A sweet and complicated little book about the many puzzling definitions of love and family. Fans of Richard Osman’s elderly Thursday Murder Club would like the Fellowship characters, while the plot itself was radiantly TJ Klune-esque to me. I genuinely loved this and how we travel back and forth in time to watch the changing face of this unique and wonderful little found family. Absolutely recommend.

This gentle, heartwarming story will leave you wanting more from this author. This is a story about family - the family we were born to and the family we grew up with - and the many forms that concept takes for different people. There are many forms here - the family Pip made with the Puzzlemakers, the family Clayton yearns to unpuzzle, and the family he finds. Clayton’s quest is fulfilled in a beautiful way that reveals the actions of parents who did what was best for their child despite being in unimaginable pain. Burr introduces us to Clayton at a critical and heartbreaking point in his life, setting the stage for a flowing narrative that helps us understand Pippa and leads us to a delightful resolution for Clayton.

Fans of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont will enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed this unique and original novel by debut author Samuel Burr. The various characters--members of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers--introduced early in the novel all emerge as distinctive individuals, readily recognizable as their personalities, traits, and behaviors become so well drawn and distinguished for the reader.

The transitions between two timelines and points of view, Pippa's and Clayton's, are also very well done. The novel opens with Pippa's and proceeds through the late 1900s as she established the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. As the points of view alternate, she ultimately found and created a permanent home for the group, growing the organization to include both resident and nonresident members. It's the resident members with whom we become familiar, each with his or her own puzzlemaking specialty.

The other point of view is that of Clayton Stumper, Pippa's adopted son, and his timeline is more contemporary. He is 26, but we learned in Pippa's story that he was left in a hatbox on the Puzzlemaker's doorstep as a newborn infant and has been raised as Pippa's son with the support of the other residents, especially Earl, one of the resident puzzlemakers especially close to Pippa, who calls him son and clearly loves him dearly along with Pippa.

The central mystery is that of Clayton's parentage and how he came to be left there. Many other puzzles of various types are woven into the story, which a reader is free to work or to skip--it won't affect the experience of the story. When Pippa dies, Clayton finds that she's left him a scavenger hunt puzzle that can lead him to understand who his biological parents are and how/why he was left for Pippa to raise. To do that, he will have to leave the home in which he's comfortable with the aged remaining Puzzlemakers and go well beyond his comfort zones, learn to meet people and experience the wider world, including experiencing himself as a sexual being.

The novel's themes have to do with friendship, making connections, the endurance of old ties and the necessity of risking new ones. The writing is smooth, clear, and straightforward, although I wouldn't classify it as extraordinary. The novel is absolutely ideal for any reader who loves puzzles of any sort--but I must add that I don't particularly, and my enjoyment of it was not lessened at all by my lack of interest in them. It's a really good read, both fun and uplifting.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for making an ARC available to review.

Quirky, uplifting, and fun. Two puzzlers puzzle out the mystery of one of their origins. A little difficult to do the included puzzles on a kindle but a fun idea!

I really loved how unique this book was and that it had actual puzzles immersed in the text to solve along the way. This book is told in two different povs and the story comes together in both viewpoints in the end to come full circle. Clayton is an old soul raised in a home of puzzlers and wants to know where he came from. His mother creates an adventure for him to go on after her death to discover this information. Along the way, he grows and meets new people. I really loved that this book was so positive and charming to read. There is eccentricism in this book that creates a world entirely of it's own. I am definitely going to recommend this book to others. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr. After the death of his adoptive mother, Clayton sets out on a quest to find his origins. Clayton grew up in a commune of expert puzzlemakers. In his journey he discovers more about himself and those closest around him. This was an entertaining scavenger hunt - a quiet study of feelings, motivations and friendship. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book in exchanged for an unbiased review.

This is such and unique and quirky novel about puzzle-making. Who knew it could be so much fun? Because i was reading on a Kindle, I really couldn't try to work the puzzles, but I was intrigued. And I had to know who the parents were out of this bunch of eccentric characters. What a great debut.

This is the perfect book for someone looking for quirky characters and a cosy mystery with a real sense of a community, and a lot of charming puzzles. The puzzles are well integrated into the story and nicely designed, and it's very much up to the reader how involved in trying to solve them they want to get - you can definitely read and enjoy the book without spending a bunch of puzzle-solving time, but you're also given all the information you need to really get into the puzzles if you want to.

I tried to post this review in the form of a puzzle, but I couldn’t make it format. Oh well. I had as much fun making up the puzzle (which was a cryptogram of “An absolutely charming book. I loved every minute” if you really want to know) as I did reading the book, which was indeed charming, heartwarming, engaging and full of puzzles and other intrigue.

The story surrounds Pippa, who founds a puzzle writer’s commune and one day finds a hat box with a baby in it on her doorstep. Of course this is a puzzle to be solved, and Pippa does, but not before leaving the boy a series of clues which will reveal the secret to his past…and may point the way to the future as well. The book is divided between Pippa’s voice starting in the 70s, and the boy Clayton’s story, as he goes on Pippa’s scavenger hunt after her death. Along the way we meet a number of wonderfully eccentric characters and solve the mystery along with Clay. The variety of fun people and locations, the quirky British perspective, and of course the puzzles (which frustrated me because I was reading on a Kindle and couldn’t stop and solve every one), kept me engaged throughout.

Congratulations to author Samuel Burr on a beautifully constructed debut novel, and many thanks to,Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to view this ARC.

Clayton Stumper is twenty-five years old when the primary woman who raised him, Pippa, passes away. Clayton was left on the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, a home where an eccentric, electric group of puzzlemakers have made a commune of sorts. Pippa promised to reveal the secret of his parentage after she was gone. Instead of just telling him, she leads him through a series of clues to solve, in part to get him to go out into the world.

The story alternates between how Pippa started the Fellowship and Clayton attempting to solve the riddles left for him after her death. Both narratives have an uplifting message of being OK with who you are and finding people who not just accept you but celebrate what makes us each unique.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 3, 2024.

This was a cozy, lovely read. I enjoyed the cast of characters, the focus on puzzles, and the main character Clayton's sweet (if belated) coming of age. It didn't rock my world, but it was a very pleasant companion while it lasted.

I have the feeling this will be popular with fans of TJ Klune and Richard Osmon's Thursday Murder Club series - which means it will reach many people indeed.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to a digital ARC in advance of publication.

If you’re looking for an up-lifting, feel good, little quirky story, then this book is for you! I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and could not put it down. The story flips back and forth between Pippa Allsbrook, the founder of the Fellowship, and Clayton Stumper, who was abandoned as a baby on the steps of the Fellowship building. Pippa ends up raising Clayton, and upon her death leaves him clues in the form of multiple puzzles as to who his birth parents are. As Clayton tries to solve, each clue, the author also tells the story of how Pippa formed the fellowship of puzzle makers, and introduces us to the members of the fellowship itself. While I actually enjoyed Pippa’s story more than Clayton’s, I did find myself racing to the end of the book to see if Clayton was able to solve the clues and discover who his birth parents were.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a quirky cozy read about a young man whose adoptive mother dies, leaving him a puzzle to decipher. Will it lead him to his biological parents? Clayton, brought up in a house full of eccentric, elderly puzzlemakers, sets out on a journey to find out more about his past and ultimately find himself.
For readers who enjoy TJ Klune and Richard Osman.

Clayton Stumper is in his mid-twenties and has been raised by a group of "puzzle makers" in a large estate in England. He was left on the doorstep and the proprietor of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, Pippa Allsbrook, takes him in. As the members of the society age around him, Clayton enjoys a childhood of warmth and love and puzzles. After Pippa passes away, she leaves on last trail of puzzles for Clayton to solve in order to find out where and who he came from.
The chapters are told from alternating viewpoints - Clayton's in the present and his quest and Pippa's in the past and the formation of the Fellowship. The other characters are quirky and fun and enjoyable to read about. The book itself feels very cozy and loving and was a very pleasant reading experience. I did read it on kindle and I think there are probably various puzzles littered throughout the book that didn't translate well and so I missed those, but I think they will probably only add to the joy that is this book!

Sweet, relaxing, and adorable. The book embodiment of petting a cute puppy or kitten or other adorable animal! So sweet and so coolZ thanks for the arc

This was a delightful quirky book that I enjoyed thoroughly. Clayton, an orphan who was "adopted" by a group of puzzle makers, is on a mission created by his recently passed adoptive mother (Pippa) to discover his parentage. He must, of course, solve puzzles along the way and meet people from all walks of life to solve this ultimate mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel.

This story was a great nod to getting old and finding your way in the world. We are split between two main characters Clay and Pippa. Pippa is clay's adoptive mother and we start the book with her passing. Upon her passing we see she has left Clay a scavenger hunt puzzle so he can learn more about where he came from. The story intertwines Clay's story of finding is past but also his future with the life of Pippa. How she created the Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers and find herself in the care of clay.

The novel was a cute and uplifting novel about finding ones self and understanding where we fit in the world. My favorite theme throughout the story was that however old you are, your age doesn't define you. Pippa and even Clay are faced with getting older and not knowing what role they play in the world. We get to see them find out their futures while also looking back at their past!

A delightful read from start to finish! Young adult Clayton Stumper has so much to learn about his unconventional life, and this book follows his journey through a series of discoveries about himself, his upbringing, his origins. Although I’ve read books somewhat similar in the journey/discovery kind of genre (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, for one) this story has the added pleasure and appeal of puzzles and their creators. Being a puzzle lover, the added attraction of clues and puzzles drew me in from the start. The story is clever, the writing is smooth, and I enjoyed every step that Clayton took on his path. And with the addition of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, the story is unique.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher; the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintange Anchor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy a cozy book. I love a good puzzle. I love a book that has a secret fellowship that you can discover along with our main character,

This book isn't perfect, but it clicked a lot of boxes for me I recommend!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. The description the book was very compelling to me. It was a wonderful adventure through all types of puzzles and finding out what is most important in life. The only thing that threw me off was the POV changing back and forth between characters and years, but it is quickly clear which POV is which chapter.