Life can be prickly, and it certainly is in Kitty Johnson’s latest, PRICKLY COMPANY. Set in a small relatively prosperous UK neighborhood, Hilltop Place, the book chronicles residents’ lives falling apart, reconfiguring and reemerging into new and better forms. Miscarriages, adoptions, abandonments, both literal and figurative, careers lost and pursued, divorce, marriage, disfigurement: a cornucopia of human challenges befall the residents of this self-contained neighborhood. If resolutions to these various crises were the sum total of the book, I’d consider it an engaging story, a four star charming read. But the personal stories are framed by information about the waning hedgehog population and possible solutions. As the neighbors open their fences and yards to the hedgehogs and to each other, the neighborhood becomes a caring community.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was something different than the usual read because it had the hedgehog theme throughout. Being a huge animal lover, I absolutely loved this aspect and the way it was wound throughout the chapters. It was a feel-good book that made me not want to put it down, and I would love to read a sequel!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to reading this ARC.

First I want to start by saying I appreciated Johnson's reliable storytelling and clear, uncomplicated writing style. The characters, such as Jess, Michael, Ryan, and Frances, are described as appealing, each dealing with their own struggles and complexities. The challenges and conflicts in the storyline, particularly the introduction of Toby into the Crawfords' lives, gave me mixed emotions.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet and charming nature of the story, highlighting its ability to address difficult and complex subject matter with a satisfying resolution. If you choose to read this amazing story, you are likely to learn something new about hedgehogs while following the characters' journeys. If you enjoy novels set in close-knit communities with a blend of heartwarming and bittersweet moments, this is a perfect read for you.

When I tell you my heart felt so full after reading this book, I mean it. For something as cute and little as a hedgehog to bring a neighborhood together was so great. I love that each chapter is a viewpoint of a different neighbor throughout. You quickly figure out which characters are great and which ones need to go away. It was a steady read, not at all overwhelming or flowery with words. And the ending??? Oh what a surprise! It is amazing what can bring and separate a community, family, marriage, so many relationships. This is a book to read outdoors while you see Mother Nature, or comfortably in bed when you are winding down. Absolutely, absolutely loved it. Thank you, NetGalley for the sneak peak, I can't wait to tell my friends to get this book!

Not gonna lie...I saw the hedgehogs and thought it was such a fun, unique premise that I had to open the pages to the book. It's a lovely, interesting and well-done plot. The characters are well done and you can imagine each of them.
Frances, a senior member of the neighborhood realizes that hedgehogs are facing danger each time they try to reach feeding holes and more. She starts a campaign for all of the neighbors to make their yards hedgehog friendly.
Another couple has recently adopted, and it is chaos. Ryan, a war reporter will never walk again, and he is dealing with that, his young son and trying to deal with his new status.
There are many other scenarios, and they play out in a way that kept me reading.
This book is not just about hedgehogs...it's about relationships, neighbors, changing with the hurdles that come our way, and deciding your future.
I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book already has so many good reviews but sadly for me this won't be a 5 star review. With all the amazing things I've read and heard about this book I was a bit disappointed. I did like the story overall and I understand why so many people loved this one. The characters are relatable, flawed and real, the writing was good and the hedgehogs were an added plus!! Love the little hedgehogs. I can't quite put my finger on why this one wasn't a true hit with me, but I know so many others will really resonate with this book.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley Lake Union Publishing and Kitty Johnson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely little novel about hedgehogs (yes hedgehogs!). I wasn’t really sure what this would be about going into it but i really enjoyed it and read it very fast. The book hits on some important topics with each of the neighbours at Hilltop having their own stories and secrets but they all come together to help the hedgehogs! Overall it was a really lovely read and has made me want to go and build a hedgehog highway!

A book about hedgehogs? Well, yes, it is. This is the story of a group of neighbors, who barely know each other, coming together to ensure their gardens create an environment safe for hedgehogs. Kitty Johnson introduced us to these neighbors, all of whom had a story, and made each of these characters so likable. We discover that no one's life is just the surface part that can be glimpsed. I found myself cheering for the happiness of each of these people and look forward to reading the previous novel by the author.

Really good character-driven story of complicated lives in suburbia with hedgehogs (and hoglets) woven in as a path to finding purpose and community for broken and breaking lives. I was taken by all the characters and wished I lived there for a while and got to know them myself.

Good decisions, like adopting a child or getting a dog, or covering a war zone, can make life miserable and secrets can hollow out a person’s dreams, and love can move people around like pieces on a chessboard. Personal dramas are the center here and I kept turning the pages to find out how they ended!

Happy hedgehogs, the center of attention, play backdrop to painful situations in the neighborhood and I was intrigued by all I learned about them. This was a thoroughly good read—highly recommended!

And yes, the hashtag #hedgehoghighway is real!

Thank you Netgalley & Quercus for access to this title in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

Oh my goodness, this was such a surprising read. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started it but it amazed from beginning to end. This novel focuses on a community that live on the same street and their motivation to save hedgehogs whilst each household has a story of their own.

Each subplot was unique but had overlapping qualities. It was extremely well-written and thought provoking. I cried so much whilst reading this and I think that is a true testament to how well the characters were portrayed in order to feel an emotional connection to the story.

I was sad, I was happy, and I was shocked. This book has it all. You won’t regret reading this one. Out 28 May ⭐️

The Sawmill Book Club by Carolyn Brown, published by Montlake, is a beautiful small town romance. A story about love, forgiveness and more. A sweet romantic friends to lovers relationship develops between the main characters, Benny and Libby. A pleasure reading their story. Even the secondary characters are fantastic, 4,5 stars.

A lovely novel about a typical British street and its residents. The characters are very enjoyable to read about, and the book had information about hedgehogs between the chapters. A nice easy read that flows well throughout. Definitely recommend. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

Thank you NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

A wonderful book to kick off my 2024! This is the ultimate feel good story with a fun and engaging plot and lovable characters.

Meet the neighbors of Hilltop Place: a community with a lot of personality and worries about their local hedgehogs. We have quite a few main characters, but they're easy to keep track of with Johnson's writing: Ryan (his mother Irene and son Eric), Jess and Michael (their children Stella and Toby), Tara (her daughter Hermie), Helen and Justin, and Frances (her partner Frank).

When Frances realizes that there were quite a few hedgehogs in the neighborhood, she takes it upon herself to make sure they were cared for and safe. Thus begins her neighborhood project of the Hedgehog Highway. While this is a large piece of the book, we get to know each character through the happenings of their own lives. With everyone's individual stories and experiences, we see the messy and true lives of the neighborhood. It begs the reminder that you never know what someone is going through.

I read Johnson's debut novel 'Five Winters' last year, and I loved the simplicity of her storytelling. It felt so real and personal. 'Prickly Company' was done in the same fashion, and I loved it. You can relate to every character in some form or fashion, and you can see yourself or someone you know easily in the characters. It's a wholesome, fun, and lovable story. What else could you ask for?

“Take advantage of all of the help available to you”

Wow! Prickly Company is not what I thought it would be and I loved it. It felt like a warm cozy hug, the feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket by the fire drinking a warm cup of tea (or glass of wine?). Heartwarming, fun, and quirky. Readers of Anxious People by Fredrick Backman will enjoy!

Albeit a little confusing at first, I loved reading about the different characters and following their stories. I had such a soft spot for Ryan and for Jess as well! Truly cannot wait to read this one again. I’ve rated it as 4/5 stars, only because it was a bit slow during the middle and dragged a bit.

Keep your eyes peeled for its’ release in May 2024.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciated some aspects of this book, but I had a hard time connecting with the human characters. I think this is a very interesting idea for a story and I'm glad it exists. It has an uplifting message in the end, which I really liked, and I think it comes from a good place. I just wish I cared about the characters overall, not just about the hedgehogs. But that's a me problem! Maybe I didn't pick it up at the right time, I don't know. It's just how it goes sometimes!

Who doesn’t love a book with hedgehogs? Truly you would be a monster if you did not. Lucky for all readers, whether you enjoy hedgehogs or not, this was a book that takes a hold of you and doesn’t let you go. This story tugs at your heart strings, and is a unique storyline (or really, series of storylines) that is comforting as getting under the covers on a rainy day. I enjoyed the plot as well as the characters, who felt like old friends I’d love to be neighbors with.

Excellent writing and a comfort read I will revisit in the future, as well as recommend to readers who want to be surprised with something delightful.

Thank you again for the ARC, Lake Union Publishing, and for the opportunity to read it without a request, NetGalley, it is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.

I wasn’t expecting to like this quite as much as I did, i knew it would be good but I really didn’t expect to relate to the characters so much. Everyone was so perfectly different and it’s so rare to read a book where I find myself enjoying all the characters! I was able to fly through the book and feel sad now that it’s over and can’t wait to read it again.

This book was so wonderfully unexpected. Admittedly, I didn't really know WHAT to expect when I picked this up, but I certainly didn't expect to devour it in one sitting the way that I did. Each character had an extremely unique situation that was so well portrayed, and the set-up of the neighborhood led to a really nice dynamic among the characters. I was particularly fascinated by the relationship between Jess and Toby; so hard to read about, but such an interesting perspective to see. At so many points during this book I was on the verge of total heartbreak, but in the best kind of way. The way it was written, you can really connect to each and every character.
And of course, how could I deny my love for the hedgehog content [and semi-narrators??]

This book is a feel good story about a very likable cast of characters that feel very real and even flawed at some points throughout the story, that has everything and nothing to do with hedgehogs. Jess and Micheal adopt a little boy early on and struggle to adapt to life as a family of four. Meanwhile down the street Ryan is trying to regain his footing after a landmine costs him his ability to walk and Frances stirs into action after years of living an isolated life to save the hedgehogs.
The people on Hilltop Place have a lot going on in their lives all throughout the book, and while it took me a little bit to get into it, I eventfully fell in love with these characters. Unfortunately the ending felt a little bit rushed to me. I would’ve gladly spent more time with the characters to resolve their storylines at a more comfortable speed.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and was especially impressed that with the sheer amount of characters, they all still had so much personality.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a little neighborhood drama, people working through their struggles to find to each other and a feel good story that still feels real.

Content warnings: PTSD, death, child loss and infidelity.

Not all is well in the world, of course it isn't with those poor hedgehogs and wildlife more generally being under threat.

But this is a feel-good book, one which from the start makes you feel suspect will be a happy ending, this has nothing to do with spoilers... it is just the atmosphere as the story unfolds.
And with quite some lovely characters, I really was taken in with Augustus, happily surprised for Hot Chocolate to make an appearance, and couldn't help but think of Ryan as a character played by Jamie Bamber :)
Just as long as you remember: you never know what exactly goes on behind someone's front door... or in your back garden.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.