bookphenomena_micky's reviews
4683 reviews

 

A really tragic story from start to finish. It focused on a group of friends with Carl and Sarah at the centre but they weren't a couple. The military setting was core to this tale, with past (Afghanistan) and present (UK) narrative style.

I know I should have felt moved by this story and the heaps of tragedy but I just didn't connect with the characters or the plot. I don't think the writing was the kind of style that appeals to me in this type of fiction. I couldn't get down with the romance.

Thank you to Michael Joseph books for the review copy.

 

Headlines:
True enemies to lovers
Hyperfocus on one night
Exes and messes

This story was a hyperfocus on one night in Aggie's life, a really poignant night for her...the closure of her family's restaurant. This last hurrah for a close-knit team and family turned into a comedy of errors starting with the impending storm and becoming wild with the addition of her ex and his awful mother.

This was half comedy with brilliant dialogue and half serious realisation for both Aggie and her nemesis, the chef, Harrison. Sometimes enemies to more seems watered down to me but these two really brought the enemies vibe so well even though Harrison was masking a lot.

The found family in the restaurant in the form of Noah, Scout, Thomas and Willy were both unsavoury in a funny way and the best of champions. Devin (the ex) was a slimy, manipulating piece of garbage as was his mother. I loved how Harrison empowered Aggie.

These characters were so well layered, their past, present and hope for the future had my attention. Harrison felt a subtly complex person with good guy vibes and Aggie just never told anyone how she really felt. They were quite the combo and their chemistry was undeniable.

"This man isn't emotionally unavailable or closed off. He's private. He's intense but he knows how to communicate and listen."

One Last Night was the kind of read you binge through, reading with ease and chuckles. I had a ball.

Thank you Canelo for the eARC.

 

I love how I can get completely lost in a Laura Dave thriller without feeling super stressed, I was just desperate to turn the pages.

The Night We Lost Him was about disconnected siblings and the loss of their beloved father. The key protagonists were Nora and Sam, two estranged siblings who began to suspect their father's death was not straight forward. Liam, their father, wasn't exactly husband of the year but he was a caring dad.

Through regular but brief flashbacks from Liam's early adulthood, a story of connection to a woman was revealed but it took until the last 10% of the story for me to really piece this together. When the big reveal came, I had to go back and reread a few pages, thinking I'd misunderstood but all while suspecting that Dave was twisting me all up... she was.

I romped through this story of relationships and I enjoyed the lower thriller stakes it brought. Somehow, it was also full of emotion. The length of the story was just right. I'll always pick this author's books, they deliver that shorter thrilling ride.

Thank you to Century Books for the eARC. 

Headlines:
Water sports
Brain fighting emotions
Immense feeels

This book made a complete splash into my Sunday and I couldn't put it down. This was a very character-couple driven story but the plot was excellent too. While I knew there was a theme of intimate control, it was very palatable for me (not always a fan) and I just loved how it translated to building trust in this couple.

Scarlett was a diver with a mental block, training for the big competitions and often on the outside of friendship groups. Scarlett was an endearing protagonist, she was kind of self aware but in denial about some things. Lukas was hard to work out at first but the vibes he gave off in Scarlett's direction were pretty strong. The triangular (not a triangle) situation was always there in the background and I felt the scent of things to come.

I very much enjoyed all the diving stuff, the sports context, the pressures of training, competing and studying. We got some cameos from previous characters which was pretty sweet.

How the months passed and the trust built had me glued to every page. I felt all the moments between these two, the most powerful ones were emotional. I honestly didn't want this book to be over.

Ali Hazelwood writes romance as though it's personalised to my taste and I will devour her books on first bite and re-read forever.

Thank you to Sphere for the review copy. 

Headlines:
Fantasy friendships
Monstrous kindness
Historical times

Greenteeth was the book I didn't know I'd like and found that I loved. Who knew that a lake hag with green scales and many teeth would be such a delightful, lovely and complex character. Jenny (aka Greenteeth) was a custodian of the lake and observer of the world around her. She found herself saving a witch who had been ducked and sank. From there, the friendship started between Jenny and Temperance, this was also the start of a quest to get Temperance back to her family.

In the background of this whole tale was the story of ebbing magic from the world. I didn't expect some of the later reveals in terms of what the little town truly was and I loved how the story navigated different parts of Britain.

The fae baddie of this piece was the true monster, wrapped up in seemingly good robes. The interaction with the fae world was both helpful in terms of aiding the quest but also bringing that darker vibe and peril to the plot.

It took a very short time reading this book to become a Jenny fan and my overall feeling at the end is what a fantastic character creation Jenny was. I would love to read more by this author. You really should pick this book up!

Thank you to Orbit Books for the review copy. 

Headlines:
Stepping up into leadership
Mortals v immortals
Unwanted attractions

There's something very grounding about returning to a world you know with new characters but you don't need the world building. Immortal took us on a journey of a jarring coming of age for Liyen as she became the Lady of her land, untrusted because of her age, her gender and previous ill health. I found myself relating to her previous life of fatigue, so that was an welcome little resonnance for me.

Liyen was mortal and the God of War, Zhangwei soon interfered in this mortal land, in search of a special lotus flower. Smoke and mirrors were constantly between these two for reasons that were slowly revealed across the length of the story. Liyen's dislike of Zhangwei gave this an inital enemies to more feel, but there was so much more to their story. The connection between these two was like the most powerful of magnets.

I enjoyed the movements between the immortal and mortal lands. The plot took the reader into a world of creatures that had been long-feared and they made for avid reading. Trust was a big theme in this book and I glued my eyes to the page as these characters navigated distrust to trust. It was a worthwhile journey.

As ever with this author's writing, she paints a vivid description of lands and people, down to their wardrobe and I love the imagery that creates for me as I read. I wholeheartedly enjoyed being back in the DOTMG landscape.

I will still forever long for Liwei to get a story again in this world and I hope one day, that will come to fruition.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC. 

This was an easy read but I have some gripes about some aspects. Overall I liked the dual contexts of rescue swimmer and elite ballet but then both of those elements got on my nerves eventually because of how it was written.

*It was overly long
*If someone dipped a toe in the water you just knew what was coming (why repeat this again and again)
*Author kept writing about Allie sticking her tongue behind Hudson's teeth...errr, I don't think that's working for me.
*I didn't really like Allie
*I don't think the late reveal about the mother added anything

I did like
*the middle seat
*Juniper

Just balancing out all the gush with my salty thoughts. 

I dunno, I finished confused which was my overarching feeling throughout this installment. It was really hard to keep my attention and the future eras just exponentially ran away with my understanding! I'm hoping the later installments (not by this author) are optional...

Headlines:
Magical (realism)
Whimsical
Romantic

I enjoyed the foundational setting of the pawn shop in Tokyo. Open the door and is it ramen or is it a place to stow your emotions? Hana was about to finally take over the running of the shop from her father when the rug was pulled from under her feet. She found herself jumping into an adventure with the latest stray to enter the shop...Keishin.

From here, it was a story of jumping quest to quest, door to door with a cast of unusual characters. All of this was in the backdrop of a sense of peril and the lives of Hana's parents were at stake. The concept of what the pawn shop did was really interesting and the quest mostly kept my interest. I did find the story a bit overly drawn out and I was chomping to get to the end of the quests.

The romance developed rather sweetly and I believed the connection between Hana and Keishin wholeheartedly. I enjoyed the whimsical plot lines but I was never far from being worried about Hana's father and wanting to know more about her mother.

Overall, this was a good story with a magical realism experience I connected with.

Thank you Bantam Books for the early review copy.

Headlines:
Twin echoes
Grief
Small town secrets

A Sea of Unspoken Things was the kind of story that built and built into a bundle of feelings that were quite overwhelming in the best way. James (she/her) returned to the small town she escaped once she was college-aged but her return was under the most difficult of circumstances, to wrap up her twin's estate. Old relationships came to the fore, just like old secrets and lies did.

This story was slow mysterious unravel and I had many theories alongside James, Micah and Johnny. None of them ended up being right but it was such a gripping journey. While the tale was heavy with a palpable grief, somehow the unfolding mystery cut through the grief so that it didn't weigh the book down too much.

There was a low level romance in this story and it felt right in how it weighed less alongside the story of this family. Nevertheless, I was incredibly invested in the second chance for James.

As with many of Young's books in this genre, there was a tangible connection to the land. I was able to imagine myself amongst the trees, catching sight of the owls, hearing the water pouring through a gorge; only the sounds of nature. That's because Young is an exceptional wordsmith not only in her description of nature but how she gets you feeling as one with the characters. I highlighted so many pieces of dialogue and text.

There was a poignancy to this read and I think that is because grief is a very individual journey, so that being alongside James and her twin senses through this felt so personal. I spent the last few chapters in tears on and off, which told me how connected I'd become to James and Johnny. This was a wholly memorable story.

"Goodbye is a lost language. A silent one."

Thank you to Quercus Books for the review copy.