Review: The Memory

The Memory by Lucy Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been glued to this book, so much I changed to audio so I could continue reading on the move!

Lies, secrets and deceit that goes to the extreme. So much to the edge that it leaves a readers head spinning in a whirl.

Alternative chapters told between the two main characters.

This story starts with a terrible tragedy and your heart will break.
Onwards from that you will get the most amazing twisted and superb written thriller.



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Review: Us Against You

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It saddens me to give this 3*
But I just struggled with this.

I loved going back to BearTown.
I didn’t enjoy the repetitive sentences.

I wanted to see what happened next in BearTown.
I did.
And as we know, the Town is dedicated and know for its hockey. So we have problems among that.

As I said in my review on book 1 I didn’t feel I had to know everything about hockey to enjoy it.

This one I did though.

Plus I just couldn’t stomach that their was no consequences for what went on in book 1!

I finished it.

But something was lacking for me personally.

Jojo Moyes......Me Before You I absolutely loved!
Then she brought out book 2
It went downhill for me from there on.

Similar feelings to this. I should have left it at BearTown book 1.

I won’t be reading the third book. I feel sad saying that because I enjoy this authors writing.

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Review: Beartown

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been listening to this on audio.
Excellent portrayal of the book, read really well.

This author writes superbly and I know is a favourite of many many readers. I too am among his fans.

I’m not into hockey, in fact I have no clue of the rules. I’m not into many sports at all, but that doesn’t matter in this book as the human side of who lives there is more paramount I felt.

Of course the town is super identified by its game that goes without saying, however, it’s the team we are getting to know as individuals that I cared about.

We all know by now that a rape takes place. Terrible.
Listening to this on audio was more impactful than reading it, I’m not saying rape doesn’t impact on my anger and emotions when reading about such brutality and invasion etc but I was reading with my eyes and listening with my ears......doubled the sensors if you know what I mean.

What went on from there both upset me, frustrated me and made me angry.
So YES, the author did a brilliant job.

I’m so glad I got around to reading this. I do feel if I knew more of hockey I’d have understood other points much better though.

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Review: The Abattoir of Dreams

The Abattoir of Dreams by Mark Tilbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have had this book on my kindle since I don’t know when.....
I saw this for immediate borrow on my audio library so I downloaded it.

I began to listen to it today. At each opportunity I have had my earplugs in my ears. Totally unsociable but this was so sickening and at times made my tummy feel sick that I blinked and gulped in total disgust.

Like this authors writing it just ugly disturbing yet addictive! I can’t explain it.

The topic/subject matter is disturbing to say the least but I dare you to put it down and not want to pick it up right away again.

I should have read this a long time ago, I think it just slipped down my kindle, or maybe I was just in the right mood to tackle it.

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Review: Am I Guilty?

Am I Guilty? by Jackie Kabler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very tense read.
It has all the emotional tropes to satisfy any reader that relates to Moms, children and family.

A shocking story, a shocking revelation.

With an epilogue that will blow your mind.

I “read” on audio. Two narrators however, were not my favourites. And the sound effects got on my nerves, for example, the phone ringing.

That a part didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the story.

Wonderfully written.

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Whose Here and Audio books

 Whose here?

Just wondering who pops in to read my reviews.

I’d love to read your comments, suggestion etc

It’s been a very unusual year hasn’t it! This COVID has knocked us readers from one bash to the other, either we read like machines or hardly read at all.

I was the latter. I’ve got my reading mojo back and able to concentrate more. What about you?

Hey guess what! I’ve just discovered audio books. First time I was unable to concentrate. Now I’m loving them. I have such a huge backlist (we won’t talk about that 🤔) it is helping me though to read some more from that backlist.

What do you think about audio books?

Can you recommend any to me?

Just thought I’d catch base with you.

Review: The Push

The Push by Ashley Audrain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chilling.
Listen up. This is sure to make a HUGE impact in 2021 for sure.

Motherhood.
Preconceived ideas.
Dark side of Motherhood.

This is nothing short of addiction.
Once you open the first page I swear you won’t put it down.
The elements of surprise is all around in this compulsive page turner.

It’s difficult to not put into words more, much more but I fear giving too much away.

All I’m saying is, if your thoughts were that you would make the worst mother, would you welcome having a child?

This book will stay with me for a very long time.

Such a lot to get your teeth into, think about, dwell on and mull over.

Do you want an unsettling read?
This is it.

Loved it!

Be sure to mark this book on your radar. Preorder. You won’t regret it!

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Review: The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone

The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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I have been listening to this on audio book.
It’s a slow burner but steady. I’m not complaining about that at all.
I gave it 3* because it’s good.

Well written. Characters well pitched and believable.
Loved how this unfolded.
It’s not a thriller though, it’s more a mystery.

So the parents of these girls are very religious.
On one certain occasion while things were going on......whoosh.....the sisters vanished.

There is a lot to this book and will keep your interest. It did me.

I liked it, really liked it but just didn’t switch a light on for me to give it more than 3*.
I just wasn’t gasping in awe, or feeling I wanted to get back to reading it any time soon.
Once I had started to pick it up again I was ok, but just didn’t have that something for me.

Don’t go by me.
Read it for yourself as we all have differing viewpoints on this one I see with varied reviews


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Review: The Woman I Was Before

The Woman I Was Before by Kerry Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is such a good book. Such a great accomplished author.

Having read Kerry Fisher before I just new I’d be in for a treat. She take every day kind of people and turns them in on themselves. Also with a bit of complication thrown in.

I was thinking when reading this book. I’ve been a bit fed up on social media at times.
Other people’s perfect photos with perfect lives.
I’m not saying everyone, but we do like to portray ourselves as having fun, going out, doing that and that. Having friends and family. You know what I mean I’m sure?

But what we see isn’t all what we get.

Are they’re lives perfect?
Are they hiding things?
Is all so “picture perfect” unblemished as it seems.

This explores lies and what we hid from each other.

Loved it

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Review: Everything You Told Me

Everything You Told Me by Lucy Dawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I seem to be having a binge on Lucy Dawson books at the moment.
I’ve one left to read.

I liked this one well enough, it started off with a whooper of a plot that kept my interest. However, the aura of how this woman is isn’t any means unique.

The saga of “can’t remember anything”. It seems to be used over and over again to make a story. Each story different and some better weaved than others.
This one was a better woven story I’m glad to say.

It lost its peak for me in the middle but soon recovered its moments so, all in all I liked it.

Another troop was a “mother exhausted looking after her child” then she sort of gets muddled.

So we need to learn what’s what, whose doing what and why.

Just not unique enough for me to cheer it on.

Liked it, didn’t love it.

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Review: The Last Mrs. Parrish

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


My review is short.

If this was made into movie, I’d watch it.
Even a drama series.

To be acted out yep, but reading this was a little better but......audio, no way. I really hated that voice.

The women in this were not likeable.
I just couldn’t connect at all.

Varied reviews on this I know. I just don’t think I’m the audience for this.

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Review: The Daughter

The Daughter by Lucy Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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When you start a book that’s been written by Lucy Dawson you just know your hearts going to be torn, broken and sometimes put back together yet, not always.

This Mom has a secret. This mom has lost her daughter in an horrific accident at school.
There lies a return of her past.

I listened to this on audio and found it so emotional and touching.

Yet, there’s several stings in the tail as this story progresses and a twist.

If you reveal truths, just who suffers?

Brilliant.

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Review: Catherine House

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not sure what to put this under.
Scientific?
Futurist?
Fantasy realism?

This is a book club read.

And I’d say very quickly it’s not a book for everyone......yet.....I’m glad I read it.
You see! I’m confused.

All the way through this I took each page, each chapter each section as it came.

In parts reminding myself this is a YA book.

It’s oddly unusual.

Catherine House is odd alright.

The mantra that is spoken is odd too.

The pupils were realistic.
Who knows their own minds at this age.
Each pupil is running away from something or someone.

And what is plasm.
Yes, just what is that. I googled and still not completely sure.

Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? No.

Would I recommend it?
Not to everyone.
Yet it’s a story that will stay with.

The ending?
Well, I was flicking forward for more pages, except all I found were acknowledgements.
Have I lost some pages or have I lost the plot.

Answers on a postcard or phone a friend.

NB
If this review makes no sense to you......it’s because this book has used up any brain cells I thought I had!

Enter at your peril.

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Review: If He Wakes

If He Wakes by Zoe Lea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Yep, I really liked this.
It had a few flaws, but as a debut it was amazing.

It starts off a little slow but kept me interested enough to find out as much as the character wanted!

Her husband, Twitter, secrets, missing, it has all the troops I love.

I’m naturally nosy (and I don’t apologise lol) so when the wife was suspect of her husband then finds out he’s now disappeared, just what in the hell was going on.

Then more happens, and just like her my suspicions were as heightened as her!

Another book read from my backlist......how did I miss this!

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Review: The Next Girl

The Next Girl by Carla Kovach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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I’ve been taking a bit of a break from “police procedures “ in books as they were getting a bit blurred around the edges. I needed a clean my palette.

Anyway, this might change with this book I’ve just caught up with on my backlist!
This was so good.

Obviously this was out in 2018 so I’m guessing without looking yet, that there is at least a book 2?

A girl vanishes. Never found, then years later a baby is found and DNA proves that the baby belongs to the missing girl many years later.

That’s all I needed to read before jumping into this.

The actual police procedures were there of course but the story overwhelmed me so much I sort of ignored the fact and saw it as a vital I put to the story.

Edge of your seat
Gasping moments of OMG’S in several places.

Have you read this?
What do you think?

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Review: Night by Night

Night by Night by Jack Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rose Shaw has a past. A past she regrets and has to live with forever. Whilst out driving one day, her car collided and one of her twin daughters is killed.

Rose is now rejected by her husband and her daughter.

In the town she lives in everyone knows her, or, knows of her. It’s a past that people won’t forget.

One night out, she is brushed by, a man rushing past her. Something drops. She bends to pick it up. It’s a journey.


Through this story we see how Rose reading this journal is curious about this Flynn who it belongs to.
Who is Flynn?
Whose after him?

It seems the Police know about this case as Flynn as vanished but case closed. Maybe it’s a man who don’t want to be found.

But Rose uncovers things that also relates to her brother which makes her more anxious to get to know if Flynn is still around somewhere.

This authors books are always tense, fast paced and his characters so real.

I’m awaiting his next book.

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Review: Dead to Me

Dead to Me by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You’ve heard the saying “ you have to experience the bad to appreciate the good” and other such cliches.
Well, that’s what springs to mind with me reading this book by one of my favourite authors Lesley Pearse.

It’s not just the war experiences and this audio book making it so real, it’s the characters involved.

Friends. Friends who you would think as the most unlikely of friends yet, not. They are so different yet the same.

Both undergoing or had undergone really physical and emotional life journeys. Cruel.

There’s romance in here. There’s reality real life contexts that most will understand.

It’s an emotional rollercoaster.

I’ve been so engrossed in this story I’ve been wearing my headphones all around the house, so antisocial! But that’s the beauty of audio books right? You don’t have to put them down to go off and do something else.

I just loved making friends with the people in this book. The main characters, some I wanted to hug, some I wanted to make a nice cup of tea, sit and natter with. And two I wanted to be a mum to.

The reality of the war was surrounding the story, but the girls and what their personal life events were very much as paramount.

Absolutely loved it.

How your younger treatment can harm your future if you don’t deal with it.

Never wanted this to end.

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Review: Who Were the Beatles?

Who Were the Beatles? by Geoff Edgers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a trio down memory lane for me. I was raised on The Beatles! My two older brothers subscribed to their monthly journal. Bought all the records. One of my brothers styled himself on Paul McCartney. (He actually did look similar)
He taught himself guitar and sang. Not just The Beatles songs but ones he wrote himself. He’s in his mid 60’s now and still plays.

I loved The Beatles. I remember reading all about them too and where they came from very poor backgrounds.
About Paul and all of them playing in his parents house.

It was a sad day when John Lennon was killed. He was a bit of a weird one when he married Yoko Ono but he was just making a “come back” with his music and then.......
So sad.

His son is a lookalike I think. And definitely has his Fathers genes.

Great book for anyone wanting to learn about them more or like me, a trip down memory lane.

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Review: Dear Mrs. Bird

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a delightful read this turned out to be.

An historical novel based in WW2 it has its sad moments but also some light quirky ones.

I found the narrative very well done. Thinking about how people spoke back then, treated each other and moral codes etc once I got that mindset I went sailing through this book.

Working for a Women’s magazine in those days certain letters were not to be entertained or replied to. So funny when you think how we are today! Anything goes!

Mrs Bird is strict on what is replied to as an Agony Aunt but while she’s away, letters get answered. Letters that Mrs Bird would frown upon.

Some of this story was very touching.

The characters built so well and I was so invested in this time flew by.

Blue tooth earphones! Recommend them! I could be anywhere listening to this delightful story.

So glad I dusted this book off, got it off my shelf.

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