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r_j_setser's review against another edition
5.0
This was a beautiful and fun book! Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, and Oliver kept me laughing, feeling comforted, and fully engaged in their story. It was simple, but in a complimentary way. The story and characters had such a depth to them without making you feel bogged down by their pasts or struggles. It was such a beautiful way of portraying the complexities of people and how, when you find the right people, those struggles that typically isolate you can have the same power to knit you together and create strong bonds. I loved how natural the communication was for these broken people and it just felt so much like "finally" finding people who will stay on your side through thick and thin. Zoey and Charlotte's friendship was so comforting and healthy, too. Exactly what female friendships should be.
The mysterious undertones kept me flipping the pages. The food--oh my goodness. I would buy a cookbook of recipes from this book (and other Allen books!). Since finishing Other Birds, I've started The Girl Who Chased the Moon (also by Sarah Addison Allen) and her food descriptions set my mouth to watering.
The romance was so sweet and comforting, too. The kind that makes you feel like watching your best friend fall in love with someone who is PERFECT for them. There are several mentions of casual s3x from background characters but there's nothing shown on page. Overall, I adored this book and as I mentioned above, I immediately started another book by this author because I wanted more. This would be a great summer read!
Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child death
Content/trigger warnings: Little to no cursing. No spice. No gore.javafenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Child death, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gaslighting, Blood, Animal death, Drug use, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
melshoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug use, Child death, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
katrinarose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
yoadrienne16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual content and Child abuse
staylorreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Addiction, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Violence
raptorq's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Child death
chimichannika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The premise of the book—without giving specific spoilers—, in the end, is people with varying kinds of horrible pasts living next to each other, by chance, and making this charming corner of the world a better place through their gradually deepening bonds of friendship and camaraderie. It ends on a hopeful note, and is truly about the love permeating throughout, but it does extensively handle those potentially-triggering/retraumatizing topics, at length, for multiple portions of the book.
I still consider it a good book, but would only recommend it to specific people with specific disclaimers, and also a note to please care for your own well-being if any of those topics can be especially triggering or distressing. I’m off to go seek out some comfort media because I physically reacted to the way some of the content triggered me, and need to go un-tense my muscles now.
And yet, the book had portions of charming and sleepy loveliness in it too, the way the characters began forming this “group of misfits” was so sweet, and the last couple chapters were so satisfying, showing where the characters were at now.
One other thing— I mentioned in the content warnings section a brief description of animal violence— the animal is okay, it survives, is loved, and treated very well after it’s rescued. just wanted to note that the animal is more-than-okay ♡
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
rover_under's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It felt expository at points and I think with a book with such an emphasis on the scenery and sense of place, it would have been nice to explore it a bit more or have a few more characters outside the Dellawisp residents to add vibrancy of the narrative.
I liked that certain characters had secrets or things that they only shared with one other character, like Charlotte and Mac revealing their pasts', but I felt like something to unite the whole group, including Fraiser, was missing.
The magical realism elements didn't go as far as I would have liked, but that's a personal preference. Overall a cozy book that I felt could have had a bit more meat on it when it came to the story and the setting.
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
kelleykamanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Child death