booksellersdiary's Reviews (246)

Honestly, I didn’t expect this one to live up to the hype. I was cautious, but decided to burn an Audible credit on it. I was hooked from the intro. I think I fell in love with Daisy first, I could clearly see her running through my mind. She is cool, and she knows it. Girls want to be her and men want to have her. I see her aligned with Penny Lane from Almost Famous, the pair of them hanging out backstage with rockstars and roadies and partying through life.

While the novel is about Daisy and The Six’s rise to fame, there were side stories for the more minor characters that broke my heart. Every character is so vividly real, you feel like you’re right there with them. I identified most with keyboardist, Helen. Both her and Daisy are women who have their own goals in life and aren’t prepared to let a man make decisions for them.

Highly recommend for a fast, fun read. Am looking forward to the series when that is out.

Bri’s story is hard to read. Not because it’s badly written, but because of what her story is. This is a heartbreaking memoir, highlighting the holes in our justice system, the lengths men will go to to blame their victims and most importantly the effect abuse and rape has on the mental state of the victim. If it feels unfinished and untidy with loose ends that’s because it is. Understandably, Bri is constantly working through the impact her abuse has had on her. Likely she will continue to do so for the rest of her life. We cannot expect any different from this work. A brave and important memoir.

Having recently adopted cats to help me through a grief myself, I identified a lot with this one. My cats are even black, with judgemental green eyes and pointed little faces. Like Cleo, they have wormed their way into my broken heart.

Cleo is the story of a family broken by tragedy, about to implode. Historically dog people, Cleo is a present for Sam, the eldest son. But Sam never meets Cleo. Instead, Cleo brings life back to a young boy (little brother Rob) and his Mum.

This story is heartbreaking, devastating and yet full of joy and life. Funny and charming, Helen is open and uninhibited in her telling of her story. I completely fell in love with Cleo. Helen’s descriptions of Cleo’s behaviours are so on point, I can imagine it perfectly.

Solid 4 stars.