emma_rreads's Reviews (183)

I absolutely loved this book. It was my first read by Kate Quinn, and it absolutely will not be my last. I enjoy historical fiction that fictionalises real life people as well as eras and events in history, and this book loosely bases one of the main characters on Osla Benning, a socialite who was actually Prince Phillip’s wartime girlfriend, and worked at Bletchley Park. The comradeship between the women, the peril of wartime and the secrecy of BP comes through so well. I found myself sailing through the pages, and reading well beyond when I should have been fast asleep!

A fascinating read which examines a community, warts (a lot of warts!) and all. Tara, Mum to Betsy and formerly employed in televison, employs the services of sixteen year old Ashleigh to babysit her daughter (in addition to the nanny). Ashleigh isn't all she seems however, she likes to pry and find the truth behind the veneered perfection of the families she works for.
Intensely character driven, this a short but impactful read which deals with the secrets that lie beneath.  

I’m currently in pieces! I loved The Women which was the first Kristin Hannah book I read, and The Nightingale was recommended to me, my god, what a book! I loved it from beginning to end and I will miss Vianne and Isabelle 

I do enjoy these books! My second on audio, and I have to say I’m a little sad that this is Lesley Manville’s last book as narrator, her voice is Elizabeth and Joyce!! Unusually, I actually enjoyed this more than the first. I little bit of a delve into Elizabeth’s past, and the mystery kept me hooked! 

When Merry’s neighbour and the son of her late best friend, Lucas, goes missing, Merry becomes embroiled in an investigation that drags up secrets and betrayals.

I really enjoyed this, some books take you a while to ‘get into’ but this was almost instantaneous. Merry is a gem, a bit of a loner and scarred by her past she tends to keep herself to herself. But I loved her and began to feel very protective over her!

With lots of twists and turns, this was a fab read - and I really hope this isn’t the last of Merry!!

A really enjoyable read and fascinating for me to read as a white woman. On the one hand, I completely related to the stress of planning a wedding. And on the other, I knew very little about desi weddings and the traditions and culture and The Big Day is a brilliant snapshot into another culture. Regardless of culture, at its core it is a story about family. And Noor’s relationship with her mother, Leena, is particularly close, as she has been a single mother to Noor. But their bond is threatened as Leena turns into a ‘Mumzilla’ and when secrets from the past ultimately rise.

I’m a huge fan of Laura Pearson, and this is no exception. 
Incredibly unique, the story of Becca Valentine is told from the perspective of one of her ‘almost’ children, Eliza. One of four ‘almosts’, Samuel, Thomas, Eliza and Lucy are the children Becca could have. They all know their conception dates, and they all know who their father will be once he walks into their mother’s life. They just need to ensure that they are born, or else disappear. But when they discover Lucy and Thomas have a different father to Eliza and Samuel, they realise not all of them will be born. 
A brilliant concept, and I read it obsessively within the day!

While I would happily read Jodi Picoult’s shopping list and have devoured everything she has ever read, I do have favourites, My Sister’s Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, The Pact and A Spark of Light among them. Added to this list is now By Any Other Name. 

When I read that she was writing a book about how Emilia Bassano was behind Shakespeare’s writing, I was very excited to find out more. As ever Jodi’s research shines through, it’s one of the things I love most about her books - that she puts so much into the research element. And it shows. 

Told from two points of view, Emilia Bassano in Elizabethan England, and her ancestor in modern day, Melina Green, a budding playwright whose confidence was undermined at a pivotal moment early in her career. Of the two, I preferred Emilia. Strong, forthright and dealing with the hand she was dealt contrasted with Melina, who I have to say at times I found a tad whiny and entitled. My heart broke over and over again for Emilia, and that she continually picked herself up and made the best of things was inspiring to say the least.

An easy five star read, reading on holiday I’ve been desperate to return to my sun lounger in the shade for long sessions devouring the pages!

I loved How to Kill Your Family, wickedly funny with truly despicable characters, and so I could not wait to read What a Way to Go. For me, it had a lot to live up to. In some ways it succeeded, I loved the concept, and how awful and self absorbed the characters were. It didn’t deliver in the same way for me in terms of those laugh out loud moments, and I felt the ending needed more of a punch to it, it felt a bit flat….however I did enjoy the journey and I really enjoy Bella Mackie’s writing style. While it didn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, What a Way to Go has a lot to recommend it.

I’ve read all of Laura’s books and will continue to do so because her observation of people and family is so brilliant and relatable. Her books make me feel so much all at once, and since her move to Boldwood she’s taken things to a new level. 

The Day Shelley Woodhouse wakes up follows a woman as she wakes from a coma suffering with memory loss. Piecing her past together with her present is painful, yet sometimes joyful too. Laura writes characters I am invested in and care about, I feel as I am right there with them.