Goodreads: Double Vie (Rose #1) Publish date: 19 June 2019 Publisher: Europe Comics Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Comic Rating:
Ever since she was a little girl, Rose has had a special and troubling power: the ability to “double” herself and travel outside her body. She always saw it as something wrong with her… until now. When her father is murdered, Rose’s strange ability gives her a chance to find her father’s killer, solve a series of mysterious cold cases, and untangle a centuries-old curse. But maybe some secrets should stay buried…
I want more! What an interesting and peculiar story! It has ghosts, witches, demons, and it’s all wrapped up in the big mystery of her father’s murder and her father’s house.
And okay, honestly? I wasn’t thinking about inconsistencies or things that didn’t sit right in the story when I was reading this one; I was just enjoying the story that was playing out in front of me. In this first issue/volume, we learn about Rose and her ability to leave her body at any time. It seems a little bit like her soul was leaving her body. We see her leaving her body quite a few times throughout the story but I wished that we learned more about why it happened and how she manages to leave her body (especially when it happened the first time when she was a child). There was some narration at the start (which I assume is her father) that explained it a little, but I wanted to know more. I want to say more but I also don’t want to give anything away!
Although it was a bit of a slow start, I liked how the process of Rose’s thinking and discoveries unfolded. It wasn’t rushed and not totally implausible. Looking at ‘inconsistencies’ I guess it was odd that the house, its history, and the history of that history was recorded in the archives. Was the detailed history of the house, including the ancient witches curse, in the regional archives because the house had burned down so many times? It seems a lot of people are keeping secrets in this mystery and I’m very curious to know more!
I thought the artwork was well done. This is going to sound weird and I don’t know how to explain it but there was something very European about it. Perhaps it was the setting and the way the characters acted and dressed. It’s not my typical favorite style, but I found I really liked it. It’s a bit dark, and always a little gloomy, but I thought the style suited the story. The story might not be completely original and it isn’t one that you won’t be able to get out of your head, but it was an enjoyable fast mysterious read. I’m looking forward to finding out more.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC for an honest review. This graphic novel was published on 19 June 2019. Have you read about Rose? Loved it? Hated it? Meh about it? Come let me know in the comments and let’s chat!
An introvert spends a year trying to live like an extrovert with hilarious results and advice for readers along the way. What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that sheโd normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much, much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the authorโs hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.
Non Fiction is a genre that I don’t normally pick, not because I don’t want to read them, but most of the time I struggle to find something to catch and hold my attention. Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come was my first NF read of the year and I absolutely loved this book! I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to finish it and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to it even sooner; although I’m convinced that I picked it up when I really needed it most. I’ve already recommended it to countless friends who’ve mentioned something in passing and my brain would ping back to things mentioned in this book. It’s not a self-help book but it’s filled with such relatable experiences. Not only that but it was just downright hilarious! I don’t think there was one chapter in which I didn’t laugh my ass off at least once (seriously). With a title like that, how can you resist wanting to pick it up right?
We follow Jessica Pan, a shin-trovert (shy introvert) who faces a bit of a ‘midlife crisis’ after moving to the UK and struggling with her increasingly introverted life and inability to make meaningful or even non-meaningful connections with people. After confronting a health-scare with a member of her family, she decides to embark on a one-year journey doing extroverted things that would make all introverted people want to curl up in a corner and cry about. Things like stand-up comedy, public speaking, improv, and *shudder* striking up conversations with strangers. What follows is a personal and hilarious recounting of all her experiences and what she took away from living life as an extrovert for a year.
This book brought me great comfort at a time when I was feeling such debilitating anxiety and stress due to an event in my life that required me to speak in front of close to 100 people, followed by networking with all those people who just witnessed me most likely make a fool of myself. Public speaking is still insanely uncool but when I came across Pan’s own experience with it in this book, I found myself completely awed and enamored by her courage to get up on that stage to face one of everyone’s greatest fears. It wasn’t smooth sailing, and to be honest, my actions at the time mirrored hers in the book 100% (i.e. pushing off making my presentation until the very last minute due to intense fear). But it made me want to steel myself and plunge forward just like her. Obviously, it wasn’t as simple as wanting to do it, but the fact that she, someone who I saw big parts of myself reflected in, could do it, then I could too, right?
There’s no greater comfort in knowing that there are others out there who experience the same fears, and feelings of loneliness, as well as anxiety about what to do with it. Like Pan all my friends are scattered across the globe and since moving to where I am now and entering my 30s, I’ve noticed it has become progressively harder to make friends. Or even to just meet people in general. While I couldn’t see myself doing half of the things she did, I liked the insight that she gave through her experiences. I think at the end of the day, it’s not really about realizing being extroverted or introverted is better than the other, but knowing that putting yourself out there, even when you really don’t feel like it, can often times lead to really great, and sometimes even life changing things.
This was such a fantastic read and I know that I’ll always want to keep it on my shelf so that I can go back to it whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed by my increasing need to introvert. This book was written in a very conversational tone so that none of the moments felt dull and it kind of felt like just chatting to a friend. I’d highly recommend it!
Thanks to NetGalley, Jessica Pan and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing the e-ARC for an honest review. Have you read Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come? Did you love it? Hate it? Feel ‘meh’ about it? Come let me know in the comments and let’s chat!
Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinnโs adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinnโs real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.
The Tea Dragon Festival is another beautiful graphic novel by Katie O’Neill. The style and use of color in the artwork is gorgeous and really brings to life this wonderful world of dragons, tea dragons, magical forest creatures and village life. The story takes places before The Tea Dragon Society, and I really enjoyed meeting the younger versions of Hesekiel and Erik, two loveable characters from that book.
In this comic, we follow the story of Rinn, a young village girl who’s an aspiring cook and talented forager, who stumbles upon Aedhan, a young dragon who has been asleep for 80-years. Aedhan is plagued by guilt for having not done his duty of taking care of the village residents, but he was put under a sleeping spell by a magical forest creature. Rinn brings Aedhan to the village and the two quickly form a strong, sweet bond as Aedhan picks up his dragon duties and reintegrates to village life. I loved how this story was even more diverse and inclusive than the first book. We have characters who use sign language, different ethnicities, and diverse sexualities, and none of these elements in the story feels contrived.
The tea dragons were just as freaking adorable as in the first book. I want to live in this world and I want to take care of those tea dragons, no matter how pesky they’re claimed to be! At the end, O’Neill also included additional information about the tea dragon varieties, and more wonderful history about dragons like Aedhan.
This was a very quick read full of sweet and fluffy things! And I mean, super cute good looking dragons. Come on, isn’t that all you really need to know? Recommended to everyone who wants to experience all the good and happy feels!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing the e-ARC for an honest review. Have you read the Tea Dragon graphic novels or are they on your TBR?
Goodreads: When the Light Went Out Publish date: 01 June 2019 Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary Book Panda:
Do we change or does the world change us? Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect โDick and Janeโ house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life. But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and womenโs lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
When I picked this up I was expecting an adventurous mystery where a group of friends discover long-held secrets and answers as to what happened in the lead up to the day one of their friends died. While you do get somewhat of an adventure amongst friends, this ended up being less of a mystery and more of a look into how grief affects youth.
When the Albany Street kids lose their group leader Marley in an accidental shooting one summer day, they’re all deeply affected but none more so than Olivia and Nick; Olivia because she idolized Marley and watched the shooting happen, and Nick because he was the one who pulled the trigger. After that day, they all drift away from Olivia and Nick is shunned in the community. But on the fifth year deathiversary, a plan is set into motion by Marley’s spirit via Olivia and the group comes back together to undertake one last adventure and to understand what really happened the day Marley died.
Honestly, I was deeply confused for a majority of the book, especially at the start. The writing felt very jumbled up and to me it read like stream of consciousness, without any clear demarcation of where one thought ended and another began. I don’t know if there was meant to be any magical realism elements in the story as well, especially when Marley was referred to in basically everything — in the sky, the wind, the ground, the air– and since I’m not such a big fan of magical realism, this only served to add to my confusion. The story started to get a bit more clear for me at about the 80% mark, and the last 20% of the book is the reason why I’m giving this book a 3.5 star rating because it resolves a lot of the irritation I felt while reading. Olivia was so young when Marley died in front of her, and the abandonment by her friends, and the rigid structure that the parents’ enforced after her death, only served to isolate Olivia and make her retreat into her own world, one where Marley was guiding her every move; one where she embraced and became Marley. There was a twist towards the end of the book that was a bit of an “aha!” moment when you realized just how affected Olivia has been all these years. I thought this story painted a poignant picture of how grief can really affect a person when they experience it at such a young age.
While I actually didn’t like many of the characters at the start of the novel, some of them really did grow on me, while others remained somewhat side characters (even though they were part of the friendship group) because they didn’t get a lot of ‘page time’ or growth. I have to say that my least favorite character was actually Olivia. She was always acting so competitive and felt this desperate need to always be seen as the person who comes up with great ideas and who’s the leader and it just came off as very irritating and immature. Yes, she’s only 16 in the present day, but I found this part of her personality very annoying. I really liked Nick, although I wish that we had learned more about him throughout the novel, and not as just the person who accidentally fired the gun all those years ago, and not as the boy who Olivia had a crush on. I think it would have been interesting to have some chapters from his PoV seeing as how his presence essentially played such a big role in what happened.
Overall, this wasn’t what I was expecting, and although the narrative was confusing for the most part, it was a fairly easy read (I finished it in 1.5 days).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. Have you read it or is it on your TBR?
Do we change or does the world change us? Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect โDick and Janeโ house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life. But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and womenโs lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?
I was not expecting the emotional punch that I would get while reading Mrs. Everything. I always enjoy family sagas and the relationship between two sisters/siblings, and this book was no exception. I loved the glimpse of modern American history that we got while journeying with the Kaufman sisters from the 1950s to 2022. This was a beautiful story about coming-of-age, getting lost and discovering and accepting yourself, finding and losing love, building a life, motherhood, and a poignant look at the role of women in society throughout the decades.
Told in alternating chapters between Jo and Bethie, Weiner’s prose and style was simple and easy to read but immersive. I often found myself transported to the different periods of history, standing beside Jo or Bethie, while they were picketing or getting high at a party or standing on the porch of a commune. I also enjoyed how Weiner incorporated key events in America’s history into the story. As the story covers an extended period of time, the plot does jump locations fairly often, especially at the beginning, but it mainly centers around: Detroit, Avondale, and Atlanta.
You’re thrown into the center of the narrative from the start. Jo was the tomboy who doesn’t conform to her mother’s or society’s idea of how a lady should look/act. She was more comfortable in trousers playing sports. Bethie was the sweet darling, the natural beauty with a charming voice. She was the good girl and it seemed almost certain that their lives would follow the paths they’d been on as children, with Jo living as a free spirit, making a difference, and Bethie settling down and becoming a mum. But tragic things start happening to both sisters, and we see how one loses herself, only to learn how to embrace her past and “come out new”, while the other struggled to hide her sexual orientation, found and lost love, and decided to settle for normal. I honestly loved both sisters and my heart broke when tragedies would befall them, and soar whenever either one triumphed. Being a character driven story, you get a chance to see how they grow over the years. The Kaufman sisters are strong in their own ways, but they’re also very flawed and simply human.
“We lose ourselves,” she repeated, forming each word with care, “but we find our way back” Wasn’t that the story of her life? Wasn’t that the story of Bethie’s? You make the wrong choices, you make mistakes, you disappear for a decade, you marry the wrong man. You get hurt. You lose sight of who you are, or of who you want to be, and then you remember, and if you’re lucky you have sisters or friends who remind you when you forget your best intentions. You come back to yourself, again and again. you try, and fail, and try again, and fail again.
Within the first 30% of the novel, Jo and Bethie already go through so much hardship that was so heartbreaking, but everything that happened to them throughout their lifetime was also completely believable. It was nothing spectacular in the sense that it’s a story that women have experienced and can relate to. Although it explores important issues about the role of women in society, it doesn’t feel preachy or like Weiner is trying to push a message down your throat. It’s very well-woven into the storyline and comes to play an important role in the latter part of the sisters’ lives. Even for an Asian woman such as myself, I found I could relate to some of their experiences, and a lot of what is discussed in this book. This story is so relevant to the social climate of today with the #metoo movement and rising feminism (not only in America but slowly worldwide too) and I think it’ll resonate with a lot of women who read it.
I’m giving this 4 stars because while I didn’t feel that any part of the story was unnecessary, I thought the middle lagged just a little, and the end felt a bit rushed. I thought we missed a key part of one of the main characters’ life in her later years of life, as it related to her sexuality and her family. I was surprised that Weiner didn’t write about it, as I think it was a pretty big deal for her character, and it just felt glossed over and made everything feel too neatly wrapped up. Still, this had a satisfying ending and although I’m a crier in general, I didn’t think I would be with this book. I was obviously proven wrong because I was crying hard at the end. ๐
Overall, I really enjoyed Mrs. Everything and I’m so glad that one of the ladies in my group read chats mentioned that this was available to “Read Now” on NetGalley because otherwise I probably would’ve missed it. I think it will stick with me long after I finish. This was my first book by Jennifer Weiner and I really enjoyed her writing, so I’m looking forward to reading more of what she has written. Fabulous book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner? What did you think of it? This book is now out everywhere if you’re interested in picking up a copy!
When corporate banker Julie Laurich gets stuck in traffic beside the man of her dreams and promptly forgets how to use adult words, it’s typical. When the universe merges their lanes again and she runs into him a second time at the gym, itโs anything other than matter-of-course. The adorably sexy guy in the black truck proves Nico Farfalla could have been the perfect candidate for a hot rebound. That is, until he opens his mouth…
Julie doesn’t even know him and already she pre-hates him. And because her universe is apparently blind to all the warning signs, Nico’s chances keep on coming. Their paths continue to cross, and soon Julie discovers he is not what she thought. As much as she doesnโt want to put any stock into Nicoโs words, every second she spends with him blurs the lines. Before long Julieโs attempts to keep her distance from Nico and focus on work are blocked when sheโs assigned to his elementary school classroom for a community program. Their chemistry is undeniable and unyielding. So when the opportunity for a major promotion in a new city lands in her lap, Julie must decide: Is a love she never saw coming worth the risk of her career?
Thisโฆ was really not my cup of tea and I’m pretty disappointed because the blurb sounded good, that cover is really cute, and who doesn’t love a sweet romance about fate and tangled lines? But, no. I struggled to get through this and skimmed through the majority of it because we all know I hate to DNF, especially when it’s an ARC. I could see the potential in this, but honestly, the story and the characters were so sorely underdeveloped I ended up feeling zero connection to any of it. The writing was also all over the place, which made it even more difficult to get into the story, though what I enjoyed the least was the main character, Julie Laurich.
Julie grated on my nerves. She was unbearably rude, selfish and completely self-absorbed. Her character found everything irritating and she lost her shit, going from 0-100 in the blink of an eye, so frequently and over nothing that it was just stupid. I absolutely couldn’t stand her attitude at all. I understand what it’s like to be defensive and to want to protect your own heart, but Julie’s character had absolutely zero reason to blow every little thing out of proportion, especially when it came to Nico. None of it made sense to me, and if she did have a reason, it wasn’t clearly articulated in the story. If I met someone like her IRL, I would likely run in the opposite direction, fast!
Thanks to NetGalley and Levi Lynn Books for providing the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Have you read Mixed Signals or is it on your TBR?
Goodreads: The Women Publisher: Bookouture Publish date: 22 May 2019 Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Panda Rating:
The night she moves in with Peter, sheโs so happy, so exhilarated, so in love. Later, she will remember a much smaller feeling, a tiny one percent in her gut. And she will remember pushing that feeling asideโฆSamantha Frayn doesnโt know why Peter Bridges picks her โ a nobody with bitten fingernails and a troubled childhood behind her โ but she falls quickly. Heโs older, charming, likes fine wine and French films, and his beautiful home has real art on its walls. Peter transforms Samanthaโs life in an instant. He sees the better version of herself โ the one sheโs always wanted to be. Itโs only normal that thereโs a little friction, when she moves in, over domestic matters like where things are kept, or the proper times to eat, sleep and shower. Sheโs lucky to be with someone who can help her find a new job, move on from childish friends, and speak with greater sophistication. But as Samantha notices, more and more, Peterโs temper, she starts to wonder if there might be consequences to breaking the rules of the world he has so quickly built around her. And then she receives an anonymous note that makes her ask: is she the first woman to feel trapped by Peter? Is she being paranoid, manipulated, or could she be in danger? You can tell the truth about your life, but someone needs to be listening. Someone needs to trust you. And someone needs to save you from the man you thought you loved.
This was a fascinating, slow-burn psychological thriller that packed a powerful punch and tackled a very important issue. The author illustrates well the power of charm and sophistication, and how abusers can manipulate you, get under your skin and into your head before you even know it’s happened.
The story starts off at the end, so we already know that something bad is going to happen. Through the characters’ words and actions, we also know that there’s a deep underlying current of tension, anger and guilt. Peter’s ugly character already begins to shine through in this first chapter, and I knew right off that he’d be the worst kind of character. But on the surface, Peter wasn’t seen as a “bad guy”, which made him one of the most dangerous types of people out there. The ones that can charm and disarm. The ones with a seemingly thick layer of sophistication and perfection that only just masks the teeming ugliness that’s slick under the surface.
The characters were well developed. As we got further into the story, more and more layers of Samantha’s and Peter’s characters are peeled back like layers. When they first meet, Peter is a charming, handsome, and intelligent history professor that has a reputation as a ladies man, but surprises Samantha with how courteous and respectful he is. Their “relationship” moves very quickly; from Samantha visiting his house that first night, to sleeping with him the next, and then moving in with him very soon after that. Peter is persuasive and showers Samantha in compliments and assurances that he has never met someone like her and that she’s his one. However, Peter’s actions slowly become more manipulative and controlling, and I was shocked at the ease in which it happened. Samantha unknowingly relinquishes her autonomy to him and very quickly lets him dictate all aspects of her life. I particularly enjoyed how Samantha’s character grew–going from this naive young woman, to someone dogged by paranoia, anger and shock, and then she takes all that emotion and strengthens herself with it to undertake the “final act”. Her empowerment and determination after meeting “the women” who survived Peter’s abuse, made me feel somewhat giddy, just as much as it made her feel excited and emotionally high in the novel. There were many twists and turns as more of Peter’s past is revealed, and although it wasn’t very unpredictable, I was hooked and wanted to speed through to find out what happens to lead them to that final scene.
What made this book frightening was how realistic the situation is. The relationship between Samantha and Peter sady isn’t uncommon. There were times that I found myself frustrated that Samantha was defending Peter and seemed unwilling to open her eyes to his scumbag ways; but then I realized that in real life, this is the dynamic that exists in these relationships. The abused have their views so warped by the abuser, that they’re unable and sometimes unwilling (for their own sanity) to believe that something so perfect from the start could actually be the worst thing to happen to them. I thought this book was well-written and covered the topic well. Although until recently people haven’t openly spoken about the issue (at least to my knowledge living in Asia), that’s even more reason why it needs to be given greater attention. Especially with the current “Me Too” movement. I was very pleasantly surprised by this story, and I’m looking forward to reading other books by S.E. Lynes!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads: I Spy the Boy Next Door Publish date: 25 May 2019 Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance Rating: โ โ โโโ
Four p.m. spy sessions are the highlight of Mallory Taylorโs day. Observing the boy next doorโone with a body and an attitude to matchโhas her perched beside her window so often it can’t be healthy.
When she finally convinces her mom to let her go to public school, Mallory comes face to face with her neighbor, Troy Parker. And he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. His rejection awakens a newfound tenacity and maybe even a touch of recklessness. But when Troy starts to show up when she needs him the most, Mallory canโt help but wonder if thereโs more to him than heโs let on.
Taking chances, breaking rules, and following her heart is all new to Mallory. And no one warned her just how fickle hearts can be. When she discovers that Troy isnโt at all the guy she imagined him to be, secrets rise to the surface that will change her life forever.
When I first read the synopsis, I thought that it sounded like the perfect summer read. What’s not to love about a cute, young adult romance with a good girl and seemingly tough bad guy? It’s cheesy, cliched and sometimes, you just need a little ‘mindless’ fun to cleanse your palate after endless thrillers and heavier contemporary fiction reads. I was also intrigued that this was classified as both a mature young adult/new adult read. If I read this when I was in high school then maybe I would have loved it. As it is, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to. The plot felt all over the place and a key twist introduced towards the end surprised me but also left me feeling a little baffled/confused. There was so much going on here and I honestly don’t know where to start my reviewโฆ The writing style, a mix of chat messages in between text, was easy and fun. This was a very light summer read that I think would be perfect for more mature young adults, probably in high school.
Having been homeschooled all her life, Mallory has led a sheltered life. After a kidnapping incident when she was a child, her parents become overprotective, so Mallory doesn’t have friends and is pretty naive. As a result of this incident, Mallory also frequently suffers from anxiety attacks. The highlight of the last five years has been getting to spy on her hot neighbour, Troy Parker. He rides a Harley, is completely tatted up, and has a body to thirst for, and Mallory basically lives for the moment she gets to watch him. When she’s in her last year of school, she manages to easily convinces her parents to let her go to public school so she can experience a normal student life. At school, she meets brooding Evie and exuberantly gay Jamie, and finally comes face-to-face with Troy, who is extremely hot/cold around her. Mallory also very quickly starts to become a wild child: sneaking out at night to go to illegal boxing matches, and wild house parties and getting completely wasted.
This is where things started to get really frustrating for me because it basically ended up being a book about Mallory’s obsession with Troy. I mean, I get it. I’ve been there too. I was a raging hormonal teenager who had all-consuming crushes that I couldn’t stop thinking about, and made me lose the ability to speak when they walked by; but I felt that this was next level cliche. I’m all for the cheese, but when Mallory describes how “Troy’s gaze pierces her and fills her soul with life”, it just got a bit too much for me. This was definitely steamier than most of the YA novels I’ve read (with the exception of SJM books) but the sexy scenes, and Mallory’s openly sexual thoughts, are the only reason this book could be qualified as NA. Otherwise, the characters were definitely way too YA.
I thought the characters also lacked depth–I wanted to know more about Jamie and Evie, and even about Mallory (beside her obsession). Her parents’ care and support was very sweet, although with how overprotective they were supposed to be, they very easily let her go and do her own thing, no questions asked. I got no hint of their overprotectiveness and paranoia, especially when Mallory was able to sneak out of her house the week of her first day of school? I also thought that the ‘plot twist’ really came from out of the blue. While I was pleasantly surprised by it, I was equally baffled about how this all made sense.
SPOILERS: one minute we’re deep into a love-story-obsession, and the next minute we get the FBI, witness protection, the Colombian drug cartel, a murderous rage born of jealousy, hundreds of thousands in hidden cash, and a shoot out. What?!
It was a little too far-fetched to be realistic, and I felt Armstrong really rushed the ending, trying to resolve everything in a very short amount of time. I personally thought that this book could have been much shorter than it was. There wasn’t much going on in the storyline until the end, and then it was like everything all at once. Overall, I had high hopes for this novel, but in the end it just wasn’t for me. Samantha Armstrong’s writing isn’t bad though, so I would maybe be interested to see what else she comes out with.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Does this sound like something you might be interested in reading? It was published 25 May, so keep an eye out for it in stores/online!
A modern master of suspense, critically acclaimed author Charlie Donlea returns with a taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . .
The truth is easy to miss, even when itโs right in front of us. As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late fatherโs law office a week after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case come to life once more.
In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behindโuntil police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigation skills appear to have led to his identity. But before police could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angelaโs murderโthe only crime the DA could pin on him. As a former client of her fatherโs, Rory becomes reluctantly involved with the killerโthough he continues to insist he didnโt murder Angela. Now he wants Rory to do what her father once promised: prove that Angela is, in fact, still alive.
As Rory begins reconstructing Angelaโs last days, another killer emerges from the shadows, replicating those long-ago murders. With every startling discovery she makes, Rory becomes more deeply entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchellโand in The Thiefโs tormented mind. Drawing connections between past and present is the only way to stop the nightmare, but even Rory canโt be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging
This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it had me questioning how on earth I was sleeping on his books before this. How is it that he wasn’t even on my radar?! Shook. But you can believe that I will be remedying this from now on because “Some Choose Darkness” was such a great read! It wasn’t that it was entirely unpredictable, but the suspense was kept high from the start, and the characters and storyline were engaging throughout. The story is told in alternating narratives, shifting from the past with Angela Mitchell and the present with Rory Moore, with some other character perspectives thrown in there at the start. Through Angela’s chapters we learn about how she discovered the identity of a serial killer known as The Thief in Chicago in 1979. With Rory’s chapters, we learn about how that past ties in with the present when her father passes away and his cases, one of which concerns The Thief who her father represented, gets passed on to her.
I really appreciated the fact that both Angela and Rory are characters on the spectrum and that being autistic was what really enabled Angela to discover the truth and what makes Rory so great at her job as a forensic reconstructor of cold cases. I can’t speak to the accuracy of how they’re portrayed, but I thought Donlea did a really good job of representing characters with autism and OCD. Reading Angela’s chapters often left me feeling itchy and restless and had my heart galloping so fast and I became so immersed in the mystery in Rory’s chapters. When it came to the “big reveal” of The Thief, Donlea kept me guessing until Angela’s most pressing discovery, when my jaw dropped in disbelief. I would have frozen cold and probably died if I had been in her shoes. I was so convinced it was someone else and the person it turned out to be wasn’t even on my radar to start with! The rest of the story was slightly predictable; I was able to easily guess about something significant to Rory’s character as I was reading, but that said, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.
I did think the ending was rushed and Rory’s actions didn’t make sense to me at all (personally, I thought it was completely out of her character), so that was a bit disappointing. To be honest, it was a little anticlimactic and very ‘easily done’. I also didn’t understand how the cold case Rory was initially involved in was relevant to the story. It did make a nice segue to a big part of Rory’s life and personal character, but mentions of it kept popping up throughout the story, and I never really understood why. Is Donlea going to continue Rory’s storyline as a forensic reconstructor? It would be interesting if he did and I’d definitely read a series with her in it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Does this sound like something you’d be interested in reading? Keep your eyes open for when this book comes out on 28 May 2019.
Goodreads: Little Darlings Publisher: Crooked Lane Books Publish date: 30 April 2019 Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Supernatural Thriller Rating: โ โ โ ยฝ
โMother knows bestโ takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman,ย Grimmsโ Fairy Tales, and Aimee Molloy’sย The Perfect Mother.
Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And theyโre right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, sheโs never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her ownโฆcreatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks sheโs imagining things. A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Laurenโs side in a park. But when theyโre found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Rileyโto everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream,ย These are not my babies. Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if sheโs wrong about what she sawโฆsheโll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
Oh wow, this one really took me ages to read! I think I kind of psyched myself out of reading it because it’s a supernatural thriller and the supernatural isn’t really my jam. I had no clue when I read the blurb that it would have these elements, I honestly thought it would be about a woman who was suffering from postpartum depression or something along those lines. I don’t really see this as a thriller but perhaps more of folk tale inspired slow burn mystery. That said, I don’t think my apprehension to read this affected how I felt about the story. I didn’t dislike it, but it did fill me with a lot of anxiety, though I enjoyed the uncertainty of not knowing what was real and what wasn’t.
The story is told in alternating perspectives between Lauren and Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper. Harper’s POV was pretty much standard police procedure and detective work, although there was a lot of personal conflict with her character. She felt pity for Lauren but also understood her situation as a mother, which led her to taking the leap and believing something that should’ve been completely ridiculous. Ultimately though it was for the wrong reasons and only added to make the situation worse.
Lauren’s anguish, depression and loneliness was palpable throughout the book. It left me feeling anxious about what would happen next, and sad for her character and what she was going through. My least favorite character in this novel was her husband, Patrick, who was honestly such a weak and spineless man; I wanted to push him off a cliff with how patronizing and selfish he was! To be honest though, since we only saw his character through Lauren’s eyes, I wasn’t sure whether he was really like that or if it what we saw was clouded by Lauren’s depression and mania.
Perhaps the reason why I didn’t absolutely love this story was because I don’t have children, and at this point in my life, I’m leaning towards not having any of my own. This story is fully about a mother’s love for her children and her willingness to do just about anything to get them back, and I couldn’t really connect with that anguish and desperation. While I’m not saying that it’s necessary to have children to understand the intensity of this novel and Lauren’s character, I think it definitely helps to connect with it.
I thought this was a fairly well-paced mystery, although certain parts in the middle really slowed it down for me and got boring. I liked how every chapter began with excerpts from various folk tales–it definitely added to the creepy supernatural vibe of the story. I will also admit that this was a lot less creepy than I thought, although many things to do with babies and the supernatural kind of freak me out in general ๐ There ended up being quite a lot of elements in this story and at first I was wondering how Golding would tie it all together, especially when a new one was introduced so late in the book; but while the climax was slightly unrealistic, this was inspired by a folk tale so it fit with the overall story arc. One thing I will say is that this novel kept me guessing throughout and although I knew none of it could be real, I still couldn’t help but wondering “what if“. Overall, I’m impressed with how Melanie Golding packaged everything for a satisfying, if not slightly sad, conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free copy in exchange for a free copy. This book was published on 30 April 2019.
dinipandareads 