This book had a slow and odd start. I didn’t realize this was a romance for a while. There was a lot of discussion around birds and very little character background. And the lack of romance was glaring. The writing was okay, just the content could’ve been completely different.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This book had a slow start due to excessive information and a love story that takes about half the book to begin. Unfortunately I found it a bit dry and couldn't finish the book.

I did not enjoy this book unfortunately and had to DNF. The writing style was not for me and I didn't like the characters. I couldn't get into the story.

Simon is a socially awkward behavioral ecologist who happens to relate better to the birds he studies than to people. He even views the world through an avian lens at times. And yet, understandably, he wants companionship, although he isn't quite sure how to go about finding a suitable companion. He entertainingly, and sometimes painfully, turns to his knowledge of birds to guide his efforts.

Those of us who spend too much time in our heads, who overthink things, who aren't always adept at reading social cues, or who are simply comfortable on our own can understand Simon's frustrations. How does an intelligent yet introverted person navigate social settings and relationships to find a partner? How does anyone establish satisfying, healthy relationships? Do we have more choice than animals, or does it all come down to hormones and instinct? When do we play it safe, and when is it worth the risk to try for something more?

I found the comparison of Simon's dating life to his avian studies a fun both thought-provoking and a unique way to give insight into his character. Simon is awkward, yet likeably quirky for those who are willing to see beyond the surface. I also enjoyed the amount of growth his character experienced, as he came to believe in his own worth and see himself as more than a bird who was subject to the whims of "female choice."

As I was reading it, I kept thinking of "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion. The protagonist in "Odd Bird" is an out-of-the-ordinary person who has difficulty maintaining human relationships and is more happier when surrounded by birds. Three different women try to hit on him, and despite his intelligence, he has no idea what they're doing.

The novel jumps around a bit, as the timeline shifts forward sometimes by months, and the story may have been better served by not skipping over those chunks of time. But, the narrative is easy to read, and the ending has a nice twist.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

A fun read! Nerdy orthanologist Simon Selwood meets Kim. Now Simon might know all their is about the mating habits of birds, but with the female of his own species he’s all at sea.

A Duckworth Books ARC via NetGalley

I DNFed this because it was very awkward and I couldn't get very far due to the second-hand embarrassment. I think the author intended for the character to be extremely awkward and unable to actually converse well with people, but it lasted for far too long and made the book impossible to get through

Not a great read for me. I struggled to get into it and it didn't really keep me all that engaged. That was plot rather than writing though and totally down to personal taste. I did like the different dynamic of a male written romance though.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would have! Took me a while to get in to it and I don't think it is a memorable book unfortunately! Not a bad book, just not my favourite book ever.

Hard to get into for me. The writing was dry, and I kept feeling like I was reading a private conversation where I wasn't in on the joke, so it completely missed the mark and didn't keep me enthralled (what on earth did the characters and author mean by 'po-faced', I wondered throughout, because no indication was given and it was left to our guessing, which in a way just felt weird because, are we guessing the right definition for 'po' here?) Enjoyed that a lot of bird research went in here, but the story itself just didn't feel catchy and interesting - it wanted to be quirky, I suppose, but it was a lot of 'absurd' throughout and not always the funny kind

Okay so I liked Simon and Kim, and I enjoyed the bird nerdy stuff. I think the connection could have been developed more but overall enjoyed this book!

What a lovely and refreshing read! The premise of the novel is interesting and original. The characters develop at a steady pace. I was captivated throughout. Hilarious dialogue, believable characters. Simply loved it.

With the genre of romance largely being influenced by women’s writing, it’s interesting to see the male perspective find its feet in this area especially since it has unfortunately been considered a no-go area for male writers. There has been a gradual upturn, however, and male-centric romance novels come in varied forms.


Odd Bird is an example of uniqueness in the romance category where the male protagonist fails to see who is the right woman for him, all the while being immersed in academia. Simon Selwood, academic expert on the mating behaviour of birds, attempts to apply his area of study to human behaviour in order to form that lasting pair-bond he has been yearning for so long. With the help of wingman and best friend Phil, Simon sets his sights on Kim who at first doesn’t seem interested in him at all, but it appears he may be able to put his knowledge of birds to use here and win her over.

My Thoughts
Odd Bird could easily be misconstrued as the ‘geeky guy wins over the fabulously attractive woman’ but there’s more to the story as Simon’s personality shines through on the page with his quick-witted banter with Phil while he tries to implement ornithological mating strategy in his interactions with Kim.


He loves what he does and is a naturally gifted and talented academic working at Empirical University (clearly Imperial given its South Kensington location) but fails to make romance work due to his awkwardness. Kim seems to press all the right buttons for him but I was suspicious as to how easily things worked out for Simon so soon in the timeline of the book. The clues in the story are subtle, maybe too subtle for my liking, and seemed to fade into the details of his academic work. In fact, some parts of the book felt a tad heavy on ornithology which blurred the more important interactions from being seen for what they were.

Flowing well with Simon and Phil being likeable characters, Lee Farnsworth has written an original romance with a twist that’ll have you chuckling away while at the same time screaming at Simon for not seeing the obvious and taking you on an enjoyable rollercoaster ride that’ll have you holding your breath till the very end.

If you loved Don Tillman, the scientist and undiagnosed "Aspie" hero of Graeme Simsion's "The Rosie Project," then you should definitely read this book. I laughed hysterically throughout "Odd Bird," and I hope Lee Farnsworth continues Simon's story. Simon Selwood is an ornithologist who is looking for his own pair bond, and he is aided, haplessly but hilariously, by his best friend Phil. Simon, like many of the birds he loves and most of the men in his world, falls for gorgeous female plumage with little thought for mutual compatibility. He is genuine and likable, and it's easy to root for him to find his mate. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to based on the first few pages. That is of course much better than the alternative! The protagonist is an expert in the mating science of birds and feels that his knowledge of this should hold true for human relationships. At some levels I'm sure it does, but this book shows how the things that science cannot measure plays a big part too. It was good to see a romantic comedy penned from a different perspective to what one normally sees.

This was a fantastic read. The story was beautifully written.
It was intriguing to read a romance story told from a males perspective as it added an entirely different feel to this book.
The characters were realistic and each had their own personalities. I especially liked Simon, he was so incredibly endearing, it was impossible to not feel a connection with him.

A book full of humour and marvellous situations that truly grasp your interest. I would happily recommend this book to anyone!.

This was not the book for me... I was expecting something more fun and quirky and lighthearted, but found the structure and narration a bit off. It took me a couple months to find the will to finish it...
I'm not saying it was bad exactly, only really that it did not excite me.
This is an honest review in exchange for the ARC from Netgalley. I thank all the people involved in granting me this copy :) have a great day and read great books.

4.5★s
“Even if I do meet a female who elicits a more profound and sustained love response, she might not feel that way about me. After all, they don’t make a sexy behavioural ecologist calendar, do they? Society has decided, for whatever reason, that footballers and firemen are more attractive.”

Odd Bird is the first novel by British author, Lee Farnsworth. Dr Simon Selwood, behavioural ecologist with a special interest in birds at Empirical University in London, is frustrated. He’s thirty-four, and his two-year pair bond with Claire has dissolved. Will he ever achieve a lasting pair-bond?

His best friend, Phil makes suggestions that are either distasteful to Simon, or unsuccessful: online dating or speed dating. Often proffering an unhelpful commentary when meeting new women is Simon’s paracingulate cortex, that region of his brain making flash judgements of beauty, the bit he dubs his PC, and whose remarks frequently don’t conform to the commonly accepted definition of PC.

His Uni colleague Pippa resolves to reignite Simon’s social life, but is less than pleased when he fixates on beautiful PR person, Kim McFale: “She enjoys the power she has over men a little too much, in my opinion… You are a nice guy, Simon – a lovely guy but lovely has never floated Kim’s boat, and it doesn’t bring out the best in her either. She would break your gorgeous heart.” Is Pippa right?

But all Simon sees is: “Her hair was long and lustrous, indicating that not only was she currently in good health, but also that she had been in good health for several years. Her skin was pale and her features small, suggesting that a high concentration of oestrogen and just the tiniest trace of testosterone were circulating in her immaculate bloodstream. Brown irises floated in still seas of unblemished white sclera. Best of all, she was highly symmetrical; I reminded myself that I had always wanted to form a pair-bond with a highly symmetrical female.”

It seems a moot point anyway, as Kim becomes unavailable. Why then, some months after her relationship with Michael has been formalised, is she flirting with Simon? He’s sure this is not something pair-bonded females do, but his three-month trip to Sweden on a long-awaited pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) study precludes further exploration of the situation. And surely he’s out of her league? But Simon isn’t too absorbed in his work and his fellow researchers to respond to text messages…

Initially, the plot seems a little predictable, but soon enough, it takes turns that may surprise. Even if we all know who Simon ought to forge that elusive pair-bond with, the story takes a detour into unexpected territory via radio interviews, a book and reality TV shows all examining infidelity and what bird behaviour might predict for humans.

Farnsworth’s protagonist is quirky but endearing enough that the reader will be cheering him on. Simon’s observation “Genuine interest in my work is about as common as a Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) and so I checked her expression again, just to be sure” partly illustrates of the following…

A degree of social ineptitude, obliviousness to human behavioural cues and literal interpretations, reveal that Simon is clearly the cousin of Don Tillman (The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion); his ornithological preoccupation marks him as a close relative of Hattie Bloom (The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home, Joanna Nell).

Farnsworth’s support cast also appeals: despite the fact that Phil is quite obnoxious at times, he proves himself a true friend to Simon, while Pippa’s heart is plainly in the right place. There’s plenty of humour in this charming debut novel, although it doesn’t fail to tug at the heartstrings occasionally. A very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Duckworth Books – Farrago.