The Trees is a gory and psychologically engaging thriller with a historically accurate theme of social justice and racial hatred. I considered this novel informative on many levels as it exposed the extreme violence subjected to black bodies in the USA throughout history. Interestingly, without a time frame given at the beginning of the narrative, I assumed this book was set pre 1960's for a few chapters based on the horrific and outdated behaviours of many characters, before cultural clues and modern technology appeared in the text resulting in my realisation that is story is representing a possibility in the PRESENT DAY. For this and many other factors, the story was eye-opening. I also enjoyed the more light hearted elements of the text, such as the brotherly banter between detectives Ed and Jim and the not-so-generous hilarious representation of Trump (although his name was not explicitly mentioned.)
My only criticisms of this book was the amount of characters becoming too complex to follow when the crimes depicted are supernatural and bizarre enough. Additionally, the writing style was a little aggravating, with "Jim said," "Ed said," etc. after every sentence of dialogue, but try not to let this get in the way of how exciting the story is. 

Elena Knows is a heart wrenching novel about motherhood and how this influences a woman's perception of the truth. It's award winning quality is evident in the well-written contrast between Elena's assertive, forceful mind and her deteriorating, unreliable body. However, this novel was particularly challenging as central characters (who we likely wish to respect) have opposing values questionable stances towards women's issues which contradict most readers' opinions. Whilst this made the story evermore insightful and reflective, it increased the challenge of reading. 

Girl, Woman, Other has been on my TBR for so long and I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner! Twelve absolutely beautiful short stories delicately woven together. This story is packed with family morals, diverse friendships, dramatic narrative arcs, and love! My only difficulty was the unusual structure with no punctuation making the reading a challenge initially, but I would recommend with a passion once I was over that hurdle. 

I was rather disappointed by TJR despite my love of her writing style (TJR writes about fame, rivalry, and family so well!) However, the references to her other novels were less subtle and exciting than instances from other novels. Similarly the romance themes were cliché. Whilst I particularly enjoyed the character development for Javier, Nicki, and Brandon, I could not empathise with Carrie, finding her mind style disagreeable. Sometimes I was inspired by her ruthless attitude and other times I was weary of it. Perhaps when I read Malibu Rising in the future I will learn more about Carrie Soto's characterisation and like her more. 

I love Margaret Atwood's writing - this book contains her signature imagination and characterisation, as well as a moral question founded in American history. However, this book requires an active brain so I found it useful to research some of the themes whilst reading (e.g. themes of money, women's roles, the great depression, war, social context.) This is a heavy book with huge twists only revealed at the end, and changes to how readers may interpret the characters. This novel takes a lot of energy to comprehend, involving multiple narratives which take a while to understand and stitch together (Laura Chase's novel, Iris' narrative in the present, and Iris' narrative in the past.) Certainly a slow read and not one I may recommend for enjoyment but I certainly learnt a lot from this novel. 

One of the most unique and beautifully written books I have read in 2023 so far. Packed with a science fiction mystery akin to Kazuo Ishiguro, and a realistic romance akin to David Nichols, this book is a compact study of greif which left me streaming.  

Wow, I am so pleased I checked this book out of the library as these fictional women have shifted something inside me. Hart has used incredible historical world building and magical realism to reconstruct what we know about the world into a believable and harrowing fairy tale. I live in Lancaster for university and this story has added an extra layer of magic to my surroundings. The character development was highly emotional, causing me to have visceral reactions (gasping, forgetting the real world, forgetting to breathe!) This story follows three women through their Cinderella Story from abuse and fear to freedom and power, with heart warming and confident feminist messages throughout. 
One of the most beautifully constructed stories I have read, but the distressing content meant I almost DNF out of pure discomfort when reading. I wish I had started this venture with more knowledge of the traumatic themes. Before you read, check the content warnings!

I avoided reading this book for a while because of the high school setting and the unique writing style as a series of poems. However, this book surprised me; the arrangement of the poetry produced a stronger insight to the narrators voice and feelings. Aside from the predictable plot and unoriginal trope in YA fiction, I know I would have loved this as a teen. After reading the author's note and understanding the research and interviews that went into this, I realise how Crossan was able to write such powerful disabled characters as an able bodied author. The sister relationship between Grace and Tippi, the friendships, and the first loves made for a nostalgic and happy read as an adult. I really wanted to give this book 4 stars, but I did not cry when I definitely should have cried; something there prevented me from being fully absorbed. 

I could not get into this no matter how hard I tried - perhaps it was the audiobook reading and narration? Maybe I could have enjoyed this novel with a physical edition as I usually enjoy poetic prose, but this was incredibly tedious and I zoned out too much to understand it. I do intend to try again as friends have recommended this multiple times.