I love books that provide protagonists with a unique perspective. This novel's narrator is a woman named Sunday on the autism spectrum (although I don't think this diagnosis is ever specifically mentioned). This makes the way she sees the world so special, but it also contributes to her feeling confused by other people's behaviors quite frequently. Sunday is such a rich and realistic character, but I had a problem with the plot of this novel. It honestly felt like not much happened in the entire book. There was a little bit of drama about 92 percent in but that's not very much payoff for the entire storyline.

Lloyd-Barlow's perspective is one that is definitely needed, and I appreciated what she was trying to achieve with this book. But there was a lot of repetitiveness and predictability, as well as loose ends that never felt tied up to me. And those factors are probably going to prevent me from recommending this title to other people.

I really wanted to like this book. I was excited by the idea of an autistic author giving us an autistic character because we need to see more of that in literature. But I could not find any glimmer of attachment to any of the characters; I couldn't find myself caring about them. Sadly, every time I went to read, I found my mind wandering instead of focusing on the story.

I was really excited for this one when I saw the FMC was an autistic single mother with a teenage daughter. Unfortunately I found the story really slow moving and while the neighbors moving in next door who try to influence her daughter away from the mother were insidious and dislikable, I ultimately just wasn't that invested. Okay on audio this was overall a miss for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

A unique literary novel a story about a neuro divergent mother and her daughter.The author is neuro divergent which makes her writing her viewpoint very interesting.The mother& daughter get caught up with a charismatic couple and the mother shares this relationship from her viewpoint.#netgalley #atria

Another book recommendation! This one may not be for everyone but I found it very interesting.
Longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, this debut is a mother daughter story by an author with autism. It is written from the point of view of an autistic woman as she and her adolescent daughter are befriended by a glamorous, charismatic couple with dark ulterior motives. It took alot of concentration to read but I think it was very well written.

The writing is superb and the story was so moving. It's incredibly slow and I wasn't sure if this would be my type of book, but I loved it a lot. I think it will have a wide appeal and if readers aren't put off by the quiet nature of the story, they will love it.

I really liked All the Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow. It won’t be for everyone, especially those readers wanting action-packed suspense, but I found it unique, interesting, and engaging. The author is neurodivergent as is the main character, and as such, told from the main character’s perspective, the reader gets an authentic glimpse of the thought processes of those on the autistic spectrum and their struggles to be accepted in a world that is not always accepting of difference.

This book has great potential..daily didn't end being one for me.. found it hard to get into the story, writing style and the book. Finished at 60%. I think this is a book you will either live or not for you. Give it a chance.

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

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

This is a finely crafted tale of a small, contented life thrown into upheaval by the arrival of summer guests in the house next door. Sunday is on the spectrum and as an adult, she lives an orderly (some might say regimented) life. She eats only white foods, dresses in muted colors, lives in the house she grew up in, conducts her life with the help of an etiquette book and a book of Sicilian folk tales , and works nearby on a farm belonging to her ex-husband’s parents. She is absolutely devoted to her 16 year old daughter, Dolly. Her days are as alike as beads on a string and this is perfect for her.

A couple from London moves into the house next door and soon Sunday and her daughter are pulled into their orbit, enchanted by the vibrant Vita with her oversized personality and charmed by her gallant husband, Rolls.

By summer’s end, everything in Sunday’s world has been irrevocably changed, by Vita and Rolls, by Dolly and her metamorphosis into a young adult, by all the secrets held in each person’s little bird-heart.

I wasn’t able to fall into the narrative voice, or allow that voice to tell me her story. An idiosyncratic reaction, I’m sure, possibly because of my own autism.

A very interesting book unlike any I've read before. I felt like I was part of the household watching the action. I became invested in the outcome and enjoyed reading about the characters. I love mom/daughter stories so this checked that box. The writing is literary style and superb! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “All the Little Bird-Hearts” in exchange for an honest review. I found this novel to be absolutely heartbreaking and I am left with a sense of sadness that I won’t soon forget. There was a timeless quality to the sense of place, to the writing itself that I appreciated. The novel was a bit more wandering than I would have expected based on the synopsis. This is one that I am left unsure of how I feel about it. Which, ultimately, is a good thing if it’s making me feel so conflicted.

This is a well-crafted novel perfect for fans of literary fiction. While the plot is somewhat slow-moving, the leisurely pace suits the narrative. The author's approach to neuro-divergence is careful and elegant, perhaps in part because of her own personal experiences. Those looking for a thriller-type story should look elsewhere, but I found ALL THE LITTLE BIRD-HEARTS to be a lovely reading experience.

3.5 Stars

Longlisted for the Booker prize, this is a darkly vivacious tale of family, fraught friendship and neurodivergence

This story revolves around a neurodiverse woman named Sunday who is admiring the fields when she happens to notice a woman, a stranger, lying on the lawn next door. A woman who will become her friend, for a time.

As a child, Sunday experiences an event that will haunt her throughout her life, and divides her from her mother, especially.

Sunday is the happiest when she is alone with the earth, when her hands are in the soil, the happiness it gives her to connect with the soil is what keeps her somewhat tethered to the life she has forged. She has an ‘assigned list’ of foods that she allows herself to eat, and avoids foods that are coloured. ‘

It isn’t long before her new neighbor becomes a part of her life, and her daughter’s life, as well. The friendship with Vita grows quickly, and Vita begins to become more a part of her life, attempting to make Vita into someone else, someone more ‘normal.’ Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Dolly, is quickly drawn to this woman who seems to be the answer to her prayers, as she views her mother as more than somewhat of an embarrassment.

This is one of those quiet novels that isn’t easy to relay by sharing, there’s such a quiet nuance to it as the story evolves ever so slowly, not much of note happens, until it does.


Pub Date: 05 Dec 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Algonquin Books

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I read this too quickly I think! I need to really sink into the idea of it to really chew over what I got out of it. I really sympathized with the main character, being the one in a family who is sensitive and overstimulated and watching others exist around you in constant motion. All in all, an interesting story.

Initially, I was thoroughly charmed by All The Little Bird-Hearts: Told from the POV of a neurodivergent main character — the story is set in 1988, so she has no diagnosis and has spent her life being told to try harder and act normal — and written by debut author Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow, who happens to be on the autism spectrum herself, I found the setup to be fresh and authentic and intriguing. But as the plot progresses — after initially being warned that this is the summer that the main character’s world will be blown apart — there was a lot of repetition, no real surprises, and a corresponding drop in charm. I continued to appreciate the authenticity of (and the privilege of being given this insight into the mind of) the main character throughout, and might have given this four stars overall, but the ending didn’t pull together for me, so I’m rounding down to three. Still: I’m really glad that this book exists and that the Booker longlisting will bring it to a wider audience.