Book Review / The Other People by CJ Tudor

 

A gripping new thriller about a man's quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl's face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: 'Daddy.' It's his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again.

Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe's daughter.

Then, the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found, in a lake, with a body inside and Gabe is forced to confront events, not just from the night his daughter disappeared, but from far deeper in his past.

His search leads him to a group called The Other People.

If you have lost a loved one, The Other People want to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.

There's just one problem . . . they want other people to know it

 

Published:     28th January 2020
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

There's nothing like the feeling of finding a new thriller author that you enjoy reading and knowing there are more books written that you haven't got to yet.  C J Tudor is most certainly an author I am going to be reading more of and I am certainly going to be picking up all the books that I can for now!

This story was fast paced, plenty of twists and turns and a fantastic ending.  I just could not put this down and actually read this in one sitting!  

What I didn't like about this story,

There were many things that I loved about this story.  The first was the pacing.  This story was very much fast paced.  Just what I wanted in a thriller to keep the action going.  There's nothing worse than having a thriller that is meant to be fast paced but written in a slow pace. I also loved the twists and turns this story takes you on.  Obviously I won't go into much detail because I don't want to spoil it for you.

And what a great ending...  I hadn't guessed what would happen (and that doesn't usually happen).

I can't wait to pick up more from this author...

 

 

 

Book Review / Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
 

 

Published:    8th October 2019
Publisher:  Flatiron Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Alex Stern
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

 

OK, so yes this is a hyped up book that I try not to pick up all too often but the story just intrigued me too much that I had to pick it up.  I hadn't realised that this was going to be a series when reading this but that makes sense now given the ending.  

What I wasn't fond of with this book was the pacing.  With a story like this I was expecting there to be lots of twists and turns, lots of action and the story being fast paced.  Yes there are twists and turns and a bit of action but the story was, for me, very slow paced.  It made me slow down which was good in one way but when what I wanted was fast paced action it made me less excited.

What I enjoyed the most was the mysteries that are discovered in this novel.  I have always liked a good mystery and hidden secrets.  There are certainly a few twists and turns in this novel.  Although I felt that Alex was a bit haphazard in some of her investigating, I enjoyed following her around and discovering things the same time as she did.

Although I am intrigued to find out what happens next with book 2, honestly I probably won't pick it up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.
 

Published:     15th June 2021
Publisher:  Celadon Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW 

Having read and absolutely loved The Silent Patient, I couldn't wait to dig into another novel by this author.  I don't know a great deal about Greek mythology so this was a bit of a learning curve for me but luckily most of what was being talked about in conversations was explained enough for me.  

In this story we follow one character (i'm being deliberately vague here) as he joins this group of intellects who attend and gets accepted into an exclusive group of students.  Each one of these students have issues of their own which we follow as the story goes along but the main focus, for me, is the murder and following that story.  

If I had to make a slight 'complaint' it would be that, for me, the chapters were too short.  This was a story that I wanted to be slow paced so I can enjoy and take in all the details but with the chapters being short it made me read at a faster pace than I really wanted to.  I would have also loved to have a lot more of the story involved with the secret societies than it does. 

What made this story great for me was the characterisation and following each of the characters, as much as we are able to, to see how they respond to the different actions that happen in this story.   Yes, I had some problems with the story as mentioned above but I still loved it and it would certainly be a story that I would re-read. 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Where the Crawdad Sings by Delia Owens

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.
 

Published:     14th August 2018
Publisher:  G P Putnam's Sons
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:   Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

This is one of those novels that I have seen everywhere, both online and in real life.  I don't usually like to pick up novels that are hyped up but having read the description on the back it intrigued me so much that I knew I had to pick this up. 

This novel is an intriguing combination of drama, romance and a mystery.  

What I loved the most about this story was following the story of Kya from at the beginning with her awful earlier years to the moment she meets two young men who she is fond of.  I am being deliberately vague here as with this story I found that it is much better to go into this not knowing to much.  The less I knew going in, the more I enjoyed the story and wasn't expecting all the twists and turns the story takes you on.

I adored this story so much I didn't want it to end!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

A New York Times Notable Book (2020)
Best Book of 2020: Guardian, Financial Times, Literary Hub, and NPR

Drawing on Maggie O'Farrell's long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic play, HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.

Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.

Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.
 

Published:     31st March 2020
Publisher:  Tinder Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

 

I really wanted to love this book.  I had seen this book everywhere, both on the internet and in real life, and the story intrigued me.  It is not a story that I would normally pick up but I wanted to give it a go.  I believe this story is fiction but based very losely on Shakespeare's son Hamnet.  I don't know much about Shakespeare honestly and wanted to learn more. 

What I didn't like about this novel, honestly, was the writing.  There was nothing wrong it with it, technically, but it was just not for me.  I found that I could not keep my head in the story and if I put it down for any length of time I found myself forgetting what had happened before and having to go back a few pages as a reminder.  I think this is more of a case of it me not the author.

What I did enjoy with this story was following Agnes and Hamnet (and also his sister) and experiencing Warwickshire in the 1580s.  Its not an era that I have read much of but found it very intriguing.  The character of Agnes was my favourite to follow out of all the characters in this story.  She is very much portrayed as that woman on the outside that was probably a witch and she should be very careful.  I do love as bit of a witchy aspect to a story. 

Would recommend if you do like reading historical novels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern

Life is in two parts: who you were before you met her, and who you are after.

A documentary crew discover a mysterious young woman living alone in the mountains of West Cork. Strikingly beautiful she has an extraordinary talent for mimicry, like the famous Australian Lyrebird. The crew, fascinated, make her the subject of her story, and bestow the nickname upon her.

When they leave, they take Lyrebird with them back to the city. But as she leaves behind her peaceful life to learn about a new world, is she also leaving behind a part of herself? For her new friend Solomon the answer isn’t clear. When you find a rare and precious thing, should you share it – or protect it…
 

 

 

 

Published:     3rd November 2016
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

 

Just the title intrigued me with this book.  Lyrebird - I didn't really know what that meant (and its explained in the story).  In this story we follow the story of a crew of three people who had, in the past, interviewed brothers who lived and worked on a farm, never married and never had children.  Now they are going back as one of the brothers has died.  On their return, they discover a mysterious young woman who can mimic sounds that she hears, including a Lyrebird.  

I really struggled with this novel and I think this is more of a case of its me not the book.  I didn't connect with any of the characters and found that if I put down the book I would have to re-read a few pages to give myself a reminder before reading again, which made reading this book take longer than necessary.  

What I did enjoy was the relationship and friendship that forms between the mysterious young lady and one of the crew members.  That was a relationship that I was rooting for and what kept me wanting to keep reading this book. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Year I Met You by Cecelia Ahern

Jasmine know two things: one, she loves her vulnerable sister unconditionally, and will fight to the death to protect her from anyone who upsets her. Two, she's only ever been good at one thing – her job helping business start-ups.

So when she’s sacked and put on gardening leave, Jasmine realises that she has nothing else to fill her life. Insomnia keeps her staring out of her bedroom window, and she finds herself watching the antics of her neighbour, shock jock Matt, with more than a casual eye. Matt is also taking a forced leave of absence from work, after one of his controversial chat shows went too far…

Jasmine has every reason to dislike Matt, and the feeling appears to be mutual. But not everything is as it seems, and soon Jasmine and Matt are forced to think again…
 

 

 

 

Published:     9th October 2014
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Goodreads :  Click here  
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

We follow Jasmine in this story who doesn't seem to like to commit to anything, including working for start up companies but selling them on rather than committing to them.  At the start of this story, we see that she is getting 'fired' from the latest company that she helped start up.  She is put on gardening leave which basically means that she is not allowed to get another job until that gardening leave ends so that she doesn't poach staff or business from the company she no longer works for.   She's not used to having not a lot to do so we see her figuring out what she is going to do.  She meets her neighbour Matt and the two form a friendship as Matt is also on a 'forced leave' from his job. 

What I enjoyed the most was the friendship between Jasmine and Mike and how that evolves, especially when Mike meets Jasmine's vulnerable sister.  There is also the relationship between Jasminie and her sister, which evolves a bit in the second half of the story, which was interesting to lean and follow.  

A slow paced story with not a lot of action but that was to be expected.  This was more a story about change for a lot of the characters in this story. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Sooley by John Grisham

New York Times bestselling author John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel. Samuel "Sooley" Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams...and even bigger challenges off the court.

In the summer of his seventeenth year, Sam­uel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basket­ball tournament. He has never been away from home, nor has he ever been on an airplane. The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true.

Samuel is an amazing athlete, with speed, quick­ness, and an astonishing vertical leap. The rest of his game, though, needs work, and the American coaches are less than impressed.

During the tournament, Samuel receives dev­astating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan, and rebel troops have ran­sacked his village. His father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp.

Samuel desperately wants to go home, but it's just not possible. Partly out of sympathy, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholar­ship. Samuel moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, joins the team, and prepares to sit out his freshman season. There is plenty of more mature talent and he isn't immediately needed.

But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America. He works tirelessly on his game, shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym, and soon he's dominating everyone in practice. With the Central team los­ing and suffering injury after injury, Sooley, as he is nicknamed, is called off the bench. And the legend begins.
But how far can Sooley take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?
 

Published:     27th April 2021
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

 

MY REVIEW

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.  No, I am not a sports fan and no I've no idea how basketball is played or scored or anything else like that but I know I love John Grisham's writing and knew that I didn't have to know much about the sport as he explains most parts of how they are playing at any given moment.  I also know that this is only part of the story.  The other part is following Sooley and his life around the sport as well, right from the beginning back at home to traveling all teh way to the United States to play the sport that he loves so much.

What I loved the most about this story is the character of Sooley.  I enjoyed following his story from being chosen to join a showcase basketball tournament so he can show if his talents, following as he leans more and more about the sport that he enjoys playing and watching him as both the sport and the new world around him changes him.

This is a slow paced novel and I expected that so yes it took longer for me to get through but I enjoyed every minute.  

Its not often that a story will make me cry but this one did at the end.  I am not going to tell you whether they were happy tears or sad tears but there were tears.  This story moved me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Guardians by John Grisham

In the small north Florida town of Seabrook, a young lawyer named Keith Russo was shot dead at his desk as he worked late one night. The killer left no clues behind. There were no witnesses, no real suspects, no one with a motive. The police soon settled on Quincy Miller, a young black man who was once a client of Russo’s.

Quincy was framed, convicted, and sent to prison for life. For twenty-two years he languished in prison with no lawyer, no advocate on the outside. Then he wrote a letter to Guardian Ministries, a small innocence group founded by a lawyer/minister named Cullen Post.

Guardian handles only a few innocence cases at a time, and Post is its only investigator. He travels the South fighting wrongful convictions and taking cases no one else will touch. With Quincy Miller, though, he gets far more than he bargained for. Powerful, ruthless people murdered Keith Russo, and they do not want Quincy exonerated.

They killed one lawyer twenty-two years ago, and they will kill another one without a second thought.

Published:     15th October 2019
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

 

I have discovered that one of my favourite thriller plot lines is when the murder or action has been committed at the beginning of the novel and the rest of the novel is trying to figure out what happened and who done it.  I hadn't realised until recently that was a theme that I tend to gravitate towards quite often.   This novel was one of those style stories. You have someone shot dead at their desk with assumedly no clues left behind and no motives.  What follows is police making assumptions, maybe, an arrest and then an organisation called the Guardian Ministries, who are an innocent group, are contacted to help prove that person who was arrested previously may not have done it. 

What I loved the most was both the twists and turns in this novel and following an innocence group getting involved to try and prove the prisoner innocent.   Its always unbelievable but believable to me  that people can get arrested on assumptions and imprisoned when they are innocent.  That's not to say I am going to tell you if the prisoner in this story is innocent or not, that will be for you to decide if you pick up this book, but its an interesting process to follow and one that I had not read all that much of previously. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Reckoning by John Grisham

October 1946, Clanton, Mississippi

Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi's favorite son--a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed his pastor and friend, the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder weren't shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's only statement about it--to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family--was: "I have nothing to say." He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave.
In a major novel unlike anything he has written before, John Grisham takes us on an incredible journey, from the Jim Crow South to the jungles of the Philippines during World War II; from an insane asylum filled with secrets to the Clanton courtroom where Pete's defense attorney tries desperately to save him.
 

 

Published:     23rd October 2018
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

 

I adore all of the novels written by John Grisham but there are a select few that are placed higher than most and this was one of them.  This was my first time reading The Reckoning so I had no idea what was going on.

In this story we see Pete Banning shoot his pastor without any remorse it seems.  Of course, there is more to this story than meets the eye  and I honestly was on the edge of my seat reading this until the very last page.  

What I loved the most about this story is not only do you follow Pete Banning in current day with the shooting and what happens but also you get to see his past and what led up to the moment that made him 'snap'.   

This is not a fast paced novel, so its not one of those that you can keep the pages turning and there's more and more action.  It is slow paced and you are watching as the action unfolds, both in present day and in the past.   Sometimes I can get caught up in action in a fast paced novel and can sometimes miss important parts of a novel that I would have picked up on if it was a slower pace.  Yes, this did take me longer to read but, for me, it was worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Series Reading Project / Cursebreakers Series by Brigid Kemmerer

As well as The Court of Thorns and Roses series, this was a series that I wanted to pick up and read sooner rather than later.  A Vow So Bold in Deadly having been released this year (2021) was the third book in this series that I had bought but not yet read.  I had read the first book in the series but not the other two.  

I am not sure whether this is just going to remain as a trilogy or have more books coming soon, but I hope there are more books to read in this world.  How it left at the end of book 3 was a resolution of sorts but I was most certainly left with the feeling that there was so much more left in this world that I want to learn.  

There wasn't anything specific that I had an issue with in this series but I am very curious about the ending of A Vow So Bold and Deadly where it was, for me, left a bit open ended and not a real conclusion but I am hoping for either more in this series or maybe a spinoff?

What I loved the most about this trilogy is the romance.  What you think might be the perfect romance at the beginning has a twist in the tale a way in and what comes after that is better than what you had read before that.  I don't wait to give away spoilers to those who have not yet read this trilogy, so that is why I am not being specific here but for those of you who have read this trilogy you will know what I mean. 

 

 

 

 

Series Reading Project / A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

With the release of A Court of Silver Flames this year (2021), there was no question that I was going to read that the same year that it came out.

What I can't do with series is just read the latest book that comes out and means that more often than not I will wait until the series has been completed before I pick them up, so I can read them from start to finish.  I made an exception with this series as I knew I loved this author's writing style having read and loved her Throne of Glass series.  That means that with each release that comes out I will re-read the books that came before it before I read the latest version.  That way I make the most of the story and the world in what has come before and what I have yet to lean in the new release.

I have never been disappointed with Sarah J Maas novels to date (the only book I haven't read yet is Crescent City but that's on my list for very soon) and this series was no different.  I loved this, including A Court of Frost and Starlight although it probably doesn't add a great deal to the series a whole it does give more insight into the world and worth picking up.

I was a bit skeptical when finally being able to pick up and read A Court of Silver Flames as this story concentrates on a character that I really didn't care for much in this story for so far but on reading the story it soon changed my mind and, in fact, I liked that character's story a lot more than the original characters.

From Goodreads, it looks like there are going to be two more books in this series and I can't wait to read what happens next...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read all Cecelia Ahern Novels / An Update

Another one of my projects this year was to read all of the novels written by Cecelia Ahern.  

Over the years, I have been picking these up having read PS I Love You and one or two others around the same time longer than recent years and really enjoying them.  This reading project has lasted a couple of years, picking them up every now and again when I feel in the mood to read this style of story.  I always find that is the best way for me to pick up the books I read nowadays rather than setting a TBR.  Setting 'projects' as a long term goal seems to motivate me more to pick up those books rather than picking up the shiny new releases (although I do pick those up too!)

If I had to choose, I would say that my favourites include If You Could See Me Now and the Flawed duology.   Although I did re-read If You Could See Me Now recently and I have to admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first time around, I still enjoyed the story, which I would describe as magical.  The Flawed Duology is one of my favourites simply because of the message that it gives.  This duology is aimed at Young Adults, but can be read by any one of any age, but sends out a message that you don't have to be perfect.  No one is perfect.

If I had to choose the book that I liked the least, I would have to say The Gift but that's for purely personal reasons.  I don't usually like Christmas novels and this one definatley is one of those. 

As you will see from the picture below, I have now completed this project (yey!); the last books read were PS I Love you and Postscript.  

I can't wait to see what comes next for this author. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read All John Grisham Novels / An Update

For the past year and a half, even before the first lockdown happened, I have been working my way through reading all the novels written by John Grisham, who is one of my most favourite authors of all time.  I can remember the first time I picked up and read one of his novels.  It was The Testamaent. It was back when I was around 18 and I was getting back into reading again after not reading very much in my teenage years.  The story blew me away with its complex family dynamics and adventure.  The next one I remember picking up straight after that one was the Street Lawyer, which is a completely different style of novel but one that I enjoyed just as much.  That was when I knew I loved this author!

So far I have read those that are ticked below.  I can't believe that I only have three left.  Apologies for not updating this blog with how my reading has been going with this project but there's plenty more projects to be completed this year that I will be updating you on and plans for the next couple of years I can't wait to start... 

So, here is where I am so far...

(All credit for the pictures are from John Grisham's author website here - https://www.jgrisham.com/books/)

 

I can't believe that I have only a few more to read and then I will have read all John Grisham's published works to date!  I have had so much fun working my way through these novels.

Hoping to finish these by the end of this year and plan to pick up A Time to Kill as a re-read first as, from what I have read, A Time to Kill, Sycamore Row and A Time for Mercy all connect to each other in some way and I want to immerse myself fully in the story from start to finish to get the maximum benefit from the story.  There is then the new release coming in October (in the UK) which I also can't wait for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Time of my Life by Cecelia Ahern

Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life – and she’s going to have to keep it.

Lying on Lucy Silchester’s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation – to a meeting with Life. Her life. It turns out she's been ignoring it and it needs to meet with her face to face.

It sounds peculiar, but Lucy’s read about this in a magazine. Anyway, she can’t make the date: she’s much too busy despising her job, skipping out on her friends and avoiding her family.

But Lucy’s life isn’t what it seems. Some of the choices she’s made – and stories she’s told – aren’t what they seem either. From the moment she meets the man who introduces himself as her life, her stubborn half-truths are going to be revealed in all their glory – unless Lucy learns to tell the truth about what really matters to her.
 

 

Published:     13th October 2011
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source: Bought

 

MY REVIEW

What I like the most about picking up a Cecelia Ahern book is things are not always what they seem.  You may get one or two (or maybe more) characters that are portrayed as one thing but are really meant to be another.   I really enjoy that element of trying to figure out what is going on.

With this novel, I do have to admit that I did figure it out quite early on what was going on but that didn't stop me enjoying the ride this story too me.  In fact, I think that was the point of the story, to figure out what was going on early on and watch as Lucy deals with this new situation she is in.

What I enjoyed the most was following Lucy's journey throughout the story.  In the start we really see her as a mess and as the story goes along we see her change.  For me, the plot of the story was ok but the characterisation and journey of the main character made this an enjoyable read for me.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Layla by Colleen Hoover

 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.

 

Published:     8th December 2020
Publisher:  Montlake
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

 

I thought it was about time I got back into another Colleen Hoover book, as it has been so long.  I do enjoy her books and her writing style is always something I enjoy but I find that there is always some kind of moral drama or question that I always have coming out of her books that lasts for days that I need to be in the right mood to pick one up.

Well, this book was fairly twisted and intriguing at the same time.  I spent most of this book wondering what on earth was going on?!  My oh my, I was expecting a romance and yes it was a romance of some sort but very twisted and that ending I didn't see coming and was very good!

Would highly recommend!  If you haven't picked up a Colleen Hoover book this would be a good one to pick up to start with.

 

 

Book Review / The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

 

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.
But maybe there's a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . .
Pull up a stool, grab a cold one, and get ready to spend some time at The Rooster Bar.
 

 

Published:     24th October 2017
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

I was really looking forward to reading this one as this is one of the more recent novels that I hadn't read by this author.  Haven gone through reading all of his novels in date order, I am now at the point with John Grisham's novels where I have been purchasing the books but waiting to read them until I get to that point in the timeline.   With most of John Grisham's novels they are about the law and following a lawyer in one way or another but this story has a different spin on that.

We follow law students who are studying law at a law school.  These law students haven't been lucky enough to be able to have their education paid for them by family members so they have had to take out student loans meaning they owe hundreds of thousands of pounds even before they are able to get a job.  One of the law students has a theory that this is all a scam and the other students decide to take matters into their own hands.   I didn't necessarily agree with the fact that they were practicing law without licenses and potentially hurting lots of people (and maybe helping them) in scenarios where they probably don't know how to deal with.  But I didn't sign up to this story to like the characters I was reading about.  I was following their stories to see how they reacted and dealt with each. 

I couldn't put this book down! For me, this was fast paced, with plenty of action and lots of twists and turns in this story.   No I didn't really like a lot of the characters in this story but I enjoyed following their stories to see where they ended up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Last Child by John Hart

Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he'd been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is—confident in a way that he can never fully explain.

Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.

Then a second child goes missing...

Undeterred by Hunt's threats or his mother's pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.

Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.
 

Published:     12th May 2009
Publisher:  Minotaur books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Johnny Merrimon
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

 

I've not read this author before but his writing has definately intrigued me and has been one of those authors that I have been meaning to pick up and read for a long time now.   Also, to be honest, the cover was also one of the reasons I really wanted to read this!

We follow thirteen year old Johnny Merrimon in this story.  His sister has vanished and all of sudden his perfect life has changed.  His dad has run off, his mum has distanced herself from everything and taken to drugs and now has a boyfriend who is a less than desirable character.  Johnny really wants to find his sister, so he sets out to try and find her.

This was a slow story to read and one of those stories that you should take your time reading rather than trying to devour in one or two sittings.  For me, the best part of this story was, of course, the main character Johnny and his interactions with the local investor/cop who knows Johnny all too well and is watching his back to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.  Its a complicated friendship but one that I enjoyed following. 

There were certainly twists and turns in this story that kept me turning those pages and certainly a couple of plot twists near the end that I found very surprising!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a noblewoman, is with child again. None of her previous pregnancies have borne fruit, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir. Then Fleetwood discovers a hidden doctor’s letter that carries a dire prediction: she will not survive another birth. By chance she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Fleetwood must risk everything to prove her innocence. As the two women’s lives become intertwined, the Witch Trials of 1612 loom. Time is running out; both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Rich and compelling, set against the frenzy of the real Pendle Hill Witch Trials, this novel explores the rights of 17th-century women and raises the question: Was witch-hunting really women-hunting? Fleetwood Shuttleworth, Alice Grey and the other characters are actual historical figures. King James I was obsessed with asserting power over the lawless countryside (even woodland creatures, or “familiars,” were suspected of dark magic) by capturing “witches”—in reality mostly poor and illiterate women.
 

Published:     19th September 2019
Publisher:  Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

This was one of those books that I picked up on a whim.  Honestly, I thought the cover was pretty and it was a story about witches, which I love to read about, whether that his stories that are historically accurate or ones that are completely fictional.   Although I believe this story is completely fictoinal, it does have a feeling of being very historic and something that could have definately happened in the past.  

We follow Fleetwood who is in a new marriage and has tried and desperately been unable to carry a child to full term.  She is now pregnant again.  When she discovers a doctors letter which basically says that if she can't carry this child to full term it will also take her life as well, she decides to try and find a solution.  She meets Alice Gray who helps her along  We are in an era where woman who can perform miracles and even work with herbs etc are called witches and being a witch is dangerous as if you are caught you are more than likely going to go to trial and be sentenced to death.

This was a very addicting read.  This was also a slow paced book for me but I think that just added to the mystery and intrigue in this story, so I loved that part of it.   There were certainly quite a few twists and turns in this book and a few surprises that caught me off guard.

Would highly recommend this novel if you like historical reads.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

 Atlanta, 1974. As a brutal killing and a furious manhunt rock the city, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the police force will also be her last. For life is anything but easy in the male-dominated world of the Atlanta Police Department, where even the other female cops have little mercy for the new girl.

Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who is finding things tough. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When Maggie and Kate become partners, and are sidelined in the search for the city’s cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach boiling point.

With the killer poised to strike again, will Kate and Maggie have the courage to pursue their own line of investigation? And are they prepared to risk everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart?

 

 

Published:     17th June 2014
Publisher:  Cornerstone
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

Having read Pieces of Her by this author a little while ago and loved the writing style and loved that story, I knew that I just had to pick up another of her novels.  Honestly, I just picked one at random and this was the one I decided to go for.  

This book was so addictive I found it hard to put down!  We are following Kate who has started her first day on the police force and she's about to learn some hard lessons from both the outside world and from those inside the police force.  This story is based back in the 1970s so you have a lot of sexism in the police force, which Kate also has to combat.  There's also a serial killer on the loose who appears to be a cop killer.  Although I don't think it is Kate's case, because her brother is involved she tries to find out the truth about what is going on.  

So addictive and fast paced, I loved every minute.  Its not often that I get surprised by a book, but this novel certainly has a few twists and turns that I genuinely didn't see coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Firzgerald

 

 

Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach. Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing, and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby---young, handsome, and fabulously rich---always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.

 

 

 

 

Published:    10th April 1925
Publisher:  Scribner
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

I have been meaning to pick up this book for so long now.  I think it is because it is a 'classic' I think that it is going to be hard work to read it just like if you pick up a Dickins or something similar (which I have always struggled with in the past).  I am so glad that I picked this up. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time reading this book.

What surprised me, having deliberately not read up about anything in this book, that the story doesn't, in fact, follow Gatsby but actually follows another person and we see Gatsby through the eyes of that person, which made the both the story and the character of Gatsby so much more intriguing to me as you can't hear his thoughts or opinions but just what he portrays himself to be to others which probably adds to the mystique of the character.  There's no way to know his secrets until he wants to tell you about them.  

What also surprised me with this book was that there was a small element of complicated romance in this story as well and I have to say that this was the part that I did enjoy the most!

If you struggle to pick up a classic and want to start with something easier to read, easier to follow and a short read, give this one a go.  You won't be disappointed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Camino Winds by John Grisham

Welcome back to Camino Island, where anything can happen—even a murder in the midst of a hurricane, which might prove to be the perfect crime . . .

Just as Bruce Cable’s Bay Books is preparing for the return of bestselling author Mercer Mann, Hurricane Leo veers from its predicted course and heads straight for the island. Florida’s governor orders a mandatory evacuation, and most residents board up their houses and flee to the mainland, but Bruce decides to stay and ride out the storm.

The hurricane is devastating: homes and condos are leveled, hotels and storefronts ruined, streets flooded, and a dozen people lose their lives. One of the apparent victims is Nelson Kerr, a friend of Bruce’s and an author of thrillers. But the nature of Nelson’s injuries suggests that the storm wasn’t the cause of his death: He has suffered several suspicious blows to the head.

Who would want Nelson dead? The local police are overwhelmed in the aftermath of the storm and ill equipped to handle the case. Bruce begins to wonder if the shady characters in Nelson’s novels might be more real than fictional. And somewhere on Nelson’s computer is the manuscript of his new novel. Could the key to the case be right there—in black and white? As Bruce starts to investigate, what he discovers between the lines is more shocking than any of Nelson’s plot twists—and far more dangerous.
 

Published:     28th April 2020
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 2, Camino Island
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

After reading Camino Island, I knew that I had to pick up Camino Winds straight afterwards.  I was still in the story and refused to want to leave it.  I was so glad that there was a second book in this series.

We are back in that sleepy town resort, Camino Island, and back at the bookstore owned by Bruce Cable.  There are a few characters that were in Camino Island that are back in this second book in the series.  I loved that.  It gave the story an element of 'realness' to it, if that is such a word...   It was just like you were visiting a place again that you travelled to not that long ago.

This time a hurricane has hit the island (although we do see build up to the hurricane arriving as well) and someone is found dead but not necessarily because of the hurricane.  How did this person die and if it was murder, why?  Did he know too much?

Loved this book just as much as I did Camino Island.  I reallyl do hope that John Grisham will revisit this island again in future books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Camino Island by John Grisham

A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University's Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, impossible to resist.

Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in unsavory ventures.

Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer's block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous monetary offer convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Cable's circle of literary friends, to get close to the ringleader, to discover his secrets.

But soon Mercer learns far too much, and there's trouble in paradise--as only John Grisham can deliver it.

 

Published:     6th June 2017
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 45, In Death
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

 

MY REVIEW

 

This book is different to most of John Grisham's novels in that we don't follow a lawyer and the plot is not following a legal case.  Out of all of the newer books written by this author that I had not read yet, this one was one that I was most excited for as not only it is different from most of his previous novels but this was based around a bookstore.  What more could you want!

I loved this book.  We are following Mercer who is a young novelist who is given a proposal by a mysterious woman working for a mysterious compnay to go undercover and get close to both the bookstore in a sleepy resort town and the owner, Bruce Cable.

I adored all of this book but to be more specific enjoyed the characters and their progression through the book.  Not only do you have the main character, Mercer, who at the start is very unsure of herself but as we follow the story through she certainly has to make choices that makes her stronger.  You also have a variety of different other characters in this story that live in that sleepy town resort that we get to know.  Some of them are good and some of them not so much. 

There were certainly quite a lot of twists and turns in this story.  It certainly kept me guessing as to what exactly was going on.  I had my suspicions but loved the ride this story took me on to get to the ending.  

If you are not a big fan of legal thrillers but do want to try a John Grisham novel, you need to pick this up!

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Whistler by John Grisham

We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity and impartiality are the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice.

But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe? It’s rare, but it happens.

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.

But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout U.S. history.

What’s the source of the ill-gotten gains? It seems the judge was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself to a sizable skim of each month’s cash. The judge is getting a cut and looking the other way. It’s a sweet deal: Everyone is making money.

But now Greg wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. Greg files a complaint with the Board on Judicial Conduct, and the case is assigned to Lacy Stoltz, who immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.

Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else.
 

Published:     25th October 2016
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, The Whistler
Source: Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

I can't tell you how much fun I am having re-reading all of John Grisham's novels, especially as I have now got to the point where I have not read those books.  This book came out in 2016 and that was about the same time I started to collect John Grisham's novels (hardback, for sure, some where very difficult to find) ready to read and it was from that point that I would still buy his novels when they come out but not read them as I wanted to start from the oldest to the newest.  

What I loved about this book was, of course, the plot.  We are following investors, mainly Lacy, from the Board on Judicial Contact (not a lawyer this time) who receives a complaint against a local judge, which they are obliged to investigate.  Although, for me, there were not as many twists and turns that I would have liked, I still enjoyed every minute of this story.  Certainly, the events that lead up to the ending just kept me on the edge of my seat.  I couldn't put the book down!!

If you have not yet picked up a John Grisham novel, you should!!