This book perfectly encapsulates what I would consider a 1 star review for me and should have absolutely DNF’d. 

The characters felt incredibly one note and showed no real development throughout and almost felt robotic as the writing style lacked to portray any real emotion from either Jeanie or Julius.

The plot itself was lackluster as it didn’t have any depth to it beyond - we have no money and I don’t know what to do…

What really was the final nail in the coffin for me with this book was this eluded mysterious sub-plot around the father’s death was really poorly executed and didn’t have any intrigued for me whatsoever. 

The plot twist that the dad had actually been at fault for his own demise rather than the landlords bodge job fixing the tractor … was a terrible plot twist as it just meant than rather than some darker misfortune, it was actually just the mother covering up the affair and just a accident…. How dull!

Overall I had been tempted to DNF multiple times throughout the book but with both a physical copy picked up at a charity shop and the audio book I was determined to push through.

Safe to say I do not recommend!

Based on ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ by Edgar Allan Poe, this was a fantastically eery retelling.

As a four hour audio book, it was a very quick read but enjoyed the creepy atmosphere and characterisation of the deterioration of Madeline Usher.

I found  myself thoroughly engrossed by the writing style and actually felt my heart racing at some scene which really freaked me out. 

Highly recommend as a spooky season audio book! 

Another really strong book by the ever talented Eliza Clark! The writing style is so immersive it felt like a true crime documentary that it felt so real!

The concept was incredibly unique in its staging as it looks into each of the killers and such depth into the background stories to really set the scene and watch their lives entwine.

My only critique is that some of the side/background stories felt quite long winded and disrupted the pace of the story. 

The end insight into the narrator/author of penance using creative liberties to question the integrity of the story … genius! Really made me think about some other crime documentaries I’ve seen!

Overall a fantastic read - and absolutely recommend pairing with the audiobook if you can as this really took the ‘true crime documentary’ vibe to another level! 

This book is eery, disturbing and outright shocking … and honestly I really enjoyed it!

Wanted something creepy to kick off my October spooky season reads and this did not disappoint! 

The narrative is so dark and twisted and unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved how the writing style captures the creepy essence - pun intended - that really pulls you into the story and the deterioration contrasting development of Grenouille’s smell and mental state. 

The only reason I can’t rate 5 stars is because the pacing of the book felt a bit off. At times it felt slowed down with long winded tangents in places and other parts which I wish had been fleshed out more had been rushed (

for example the 24 previous murders!

)

That being said of all the ways this book could have ended  I honestly didn’t expect …

an orgy and subsequent cannibalism!

Certainly a shocking and twisted read, and whilst I would recommend - it’s definitely not for everyone and recommend checking content warnings! 

A very wholesome and quirky read which I whole heartedly enjoyed. 

This book is filled with some great heartwarming encounters as we see the relationships grown between the various characters - particularly between Tova and Marcellus whose character interactions will hold a special place in my heart. 

 

The plot was quite clever in the way the characters lives intwined - even if I was able to predict at times - and woven together through themes of grief.

Overall my favourite thing about this book is the writing style! It was so beautifully written and created such a lighthearted narrative despite heart heavy themes. Glad I finally got round to reading. 

This was a tough read to get though and in hindsight should probably had DNF’d if I wasn’t so stubborn. Whilst my expectations weren’t that high and was just looking for a small easy read holiday romance, this was just really missed the mark for me 

I found the writing style to be incredibly repetitive and cheesy - using the same phrases constantly to describe Aaron and her reactions to seeing him as well as cheesy modern day references. 

I really didn’t care for how abruptly the dynamic changed between Aaron and Lina went from this suppose work-enemies to lovers as neither was very well established. It was so abrupt that it isn’t feel like a natural progression in their relationship change or even self-development. 

I also found the romance itself between the two to be very problematic and not enjoyable which then meant I found myself frequently disengaging for the story as a whole - particularly during the more intimate scenes towards the end where I was practically skim reading! 

Overall I felt that had this book been a bit more concise in it’s writing style and a bit cleaner in shifting and developing the characters and their relationship dynamic it could of been a stronger read but for a 400+ page book - too boring for me!

Picked this up as a light holiday read and my first Emily Henry book.

It is the super cheesy, friends to lovers, grumpy meets sunshine style romance which I expected but as with many Rom-com romances the miscommunication trope towards the end really felt like a big swing and a miss. 

It did feel a bit repetitive with recounting each of the past summers though enjoyed seeing Alex’s character develop over that time though did find Poppy pretty irritating. 

Though it was a lighthearted Rom-com, I felt that there was just so much cheesy interactions between Poppy and Alex to which had me more often eye rolling that actually buying into the romance. 

I have some other Emily Henry books on my TBR, so hoping the plots and characters are more intriguing and the writing style itself wasn’t too bad.

A quick little audio book which captures Toni’s humour very well and the vulnerability which comes through as she talks about her mother is quite emotional.

The memoir style feels very akin to that of Matt Haig, reasons to stay alive with the anecdotes and listed writing style but on a much lighter note and without the depth. 

I can’t rate higher as I personally enjoy  memoirs to be told in chronological order to make it a bit easier to follow and see the progression and there were a few stories that didn’t really have a lot of substance to them to get into.

Though I really enjoy Toni and find her very funny, I can’t see myself really knowing much more about her as a person and don’t think I’d pick up again.

What I think I loved most about this concept is that though a work of dystopian fiction, it felt so real.

The portray of the controversy in women-only biological parentage was really intriguing and made for a great read. The political aspect tied is really nicely and provided the great opportunity for twists and revelations both around the pregnancy and homophobia. 

The only reason I couldn’t rate this higher despite my enjoyment is that there were some moments that did feel a bit repetitive in rehashing out the same situation over and over again and do wish the ending was a little more fleshed out. 

I do feel the darker incestuous abuse towards Jules’s father didn’t really have enough depth to provoke an emotional response for me and didn’t really add anything to the plot so felt thrown in for just shock value.

I could definitely see this making a really interesting standalone Netflix series and is definitely worth a read. 

Just like the other Freida McFadden books I’ve read, I really enjoyed the fast pace nature of this story and how easy to read her writing style. 

I enjoy the character of Nora a lot and how the chapters move between past and present to get more darker details.

…even if it did end up being pretty redundant by the end which was a real shame

 

This book definitely relied more heavily on red herrings than some of her other books and didn’t get the same twist or shock factor that I’ve enjoyed in her previous. Whilst I didn’t predict the ending - which is always a big plus for me - it was a tad cliche and left me wanting more. 

Whilst I did enjoy this book, I don’t see myself picking it up over some of the other books I have read by her but still an enjoyable read overall.