bookbeforeuleap's Reviews (863)

A small town suffers from a pandemic sleeping illness that starts in a college dorm.

I read the synopsis for this and was immediately drawn it, it sounded like a brilliant idea but it just didn’t cut it for me.

I enjoyed the writing style, almost felt like I was floating above the town looking down at what was going on, and there were some genuine moments of suspense that made me think something more sinister was coming.

The actual story line let it down for me, it felt like it was just one big observation on what dreams are rather than a thought out story. The author was also very vocal on when she believes life begins which might be hard for some who have been through certain events find hard to read.

If you liked The Cows, you will enjoy this book!


This is a another story of female empowerment from Dawn O'Porter. Just as in "The Cows" the book is written from three different female perspectives each with their own issues. Ruby has body image and issues, Beth has marriage issues and Lauren has mental health issues and her story is told through Instagram posts, they all have mother issues.

I enjoyed the book and following the story to how all the women finally became connected, I always enjoy that the separate stories come together and I did really feel for the Beth.

I felt the ending let it down a little but that maybe because I was expecting a similar shocking twist as in Dawn's previous book. It maybe unfair of me to expect a similar ending to another book but as it was written in a very similar style and progressed in the same way it felt like a foregone conclusion.

This book is dedicated to presenting the life experiences of 12 black British women, through out the past century, each connected to another in some way. There is just so much going on in this book its hard to put into words how good it is without rambling for days!

I have to admit that I did struggle to begin with, purely with the style it is written in. It is a free declamatory style, using commas, but no capital letters, no full-stops and no quotation marks. The prose is printed almost as verse, with random line breaks which, I think, is what I struggled with most (An instagrammer told me that the breaks were where your brain would naturally pause, you will have to try it yourself to see if you agree!) but after the first few chapters I did find myself not noticing this anymore and continued on to really enjoy the story.

Definitely a worthy winner of the Booker prize!

This is a brilliant romance *yes that means steamy sex scenes* about a husband who, with the help of his make book club, uses romance novels to teach him what his doesn’t understand about his relationship.

I absolutely loved this book, such an original and clever idea, one that men should actually consider!!! It was so easy to read (and even harder to put down).

I thought the characters were all likeable and easy to relate to. The story develops at a fast pace which I loved (a lot of these types can get too caught up in the build up) and there were lots of genuine laugh out loud moments.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to escape into a book for a few hours and come out with a smile.

Bring on book 2!!!

Thanks to netgalley for the arc in exchange for honest review

A truly feel good romance read, from the uplifting and colourful cover to the heart warming interactions between the characters you cannot help but smile.

This is the story of unlucky Olive who has to take her sisters place on her honeymoon when she and her entire wedding party succumb to food poisoning. She also has to go with the grooms brother who has shown complete distain for her from the day they met.

I love how easy I fell into this book and how I found myself starting it thinking, 'I will only read a few chapters', to looking up and noticing it was dark outside!

The characters were well developed and the tension that built really well, I loved the snippy dynamic between Olive and Ethan, their interactions constantly bringing a smile to my face.

The only reason I have give this four and not five stars is because of how believable the story line was, I mean I know its a romance and your going to be shouting at me, "what do you expect from a story that starts with an entire wedding getting food poisoning?!" but I found that it took away from my enjoyment just a little. That being said I will definitely be buying more Christina Lauren books.

I found this book very easy to read and enjoyed the multiple character aspect, including the fact that some chapters were written from the point of view of one character and others from a collective of people voiced as one, i.e 'the typists'.

I also though liked that it felt fast paced despite being set over such a long period of time.

my only let down is that I felt like it was building to a big twist that never actually emerged! i also which I had read Dr.Z before reading this as i feel like it would have given me more back story.

A wonderfully written tale with a beautifully descriptive narrative that tackles a variety of serious issues.

This is the story of two Sir Lankan's who chose to enter into a partnership for the sake of appearances but develop a true friendship.

I really enjoyed learning each characters back story and more about Sir Lankan laws and traditions, I had no idea that it was illegal to be a homosexual in Sir Lanka in this day and age I also felt that it tackled sensitive issues such as mental health and depression really well.

"Once, she had been a part of it, fitting easily into the flow, but ever since Noah, she had felt like she was something other. She could never fully relax, in case she said something that gave her away. Where once she had been open and free, now she had to make a conscious effort to blend in."

I also loved that it was set just a little bit in the past so that it brought some nostalgia, like the mention of Gimhana having a lovefilm subscription!

Thanks to netgalley and here books for the copy in exchange for an honest review

Follows the story of Queenie and her downward spiral after breaking up from her long term boyfriend.

This is the story of two young people raised side by side by very different families until one night when tragedy splits them apart. Years later they find their way back to each other but can their families forget the past?

I was tempted to give this only 3 stars when I first finished it as I was waiting for some big event from the past to be revealed but then then I found myself still thinking about it and that actually the message of the book was that things that seem so important at the time will all fade to insignificance in time and I loved that...

“All the things that had happened in their lives had not hurt them in any essential way, despite what they may have believed at times”

This is the story of Tiffy, who needs to move out of her ex's house and Leon, who needs extra cash. As Leon works nights during the and stays at his girlfriends at the weekends he thinks he has the perfect solution to his money troubles, a flat share, of his one bedroom flat. Tiffy doesn't have many options with her limited budget so an agreement is made of which hours the flat belongs to each person and they each have a dedicated side of the bed, simple. or not.

I found this a really fresh idea and was super excited when I nabbed a copy from my local library. It did not disappoint. I absolutely loved this book, it made me laugh so much that my husband told me to go and read somewhere else as I was annoying him. Tiffys character was entertaining and delightful and you cant help but warm to Leon! I could read a whole book of just the post it note exchanges between them!

I also really apricated that topics such as mental health and emotional abuse/blackmail were dealt with and were not just glossed over, making this deeper than an average rom-com.

I cant wait to for the author to publish more work!