bookswithlydscl's Reviews (639)

The Reunion

Steph Broadribb, M.J. Arlidge

2.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Jennie Whitmore wanted to escape White Cross as an 18 year old but when her best friend Hannah didn't arrive for the bus to take them both to London Jennie ended up staying and settling into life there, eventually becoming a police officer. Following a school reunion for White Cross Academy pupils in anticipation of the building being demolished the next day, Jennie gets an early wake up call - a body's been found buried in the foundations of the old building and she can only wonder if the mystery of Hannah's disappearance will now finally be resolved?

With such an intriguing premise and the fast paced introduction to the overall mystery I really wanted to love this book. It's exactly the kind of crime thriller I usually enjoy and whilst it grabbed my attention initially I very quickly tired of the repetition of Jennie having to hide her connection to the body found in the school and having to hide her emotions. It felt unethical and a thin plot device to make sure she could stay investigating the case and it wore thin on me as a reader.

I was fully invested for the first 75-100 pages of the story but then my enjoyment dipped due to my annoyance at Jennie's actions and thought processes and the fact that the middle section felt a lot slower paced with what I felt to be unnecessary elements. But I did enjoy the final quarter and I liked that there were plenty of red herrings and multiple viable suspects revealed and the conclusion overall felt pretty satisfying. I think most readers of small town murder mysteries will likely enjoy this book but unfortunately for me there were several story elements just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group | Orion for this digital review copy of "The Reunion" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Machines Like Me

Ian McEwan

2.5

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

glad I've read it but it didn't capture my attention and I lost interest by the end.

Rolling in the Deep

Mira Grant

4.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Unsettling horror, overall enjoyed this.

Christ on a Bike

Orla Owen

DID NOT FINISH: 24%

Wasn't working for me and have no desire to go back to it

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Amanda Montell

4.25

challenging dark funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

Much preferred this to Wordslut. This felt like it had more to it though could have gone more in depth in some areas.

Murder in the Countryside

Helena Dixon

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A welcome return to home ground for Kitty and Matt as they seek to solve the case of a murdered farmer and uncover all the secrets and lies surrounding him, his farm and his family.

I love this series and have been reading it for a few years now and still enjoy every installment that gets released. There is something special though, when the cases are closer to home and so can more easily include Kitty and Matt's support network including Alice, Chief Inspector Greville and of course Bertie.

This particular case has plenty of red herrings, twists and multiple viable suspects so it moves along quickly and is a thoroughly enjoyable read overall. The drama of the finale was particularly effective and I thought that the opening murder was actually more gruesome than what we normally see - a nasty death for a nasty victim. There is some discussion of sexual assault which is darker than we normally see in this series and which I think added to the more mature turn that we've been seeing over the last few books.

This installment of the series is a great historical fiction mystery that's dramatic and tense and even with the darker elements it remains a fun read as you try and solve the case alongside Kitty and Matt.

4.5*

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital review copy of "Murder in the Countryside" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

March

Geraldine Brooks

3.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Very glad to have finally read it. A really interesting take on the Little Women story giving us the hidden story of the father, who actually is just a bit of a shit really it feels like. Marmee is given more personality and back story and the few chapters in the hospital from her perspective were the most readable. The chapters set in the south showing the terrible legacy of slavery were impactful, I just wasn't a fan of his narrative and perspective. A lot the story felt cliché and schmaltzy at times but that fits very well with the style of Little Women I suppose which is one of my favourite books of all time.