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This was the first time I've read anything from Helena and I am so excited to read what else they have up their sleeve because I LOVED this.
This book covered some important subjects such as PTSD, alcoholism, abuse and many more. These topics are not often represented in literature in ways that are painfully realistic and close to home.
Speaking of close to home, The Quiet and The Loud also explores the anxiety and heartbreak of the 2019 Australian Bushfires that left our nation devastated. I personally found this an event that should be explored more often and I loved how the author managed to tie this in with the story and the characters.
I loved reading about George's journey of finding love for the first time, learning to be kinder to herself and seeing her navigate her way through finding her own voice.
This story had everything you could possibly want. It has mental health LGBT and POC representation and was just beautifully written.
Thank you to Pan Macmillian for providing me with this copy to review.
“So different types of pain can all exist at once. It's not a competition of who has it worse. And someone else's pain doesn't take away from your own.”
This was a memoir I wasn't expecting but I am so glad that it was written.
The Half Of It is a true testimony of ‘it's not what it always seems'. On the surface, Madison seemed happy but sadly it wasn't like that behind closed doors. The things that she has had to deal with, the leaked photos and bullying she had to endure from such a young age are so heartbreaking and something she should have never had to deal with.
The hypocrisy that Hollywood and some of the general public have towards women in the industry never fails to anger me. The fact that Madison was a minor and the victim of her photos being leaked and instead of them caring about who leaked them or supporting her through the hard time, they blamed and villainized her.
As someone with BPD, it was so refreshing to see someone who has it, talk so candidly about it and how it affects the people who have it and those around us too. I am so proud of Madison for using the large platform that she has to speak up about these conditions and help create safe places for mental health awareness altogether.
What a fantastic memoir
This was such a fun and tense read that had unexpected turns from the very first page.
It was so easy to lose yourself in the pages of The Night I Died. I didn't want to put the book down because I was so intrigued by finding out the truth of what was happening and getting to the bottom of it along with the characters.
I can honestly say I didn't see half of the huge plot twists coming and that's what I love about books like these.
I do have to say that personally, I felt like some things could've been left out of the book as it wasn't necessary or needed for the plot.
Overall, I had great fun with this and I am excited to see what comes next from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In the times that we are now, unfortunately, where it feels like trans rights are being stripped away from the community daily, this is a read that I recommend to everyone to pick up and read.
I've recently developed a true love for the genre that is non-fiction and it is books like this one that are real eye-openers that make me love it even more.
Shon Faye is such a fantastic writer in the way that you can feel the heart and soul she put into every single page. Faye directly calls out people in power who allow their bigotry to place in politics, the media for continuing to push harmful rhetoric and anti-trans feminists who are continuously speaking out against the basic rights of the transgender community.
I believe this is a book that everyone should read, trans and cis alike.
I haven't read a story that sent shivers down my spine for a long time.
This was creatively spooky in a wonderful way. I found myself wanting to avoid reading this at night time because of how tense the story was. It was as if you could feel the fear of the characters, themselves.
I'm struggling to believe that this could possibly be a debut with how well it was written and paced.
Let Him In is a horror that you can't help but enjoy and fear at the same time. I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I've said this before in some of my previous reviews but I'll say it again because this is another perfect example of it.
I LOVE reading silly little romance books and I'm not afraid to admit it. I love the pining and the tension. I love everything about it.
You pick up books in hope of escapism and the characters and world that have been created by Holton in this book is exactly that.
This was the perfect combination of Peaky Blinders and Wuthering Heights and I loved every single minute of it.
The characters were so wonderfully chaotic and you can truly see the amount of love and thought that went into each one of them.
I had such a blast with this and I can't wait to read more by this author.
“She grows up, too, with the memory of what it meant to be properly loved, for what you are, not what you ought to be.”
I'm struggling to come up with words that would effectively explain just how Hamnet made me feel.
O'Farrell's writing was so beautifully crafted that I felt like I was submersed into the story as a character myself with how deeply impacted I felt by the events of the story. I found myself taken aback with how I felt like I was grieving along with them. It takes a very talented author to do that and I'm now upset that this is the first work of hers that I have picked up.
I, sadly, am too familiar with loss and the way it was depicted in Hamnet was extremely close to home. Grief affects everyone in many different ways and no one is ever going to deal with it the same as others and this is a perfect portrayal of that.
Hamnet took one small piece of history that is often overlooked, unspoken of or unknown. This is exactly what historical fiction should be.
I can't wait to see more from this author.
“The sun will rise no matter what pain we encounter. No matter how much we believe the world to be over, the sun will rise.”
This has to be one of my favourite books from TJR at the moment. There's something about second-chance romance that I can't help but love.
While reading romances where they are always happy and have fantastic intimacy and communication is great, it's also nice to see books where it portrays the reality that romance isn't always rainbows and sunshine.
Lauren and Ryan were great characters in the way where they were flawed, sometimes (most times at times) infuriating and human. I loved reading about them both learning to rediscover themselves separately as they try find out whether that can be together anymore.
This was so easy to read and I found myself on the last chapters without even realising it.
“Her death hit in waves. Not a flood, but water lapping steadily at her ankles. You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”
It's been a while since I was speechless with how beautifully written a book was written but I am so glad it was The Vanishing Half that took that place for me since it's been on my TBR for one of the longest times.
Exploring the topics of race, identity and belonging, it's hard to not immediately become absorbed by what you're reading on each page. It touches on the ultimate privilege that white people had and still do have in society.
It touches on these subjects with a blunt honesty that I appreciated and I feel like we need to see more of that.
I loved that towards the end of the story it began to focus on the journey of the two daughters. One of which was able to grow up with many opportunities due to her passing as white compared to the other daughter who didn't get to do that and had limited opportunities. I found it incredibly interesting that it was the daughter who grew up with less that had more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I think it's going to be one that I will be thinking of for a very long time.
“Bad stuff happens, people are mean, there are no steps you can take that ensure the world leaves you alone. All you can do is try not to be one of those people who contributes to the bad.”
This is the perfect example of why I believe people should pay more attention to the genre that is Young Adult. There are some fantastic and wonderful books such as this that get overlooked.
As someone who struggles with mental illness, it wasn't hard to connect with Evie and the struggle of attempting to juggle everyday life while just trying to simply exist when your mind is fighting against you.
Mental illness is an extremely serious topic and I loved the way it was depicted in this story, in a way that might seem confronting but quite insightful and brutally honest. It's not a walk in the park to battle with your mind. It's not easy and it's a journey that millions of people unfortunately have to partake in.
I loved every minute of this and I found myself sucked into the story and the characters from the very first chapter.
Not only did this shine light on mental illness but it also touched on subjects of feminism and how misogynists often use mental illness as a scapegoat to excuse their behaviour or paint women negatively when they don't fit their narratives.
I loved that at the core of this story, Evie just needed to focus on her self acceptance rather than masking and fighting who she is. Evie had to learn that people around her who love her just want her to be her, nothing else.
I can't wait to read more from this author.
“It often seems like more people step forward to defend being unkind than they do to support trans people as we deal with an onslaught of cruelty and violence.”
I'm going to try to keep this sweet as I don't want to potentially write any spoilers and I find it difficult to write reviews on memoirs.
Elliot Page is someone that I feel like I grew up with, watching from outside. It was eye-opening to read these events on the inside and have an idea of what actually was happening and how Elliot was feeling.
My only critique is that I would've preferred if it was written in chronological order because I feel like it would've flowed better in that way. Apart from that, I found this memoir incredibly moving.
As a member of the trans community, I feel like it's extremely important to have stories like his told, to elevate stories and voices like Elliot's, especially in modern times with the rights of our community being stripped away.
All Elliot and the trans community are asking to do is be themselves. I think it's the bare minimum to give them that.
I am super proud of Elliot and I'm excited to see what comes next for him.
“Most people say developing is linear, but for survivors it is cyclic. People grow up, victims grow around; we strengthen around the place that hurt, become older and fuller, but the vulnerable core is never gone.”
TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault
There are no words to describe how this made me feel. It's not something you can go into lightly and as a survivor, this brought up a lot of emotions for me.
We are living in a world that is conditioned to protect abusers and rapists. Why is it that the first thought when someone speaks out about their assault is that they're lying? Why is it that the majority care more about how the rapist's life is affected than the victims?
Why is it always, what were you wearing? Did you provoke him? Why were you drinking? Why were you out alone? Rather than ask the questions you should be?
Why did he think it was okay to lay his hands on them? What gave him the right to decide what they do or don't consent to? What is it about a person drinking or having fun or wearing an outfit that might show a bit of skin that gives him the right to say, I am owed something from this?
There is power and strength in talking about subjects that society has led many of us to believe Taboo. There is power and strength in coming together as a community to heal and support one another as victims.
One of the most heartbreaking things about this book is the reminder that it isn't a work of fiction, not for Chanel, not for myself and not for the hundreds of millions of people across the world.
Chanel handled this with such grace and there are no words to describe how empowering and utterly phenomenal this memoir is, not just for me, but for many victims and supporters alike.
As heavy as this was, I am so grateful that I took the time to read it. This is extremely special to me.
Thank you, Chanel, for being our voice and for continuing to elevate others.
“Love wasn't always about the big moments. More often, it was tucked in the small moments connecting the major ones.”
This book is one of those books that you pick up and you instantly just become addicted to it. I didn't want to put it down. At all. I found myself wanting to skip sleep just so I could keep reading and find out what was going to happen next.
I am so happy to report that this book got me out of a reading slump and it's reminded me why I love reading to begin with. An escape. You want to pick up a book that is part of a world that you could never see yourself being a part of in real life. King of Wrath delivered.
I LOVED how independent and strong Vivian is and how unafraid she is to speak up for what she believes in. I also love how petty she was at the beginning of the arrangement when she would purposely do little things to mess with the house just because she knew it would annoy Dante. I genuinely laughed on multiple occasions.
Pressure and expectations especially when it comes from family is a never ending energy destroyer and I loved reading Vivian learn to appreciate her own worth that wasn't connected to anyone else's.
I am so glad I finally decided to pick up this book and I can't wait to get started on the rest of the series!
“Because you're like a story that hasn't happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.”
You know when you're reading a book and then you get sad because you realise you only have a few pages left until you finish? This is how it was for this book. I didn't want it to end.
The Cruel Prince reminded me exactly why I started to recently get into and enjoy reading fantasy.
I am going to keep this spoiler free as I do with all of my reviews.
I knew from the very first few chapters that Jude would become very special to me. Though, it's not the same (My world is not fantasy in any aspect), I relate to the feeling of never feeling like I belong and feeling pressure to try to. Jude might be young but she is most definitely not the weak girl that some of them make her out to be.
I am so excited to read more about Cardan and get to know him underneath the rough exterior that he presented throughout the book. I loved that I got to see a glimpse of it in some moments and I can't wait to see more.
Every character that you come across is flawed and complex. It was difficult to trust any of them and I found it so much to wait every chapter to see if anyone was reliable.
The drama, the plot twists... I am obsessed and I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series. I am so annoyed I didn't read it earlier.
This book was such a great refresher with all the heavy books I've been reading lately. I think as much as I love reading thrillers and fantasy it's always nice to pick up a silly romance book to cleanse.
Hex and the City was a great book to do that. It was witty and filled with all the great chaos that you want when you pick up a book like this. I couldn't help but get a smile on my face on multiple occasions.
My only issue was that I felt that the ending was quite rushed and I would've loved more moments between Poppy and Axl so I could've enjoyed their connection more.
Overall, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
“Lies are comforting. Truth is painful.”
WOW.
I think that's the only appropriate way to start this review. This was a book that I knew going into it that I would love and find comfort in. I admit, I see Dragons and I am immediately hooked every single time.
I will try not to go into details about any plot points because I like to avoid having spoilers in my reviews so I will try to keep this short and sweet.
Fourth Wing made me feel so nostalgic. It reminded me of all the great books and series I read growing up that were so dear to me. One of them was Eragon especially when it came to the bond between dragons and their riders.
I loved that there was such a strong found family theme present in this book. They couldn't contact their real families or some didn't have any family left and they found something much more special within one another.
I know it's quite common that we get a female protagonist that appears fragile and small. The author didn't go into specifics but hinted that Violet had a disability. I love seeing this type of representation, especially in fantasy and I think we should see more of it. Whilst the disability wasn't specifically mentioned, you could tell in the way people alluded to it or how differently they treated Violet because of it.
Xaden was the perfect male protagonist. I loved that he never looked at Violet as weak, he believed she was stronger than them all due to the obstacles she had to overcome to get where everyone else was and further. Xaden never coddled her because he knew she was perfectly capable of doing whatever she put her mind to.
The ending of this genuinely had me staring at the wall in complete awe (Picture this)
I can't wait to get my hands on the next book when it comes out. I will be eagerly waiting.
“If you spend your life focusing on the never, then you'll never actually do anything.”
This book has been on my TBR for the longest time and I am so glad I finally took the leap to finishing it, especially with it being Pride Month.
It was so easy to form a connection with Alex and Molly despite them both being so individually different. Alex had to grow up too fast, spent most of her life looking after her mother instead of the other way around and she had walls so high because she was afraid to be vulnerable so Alex made herself appear like she didn't care about anything. Molly is the exact opposite where she struggles to stand her ground and speak up for herself and she struggles with anxiety. While their experiences seemed dissimilar, their shared insecurity underneath it all is that they both didn't feel enough. I loved that underneath the surface, this book was about self-acceptance and acknowledging your self-worth.
I do wish that there was more time spent on the development of the romance between Molly and Alex. I'm a sucker for a slow burn and I just would've loved to have seen their love for one another blossom more so I could enjoy it further.
Overall, this was a cute read and I enjoyed it!
I wish there were words to express how excited I was when I saw that I was approved for this arc. Thrillers will always be one of my favourite genres and the fact that this was a murder mysteries screamed that it was right up my alley.
After her dreams are cut short and a failed relationship, Esmé decides to move back to her hometown to help her brother take care of their unwell father. Things quickly take a sinister turn when one of Esmé's old friends is found dead in her backyard.
The story follows the point of view of Esmé and Rita, the detective who is investigating the murder. Usually, I find it can become quite confusing when there are dual points of view because it can become jumbled but thankfully this was written well and i found myself excited to see each different view of Esmé and Rita.
I loved trying to solve the mystery along with the other characters. As we learnt more about the characters and their pasts, I tried to figure out on my own who the killer was and I can confirm that I was not even close.
I feel like the ending was slightly rushed. It felt like it came out of left field as I hadn't seen any reason for the story to go that way which could have been my fault because I could have missed some foreshadowing and clues.
Overall, I had great fun with this tense and fantastically paced Thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Lynn Painter, you've done it again.
I can't explain what exactly it is about Painter's writing that has me kicking my feet and swooning like a teenager again. The best way to get close to an explanation would have to be because every time I read one of her works I feel like I'm being transported back to when I was in high school, experiencing the highs and lows of growing older and the feeling of falling in love for the first time. It's so nostalgic in the best way possible.
I loved Emilie and Nick's characters. For her whole life, it was about having control, being perfect and making sure everything was on track and in order. Nick comes into her life and shows her that there's more to life than that and helps her learn to be herself and have fun. Nick is so smitten and swoon-worthy. I genuinely want to keep him in my pocket always.
They had the best banter and I found myself giggling on multiple occasions but I expect nothing less when they are written by Lynn Painter.
I knew from the premise that I would be sold. Groundhog's Day set on Valentine's Day? Absolutely.
I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil but I had so much fun with this and I am so happy I finally decided to pick this up.
The Bachelorette meets second chance romance? I was sold from the very first page.
This is the type of energy that you want when you pick up a second-chance romance. You want angst, you want slow pining and you want the urge to bang the two character's heads together so they finally get back together. I loved this. I'm not afraid to admit that I enjoyed how messy and chaotic it was.
Emily is a character that you couldn't help but fall in love with. She's been through so much and I instantly felt a connection to her. I wanted to hug her and erase any of her suffering but her strength was unmatched and I was just wishing for her deserved happy ending throughout the entire book.
Jake's fear of breaking everything he touches and the trauma of his childhood continuing to follow him into his adulthood resonated with me deeply. It was truly heartbreaking to read about his struggle with his past but I loved reading about his growth and journey to self-acceptance and forgiveness.
I am so excited to read Sam and Cooper's story. I knew from the minute they both appeared in the story that I would love them and want more of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kay Marie for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Firstly, any book that starts with a playlist is an immediate plus for me.
Ms Perfectly Fine has all the great makings of a Contemporary Romance and I loved it. This had close proximity, reverse grumpy sunshine, chronic pain representation, suspense, spicy scenes, an adorable dog, reluctant roommates to friends to lovers trope (This is a trope I need MORE of) and so much more.
The chemistry between Autumn and Elijah was probably the highlight for me. I loved their banter and how they formed a friendship before any romance even began. Elijah is a whole swoon fest and I couldn't help but laugh at multiple of their interactions with one another.
I think this had the potential to have a higher rating for me but the suspense part of the book felt kind of rushed to me and I would've loved it to be dragged out a bit more.
Overall, I had great fun with this and I would love to check out more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a book that has been recommended to me more times than I can count. I went into it with no knowledge of any of the plot, besides the fact that it was sapphic. That is the best way to approach a book like this.
I'm always nervous about reading a book when I see how high of a rating it has but Last Night At The Telegraph Club lived beyond any expectations that I had. This is the perfect example of a book that deserves more hype despite having lots already.
When I'm reading historical fiction, this is what I have in mind. I want to learn about the past and read how it is incorporated into the story. This touched on identity, sexuality, race, deportation, communism and many other heavy topics. I felt like I learned so much just by reading this. I also love that it included the translations at the bottom of the pages in scenes where the characters would speak in Chinese.
The love, the self-discovery, the found family...
It's not often that a book from the Young Adult genre hits me so profoundly but I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.
I wish I could give this more than five stars.
Lemn's courage and bravery in writing this memoir is astounding. My heart breaks for the life that was stolen from him and other children just like him.
There are no words to describe how inspiring I find Lemn for becoming the man he is today despite the rough life that he had been dealt with.
I had never read a book that was written in the format of documents incorporated in it but I think for a book like this, it fit well and I felt like My Name is Why is a necessary read.
Truly powerful.