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wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)
2.5 stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
We Are Not Ourselves focuses on the life of Eileen Tumulty. Born to Irish parents in New York, Eileen strives to make a better life for herself and a better marriage. The book follows Eileen through childhood, young womanhood, marriage, children and all the ups and downs in between. Eileen eventually becomes Eileen Leary, wife to Ed and mother to Connell.
I thought this book would be a real insight into Eileen's life but at times I felt like a stranger watching through a blurry window, not 100% sure what I was looking at, or what I should be looking at. Despite being with Eileeen through so much, I actually felt very little connection to her.
I also thought the book was too long. Some parts of Eileen's life were skimmed over, and others parts of it just had too much focus. It was so packed with words, it was difficult to read at times, huge chunks could have been taken out without a negative effect to the story as a whole. It was just too long, and too far from what I thought it would be. I found myself getting bored a lot with it, and when I came back to it after putting it down, and reading another book, I felt I didn't really care if I finished it or not.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
We Are Not Ourselves focuses on the life of Eileen Tumulty. Born to Irish parents in New York, Eileen strives to make a better life for herself and a better marriage. The book follows Eileen through childhood, young womanhood, marriage, children and all the ups and downs in between. Eileen eventually becomes Eileen Leary, wife to Ed and mother to Connell.
I thought this book would be a real insight into Eileen's life but at times I felt like a stranger watching through a blurry window, not 100% sure what I was looking at, or what I should be looking at. Despite being with Eileeen through so much, I actually felt very little connection to her.
I also thought the book was too long. Some parts of Eileen's life were skimmed over, and others parts of it just had too much focus. It was so packed with words, it was difficult to read at times, huge chunks could have been taken out without a negative effect to the story as a whole. It was just too long, and too far from what I thought it would be. I found myself getting bored a lot with it, and when I came back to it after putting it down, and reading another book, I felt I didn't really care if I finished it or not.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Kelly has always thought her life was pretty perfect. She has a gorgeous and dedicated doctor boyfriend and a great career as a cookbook ghostwriter but things come crashing down when Kelly's mom suddenly passes away and leave her a letter telling her to shake things up and live life with no regrets. The next day, Kelly finds herself taking a job offer for Natasha Spencer, a very famous actress, and moving across the water to London for a whole year.
I enjoyed this book to an extent. The writing was good and detailed and I really liked Kelly's experimentation with all of the recipes. I'm not someone who enjoys cooking but I still enjoyed reading about the different ingredients used and how they changed the taste of the food. It would have been nice for Kelly to see a bit more of London while she was there and ingratiate herself into a group of friends a bit more. Normally with these kinds of novels, the protagonist finds herself a small group of friends she bonds with and can chat to and have some adventures with. Kelly was very isolated, and in a toxic environment, and I think this made my mood a darken a little bit while reading it. It would have been nice for Olga and Kelly to bond more, I felt like a nice relationship kept being hinted at and it just never happened.
And Natasha, oh my goodness. It's been a while since I hated a character so much and since a character has irritated me that much. I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle her. She, and Poppy, reminded me a tiny bit of Miranda Priestly, especially because Poppy acted like Miranda's assistant Emily, both in her attitude towards her job and towards Kelly.
I knocked off a few points on the ratings (this was originally going to be 3.5-4 stars) because of the relationship between Kelly and Hugh. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. I always suspected it wasn't going to end up great and I hate that, even though he wasn't necessarily a bad guy, he managed to get away with everything, I would have liked some kind of epilogue showing that Kelly did get her book deal for definite but maybe there will be a sequel. Overall, I was impressed with the writing style and strength and despite some of my problems, I enjoyed the story.
Kelly has always thought her life was pretty perfect. She has a gorgeous and dedicated doctor boyfriend and a great career as a cookbook ghostwriter but things come crashing down when Kelly's mom suddenly passes away and leave her a letter telling her to shake things up and live life with no regrets. The next day, Kelly finds herself taking a job offer for Natasha Spencer, a very famous actress, and moving across the water to London for a whole year.
I enjoyed this book to an extent. The writing was good and detailed and I really liked Kelly's experimentation with all of the recipes. I'm not someone who enjoys cooking but I still enjoyed reading about the different ingredients used and how they changed the taste of the food. It would have been nice for Kelly to see a bit more of London while she was there and ingratiate herself into a group of friends a bit more. Normally with these kinds of novels, the protagonist finds herself a small group of friends she bonds with and can chat to and have some adventures with. Kelly was very isolated, and in a toxic environment, and I think this made my mood a darken a little bit while reading it. It would have been nice for Olga and Kelly to bond more, I felt like a nice relationship kept being hinted at and it just never happened.
And Natasha, oh my goodness. It's been a while since I hated a character so much and since a character has irritated me that much. I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle her. She, and Poppy, reminded me a tiny bit of Miranda Priestly, especially because Poppy acted like Miranda's assistant Emily, both in her attitude towards her job and towards Kelly.
I knocked off a few points on the ratings (this was originally going to be 3.5-4 stars) because of the relationship between Kelly and Hugh. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. I always suspected it wasn't going to end up great and I hate that, even though he wasn't necessarily a bad guy, he managed to get away with everything, I would have liked some kind of epilogue showing that Kelly did get her book deal for definite but maybe there will be a sequel. Overall, I was impressed with the writing style and strength and despite some of my problems, I enjoyed the story.
3.5 Stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Josie's life isn't going the way she expected to. Her boyfriend Will has abandoned his job to grow vegetables and look after abandoned donkeys. Her friend Lara is more focused on her crying baby than listening to her best friend's woes, and she is about a centimetre away from losing her job on top of everything else. Luckily, it's Josie's 27th birthday and she's about to inherit a book of spells from her grandmother. But is the family tale really true? Could Josie use spells to her advantage and fix everything? Or does magic always come with a price?
If you're looking for a light, fast-paced and comedic read, this is it. Josie does what everyone thinks she will do and ends up in some pretty funny scenarios with absolutely no idea how to get out of them. This would make a pretty funny chick-flick as well as an entertaining read. Josie definitely got on my nerves at times, it seems like she lacked a lot of understanding for those who were doing things wrong (in her point of view). She was a lot more concerned for money than her boyfriend's happiness, not to mention the fact that she hadn't even bothered to venture out to see what it was he was actually doing. And her feelings about Lara and Olly, and her mum and Del. bordered on extremely selfish. Despite everything, there were, at points, times I could sympathise with Josie. She just wanted life to go the way she planned it. And that's not too much to ask for, is it?
The humour was great in this book but at time it felt almost too much and too ridiculous. I think it could have been toned just a tiny bit and, like is mentioned at one point, it would have strayed away from seeming like an episode of Carry On.
Overall, a great read for a bit of respite away from heavier books.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Josie's life isn't going the way she expected to. Her boyfriend Will has abandoned his job to grow vegetables and look after abandoned donkeys. Her friend Lara is more focused on her crying baby than listening to her best friend's woes, and she is about a centimetre away from losing her job on top of everything else. Luckily, it's Josie's 27th birthday and she's about to inherit a book of spells from her grandmother. But is the family tale really true? Could Josie use spells to her advantage and fix everything? Or does magic always come with a price?
If you're looking for a light, fast-paced and comedic read, this is it. Josie does what everyone thinks she will do and ends up in some pretty funny scenarios with absolutely no idea how to get out of them. This would make a pretty funny chick-flick as well as an entertaining read. Josie definitely got on my nerves at times, it seems like she lacked a lot of understanding for those who were doing things wrong (in her point of view). She was a lot more concerned for money than her boyfriend's happiness, not to mention the fact that she hadn't even bothered to venture out to see what it was he was actually doing. And her feelings about Lara and Olly, and her mum and Del. bordered on extremely selfish. Despite everything, there were, at points, times I could sympathise with Josie. She just wanted life to go the way she planned it. And that's not too much to ask for, is it?
The humour was great in this book but at time it felt almost too much and too ridiculous. I think it could have been toned just a tiny bit and, like is mentioned at one point, it would have strayed away from seeming like an episode of Carry On.
Overall, a great read for a bit of respite away from heavier books.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Ayla lives in a world where the leaders of her land can transform into terrifying but beautiful beasts. Ayla also happens to be the ruler's daughter and is his only living child capable of changing which means her father has taking the right to be heir of Ayla's brother, and given it to Ayla...and she really doesn't want it. After arguing with her father, Ayla is locked up and then the night she escapes, her father is brutally murdered. On the run, and wrongly suspected of murder, Ayla needs all the help she can get, even if it's with the man who killed her mother.
This was one of those kind of books that after one chapter, I knew I was going to be completely enthralled. I mean, a world where one of the main characters can transform into a golden horse with a spiral horse and wings made of flame...awesome! I found the world and city the story was set in pretty interesting, and the way the city was laid out reminded me a little bit of Trudi Canavan's The Black Magician trilogy. I enjoyed pretty much all the POVs, with a particular favourite being Tom Caraway's and Ayla. Myrren and Serenna grew a little bit too soppy at points but they weren't too bad. There was enough action and mystery to keep me going, and I did jump around a few times to finally settle on who I believed was the mysterious Changer.
The book lost a star for me for how quickly some things seemed to wrap up. For all of the book, Ayla had been resenting Tom and he had purely helped her because of his loyalty to her family and his remorse over her mother. While the reader was told that Ayla had once fancied Tom, there no real sense of any flickers of attraction there until the very end where Ayla is rather blunt about the whole thing and Tom just goes along with it (even though there was pretty much nothing about how he felt about Ayla in that way in the rest of the story). I just would have liked this relationship to have built up more in terms of attraction and 'moments', like Serenna and Myrren's. I also felt this book was often a victim of the readers being told something, rather than shown. Travers repeatedly called Myrren weak and afraid, the same with Ayla talking about Tom's hangdog expression. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this in the character's actions. I also would have liked more Changing in general but for reasons, Ayla trying to stay hidden, I understand why she couldn't.
This was a great fantasy debut, and I can only hope there is more to come!
Ayla lives in a world where the leaders of her land can transform into terrifying but beautiful beasts. Ayla also happens to be the ruler's daughter and is his only living child capable of changing which means her father has taking the right to be heir of Ayla's brother, and given it to Ayla...and she really doesn't want it. After arguing with her father, Ayla is locked up and then the night she escapes, her father is brutally murdered. On the run, and wrongly suspected of murder, Ayla needs all the help she can get, even if it's with the man who killed her mother.
This was one of those kind of books that after one chapter, I knew I was going to be completely enthralled. I mean, a world where one of the main characters can transform into a golden horse with a spiral horse and wings made of flame...awesome! I found the world and city the story was set in pretty interesting, and the way the city was laid out reminded me a little bit of Trudi Canavan's The Black Magician trilogy. I enjoyed pretty much all the POVs, with a particular favourite being Tom Caraway's and Ayla. Myrren and Serenna grew a little bit too soppy at points but they weren't too bad. There was enough action and mystery to keep me going, and I did jump around a few times to finally settle on who I believed was the mysterious Changer.
The book lost a star for me for how quickly some things seemed to wrap up. For all of the book, Ayla had been resenting Tom and he had purely helped her because of his loyalty to her family and his remorse over her mother. While the reader was told that Ayla had once fancied Tom, there no real sense of any flickers of attraction there until the very end where Ayla is rather blunt about the whole thing and Tom just goes along with it (even though there was pretty much nothing about how he felt about Ayla in that way in the rest of the story). I just would have liked this relationship to have built up more in terms of attraction and 'moments', like Serenna and Myrren's. I also felt this book was often a victim of the readers being told something, rather than shown. Travers repeatedly called Myrren weak and afraid, the same with Ayla talking about Tom's hangdog expression. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this in the character's actions. I also would have liked more Changing in general but for reasons, Ayla trying to stay hidden, I understand why she couldn't.
This was a great fantasy debut, and I can only hope there is more to come!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Hero Born tells the story of Brann, an ordinary boy who is captured by slave traders and ends up being a rower on a pirate-turned-slaving ship. Under the care of stern but kind Captain, Brann soon ends up discovering that he has skills that better suit the battle field than his father's mill. Brann ends up in lands farther than he could have ever imagined and caught up in battles he could only ever dream of fighting.
This was a really good start to a fantasy series. From the start I was really intrigued and couldn't wait to see what happened.. Brann's time on the ship is very detailed and it's obvious a lot of investigation went in to getting it exactly right. I really enjoyed both the storyline on the ship and on land but I think I preferred how Brann's storyline progressed when they travelled to Lord Raggnar and Lord Sigur, There was nice world-building but not all at once. Brann was pretty good at describing what he was seeing in all its splendor due to his curiosity but I also liked that the reader got an idea of how the kingdom worked through the Captain explaining it to Brann.
Brann was an extremely likable character and it's easy to see how he ended up making so many friends. His friendship with Gerens, Konall and Konall's page (whose name is escaping me right now) was lovely and seemed to help replace the friendship Brann had with his brother. The Captain was very intriguing, he wasn't quite a hero being the captain of a slave ship (even if he was 'forced' into it by his circumstances) but he wasn't an anti-hero either. He certainly had a very interesting background and I'm looking forward to seeing him take Brann under his wing properly in the second book and maybe teach him a bit of fighting. Konall was also an exciting character to read about. He definitely became one of my favourites which is funny as I didn't like him at all when Brann first met him. His character development was great and his affection towards Brann was pretty heart-warming. And then Gerens and Grakk, both slaves but both become fierce friends and defenders of Brann. Both characters were great additions to Brann's friend group (and the original additions).
I did find the overall pace of the book slightly slow at times, in particular when Brann and Konall teamed up for their rescue mission. The build-up to them getting to the village was very long, as was their coming back and it began to bore me and I just wanted a bit more action in those parts. I was also disappointed at the lack of female characters in the book. It would have been great to have actually seen a woman fighting when there had been talk of them being able to do so.
Overall, a great fantasy book and I can't wait for the next one!
Hero Born tells the story of Brann, an ordinary boy who is captured by slave traders and ends up being a rower on a pirate-turned-slaving ship. Under the care of stern but kind Captain, Brann soon ends up discovering that he has skills that better suit the battle field than his father's mill. Brann ends up in lands farther than he could have ever imagined and caught up in battles he could only ever dream of fighting.
This was a really good start to a fantasy series. From the start I was really intrigued and couldn't wait to see what happened.. Brann's time on the ship is very detailed and it's obvious a lot of investigation went in to getting it exactly right. I really enjoyed both the storyline on the ship and on land but I think I preferred how Brann's storyline progressed when they travelled to Lord Raggnar and Lord Sigur, There was nice world-building but not all at once. Brann was pretty good at describing what he was seeing in all its splendor due to his curiosity but I also liked that the reader got an idea of how the kingdom worked through the Captain explaining it to Brann.
Brann was an extremely likable character and it's easy to see how he ended up making so many friends. His friendship with Gerens, Konall and Konall's page (whose name is escaping me right now) was lovely and seemed to help replace the friendship Brann had with his brother. The Captain was very intriguing, he wasn't quite a hero being the captain of a slave ship (even if he was 'forced' into it by his circumstances) but he wasn't an anti-hero either. He certainly had a very interesting background and I'm looking forward to seeing him take Brann under his wing properly in the second book and maybe teach him a bit of fighting. Konall was also an exciting character to read about. He definitely became one of my favourites which is funny as I didn't like him at all when Brann first met him. His character development was great and his affection towards Brann was pretty heart-warming. And then Gerens and Grakk, both slaves but both become fierce friends and defenders of Brann. Both characters were great additions to Brann's friend group (and the original additions).
I did find the overall pace of the book slightly slow at times, in particular when Brann and Konall teamed up for their rescue mission. The build-up to them getting to the village was very long, as was their coming back and it began to bore me and I just wanted a bit more action in those parts. I was also disappointed at the lack of female characters in the book. It would have been great to have actually seen a woman fighting when there had been talk of them being able to do so.
Overall, a great fantasy book and I can't wait for the next one!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Edie Dickens has it all as far as she's concerned. A great job doing what she loves - being a shark of a divorce lawyer with a reputation as ice cold and a repertoire of successful cases, a beautiful home and a good income. Edie doesn't need love, marriage or any of the mush that comes with it. It's hard enough having to go to all her friend's weddings and play bridesmaid then have one of her own. Edie thinks life is great until she's visited by the ghost of her old friend Jessica Marley who tells Edie that if she doesn't get her act together and be nicer and thaw out her heart, she's facing an afterlife of misery. Edie is about to be visited by three ghosts and she's not sure if she wants to see what they have to show her.
First off, the whole idea of this story is genius. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol meets chick lit. Yes. Plus the names of the characters just made me so happy - Edie Dickens, Jessica Marley, Timmy, Jack Twist. Yes. I laughed out loud at Edie's ghost chain being made out of glitter boas and penis straws as a sign of all the times she was the sourpuss at the hen parties. Edie was very much a Scrooge. She was cold, calculating and downright mean without seeing what she was doing wrong and it certainly took her a lot of convincing to prove it to her. She is definitely quite hard to like as it does take a while for her to really warm up and much like Jack see, she does crack sometimes and show the softness she's constantly holding back but sh just patched up the crack, said something bitchy and then I was back to hating her.
There were times were I felt like the book was written to give some cheap laughs and not all of it was totally realistic, asides from the whole being haunted by ghosts of weddings thing. I've read my fair share of 'chick lit' and I enjoy it for the most part as I did this book but there were definitely times that I groaned a bit at the cliches. I also felt a bit off at the slight accusation that because Edie didn't believe in marriage, she was an ice queen. I agree that her take on love was very much bitchface but that doesn't mean she has to believe in marriage and babies and all that jazz. And just because she was good at her job didn't mean she was a cold stone bitch too.
I would have liked more emphasis on Edie's abseil, I felt like the actual event just popped up out of nowhere though maybe this was on purpose to show Edie's lack of thought and proper planning that went with it. An epilogue of how Edie's relationship with Rachel and Jack, not to mention her dad, wouldn't have gone amiss for me either,
I really liked Jack and how steady he was in wanting to see the real Edie. I did feel like the pair were running around in circles at times and it was frustrating but eventually it seemed to settle well enough for me. Overall, a great piece of fun reading with a Dickens' twist!
Edie Dickens has it all as far as she's concerned. A great job doing what she loves - being a shark of a divorce lawyer with a reputation as ice cold and a repertoire of successful cases, a beautiful home and a good income. Edie doesn't need love, marriage or any of the mush that comes with it. It's hard enough having to go to all her friend's weddings and play bridesmaid then have one of her own. Edie thinks life is great until she's visited by the ghost of her old friend Jessica Marley who tells Edie that if she doesn't get her act together and be nicer and thaw out her heart, she's facing an afterlife of misery. Edie is about to be visited by three ghosts and she's not sure if she wants to see what they have to show her.
First off, the whole idea of this story is genius. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol meets chick lit. Yes. Plus the names of the characters just made me so happy - Edie Dickens, Jessica Marley, Timmy, Jack Twist. Yes. I laughed out loud at Edie's ghost chain being made out of glitter boas and penis straws as a sign of all the times she was the sourpuss at the hen parties. Edie was very much a Scrooge. She was cold, calculating and downright mean without seeing what she was doing wrong and it certainly took her a lot of convincing to prove it to her. She is definitely quite hard to like as it does take a while for her to really warm up and much like Jack see, she does crack sometimes and show the softness she's constantly holding back but sh just patched up the crack, said something bitchy and then I was back to hating her.
There were times were I felt like the book was written to give some cheap laughs and not all of it was totally realistic, asides from the whole being haunted by ghosts of weddings thing. I've read my fair share of 'chick lit' and I enjoy it for the most part as I did this book but there were definitely times that I groaned a bit at the cliches. I also felt a bit off at the slight accusation that because Edie didn't believe in marriage, she was an ice queen. I agree that her take on love was very much bitchface but that doesn't mean she has to believe in marriage and babies and all that jazz. And just because she was good at her job didn't mean she was a cold stone bitch too.
I would have liked more emphasis on Edie's abseil, I felt like the actual event just popped up out of nowhere though maybe this was on purpose to show Edie's lack of thought and proper planning that went with it. An epilogue of how Edie's relationship with Rachel and Jack, not to mention her dad, wouldn't have gone amiss for me either,
I really liked Jack and how steady he was in wanting to see the real Edie. I did feel like the pair were running around in circles at times and it was frustrating but eventually it seemed to settle well enough for me. Overall, a great piece of fun reading with a Dickens' twist!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Flicking between a one-star and two-star review. I can't decide. I feel like one star may be a little mean. Maybe 1.5?
God, I'm glad this one is over.
The Vintage Cinema Club follows three women, Izzy, Luce and Dida who all run a vintage shop at the site of an old cinema. The building is owned by Dida's husband, a man who enjoys cheating on his wife more than staying at home with his kids, and he puts the building up for sale without telling any of the women. Now the women have to find out how to save the shop while dealing with some problems on their own.
The summary of this book is very misleading. I thought I was going into a story that would be split more or less evenly between all the women but it was about 80% just Izzy and Xander. Now, that would be okay if it wasn't that for the most part Izzy was utterly intolerable. At only 17% through, I wanted to DNF this book simply because of the amount of times Izzy had already spoken about her broken home life. While I didn't mind finding out about Izzy's life growing up, it was mentioned SO MANY TIMES I wanted to scream every time she did. It was extremely irritating. Izzy was also extremely judgemental, especially when it came to Xander. This guy literally was doing everything to make life easier for her and then she blew up at him because his dad was rich...even though she was well aware he made his own money with his own career in property and film.
And then there was Luce and Dida...but their storylines seemed to have been completely forgotten about because of Izzy's. Izzy's story took up about 80% of the book and then it seemed like the author forgot she also had to write about the other two and scrambled up something really quickly. While Luce's story was extremely bland and predictable, Dida's left me with a bad taste in my mouth. She was completely okay with her husband sleeping around with god knows who (and coming back to her bed) but then when the shop sale went through, she decided to go on a date with someone to get her own back? I felt like the relationship should have been given much more time than what it was given.
Overall, I can't recommend this book as I just really didn't enjoy anything about it.
Flicking between a one-star and two-star review. I can't decide. I feel like one star may be a little mean. Maybe 1.5?
God, I'm glad this one is over.
The Vintage Cinema Club follows three women, Izzy, Luce and Dida who all run a vintage shop at the site of an old cinema. The building is owned by Dida's husband, a man who enjoys cheating on his wife more than staying at home with his kids, and he puts the building up for sale without telling any of the women. Now the women have to find out how to save the shop while dealing with some problems on their own.
The summary of this book is very misleading. I thought I was going into a story that would be split more or less evenly between all the women but it was about 80% just Izzy and Xander. Now, that would be okay if it wasn't that for the most part Izzy was utterly intolerable. At only 17% through, I wanted to DNF this book simply because of the amount of times Izzy had already spoken about her broken home life. While I didn't mind finding out about Izzy's life growing up, it was mentioned SO MANY TIMES I wanted to scream every time she did. It was extremely irritating. Izzy was also extremely judgemental, especially when it came to Xander. This guy literally was doing everything to make life easier for her and then she blew up at him because his dad was rich...even though she was well aware he made his own money with his own career in property and film.
And then there was Luce and Dida...but their storylines seemed to have been completely forgotten about because of Izzy's. Izzy's story took up about 80% of the book and then it seemed like the author forgot she also had to write about the other two and scrambled up something really quickly. While Luce's story was extremely bland and predictable, Dida's left me with a bad taste in my mouth. She was completely okay with her husband sleeping around with god knows who (and coming back to her bed) but then when the shop sale went through, she decided to go on a date with someone to get her own back? I felt like the relationship should have been given much more time than what it was given.
Overall, I can't recommend this book as I just really didn't enjoy anything about it.
3.25
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Ben and Josh are nine years old and best of friends before an accident during recess ends up with one boy in hospital in an induced coma and the other refusing to speak about what had really happened. Ben's mother Maddie and Josh's parents Lewis and Johanna are left to try and sort out the pieces which may reveal some secrets better left hidden.
Overall this was an interesting and heartfelt read. But when the characters getting hurt are children, you really feel like more should be done to find out the facts. I felt quite frustrated reading it, particularly in Johanna's chapters as I felt like she and Lewis should have been doing so much more to get Josh to talk. Two months later and he still hasn't admitted what happens. How is that okay when a young child is sitting in hospital with brain damage? I also couldn't believe how lax Maddie was at times with finding out the whole story as well. She definitely lacked some kind of drive and I did feel like most of the adult characters were just a bit weak and pathetic. I do think the end of the story, heartbreaking as it was, brought light to a situation that is becoming more widespread in current society and that, if anything, is important.
While this book is short at only 200 pages or so, it felt much longer. But if you're looking for a read to pull at the heartstrings, it's probably one for you
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Ben and Josh are nine years old and best of friends before an accident during recess ends up with one boy in hospital in an induced coma and the other refusing to speak about what had really happened. Ben's mother Maddie and Josh's parents Lewis and Johanna are left to try and sort out the pieces which may reveal some secrets better left hidden.
Overall this was an interesting and heartfelt read. But when the characters getting hurt are children, you really feel like more should be done to find out the facts. I felt quite frustrated reading it, particularly in Johanna's chapters as I felt like she and Lewis should have been doing so much more to get Josh to talk. Two months later and he still hasn't admitted what happens. How is that okay when a young child is sitting in hospital with brain damage? I also couldn't believe how lax Maddie was at times with finding out the whole story as well. She definitely lacked some kind of drive and I did feel like most of the adult characters were just a bit weak and pathetic. I do think the end of the story, heartbreaking as it was, brought light to a situation that is becoming more widespread in current society and that, if anything, is important.
While this book is short at only 200 pages or so, it felt much longer. But if you're looking for a read to pull at the heartstrings, it's probably one for you
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Chiara is a young, desperate girl when she meets the Francesco d'Medici, the soon-to-be grand duke of Tuscany. Francesco and his fellow alchemist Ruan employ/kidnap Chiara into being their helper and soon Chiara is in the middle of a lot of Italian court drama which includes adultery, secrets and murder.
I really enjoyed this. It had a great historical backdrop with just enough dramatic flair you'd expect from an Italian court. Chiara has some amazing character development. At the start of the book, she's a young fifteen-year-old girl with very little experience in the world of aristocrats and by the end of the book she's become an amazingly confident and clever woman, able to hold her own, and carry her own, secrets in a world where one step wrong could end up in her murder.
What I love about historical fiction is the magic an author can create by dropping a fictional character into the midst of a very real historical story and making it seem like they should be part of it and its history. Loupas really made Chiara and Ruan, and many other fictional elements fit right alongside the real story of Francesco and his family and it was a lot of fun to read!
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
Story Sparks is a dreamer. Or at least she was until one day, she suddenly stopped dreaming and appeared to lose all memories of her previous dreams. One day, Story and her two friends Elliot and Adam are sucked underwater into the In Between land where Story finds out she is The First Dreamer and must undertake a quest to bring the Real World and the In Between together again and save everyone.
This story incorporated the fairytale world in a way that I loved. Having places called Locksley and Sherwood and then a generation of women who are Little Red Riding Hoods who are legendary warriors against The Big Bad Wolves. Yes. I found the world-building pretty good, and I think if there was ever a map of this world it would be really pretty.
The insta-love was a bt much at times between Story and Nicholas (even when it was explained). There is only so many times I can stomach the mentions of swooning at his touch and the want to be swept off her feet and kissed passionately before I get a bit sick. There were times I felt like I was scrambling to keep up with Story's relationships with new characters. She would meet someone and there would be a reunion but then it felt like a while before it was explained who the character was and their relationship with Story. And then other things seemed sooo obvious like why both Brink and Nichlolas felt so familiar looking to Story. Come on lady!
Overall, it was a pretty fun adventure with a great twist on fairytales and mythical creatures.
Story Sparks is a dreamer. Or at least she was until one day, she suddenly stopped dreaming and appeared to lose all memories of her previous dreams. One day, Story and her two friends Elliot and Adam are sucked underwater into the In Between land where Story finds out she is The First Dreamer and must undertake a quest to bring the Real World and the In Between together again and save everyone.
This story incorporated the fairytale world in a way that I loved. Having places called Locksley and Sherwood and then a generation of women who are Little Red Riding Hoods who are legendary warriors against The Big Bad Wolves. Yes. I found the world-building pretty good, and I think if there was ever a map of this world it would be really pretty.
The insta-love was a bt much at times between Story and Nicholas (even when it was explained). There is only so many times I can stomach the mentions of swooning at his touch and the want to be swept off her feet and kissed passionately before I get a bit sick. There were times I felt like I was scrambling to keep up with Story's relationships with new characters. She would meet someone and there would be a reunion but then it felt like a while before it was explained who the character was and their relationship with Story. And then other things seemed sooo obvious like why both Brink and Nichlolas felt so familiar looking to Story. Come on lady!
Overall, it was a pretty fun adventure with a great twist on fairytales and mythical creatures.