3.5 stars

4.5 stars

CW: Violence, gun-use, violence against animals (hunting), drug use - recreational and medicinal, mental health downward spiral.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publishers/author via Netgalley.

Magdalena is running away from a glamorous NYC life that has turned sour and is staying with her grandparents for the summer. It doesn't take long for Magda to fall in with the old crown of rich kids she knew as a child, but she also meets a stranger in the woods one day while out hiking. As Magda begins to learn about Bo and his strange upbringing in the forest, bodies begin to be found in the wilderness.

This book did end up surprising me, and really hooked me in from the get go. I actually wasn't too sure of the plot of the book going into it and this worked out well for me because as soon as Magda met Bo, and we found out he was from some sort of bohemian, survivalist family living in the wild, all those buzz receptors went off in my brain. I love stories that focus on survival (particularly surviving in the woods) and love anything to do with survivalist gangs/cults/families so I knew this was going to be a book for me!

Magda/Lena is a strange character and not a character I can wholeheartedly say I liked. She was definitely intriguing and I really liked the mystery of her and why she had to leave her old life behind and come stay with her grandparents (also this book suffers HEAVILY from absentee parents/family - laughably so). It was intense to see the downward spiral Magda takes when she stops taking her meds properly, and I'm not sure if this would be triggering for some people so just a warning for those that might find it hard. I did like that though Magda did come off her meds against a (hospital) doctor's orders, she does stress in the book that this wasn't a healthy thing to do and it did go against all the medical knowledge she knew.

Magda's journal was a really great addition to this story - to the point where it almost became its own character due to its omnipresence and the hidden danger/secrets it always seemed to hold.

The reveals in the end didn't really shock me too much as I had put some stuff together in my head but I still think it was all really well done, and did leave me on the edge reading it as fast as I could so I knew everything that happened.

I think this was a strong YA thriller that will leave people feeling gripped. Definitely different to other Josephine Angelini books I've read in the end, but I loved it.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publishers/author via NetGalley.

Julia has given up on her romance life, believing that she's just not very good at sex when she comes to the realisation that maybe it's not her, but the men she's been sleeping with. After a night with a woman, Julia realises that she is, in fact, a lesbian and steps into a bright, new life full of LGBT+ swing dancing, SM clubs and fisting - yes, fisting.

This is a laugh-out-loud, raucous story about a young woman really coming to understand who she is, and who she wants to be as she finally accepts her sexuality and loudly announces it to the world. I have to say - this story is NOT for anyone faint of heart when it comes to sexual things, or anyone who doesn't really like vulgar descriptions or words used in stories because this has it all. I honestly know a little bit more about fisting than I ever want to, and I'm now side-eying people on the train, wondering if they are the type of accountant to go to an SM club at the weekend and wear a gimp mask.

This book contains a bounce of energy to it, and you can't help but be swept up alongside Julia as she proudly steps into her new lesbian life and radiates a newfound confidence. I really liked how it was no big deal really for her as she came out to friends and family (though realistically, I know many people do not have such easy coming out experiences) and I really felt like there was so much great character progression for Julia throughout the story.

Julia's relationship with Sam is the big 'love story' in the novel, and I liked how Kate Davies was able to really showcase a relationship that was unhealthy in a way that wasn't in your face abusive or emotionally manipulative, and how easy it is for people to enter and stay in relationships that aren't good for them. I think I personally would have liked the relationship to wrap up a bit sooner than it did, so there was a bit more healing time and a bit more time with Julia and

Carys

near the end.

I also just really loved the little side plot of Julia's letters from Eric - an OAP who writes letters to the civil service to complain but ends up becoming pen pals with Julia. It was just really sweet and every letter from him made me smile, even though it was a tiny bit in the overall book.

This is a great romp of a book for people who don't want to take their reading too seriously, and just want to have a good time with some funny characters who like to have a lot of loud sex (and may even let you watch!).

3.5 stars

I received this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kissing the Witch is a fabulous collection of short stories that are all reimaginings of the classic fairytales we all know and love. From Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, as well as The Goose Girl and Rumpelstiltskin, Emma Donoghue frames the women of the story in a brave new light and
finally makes them the heroines of their own tale.

I loved the style of this collection and how each story led into the other - for example, at the end of Cinderella, she turned to her fairy godmother and asked her story, and that's how we led into the second tale and the next and the next. Each character was connected in some way and it was so beautifully and masterfully woven.

These tales are not all sweetness and light because women are not the gentle, frightful creatures that some fairytales try and betray us as. Some of the the characters were conniving and got ahead by tricking and manipulating others, some made their bed and then realised they didn't want to lie in it. All parts of being real and human. There were little to none male characters, or a least none that made big impacts top the story, which I loved. All the power in these stories was with the characters themselves, and they wove their tales the way they wanted to.