Tova works in the aquarium as a cleaner doing the night shift. Although she has friends she keeps everyone at a distance since her son disappeared and her husband died. She finds herself talking to the creatures in the aquarium as she goes about her business. When she finds the octopus, Marcellus, escaped from his tank, she forms an unlikely friendship with this most solitary but intelligent of creatures.

This is a charming story of loss and friendship and the unlikely places you find love. It has likeable characters, a satisfying plot and a little bit of magic. I found it sweetly satisfying.

Well, now I can understand why everyone is raving about this book! I mean, what's not to love about a story of friendship between a giant Pacific octopus and a 70-year-old woman?! I don't want to spoil anything and I feel like everything's already been said about this debut novel (and rightfully so!) but I'll just say that this is a unforgettable and heartwarming story about friendship, love, our chosen families, freedom, letting go, moving on, aging, and growing up. Read it, there's no way you won't fall in love with Marcellus the octopus!

Very light hearted and creative - part of the story is told from the perspective of a wise octopus - with compelling, flawed characters and a heartwarming ending.

I had heard so much about this book that I was worried it would not live up to my expectations, but boy, it did! It was everything I hoped it would be and more!

It tells the story of Marcellus, a captive octopus. Tova, the widowed cleaner who cares for and befriends the creatures in the aquarium, and Cameron a new arrival to the community. All the characters were really well drawn and how their interconnecting story is revealed is very cleverly done. It is a lovely, heart warming book. Many books can fail at the end but this was a triumphant finish. Perfectly balanced and described. I loved it and am sure it will be one of my top reads of the year! I would love to know a Marcellus and to live in a community like Sowell Bay!

What a lovely unique story. Anything to do with marine life I'll read. Marcellus is a giant octopus living his life in an aquarium, but don't be fooled he is highly intelligent and creates his own adventures.
For a while it was slow paced and I wasn't sure where the story was going but just taking it all in. Then slowly the pieces start to click into place and it makes sense.
It's just a really easy lovely read. All the characters are likeable and I like how everything was linked. Really lovely story. Thanks Netgally

I loved it!! Not what I expected at all!!!
How can you care so much about Marcellus an octopus is unbelievable 😀

The author pulled me into the story as she introduced us to the three main characters.

Tova Sullivan recently lost her husband and works nights cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium. It helps mourn the loss of both her husband and her son Eric, who mysteriously disappeared on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who is nearing the end of his life span.
Cameron, a young man searching for the father he never knew as he struggles to find his place in the world.

I absolutely loved this story from the voice the author gave to these characters. Each has their own point of view, even our sixty-pound curmudgeon Marcellus.

The story touches on friendship, love, loss and the threads that bind us. Tova Sullivan felt as real as you are I, from her heartache to obsessive cleaning skills. As a reader, I shared in her pain, laughed at the antics of Marcellus and her friendship with young Cameron. Her worries about being a burden to her friends and the love she has for her cat and the animals at the aquarium endeared her to me. I was able to connect with her on different levels.

Cameron’s story starts out with him seeking his dues, but we see the young man find his purpose and a place. Not before many trials, errors, and disappointments. His relationship with Tova grows through the aquarium as she mentors him. Tova sees the best in Cameron and helps him demand the same from himself.

Ah, Marcellus, I adored this grumpy, clever octopus and his story tugged at my heartstrings. The friendship that grows between him and Tova felt genuine, as did his voice throughout the story. Octopuses are quite clever and I’ve always found them quite fascinating.. Most of the facts presented in the story were familiar to me, but the author shared a few new tidbits and allowed me to see them in a whole new life.

It is hard to imagine that Remarkably Bright Creatures is Van Pelt’s debut novel and I am excited to see what the author shares next. T

Thoroughly enjoyable book that had me talking, shouting, ignoring and crying at it as I read.

The main protagonists are Tova, a tiny Swedish lady whose son went missing decades ago; Cameron, a young man whose mother abandoned him when he was nine; and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who seems to know everyone's secrets.

The story follows Cameron as he tries to find the father his mother never told him about. In his endeavours he manages to find a job he likes, make friendships he never thought he would and he learns the meaning of responsibility.

Tova is at the end of his journey. She is contemplating her imminent retirement, the end part of her life and she's wondering why Ethan at the convenience store seems so interested in her.

Marcellus just wants the people to follow the clues and he wants out of the aquarium.

Shelby van Pelt treads a fine line between getting a reader totally outraged at how stupid some people can be. Cameron is particularly annoying with his whingeing "I'm not good enough" attitude. But she manages to pull it back at the last minute.

The characters she's written are totally believable, the plot is good and easily followed. Its a really well written novel that will keep anyone entertained from start to finish.


Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC ahead of the paperback publication.

Beautiful heart warming story, especially the POV of Marcellus made me smile. The author has a captivating style of writing that has you hooked from page one! the multiple POV characters keep the story interesting and dynamic

A charming tale where humankind and animals share a bond - Tova, an elderly lady still grieving her missing son, Cameron, an orphan, searching for the truth about his parents and best of all, Marcellus McSquiddles, a captive 60lb giant Pacific Octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium.
Our tale is told from the perspective of our three protaganists and Marcellus is the most interesting as he is determined to help Tova uncover the truth about her son. There is one slight problem - as a captive octopus, he has a very limited lifespan, with time running out and of course must 'investigate' from within the aquarium.
A light-hearted and warming tale that is a wonderful summer read.

From the very first page I loved this book. I don't know what I expected from it - but it delivered a truly heartwarming story of finding yourself.

Did you realise found family could be an octopus? Me neither, but I'm here for it. Marcellus is by far the best character here and I happily would have read a book entirely about him. His 'voice' was utterly believable and it was brilliant seeing both sides of their conversation and how the humans would misunderstand him. Marcellus is our true hero and he gets the ending he deserves.

At its core, this just felt hopeful. There's a joy and peace to be found from looking to the past, it can unlock a future that once felt out of reach.

I didn't expect the mystery element of this book - but watching the puzzle pieces slowly fall into place was brilliant. I truly didn't think it would all tie together the way it did and it was pure mastery from Van Pelt pulling that off.

I adored this book from beginning to end. It's a must read for anyone looking for an unexpectedly joyful and hopeful story. Looking forward to more from this owner.

A charming, warm story that wraps up neatly and will keep you engrossed on the beach. I wanted more of the curmudgeonly Marcellus though. He was magnificently characterised.

This is a really unique story.

I liked the different character perspectives but having the perspective of an octopus felt odd to me to begin with and took a little while to get used to.

The stories were endearing and I found myself really caring about the characters (including the octopus).

I’m not sure this is for everyone but I enjoyed it. It’s definitely unique and kept me interested from start to finish.

Thanks for the opportunity to review

Enchanting story of lives intertwined and an octopus! Initially I was a little taken aback but soon fell for the charmingly grumpy octopus, his wit and thoughts on the humans and their unusual traits. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Tova’s life and her history, Cameron had a rough life, I found kind of annoying initially with his man-child attitude, I liked seeing his journey and watching him grow.

4.5 rounded up

Marcellus McSquiddles is the remarkably bright creature, a captive 60lb giant Pacific Octopus at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He escapes his tank as much as he can and as this is day 1299 in his captivity he knows his time is running out, his lifespan being four years or 1460 days. Tuva Sullivan is a septuagenarian cleaner at the aquarium, a job she’s done to perfection since her husband died. Over 30 years ago, Tova‘s 18-year-old son, Erik mysteriously vanishes in the Puget Sound. Finally, there is Cameron Cassmore, a young man who comes to the area seeking the father he has never known. Oh, sorry, Ethan (Mac), the transplanted Scot, who runs the local shop, how could I forget you?!

This is a really wonderful, creative, suspend your disbelief novel that will both warm your heart but also give you a lump or two in your throat. It’s character driven and, huge cheer, they're all really likeable! I absolutely love Marcellus, he’s funny, witty, so clever, well, he has got nine brains after all, so perceptive (just go with it) and he’s all heart with three of those. Tova is wonderful too and the conversations and interactions with Marcellus are some of the best sections in the book. The contrast with careworn young Cameron works so well too but this place works its magic on this young man. All the characters are very well portrayed, they feel authentic with issues that we can all relate to.

The setting is fantastic and it’s a part of the United States I’ve always wanted to go to and this book makes it go even higher on my bucket list! The small community of Sowell Bay is conveyed extremely well.

This is a must read, exceptional book. It’s full of emotion, giving you tears and smiles. It also makes you reflect especially upon the thorny issue of animals in captivity. Highly recommended

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bloomsbury Publishing plc for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Loved this story of Marcellus, a giant octopus living in an aquarium who knows he is coming to the end of his life, so decides to help out some friends.

Marcellus is as lovely as Six Thirty (Lessons in Chemistry) and Claude (Still Life) so if you liked those books you‘ll love this one too. I‘m also pleased to have read a book about an anthropomorphic sea creature that didn‘t traumatise me, after Pod! 🤣

My only quibble would be that the two strands of the story were confusing at first; I couldn't see how they would come together.

This debut novel from Shelby Van Pelt was gentle, light-hearted but ultimately, for me, lacked the depth needed for a book of this length. I would give 3.5 stars if I could!

On the first page we meet Marcellus, a giant octopus who is in captivity in an aquarium in Washington state. The 70-year-old woman who cleans the glass of his tank each night is Tova Sullivan. Tova is recently widowed after her husband's death from cancer. Her son Erik died 30 years ago - the official explanation is suicide but Tova's never quite believed that.

At the other side of the country, in California, we meet Cameron, a 30-year-old loser who can't hold down a job and who's efed-up girlfriend has just dumped him. His mother left when he was 9 and he never knew his dad but, finding a clue as to his identity he heads to Washington state where he soon crosses paths with Tova.

I really enjoyed the first section of the book and enjoyed the pacing and characterisation of the two main protagonists. Tova is curmudgeonly and Cameron is a drop out, aspects of their character that Van Pelt conveys well. Around the halfway mark, I started to lose interest and wished the pace could have continued. The issue for me was that the story itself was quite simple and so didn't warrant the book's length. Perhaps it could have been edited more and would have then kept its pace.

I did enjoy the story and it was a light, inoffensive read but not a book that will stay with me after reading.

This was an unexpected delight. Remarkably Bright Creatures follows Tova, an elderly lady still grieving her missing son, who works in an Aquarium and befriends an Octopus. We also follow Cameron, an orphan, who is searching for information about his absent parents. There are other minor characters who dip in and out of these interconnecting stories. Shelby Van Plet does a wonderful job at crafting each narrative, all of the characters are well-rounded and believable. This book has a lot of tropes that I normally don’t care for, but I really enjoyed reading this. I recommended it for anyone really, it is a heart-warming and beautifully written novel.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for providing a copy in exhange for an honest review.

Oh my
Goodness I just loved this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect having read the blurb, and thought it looked like an interesting read. I hadn’t anticipated how hard I could fall in love with an animal protagonist! Thank you so much for this arc

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt.

'Remarkably Bright Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt is a beautifully written light hearted novel weaving in the life of an octopus in captivity (who was a beautiful first person narrator) and the life of the humans around him. When I saw this book making its rounds on social media, I didn't expect this book to be what is was - but I'm not disappointed in the slightest. It was gorgeous.