Bilal

I've always been drawn to horror, whether in movies or books. I think part of the curiosity is trying to understand what I'd do in the same situation. But a big fat ‘nope' to putting myself through what happens in this book! I absolutely loved this and couldn't get enough. But that ‘couldn't get enough' part is also a slight knock on this review as there were so many unanswered questions at the end. Maybe that ending was intentional to keep everything open, but I need some answers

Could have been so much more. A quick read, but lacks any real conflict with things just working out for the best all the time. In terms of the smut, repetitive and over too soon.

This book will stay with me for a long time. A sad, heartbreaking story of love, loss of life, sisterhood and time. Highly recommended.

A beautifully written book, but unfortunately I feel like it wasn't meant for me. I considered DNF'ing this early on as it seemed to be a ‘all males are assholes' kind of book. I think having the characters interacting and hanging around jocks and dickheads was a way for the author to present the whole ‘terrible things happen to women all the time' narrative.

I never got a chance to read this when I was younger. For something so short and simple, I believe it will always be timeless and relevant. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will never forget what they did to poor Boxer

Loved this book! Amazing depth in the world building and I got really invested in all the characters. I feel the pacing was just right and that kept me interested throughout. Can't wait to start the Sunbringer!

I think the fact that a story primarily about grief can be so cosy and heartfelt speaks volumes. Yes, the ending brought me to tears.

I had never heard of this book or the praise it was getting until a friend purchased it. I was immediately intrigued at the story as these are the kinds of stories that I am drawn to, but have been let down by before. Thanks for letting me borrow this to read, Holly ❤️

Coming from a somewhat traumatised childhood myself, I felt like I connected with Lena the most, the immediate rejection from her mother brought back some not-so-nice memories. She was someone that I was rooting for throughout, but all of the characters are all easy to connect with, and easy to get attached to. “I'm not a fucking speck. I'm Lena”.

“Some people tell stories”
“Stories are not good?” I ask.
“You'd have to tell a good one”
I have a good one. But I can't tell it.

The ice cream memory brought such a big smile out of me

There is so much I could say about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I fell in love with these characters and found myself resonating deeply with their journey. The highs and lows of the relationships was enthralling. It's an absorbing read and one you never want to finish! One thing I will say... It's like a game, you need to join in to truly understand it.

A cozy, wholesome and heartwarming book. The children in this story are definitely the highlight and you can't help but fall in love with them all. Some parts were predictable, but I feel that's to be expected in a book like this. Was debating whether to give this a 4 or 5 star, but because this book drew out smiles, laughs and tears, I have to lean towards 5 stars

This is a book that explores the future world in which there are robot friends (Artificial Friends, or AF) for children. These AF have some capacities which exceed our own, but in other ways they're not considered fully human. The book is an exploration of a relationship between a little girl and an AF. The author does a great job in getting into the mind of a foreign character in a realistic and believable way. For me this was too much of a slow burn, the ending falls flat and just left me wanting something more.

Seeing things from the mind of a seven year old... a dark and realistic world with the pain and grief associated with life's events. The story captivated me from start to finish and I'm adding a star to my rating because I'm sure that I remember the monsters and the crazy world of magic from my childhood... maybe I read this when I was a lot younger? Or it was read to me? In any case, it became more and more familiar to me as I read, which added to the world of magic!

I was strongly considering giving this a four star rating because of the slow start (and slightly rushed ending) but once it got going I was hooked! There were a couple of things that tipped it to a 5 star rating for me.

Anna is the black sheep of the family and I related to her more than I thought I would. Even when she was being haunted, I felt like she handled the entire situation like I would have, scared but also with the “well, this is my life now” attitude with dark humour and snarkiness sprinkled in.

The family in this novel are horribly toxic. Again, I relate to having an incredibly toxic family so that drew me closer to understanding Anna. I'm not sure if others would like her character if they can't relate to her.

I've read another review that said “families are terrifying” and in my case it's true and added another layer to a typical haunting story. No matter how toxic they can be, there's a certain obligation to keep in touch and make efforts, despite the constant passive aggressive behaviour.

I understand the mixed reviews for this, but it did resonate with me - it kept me hooked and wanting to read more. For me, any book that affects me emotionally and keeps me coming back will always be highly rated.

Quoting this from a review by Paige as I couldn't have said it better myself, “Blame is placed where it does not belong. Secrets are shared that have no business being shared. Some things are resolved, a lot of things are not. But I think family is like this. It's not enjoyable, but it's the way family is, and her avoidant personality is exactly how I'd react too”.

I really enjoyed this retelling! It could have been a 5/5, but I felt some of the characters were a little underdeveloped and the ending was a little rushed.

Really enjoyed this book! The longer stories are definitely the highlights here though.

Two Talented Bastids
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Fifth Step
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Willie the Weirdo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Finn
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

On Slide Inn Road
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Red Screen
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Turbulence Expert
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Laurie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Rattlesnakes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Dreamers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Answer Man
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A lot slower than I expected, but still enjoyed returning to this world - Kissen rocks! A great read, but I enjoyed Godkiller a lot more.

Obviously I'm no expert, but I didn't believe the author is a Sociopath. Having worked with one for many months, the differences between them is night and day. Just my opinion ✌️

Difficult to review this as I know it's a classic. Ahead of its time but left me feeling unfulfilled... but maybe that's the point?

Spoilers below

About Goldsteins book being in the actual book - I knew this was coming and I was dreading it. 30ish pages taken up detailing Goldsteins book... Would have been easier to digest if it was less repetitive and paraphrased. Also - why did Winston read the entire thing out loud?!

“I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone.“ Julia laughs this comment off...

I almost DNF'd this early as the writing felt basic and the characters one dimensional. It gets better but the pacing was off throughout. Could have been a 5 star rating but falls short

I was really invested in this book and was eager to see what would happen and many scenarios ran through my head. Unfortunately, for me, this really dragged and I kept waiting for a twist or... just something to happen. The ending for me feels so rushed and completely unsatisfying. It's a shame because like I said, I was hooked for the first half of the book.

A good book? No... But a fun read!

Things I didn't like:

Didn't like the main character at all. For someone so young (and so broke), he manages to find time to master all games, watch all movies and references Halliday word for word. Takes arrogance to a whole new level.

The final battle felt rushed and out of place.

The romantic storyline is poorly written and a little sexist.

I really wanted to like this book but the start of it is extremely boring. Even as a 80s baby, the references got a little too much.