bookswithlydscl's Reviews (639)

Creepy and bleak, really enjoyed this supernatural, fog horror. Slow burn that builds up to a dark conclusion. A few repetitive bits but the overall story and experience was great 

A more literary addition to the Tudor fiction canon. This is a darker, raw and distinctly unglamourous look at events during the Tudor era - in this case from the perspective of Mary Queen of Scots.
I appreciated this (to me) under utilised period within Tudor fiction and enjoyed reading a MQOS story, especially the period between Darnley's death and her escape to England.
For a shorter novel length there were times that this felt repetitive and I found the character of Cuckoo to be an annoying and light part of the story who didn't seem to have much impact or weight. Despite these couple of aspects I flew through the book and found it to be a really impressive debut.

An interesting story premise that lived up to the synopsis. It didn't blow me away but I still really enjoyed it. My first story by the author (either this pseudonym or her main) and I'm looking forward to reading more.

DNF at 20% - promising storyline but never felt compelled to return to it. Would have been more appealing as a novella or shorter novel.

4.25*

I needed some glamour in my life so I knew as soon as I read the synopsis that I needed to read The Guests and it didn't disappoint - I devoured this exotic thriller in one day. 

This, to sum up from the start, is a proper holiday read thriller with the massive bonus that it's well written too.

Set in the Maldives, we follow a group of guests including the Hamilton family as they try to get away from the stresses of everyday life to relax and enjoy the beauty of their luxury resort. Unfortunately, as is often the case, their secrets and lies aren't quite so easy to leave behind.

This book was glamourous and trashy in all the best ways. The characters all fit classic thriller tropes but feel human and flawed - and incredibly annoying at times. Despite these flaws I didn't get to the point of not caring about them.

I enjoyed the glamourous setting that also managed to feel seedy and dark. There's also plenty of hidden information that is drip fed to us as the story unfolds and I kept reading to see what would come next as the lives of the characters unravelled before my eyes.

This book is all about the sun, sea, sand and secrets. There's lies, deceit and plenty of twists which makes for a fun and compelling read that you need to pick up to read by the pool when you get away this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business | Penguin for a digital review copy of "The Guests" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review. 

great story with too abrupt an ending - The story deserved more. Great southern gothic atmosphere that really drew me in. Deserved to be a novella at least.

a great opener to the One Universe. Enjoyed the twists and turns and how it sets the ground for the more dystopian speculative elements that we see in the later books, especially The Marriage Act and most recent release - The Family Experiment.

Didn't need a sister essentially sexually assaulting her sister to make sure she's still a virgin. Noped out at that point.

slow paced, character focused and overall a beautifully written story. Feels like it comes from a different time and is a different kind of writing. Subtle, delicate and needs and deserves your attention. One that I will need to come back to again in the future to truly appreciate.

Soft dnf - just not in the right mood