Published September 14th, 2023 by Transworld
Romantic Comedy, Humorous Fiction, Uplit, Adventure Fiction, Holiday Fiction
Happy Publication Day to Life and Otter Miracles! I’m delighted to be sharing my review for this uplfiting story on such a special day. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Transworld for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
From the bestselling author of Richard & Judy’s pick Away with the Penguins comes this ‘otterly’ delightful, heart-warming and feel-good story about the healing power of nature.
‘A lovely holiday read . . . Packed full of humanity and otters!’ Sally Page
‘This book was just amazing. It made me laugh and cry!’ *****
‘There is so much to love and treasure in this story’ *****
‘This book was a delight from start to finish!’ *****
‘Glorious dose of otter cuteness’ *****
You loved Veronica McCreedy. Now meet Phoebe Featherstone . . ._____
Down by the river, Phoebe Featherstone is about to make a life-changing discovery . . .
Clever, nosy Phoebe is unable to get out much, but she has a talent for uncovering her neighbours’ secrets by examining the parcels delivered by her courier father, Al.
When they discover an abandoned baby otter on the riverbank, Phoebe must step out of her comfort zone – and she experiences an unexpected sense of happiness that she has not felt in a very long time. But now, further secrets are coming to light.
Phoebe soon realizes that something is amiss at the local otter sanctuary. She will need to overcome her own closely guarded issues and put all her sleuthing skills to good use if she wants to save the otters . . . and in the process, change her life for ever.
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MY REVIEW:
“In this moment, Phoebe felt it for the first time: A curious concentration of joy that had nothing to do with her own state, that was activated by focusing wholly on the baby otter. It was a new and glorious phenomenon. It should have a name. Perhaps she would call it ‘the Otter Effect’. Like the Butterfly Effect, only much, much better.”
Be prepared to feel ‘the Otter Effect’.
A story of family, friendship, community, and self-discovery, I adored this beautifully told gem of a story told with wit, warmth, and wisdom that is a balm for the soul. It is the book I never knew I needed and I’ll never be the same again after reading. Hazel Prior has been a favourite and auto-buy author for me ever since I read Away with the Penguins, and with every book she just gets better. Life and Otter Miracles showcases her gift for writing animals you’ll fall in love with, humans you’ll relate to, and stories you won’t forget to perfection. I loved the attention to the tiniest details such as the chapter names and the otter illustrations at the start of each one. But this is the book I never knew I needed and I’ll never be the same after reading it.
19-year-old Phoebe Featherstone and her father, Al, who have just moved to the small Exmoor village of Darleycombe and are out exploring the beauty their new home has to offer when they come across an otter cub abandoned on the riverbank. Phoebe is soon struck with what she calls ‘the Otter Effect’; the warm, happy feeling that these animals bring and can’t bear to be parted from her, so after they take the little creature to the local otter sanctuary she volunteers to help care for the cub and prepare her for release back into the wild. There’s a varied cast of characters that I loved, particularly Phoebe, Al, and Christina – a woman Phoebe quickly becomes friends with and hopes to set up her father with. Phoebe is a big fan of detective shows such as Poirot and I loved how she used this knowledge to play amateur detective at various points in the story, particularly when it seems clear that someone is trying to sabotage the otter sanctuary. By this point in the story, Phoebe has found her own kind of sanctuary there, and the idea of it closing is devastating. She is determined to catch the culprit, and I enjoyed following the clues along with her to try and figure out the answers. One of my favourite aspects of the book was the relationship between Phoebe and Al and it was great to read a story that focused on a single father. Phoebe’s attempts to play matchmaker for him were fun to read, though I did doubt they’d be successful. But the stars of the show are undoubtedly the otters. Coco is the cutest little animal ever and everyone will fall for the charms of her and the other otters in this book. I wanted to immediately find the nearest otter sanctuary to visit and now understand why they are my eldest son’s favourite animal.
But although it was the amazing writing, compelling characters, and adorable otters that drew me to this book, it is the author’s depiction of Phoebe’s chronic pain that had the greatest impact on me. I developed chronic pain at a similar age to Phoebe and I have never seen myself or my experience so evocatively represented in a book. It brought me to tears and means more than I could ever express. I can honestly say I have never felt so seen as I did when reading Phoebe talk about the little things she has to think about just to get through the day. It’s woven into every facet of her life and I lost it all over again a couple of times when Phoebe’s struggle was especially palpable. Ms. Prior’s familiarity with chronic pain is evident in the raw, honest, and sensitive way that Phoebe’s experience is written and I don’t think anyone who hasn’t lived it could have conveyed the brutal, devastating reality of living in agony day after day. I am so grateful to her for being brave enough to write this character so that those of us with chronic pain can feel seen and those who don’t know how it feels are educated by reading her words. Thank you Hazel.
Compassionate, heartwarming, moving, and uplifting, Life and Otter Miracles is the perfect book to cosy under the blanket with on a cold night. But be warned—you will fall in love.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Hazel Prior lives on Exmoor with her husband and a huge ginger cat. As well as writing, she works as a freelance harpist. Hazel is the author of Ellie and the Harp-Maker, the #1 ebook and audiobook bestseller Away with the Penguins and its follow-up, Call of the Penguins. Life and Otter Miracles is her fourth novel.
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BUY THE BOOK:
Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx
Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 