gabymulberry 's review for:

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

4.0

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“People talk a lot about first loves, or the love of your life, but people don’t say as much about the friend of your life.”

If I had to describe Unlikely Animals in one word it would be charming. Set against small-town New Hampshire, Unlikely Animals is the story of Emma Starling, whose natural healing ability has stopped working, coming home to find an ailing father, a missing best friend and a fractured family. Although these sets of circumstances sound bleak or dark, the book is anything but.

I loved the quirky narrative style, the elements of magical realism and the humor found in the pages of this book. Plus I really loved the theme about friendship — particularly the quote I highlighted above. I don’t usually read “cheerful” books, but my friends always ask for that type of recommendation — so if you’re looking for something happy, this is it! You probably won’t get a happy book from me for the next three to five business months.

The only thing I (personally) didn’t like was that some parts did feel a little cheesy. I am highly averse to cheesiness (which is entirely the reason the third act of romances is always the worst for me), and even with some of that in the books resolution I found myself really loving the book.