of the Fellowship.
A lovely cast of characters find their way into the commune of puzzlemakers and round out the story nicely. Each individual seeks a community in which to be accepted and loved and be an integral part of the success of the Fellowship.
An uplifting tale that will appeal to all but most especially to those that enjoy a good puzzle now and again.

4.25 stars

Thank you to Vintage Anchor for providing an early e-copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a really interesting book. The story was very well developed and brought you through many puzzles to solve. Even if you aren't into puzzles, this was such a great story about family and who you call family. There were so many aspects of this story that I will keep with me. Being open to new things and people. Sharing burdens with others. And understanding what family really means.
The one thing I found a bit annoying was the way the chapters went back and forth in time. I understand why it was done but for me, it broke up the flow of the story line.
Overall, this was a really engaging story with wonderful characters.
Enjoy!

This was exactly what the doctor ordered.

A charming, sentimental and sweet story that had me itching to maybe become a puzzle girl ( despite my complete lack of patience).

This is my first Samuel Burr and I look forward to reading many more.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a charming tale of Pippa's bringing together some of the brightest minds in England to form a "fellowship" of creators of various puzzles and games. In a dual timeline-type storyline is the tale of her adoptive son, Clayton, and his search for his birth parents, through clues and puzzles Pippa left behind after her death. A truly enjoyable, highly recommended read!

A perfect feel-good story about finding yourself and belonging. Since the novel’s characters are all gifted puzzlemakers, there is one particular puzzle that leads the reader through the chapters. Beware—there may be many unfamiliar words to you sprinkled throughout! This is a good book to read on Kindle. The pacing is slow but appropriate to the story, characters are interesting, and the plot is fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

This book will remain an enigma to me. I struggled to get through as much of the book as I did (I finally just gave up). I found this book slow and rather bland and felt no connection to the characters. I couldn't get interested in the storyline. This is a book you either love it or you don't - I guess I don't. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!

I have a weak spot for stories with older main characters and a found family trope, so I thought that The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers would be a perfect fit for me. I loved the sound of the premise, with the mystery around Clayton's birth parents, the idea of the fellowship and the puzzle element... And I fully expected to enjoy my time with this debut. Sadly, the complete opposite ended up being true, and I somehow I struggled considerably to make it to the end. I seem to be an outlier as most people seem to love this book, but I'll try to explain what did and didn't work for me in case I'm not the only one out there who couldn't quite connect to this story.

First of all, I have to say that I still love the premise of The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers and the general idea behind the plot and everything that happens. The fellowship and its members are so intriguing, and I enjoyed learning more about how the fellowship was formed and grew over time. The puzzle element was great as well, although I have to say the effect was kind of ruined as they didn't come out well at all in the kindle version. I suspect they would work so much better on paper though! I also do hope that the basic math errors that popped up will be edited out in the final version.

Now, where did it go wrong for me then? It was probably mostly the execution, and not the content of the story for me. First of all, the pace is extremely slow, and I struggled considerably to stay invested and convince myself to keep reading. I kept putting it down to do other things, and you know something is wrong when you rather start cleaning than read another chapter... The fact that the story constantly switches between past and present didn't really help either; dual timelines can go both ways for me in the first place, but in this case it was not the timelines, but the sheer amount of switches combined with the short chapters for me. It made it really hard to connect to the main characters, as I never felt I got to spend any proper quality time with them before I had to switch my brain to a completely different era.

As for the characters... Somehow I was never able to warm up to them. I mentioned the constant POV switches, but this wasn't the only issue for me. There is something almost distant about the way the story is told, and this distance made it hard to make a proper connection to the characters. I never felt invested in what was happening, and as a result I struggled to care about what was going to happen next. The mystery of Clayton's parentage was also a bit too simple, because there frankly aren't too many female characters to choose from in the first place... As a result, the final reveal wasn't all that satisfying to me.

I'm not saying that The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers is a bad read though, but it definitely wasn't the book for me. I somehow liked the idea behind this story a lot more than the actual execution... But then again, I seem to be in the minority, so don't give up on my account if you like the sound of this debut. Chances are high it will work better for you!

Reading this was like spending Sunday afternoon with your grandad at his retirement home. The writing was old-fashioned, the speech formal and from a different era. That’s OK though, as most of the characters were over 65. Even Clayton, the young man who goes on a journey of discovery, is an old man in manners, culture and attire.
Very little happens in this book, or that is how it seems. I will be honest, I skimmed a lot of the content. It felt like a good cull was still needed to make this sharper and to up the pace. There was just too much puzzle stuff in here for me too.
A nice concept, that with some more editing and a little more substance would be a good read.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Samuel Burr has written a heartwarming story of life, friends that become like family, and the love that sustains us all. The book is well written and filled with memorable characters who create all kinds of puzzles, crosswords, jigsaws, mazes, all kinds of word and number games, even cryptography. The book centers on Pippa who has drawn together a diverse group of slightly quirky puzzlemakers, each with their own specialty. Can they support themselves with their creations? All reside in Pippa's inherited estate in a puzzlemakers commune. She is the heart of the group. but they all encourage each other in their various endeavors, and soon become a family. When baby Clayton is left on their doorstep, he gives the group a purpose beyond their creation of puzzles and fills their lives with both love and yet another puzzle. The narration alternates between Pippa as she recounts the history of the Fellowship and its members, and the young adult Clayton as he embarks on the trail of Pippa's last puzzle, in search of both his birthparents and his purpose in life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

I was excited to read this book, mostly due to the puzzle theme. I recently hosted a library program with jigsaw puzzles, and I found a notable lack of puzzle-related books that I could display during my event. This book, however, fits the bill perfectly, with not just jigsaw puzzles, but the entire breadth of puzzling contained in a single story.

I think the fact that I was reading an ARC took away from the experience, a bit; once the formatting is complete, it looks like there will be some fun word puzzles throughout the book that the reader can play along with to predict the plot. I recommend reading this one with a pencil nearby!

There are some sweet characters and cute romances in the story. It's a fairly lighthearted story, overall. The plot felt a little "cheesy" at times. The beginning is a slow start. As I was introduced to all these characters and the concept of the Fellowship, I found myself wishing for more reason to care about the story. I think more emphasis on Clayton's childhood, with some fun interactions between him and the other residents, could've helped endear me towards him earlier in the book. I did, however, grow to love him, and by the end was rooting for him and the conclusion of his personal journey.

Overall, I wouldn't say this book changed my life, but it's a cute story about puzzles that puzzlers will enjoy puzzling over.

This was a really fun read. It took me longer than I'd expected to get through as something was wrong with the formatting on mine and it threw me off, but that aside it was a really fun romp. The people that it's meant for (puzzle lovers) are truly going to love it. Everyone else may as well. The protagonist is eternally relatable to anyone who has felt just a bit on the outside and looking for their place in life. I loved the multiple times and perspectives, as well. Worth a read, especially for puzzle fans.

A feel-good cozy book about an orphaned young man who sets off from the home in which he was raised by the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. He was found by the founder, Pippa, on their doorstep, in a hat box, as an infant. When Pippa pass on, she leaves him a series of puzzles and clues in which she says he will keys to his past and to his future. Will please fans for Fredrik Backman, Gail Honeyman and similar feel-good tales.

This book could be summarized by a sentence that falls within its pages "Getting older without getting old." The idea of a crop of puzzling experts forming a commune, then being infiltrated by an insurmountable enigma in the person they dub Clayton Stumper was inherently appealing to a puzzle fiend such as me. There are cryptics, anagrams and word ciphers throughout, some truly hilarious. Clayton arrives shortly after his birth in a large hatbox, and I for one could hear Lady Bracknell intoning "A HANDBAG???" And he is raised by the eccentric group of puzzlemakers without any clues as to his provenance. Yes, this is typical cozy, but if puzzles are your thing, you'll find it delightful.

Such a cozy little mystery! I really enjoyed my first jump into non-thriller mysteries and thought the relationships in this book were so well done.

This is the perfect book to cleanse your palate, enjoy reading and truly hunker down with a solid read. Thank you, NetGalley!

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr is an enjoyable book.
Clayton Stumpler is a young man who was left at the Puzzlemakers building. He was raised by the group. He is part of a fading era. Pippa found and raised him. When she passes away, she leaves the ultimate puzzle for him.

He proceeds to go about solving the puzzle. It will help him figure out his past and teach him how to live-in today’s world.
I really enjoyed the puzzle aspect of the book, and I thought the writing was very good. There were a few places that I read over to make sure I understood.
This is a good book and worth a read.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. As someone who loves puzzles, I enjoyed the concept of the Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers. The mystery surrounding Clayton's parents was intriguing and kept the story moving. However, my only complaint is that the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. I was expecting a wholesome ending, but instead, I felt more sympathetic towards Clayton and angry at a few characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Vintage/ Anchor/ Knopf Doubleday for giving me a copy of the book.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a feel good book that I will recommend to anyone who enjoys a good puzzle. The quirky characters make for a delightful story that is not without some bumps in the road. Clayton searches for his biological family, comes to appreciate his adoptive family, and finds himself in the process. This book was a breath of fresh air.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story is fun, creative, and full of puzzles to solve along with Clayton. I enjoyed the variety of puzzles types that were included.

After the death of his primary caregiver, Pippa, Clayton leaves his home with the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers following the clues Pippa left for him. Abandoned at the Fellowship as an infant, he goes on the search for his birth parents. This sweet novel is sure to satisfy readers looking for eccentric characters, puzzle solving, intricate plotting, and the bloom of first love.