What an emotional rollercoaster!

I honestly did not understand the choice of such an original title in the beginning, but I did by the end.

The book is all about friendship, finding humor when the weather is gloomy, discovering Love and trying to elucidate a family secret.

I could not put this book away as it reminded me of my days back in university.
Penelope is hellbent on discovering a family secret, hoping that it will bring her clarity and some kind of closure.
She has a plan, but as she will discover, behind any family mystery, there is always a human cost to connecting the dots.

The story is so well written that I could smell the cheese she brings her hosts, the weight of some silences, the dreadful humidity that freezes her bones and her need to take an almost scalding bath in order to feel human again.

As she embarks on her journey, we discover her close knit group of friends and immerse ourselves in their coming of age adventures. As in real life, nothing is always perfect and relationships, of any kind, need nurturing to survive.

Do go get this book and savor every single page as I did.

I also learned about the life cycle of the octopus😉

My opinion of this book is my own.
Thanks #Netgalley for offering me an advance copy of this extraordinary book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 7, 2025
“The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” is the debut novel by Canadian author Emma Knight. It is an intriguing story about motherhood and friendship that form around the mysteries of an elusive and posh British family.
Penelope has left Canada, and her bickering, divorced parents, behind in order to pursue post-secondary education in Edinburgh with her best friend, Alice. But there is more to the story. Pen knows that her parents have deep secrets and the only way to get to the bottom of them is to investigate them herself, beginning with the intriguing family of Lord Lennox. As she struggles to find herself in her new surroundings, she is pulled into the drama of the Lennox family. Will Penelope learn the truth about her parents? And, if she does, can she move forward?
Penelope is the main protagonist in “Octopus” but she is not its sole narrator. Alice also shares her perspective on things, along with a few other individuals who cross paths with Penny, although they mostly make brief narrations and disappear into the background. Pen is young, naïve and inexperienced in every way, a woman coming into her own in a foreign country, which is nothing new of course, but she is likable and relatable and I was invested in her story.
This story takes place mostly in Scotland, which seems to be a theme in the last few books I’ve been reading, and to view the country through Pen’s eyes, as a new arrival, was an enjoyable experience. I found the elite Lennox family and their complicated family secrets to be fascinating and addicting, and it was easy to see why Pen was so enamored with them.
“Octopus” has multiple plots that converge into one. Pen, the new university student who is finding herself and exploring her new surroundings. Pen, the young woman who seeks out the Lennox family to discover the secrets her family is hiding. Pen, the inexperienced romantic who finds love in the strange but endearing son of the Lennox family. All three plots focus on Penelope, obviously, but they are all very different and they interchange freely. One minute, Penelope is among friends at a local pub, and then she is with the Lennox family finding out their secrets. The transitions are smooth enough but there was enough pulp in all three storylines to have their own novel and “Octopus” would’ve had an easier flow if Knight chose one storyline and focused on developing it out.
A stellar setting and some intriguing family secrets, “Octopus” is well written for a debut. With some careful honing and focus, Knight will be an author to watch for in the future.

I honestly struggled to finish this book which is sad as I was so excited to read it. I am Canadian and just visited Scotland this year so when I saw TLCOTCO up for review I requested it immediately and was thrilled to have received it.

The thing is this book has so much potential. Sadly, there were too many things that got in the way of that potential. The lagging plot line, the multiple pov's which were quite confusing and hard to follow, the multitude of characters whom many did not add any substance to the story and the lack of cohesion - there were too many sub plots that really had nothing to do with the main premise of the story.

My interest wasn't peaked until about the 80% mark and even the big reveal/twist fell flat. A reader should never have to wait this long to start to feel something for a story and its characters.

I will also point out that a Canadian author writing about Scotland and leaving out the "U" in words such as favourite and neighbour really threw me for a loop. If the story was based out of the US that would be understandable but not so in this case.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed.**

I really wanted to like this story as it involves Canada and Scotland. The description of the book greatly intrigued me. However, it was a very slow read as I found it challenging to grasp where the story was going. It felt like a combination between historical fiction and modern day romance. I won’t give up on this new author though and will look for her again in the future, but this just didn’t rank high for me. I appreciate receiving this ARC from the author and NetGalley.

Thank you to Net Galleyfor the advance copy of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus. I found the early part of this book hard to get into. I loved the idea of a setting in residence of first year University. However, different names were coming at us fast and furious. But, about a third of the way in, I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the family secrets and the way in which Pen finds out.
I love how Pen is a strong woman who supports her friends and shows her allegiance even at her own risk.
Really solid book, well written, overall, quite enjoyable.

4.5⭐️/5
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight
Thank you, @netgalley, for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This is a poignant story of the coming of age of Penelope, our main character. We see her path to find herself and where she belongs in this great big world. Through themes of love, friendship, self-discovery, and motherhood, Penelope can find out who she really is and where she belongs.
The writing is rich and heartfelt. A beautifully composed debut novel from Emma Knight.
Publication Day: January 7th, 2025

I loved the premise of this book and the cover is lovely. However, I didn’t finish this book after struggling with the writing style and povs.

Emma Knight’s debut novel is a very impressive look at womanhood. As someone who was raised by a single mother and now has three kids of my own, the story definitely hit close to home and I couldn’t help but relate to a lot of the story.
One main issue I had was with the main character Pen’s inner dialogue and manner of speaking. It often felt like I was reading a historical fiction, which I really enjoyed. However, it does take you out of the story when one second you’re reading beautiful prose straight out of a Jane Austen novel, and the next it’s 2006 and you’re surrounded by a bunch of millennials.
This does not detract from the overall story though as we follow Pen into a new chapter of her life, as she discovers who she is as a woman, young love and exploration, and the mystery surrounding her parents.
I highly recommend this novel, especially as a woman and a parent, and I am so excited to see what else fellow Canadian Emma has to offer us.

I truly enjoyed this story! As a child of immigrants, raised in Toronto, I found parts of this story very relatable. As a wife and mother, it’s important to explore the way we are defined by these titles, which I feel is well done in this book. I do feel like some portions of the story could be a bit more expanded upon, but it does not affect the story. Overall, this was a lovely read and many thanks to Emma Knight and NetGalley for this opportunity!

I really enjoyed the book. Emma Knight’s writing is so beautiful it is hard to stop reading. I liked the characters, for the most part. The protagonist seemed quite naive but story line was believable. I would pass this on to friends to read.

The intriguing title of this book caught my interest - as did the facts that it was written by a fellow Canadian, is partially set in Toronto, and the two main characters are Canadian transplants, entering their first year at the University of Edinburgh in the year 2006.

I decided to go into this one blind and not do too much research about octopi, other than the standard fact that the average life span of these invertebrates is 5 years. (A couple of reviewers noted that the full relevance of the title of this book is only revealed at the 87% mark on their Ereaders, but I realized when I got to those final chapters that there were indeed many vital clues in the very first chapter.)

The Scottish vernacular gave me occasional trouble, but Pen and Alice's fellow students were an engaging band of characters, so I just went along for the ride when I couldn't decipher the slang. Penelope Winters' inner (and occasionally oral) dialogue often made me think that this story was taking place in the Victorian era, but Pen was a book nerd and probably just could not help herself! I suppose I should count my blessings because these days, most teens and young adults that I come across speak in "abbreviation mode" - or some obscure code that even Google Translate can't decipher!

Beautiful and talented Alice Diamond is Pen's total opposite: embracing all the experiences and liberties that studying abroad afforded her. I was worried for a while there that this story might devolve into a tropey YA novel, but rest assured that the troupe of fellow students in Pen and Alice's social circle enjoy anything BUT a smooth ride in the relationship department.

The writing is above par and the author throws a few curve balls at you when you least expect it. I'm rating this novel a much-deserved 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author, Emma Knight, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
(Expected Publication Date : January 07, 2025.)

Love the title of this book - it caught my interest as did the fabulous setting of the book. This is the first novel of Emma Knight who obviously has a way with words. The writing was lovely and is probably what held my attention to completion - that and I like to think I would’ve been friends with Pen and Alice in Uni. At one point in the book there is a reference to Seinfeld and it made me think that was kind of like what this book was - entertaining but not really about anything specific….and slightly to slow and prolonged in parts. That said, I will look for Emma Knight’s next offering and be prepared for good writing, lovely characters and a deep understanding and appreciation of place. 3.5 stars. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Book Review The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

This is a story about women, marriage, motherhood and expectations. Freedom comes from knowing yourself and having the courage to be known.

Although the story primarily revolves around Penelope, the other characters are used to explore the range of lived experiences for women regarding their sexuality, their comfort in their own skin, and the many limitations, judgments, expectations society places on them and that they internalize.

The novel centers around how each of the women define their sense of worth and how marriage and motherhood are defined and define them. Both are viewed as requiring selflessness. The mother or wife “who has priorities of her own and refuses to put them last. Hers becomes a life of conflict between who she is and what is expected of her. Society deems her selfish and unnatural.”

This choice between selflessness and selfishness is woven throughout the story with Penn seeking and hoping for a middle ground.

I thought this was a wonderful way to explore the scripts and roles women are expected to follow and how this influences their identity. The diverse range of characters allowed for multiple POV and increased the depth and range of the exploration.

I feel this is a very topical story with woman asserting the need to define themselves as individuals and not by roles or the lack of a role (motherhood).

This is still also a coming of age love story with Penn learning who she is as a woman.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight was not what I was expecting it was presented as a novel about friendship and motherhood however, it came across more like a YA romance. The background of Scotland is nice. There’s a good twist towards the end of the book that could have shined, but it fell flat. When I finished this book this book, I felt the best way to describe it was well that was nice.


Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was intriguing to me, and it may appeal to those with a specific interest in coming-of-age and/or campus life stories. However, the pacing was a bit on the slow side to me, and I found some of the choices about point of view to be odd.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book in advance of publication.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight promises to explore themes of family, motherhood, and friendship, and while it touches on these topics, the execution is lacking. At its core, there’s a compelling story waiting to unfold, but the writing reads more like a rough draft than a polished novel. The plot jumps around without smooth transitions, making it difficult to keep me engaged.

Alice’s character seems to serve no real purpose in the story. It's disappointing because the book includes several other well-developed characters who deserve more depth. There’s a great twist near the end that could have been a standout moment, but it ultimately fell flat. Overall, I feel like the book needs significant reworking and strong editing. Emma Knight clearly has talent, but a more experienced editor could help unlock the full potential of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing early access to this digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

The catching cover and unique title drew me to this one, and I’m sad to say that’s still its largest draw.

This book promised an insightful look at family, motherhood and friendship, it does have all these things but it’s a huge mess. This book has a great story at its core but this read like a first draft, the plot was a mess, we jump around a lot with no smooth transitions. Alice’s character what was the point? There’s an excellent twist near the end that just fell flat. The romance was the most interesting part yet the book should have been about more than that. Great characters but not well drawn yet. The list unfortunately goes on.

The entire book needs a rework and development and strong edit, the author is talented but I’d suggest a more experienced editor is in store, this has loads of potential.

All opinions are my own and I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for granting me early access to the digital arc.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. While the story was strong, i do think this ARC could use a little tightening up. I found it a little scattered at times. Having said that I thought the characters were interesting and well developed and for the most part sympathetic . Through the writing I was made to feel the struggles and emotions of the characters. The issues were believable and the questions had decent resolutions. I would recommend it to others. Thank you to the Author, Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the copy

The novel follows the protagonist, Pen, from home in Toronto, Ontario, to university in Edinburgh Scotland. Penelope’s middle name is Elliott, named after a friend of her father, a famous writer, Lord Lennox, who Pen visits his estate only to discover answers to questions that plagued her through her parent’s seemingly loveless marriage.

The novel reminded me at times of The Sex Lives of College Girls meets Saltburn, though is unique in its own, for the sleuthing of buried family secrets to open Pen’s eyes.

I enjoyed the book! I liked the historical connection to a family name that I share: Lennox, and the intrigue of our ingenue obsessed with uncovering the truth, discovering herself and the humanity beneath the flaws or missteps of her family.
4 out of 5 stars!

If you enjoy classic novels this might be for you. Unfortunately it was definitely not my style. I found it very drawn out the characters were all over the place some I felt weren’t really needed. More of a new adult love story than anything else.