A few thoughts:

🎀 Adding a new Aussie crime/thriller author to  my growing list of favourites. There is just something about the way Australian authors write, the way they describe our landscape, our lingo, our way or living… 

🎀 Scrivenor manages to captured thoughts in her writing that for most of us, would just be a flittering thing we’re unable to fully capture for more than a millisecond. I found this to be one of the things I appreciated most about her writing style. 

🎀 I felt like the multiple POV worked really well in this story. Every perspective added to the eventual unraveling of the truth.

🎀 This one will keep you guessing & when you think you know, you don’t! A fantastic debut that will definitely keep this author on my radar. 

A few thoughts:

🎀 Cute! The teenage-crush style dilemma of these characters is adorable. I was so rooting for these two to get together. 

🎀 Spicy! This did get a little hot & heavy in a  slow-burn, romantic kinda way. I can see why these are so popular right now.

🎀 Atmospheric! The location gives off a very Gilmore Girl’s kinda vibe & I was digging it. I wanted to curl up with a pumpkin spice latte, even though I’ve never had one of those in my life. 

🎀 Randomly, this is probably one of my favourite books of the year, which I did not expect. It reminded me of every cringey Christmas rom-com & I was not sad about it.

A few thoughts:

🎀 This reads like part memoir, part story… I’m not a teacher, but working in the classroom, I knew these scenarios, these students… I went on a rollercoaster of emotions as I was reminded of students & experiences of my own that aligned with the author’s experiences. There were incredibly joyful, but also sad moments, hard truths about kid’s backgrounds & some lessons for me to take away. Situations where my heart broke for the students written about. 

🎀 This book highlighted the respect that I have for teachers & the enormous workload they carry. It goes beyond just teaching grammar & maths… it’s about adjusting strategies, regulating emotions, learning triggers etc. A student’s teacher doesn’t walk away from the job at 3:30 each afternoon, they are the job, the job is them… they have the potential to make or break. 

🎀 There are some books that change you, the content & words stay with you… this is one of those books. This isn’t just a book for educators, this is a book for everyone. 

Quote: There are no bad kids, just bad behaviors. 

••BEAUTIFUL UGLY••

Written by: Alice Feeney

**ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ**

**ᴛʜɪs ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴ sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs**

A few thoughts:

🎀 I got a feeling almost straight away that things were not as they seemed when it came to the male lead character. 

🎀 It was sometimes predictable, but I loved the conclusion. 

🎀 The story was almost unsettling in parts, which was perfect for how the Island was being portrayed - is he mad, are they all crazy? Are they a cult & is he a conveniently placed sacrifice?

🎀 This was another quick, twisty read, my first Alice Feeney novel & it didn’t disappoint. 

14/45

Rating: 🦩🦩🦩

Cover art: 🦩🦩🦩

Plot: 🦩🦩🦩🦩

Writing style: 🦩🦩🦩

Characters: 🦩🦩🦩

#booklover #bookworm #booknerd #bookstagrammer #booklover #toberead #tbrpile #books #readingismagic #bookreview #review #readersreview #ratherbereading #bibliophile #aussiebooklover #aussiereader #beautifulugly #alicefeeney

A few thoughts:

🎀 That opening scene! I hadn’t even read the blurb at this point, but I was invested immediately. Just from this chapter alone, Hepworth is rising in rank among my favourites.

🎀 The whole book moves at a steady pace, but really picks up speed around the half way point. This is one thing I’m loving about this author, she seems to have a reliable process that gets you hooked in & unable to put the books down. In fact I was so invested I finished reading after 1am - thank goodness for school holidays!

🎀 There were some deeply sad moments in this story. It covers situations that might be uncomfortable for some readers. Triggers include SA, murder, parental abuse etc.

🎀 Currently locating my next Sally Hepworth novel! She’s a winner, for sure!

A few thoughts:

🎀 This was a very quick read - despite being sick with the flu & having to read in intervals, I managed to finish this overnight. 

🎀 The Reunion was a gripping thriller that moved quickly & kept me guessing till the end. I did have a hunch fairly early on about who the killer was, & I was on the right track, but things changed quickly & I still got the adrenaline of a twisty ending. 

🎀 I enjoyed following Jennie’s journey as a Detective & all the procedural happenings of the system she worked in. It added a good element to the story & there was only one questionable addition that I don’t think added to the story, but I’ll let you decide for yourself!

A few thoughts:

🎀 I picked this book up thinking I would gain some life-altering, fundamental lesson in chasing  dreams & embracing my womanhood. It sadly did not do that for me. 😄

🎀 I pushed through the first 138 pages, skipped 100 & kept reading to get close to the end… I really anticipated the good ending, okay! 💁🏻‍♀️

🎀 There was nothing wrong with the writing or the characters, but for me the story felt unrelatable & flat. For the right person I’m sure it would hit the spot, unfortunately, I just wasn’t that person. 

A few thoughts:

🎀 My first Sally Hepworth novel, recommended by a recently discovered book-friend from work. Why is it so exciting when you find other readers?  I started it right away. 💁🏻‍♀️

🎀 The writing was simple & easy to read. I felt like it was written in a very beach/holiday kind of way & had that very Aussie vibe to it. To me it felt like a relaxed thriller, if that kind of thing exists.  Despite this, there were some heavy issues, such as SA, DV, mental illness, alcoholism etc.

🎀 Got me good around chapter 16 - a few little twists to pull me in, & they kept coming from there! I loved how this unraveled & enjoyed the multiple points of view. 

🎀 Will definitely seek out the other novels by Hepworth after reading this one!

A few thoughts:

🎀 Stunning writing! 👏🏻👏🏻

🎀 The relationships feel authentic, the conversations real & the individual grieving process, messy & raw. The bond of sisters, something I’ve never had, but always wished for, felt so perfectly captured, as we read the story of the Blue sisters in the wake of the loss of their sister Nicky. It was at times dark, vulnerable & deeply sad.

🎀 I love that the characters remained true the entire way through, they didn’t become different people & get a sappy happy ending. 

🎀 I experienced a range of emotions while reading this, my heart was so invested. 

Quote: She was a carnival of feelings she never tried to hide.

**ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ**

A few thoughts:

🎀 Remember when Fifty Shades was having its moment, but when we started reading it we were a bit perplexed about the standard of writing? Yeah, this is kinda that all over again. I can see why it’s blown up, it’s as spicy as you would expect… but the writing is mediocre at best & the plot line is terrible! But I’ll be damned if it wasn’t the exact type of thing I needed to finish a book! 

🎀 The darker elements of death & mental illness felt at odds with the spiciness in this story.

🎀 The narrative swings between her being street-smart, capable in almost everything required to care for others, to then reminding us of her privileged white upbringing & lack of maturity. We cannot survive on spice alone people! The writing needs to be good!

🎀 It was readable. It was. Not all bad. I just struggled with certain elements of the characters & their storylines.