Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Lily and the Octopus

This is the first book by Steven Rowley that I’ve read and I look forward to reading everything he’s ever written. And Michael Urie’s narration was perfect.

Lily and the Octopus filled me with so much love and also such a deep sadness; just like I knew it would. The way I immediately knew at the beginning, the way I sobbed uncontrollably and then cried with happiness at the end! I was glad I finished this book while I was home alone so I could freely feel and release all these emotions.

Dog lovers be warned. This will rip your heart out. But it will also heal you. Steven doesn’t leave you a blubbering mess.

“BEGIN. THE. STORY. OF. ME!” ~ Lily

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annie_reads_books's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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faerietears's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This is a book about a middle aged man, Ted, and his dog, Lily. They’re best friends. They love one another. But when an “octopus” appears on Lily’s head one day and won’t leave, Ted begins to spiral.

This book is pure magical realism, which is fine, but it’s something I personally struggle with in literature. I love paranormal and fantasy as much as the next girl, but I need RULES. I need to be able to understand what’s actually real and what’s not. And with this book, I struggled. This isn’t a criticism of the book, it’s a ME PROBLEM. But that’s the main reason I couldn’t give the book a higher rating.

This book jumps between the present and Ted’s memories of Lily throughout her life. At times, seemingly pointless, but each memory has a purpose in the story.

Ted is clearly struggling with life and depression and Lily’s predicament isn’t helping. (Spoiler alert: it’s not REALLY an actual, literal, octopus on her head.)

Meanwhile, like the dog she is, Lily is nearly always happy and living in the NOW. She’s a true joy.

But this isn’t a happy book. This is a book about a man doing whatever he can to save his dog’s life. And the way the story is told is both joyful and heart wrenching. I’m not ashamed to say I cried. And I’m honestly not the biggest fan of dogs. (Childhood fear. I’ll share the story if you ask nicely.)

So bring your tissues because Lily & the Octopus is probably worth your time.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad slow-paced

3.25

Finished reading: March 28th 2024

“If you spend your entire life trying to cheat death, there's no time left over to embrace life.”

I love books with animals playing an important role in the plot, so I'm still not sure how Lily And The Octopus has escaped my radar for this long. I loved the sound of the bond between main character Ted and his elderly dog Lily, and I even added it to my list of 2024 priorities in the hope I would read it sooner than later. It still took me longer than expected to actually pick it up, but what I didn't expect either was that I was going to end up having mixed thoughts instead. Things started out on a high note and initially I was loving the unique and whimsical writing style where the dog Lily has her own voice and the main character has active conversations with her. It had all the signs of becoming a high rating, but I have to say that this same uniqueness started to grate after a while. I mean, don't people around Ted see that he is completely delusional? Still, I was intrigued and entertained enough to keep reading, up until that ridiculous and overlong boat scene. This is exactly where the story lost me, and the pace was getting slower and slower even before that. That said, there were some nice deeper messages and definitely prepare to have some tissues at hand just in case. Lily And The Octopus had a fantastic start and I enjoyed the ending and message, but it was the middle where everything just became too muddled and over the top for me. I was enjoying the magical realism, but that part just took things WAY too far for me and completely ruined the reading experience (especially since it didn't even make sense). Anyhow, I can't deny that it is a story you won't forget any time soon either way.

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heatherhazereads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I finished this at 3 in the morning while laying awake in bed. My face and hair soaked as tears (eye rain!) just deluged down my face. I went into this book blindly, not knowing the hold that Lily (and Ted) would have on my heart and I'm not sure I'll recover. I did, however, read some reviews as I progressed through the book and was intrigued at the volume of negative ones. I get it that the voice of Lily when the author incorporated the exclamation points was annoying and the Octopus stuff was kind out there but GUYS - the beauty in the relationship of this man and his beloved dog was stunning, even when it was simply in the routine and mundane. It represented humankind and the bond with his K9 best friend in the most precious and heartbreaking way.

If you've ever loved a dog, especially during a time when the love of said dog felt like the only scaffolding holding you up from certain demise, you need to read this book. You need to meet Lily and her octopus. Wow.

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