Tag: Book Lover

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Fiction

The Last Party, Clare Mackintosh

It’s New Year’s Eve and there is a party at ‘The Shore’ – the new luxurious holiday apartments which reside on the borders of England and Wales. A goldmine for Rhys Lloyd and business partner Jonty Charlton, but not so popular with the locals in the village. Despite disapproval from the locals that doesn’t stop the whole village attending the party to drink champagne with their new wealthy neighbours.

The next day Rhys Lloyd’s body is found floating in the lake and undoubtedly everyone at the party becomes a suspect, leaving DC Ffion Morgan a whole village of suspects.

I have always been a big fan of Clare Mackintosh’s books. In complete and total honesty, I found the start of The Last Party a little bit slow and found it difficult to keep up with the number of characters- however these thoughts quickly diminished, and the storyline and strong characters grew on me. As you go through the book each character is developed whole-heartedly as opposed to being thrown in for the sake of it. I felt this really brought the heart and soul of Cwm Coed to life. Ffion Morgan is an incredibly strong female protagonist, and I am pleased we will be seeing her again. I was fully invested in her as a person, as well as her relationship with the village and it’s people.

As with all of Clare’s novels the detail is immaculate making it feel incredibly realistic and something you can fully immerse yourself into. The book is written from different time frames which I felt really gave us a spherical view. The book is full of secrets and whilst I wasn’t surprised by the ending and had my suspicions quite early on, I fully enjoyed the twists and turns of the book. The author continuously pulls us in different directions, and I really enjoyed the rollercoaster of a ride as we uncover the different characters and their potential motives for killing Rhys Lloyd.  

Aside from murder other themes in the book include but are not limited to: class, statutory rape, sexual assault, patriarchy, toxic bosses, bullying, divorce and custody battles.

I am absolutely delighted that is just the first of a new series and also that the rights to a series have been brought.

Overall, The Last Party is simply the start of what is to be a gripping series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Last Party will be published on 4th August 2022.

Categories
crime fiction Fiction

Trick or Treat, Katerina Diamond

It’s the morning of Halloween when six year old Marcus Carlyle is taken from outside his house. The only witness is a teenage boy who is up to no good and torn between doing the right thing and wanting to keep his wrongdoings a secret.

Following an anonymous tip off, Detective Imogen Grey is called to the street, where the abduction took place. However, when she visits Marcus Carlyle’s parents they claim everything is fine. But where is Marcus? Is there more than meets the eye? And if so, how much more?

Trick or Treat is the seventh book in the Detective Imogen Grey series. I have read one or two books from the series, and whilst I would love to go back and read the ones I have missed, I have to say that I did not find that having not read them all put me at a hindrance when reading this novel.

The thing which made me most enjoy Trick or Treat is the fact that Katerina Diamond is a remarkable storyteller. The book is complex; there are lots of characters within the book and lots of different story threads. Whilst sometimes this can be messy, Katerina Diamond has a way of developing all these leads enough to intrigue you, and pulls them together to shock and surprise you.

This book is dark and traumatic. It is certainly not for the light-hearted but it is compelling, full of twists and perfect for crime mystery lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me an ARC of Trick or Treat in exchange for an honest review. Trick or Treat will be published on 14th October 2021.

Categories
Fiction

The Daughter’s Choice, S.D Robertson

It has always been just Rose and her Dad. Rose’s mum died shortly after she was born leaving her Dad to bring her up alone, so it is no surprise the two of them are extremely close.

It is the week before Rose’s wedding and her Dad treats her, and her best friend Cara, to a spa weekend.

However, when Cara is suddenly called away from the spa, Rose gets talking to a woman who is also at the spa alone. Their encounter leaves Rose questioning everything she has ever known.

The Daughter’s Choice is a journey to the truth. We all have heard the say ‘there are three versions of every story: mine, yours and the truth’. This is exactly how the book was structured, which I thought was very clever. We hear Rose’s story, we hear Cassie’s story, and then final section is ‘The Truth’. As well as truth telling, other themes touched upon in the book include families, single parenting, young parenthood, love, choices, forgiveness, and morality.

One thing I wish to praise S.D. Robertson on is how he really brought the characters to life for me. I wanted there to be a good person and a bad person, but ultimately all I could see was people who tried to do their best, by themselves and by everyone else. I felt that I could emphasie with each of them and felt their pain and the experiences they had to go through, and it really made me question and think about the moral dilemmas they had to face.

I would like to point out that I see a lot of reviews saying this book hasn’t got the shock factor or is ‘too predictable.’ Please remember this book is not a mystery thriller book, if you want that then this perhaps is not the book for you. If you want an emotional and thought-provoking family drama, then this is it, and that is exactly what the author achieves as he takes us on a this journey to uncover the truth.

Overall, an emotional and thought-provoking story, which reminds us of the lengths people go to protect their families, but also the pain which secrets can unravel.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Daughter’s Choice will be published on the 30th September 2021.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

A Little Bit of Faith, Katie Piper

A Little Bit of Faith has an affirmation for every day of the year with a paragraph after it which offers a small explanation including how you can implement the affirmation into your day/life.

In terms of the type of quotes, if you are not a fan of clichés or the ‘positive vibes only’ brigade then do not fear. The affirmations are much more thought-provoking than that and acknowledges our range of hardships and challenges and the fact that we as humans feel a whole range of emotions. One thing worth mentioning is that as the title suggests, Katie Piper does touch upon her Christian faith slightly in the book. However if you are not religious or belong to a different religion, then do not let this put you off. At no point does Katie force her beliefs onto you, and I truly believe that we can all take something from some of the values which are digested from some biblical quotes.

I have to say this book really did bring a smile to my face. After having a challenging year in terms of grief and battling with mental health, reading these affirmations and hearing Katie Piper’s perspective really felt like a gift from heaven. I’ve read it all in one go in this sitting but going forward I hope to make the book a part of my morning routine.

The only thing I would say is that if you are considering buying this book, and unsure whether to buy the e-book or the physical copy then I would suggest buying the physical copy. Whilst I’ve read the e-book I would love a physical copy which I could easily pick up and refer to and I can just imagine the actual book being a nice touch to any bed side table or book shelf.

All in all, this book isn’t just a book you read and are done with. This book is a lifestyle change. Five stars.

A Little Bit of Faith will be published on the 16th September. Thank you to NetGalley and SPCK Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
crime fiction Fiction Thriller

The Anniversary, Laura Marshall

On 15th June 1994 Travis Green walked through the streets of Hartstead and killed eleven of his neighbours. The final victim was four-year-old Cassie Colman’s father.

With the twenty-fifth anniversary approaching, the Hartstead shooting is brought back into the limelight and, like many, Cassie would rather forget the past. That is, until she discovers something which suggests that those murders did not happen quite like everyone said. However, unlike Cassie, not everyone is so keen for her to dig up the past.

The Anniversary is quite possibly the best crime fiction book I have read in a very, very long time. Having read one of Laura Marshall’s books before and remembering how much I enjoyed it, I was keen to read The Anniversary, and wow, it lived up to my expectations and more! I was thoroughly hooked the entire way through.

Some crime fiction books are predictable but this one was not in the slightest. The entire way through I was kept in suspense, and I truly did not expect any of the twists and turns.

Themes in the book included violence (including domestic violence), becoming a first time parent, single parenting, questioning morals and dementia. I thought the themes were handled sensitively and I actually really enjoyed how the author explored the idea of new parenting and how other parents make it look easy. Whilst I am not a parent myself, I enjoyed the whole façade vs. reality, and how the author dared to go down the route of a character who doesn’t make motherhood look like a breeze. I am sure a lot of parents will appreciate this.

I was sad to get to the end of this book and cannot wait for the next release by Laura Marshall.  All in all The Anniversary was a compelling read, full of twists and turns, and worthy of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Anniversary will published on the 5th August.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Lies We Tell, Jane Corry

What would you do if your only son came home one night and told you he had killed someone? Would you hand him in? Or, would you go to great lengths to try and protect him?

That is the dilemma which Sarah and Tom are faced with, when 15-year-old Freddie comes home one evening and tells them exactly that.

The book rewinds back to the past and takes us on the journey of how Sarah and Tom met. Two, very different, people with very dissimilar traits and personalities, both of whom have experienced turbulent pasts and mistakes.

Overall, this book centres around the moral dilemma, of would you protect your child if they told you they murdered somebody, or not? Sarah takes a more nurturing approach, whereas Tom wishes to call the police. I think for some this may seem too far fetched- you may like to hope you would do the obvious right thing- but Jane Corry has a way with writing which really makes you feel Sarah’s pain. She wanted to be a mother to correct the wrongs of her own up-bringing, she suffered multiple miscarriages, therefore for Sarah the pain of giving up her son is unfathomable.

Jane Corry is one of those authors who I know will not let me down, and The Lies We Tell did not fail to impress. Her writing is spot on. The characters in the book, were well thought of, not just the main protagonists but also those supporting, such as Olivia and Gladys, and the pace was perfect. Whilst a huge timeframe was fitted in to one book, it did not drag and it kept my attention. The novel was full of twists and turns and every time you thought you knew you didn’t.

Overall a great book. A solid 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Family Friend, C.C. McDonald

Erin is a mum, living by the sea with her fiancé Raf. when looking at Erin’s Instagram it would easily fool you into thinking she is living the perfect life. With thousands of followers, her posts suggest she is super mum, managing to have it all, whilst remaining upbeat and happy. However, in reality Erin is struggling with anxiety, finding connecting with her son challenging and is estranged from her family.

One day Erin gets home from a retreat to find Amanda, at their house. Raf explains Amanda is a family friend, from Australia. Having never heard of Amanda, Erin finds this strange at first. However, these suspicious thoughts quickly turn to gratitude when a famous agent offers to help Erin with her Instagram career and Amanda offers to move in and babysit.

However, the novelty of Erin’s new career soon wares off, when she begins to get trolled. Videos are posted which not only leads to a backlash from her followers, but her agent isn’t happy. To make matters worse these videos could have only been taken by someone close to Erin, leaving her second guessing all those closest to her.  

The Family Friend is a modern-day thriller, which could have done with a bit more thrill. From a thriller you expect twists and turns, but unfortunately the twists and turns failed to surprise and the plot was predictable.

Whilst the plot wasn’t amazing, I did still find this novel easy to read and enjoy the level of detail C.C. McDonald writes in. The immaculate detail really impacted the way I perceived the characters. For example, at first, I failed to connect with Erin, I wanted her to get off her phone (hypocritical really!), but the detail used to describe the trolling she experienced, as well as the details used to describe her anxiety, particularly around the other mum’s, really made me feel for her. I found myself feeling as though I was in her shoes and could really sense these worries and fears.

The themes which were discussed throughout The Family Friend are very relevant and relatable to today’s society. These themes included social media vs reality, trolling, anxiety, being a new parent and control in relationships. Pretty much all of us have a different persona online, and if you think you don’t then ask yourself how often you post about your worst days. Not to mention, those who feel parenting does not come naturally to them often feel too afraid and guilty to admit it, particularly when on social media it looks like all the other parents are doing everything swimmingly perfect. Therefore, I thought it was an important portrayal, which is not often seen, or if it is it is normally a bad character (think wicked non-maternal stepmothers in fairy tales). I would hope that Erin’s characterisation would make at least one new mum feel a little less alone.  

Overall, I would give The Family Friend 4/5 stars. It was an easy read, which was well written and discussed important issues, it would have just been nice to have a little less predictability.  

Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

Failosophy, Elizabeth Day

Failosophy is a Elizabeth Day’s handbook on how to cope with failure. Drawing upon experiences from her podcast ‘How to Fail… With Elizabeth Day’, Elizabeth has come up with seven principles of failure, which she explains in this book using real examples and demonstrating how we can use failures as opportunities to learn from.  

This book was a very short read but nevertheless very powerful. You can either read it in one sitting or read the chapters which you feel appropriate to you. With the guide being categorised so clearly, it makes it easy for you to revisit relevant sections in times of need.  

In a time where we are scared to fail (shout out to social media and technology) Failosophy really is a mindset changer and allows you to see failure from a new perspective. I could not stop highlighting things I wanted to take from this book and believe everyone can learn something from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Perfect Sister, Zoe Miller

‘The Perfect Sister’ is told from the viewpoints of Alice and her sister, Holly. When Holly was born, Alice vowed to herself that she would look out for Holly enough to make up for their absent father who walked out before Holly was born. Alice lives up to her promise, however in recent years the two sisters, who were once very close, are driven apart by secrets and jealousy.

When a block of flats Holly used to live in is being demolished, she gets worried. She wants to talk to Alice about it.. but how can she? They are not that close anymore and Holly’s husband Luke barely gives her a second to herself when Alice is around.

Meanwhile Alice, gets a knock on the door with questions about Holly. Whilst Alice knows her sister is hiding something, there is no way that Alice believes Holly would have been involved in anything so sinister. Forced to dig through the past to uncover the truth- Alice uncovers years of Holly’s secrets and begins to doubt her innocence.

The Perfect Sister is a psychological thriller which keeps you on your toes guessing! The bond between the sisters was excellent and the book really showed that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, as both sister’s fought their own troubles. Zoe Miller, made it easy to relate to the emotions of the characters and the motives behind their actions. For example, Holly didn’t want to admit her debt to Alice, which led to a spiral of problems. Whilst it is easy to say ‘Well why didn’t you say so’, you can totally understand why she wouldn’t want to admit that and feel for her about how she got into the situation that she found herself in.

Overall, a really good read. Every time I thought I knew, something else came to light.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an advanced copy.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Vow, Debbie Howells

Amy is due to get married in two weeks but when her fiance Matt disappears she is left with no choice but to call the wedding off as the police investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Fiona also reports her missing partner, Matt, to the police. He was supposed to be moving in with her.

Amy refuses to believe that Matt has been living a double but police quickly prove this is the case and begin questioning both women. Where is Matt? And, who’s version of events do the police believe?

The Vow, is a beautifully written domestic thriller told from the perspectives of Amy, Fiona and Amy’s daughter Jess. The book, goes between the present day and the past, allowing us an insight into Amy’s childhood.

The characters and the story of this book are so well developed. For example, Amy is a herbalist and it was evident Debbie did her research as within the story we what different herbs and flowers mean etc. I thought this was really well done as it gave so much depth to Amy’s character and made her profession and passion come to life. Furthermore, it wasn’t just the main characters who were well portrayed- so often in books minor characters get name dropped and it is hard to imagine them – but even minor characters were brought to life throughout this book.

The Vow sucked me in right from the start and I found it immensely gripping. Unfortunately, the book was a little predictable as I guessed the ending about half way through, but never the less I was still hooked and keen to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.