Book Review: Little Bird (arc)

Little Bird (2022) by Tiffany Meuret

Fiction | Mystery | Horror

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

The skeletons in the closet have nothing on the one in your backyard.

Freshly divorced and grieving the death of her father, Josie Lauer has caged herself inside her home. To cope with her losses, Josie follows a strict daily routine of work, playing with her dog, Po, and trying to remember to eat a decent meal—and ending each night by drinking copious amounts of vodka. In other words, she is not coping at all.

Everything changes when Josie wakes to find a small shrub has sprouted in her otherwise dirt backyard the morning after yet another bender. Within hours, the vine-like plant is running amok—and it’s brought company. The appearance of the unwieldy growth has also heralded the arrival of a busybody new neighbor who insists on thrusting herself into Josie’s life. The neighbor Josie can deal with. The talking skeleton called Skelly that has perched itself in Josie’s backyard on a throne made of vines, however, is an entirely different matter.

As the strangely sentient plant continues to grow and twist its tendrils inside Josie’s suddenly complicated life, Josie begins to realize her new neighbor knows a lot more about the vines and her bizarre new visitor than she initially lets on. There’s a reason Skelly has chosen to appear in Josie’s suddenly-blooming backyard and insists on pulling her out of her carefully kept self-isolation. All Josie has to do is figure out what that reason is—and she has only a few days to do it, or else she might find herself on the wrong side of catastrophe.

LITTLE BIRD is a story about found family, no matter how bizarre.

Note: Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for allowing me access to this arc!

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My Review

I’d like first to say that the cover of this book is AMAZING. It is beautiful and draws your attention right off the bat! If you are looking for a quick read with an exciting story, this is your book! This book was different than anything I’ve ever read, and I am HERE for it. It was strange and delightful in a wonderfully creative way.

Keep reading!

When you first start the book, you’re a little bit confused. Isn’t this supposed to be a fantasy story, not a sad one? Stop being confused, and keep reading, my friend! The supernatural aspects you are looking for are just around the corner.

The Good Things

1. As mentioned above, the cover is the best thing about this book. I'm not saying that to take away from the story, but because it fits the book’s atmosphere and creativity to perfection.

2. That creeptastic skeleton. Talk about cool!

3. The ENDING was a surprise, and I’m quite pleased with it! Too many times have I read a book where the ending is predictable.

4. The characters were fantastic, especially our main character, who is introduced right off the bat as an alcoholic recluse with mental illness. Meuret should be beyond proud of her ability to make a character come to life like this!

5. As someone with a dog (my best friend), I LOVE the addition of Po.

The Bad Things

1. The story was extremely character-driven. Some readers may not view this as bad, but I definitely prefer a little more spice in my STORY, not just the characters.

2. Being categorized as “horror” is slightly off for me, but perhaps it won’t be to others.

3. This seemed like a very quick read, even for a quick reader, like me.

My Final Rating:

☆☆☆☆ (Goodreads)

☆☆☆☆ (Amazon - review will be posted as soon as the book is released)

☆☆☆☆ (Blog)

If you have access to this arc, please feel free to leave comments concerning how you liked -or didn’t like, no judgment here- this book! If you don’t have access, let me know if this is on your tbr! I would love to hear your thoughts!