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stuckinthebook's Reviews (248)
First of all, as mentioned above, this book was HEFTY. Not that that is necessarily ever a bad thing and some people actually prefer big books that they can spend time reading instead of flying through a small one. Yet for me, it did feel like I was reading this book for WEEKS.
I really struggled with the beginning of the book. Although it was necessary to introduce the characters and the back story, I felt that when I was reading the first third of the book, I was making myself sit down and read. I didn’t have the desire to want to pick the book back up and therefore it began to feel a bit like a chore.
However, after this little hurdle, I became obsessed with the story and I grew attached to our main character, Angie. We as readers got to witness the very raw and heartbreaking reality for Angie, whilst she pretended to the world that she was ‘fine’. Her whole world had come crashing down, and thank the Lord for her sister helping her, because I don’t know what would have happened to both Angie and her children if her sister wasn’t there to help out.
Yet Angie had to go through some pretty horrendous things, as well as dealing with the council and the insufferable experience of asking for help. It shocked me how the council were unwilling to help this woman (with two children) who had been evicted and could do so unemotionally. If I had to turn away someone desperate for help, I don’t think I would be able to live with myself. It must be awful for those people working in jobs such as these, who cannot help these desperate people and who I suppose, must have to force themselves to not get upset about these cases. I for one could not do it.
The book club discussion was interesting for this one, as a lot of people thought that the story was too stereotypical and agreed that had it been written in the first person, with narratives included from other vital characters, we could have got a more in-depth and complete insight into how poverty affects all those going through it. For instance, from Angie’s sister, we could have understood more about how the effects of having to support Angie impacted her life as well, along with a narrative from her daughter Grace offering a very important message about child trafficking.
All in all, I did enjoy this book and I have often referred to it as being like a BBC drama series. Every time I picked the book up, I felt like I was strapping myself in for another explosive and heart-wrenching episode and I really enjoyed that aspect. As someone who has recently not read that many big, thick books, I enjoyed the experience of reading Home Truths.
What I liked most about this book club pick was that it was a book that I had never heard about and I probably would have never picked this book up had I seen it in a bookstore.
I really struggled with the beginning of the book. Although it was necessary to introduce the characters and the back story, I felt that when I was reading the first third of the book, I was making myself sit down and read. I didn’t have the desire to want to pick the book back up and therefore it began to feel a bit like a chore.
However, after this little hurdle, I became obsessed with the story and I grew attached to our main character, Angie. We as readers got to witness the very raw and heartbreaking reality for Angie, whilst she pretended to the world that she was ‘fine’. Her whole world had come crashing down, and thank the Lord for her sister helping her, because I don’t know what would have happened to both Angie and her children if her sister wasn’t there to help out.
Yet Angie had to go through some pretty horrendous things, as well as dealing with the council and the insufferable experience of asking for help. It shocked me how the council were unwilling to help this woman (with two children) who had been evicted and could do so unemotionally. If I had to turn away someone desperate for help, I don’t think I would be able to live with myself. It must be awful for those people working in jobs such as these, who cannot help these desperate people and who I suppose, must have to force themselves to not get upset about these cases. I for one could not do it.
The book club discussion was interesting for this one, as a lot of people thought that the story was too stereotypical and agreed that had it been written in the first person, with narratives included from other vital characters, we could have got a more in-depth and complete insight into how poverty affects all those going through it. For instance, from Angie’s sister, we could have understood more about how the effects of having to support Angie impacted her life as well, along with a narrative from her daughter Grace offering a very important message about child trafficking.
All in all, I did enjoy this book and I have often referred to it as being like a BBC drama series. Every time I picked the book up, I felt like I was strapping myself in for another explosive and heart-wrenching episode and I really enjoyed that aspect. As someone who has recently not read that many big, thick books, I enjoyed the experience of reading Home Truths.
What I liked most about this book club pick was that it was a book that I had never heard about and I probably would have never picked this book up had I seen it in a bookstore.
When I look back on my notes on this book, my first sentence was… ‘what an opening chapter!’ and I wasn’t joking. The opening chapter was so gripping that I had to carry on to find out more.
There are a lot of characters in this book but that is what I loved most about it. As I don’t come from a big family myself, I love reading books that focus on big families. All Adults Here is a great story that definitely focuses on the trials and tribulations of a modern family.
The more I read the book, the more I fell in love with each of the characters because they each added something unique to the story. I find it hard to choose my favourite character because they all leave you feeling something. I think out of them all, my favourites had to be Astrid and Porter because they are both independent women who have had to live within society’s expectations and had to hide their true selves.
I also loved how Emma Straub featured LGBTQIA narratives from both a young and old character, allowing us as readers to understand how members of the LGBTQIA society struggle in all different ways.
I also enjoyed the discussion around new fathers and how there doesn’t seem to be any support for dads of new-borns. They are just expected to ‘get on with it’ and get back to work. Elliot’s narrative gave us an insight into the highs and lows of being a new parent.
I think out of all the characters, Cecilia offers something for everyone in the book. In my opinion, she is the true heroine in the story because she helps all the other characters to realise their full potential.
Emma Straub brilliantly writes about how families and family traditions are adjusting to modern life and ultimately creates a funny, honest and gripping story that made my heart feel full.
There are a lot of characters in this book but that is what I loved most about it. As I don’t come from a big family myself, I love reading books that focus on big families. All Adults Here is a great story that definitely focuses on the trials and tribulations of a modern family.
The more I read the book, the more I fell in love with each of the characters because they each added something unique to the story. I find it hard to choose my favourite character because they all leave you feeling something. I think out of them all, my favourites had to be Astrid and Porter because they are both independent women who have had to live within society’s expectations and had to hide their true selves.
I also loved how Emma Straub featured LGBTQIA narratives from both a young and old character, allowing us as readers to understand how members of the LGBTQIA society struggle in all different ways.
I also enjoyed the discussion around new fathers and how there doesn’t seem to be any support for dads of new-borns. They are just expected to ‘get on with it’ and get back to work. Elliot’s narrative gave us an insight into the highs and lows of being a new parent.
I think out of all the characters, Cecilia offers something for everyone in the book. In my opinion, she is the true heroine in the story because she helps all the other characters to realise their full potential.
Emma Straub brilliantly writes about how families and family traditions are adjusting to modern life and ultimately creates a funny, honest and gripping story that made my heart feel full.
I read Alex North’s debut novel earlier this year and was completely gripped and terrified by the story and the way North writes. So when the opportunity arose for me to read an advanced copy of his latest book, The Shadow Friend, I couldn’t wait to be taken on another terrifying journey.
The way North writes is completely compelling. Whilst reading, the real world ceases to exist and all you can think/worry about it the story you’re reading. Even when you put the book down, the story continues to play on your mind. So much so, I couldn’t read this book whilst home alone and I definitely could not read this book before going to bed.
The story of The Shadow Friend is magnificently written, but it also explores this idea of lucid dreaming. I had a vague idea of what lucid dreaming was before reading this book, but never understood the dangers of it when its used by children. These children were obsessed with the uneasiness and uncanniness of the woods and therefore used lucid dreaming to create a whole narrative about Red Hands.
As always, I was completely hooked on every single page of this book and the story twists and turns seamlessly to keep you craving more detail and answers. Yet again a brilliant crime novel by Alex North and he is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors. I cannot wait for his next book, that is for sure!
The way North writes is completely compelling. Whilst reading, the real world ceases to exist and all you can think/worry about it the story you’re reading. Even when you put the book down, the story continues to play on your mind. So much so, I couldn’t read this book whilst home alone and I definitely could not read this book before going to bed.
The story of The Shadow Friend is magnificently written, but it also explores this idea of lucid dreaming. I had a vague idea of what lucid dreaming was before reading this book, but never understood the dangers of it when its used by children. These children were obsessed with the uneasiness and uncanniness of the woods and therefore used lucid dreaming to create a whole narrative about Red Hands.
As always, I was completely hooked on every single page of this book and the story twists and turns seamlessly to keep you craving more detail and answers. Yet again a brilliant crime novel by Alex North and he is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors. I cannot wait for his next book, that is for sure!
If you know me, you know that I love the Gothic and horror genres. I’ve always found that there is something quite scary and uncanny about the moon at night. I’m also quite interested in how the moon can affect our moods and feelings and Moonlit Dreams, Moonlit Nightmares does a wonderful job of exploring these themes further.
The book focuses on the moon’s magical abilities and how this thinking has been around for centuries. Whether its bad omens, dreams or change, the moon can be seen as a reoccurring factor. If you are a fan of a spooky tale, I would highly recommend this collection of short stories. Probably best not to read them before bed though…
The book focuses on the moon’s magical abilities and how this thinking has been around for centuries. Whether its bad omens, dreams or change, the moon can be seen as a reoccurring factor. If you are a fan of a spooky tale, I would highly recommend this collection of short stories. Probably best not to read them before bed though…
The opening chapter sets this book off with a bang and I should have realised that from this point, this book isn’t for the faint-hearted. There is a lot of violence in this book and its dark story was something I was not expecting. Having never read YA fiction before, I just assumed it would be like a children’s book but my initial opinion has now well and truly changed thanks to The Cruel Prince.
What I found most interesting about this book was the contrast between places and characters. I really liked the contrast between reality and faerieland, and I like how the real world if often referred to by all the characters. I think it makes the book more relatable and realistic despite its fantasy elements.
The contrast between sisters is really intriguing too. I thought it was great that Holly Black chose to feature a lesbian character and that this sister preferred to live in the real world. Our world. Yet Jude’s other sister, Taryn, was a complete opposite to Jude. Taryn was a girly girl and was preoccupied with finding a suitable partner to marry. I think it is really interesting to look at this contrast between sisters, as it allows Jude and her personality to stand out more.
Jude, in my opinion, is everything a heroine should be. Strong, confident, ambitious, wise. Although she is naive to some of the plot twists, she is definitely the most clued up Duarte sister, making her he perfect spy. I did feel sorry for her though when no one would believe her power, passion and strength. Being constantly overlooked by everyone around her was probably the motivating factor in why she became a spy.
It is interesting that this book is named The Cruel Prince because I would argue that nearly every male character in this book is cruel. All the male characters are unlikable and awful. The way they bully Jude is awful and it was hard for me to pinpoint exactly who Holly Black is referring to with the title.
I managed to guess some of the plot lines but that’s what I enjoy from a book like this. I knew there would be some plot twist coming and it was fun to try and work out what was going to happen. It reminded me of Game of Thrones in its violent and magical elements and I cannot wait to continue with the series.
What I found most interesting about this book was the contrast between places and characters. I really liked the contrast between reality and faerieland, and I like how the real world if often referred to by all the characters. I think it makes the book more relatable and realistic despite its fantasy elements.
The contrast between sisters is really intriguing too. I thought it was great that Holly Black chose to feature a lesbian character and that this sister preferred to live in the real world. Our world. Yet Jude’s other sister, Taryn, was a complete opposite to Jude. Taryn was a girly girl and was preoccupied with finding a suitable partner to marry. I think it is really interesting to look at this contrast between sisters, as it allows Jude and her personality to stand out more.
Jude, in my opinion, is everything a heroine should be. Strong, confident, ambitious, wise. Although she is naive to some of the plot twists, she is definitely the most clued up Duarte sister, making her he perfect spy. I did feel sorry for her though when no one would believe her power, passion and strength. Being constantly overlooked by everyone around her was probably the motivating factor in why she became a spy.
It is interesting that this book is named The Cruel Prince because I would argue that nearly every male character in this book is cruel. All the male characters are unlikable and awful. The way they bully Jude is awful and it was hard for me to pinpoint exactly who Holly Black is referring to with the title.
I managed to guess some of the plot lines but that’s what I enjoy from a book like this. I knew there would be some plot twist coming and it was fun to try and work out what was going to happen. It reminded me of Game of Thrones in its violent and magical elements and I cannot wait to continue with the series.
What I loved about this book was it didn’t just focus on transracial adoption. Yes, transracial adoption is prominent without the story, but through this, author Lauren J. Sharkey explores a whole breadth of themes.
Lauren J. Sharkey’s debut novel follows a young girl named Rowan Kelly who was adopted by an American family from Korea when she was a little baby. The story focuses on her journey to adulthood and honestly depicts the struggles of an adoptee who wants to feel like someone’s first choice.
What this book does excellently, is it explores the hardships of teenage and young adult years. Everyone always says that your teenage years are your best years but it isn’t always what it's cracked up to be and Inconvenient Daughter explores this eloquently. When you are young you are vulnerable. You are trying to find yourself with a new sense of independence, and trying to be different whilst trying to fit in at the same time. It’s a difficult and confusing time. Young people are vulnerable to controlling, harmful and dangerous relationships because they want to experience their own independence and make decisions for themselves. Rowan finds herself in some awful situations and all her relationships are with people who don’t really love her but she sticks around because it's nice to feel wanted by someone. My heart breaks for her numerous times throughout the book.
Lauren J. Sharkey beautifully explores mother and daughter relationships in this book too and the transracial adoption theme is one that allows us to explore the difficulties in mother/daughter relationships. Without giving too much away, Rowan believes her mum hates her because she isn’t her real mother. Rowan believes that her adopted mum (and not her ‘BioMum’) could never fully love her like her own because she isn’t her biological daughter. It’s heartbreaking that Rowan would think like that and this belief, in my opinion, is what drives her to leave home and do some questionable things.
I think the journey that Rowan goes through as she tells us about her life, is one that by the end allows Rowan and us, as readers, to see the issues with her relationship with her mother and those she has held with other people. I think by the end, we are forced to question what we originally thought of both Rowan and her mother, and this journey was one I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
Lauren J. Sharkey’s debut novel follows a young girl named Rowan Kelly who was adopted by an American family from Korea when she was a little baby. The story focuses on her journey to adulthood and honestly depicts the struggles of an adoptee who wants to feel like someone’s first choice.
What this book does excellently, is it explores the hardships of teenage and young adult years. Everyone always says that your teenage years are your best years but it isn’t always what it's cracked up to be and Inconvenient Daughter explores this eloquently. When you are young you are vulnerable. You are trying to find yourself with a new sense of independence, and trying to be different whilst trying to fit in at the same time. It’s a difficult and confusing time. Young people are vulnerable to controlling, harmful and dangerous relationships because they want to experience their own independence and make decisions for themselves. Rowan finds herself in some awful situations and all her relationships are with people who don’t really love her but she sticks around because it's nice to feel wanted by someone. My heart breaks for her numerous times throughout the book.
Lauren J. Sharkey beautifully explores mother and daughter relationships in this book too and the transracial adoption theme is one that allows us to explore the difficulties in mother/daughter relationships. Without giving too much away, Rowan believes her mum hates her because she isn’t her real mother. Rowan believes that her adopted mum (and not her ‘BioMum’) could never fully love her like her own because she isn’t her biological daughter. It’s heartbreaking that Rowan would think like that and this belief, in my opinion, is what drives her to leave home and do some questionable things.
I think the journey that Rowan goes through as she tells us about her life, is one that by the end allows Rowan and us, as readers, to see the issues with her relationship with her mother and those she has held with other people. I think by the end, we are forced to question what we originally thought of both Rowan and her mother, and this journey was one I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
The Hungover Games is true-story about a young woman’s journey to motherhood. She became pregnant unexpectedly after one of her hook-ups and found herself single, pregnant and broke. Sophie Heawood talks through the highs and lows of being pregnant and a new mother in the modern world, with her brutally honest comedy shining through each story.
Being 24 and without children, there were moments in her story that was solely about her experience of pregnancy and early motherhood and I struggled to relate to what she was talking about. Yet there are definitely some lessons I can take and which are good to know for when I am a mother.
I always love hearing/reading about people’s dating lives to see laugh and relate to other people’s horrific and strange dating experiences because we’ve all had them and sometimes you can end up questioning whether you’re the only one.
I really enjoyed the little insights into the interviews she was having with extremely famous celebrities and her humour was absolutely fantastic. There were multiple times when I was genuinely creasing at her stories. One thing for certain is that her daughter is going to have such an amazing and fun life. She is going to grow up resilient and strong just like her mother.
Being 24 and without children, there were moments in her story that was solely about her experience of pregnancy and early motherhood and I struggled to relate to what she was talking about. Yet there are definitely some lessons I can take and which are good to know for when I am a mother.
I always love hearing/reading about people’s dating lives to see laugh and relate to other people’s horrific and strange dating experiences because we’ve all had them and sometimes you can end up questioning whether you’re the only one.
I really enjoyed the little insights into the interviews she was having with extremely famous celebrities and her humour was absolutely fantastic. There were multiple times when I was genuinely creasing at her stories. One thing for certain is that her daughter is going to have such an amazing and fun life. She is going to grow up resilient and strong just like her mother.
This book was gripping from the start but the way it was written was quite confusing and I just don't think it was for me. If you love all types of thrillers, you will enjoy this but I'm quite particular about my thrillers and this one just wasn't my type of book, unfortunately!