Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

37 reviews

r_j_setser's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

"Book lovers can spot a wrapped book a mile away." 

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!

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Content Warnings

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.

There are a few heavy topics about one character escaping a cult where a child died. A couple of characters deal with the mental illness of being abused (sexually) as children. One character grows up with a narcissistic and mentally ill mother and there are several sad and complicated conversations dealing with that.

javafenn's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I deeply enjoyed listening to this book. I really loved the tendrils of ghosts lingering amongst each character and why their specific ghost sticks around. Zoey is so very young and you can’t help but hope nothing bad happens to her. She moves into her late mother’s apartment at the Dellawisp to learn who she was. She meets now friends and brings new meaning to the Dellawisp along the way. It’s a sweet book with a satisfying ending. 

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Content Warnings

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

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug use, Child death, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Abandonment

adearajean's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A little slow and the character's decisions feel plot-driven and not authentic. Took me a little while to get into because there are a lot of characters and names. I didn't feel connected to some immediately and you have to care about the characters since there's little plot. 

I did not like the redemption of Elizabeth. It was forced and not deserved.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Incest, and Addiction

cake_cats_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Addiction, and Abandonment

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

Such a sweet story of love, overcoming trauma, and found family. It took me a bit longer than I expected to connect with the characters but it was a platonic slow burn and by the end I got emotional for all of them! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Abandonment

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

pjv's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

emmawiechs's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Abandonment, and Child abuse

smiti_nathan's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Addiction

em_hudson03101's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Violence