Book Review / Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.

2 STARS

For more information, check out the Goodreads link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208516656-here-one-moment

MY REVIEW

Liane Moriarty is an author I have been wanting to pick up for literally years now.  This story intrigued me so much I just had to get on with it and pick it up.  Now, this review makes me kind of sad really and is more of a reflection on my reading tastes rather than the actual book. 

I really didn't have a good time reading this and I think the main reason for this is the multiple character perspective aspect.  There are a lot of characters in this story and a lot of perspectives and views to follow.  I really struggled to follow and care for any of the characters, no matter what they do. 

Also, the story for me dragged.  It took god knows how many pages at the start (probably too long) sitting on the plane for the introduction.

I am glad I picked this up and gave it a change but I am going to mark this as a not for me type of book.

Book Review / In A Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern

Finding your way is never a simple journey…

Alice sees the worst in people.

She also sees the best.
She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.
Every. Single. Day.

But it’s the dark thoughts.
The sadness. The rage.
These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her.

Where will the journey to find herself begin?

Published:  13th April 2023

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Fiction, Contemporary and Romance

MY REVIEW

I wish I would have loved this more than what I did.  I have been following this author right from the beginning and loved most of her novels, but there's something about the newer novels that are just not 'my thing' and I'm struggling to put a pin in exactly why.  I struggled to get into this one and found it hard to keep my interest to be honest.  That's not to say that the writing style wasn't good, it was, but it was just the story wasn't for me.  Immediatley after finishing reading this, I forgot all about it and what was going on in it.  

Would I recommend...  If you wanted to try a Cecelia Ahern book I would recommend starting with some of her earlier work rather than this one.  That's not to say you shouldn't give this a go but start somewhere else first to get a feel for her writing style. 

 

Book Review / The Tennis Party by Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella)

It was Patrick's idea that they should have the tennis party. After all, he has the perfect setting -- the White House, bought out of his bonuses as an investment banker. He hasn't actually told Caroline, his brash and beautiful wife, what the real reason for the party is. She is glad to welcome Stephen and Annie, their impoverished former neighbours, less glad to see newly wealthy Charles and his aristocratic wife Cressida, and barely able to tolerate the deadly competitive Don and Valerie.

But as the first ball is served over the net it signals the start of two days of tempers, shocks, revelations, the arrival of an uninvited guest, and the realization that the weekend is about anything but tennis.

 

Published:     9th June 2011
Publisher:  Black Swan
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

 

MY REVIEW

 

OK, so I am on a roll with these novels now.  Since I am not really enjoying them as much as I thought I would I am just going to read them one after the other just to say that I have read them.  I wouldn't normally continue if not for the fact that I absolutely love Sophie Kinsella's main novels and as one of my favourite authors I like to say that I have read all her novels, including those I don't necessary get on with.

Honestly, I didn't have a lot of fun with this one.  There were far too many characters and of those many many characters that were in this novel I didn't really connect or care about any of them or their stories.  There was a certain point in the middle of this book where I just was bored and my interest never really came back again.   

I wish I had loved this more because I adore the author but this was just not for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell

 

From behind the counter, Shaun Bythell catalogs the customers who roam his shop in Wigtown, Scotland. There's the Expert (divided into subspecies from the Bore to the Helpful Person), the Young Family (ranging from the Exhausted to the Aspirational), Occultists (from Conspiracy Theorist to Craft Woman).

Then there's the Loiterer (including the Erotica Browser and the Self-Published Author), the Bearded Pensioner (including the Lyrca Clad), and the The Not-So-Silent Traveller (the Whistler, Sniffer, Hummer, Farter, and Tutter). Two bonus sections include Staff and, finally, Perfect Customer--all add up to one of the funniest book about books you'll ever find.

Shaun Bythell (author of Confessions of a Bookseller) and his mordantly unique observational eye make this perfect for anyone who loves books and bookshops.

 

 

 

 

Published:     24th November 2020
Publisher:  David R Godine
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 45, In Death
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

 

I am going to start this review off by saying that I wanted to enjoy this book so much.  What more could you want, it was a book about books.  Unfortunately that was not the case for me.

What I was expecting from the title is a narration by someone who used to own or work in a bookshop going through the seven kinds of people you find in a bookshop with a funny narration and something I might relate to by either being one of those people being described or knowing someone or seeing someone like what is being described.  That was not the case.  

Now, this is just my interpretation of what I read so it may be that I had misunderstood in some way or took some of the jokes the wrong way but I didn't find a lot of this funny or relateable and not only that but I found some descriptions to be a bit too much judgemental.  I get the feeling that a lot of assumptions were taken by the author in describing people in this book and those assumptions (or opinions) I felt were very judgemental and not given in the spirit of being nice.  Some comments I felt were not very nice. 

This story just wasn't for me.  I found the humour to be too mean and judgemental for my tastes.

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades.

In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all.



Published:    13th February 2018
Publisher:  Dial Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  I liked that this story depicted a fairly true to like picture of what being together with someone long term can really be like - flaws and all.  There was no fairy dust or magical unicorn to make things better.  Obviously, Sylvie and Dan have issues that they need to work on and it can be very easy to lose track on what's important in life. 


What I didn't like about this story..  For me, even though real life is not always a bed of roses and sometimes you can dig your head in the sand, there do come moments where you have to step up and deal with the issues you have in front of you.  In this story, it seemed like the main characters are doing all they can not to address those problems.  The fact that a particular plot point in the story comes up and both go into panic mode about it would, if I was one of those characters, make me want to step up and face reality.  If you are with someone for a long period of time, married or living together, its kind of a given that you will probably spend a lot more time together if not the rest of your lives.  Would it really be a surprise or put you into panic mode if something happens which means that this future would be a certainty?!  

Also, the ending for me was a bit predicable.  With a title like 'Surprise Me', I was hoping that I would be surprised a little bit also with the story, but I wasn't. 


In summary...  Not one of my favourites I am afraid.  I think this is more my personal moral judgement rather than the story itself, which was well written and easy to follow.  I was hoping for something a bit more light hearted and fun but unfortunately did not find it here. 

Book Review / This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Published:     17th September 2013
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library
 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  We follow Elise in this story where at the beginning she is very depressed and contemplates (and nearly succeeds) in committing suicide.  As the story goes along, we see Elise discover her love for DJing and see her learning to love herself and to live her life.


What I didn't like about this story...   Elise is 16 years old.  She is clearly depressed to the point of suicide yet none of her family seem aware of how unhappy she is. That said, she may have been good at hiding how she feels but I found it odd that none of her family noticed anything.  Elise then turns to sneaking out of the house every night once everyone has gone to sleep and that is when she discovers the nightclub where she starts to be a DJ.  Again, surely she would have got caught out sooner or later for sneaking out?  Lastly, at the point in the story where the parents find out what she has been doing, yes there is a slight punishment but that was soon waived to allow her to continue what she has been sneaking behind their backs to do all along and everyone lives happy ever after. 

I am afraid that I have to put this book in the category of 'this book was not for me but I might have liked it more if I had read it when I was younger'.

Book Review / Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Can’t buy me love…

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?


Published:     25th July 2017
Publisher:  Scholastic
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

Unfortunately, this is one of those books that is going to fall into the 'this is just not for me'.  Although it was fun and easy to read,  this story had a lot of aspects that I didn't believe in or aspects that could have happened but didn't.  You have Maddie who is in school, so must be a teenager, who wins the lottery.  Instead of her parents helping her or a guardian appointed until she is an adult or finished school etc she is just left to sort out her own finances.  The money is just handed over, no questions asked.  As a response to that, she makes very silly decisions such as investing in an uncle's investment idea, an uncle she didn't know exist until she had the money.

The very reason she bought the lottery ticket in the first place was because it was her birthday and none of her friends turned up or let her know they weren't coming.  After winning, there was a little mention of why they didn't turn up but it was just dismissed as if it didn't matter.  If that had happened to me, it would have upset me a lot more than that.

There's also the character of Seth who Maddie first meets when she goes out to buy her lottery ticket.  There was such potential that Maddie and Seth could have made the story very interesting but for me there was not enough of that story to be able to get invested in the relationship.

Very disappointed by this one but I did enjoy the writing style and am planning to pick up more by this author. 

Book Review / Genuine Fraud by E Lockhart

The story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Published:     5th September 2017
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

This is a very difficult book to review.  I went into this book the same as I did with We Were Liars, knowing nothing.  Honestly, I didn't relate or like either of the main characters - Imogen or Jule.  I read and loved We Were Liars earlier this year and had very high expectations for this one.  I found the plot confusing (the way is backtracks) and there's too many characters in the mix.

Maybe it was my mistake in presumption but I had thought that this book would have a point to the plot, a bit of suspense and maybe a few twists and turns but, for me, this had none of those things.

Unfortunately this book was not for me but have given it 2 stars because it intrigued me enough to want to finish reading the book.

Book Review / The Shock by Marc Raabe

A THRILLER THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN - FOR FANS OF TANIA CARVER AND M. J. ARLIDGE.

When Laura Bjely goes missing during a storm on the Cote d'Azur, the only thing her friend Jan finds is her smartphone - with a disturbing film in the memory.

Back in Berlin, Jan's neighbour is discovered with a bloody message left on her forehead.

As Jan searches for answers about what happened to Laura, he is thrown into a nightmare of madness and murder.

An exhilarating and merciless psychological thriller from the author of The Cut.




Published:     24th August 2017
Publisher:  Bonnier Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

I have to admit that this book fitted into the catagory of 'this one is just not for me'.  I had a few issues that I just could not get past with this one.  Firstly, it was a lot more disturbing than I had imagined with a lot of what I believed were graphic sex scenes that I just did not get on well with.  That's just not my thing, so any stories with that in immediately turn me off.  I also found this story to be slow paced with not a lot of twists and turns, which is not what I was expecting and mixed with the above and the fact that I didn't really like the ending - I didn't enjoy this one.

That said there was one aspect that I did like and that was the investigating into Laura's background.  I liked that part as there was a hint of mystery of the unknown. 

Book Review / When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Published:     30th May 2017
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Library

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...    Right from the very start, the dynamic between Dimple and Rishi made me laugh.  From the first time they met, when Rishi made the mistake of introducing himself to Dimple a bit to friendly in which her reply was to throw her drink on him!  I did find the interaction between the two main characters very entertaining! 

What I didn't like about this story...  Firstly, I am not entirely sure whether she is meant to come off this way I did find Dimple to have a very spoilt and childish manner about her.  She will do what she wants to do and not think of anything else.  Of course, that is fair enough when she is thinking about her own future but that bothered me a bit.  Next, I also felt there was a bit too much insta-friendship etc in this book, everything seemed to happen far too quickly and, for me, it felt unrealistic.  Lastly, I had wished there would be more of a plot than just a boy meets girl type situation.  With just this happening throughout the book, I was bored.

In summary...  This book has been hyped up so much since its release I did wonder whether it was the right time for me to give this a go.  If a book is hyped up, I do tend to set my expectations rather high.  Unfortunately, that was the case with this book.  I found the main character to be annoying, too much insta-friendship and insta-love and not enough plot to keep me interested.  I did, however, read the entire book, which I think was purely because I enjoyed the writing.   I am intrigued to follow this author to see what comes out next but I won't be picking up this book again. 

Book Review / Stargazing for Beginners Jenny McLachlan

Science geek Meg is left to look after her little sister for ten days after her free-spirited mum leaves suddenly to follow up yet another of her Big Important Causes. But while Meg may understand how the universe was formed, baby Elsa is a complete mystery to her.

And Mum’s disappearance has come at the worst time: Meg is desperate to win a competition to get the chance to visit NASA headquarters, but to do this she has to beat close rival Ed. Can Meg pull off this double life of caring for Elsa and following her own dreams? She’ll need a miracle of cosmic proportions …

Fans fell in love with the warmth, wit, romance and fierce friendships in Flirty Dancing, Love Bomb, Sunkissed and Star Struck, and Stargazing for Beginners has all that and galaxies more. This is the best kind of real-life fiction – with big themes and irresistible characters, it goes straight to your heart.



Published:     6th April 2017
Publisher:  Bloomsbury
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

Now, I have a few things to say about this one.  Firstly, I will say that the writing in this book is really good and I will definately be reading more from this author.  I liked her style and the way that she dealt with a very difficult situation.  Next, to put it bluntly this book made me very angry.  I think this is more because I am reading this book from an older person perspective (i'm 35) rather than a younger adult reading this.  If I had read this book ten or twenty years ago I think I would have loved it and took the story at face value.  Reading this book now, the actions of Meg's mother and grandfather just makes me angry.  How could a mother just up and leave her children to fend for themselves and not even seem bothered about it?  How could a grandfather be so flippant about the fact that his daughter has left his grandchildren to fend for themselves.  Not only that but he lets them live on their own with no supervision or help.  That just makes me angry at those characters and is the main reason I kept reading because I wanted to make sure they were ok.  

Angriness aside, I did really enjoy following Meg at school and seeing how she gets in with trying to win the competition to visit NASA headquarters.  I really was rooting for her.  

I had so many conflicting emotions with this book.  I did enjoy reading it but the subject matter made me very angry and made this uncomfortable reading for me.    

Book Review / The Memory Book by Lara Avery

They tell me that my memory will never be the same, that I'll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I'm writing to remember.

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan.

So the Memory Book is born: Sammie's notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart--a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship.

Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.




Published:     13th January 2015
Publisher:  Riverhead Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  This was a very interesting book to read with the main character suffering from a disorder that is very similar to dementia, which is a condition you usually associate with the elderly but unfortunately Samantha is still in school and because the disorder is hereditary she can develop the systems at any age.  What I liked was the fact that you were not just reading a story with this novel, Samantha is actually writing a Memory Book to help her when the disease gets hold and that is what we are reading, along with text messages with her friends and family.  This book shows a very slow decline as Samantha gets worse.

What I didn't like about this book...   I have to be honest and say that if I had read this book ten years ago I would have loved this more.  I have the impression with this book that it was written more for a younger audience, it certainly tells as you read more and more of the story.  Being in my 30s I enjoyed the story but because most of the characters in this story are teenagers living in a teenager's world, at home and at school, I think I would have appreciated this story more if I was living that same life while reading it.  

Book Review / Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

“How do you like life in the fast lane?” Digby said. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

Good question.

Achieving high school “normal” wasn’t as hard as Zoe Webster expected, but she’s beginning to think Hollywood oversold how much fun it all is. Isn’t dating a jock supposed to be one long Instagram dream? Shouldn’t she enjoy gossiping 24/7 with her two BFFs? And isn’t this, the last year before the finish line that is Princeton, meant to be one of her best? If “normal” is the high school goal, why can’t Zoe get Philip Digby—decidedly abnormal, completely chaotic, possibly unbalanced, undoubtedly rude, and somehow…entirely magnetic—out of her mind?

However normal Zoe’s life finally is, it’s about to get blown up (metaphorically. This time. She hopes, anyway.*) when Digby shows up on her doorstep. Again. Needing her help to find his kidnapped sister. Still. Full of over-the-top schemes and ready to send Zoe’s life into a higher gear. Again.

It’s time for Zoe Webster to choose between staying in the normal lane, or taking a major detour with Digby (and finally figuring out what that stolen kiss actually meant to him).

Guess which she chooses?

* This is a mistake; Zoe should know better than to expect there not to be explosions when Digby is in town.

Published:     22nd November 2016
Publisher:  Kathy Dawson Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 2, Trouble
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...   This was such a fun book to read.  Nothing complicated, just fun.  What I liked the most was the character Digby.  I had to remind myself quite a lot that he was probably just a teenager or a young adult because most of the things that he comes out with or does is just so 'grown up' and very 'detective like' it seems like he could pass for a middle age detective as well but that's what he's meant to sound like I believe.  That's what makes the character great.  


What I didn't like about this book...   Now, when picking up and reading this book I had not realised that this was book 2 in a series or duology.   There was nothing on the cover and nothing in the description.   It was only when reading the book I had a 'sixth sense' feeling that there was a lot of back story that I was not being told in this story and not in a good way.  It was more in a 'I am definitely missing part of the story' kind of way.  Had I known that there was a book before this one I would have read that one first.  Although you can read this book as a stand alone, I have to confess that I would have preferred to have read the first book to get the back story of the characters before digging into this one. 

Book Review / I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .






Published:     3rd May 2016
Publisher:  Berkley
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand Alone
Source:  Owned
 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  This story was such a rollercoaster of emotions for me, unfortunately the scale weighed on the negative side more than the positive side but I'll talk about the negative section below.  Now, some of the positives.  There were a few parts of this story that I found interesting to read.  I say interesting rather than good because of the nature of the story line (which I won't go into because of spoilers but let's just say that there is a very sensitive subject tackled as one of the main points in this story).  I also particularly liked following the police side of the story where they are investigating the main crime in question in this story.  Its not often that I come across a detective story where the detectives are down on their luck with investigating a particular story they may have to close the case without solving it.  I found that interesting to read about and follow the detectives on how they deal with that.  For me, the best part of the story was the last bit which was jam packed full of action. 

What I didn't like about this story... Unfortunately now for the parts of this story that I wasn't too keen on.  Firstly, the storyline.  This is one of those stories that takes a while for the story to build up before you get to something that really makes you perch on the edge of your seat.  For me, that point came about three quarters of the way through so I have to admit that I was getting a bit bored at the beginning of the story.  There was also the back story of the main detective on the case that  I didn't particularly enjoy.  At certain parts of the story we saw glimpses of his home life with his wife who he struggles to get on with because he works so much to his son who is clearly having a lot of issues and is acting up.  To me, that part of the story was completely unnecessary.  Apart from a pivotal point where something happens with his son which it makes the detective realise something about the case that he was working on, I didn't think that part was necessary.

Book Review / The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe

For fans of Jo Nesbo and The Bridge, The Ice Beneath Her is a gripping and deeply disturbing story about love, betrayal and obsession that is impossible to put down. Fast-paced and peopled with compelling characters, it surprises at every turn as it hurtles towards an unforgettable ending with a twist you really won't see coming . . .

A young woman is found beheaded in an infamous business tycoon's marble-lined hallway.

The businessman, scandal-ridden CEO of the retail chain Clothes & More, is missing without a trace.

But who is the dead woman? And who is the brutal killer who wielded the machete?

Rewind two months earlier to meet Emma Bohman, a sales assistant for Clothes & More, whose life is turned upside down by a chance encounter with Jesper Orre. Insisting that their love affair is kept secret, he shakes Emma's world a second time when he suddenly leaves her with no explanation.

As frightening things begin to happen to Emma, she suspects Jesper is responsible. But why does he want to hurt her? And how far would he go to silence his secret lover?

Published:     27th December 2016
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  In this story we follow a few characters but the one that I particularly enjoyed the most was the story of Emma Bohman.  We see her at the beginning working at Clothes & Moore, as a sales assistant, where she meets Jesper Orre; a man who has his own secrets.  From that chance meeting they start a secret affair and what follows from there are a series of events that made the story for me.  I loved the suspense build up from this character perspective.

What I didn't like about this story...  Unfortunately, for me, apart from the above, the story really lost my interest, honestly speaking.  I really loved following the story of Emma and finding out what happened next but with the addition of other character's perspectives and their own stories I just didn't find them as interesting as her story.  With this lack of interest I have to say that I was very tempted to skip those chapters just to get to the 'Emma parts'.  I didn't in the end skip parts but did wish that those parts were a bit more in pace with the story.   It was more that with the other character's parts in this story it felt there was too much description and individual character back story and not enough suspense or action that I had thought it would have.  

Book Review / Soldier's Wives by Fiona Field

This page-turning soap opera interweaves the stories of three women trying to get to grips with military life.

Chrissie, orphaned young, finds solace in her career as a medic in the regiment, but will love for a married man prove her undoing?

Maddy, a brilliant Oxford graduate, is bogged down with a fretful baby and a super-ambitious officer husband. Will she be able to stand life as a regimental wife?

And Jenna - glamorous, bad girl Jenna, who doesn't believe in rules and regulations. Will she destroy her husband's career? Or will it destroy her?




Published:     28th May 2014
Publisher:  Head of Zeus
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Soldier's Wives
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

 MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  This is one of the first stories I have read that is based in army life and I really enjoyed following each of the families, watching how they live and seeing how they deal with their other halves working as soldiers.  I liked how most of them try to work together and 'make the best of it' just to make sure that it all works and their lives all work together with the regiment life.

What I didn't like about this story...  There was one particular character in this book that I really could not stand.  Absolutely despised.  Jenna is young, self involved and I had the impression that all she cared about was herself and her life,despite the fact that she was recently married and should be settling into that with her husband.  She didn't seem to get that if she did certain things it could get her husband into trouble and could also make him lose his job.  She was more concerned with what she got out of any situation.  I really hated that and although that was what she was meant to be like that particular character really bothered me to the point where I couldn't really enjoy the story. 

In summary...  This was a really fun book to read about Regiment home life and I will definitely be picking up more in this series but I might just give it a break for a bit just so I can go into book 2 with fresh eyes.

Book Review / Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella returns with her trademark blend of sparkling wit and playful romance in this page-turning story of a wedding to remember—and a honeymoon to forget.

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose, but then his big question involves a trip abroad—not a trip down the aisle. Completely crushed, Lottie reconnects with an old flame, and they decide to take drastic action. No dates, no moving in together, they’ll just get married . . . right now. Her sister, Fliss, thinks Lottie is making a terrible mistake, and will do anything to stop her. But Lottie is determined to say “I do,” for better, or for worse.





Published:     25th April 2013
Publisher:  Bantam Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

 What I loved about this story...    As I always expect and hope with a Sophie Kinsella novel, you have a main character who gets into a situation they have trouble getting out of and watching them try and get out of it is just the funniest thing ever.  With this story, for me, you have two main characters.  First you have Lottie who instead of being proposed to by her boyfriend ends up breaking up with him because he won't who then gets in contact with her first boyfriend and they agree to marry within a matter of minutes of getting together again.  What could go wrong there?!  You then have Fliss who is Lottie's sister.  She is in the process of getting divorced and from what I can see is not taking it very well.  She finds out about Lottie's decision to marry and takes it into her own hands to try and stop her by whatever means necessary.   I really enjoyed finding out what happens next...

What I didn't like about this story...  Honestly, it was nothing in paricular but I just found that I didn't laugh out loud like I usually do with most of Sophie Kinsella's novels and just could not get into the story, but that may speak more about my reading mood at the time rather than the actual story.  I also didn't particularly warm to the character of Ben who seemed like a flaky character and Lottie should have seen that had she not have been on the rebound.  The way things unroll at the end with Lottie and Ben seemed to me to happen quickly and with little emotion.  I would have loved to have seen the same amount of drama that was in the start of the book with the end for these two characters. 

Book Review / Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . .

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.

Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she'll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Published:     24th July 2012
Publisher:  Harper Teen
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Something Strange and Deadly
Source:  Owned Copy

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  This was a very interesting read for me.  Although, for reasons I will give below, I didn't get on very well with this book the element that I did enjoy a lot and the main reason I carried on reading until the end was the mix of history and zombies.  It was a very weird mix.  On the one hand you are in this world (can't remember what time period but I would guess around the 1870s) and on the other hand you have these zombies that are terrorising the living.  This was something new to me and one that I found funny in places and also quite creepy in other places.

What I didn't like about this book...  Honestly, I just could not get into it.  Despite enjoying the zombie olden days feel to the story, I really didn't feel much for the characters, especially the main character Eleanor.  Bearing in mind that she is 16 years old in a world where she is not allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone, she seems to be able to pretty much anything she pleases.  That confused me.  One other aspect of this story that completely confused me was the fact that Eleanor's brother goes missing in the beginning of the book and her main aim is to find her brother and help him.  That all seems to be forgotten not very long into the book and not mentioned much until nearer the end of the book.  I had expected more of a 'I need to find my brother' type of story but it wasn't. 

That being said, I think this was a lot more to do with my reading tastes and my mood at the time rather rather than the writing, which was really good.  I don't think I will be continuing on with this series but will look out for more work by this author.   

Book Review / Has to be Love by Jolene Perry

Years ago, Clara survived a vicious bear attack. She's used to getting sympathetic looks around town, but meeting strangers is a different story. 

Yet her dreams go far beyond Knik, Alaska, and now she's got a secret that's both thrilling and terrifying--an acceptance letter from Columbia University. But it turns out her scars aren't as fixable as she hoped, and when her boyfriend begins to press for a forever commitment, she has second thoughts about New York. 

Then Rhodes, a student teacher in her English class, forces her to acknowledge her writing talent, and everything becomes even more confusing--especially with the feelings she's starting to have about him. 

Now all Clara wants to do is hide from the tough choices she has to make. When her world comes crashing down around her, Clara has to confront her problems and find her way to a decision. 

Will she choose the life of her dreams or the life that someone she loves has chosen? Which choice is scarier?

Published:     1st September 2015
Publisher:  AW Teen
Author Website:  Click here
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

What I liked about this story...    The story of Clara was what made me want to read this book.  You have a character that has been hurt (bothy physically by the bear attack and mentally from the aftermath) and I was very interested to follow her story, rooting for her to get better and start her life.  After she got the university acceptance it was interesting to see her reaction to that. 

What I didn't like with this story...    I am afraid to say that for me this book was one of those that I was intrigued enough by the story and the characters to want to finish but there were many moments where I nearly did not finish this at all.  I found Clara to be very weak and although that was expected at the beginning I had hoped that she would become a lot stronger as the story went on but the story really concentrated on a love triangle between Clara, Rhodes and her boyfriend and I just couldn't form any attachments to the characters which I wished I could have done.







 

Book Review / The Memory Hit by Carla Spradbery

On New Year's Eve, Jess's life is unrecognizable: her best friend is in the hospital, her boyfriend is a cheater. A drug-dealing cheater it would seem, after finding a stash of Nostalgex in his bag.

Nostalgex: a drug that stimulates memory. In small doses, a person can remember the order of a deck of cards, or an entire revision guide read the day before an exam. In larger doses it allows the user detailed access to their past, almost like watching a DVD with the ability to pause a moment in time, to focus on previously unnoticed details and to see everything they've ever experienced with fresh eyes. As Leon, the local dealer, says 'it's like life, only better.' What he fails to mention is that most memories are clouded by emotions. Even the most vivid memories can look very different when visited.

Across town Sam Cooper is in trouble. Again. This time, gagged and bound in the boot of a car. Getting on the wrong side of a drug dealer is never a good idea, but if he doesn't make enough money to feed and clothe his sister, who will?

On New Year's Day, Jess and Cooper's worlds collide. They must put behind their differences and work together to look into their pasts to uncover a series of events that will lead them to know what really happened on that fateful New Year's Eve. But what they find is that everything they had once believed to be true, turns out to be a lie ...

Published:    4th June 2015
Publisher:  Hodder
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

I am afraid that this one one of those books that 'I could not get into but was invested enough to continue reading until the end because I wanted to know what happened'.  I was really sad I could not get into this book, it sounded like one of those stories that would be fast paced and full of surprises.  I found that it was neither - slow paced and really no surprises at all.  I had guessed pretty much the entire story in the first few chapters.  I think if I hadn't guessed what was going on then this story would have been more of a three or four star review but as there were no surprises there was no 'hook' to draw me in and want to know more.  Jess was my favourite character in this story as she seemed to be the 'innocent' in the madness and it was interesting to follow her story.

I am really sad that I could not get into this book but if you are after an easy read and like reading this sort of thing then do pick it up.  It is worth a try if this is the type of story you are into.

After working with teenagers for more than a decade, Carla decided to start writing for and about them. Having had a lifelong obsession with dark literature, it only seemed natural to write stories that would thrill, scare and maybe make her readers think twice about reading alone in the dark.

Carla lives in Hampshire with her husband and two children. She still enjoys working with teenagers, although she finds it harder and harder to understand why the music they like has to be quite so loud.