This is a good read albeit a very slow burn.

It cover real life themes such as friendship love and motherhood. it is a book filled with intrigue and light.

I loved getting to know the characters and it reminded me a little of the film and book One Day..

It is also a very good mystery novel and is well drawn in its plot and the eventual unveiling left me satisfied..

Quite brilliant

I went into requesting + reading this blind. The title and UK book cover give little away and I only had the book's blurb for clues. I was sucked in immediately and felt like I'd been transported to Edinburgh in the time I'd read the book, it was strange to find myself sitting on the sofa when I got to the acknowledgements. The characters were easy to like and it was incredibly easy to get lost in the story. There were pages where nothing happened, so I could see where people were frustrated with the plot or the characters not progressing. A lot happens in the book, it's packed in there and I forgot that this wasn't a 700+ pager but with a tighter edit, I could have seen this hitting the mark for more readers.

I did think that this would make for an epic miniseries, it gives off One Day vibes (I suppose the Edinburgh setting will do that) but it also feels like an epic story of family and friendship with many characters and secrets to share with the viewers. I think the Octopus life cycle would weave in better visually.

I'm glad I requested this and went in with no expectations because I escaped reality for a little while this afternoon and I love losing myself in a good story, even if it lulled in places. Would I recommend reading The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus? Absolutely. Will it be for everyone? Probably not but that's okay!

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is published in the UK in hardback on 10th April 2025! Thank you, Quercus for approving my ARC on NetGalley!!!