A very sweet and uplifting story which will melt your heart. I love reading Hazel's books because they just feel like a wamr hug! They are so comforting and reassuring and perfect to read as the winter months creep in. Excellent!

A lovely story combining the rescue and rehabilitation of otters to the wild with the lives and lives of those looking after them

Love love love Hazel Prior and her heartwarming writing style. The way she weaves nature and the environment into everyday life scenarios is perfection. I love how she touched on invisible illnesses and the isolation that causes. Yet another 5 star read!

Phoebe, a young adult doesn't get out very much which leaves her plenty of time to play amateur detective and work out what's in the parcels that her father delivers as a courier. On a walk Phoebe and her father find a baby otter that becomes obvious has been abounded and needed rescuing. Thankfully, there is a rescue sanctuary not far away and despite Phoebe's limitations, she volunteers to help at the sanctuary and finds a new found joy. It becomes apparent though that someone is sabotaging the good work of the sanctuary and wants it closed down, Phoebe with the help of her father puts her new found sleuthing activities to good use to get to the bottom of it.
The characters are likeable although I am struck at how long it took Phoebe and her father to get to the bottom of her illness and I'm not just talking about NHS waiting times.
This book leaves you with the feel good factor, an easy read, one to escape to when you just want something pleasant to relax you whilst you while away the hours perhaps on a holiday, It would appeal to those who enjoy nature and readers of general fiction or women's fiction because of strong female leads.

With thanks to #NetGalley Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Penguin for this preview read of #LifeandOtterMiracles fort his preview read.

Having read the authors two previous novels I leapt at the opportunity to read this one. Phoebe has moved to the countryside with her widowed father. Suffering from a condition that gives her chronic pain Phoebe mostly stays at home and uses her observational detective skills to solve some local mysteries. Whilst out on a walk, she finds an otter cab and is introduced to the local otter sanctuary, but not is all as it seems. Once again the author has produced a lovely warm novel, but this time with the cuteness and playfulness of otters. There has obviously been a lot of research done to produce this novel and I learnt a lot. A lovely book to curl up and spend the afternoon with. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the A.R.C of this novel in return for an honest review.

Otters are my favourite animals in the universe and I have previously enjoyed Hazel Prior's Penguin based books so I was overjoyed to receive an ARC of this. i found this book to be full of emotion, beautifully written with a good mix of characters. I very much enjoyed reading this.

I adore Hazel Prior. Her personality comes through in all her books, but I honestly felt that this latest offering was a little lacking.

I didn't fully get into it until about 30% of the way through and it's on topics I love!
The plot is fine and the characters OK, but the writing felt a little forced.
I did really like the reference to Ellie and the Harp Maker though.

✨SLIGHT SPOILERS ✨
Phoebe and her father Al have moved from the city of Birmingham to rural Devon for fresh start but old habits die hard.

I was enchanted by Phoebe and Al from the first few pages, they’re such likeable characters and I could relate to both of them so much.

I loved going along for the ride as Phoebe and Al got to know all the other characters who lived in the village by figuring out what packages they ordered and how the house looked etc, it was so sweet.

The whole book was a beautiful read all about new starts, friendships, love and life, I’ll be recommending it to all my friends.

As a chronic pain sufferer my self with 3 different long term pain conditions , the author described perfectly how it feels to be in constant pain 24/7 and how you have to adapt your life around it, I resonated with Phoebe so much.

After a couple of penguin-themed novels, Hazel Prior diverts her attention elsewhere in the animal world: the otter. Phoebe Featherstone and her father, Al, move into the area seeking to build a new life for themselves. The discovery of a baby otter starts them on a journey which will bring emotional healing while also testing Phoebe's investigative skills to the limit as mysterious circumstances unfold.

While not as successful as Prior's previous novels in building a compelling story and tapping into the inherent joyousness of its central animals, this is a fun enough jaunt with some jeopardy and an unexpected exploration of the agony of chronic illness. Phoebe is delightful, particularly when she is in armchair-detective mode.

I absolutely loved the other books I have read by this author and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this one either.

Phoebe and her father Al, live in a village where Al is the local courier driver. Unfortunately Phoebe suffers from an illness which means she cannot function well daily and to keep herself occupied tries to guess what the neighbours are like by the parcels they receive.

When Pheobe finds an abandoned baby otter her life starts to change especially when she starts spending time at the otter sanctuary.

I thought Phoebe's illness was dealt with really well and my heart went out to her. I also thought it was good to see her develop especially when she starts to use her detective skills with her friend.

Altogether a beautifully written book full of emotion and drama but with some humourous moments as well

This is the first of Hazel Prior's books that I've read, but it definitely won't be the last. I adored everything about this wonderful book. Life-affirming, joyous and a book to comfort and spark hope.

Phoebe and her beloved Dad Al, have moved from Birmingham to Devon. Al is a widower and devoted father. Phoebe is a young woman whose life is limited by her chronic and debilitating pain.

When they discover a young otter by itself, they reduce her and Phoebe starts helping out at the otter sanctuary. Despite her pain, this gives her a reason to live and when it's threatened, Phoebe sets out on a mission to discover who is behind the sabotage.

A cozy mystery with so many wonderful characters, Life and Otter Miracles made me smile from start to finish.

Phoebe and her dad, Al, have moved to the countryside in England for a slower pace. Phoebe lives in chronic pain, and relies on Al for help. She starts to get joy though after she rescues an otter cub and starts volunteering at an otter sanctuary. Through there, she starts to get to know the residents and become more herself.

Overall, this was a cute book. I too love otters, so I loved all the descriptions of them as I could imagine the cuteness! I do wish there had been more clear time indicators throughout, whether it was specific days or even more vague seasons. There were times I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. Despite that, a cute read!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely cosy contemporary read, especially for animal lovers.
I haven’t read Away with the Penguins but now I really want to!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

3 and a half stars rounded up to 4!

Phoebe and her Father, Al, have recently moved to a small cottage in Devon. Phoebe is struggling with chronic pain and spends a lot of her time at home recovering. Al is a delivery driver and Phoebe starts to become a detective herself to try and find out the lives her neighbours lead. They find an abandoned otter on the riverbank and need to do something about it. They take the otter to the otter sanctuary, and this is where Phoebe starts to feel joy and something she is fond of.

I really enjoyed this book, I was in a bit of a reading slump whilst reading it which may be why my rating isn’t as high as I have rated Hazel’s other books! It isn’t my favourite of her books but I still enjoyed the concept of the story. I found the second part of the book easier to read and managed to get through this part quickly. I felt that it could have been shorted in parts and that some chapters were a bit unnecessary, however I still enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to reading more from Hazel. This book delves into families, struggles, chronic pain, relationships and the joys of life.
I would recommend this book if you are looking at reading a lovely story.

I loved Hazel's prior books and was excited to get the opportunity to read Life and Otter Miracles. I was not dissappointed, a gorgeous heartwarming read with lots of wonderful characters and some very adorable otters (especially little Coco!)
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc.

I picked up this boom because of my love of Otters. I'm so glad I picked it up. So wholesome and heartwarming.

Phoebe and her dad Al have up sticks and moved to the Devonshire countryside, where they come across an abandoned baby otter. They deliver her to the local otter sanctuary but Phoebe is not ready to say goodbye to her new friend ….

This was a nice, heartwarming story with a good mix of characters but for some reason I found it hard to warm to the main character. I knew I was meant to feel sympathy for her and her situation but found her to be judgmental and understandably self centred.

Phoebe Featherstone is nineteen years old and the youngest of three children. Her Mum died when she was just eleven. Now with her older siblings at university, she and her Dad, Al, have just moved from urban Birmingham to rural Devon.

Al has found a job delivering parcels for people who order things online. It is a great way for him to earn money while at the same time get to know his new neighbours. Phoebe is intensely interested in what is delivered and hypothesizes about the villagers. She doesn't get out much, so this fuels her inherent nosiness.

At first, I wondered why Phoebe didn't help her Dad out more. There were clothes on the line for a week, and she didn't seem to do much in the way of household chores. Then, when I became privy to Phoebe's secret, I understood...

Phoebe is very, very bright and once had aspirations to go to university like her siblings. Now, those dreams have died. She uses her superior intellect to people-watch and play amateur sleuth. Phoebe is worried about her Dad being lonely and acts as matchmaker with him and the local artist/yoga instructor, Christina.

Phoebe and her Dad find an orphaned baby otter on the riverbank near their home. For the first time in years Phoebe experience real joy. She terms it the "Otter Effect". Both father and daughter become enmeshed in the welfare of the local Otter Sanctuary.

Over time, Phoebe believes that someone is trying to sabotage the Otter Sanctuary and she makes it her mission to discover who.

A warm and delightful read, I thoroughly treasured my time spent on Exmoor and I was delighted to again meet up with Ellie and Dan Hollis from the author's novel "Ellie and the Harpmaker". The novel has a keen sense of place due to the author's intimate knowledge and affection for her home. Her depiction of the changing seasons was vividly described.

What a delightful, cockle-warmer of a book! Once again, Hazel Prior has delivered a wholesome, uplifting tale, featuring an engaging cast of both human and animal characters. Move over, Pip the penguin! Coco the baby otter has stolen your thunder!

Phoebe and her widowed father Al have recently moved to a small village in Devon. Suffering from a debilitating illness, Phoebe has become something of a recluse, but experiences village life vicariously through Al, who reports back to her daily on the people he meets on his parcel delivery round.

It’s only when they discover a seemingly abandoned baby otter and take it to the local otter sanctuary that Phoebe finally finds a small escape from her misery by volunteering as a helper.

What follows, as Phoebe gets more closely involved with the sanctuary — including efforts to save it from malicious forces — is a compelling story of community, skullduggery, and triumph over adversity.

As always, Hazel’s characters — from the main protagonists to the villagers — are beautifully observed: an entertaining mix of sympathetic, quirky and downright obnoxious. As for the otters, I fell in love with each and every one of them.

There are no real surprises in the storyline. It’s a gentle, measured, meandering tale that you always know is going to end up in a happy ever after.

But, be prepared: it’s not all fluff! Hazel cuts through the schmaltz with some shrewd observations on serious topics such as loss and grief, living with chronic pain, difficult family dynamics, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and animals. All of these, she handles with a deft but gentle touch.

A truly captivating read that is also an ode to the Devonshire countryside and, of course, to otters.

After falling in love with Veronica Mccreedy and her penguin escapades I just had to read Life and Otter miracles as I knew it would fill me with the same sort of vibes. I loved that we had a character to dislike in Rupert and the writing style really made you feel like you were wandering along waterside. There were some serious topics covered and the way in which they were incorporated was well done. Hazel Prior is becoming a go to author for me. Really did enjoy this one.