So, what do you do when you read (and listen) to a book that you want the whole world to read, but you don't want to tell them too much about it, because this book is one of the most personal books that I have come across in a long time and it is a book that is best started with absolutely no preconceived ideas.

I wanted to sit and talk about this wonderful creation while I was absorbing it, because that's what it does, Bobby Palmers narrative will seep into your very pores. You will want to share every last paragraph of this multilayered triumph, while at the same time wanting to stay quiet, to understand what others make of it, wonder whether you share the same thoughts. My advice is to read it with people, many people, experience it with company.

This book truly stole the air that I was breathing, a tale of tragic loss and the most unfathomable grief, but a story told with the most exquisitely clever humour. A book that, on the surface, its simplicity could be mistaken for a book for a younger audience, but for me that is where it's true power hides. A multilayered, gentle unravelling of a man who feels that he has lost everything, a tender meditation on the power of the mind.

There are ET vibes and there are laugh out loud moments, but the beauty of this book is in its perfectly paced reveal and the intricate weave between what is real and what is imagined.

This audiobook is narrated by Johnny Flynn, and while I am still relatively new to the audio experience, I have to say that his rendition was perfect. His tone and pace were exemplary and he added much to this already exquisite book.

Can't recommend highly enough, the book of the summer I think.

A Truly remarkable book.
Isaac and the Egg is a beautiful and unique story about love & loss and occasional laughter which stayed with me long after I finished it.
I highly recommend everyone read this amazing debut novel. Its so flipping brilliant that I have today managed to find and purchase an exclusive signed edition.

A truly heart warming, wholesome and an uplifting read that take a unique look at grief in a more positive way where we get to hold the grief and go through it and yet do not get drowned in it. Even though the book is focused at children but any person of any age could read this book and immensely get benefitted. The characters are well built and immensely relatable. The story feels intimate and vulnerable something very close to our core. Amazing. Highly Highly recommended.

A truly compelling book exploring grief from a unique and heartwarming angle. Isaac’s story demanded so much compassion and this book will surely resonate with a lot of people, despite the slightly other-worldly nature of Isaac’s companion. It was a pleasure reading how Isaac’s relationship with the egg prompted him to slowly regain himself and to stop his grief from overwhelming his every moment. It’s hard to really gush about this novel and my favourite bits without giving away any spoilers so I will have to say that this was fantastically creative and full of meaning and I would definitely recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book, it took a little bit for me to get into, but then I couldn't put it down.
Isaac wasn't very likeable initially and the story was a bit random with Egg until we had the reveal of what had led Isaacs to where we found him and how he had come to be without Mary.
It was lovely to have the audiobook of the story to listen to and I felt this added atmosphere and some magic to the tale.
I was heartbroken by the end and she'd a few tears.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my advance audiobook in return for my honest review.

This is a bit of an odd one for me - Isaac and the curate's egg, almost? - in that by the end I felt I was really not the right person to be reviewing it. Like a longer, more mainstream version of 'Grief is the Thing with Feathers' by Max Porter, Isaac and the Egg is a sweet, extremely accessible, crowd-pleasing tale of loss, despair and inevitable redemption. Bobby Palmer openly acknowledges at various points in the text and dialogue how he's repackaging well-worn ideas from classic films (It's a Wonderful Life and ET figure prominently) but he's also playing along the way with the idea that it's all in the protagonist's head (Fight Club gets a quick reference) as well as alluding to numerous odd-couple/mismatched-buddies-thrown-together-type movies (too many to mention, though I did enjoy the Point Break inclusion right near the end.)

It's fine. I would have liked something ultimately less mawkish and - in its own way - rather predictable, but then again I am probably not really the target audience for either this book or its audiobook version (Johnny Flynn narrates; he is very good).. So.... I get it, for sure; many things in 2022 are terrible and disheartening, both at home and abroad. People want something that will cheer them up, not frighten them further nor shove depressing reality too bleakly right up in their face. That's fair enough, and whilst Isaac and the Egg flirts with some genuinely dark territory, those warm soothing colours from the cover art are wisely chosen.

It's not bad. Many will absolutely love it and it's the kind of book I can see people enthusiastically recommending to others, especially those who don't engage with books all that regularly. Potentially could be a massive hit (though these things are notoriously hard to predict at times in BookWorld). Film adaptation by 2024...? I wouldn't be surprised; many of the scenes felt extremely well-suited to the cinema (or maybe that was just the skill of the narrator).

With thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What a weird and wonderful book! It’s absolutely hilarious whilst also being totally heartbreaking at the same time. A rollercoaster of emotions, and a wild ride with Isaac and the Egg.

Isaac isn’t coping well with life after the death of his wife Mary. At his lowest point he considers jumping off a bridge, but is stopped when he screams into the woods, and something screams back.

A stunning book about grief, love, friendship, and mental health. It’s honest, and original, and full of depth. I laughed and cried, and was totally blown away by the story. A beautiful debut by Bobby Palmer and I look forward to reading and hearing more about them!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Headline Audio for letting me listen to this bizarre yet beautiful audiobook.

What an unusual book this is - and I am so glad I got to listen to it as an audiobook as it only enhanced the experience. This is a story of loss, grief and emerging hope, all based on an unusual premise - one day Isaac finds a giant egg in the woods and forges a unique relationship with it. From that, we are carried backwards and forwards to past events in Isaac's life and then onto the present day. Stroke by stroke, Isaac's painful story emerges and very slowly - some timid green shoots of hope. A great debut novel for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an impartial review of the book.

After losing his beloved wife Mary in a car accident, Isaac Addy’s life has fallen apart. Dominated by grief and longing for Mary, he feels directionless, anguished and bereft. When he finds himself by a river in the middle of nowhere, screaming into the abyss to give voice to his pain, the last thing Isaac expects is a response. As he follows the sound of the scream echoing his own into the woods, he discovers an egg placed delicately in the middle of a clearing. Isaac decides to take this mysterious egg home with him, and an unlikely friendship develops.

It can’t be denied that this is fundamentally a very odd story, but the writing is so vivid and engaging that it doesn’t take long at all to get into it and love it not despite, but because of its oddity. At first, it’s hard to tell where the book is going to go or whether it’s going to go anywhere at all. However, as the narrative goes on, more and more details of Isaac’s life become unveiled and you’ll quickly realise that there’s way more to the story than you might initially assume.

One of the first things to highlight about Isaac and the Egg is its incredibly palpable depiction of grief and the way it takes over Isaac’s life, making him lose his grip on reality. There is no platitudes or ‘inspirational’ advice on how to cope with grief. Instead, the novel talks about it in a very nuanced way, without sugar-coating the incredibly harsh and life-altering experience of losing the person closest to you. Regardless of whether you have lost a loved one yourself or not, you feel invested in Isaac’s story from the start because his inner life is brought across in such a heartfelt and engaging way.
This is aided by Bobby Palmer’s very simple and conversational style of writing, which makes the story feel more universal as well as easier to grasp. There is also very few characters, which works very well for the novel as it emphasises how small your world can feel when you’re grieving the loss of a partner. Grief is portrayed as something that is difficult to express, something that words don’t quite seem adequate enough for. This is mirrored in the egg’s mostly failed attempts at verbal communication, which almost seems to bring the two of them closer together rather than being a barrier.

The egg’s often hopeless attempts at speaking are also simply very funny and entertaining. The countless humorous exchanges between Isaac and the egg add a remarkable warmth to the story and are narrated beautifully. Isaac and the Egg is full of vivid descriptions: some passages of the book feel so real that you can almost see them playing out like a movie in your mind. Thus, the story never feels too heavy to bear despite its difficult theme. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt story about grief, but it’s also about friendship, survival and hope.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity of listening to Isaac and the Egg.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started listening to this. Even the name of the book doesn’t really give you a huge amount to go on so I found myself very open to anything happening. I don’t want to say too much as I think it is best to go into this book without too many clues.

I found the writing style pretty captivating and I enjoyed the narration of it. I was very much caught wanting to find out what had happened to lead Isaac in his current situation.

It’s a powerful portrayal of grief and guilt, although I did find myself wondering what was happening at times - but perhaps that’s part of its beauty!

A cute little story about a grieving man who finds a monster and keeps him. Isaac Addy is a man who never really grew up and his beloved wife dying really broke him then he finds a strange egg in the woods and brings it home.
This book has the feel of a parable and is quite funny at times peppered with references from modern culture but didn’t quite engage me as the subject matter really should. It could have something to do with my reading it as an audiobook, mostly whilst driving but it didn’t quite do it for me.

I couldn't get into this audiobook, unfortunately, so won't be leaving a review. All the best and thank you.

This is a beautiful, moving and surprisingly funny book about grief that captures you right from the start. It may sound strange, the Egg found in the forest that makes the difference in the healing process but Egg is special and this debut read captures an astonishing journey between friends.

It is hard to add more that won't create spoilers but it is a read that will be up there as my favourites from 2022 and I would thoroughly recommend its quiet, gentle humour and thoughtful, exploration of loss and what that can do to our mental health and ability to cope.

I listened to the audio version thanks to Netgalley, the narration was excellent, but will be getting a physical copy when I can!!

What a lovely, ultimately uplifting and beautiful book this is. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, especially given that the title almost suggests that it is a book for children (which is in fact part of the story, now I think about it!) However I soon became immersed and very invested in the characters, who are so beautifully drawn and relatable. The narrator was also excellent, it must have been very hard to capture Egg's voice but he did brilliantly!
Despite the theme of grief, this book is a delightful, joyful summer read.
With grateful thanks to Netgalley, Headline Audio and Bobby Palmer for my advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

One morning, Isaac finds himself in a wood. He knows terrible things have happened to him but can't bear to remember them. As he wanders, he finds something that captivates, confuses and compels him, but most importantly, gives him the chance to change.

It's difficult to give insight into this book as knowing so little is what makes it impactful.

Palmer's writing is beautiful, offering a complex exploration of Isaac's mentality. As a result, much of what he goes through is understandable, even to those that do not share the experiences. Throughout are poignant phrases and discussions that manage to find just the right way to succinctly summarise so many layered feelings and emotions. It feels like Palmer truly comprehends people: what makes them tick, what they care about and what they can't live without.

It is impossible to not care profoundly for Isaac.

Johnny Flynn's narration is sedate, respecting the gentle nature of the story. Initially, it seems strange that there isn't more energy for some events but it becomes clear why this was the choice made as it progresses. Crucially, Flynn's articulation of the other (than Isaac) voices elevates the audiobook experience above the physical equivalent.

It takes a lot for books to get me to cry, but I was definitely a little teary-eyed by the end of this one.

A grieving Isaac finds a strange egg in the woods, that turns out to be a living, breathing alien. When he takes the egg home we gradually find out who Isaac is grieving, the struggles of his last few months, and the uncertain future that hangs in the balance. Can the strange, egg-like creature help him face his past, and his future?

I will admit it took me until the 15 or 20% mark to get into this one, but once I got there I was sold. Palmer's method of storytelling is sweet, and also very creative - I liked the blend of past and future, the glimpses we got into the egg's psyche, and I thought the reveal left until the 75% mark was very clever. The blurring of reality and fantasy from that point onwards only made the book sweeter in my opinion, and I'm always a big fan of books that toy with that line.

The narrator did an excellent job, especially voicing the delightful little egg, and overall I'm really glad I decided to request this one.

The story is well-written and descriptive about a man who loses his wife and comes across an egg. I thought that some of the story was predictable, for example, what was in the room at the top. Overall, it’s a good representation of grieving and acceptance.

A heart-warming story about a young man coming to terms with death of wife. Trying to move through grief and anger into hope with help of 'Egg'. Not sure reading the first couple of chapters how the story would develop and felt very similar to E.T (which is referenced together with other classic films). But then got into the rhythm of the story and wondered about the 'locked room' and 'Egg' and how Issac's wife died - questions that were skilfully dangled in front of the reader to pull them along. The audio book reading by Johnny Flynn was excellent. Highly recommend audio book.

It's difficult to review this without giving too much away. I checked the blurb and that's suitibly short on detail.
It's sad, its funny, it's weird.
I loved it. I loved Isaac. I loved the egg. I really wanted to keep coming back to it. I actually listened to the audio book. It was a good call as I didn't have to try to read through my tears! Also, where I would usually have rushed ahead reading the audio book slowed me down. There was one particular part where the suspense was almost too much. I swear the narrator slowed down to make the build up better. Excellently done.

What a great listen this book was , this is not my usual type of read I am a psychological thrill fan but I had heard about this book and when Netgalley gave me the chance to listen to it in return for a review I took advantage of the offer.
I don't want to spoil the effect of this book as you need to read/listen to it to appreciate it but its a story of Grief , Sadness, Love and Life and one mans experience