totallytales's Reviews (1.9k)

It's a dark, edgy and unpredictable read!

Alex Marwood is one of my must read-right-now authors and she does not disappoint with her latest novel a foray into the mind-blogging world of cults.

This is a thriller with layers, Marwood's writing absorbs you into their world from the beginning. The characters created are deeply unlikeable but I still found myself feeling empathetic towards them and I still had a dark fascination with what would become of them, which kept me turning the pages long after I should have turned the lights out. Romy's story from childhood to the present day and how it defines her is unforgettable.

This novel pushes the boundaries, takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you consider different perspectives. An utterly brilliant and thought-provoking read! I highly recommend it to fans of suspenseful psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book Group for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mysteries wrapped in mysteries, a spooky, chilling story with an interesting plot well worthing reading it you can get on board with its slightly far-fetched ending.

The rural setting combined with mysteries of a boarding creates a perfectly claustrophobic eerie atmospheric setting. You get that uneasy feeling in your stomach.

The characters are drawn so vividly you easily become invested in their stories and the girls are so different and written with such depth you can picture them all individually, they don't just blur into one character. As the twists and turns pile up so does your sense of dread.

I'm not a massive fan of supernatural books but the ghost story here is like icing on a cake to the suspense, it's not the justification of the spooky goings-on it just adds another element. Which in this case I found it really intriguing and very creepy.

It missed out on 5 stars because one of the stories threads feels overdone and out of the blue for me and it seemed a bit unnecessary to me. That being said it is still a gripping, haunting story and a wonderful piece of escapism.

Thanks to Netgalley & Headline for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

I laughed so much I cried and then I got my heart-broken which left me ugly crying. I was not at all prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions this book sent me on!

The writing is absolutely brilliant and I instantly became invested in these flawed characters (we are only human after all, no one is perfect!) in a loving but dysfunctional family. Cooper has a real talent for blending humor with heartbreak and is an exciting new voice in this genre - this was my first book of hers but it certainly won't be my last.

Luckily, my heart has been put back together again by this quirky, clever, poignant and powerful read. If I can be as bold to say it's almost as good as Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (one of my favourite books of all time!). Trust me - Pick up this book and a box of tissues and you won't regret it!! It's an unforgettable read that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Headline for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good, but I wanted so much more!

This was billed as a 'historical Me Before You' - one of my favourite books ever, this just didn't come close to those heights for me.

I loved the premise of this novel, based on a true story about a group of women in 1930's Kentucky bringing books to rural inhabitants under the WPA's Horseback Librarian program. I expected heroines, an epic landscape and a remarkable story. But it fell flat for me, I found it one dimensional, melodramatic and difficult to warm to the characters. The ending was implausible with everything being wrapped up perfectly, too perfectly.


It's not a terrible book but it wasn't the compelling read I was expecting... for me it was overhyped.