Reviews

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

cecile87's review against another edition

4.0

What a warm story. About a quaint old widow who cleans the town’s aquarium and lost her son 30 years prior, a preternaturally intelligent octopus, a young immature man in search of his father, and a small town of personalities, many who like to gossip.

Yes, one has to suspend belief in this story, but along the way, we get to see the world from different people’s view points. It does drag a bit, prolonging the inevitable intersecting of storylines a bit too much.

I enjoyed this bit of escapist fare. My eyes glazed with tears at the conclusion. I both read and listened to the book and found the haughty interpretation of the octopus not the best choice of the reader.

mae_winters's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

clamduncan's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

atl_elle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

salgalruns's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely LOVED this book, and it was my first five star rating of my 2024 reads. It had been sitting on my Kindle for forever, and not sure why I didn't read it when I got it! I listened to the audiobook and found myself driving the long way home so I could continue the story. Our city read it as a One Book One City read a couple years ago, and now I'll have to find the interviews about it!

Before you wonder....YES - I definitely had many eyerolls about Cameron, but I also work with kids. I see amazingly bright kids who can't seem to get their life on track right away and so my heart kind of loved him a little more as I watched him mature throughout the book. The storyline with Tova and Marcellus was PHENOMENAL. Truly a unique match and their chemistry had me giggling more than once.

alliemarie920's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

lawnerd15's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

nataliekilgo's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A fairly predictable story about grief and family, with a pretty unique twist. I enjoyed it, it wasn’t my favorite book ever but the pages kept turning, the writing was engaging, and I liked the characters.

sarahgri's review against another edition

funny hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

m_aston's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0