This was a beautifully written book; however, for me it felt like it had two very strong plot points and themes and it felt like it could have been 2 distinctive books. This didn't really explore motherhood for me and that was the connection to the title. It was a good story about a few young girls going to college and discovering themselves, love and family concerns, but the other side just did connection for me!

Longtime friends Penelope and Alice are in Edinburgh studying English and French, and acting, respectively. They are young, away from home, and trying to figure themselves out through meeting new people.

Pen's parents have split, and Pen is eager to understand why her father is reluctant to speak about the man (and friend and writer) whose name became her middle name. Pen contacts the author, Lord Eliot Lenox, once she's in Edinburgh, and travels to his country home to meet him and his family. She's fascinated by them, and attracted to Sasha, one of Eliot's sons.

Alice is attractive, smart, and knows her effect on others, and begins an affair with a course tutor.

We follow the two young friends as they explore new relationships, and recalibrate their perceptions of their families, and themselves.


Despite the quality of the writing, I never really connected with Pen or Alice, and their various travails as they mature. I also had a hard time caring how the theme of motherhood connected to the main characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada (Adult) for this ARC in exchange for my review.

A slow realization of motherhood, sacrifice, wealth, and the ever-enticing politics of upper-class English society. The charming, pining love story between Pen and Sasha was an excellent added flair, and its importance did not eclipse Pen’s investigation into her family and its connection to the Lennoxes. It felt as though Pen and Alice were figuring out the grand schemes they had been exiting within alongside the audience; we knew something was awry but couldn’t quite put our finger on it.

Reviews among my book friends have really varied for this one, so I lowered my expectations going in, and I ended up liking it!
While I love the cover, it does not particularly fit the vibe of the book, and the title really doesn't either. The octopus metaphor represents motherhood, and I didn't find that was even the overarching theme of the book. In fact, it seemed like there were numerous sub-plots at play.
This book takes place in Edinburgh, and actually is about two Canadian friends living abroad during university. I liked experiencing university through their perspective and did feel transported there.
3.5 stars rounded up.

I just finished The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight and here are my musings.

Pen is in her first term at Edinburgh university... She is hoping to uncover the secrets her parents back in Canada are hiding from her and the place she wants to start... With an old friend of her Fathers, the reclusive Lord Lennox.. She doesn't know what she expects to find but love really wasn't one of them. When her best friend Alice succumbs to the advances of a professor, it's up to Pen to try and right the scales of justice.

My biggest issue with this book. The title. I think it wasn't a strong representation of the book even though I understand why the author picked it, it didn't work for me.

Phew now that's out of the way let's talk about the plot... I loved it. We get the book from both Pen and Alice's perspectives and they were both done with grace and gravitas. What was happening to Alice was done with real care and I really appreciated that. I really enjoyed Pen and her journey to discover the secrets of her parents and watching her not just learn about them, but she kinda finds herself too. It was quite beautiful. Pen was such a beautiful character. She was like a balm for wild Alice. Unlikely friendship between two women coming into themselves.

I loved the different social structures the book introduces us too and we are shown the beauty in them all.

I thought the book was beautifully written and a great debut for this author

4 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy.

DNF. I think there are a lot of people who will love this book however I was disappointed. I could not connect with any of the characters and just felt I didn't care about any of them. It felt superficial to me and I didn't see anything that was related to the title.

I was captivated by the title of this book, as I’ve recently found a love of octopuses, particularly in literature. But this one didn’t have one!

I loved the story was based in Scotland and Canada, as I have family connections there. The writing was great, a tad slow at parts. But I truly wish it had been named differently.

Thank you for the ARC

I was really excited to read this book with its commentary on womanhood and motherhood, but it fell somewhat flat for me. While I loved the setting, I only liked the characters. Perhaps intentionally so, they were too posh for me, which made the story feel less accessible, and I wasn't keen on the POV swaps that happened intermittently.. I didn't understand Pen's driving motivation to figure out this story about her parents' past and her visits to the Lennoxes felt awkward. I did enjoy the love story which developed slowly.

This was a lovely story, touching on female friendship, the societal pressures on mothers, and family secrets. I was sucked in immediately and was heavily invested in Pen’s story.

Recommended!

Unfortunately I had a really hard time with this story. First of all, the formatting of the e-book itself made it extremely hard to read. Secondly it felt empty, like there wasn't a real explanation for why Pen was doing what she was doing.

3.75 stars

I have to say, for a debut novel, Emma Knight did incredibly well. I want to thank Net Galley for the arc of this book, as this one had been on my radar when I first heard about it. This book has beautiful prose, and it was so easy to read once I got started. Pen, the main character, seems older than her young years (especially considering it was her point of view much of the time). I enjoyed that she and Alice are Canadians living in Scotland for school as I have a connection to and love of both countries. The story is about family drama, mother love, sexual awakening and has a great mystery in it. I look forward to seeing what else Ms Knight writes!

I really wanted to love this one, and I can’t exactly put my finger on why this one is so challenging to get into. I love that this is written by a Canadian author and I appreciate the pieces of Canadiana in it with the TO shoutouts. The challenging aspect of this book for me was that other than tracking down an old friend of her fathers, I did not get a clear sense of the main characters motivation, and while I was happy to come along on her university journey, it felt purposeless or that I was musky plot points that hadn’t been outlined clearly. I appreciate that it is a coming of age story, but I found the writing and story to fall a bit flat in terms of keeping me reading it. I rarely DNF, but this was a DNF for me. Perhaps I need to revisit it at a later time as I’m sure the ending brings some sort of cohesion or plot reveal.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an arc of this novel.

Wrought with young love and angst, this is an incredibly solid debut. My only criticism is that it was wordy at times and I'm hoping the final copy has been tightened up.

This was a disappointment - I live in Aberdeen and Stonehaven is practically on my doorstep so I was excited to read this - but the plot was so flimsy and made leaps from here to there that were so big I had to flip back to make sure I’d not skipped a page or two. As for the setting, I was surprised to get to the author acknowledgements and find the author had actually lived in Scotland as the writing felt more googled than lived experienced.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is presented as an exploration of motherhood and womanhood but is mostly just an awkward centred on posh students in Edinburgh. The ‘revelations’ about motherhood seem forced, disjointed, and are told to us right at the end by a character that had only been introduced a few pages earlier.

I almost didn’t finish this one. A part of me always wants the full experience before passing judgment, but I could have stopped halfway and not missed much. It wasn’t a miserable read, just not all that appealing either. I haven’t read this exact story before, but it felt like I had. There are dozens of books in this style that are indistinguishable from each other. A few moments made me feel something: a few sexy scenes, some heartwarming bits, even heartbreaking ones. But none of it stood out enough for any genuine excitement. Honestly, I doubt I’ll remember a single detail in six months. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything special either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for access to the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an Advanced Reader Copy of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus.

A Canadian university student studying in Edinburgh grapples to understand the breakdown of her parents’ marriage while forging her own future.

As a Canadian woman of similar age to the character in the year the book is set, I thoroughly enjoyed the culture references. A very relatable Pen attempts to discover the meaning of her namesake, and the famous Scottish author’s part in the destruction of her parent’s marriage.. The setting was immersive, and Pen had my empathy as she sought to unravel her parents’ mistakes as to not repeat them. The character’s voice and ambitions kept me turning the pages and the poignant conclusions Pen reaches set my heart glowing.

I did find the story trying at times. The plot seemed to splinter off in to tangents and secondary characters that held little relevance or interest for me. I found some coincidences and behaviours unbelievable and at times exasperating. Overall this was a well-written and intriguing debut. I enjoyed the voice of the author and will seek out her next work.

I went into this book completely blind. I think it grabbed my attention right away because of the campus life angle set in Scotland. Two Canadian girls embark on an educational adventure by choosing Edinburgh as their spot to attend university. While there are duo POVs, Pen held your attention which was intentional. I do wish there was a little bit more from Alice's POV. 

Pen is trying to uncover secrets her family is hiding from her and it turns out, the answers are in Scotland. She finds herself amongst an almost "found family" type of situation and catches the attention of Lord Lennox. Alice is on her own journey with a TA that has caught her eye while she follows her passion for acting. 

Both girls are on a path of self discovery and sexual awakening. Though some of this journey is together, they really have to stand on their own a bit to make decisions that will shape their lives.

Bonus points for such a clever title.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book tagline: A witty, warm and brilliantly told debut that is at once a love story, a story of female friendship and motherhood, and an irresistible mystery surrounding an extraordinary British family.

The title, the cover, and the hype were the three reasons I sought out this title. Once I started reading I enjoyed that the main protagonist, Pen, was a Canadian like me. The story was set in Scotland, a country that I have visited and love to visit in a literary sense as well. The mystery of the wealthy Lennox family and their ties to Pen's parents who were now divorced was interesting. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of other happenings in the book( romance, friendships, and #Metoo) that somewhere in the midst of all of it, I forgot that central plot line. When Pen finally finds out all the answers to her questions, it doesn't quite have the exploding climax that I had anticipated. On the other hand, learning the significance of the title made for a good scene.


Maybe it is just me, but this one failed to make an impression.





Publication Date 07/01/25
Goodreads Review 22/01/25

Nostalgia inducing book set during college years in Edinburgh, Scotland following two best friends as they navigate their friendship, loves, and empowerment.

In THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS Penelope Winters is headed to Scotland for her first year of university. Penelope writes to Lord Lennox who is an old school friend of her father’s. Hoping to unearth some family secrets Pen gladly accepts an invitation to visit Lord Lennox and his family.
THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS is an enjoyable read with themes of romance, coming of age and a bit of mystery. I think it is an excellent debut novel with a wonderfully unique title.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced digital edition of the novel.