What a beautiful little book I enjoyed it thoroughly. I’ve seen quite a lot of interest about it. Reep publication on book Twitter, and was delighted when I was approved to read
It on NetGalley UK.
This is a beautifully written, incredibly wild crafted novel that looks at the inhabitants of a single street in Brighton as they struggle with the individual issues and problems in their lives. Ultimately, finding that coming together as a community as supporting each other results in rewards that they could not have predicted.

Birdy is dying. She lives on her own, having lost her husband and beloved sister. She struggles to keep her own home going and this is compounded when she develops terminal cancer
The six months or so that it takes her from diagnosis to ultimately dying are enough time for her to influence her new neighbours and the Doctor Who gave her the diagnosis incredibly profoundly. The story is told from the point of view of these individual characters, and we learn more about their own backgrounds, and what puts them in the in their presence situation how they’ve become isolated and how they need to develop their own community or family.

The author has the ability to sharply observe, character traits and develop her characters in a in a totally believable fashion, you really feel you know these people and that you’ve met them before in your own lives. It’s the little things in life that often go on recorded that this author manages to so perfectly describe the minutia of daily life are seen in the pages of this book and again are instantly recognisable.

Given that the main character is dying, this book could’ve been a miserable experience to read however, it remains optimistic, and hopeful it is a joyous read.
As a medical professional myself, I recognised very clearly the description of all the Medical setting. I’ve definitely worked in hospitals with a WRVS shop that Wood precisely match the one described in the novel. likewise, I recognised the life of the consultant and the reasons why she has chosen this particular speciality are quite poignant.

Brighton is a great setting for a novel. Even if you’ve not been there you have a awareness of the area. This novel is very British.

I thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone who likes an emotional relationship based novel if you liked a man called Ove by Frederick Backman , a little, hope, by Ethan Joella, all the collected regrets of cloverby Mikki Brammer that then I think you would enjoy this novel. I think it’s going to go on my top breeds of the year so far list.

I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley, Uk the book is published in the UK on the 18th of April 2024 by random house, UK Transworld publishers.

This review will appear on NetGalley UKGoodreads and my book, blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com after publication it will also appear on Amazon, UK

I loved this book, such a lovely story. I loved the characters and how we got to know them better throughout the book and the story. Couldn't read it fast enough, and loved the ending.

A tale of a lonely old lady who is diagnosed with cancer; an oncologist lady Dr, and a single mother and daughter. These characters at first are shown in a sad light, unhappy with their lot, but pushing through. However, events unfold and the cancer patient finds new friends in the unlikeliest of places, the hospital canteen. The oncologist finds that all work and no play is not good. The single mother and child move into the same street as these two characters and a friendship is made through accidents and rescues of neighbours. Neighbours and warm hearted people helping each other in difficult times, showing how reaching out to people helps not just those in immediate need but also the ones helping.

This book is so easy to get into and follows three main characters - Birdie is a widow, Ada is a Polish oncologist and Jane, a single Mum of Frankie who is neuro-diverse. We follow Birdie and find out about her past life with her husband Arthur and her twin sister Rose, both sadly no longer with us. Ada is Birdie's oncologist, someone who wants to heal and who moved to England so her patients would be anonymous to her. Finally, we meet Jane, a nurse, and her daughter Frankie who move in next to Birdie. All live in Brighton and we follow how all of their lives intercept but also, about their pasts too. This really is such a good book and from the beginning you are invested in the daily lives of all of the characters and their relationships. . Again, this was a book that I couldn't put down but didn't really want to finish it either. I loved it, the happy parts, the sad parts, the funny parts and the surprising parts. A great book and I'll definitely read this author again. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book and I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for letting me have a copy.

I love a book with strong female characters and one that makes you laugh and cry. This book does just that. Similar to Dog Days there are some sad moments but some real laugh out loud ones too.

Great read.

The story follows not only Birdie, but a number of other women in Brighton through their lives and how they cope, with strong themes of loneliness and grief, amongst others.
I grew really attached to the characters and their lives - I also enjoyed that even the characters that weren't 'main' characters still played an important role in the story.
A beautiful story about human connection with strong character development.

Sometimes you wish there was an option to give more than five stars and this is a case in point. A gorgeous, addictive and absorbing novel following a wonderfully quirky cast of characters. It's unusual to invested in so many at a time but I was rooting for them all from the start. Funny, sad, moving, heartwarming, heartbreaking. This is a truly glorious novel and I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough.

A beautiful, brilliant read. So brilliant that I’m recommending this to my book club as their May book choice. Full review will be posted on Amazon.

I adored Ericka’s first book Dog Days so I was so excited to be able to read this one.
As always the characters were a mixing pot of different human beings with lives that crossed paths in various ways.
I loved how the lonely souls come across a (sometimes prickly ) character who show they have kindness beneath the tough exterior.
I loved the Polish theme running through Ada’s storyline and wish I could have visited the Polish store where her friends Alecksey and Lech worked as I endeared to their mosaic characters and it sounded so warm and comforting.
The main protagonist Birdie has a heartbreaking diagnosis but after years of loneliness she finds her support blanket in some of Ericka’s other characters.
This book broke my heart then put it back together with human kindness.mA wonderful read.

A poignant and thought provoking novel by Ericka Waller.

The storyline has a thread of loneliness running through it: romantic loneliness, familial loneliness, friendships. Even the loneliness of the neighbourhood watch lady.

Birdie is lonely and sad. Then she meets her new neighbours, Jane and Frankie and her life starts to improve. With Birdie at the centre, other characters are drawn in and the circle widens.

It is a poignant story and I really liked the characters, though I didn’t love the book.

I would still recommend it for a holiday read.

I always love a book set in Brighton and Hove. I also love a book about women and their friendships. Goodbye Birdie Greenwing did not disappoint on either front. I really liked the three women, all at different stages in their lives, who live on the same street and who become friends, by accident of geography and life events.

As well as the three main characters, the supporting 'cast' were really entertaining, with the teenage Frankie definitely my favourite, (a well written neuro-diverse teenager always gets a big tick from me) closely followed by Lech and Alekset in the Polski Sklep. But then there was Connie and her mugs at the hospital cafe. On reflection, there are too many stars to chose an absolute favourite.

I have no hesitation in recommending this lovely book to all ages and to anyone who wants a book that is heartwarming, relatable, and hard to put down. You won't regret it.
.

Oh this is such a lovely book. It covers the end of life for Birdie Greenwing. You would expect this to be a sombre tale but it isn’t- with beautifully written characters this is a brilliant story of women supporting women and all of their quirks and I loved every minute of it,

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I almost lost the run of myself on a train into London as I read the end of this wonderful novel. Funny, moving, with characters you can’t help but fall in love with, this is a very emotional, yet hopeful read. It’s beautifully written and the characterisation is off the scale. Highly recommend.

I am never going to forget Birdie and all of these fabulous fierce characters. Ericka has again created a world whereby we all are represented and we all matter and we all care. I will treasure this book forever, I cried I laughed I cheered I whooped and I cried some more. A beautiful, beautiful book a fantastic story I can’t wait to press it into everyone’s hands and say go Birdie go! I’m going to miss them all, my heart is broken, but I’m so happy I got to meet them all.

I loved everything about this book. Everything. I am pretty sure Ericka Waller could write my shopping list and I'd enjoy reading it. The characters are brilliantly written, the story is beautiful and the pace is spot on. I properly laughed out loud and by the end, was crying like a baby.

The story follows several characters who mostly live on the same street and we see how they slowly become entwined in each other's lives, whether they like it or not. Perfect for fans of Frank and Red by Matt Coyne and Swimming for Beginners by Nicola Gill.

If you haven't read her book, Dog Days, go and get that too.

Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Erika Waller.
I read this author's debut novel, Dog Days, which hit the world by storm and cemented Erika Waller a loyal fan base. I had not been aware she was working on a second novel, so I was surprised when I was contacted by the publisher asking if I was interested in reading her newest novel in exchange for an impartial review.
My health hasn't been the best, meaning that I am not entirely reliable when it comes to reading physical books these days. Not in the sense of I won't finish them, but that they take me a lot longer, on average, than it use to take me to read a physical book. However, I was intrigued and I am so glad I accepted their kind offer. Goodbye Birdie Greenwing was even better than the authors debut. She has brought an entire cast of characters to life and drew me into their intersecting lives. I was caught off guard by how smoothly I found myself caring about every single one if them.

Ultimately, I found the story to be about human connection, but it has so many more layers to it. I urge you to read it. I believe you will find an unexpected connection with at least one of the characters, if not all of them. It has touched me in ways I was not expecting and was a total delight and pleasure to read.

5/5⭐

Thank you to the publisher for contacting me to see if I was interested in reading this novel. I really appreciate it and all opinions stated above are my own. Thank you to Netgalley for the platform that allowed me access. Most importantly, thank you to the author, Erika Waller. I look forward to hopefully reading more stories from you in the future.

Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller

Birdie, Jane and Ada live in the same Brighton street and are all struggling. When a series of events brings them together their lives are changed for the better as they deal with the challenges ahead.

Oh my goodness, WOW!!! I have no words to express how much I loved this book - 80+ books read this year and I think this could be my favourite... AMAZING! The story is fantastic and Ericka Waller is a genius at creating characters - I loved them all, especially Min, and I'm missing them now that I've finished the book. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The title 'Goodbye Birdie Greenwing' promised a few tears and the story delivered.
What I liked about the book was its unpretentious unfolding of ordinary lives in a way that made me feel like part of the family. And this feeling of inclusion was in part enabled because I wasn't having the lives explained to me in backstory. It felt organic, more like a reminder than an explanation. Ericka Waller also has some lovely turns of phrase that made me smile. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

What a fabulous novel!

A story about love and life in all its messy, heartbreaking, joyful glory and about embracing all it has to offer for as long as you can.

Such a brilliant cast of characters. Including the titular Birdie who has just learned she is dying to Ada her doctor who is just learning to live (and not forgetting Audrey the dog!), Ericka is just incredible at bringing them all to life. I took them very much to my heart.

I found it so touching that when Birdie looks back on her life it is the small, almost incidental things she looks back on - a reminder for us that it's the little everyday moments that make up a life that make a life and a reminder for us all to cherish those moments with loved ones.

Warm and charming, and woven with humour I’ve no idea how a book about a woman dying can be so uplifting but it really is.

It made me cry, it made me laugh. I absolutely adored it

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!

Huge thanks to Random House & Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

I must admit I struggled through this book as it felt a little long-winded, but it was a nice story and a pleasant read.