Starting in 1996, Lagos, Nigeria, we follow the lives of twin sisters Bibike and Ariyike as their lives are turned upside down due to the family's financial situation changing. The sisters and their two younger brothers are eventually abandoned on the doorstep of their grandmother, and more or less have to fend for themselves.

There were parts of this book I really loved such as the general setting of Lagos, Nigeria, and a look into a culture that is so different and colourful to the one I grew up. I love books set in Nigeria and I feel with each one, I'm seeing different parts of a fascinating country that has so much to offer in literature.

However, the story didn't flow as well for me as I wanted to do and I felt the slice of life-type sections we got with each sibling left more to be desired for me. I felt like between each chapters, I was left with more I wanted to know and I was missing parts of the siblings' lives and what shaped them and spurred on their decisions. Poverty, and what people will do to keep themselves safe and lift themselves out of desperation is a theme within the story - particularly Ariyike as she also finds herself involved with religion and sexuality. There were many things the characters did to survive that left me feeling a bit troubled, and worried about them and other people in their life. There are scenes of sexual nature in this book that involves a lot of questionable consent, as well as one scene of sexual assault that is witnessed by one of the main characters.

Narrator: Aoife McMahon (really great narration overall. The Irish characters were portrayed really well but the accents and voices used for any of the Canadian/North American characters was questionable).

The Island Child follows the troubled story of Oona who is forced to return to the Irish island of Inis when her daughter runs away. In her own magical way of storytelling that echoes the Irish folktales and mythology we grew up with, Oona weaves a tale of an island stuck in its old ways, and haunted by the fear of anything other. Of bitter people and regrets and women punished for simply being born a female in a man's world.

This was a really magical story that was full of the magical nature that comes with life on an island but combined with the cruelty and spite that can be human beings. It weaves in tragedy and regret, as well as mental trauma and sexual assault. There were times this was really hard to read, and the overall tone of the book is quite sad and sorrowful but this is a story for mothers and for daughters, and the complicated relationships that often occur between women.

I felt really engrossed in this story, and I found myself feeling so many things for Oona. As a child, I wanted to pluck her away from a mother who was cruel and spiteful (and remained so for the rest of her days), as a teenager I wanted to sit her down and explain to her the dangers of being a woman surrounded by men and to keep her spirit but also be careful of herself. And as a woman, I wanted to tell her she was okay, she wasn't spoiled and still had so much to offer. But as a mother, I often wanted to shake her and tell her to look after herself better so she could in turn care for her child.

Oona's mother Mary was probably one of the worst, wickedest characters I've read in a way that she was so real and I know there were so many women that were like her. Her unpleasant nature managed to sweep into the stories like the pages were dipped in poison and I could feel myself almost having a physical reaction every time she spat out some new negativity towards Oona.

This story left me feeling sad for the characters that the bitterness of the island affected so much of their life - for Pat and for Oona, and also Enda. The ending felt like a new wave in a way, and it ended on a note of hope which I liked. Pat and Oona deserved so much better and I like to think they got it.

A story about the women killed from one of the world's most notorious serial killers but a tale of their lives that bring light to their lives, their hardships, showcases their personalities and friendships and gives them back the dignity that the fame of their killer has erased.

"They are worth more to us than empty human shells we have taken them for: they were children who cried for their mothers; they were young women who fell in love; they endured childbirth and the deaths of parents; they laughed and celebrated Christmas. They argued with their siblings, they wept, they dreamed, they hurt, they enjoyed small triumphs."

I really loved this book, and getting a glimpse into not only the lives of the women who became famous for being slain but also just the way of life at the time in 1880s London. There are times I think about if I could time travel what era would I love to visit, and while this time might be nice for a day to walk the streets and see the hustle and bustle of an age-old London - it certainly would not be somewhere to stay as life seemed so, so hard.

The research that went into this book as well must have been so immense, I was just taken aback by all the detail that Hallie included in each story. I never found it too much or any parts tedious to be honest, I wanted to learn it all.

I think this book is a great one too for anyone with limited or a lot of knowledge of London. It was weirdly exciting for me, who has only ever been a tourist in London, to recognise places so I say if you live or know London well it must be even more fascinating to know what kind of things certain places were known for in the 1880s.

The way the author is easily able to refute the belief that all the women were prostitutes (and somehow it feels people aren't hit so hard by their brutal end) was just so well done, and she really brought who these women were to the fore, and the people they still had in their lives who loved and missed them, and grieved for them. They were not just names to be remembered because of something horrible but lives who had experienced lovely memories of love and laughter as well as tough ones of addiction and poverty.

"We have grown so comfortable with the notion of 'Jack the Ripper', the unfathomable, invincible male killer, that we have failed to recognise that he continues to walk among us."

This book is desperately sad and one of the main things i got out of it was the cruelty and danger of addiction. All of the women were alcoholics and for most of them this is what ultimately led to the point in their lives where they were vulnerable enough to be victims of a serial killer.

"By embracing him, we embrace the set of values that surrounded him in 1888 which teaches women that they are of a lesser value and can expect to be dishonoured and abused."

I really enjoyed reading this book, and learning about these women who were just flattened by life and unfortunately did not get the happy ending everyone deserves. I 100% think Hallie Rubenhold did her job right and gave these women back their lives in someway.

This book reminded me a bit as well of The Radium Girls by Kate Moore in that these women were brought to life on page, and they were given the room for their likes and dislikes, the intricacies of who they were to be explored in a way that was respectful to them.

3.5 stars.

CW: Bodily violence, death of a fetus, sexual assault, suicide, racism, xenophobia, use of the N-word.

When Grant County sheriff Jeffrey Tolliver is called to the scene of an apparent suicide, he calls in country coroner Sara (and his ex-wife/current girlfriend) to help examine the scene. Shortly afterwards, a pregnant woman is brutally mutilated near-by and the two believe the two acts of violence are connected.

As all Grant County books so far, I found this extremely disturbing in parts, the characters were frustrating as hell but it was also utterly addicting and I couldn't put it down. I gave the extra half star due to the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about reading this book when I wasn't reading it.

While this book is violent and gruesome, it wasn't as bad for me as the second book was for me - Kisscut. The only problem with this one was we knew the character who had such a terrible thing done to her, and it was very hard to read about. Part of me really wondered if it was necessary to have something like that happen to the character and to the family - it just felt so horrible and sad.

I do find the characters increasingly frustrating as Sara and Jeffrey are constantly in this 'are they/aren't they' dance with each other with constant snipes and reminders of their past when Jeffrey cheated. At this point, I hope this just stops because Sara needs to either get over it and move on with Jeffrey, trusting him again, or break things off completely and go her separate way.

I have previously mentioned that Lena I find hard to like, and saying that makes me feel like a terrible person because in truth, she is allowed to have so many struggles due to the horrible events in Blindsighted but god, she makes it hard. She chooses the wrong decision every time, and even when she is given moments to redeem herself, she always makes things worse.

While Ethan as a character was foul, I did think the sexual chemistry between them was strong even though it was coming from all the wrong places (abuse, power over each other, addiction). It was uncomfortable to read but at the same time I kind of wanted more? I'm not convinced we've seen the last of Ethan.

I've also said it before and I'll say it again, Lena often comes across homophobic in these books and I hate that a lot. She was a bit better in this one but not loads better.

At this point as well, I truly believe Grant County is filled with horrible people with a few good eggs scattered through. There's rampant racism, homophobic actions, xenophobia and a whole lot of misogyny thrown into the mix and I don't know why any of the character live there. Not to mention in the last year they've had two serial killers and a pedophilia ring...

3.5 stars.

The Fill-In Boyfriend follows the story of Gia, and her strange relationship with pretty much everyone in her life. Her college boyfriend dumps Gia at prom, before she can show him off to all her friends - and in doing so, prove he's a real person. Gia ends up enlisting a kind stranger in pretending he's her boyfriend and finds some interesting friendships along the way, and discovers some things she never knew about herself either.


I thought this was a really cute book! I flew through it, reading it in more or less one sitting. While I understood the concept of a new girl infiltrating a group of friends and trying to turn them all against one particular person, the action of Gia's friends and family definitely ended up taking off a .5 star for me.


Considering Gia has been friends with these girls for years, and in particular Claire, it's pretty awful that they would act the way they did when Jules tried to undermine Gia again and again and again. And the fact Claire would just go against her like that. Ugh, a bit unrealistic..and the fact that we didn't quite see the friendship mend was a little bit annoying.

As for Hayden and Gia's relationship, it was so cute. Hayden was such a decent lovely guy. His sister was a bit harsh towards Gia for a good while at the start of the book and it did irritate me a little bit but eventually I warmed up to her and obviously her relationship with Gia got better.

And as for Gia's parents, they were definitely a bit biased towards her brother, and it wad very harsh how they treated her compared to him. And I can't believe she never really confronted her parents about the GPS tracker in her phone, creepy much?

Overall, this was a super cute read and I did really enjoy it. I just wish the other people in Gia's life had been a tad more realistic and understandable. And that Jules had got her comeuppance...or a really bad acne breakout.

4.5 stars

Goddammit I really wanted to not like this book but i fricking loved it. And the more I read, the more I loved it!
Full review to come

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

In 2014, two young girls from a village in Utar Pradesh were reported missing. Their bodies were later found hanging from a tree in a nearby orchard and their families refused to move them, proclaiming the girls raped and murdered.

In The Good Girls, Sonia Faleiro takes a look at the case of the girls she names Padma and Lalli and where everything went wrong with their case from the very start, from the moment they took too long to come back from the fields they used for their toilet. The book also acts as a lens into the way sexual assault is viewed in India, and how difficult it still is to fairly investigate and charge culprits for.

What I appreciated about this book is the real look it took into how girls are treated in India, and i particular the poorer villages and families in India. A girl's honor is everything - to the point that when it was deemed Padma and Lalli had most likely died by suicide, people thought to themselves, "well, how could they have LET themselves live" after certain aspects of the case and potential sexual relationships came to light.

"And so, just like that, in less than an hour since they were gone, Padma was no longer the quick-tempered one. Lalli was no longer the faithful partner in crime. Who they were, and what had happened to them, was already less important than what their disappearance meant to the status of the people left behind."

It also is such an eye-opener on how so many people still live today and it's heartbreaking. Truly. There were times I woudl forget these events only took place 6 years ago because the way people lived felt like decades, if not a century ago. The poverty, the lack of education, the stifling and control of young women (for example it's improper for a girl to talk on a mobile phone?!), was just so backward.

I don't think this book was structured as well as it could have been. It felt a bit all over the place for me at times but I do have to point out that the author was dealing with a lot of reports and information - of which there were a lot of contradictory statements (the main eyewitness changed his statement a number of times, and still doesn't really seem to know what he actually saw that night).

There's also a bit in here around the Indian caste system and some Indian politics which is just a minefield, even if you do know a bit about it. So that was something that left my brain feeling jumbled.

I'm honestly not 100% sure if I'd recommend it to everyone to read - I think some people will like and others will be turned off by how all over the place the story and the case is.

A truly inspiring story about women who paved the way of scientific progress when there were so many barriers put in front of them by the world already; their education, their race, their gender. I loved learning about all of the women in this book and how women, and in particular, women of colour, were such core members of NACA's team as it eventually built itself into NASA.

It's infuriating that so many of these women were lost or forgotten a bit in history due to the true nature of many women which is to put your head down, and just work your best while forgetting to speak up and speak out about your true talents and progress. And also the assumption of men that the women shouldn't have gotten any credit for all the amazing projects they helped build with their amazing minds.

I would have liked more focus on the Mercury and Apollo era as I felt by the time we got to this point in history, the actual space exploration was a bit skipped over and didn't seem to get as much emphasis as the build up to NASA in the 40s and 50s.

I'm also not someone blessed with a mathematical brain, at all, so there were some science-y bits in this book that I definitely did not understand at all.

Josie Morgan has an odd problem. She has two much money after winning the Powerball lottery, and now her life is a series of annoying relatives begging for cash and her mother trying to set her up on dates with men only after her money. Thankfully, Josie has set up her home in the cosy, peaceful town of Autumnsboro and this Thanksgiving she's giving back by hosting a public Thanksgiving dinner for everyone on their own or in need of a hot meal and company.

This was a really sweet book that is the spiced chai latte you want for the Autumnal season but not too Christmassy just yet. There's definitely a bit of a 'poor little white girl' vibe from it because Josie's problems are a bit laughable in that she simply has too much money but otherwise a charmed life with a family who are all hail and healthy. But at the same time, Josie is a lovely character and someone who (even without her money) you'd want to be friends with.

The fake dating part in the book was done just right (though I went through a stage wondering if the fake boyfriend was going to be Moose, and I got excited thinking it was the perfect Gilmore Girls Luke and Lorelai match) and while I didn't like Riley at first, I warmed up to him a lot. He's someone who will appeal to a lot of readers I think - shy, introverted with a love of all things geek.

The writing, the setting, the characters were all small town loveliness and I'm definitely going to be reading more of Beth LaBonte's writing with a Reindeer Falls book all ready to go for my Christmas reading!

I would love more books in the Autumnboro series!