emma_rreads's Reviews (183)

Incredibly timely, as a Mum to both a boy and a girl, and being a woman this was so relatable. In the wake of Adolescence, which absolutely terrified me, my thoughts have been spinning between keeping my daughter safe and ensuring my son respects women. I think Bad Manners does a great job of portraying both the vulnerability of young women as well as young men too. It had me choking tears back by the end. An important read that really encapsulates where feminism is right now.

Telling the story of ‘Half hanged Maggie’ this is the author’s reimagining of events surrounding the true events of Maggie Dickson, a woman who survived the noose in Scotland in the 1700s.

It took me a short while to get into this novel, but it crept beneath my skin and didn’t relinquish its grip. It’s a well researched tale, with characters and places which come to life vividly. Kate Foster is a must read author for those who love historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on the lives of forgotten women

The Names had me from the off, and I’ve truly struggled to put it down. Mum Cora takes her daughter and newborn son to register his name. She has three choices, her daughter’s suggestion, Bear. The name Julian, or her Gordon, following her abusive husband’s family tradition of naming the first born son for the father. With each choice spools a different outcome. A fascinating read about the choices we make and the impact of those moments. Highly readable and a book you can really sink into.

If I had read this on holiday it would have been devoured within the day. Recaptured everything I loved about the original, to the point I feel like going back and re-reading them all over again. An easy 5* rating from me.

I love a Beth O’Leary book, and I was really intrigued by the premise of this. Zeke and Lexi are swept away to sea in a narrowboat following a one night stand. A romance story filled with adventure and peril, it was a fast paced read that has made me want to go on a narrowboat holiday (so long as it’s properly moored and nowhere near the sea!) 

I was a huge fan of the author’s first book, and I did enjoy this book overall. While I really liked the way in which the stories were interconnected, I’m not a huge fan of short stories, and despite the interconnectivity, this is what these were - that’s purely personal preference however and my rating reflects this. If you love short stories, you’ll like this. They are well crafted and offer a great insight on to different types of sexual relationships, different mindsets etc. This was a book club read for me, and has so much to talk about!

It’s not often that I’ll read a book so far ahead of release,  but there was something about this that drew me in. The ultimate disaster scenario happens when a nuclear alert threatens life as we know it, with 59 minutes until it strikes. A multi character narrative runs throughout, and all elements of humanity are explored, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. 
Brilliantly executed, this is a story that will haunt you as you ask yourself what you would do if you only had 59 minutes left….. ?

An easy and enjoyable listen about a woman whose superstitious family lead her to a fortune teller before her wedding. After an unsettling reading which makes Carla consider if Tom is the man for her, or if the right man is in her past. Carla decides to revisit the trip she took decades earlier. Is her Mr Right one of her ex boyfriends? 

I wanted to love it, on paper it’s a story I should love but It just didn’t grab me at all. The pace was painfully slow and although the use of language is beautiful, it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.

When Alfie Risby, heir to a frozen food empire and her son’s class nemesis, goes missing on a school trip, his Mum, former girl band member, Florence, is horrified to discover the missing boy’s backpack stashed under her son’s bed. I absolutely adored this book, it’s huge fun and darkly witty in the very best way and had me hooked from page one!