It's an interesting read, but not what I expected based on the cover and synopsis. The cover is beautiful, and when I saw it on NetGalley, I immediately hit the "request" button. I expected a creepy read; instead, I got a quirky one.

Josie Lauer would laugh at her life if it weren't so miserable. Freshly divorced, she mourns her father's death and finds relief in vodka and daily routines (work, playing with the dog, dinner, vodka). Then, one day, she discovers the vine-like plant sprouting in her backyard and running amok. To make things even stranger, the talking skeleton, Skelly, occupies the throne made of vines. Naturally, Skelly wants to talk to Josie about things (life, grief, family, etc.). And so their relationship begins.

There's also a new neighbor who seems to know quite a bit about mysterious vines and talking skeletons. The mystery is why Skelly insists on pulling Josie out of her self-isolation.

The book's tone changes from humorous to melancholy but never becomes depressing. Although Josie has a drinking problem, she doesn't wake up, wasted, in her vomit. Her issue is more about losing control of her life than the destructive effects on her health. In other words, she's not a role model, but there's no extreme content here either.

Josie's narrative is quite distinct; it's full of wit, self-deprecation, and self-mockery. Her disdain for everyone except her little dog Po makes her observations about life and others (and her circumstances) funny, but also sad. Po is the only reason she goes outside. Her snarkiness masks serious mental health problems, but also makes the read entertaining.

However, the story itself is a bit boring, especially in the middle. I admit I was expecting more horror and less pseudo-philosophical asides. Things get repetitive, and I considered stopping halfway through but decided against it. I wanted to know the ending and the resolution. I'm glad I did - the ending is gratifying and strong.

I'm not fully sold on it, but I'll tell you this. If you're looking for something different, quick to read, humorous and melancholic at the same time, you can't go wrong with it.

4.5/5 stars

Josie lives alone, works from home, and barely meets with other people since she divorced her husband and her father died. The only company she has most days is her dog Po, and she likes it that way. So when a strange plant appears in her backyard on the same day a somewhat nosy woman moves in next door, she isn’t exactly thrilled about it. And then a talking skeleton enters the mix too.

Little Bird caught me by surprise. Initially, this book felt like a mix of A Monster Calls and Little Shop of Horrors, but later on, the book proved to be so, so much more and the end definitely surprised me. It starts a little slowly, but the pace quickly picks up and while things are happening back to back, the book also doesn’t feel rushed.

On top of that, the writing style is great, especially the conversation between characters. Josie as a main character has a very dry sense of humor and her conversations, especially with Skelly made me chuckle more than once.

Little Bird is definitely worth the read, especially for lovers of speculative fiction. It’s a very strange little book that didn’t take me long to read, but left me thinking about it, even days later.

Ok so I had super high hopes for this, entirely based on the cover 🤣 my fault. I will say this was a pretty good representation of grief, love and friendship. While this didn't entirely meet all my hopes for it, it was really well done. 4⭐

I'll admit that I don't think I was the right reader for this book. I think I expected a different story than I got, and maybe that's just my misinterpretation of the description. I anticipated the mysterious plants to play a more central role, but their strangeness paled in comparison to their skeleton mistress.

What I liked: this narrative is unique and creative. The author has a way of taking these bizarro concepts and rooting them in some strange but believable narrative reality. The unreliable narration had a thriller-like quality that kept me on my toes. I adored the relationship between the main character and her sweet pup (although the nature of horror stories had me worrying for the little dog's safety more often than not!), and I loved the rich descriptions and Josie's sarcastic nature. This book has a very clear, very distinct personality that sets it apart.

I think I was just signed on for a different story and was thrown off when the horror was less earthy and more rattling bones. I also found that there were quite a few stuttering starts and stops that made it hard to get into a rhythm. But, again, this is probably a personal preference thing. Overall, if you like your horror a little weird and your protagonists hella unreliable, give this book shot. It's ideal reader is certainly out there, and I think Skelley will make a wonderful home with them.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Spot Books for this Advanced Readers Copy.

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to read this book because of the cover but after reading the description it stood out to ne even more. I enjoyed reading Little Bird even if it is a little out there. It's a wild story that deals with grief, loss, love, friendship. Josie was a very good main character as she was going through so much, a lot of which someone could relate to at one time or another. I really did feel for her at times. Skelly, probably one of the wildest characters I've come across in the book as she is talking skeleton, is also a great character that will have you looking inward at yourself, reflecting on the past, present and even future possibilities. In terms of plot, I'm not really sure what was going on but I didn't mind as I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me laugh and pulled at my heart!

I love the concept of this book! The cover and summary perfectly describe the eerie and creepy vibes of Little Bird. The FMC felt a little unrelatable to me personally, but the action and thriller/mystery elements of the story kept me reading through to the end!

What initially caught my attention was the gorgeous detail on the cover. I love the color to ratio aspect, the pop of pink is absolutely stunning. Because there was a skeleton on the cover, I thought I would enjoy it: as I am into anything horror and magic, however this book didn't hit the mark for me. It was a short story with a poetic tone. I thought the overall idea was different and creative, but unfortunately I found myself getting bored and could not finish it. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC, I appreciate the opportunity to review this book and hope that this book does better for someone else.

A hermitess who hates everyone but her fuzzbutt and has an ongoing spite-war with a snarky skeleton in her backyard. What I'd like to know is...who's been spying on me? I absolutely adore Josie and the refreshing uniqueness of this book.

This cover is absolutely stunning and I have to admit is what initially drew me in. I didn’t really connect with the main character or the story for that matter and it was a little too strange for me.

I'd like to thank the publisher, Black Spot Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strange story but I enjoyed it.

Beautiful cover.

This is an odd, quirky little read featuring a misanthropic, borderline alcoholic recluse, an adorable little chihuahua, a talking skeleton and an annoying nosy neighbour. It’s part horror, part cosy mystery, part meditation on loneliness and how we can all get locked in in our own lives. There’s some brilliant dialogue full of dark humour, which lifted the otherwise sombre mood. In the end, I really enjoyed this despite not being what I thought I’d signed up for at all. It’s one of those one of a kind books – read when you want something completely different.

It was just not for me and I’m disappointed…

I thought it would be horror and that there would at least be some feeling of uneasiness but until the end, the horror or even creepy atmosphere never came through… I couldn’t really get into it as I kept waiting for something to happen and except for a skeleton in her yard and a few crazy vines, nothing ever happened.

It was just weird, and the story just felt like it was going in circles, which had me unfortunately bored.

However, I really liked the concept of this short book (although it got a bit repetitive and could have probably been even shorter).
Josie and Po were really fun as characters, and the interactions with the Skelly (the skeleton) were quite entertaining.

Maybe you’ll like it, but I’m not quite sure why this is labelled as horror…


Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this advanced e-copy!

Humourous and makes you think. This was a short story but a good one. I originally requested the book because the cover was absolutely beautiful, I'm glad the story was also lovely.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

A series of life events lead Josie to become a functional alcohol-dependent human. After a few weird twists and flowery encounters with an intriguing neighbor, Josie meets Skelly, and life just gets weirder.

When Josie meets Skelly the skeleton, my first thought was, this is weird and creepy. I also thought maybe Skelly was there to teach Josie a lesson or scare her away from the bottle. Possibly teach her something about love and life, two areas where Josie’s ineptitude shined.

But Meuret was creative with this story and she makes you feel sorry for this mess of a human. Just like Josie, I'm currently working from home and found that Meuret made Josie relatable. Not relatable in the alcohol-dependent part, but the isolated from the world part, plus her relationship with her only friend, her dog Po. Hey, there are moments I also think my dogs are the best therapists. In Josie's world, human connections are beyond complicated, similar to how we non-fictional humans often do; and although it seems like the walls are caving in, or you want the ground to swallow you whole, you are meant for something more.

Josie's relationship with Skelly seemed like it was something of an alcohol-induced delusion, but it wasn't. And once Meuret finally allows us to understand the Skelly-Josie relationship, you let out a big sigh alongside Josie.

I received an arc of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

A novel written in a poetic script, filled with raw emotions and stories. It made me reflect, wonder and hope.

Our main character, Josie, has gone through some major changes in her life, and some would say she is not doing so well. She has lost her father, is divorced, and drinks too much alcohol on a daily basis to get by. Her mother ruins her fond memories of her father by invading the only place they had for themselves. And then something bizarre happens in her garden. Vines and vines growing and a skeleton that is looking for a story. And as if that didn't worry Josie enough, she has a new neighbor who does seem very eager to talk to her and who seems to know more about the garden problems.

A magical-realism novel that makes you wonder about what it is trying to tell us. Behind the layers of the poetic and the magical is something we all recognize. It is not just Josie's story that we read, but that of many. And probably our own in some way.

I thought the skeleton would bring Josie a wake-up call, but there is more to the story. It confused me at times, but that's what I love about stories of magical realism. They are never all that they seem.

I recommend this book to people who like magical realism, poetic stories about struggling people, and who don't mind the bizarre skeleton.

Don’t judge a book by its cover and this cover is beautiful. It definitely captures the dark comedy aspect of the book. “Little Bird” by Tiffany Meuret is a quick read that centers around Josie and her dog, Po. Josie is a customer service agent that hates people. After her work day on the computer is done, she likes to have a vodka soda or 3. She’s divorced and currently grieving. A new neighbor, a skeleton and some vines threaten to disrupt her idyllic life. Thanks to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the advanced reading copy. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion. #NetGalley #LittleBird

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Black Spot Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In the spirit of honesty, I feel bad rating this book so low. Everything about it is so appealing on the surface—the premise is engaging, the idea of a mysterious plant skeleton is right up my alley, the cover is gorgeous, and the sense of boundless grief and hollow stagnation that haunts Josie throughout the story is deeply beautiful and sorrowful.

The problem is that the story doesn't seem to exist much beyond the surface. It's advertised as a horror novel about found family, but it's neither of those things. It certainly doesn't feel like horror, and I wouldn't call Josie's relationship with Sue and Skelly a "found family." It also doesn't really seem to be about anything at all. Josie spends a full 80% of the book ignoring and/or arguing with the obvious plot hook growing in her backyard, and only engages with it because she believes its existence threatens her dog. She also spends that time lamenting the broken, toxic relationships in her life while doing very little to either mend them or cut them off, all while indulging in what she repeatedly acknowledges to be an unhealthy and unsustainable coping mechanism. It would have made for an excellent short story, but the fact that it's a novel means that it's a bit lacking at the end of the day.

I think I wanted this to be a book about grief, and I'm disappointed that it isn't. It has all of the pieces, and even the potential to use the sentient vines as an excellent metaphor (an ever-encroaching creature with a mind of its own that threatens to suffocate you despite your best efforts to keep it at bay? Yes please!), it just...doesn't. And if I'm wrong and it is a story about grief, it's a rather depressing one. (view spoiler)

In short, LITTLE BIRD is a mediocre novel that simply didn't live up to its fantastic potential. It's not enough to deter me from reading more of Meuret's work in the future, but I can't blame anyone who DNF's this one after a few chapters.

Thank you to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of Little Bird in exchange for an honest review.

Little Bird follows Josie, an alcoholic customer services provider who has pushed everyone away when her new neighbour moves in, someone Josie deems ‘odd’ from the get go. But this neighbour, Sue, is the least odd thing in Josie’s life in the following days.

Josie is an awful character- she’s rude, self obsessed and an absolute joy to read. Meuret doesn’t try to glamorise Josie’s weaknesses and even in her more reflective moments, she still has that raw, abrasive edge keeping her consistent while allowing her to develop organically.

Other characters such as Sue and Skelly provide a welcome break from Josie’s darker moments and the conversations between them are both enjoyable and informative without being info-dumps. Skelly’s stories bring with them a magic system which is new and refreshing, without being overpowering in the story; providing just the right amount of magic to balance the contemporary setting.

This is an enjoyable read which lacks only towards the end. The penultimate scene appears a little rushed, and Skelly’s explanation seems to lack, with the reader (in this case, me) left wanting more of the world which is introduced.