wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)

This is definitely a book for people who have left home and felt homesickness away from family and friends. A tale of finding yourself a new place but making it somewhere you can call home.

Brooklyn is about a young Irish woman called Eilish (I-LISCH) who travels to American to make a better life for herself when 1950s country life in Ireland isn't offering her any opportunity for a better future. Eilish soon finds herself settling into the strange life she's found herself and Brooklyn and even experiences falling in love. But tragedy strikes and when Eilish returns home she's faced with the choice of two different lives - returning to Brooklyn and leaving behind her family and her true home. Or staying in Ireland, a place that her heart and soul loves but can't offer her what she needs.

While this was a bit slow-going at first, I soon found the writing style in this book really lovely. There was a soft lilting tone to the way Colm Toibin was able to tell Eilish's story and it was very lulling and gentle and I really enjoyed reading it. I really felt for Eilish, who without really wanting to found herself uprooted and completely alone, thousands of miles from her. Overall, I did find her a rather stoic and serious character. And I thought it funny at the times where she found her voice and became very stubborn how she was able to do that in a strange country yet when she was at home in Ireland she became rather voiceless in front of her mother and Rose.

I also enjoyed how Eilish was Irish but not overruled by her typical Irish Catholic faith. She went out with Tony and enjoyed a bit of kissing and caressing. I did find it funny how Catholic she suddenly became after the bold thing and forced Tony to go to confession, and went herself. But she was definitely in charge of herself when it came to relationships and sex and seemed to know what she wanted. She wasn't too innocent like we sometimes see with young girls and their first time in books. I also found the sex scene, particularly because it was her first time, to be very realistic. It was definitely refreshing.

I'm not sure if the love triangle in this book really qualifies as a love triangle. It's more of a love triangle between Eilish and two different worlds. She had such a terrible decision that she had to make, even though she had more or less forced her hand before she even returned home. While I really liked Tony and thought he was a really lovely guy, I couldn't help but root for Jim a bit as I found him, in the end, to be very charming.

I do think Eilish would have stayed home if she hadn't of married Tony. She would have been a nice fit for Jim, had her job in Mr.Brown's and also been able to be with Nancy and George, and her mother of course. Also, very annoying that it was Eilish was was pressured to return home for good and none of her brothers who lived much much closer.)

I think I would have liked a bit more of a conclusion. I think it's open a bit to interpretation. Did Eilish agree with the choice she made or did she feel forced by obligation? Would she always look back and think of the life she could have had with the person she left behind? I would have really loved an epilogue or something of an older Eilish looking back.

Me Before You is one of my all-time favourite books and I'm sure many people feel the same as me when they think about how the book could possibly have a sequel that could measure up to the heartwarming yet heartbreaking first book. While After You definitely didn't pack the same punch as it's prequel, I still really enjoyed it.

Lou is one of those characters you really what to know more about. And I'm so happy JoJo Moyes wrote more of her story. I really wanted to know how Lou was doing after the events of Me Before You and all I could for was that she was living well. I was a bit disappointed, Lou was a bit of a mess. And not in the way she was at the start of Me Before You. Now she'd lost her spunk and her sparkle. Her crazy clothes were all packed away, she was working a frankly terrible job and oh yeah, she'd fallen off a roof and almost died. I found myself internally yelling at Lou. How could she have stuck herself in this rut again, how could this be what Will wanted. And of course, it wasn't what he wanted at all.

I loved Lou's slow struggle to pull herself back together. Get over the guilt of what had happened and how to move on and learn to live, and love, again. I was glad she went to the support group, full of people feeling the same kind of pain and I felt her pain was very much realistic. She wasn't going to bounce back into happy Lou again. These things take time, some longer than others.

I wasn't very pleased with the arrival of Lily. In fact, I was pretty pissed. I don't know what it is with that kind of storyline but I hate it. Every time they do it in TV shows or an author does it in a book I want to rip my hair out but that's just a personal peeve of mine. I'm sure there's a lot of people who loved it. Lily was definitely the kind of teenager everyone hates though. The 'I'm so rich but so misunderstood' and then greedy, spoiled and messy and took everything for granted including Lou's free hospitality. I wanted to smack her. I did like the relationship she did have with Lou but I do think Lou felt way too much responsibility for Lily.

And I didn't think there could be a love interest in this book that could measure up to Will. How could I replace anyone with Will in mine and Lou's heart. There was no way anyone could be good enough but then along came Sam the Ambulance Man. Hero and sweetheart. I totally fell in love with his gentle giant cuteness and the way he always handled Lou with such understanding and care. If there's ever another book about Lou, all I can hope is her proper happy ever after with Sam in the house he built with the hands that put her back together after her fall and after Will with their chickens.

Oh and after two books I still detest Lou's sister Treena. So self-righteous and moany and bitchy and just downright UGH. I wouldn't miss her at all if she just disappeared from the books.

I almost forgot to add that I love how JoJo Moyes uses her books to bring attention to certain issues and discussions going on in current media. Obviously Me Before You brought up the controversial decision of assisted suicide and the rights and wrongs of it and After You dealt with revenge porn and as well I felt like it highlighted the harassment paramedics have to deal with on a daily basis when they're doing their job and the danger their job sometimes puts them in.

3.5 stars.

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

When weird weather suddenly breaks out across New York and climate change seems to come full force, Lilah is shocked when it appears her dad may have something to do with it. Hidden away in a family cottage with her younger sister and then taken into a top secret research facility, Lilah needs to find out what's going on and how to protect herself and your younger sister, and also how her health may be linked to her father's projects.

This book actually surprised me and I ended up quite enjoying it. It was fast-paced and informative for the most part and it really left me constantly wondering what characters I could trust, and who I didn't trust. I definitely got sucked into the story and Lilah had me running along right beside her most of the time.

One of the faults I had with this book was actually Lilah and Daniel's relationship. It was probably just me, and because I never really warmed to Daniel, but I found all of their interactions very forced and I just felt like there was no chemistry between them. It was really the case of Daniel being the only guy around so of course they'd end up in a relationship. I would have been happy enough with Daniel just being a friend. I also didn't like Meena who was a pretty crappy friend all round. Who leaves their friend in the middle of the woods, on their own, with their dad on the run and is just like "sorry, can't talk to you ever again" even though they've nothing to do what's going on. What a cow.

I really liked the revelations at the end, though I definitely guessed them or at least had a strong suspicion, and i would definitely read another book about the Stellow project if one came out.

3.5 stars

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Lorrie lives in a dilapidated mansion with her aunt and sister. All Lorrie cares about in the world is making something of herself and her horse Orion but when money suddenly becomes tighter than usual, Lorrie has to start investigating matters and try to save everything in the process.

I enjoyed this for the most part. I liked Lorrie and her personality, and I definitely loved all the bits around horses and horse-riding. I teared up a lot when Lorrie was faced with having to let go of Orion. The story became a bit predictable at parts but I didn't really mind and i felt it played out well in the end. I do feel it took a while for the plot to unravel,there seemed to be a lot of build up around Lorrie and Charlie's relationship and money issues etc before she really started to look into some family matters. I also feel that Lorrie didn't really 'solve' anything, everything just kind of came together (or fell apart depending how you look at it). I also felt a huge amount of frustration during this book as well because of how Susannah and Gigi were so blasé about the money problems. I wanted to shake them a bit so job well done to the author.

Overall, a good read and I would recommend to people who liked We Were Liars. There's not so much a mysterious 'what the hell is going on' aura around Edgewater the way there is in WWL but there'a the rich community of people living privileged lives and dealing with stuff when shit hits the fan, basically.

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Molly's son Joey went missing while on a solo sail five years ago. Now, Molly is back in Cornwall, the last place her son was, for a family holiday as what remains of her family try and get back to normal. But Molly can't let go of Joey and feels like until she finds his body, she can never be at peace. She sets out to try and bring her son home.

While this was an emotional and heartfelt read, I kind of felt like it was too much. There was such a huge emphasis on Molly's grief and how overwhelming it was. It's terrible to be judging someone's grief but it was like Molly forgot that other people had lost Joey too, and she didn't care that she was wrecking everyone else's holiday and not letting them move on. It was as if she thought her grief was far more powerful and outweighed theirs. I also felt that the hints of the 'creepiness' and supernatural element felt a tiny bit out of place. I think the author should have gone all in with this one, or left it out all together. It just didn't work for me that much.

I was also a bit horrified at how Joey died in the end. Did he really have to suffer and starve to death in a cave and in so much pain? I was kind of hoping he'd been shot dead, clean and quick, by the drug dealers.

I liked the era this was set in and how Magnus kept being warned about the Wall Street crash. I also love his secret bar..SO Magnus! It was also interesting to see Magnus play around with altering and erasing memories for the first time in the books.

Gah, I loved this one! I always thought that Raphael was such an interesting and complex character and to see how he started off as a Downworlder was great. There was so much feeling and character-building in this short story. I really felt for Raphael in his struggles. This one has to be one of my favourites so far!

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

It's the summer of 1969 and 14-year-old Evie Boyd is about to go through a troublesome transition from teenage child to young woman. Dreading the introduction of boarding school, bored with her best friend, Evie becomes enamoured with a group of young women who seem confident and carefree. Soon Evie is sucked into their world and falls under the control of an older man called Russell. Based on the Charles Manson/Manson Family murders, this is a story of growing up, exploring yourself and the dangers of seduction.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I found young Evie's voice very easy to read and I read the story a lot quicker than I thought I would. I really got sucked into Evie's tales of The Ranch and how she she was looked after by Russell and Suzanne. The storytelling was so vivid and I really felt like i was there with Evie through everything.Evie was going through a transition - noticing the older boys around her, exploring her own body with both sexual acts and drug use and realising what it was like to be a girl in the world.

"That was part of being a girl - you were resigned to whatever feedback you'd get. If you get mad, you were crazy, and if you didn't react, you were a bitch. The only thing you could was smile from the corner they'd backed you into. Implicate yourself in the joke even if the joke was always on you."

This novel is loosely based on the Manson Family murders, which I believe also happened in 1969 and about a commune or family that were all under the control of a man called Charles Manson. I found Russell in this to be very scary but at the same time I could see how he could gather young girls into his arms and brainwash them into staying and cherishing him. His character was very well-developed and even though he didn't actually appear in a lot of scenes himself, it still felt like he was there.

"They didn't have very far to fall - I knew just being a girl in the world handicapped your ability to believe yourself."

Evie's sexuality and her foray into her sexuality was interesting to follow. I would come to the conclusion that she was bisexual considering her feelings towards Pete but then the stronger ones with Suzanne. But she also did live with a man afterwards though at times, I felt a sexual chemistry between older Evie and Sasha. There is a lot of drug use and some graphic sex scenes in this so warning to anyone who doesn't like this kind of stuff. I thought it was written well though and was vivid without being too vulgar.

The only real problem I had with the book was older Evie's POV. I felt like it took away at times from the story. I would have preferred to stay in '69 rather than jump forward 20 years and see Evie look on at Julian and Sasha. I do feel like Cline was trying to show a parallel between Russell and his girls and the way Julian acted with Sasha - a casual control and an edge of cruelty. There wasn't a whole lot separating them yet Evie couldn't do anything to save Sasha, much like she couldn't do anything to save Suzanne from Russell's influence.