Book Review / Let Her Be by Lisa Unger

 

A writer’s misguided suspicions ruined his life once before. This time he plans to prove he’s right in a New York Times bestselling author’s haunting short story of what happens when seeing is not believing.

Will, an aspiring novelist, can’t stop parsing his ex-girlfriend’s popular social media accounts for clues that her ideal new rural life with the perfect man has a dark side. After all, nobody he knows has actually seen the blissful blogger in the flesh for nearly a year. When Will draws a wary friend into his “investigation,” the real question becomes who’s truly in danger.

Lisa Unger’s Let Her Be is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.  

Published:     30th July 2020
Publisher:  Amazon Original Stories
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Hush Collection
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

I had not read anything by this author before so when I heard that Amazon Original Stories was coming out with a Hush Collection of novellas I knew that I had to give them a try.  I am not sure if this collection are supposed to be read in a certain order but this was the first one I picked up.  

What I enjoyed the most was that even in such a small story, this one packs a punch.  The main character in this story, Will, is certainly very troubled and it makes you question the people around you and even possibly yourself?

 I really enjoyed the writing style.  I will certainly be picking up more stories by this author. 

Book Review / The Innocent Man by John Grisham

John Grisham's first work of nonfiction, an exploration of small town justice gone terribly awry, is his most extraordinary legal thriller yet.

In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A's, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory.

Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits—drinking, drugs, and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.

In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution's case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.

If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.

Published:     10th October 2006
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

Now this was an eye opener, for sure!  Of course, I am intrigued about each and every novel written by John Grisham but this one I was very intrigued to read and learn more.  I have not yet watched the Netflix documentary series, but I certainly will be doing now.  I always like to read the book before watching the movie/documentary etc as in most cases the book is always better!  

In this true story, we follow Ron Williamson from his early days being drafted right through to being convicted of the rape and murder of a waitress and then later on what happens in court.  

Yes, Ron Williamson had a lot of difficulties and issues in his life but being convicted in the way that he had to experience, he should not have had to have gone through all of that.  It was obvious from the very beginning that it was not 'innocent until proven guilty', which is a basic human right.   Ron's case was prejudiced right from the very beginning and it was obvious that he was not going to be taken seriously or believed to be innocent by most people, including those involved in the court case!

This book is definately an eye opener into what goes on behind the scenes and I am shocked and how many more possible innocent people are sitting in jail right now?! 

 

 

Book Review / The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Published:     2nd June 2020
Publisher:  William Morrow
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

 

This is the first book I have read by this author and I have to say that I really enjoyed the writing and the way it draws you into the story.  I think she has written a few others, and I will definately be picking up more by this author.  

What I loved about this story was the many characters that featured and the way that they all intertwined with each other throughout the book.  My favourite of all the characters has to be the bride's sister (apologies, I can't remember her name now) who seems to have gone through the most in this story from what it appeared.  

Even though there are a lot of twists and turns in this story and a few surprises along the way, I have to admit that I guessed pretty much most of them apart from the very last one.  I would have loved to have been a surprised a lot more with this story.  I know that a novel can only be so long but I would have loved to have had more backstory from more of the characters that were featured.   

 

 

Book Review / The Girl with the Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson

 

 

 George Foss never thought he'd see her again, but on a late-August night in Boston, there she is, in his local bar, Jack's Tavern.

When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl's grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece - the one who had committed suicide - was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved - and of the things she may have done to escape her past.

Now, twenty years later, she's back, and she's telling George that he's the only one who can help her...

 

 

Published:    4th February 2014
Publisher:  Faber & Faber
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

Now this was what you call an edge of your seat amazing thriller!  I think this author is fast becoming one of my favourites, alongside the likes of Ruth Ware and John Grisham.  There's just something about the writing and the plot that just draws me in!  

 We follow George who after being happily in and out of a good (what I see to be a not very committed) relationship, sees his first love (having met at the start of University) at a bar.  At first he doesn't believe it is her.  Soon they meet and George is drawn back into her world again. 

I picked this up one rainy Sunday and could not put it down.  I just had to know what was going to happen next. 

What I loved the most about this story was the plot.  You have George meet his old love again and after that he gets drawn into her world, sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowingly.  For me, there were so many twists and turns in this story I could not keep count.  Just when you thought something was true, it wasn't!  Just when you thought the story was finished, it's not!

LOVED THIS! Can't wait to read more from this author.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS) Book Review / The Dawn Chorus by Samantha Shannon (Book 3.5, The Bone Season)

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

 

An ebook exclusive which bridges the story between the previous and forthcoming instalments of Samantha Shannon's international phenomenon series The Bone Season

Paige Mahoney and Arcturus Mesarthim have arrived in the Scion Citadel of Paris. Exhausted by her efforts against Scion, Paige has no choice but to remain in hiding, away from the revolution she started, so she can heal and come to terms with her mental and physical scars.

In the confines of a safe house, Arcturus and Paige begin to reconnect after following separate paths for weeks. As they wait for contact from the mysterious Domino Programme – an espionage network operating in Scion – their present begins to mirror their past.

 

 

 

Published:     9th July 2020
Publisher:  Bloomsbury
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 3.5, The Bone Season
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

There are only a very small handful of series that I will pick up the novellas for.  Normally, I am not one for picking up the books in between the full length novels but this series is one of the exceptions.  Any chance to have a brief glimpse into this world again, I will take. 

We see Paige and Arcturus in this novella where Paige is healing from what has happened in The Song is Rising.  Now this is a relationship between two characters that I have wanted to follow and learn more from.  We watch as Paige heals and Arcturus helps her.    

For fans of this series, this novella is definitely a must pick up.  For those who have not yet read this series, it is best to read the first three books in the series before picking up this novella.  

I can't now wait until the next book in the series comes out now in 2021!

 

 

Book Review / Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

 

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast—as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

 

Published:     13th September 2011
Publisher:  Margaret K McElderry Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

The last time I read this book was in 2016 and I was in the mood to read something with a sense of humour and something supernatural or like that.  I remembered that I really enjoyed reading this the first time around so I thought I would give it another go.

We follow Pearl who is a teenage vampire living with a vampire family that stills holds firm to traditional vampire values.  Pearl is still trying to figure out who she is.  One day she is staked by a unicorn and soon learns that she can now go out during the day.  That the sunlight does not hurt her.

I really enjoyed delving back into this story again.  For me, this story is so much fun especially following Pearl as she navigates the new world of being a vampire out in the day while the rest of her family can only come out in the night.  There are certainly a few twists and turns in this story too that will keep you on your toes!