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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.

Categories
Non Fiction

Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates

‘Everyday Sexism’ was released back in 2012 and I am unsure why (and also annoyed) that I had not read it sooner.

Having experienced a number of sexist incidents and being sick of how sexism has become normalised Laura Bates started the ‘Everyday Sexism’ project which is what is she used to fuel this powerful read. From young girls being harassed in the street to discrimination at work, to the most serious cases of sexual assault and rape – this book covers it all!

What makes this book really stand out is the sheer amount of research which Bates has carried out. Each chapter starts with statistics and the experiences people shared with her in the form of a tweet, which really illustrates the extent of the issue our society faces. The book is very well written and is not to be misinterpreted as a hate campaign against men. In fact, Bates discusses how men also face sexism (boys being told not to play with dolls, men being told to man up, lack of paternity leave) and shares stories of how men have and can confront it. It is made very clear that attitudes within our society need to change and why feminism is still important in the 21st century. Whilst a catcall, or a rape joke may be said without the intent to cause offence and therefore appear trivial to some, this book delves into the detrimental impact this can have on people and wider society.

For some, the horrifying stats and experiences will come as no surprise. To others, they will be a real eye opener. However, one thing that is for sure is that no matter what gender you are or whether you call yourself a feminist or not this is a must read and everyone can take something from this book