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gimmebooksjoanna's Reviews (326)
I enjoyed this book. It appealed to me in so many ways - the reference to Reiki as a practitioner myself along with the whole "wellness" concept was right up my street!
I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters though. I didn't find them likeable, and it was a slow start. Persevere though and it's well worth it.
In general, I prefer endings that are a bit more believable. I found the whole concept of this book a bit outlandish. That doesn't mean to say I didn't enjoy it though and it was still worth a read.
It's a 3.75 for me rounded up to 4 stars.
I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters though. I didn't find them likeable, and it was a slow start. Persevere though and it's well worth it.
In general, I prefer endings that are a bit more believable. I found the whole concept of this book a bit outlandish. That doesn't mean to say I didn't enjoy it though and it was still worth a read.
It's a 3.75 for me rounded up to 4 stars.
This book has been so hyped which sometimes worries me. What if it doesn't live up to the hype? But this did not disappoint in the slightest.
The story is about a young woman, Natalie. Famous for being a social influencer. She finds herself in a remote part of Ireland, Shannamore, after an unexplained hotel charge appears on her husband's visa bill. But then Natalie is brutally murdered in her sleep. How do we know? Well the book opens up with it. And that's not all. It was all caught on camera.
Why did Natalie's husband go to Shannamore? Why is their a camera in the room that she slept with? And what on earth is the deal with Richard Flynn, the supposed handyman?
This book had me gripped. I didn't want to put it down. If I'd been able to pause time, I would have read it in one clean sitting!
My only criticism of the book is that whilst the "fast forward", "pause" and "rewind" etc aspects of the book helped me to understand the chronology, I had no idea if there was any significance to the timings.
The story is about a young woman, Natalie. Famous for being a social influencer. She finds herself in a remote part of Ireland, Shannamore, after an unexplained hotel charge appears on her husband's visa bill. But then Natalie is brutally murdered in her sleep. How do we know? Well the book opens up with it. And that's not all. It was all caught on camera.
Why did Natalie's husband go to Shannamore? Why is their a camera in the room that she slept with? And what on earth is the deal with Richard Flynn, the supposed handyman?
This book had me gripped. I didn't want to put it down. If I'd been able to pause time, I would have read it in one clean sitting!
My only criticism of the book is that whilst the "fast forward", "pause" and "rewind" etc aspects of the book helped me to understand the chronology, I had no idea if there was any significance to the timings.
I'm ashamed to admit that though I call myself a bookworm, I've reached the age of 32 and never read an Agatha Christie novel.
And my first foray into her writing did not leave me disappointed!
And then there were none is a classic "whodunnit". Ten people have for various reasons been summoned to Soldier Island on the premise of a job for a Mr Owens. But upon arrival, Mr Owens is nowhere to be seen.
Before we know it, one of the guests mysteriously passes. And so begins a murder spree. The question is only who will be next, and will anyone survive?
This was a great "old fashioned" murder mystery. It kept me guessing throughout and kept sending me off in other directions. Better than anything, it's all tied up with a nice bow at the end. We find out who did it. We find out the motive. It all makes sense and nothing is too far fetched (which we all know is my absolute pet hate!)
And my first foray into her writing did not leave me disappointed!
And then there were none is a classic "whodunnit". Ten people have for various reasons been summoned to Soldier Island on the premise of a job for a Mr Owens. But upon arrival, Mr Owens is nowhere to be seen.
Before we know it, one of the guests mysteriously passes. And so begins a murder spree. The question is only who will be next, and will anyone survive?
This was a great "old fashioned" murder mystery. It kept me guessing throughout and kept sending me off in other directions. Better than anything, it's all tied up with a nice bow at the end. We find out who did it. We find out the motive. It all makes sense and nothing is too far fetched (which we all know is my absolute pet hate!)
I've had to spend a lot of time reflecting on why this book didn't work for me, because sadly, it really hasn't.
The Outrun is the memoir of Amy Liptrott who finds herself back on Orkney, where she grew up. She battled with alcoholism for a while whilst living in London and it was her recovery that took her back home.
Amy writes beautifully and honestly. She makes me want to jump on a plane to Orkney immediately. However I found it a struggle to read. It didn't particularly engage me. I just got this feeling of detachment. I didn't feel connected to or vested in Amy in any way. I felt like the book skipped about a lot. I kept getting lost on the chronology and she often made a point where I felt "so what actually was the point?"
I'm gutted. I wanted to love this book so so much but I just didn't connect with it at all.
The Outrun is the memoir of Amy Liptrott who finds herself back on Orkney, where she grew up. She battled with alcoholism for a while whilst living in London and it was her recovery that took her back home.
Amy writes beautifully and honestly. She makes me want to jump on a plane to Orkney immediately. However I found it a struggle to read. It didn't particularly engage me. I just got this feeling of detachment. I didn't feel connected to or vested in Amy in any way. I felt like the book skipped about a lot. I kept getting lost on the chronology and she often made a point where I felt "so what actually was the point?"
I'm gutted. I wanted to love this book so so much but I just didn't connect with it at all.
With the fire on hire | Elizabeth Acevedo
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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Emoni is 17 years old. She lives with 'Buela (her grandmother) and Babygirl. Her two year old daughter. This story is Emoni's journey through her final year of school, juggling motherhood, studying, working, boys and her passion - cooking. See, Emoni puts her heart, soul and a sprinkle of magic in her cooking.
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The story centres around this skill of Emoni's and you go on such a journey with her as she comes of age and chooses her direction in life.
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I adored this book. All the characters are so so likeable (yep, even Pretty Leslie). I wanted to know all of them. I wanted to taste Emoni's food. I wanted to be Babygirl's God Mother. I was really swept up in Emoni's journey, and what a journey it is!
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This is so worth a read if you want a read that will warm your soul, but at the same time teach you what life is like for a 17 year old Puerto Rican mum, living in Philadelphia.
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I received a free copy of this from @readersfirst in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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Emoni is 17 years old. She lives with 'Buela (her grandmother) and Babygirl. Her two year old daughter. This story is Emoni's journey through her final year of school, juggling motherhood, studying, working, boys and her passion - cooking. See, Emoni puts her heart, soul and a sprinkle of magic in her cooking.
.
The story centres around this skill of Emoni's and you go on such a journey with her as she comes of age and chooses her direction in life.
.
I adored this book. All the characters are so so likeable (yep, even Pretty Leslie). I wanted to know all of them. I wanted to taste Emoni's food. I wanted to be Babygirl's God Mother. I was really swept up in Emoni's journey, and what a journey it is!
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This is so worth a read if you want a read that will warm your soul, but at the same time teach you what life is like for a 17 year old Puerto Rican mum, living in Philadelphia.
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I received a free copy of this from @readersfirst in exchange for an honest review.
Happy Like This | Ashley Wurzbacher
⭐⭐⭐ / 5
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Happy Like This is a collection of short stories about women. Smart women, professional women, wives, daughters and mother's. And they have one thing in common. They're all searching for happiness.
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On paper, this book should have been right up my street. I LOVE strong independent women. And above all, I love women being happy. But I enjoy depth of characters which you just don't get with short stories. Just as I get into the flow of a story, it's over. Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others. I really loved some of the earlier ones, but by the time I got to the later ones, I was fed up of the lack of depth to stories.
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It's just a personal preference when it comes to short stories really, but this wasn't for me. Having said that, I've gone down the middle on my stars as some of the stories were very good.
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I received this advanced read copy from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐ / 5
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Happy Like This is a collection of short stories about women. Smart women, professional women, wives, daughters and mother's. And they have one thing in common. They're all searching for happiness.
.
On paper, this book should have been right up my street. I LOVE strong independent women. And above all, I love women being happy. But I enjoy depth of characters which you just don't get with short stories. Just as I get into the flow of a story, it's over. Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others. I really loved some of the earlier ones, but by the time I got to the later ones, I was fed up of the lack of depth to stories.
.
It's just a personal preference when it comes to short stories really, but this wasn't for me. Having said that, I've gone down the middle on my stars as some of the stories were very good.
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I received this advanced read copy from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hinch Yourself Happy | Sophie Hinchliffe
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
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Hinch Yourself Happy is Sophie Hinchliffe (aka Mrs Hinch) talking from her heartl. It's not going to win any prizes for being a work of literary art or anything but this book has soul. @mrshinchhome has poured her heart and soul into this book and it's SO heartwarming.
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It actually wasn't what I expected. I was expecting a book full of her cleaning tips but it was so much more. I learned who Mrs Hinch is. I got to understand her story and how she got started on her Hinching journey. By the end when she was talking about when she first met Henry I was crying with laughter because I related to every word - it was just like meeting @poppyboxerdog
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
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Hinch Yourself Happy is Sophie Hinchliffe (aka Mrs Hinch) talking from her heartl. It's not going to win any prizes for being a work of literary art or anything but this book has soul. @mrshinchhome has poured her heart and soul into this book and it's SO heartwarming.
.
It actually wasn't what I expected. I was expecting a book full of her cleaning tips but it was so much more. I learned who Mrs Hinch is. I got to understand her story and how she got started on her Hinching journey. By the end when she was talking about when she first met Henry I was crying with laughter because I related to every word - it was just like meeting @poppyboxerdog
Julia hasn't had sex for about three years. It's been even longer since she's had great sex. One day, Julia realises that she's been looking for sex in all the wrong places. She's just not that into men...
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I've seen great reviews for this book and I REALLY wanted to love it. Parts of it, I did. I loved the unfolding of Julia discovering that she's a lesbian and what that means for her. I loved her friendships and I found her as a character hilarious. Then Sam entered, stage right.
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I hated Sam. I think I was probably supposed to. But it was to the point that it ruined my enjoyment of the book a little. I wish the book had taken a different route entirely that had bypassed her completely. Or was just a fling. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She had a touch of the Christian Grey about her (and I hated him as a character too). Nobody deserves to be in such an abusive, controlling relationship. Especially Julia. She just wanted great sex! She certainly ended up in at the deep end.
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Then I found myself feeling quite upset for Julia and her clear lack of self-worth. All I wanted for her was to find some inner strength and to get her happy ending.
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I won't say whether this was the case or not - don't want to give too much away
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I've seen great reviews for this book and I REALLY wanted to love it. Parts of it, I did. I loved the unfolding of Julia discovering that she's a lesbian and what that means for her. I loved her friendships and I found her as a character hilarious. Then Sam entered, stage right.
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I hated Sam. I think I was probably supposed to. But it was to the point that it ruined my enjoyment of the book a little. I wish the book had taken a different route entirely that had bypassed her completely. Or was just a fling. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She had a touch of the Christian Grey about her (and I hated him as a character too). Nobody deserves to be in such an abusive, controlling relationship. Especially Julia. She just wanted great sex! She certainly ended up in at the deep end.
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Then I found myself feeling quite upset for Julia and her clear lack of self-worth. All I wanted for her was to find some inner strength and to get her happy ending.
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I won't say whether this was the case or not - don't want to give too much away