Blog Tour Review: My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin

Hello everybody! Today, I’m really pleased to be bringing you my review of My Friend the Octopus, as part of its blog tour. Onto the post!

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Review:

I really enjoyed Lindsay Galvin’s first historical middle grade book Darwin’s Dragons at the beginning of 2021, so when I was offered her new release, saying yes was just a no brainer. It follows a girl named Vinnie, who has to move to Brighton to live with her aunt Bets very suddenly, when her milliner mother decides to leave behind their life in London. There, she becomes involved with the local aquarium and its newest exhibition of an Octopus, who she then befriends. But a sinister figure from her past in London is hunting her, threatening to ruin her rather idyllic new life, and a dark and thrilling mystery ensues.

Vinnie is a wonderful protagonist and it was amazing to see her blossom and become a happier version of herself after moving to Brighton, because while she had a close relationship with her mother, she is quite a controlling person and she had very set ideas about who Vinnie should be and how she spended her time, regardless of what her daughter actually wanted. Aunt Bets, on the other hand, gives her pretty much free rein and allows her to pursue her passions, and the new friends she makes also enhance her life hugely, as well as having their own distinct personalities and subplots where they go on their own character journeys.

I also loved the period detail and the exploration of so many different parts of Victorian life, both charming things like the fascination with new fads, and some horrifying ones, like the poor treatment of workers and the subtle but undoubtedly vile racism shown to Temitayo(one of the aforementioned secondary characters).

Overall, I thought this was such a gripping and thoroughly enjoyable book, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating whatever Lindsay decides to write next.

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Thank you so much for reading! Are you planning to pick this up, or have you already read some of Lindsay’s work? Which animal/human bonds in books do you love? I’d love to chat to you in the comments!

Amy xx

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