chronicreader96's reviews
369 reviews

Broadmoor was the first asylum built in the UK to house the criminally insane. This book covers some of the rich and true history of Broadmoor and some of the women who were confined there in the 1800’s. 

Broadmoor holds a particular fascination for me as an aspiring Forensic Psychologist, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I found myself absolutely devouring the first chapter that focused more on the history of the institution and the views of mental health in Victorian England. I didn’t learn anything I haven’t already learnt through my studies, but I thoroughly enjoyed how this was written and how such sensitive topics were handled. In fact, the sensitivity of the author is shown throughout the book. 

I loved learning more about the history of Broadmoor and the great kindness shown to the patients housed there. I had expected the gruesome horrors often linked to asylums but instead came away with a reflective sensation and lightness that I had not anticipated. My main critique for the book, and the only reason that I could not give it 5 stars, is that I felt the author focused too much on the extended family. I would end up losing focus and getting lost in a jumble of names that made no sense to me. As much as I praise the amount of research that went into this, it made it difficult to digest as a reader. I would have rather had less specific detail and more information about other women involved in Broadmoor. Overall, I’m very glad I read this book!

I would recommend this to fans of true-crime, historical non-fiction, or those interested in the history of mental health, as long as you don’t mind some excessive detail. I want to thank NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Kim E. Thomas for sending me a copy of this book so I could give my personal thoughts.

This was a wonderfully wild ride that really sucked me in! 

One Last Secret follows Dora, an escort who has agreed to do one final job with a client she trusts. The job involves going to France and pretending to be Daniel’s girlfriend. But nothing is as it seems and things quickly take a sinister turn.

I absolutely devoured the first half of this book. I felt completely sucked in by the setting and sinister nature of the situation. I couldn’t completely figure out what was happening and I liked that. The tone shifted slightly towards the latter half of the book, moving back and forward in time. The time shifts were easy to follow and flowed seamlessly. A lot of twists were thrown in towards the end, although I did guess most of them, there were two that were able to catch me by surprise which I absolutely loved!

My main complaint with this book was that I didn’t connect to Dora’s character at all. I liked her strength, willingness to love and trust. However, she kept making some really ridiculous decisions in the face of danger. These decisions didn’t seem to fit the savvy character we had been introduced to. I just wanted to scream at the book and tell her not to be so trusting! Overall, this was a tense read that kept me turning the pages. I definitely want to read more books by this author. 

I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries. 

This was a charming collection of novellas that were super easy to pick up and put down as the feeling suited.

The collection consists of:

Unfortunately, I started reading this collection during a difficult time in my life, which very well may have affected my enjoyment of the books. That being said, I loved the unique take of spirits leading couples into romances. It does require some suspension of belief, but it added a lovely magical quality that was just what I needed. These are nice and quick novellas, that are not mentally taxing and can be read easily. 

I particularly enjoyed Carol’s Christmas, I loved the take on a classic author in such a modern and unique way. It felt a little cheesy at times, but I didn’t mind that because I was enjoying the journey! I also enjoyed Stella’s Star as it was the first book I’ve ever read involving amnesia! Having recently studied amnesia I found it particularly fun to relate what I’d learnt to this story, even though it was fiction! Overall, I enjoyed this collection and will definitely be reading more books by this author. I wasn’t blown away by any of the stories, but they kept me amused and I liked that I could dip in and out as the mood struck. 

I would recommend this collection to fans of paranormal romance and Christmas novellas. I want to thank CB Samet and Voracious Readers Only for allowing me to read a copy of this book so I could give my personal thoughts. 

I started reading this book just before an extremely difficult time in my life. I ended up not reading for a while, but this book was the perfect antidote to slowly get me back into reading again.

A Christmas Cracker tells the story of Tabby, who was sent to prison for something she did not do. She gets given a second chance at Mote Farm to try and help restore a failing Christmas Cracker factory.

My rating for this book is completely based on my personal enjoyment. There was nothing particularly ground breaking or spectacular. But it was a lovely, easy read that kept me intrigued. I really liked the English countryside/stately home setting. I felt as if I was being given a warm and comforting hug and returning to a simpler life. My biggest issue was that I didn’t really root for the romance aspect of the book. It almost felt forced and I struggled to feel any proper chemistry between the characters. The ending also felt particularly rushed.

That being said, I fell completely in love with the characters and Mote Farm. Pye and Pugsie (a cat and dog) managed to particularly worm their way into my heart. I found myself smiling whenever they joined in the narrative. I felt a sadness when I was nearing the end of the book because I just did not want to say goodbye to the varied and wonderful characters who came to feel like friends. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author now! 

I would recommend this to fans of easy to read Christmas romcoms with a countryside charm. 

The Collector follows Frederick, a young man who collects butterflies and is completely obsessed by Miranda, a young woman he has seen around. When fortune strikes, Frederick comes up with a plan to capture Miranda so that she can grow to love him.

This was a very mixed read for me. I absolutely loved Frederick’s pages. Getting inside his head was so fascinating I didn’t want to stop reading! He is just the creepy protagonist that I wanted, but he also had a great deal of depth and intrigue. The portrayal of Frederick’s character was excellently done. Although I did find it difficult to get used to the complete lack of chapters in his sections initially. It reads like a running commentary and works well, I’ve just never read a book structured as this was before!

However, I really struggled with Miranda’s perspective. I found her to be a completely unlikeable character. The more I read, the greater my dislike grew for her. Although I do like how the real her contrasted to the image I’d gathered of her initially. Miranda’s sections often felt more like a lecture, they slowed the pace and I lost my focus. If I was able to connect to her, I may still have enjoyed it. But unfortunately her character lost all of my interest. Overall, I’m very glad I read this haunting classic, even if it’s not a favouite for me! 

I would recommend this book to fans of dark classic literature. 

All I want for Christmas follows Sadie and Max, both contestants on a reality singing show. However, they are quickly paired together and fans go wild for their chemistry. But can they keep their fake relationship afloat?

This was such a wonderfully fun and unique read. I’ve never read a book based around a reality TV show before, and although I wasn’t completely sold on it as a setting for a Christmas book, I loved how incredibly authentic and vivid it felt. I absolutely loved the scenes set in Canada. They were exactly the kind of cosy, wintery feel that I absolutely love in a Christmas novel! I did have to put the book down for a short while, as one particular plot line hit a bit of a soft spot for me in my personal life. I ended up in tears, but mainly because it was handled so beautifully. 

Although the storyline didn’t really surprise me, it made for a nice easy read. I do love the fake dating trope so I really enjoyed that aspect of the romance! However, I did want to jump into the book and force the characters into a room together when they stopped communicating properly! The book flips between Sadie and Max’s points of view. I loved getting into both of their heads but didn’t feel completely connected to either of them. This is exactly the kind of book I love to read in December, a nice and easy to read festive romcom.

I would recommend this to fans of Christmassy romcoms and the fake dating trope! I want to thank Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley for sending me a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts. 

The Boy from the Woods follows Wilde and Hester as they work together to find a missing teenage girl. However, to do so, long buried secrets must be uncovered. 

This was my first Harlan Coben novel and I will definitely be diving into more of this author’s works! I really enjoyed this twisty ride that was definitely able to take me by surprise at times. I did struggle a little to follow all the different subplots but I enjoyed how everything tied up towards the end. I’m not usually one for politics in books, but I actually really liked that aspect of this book. It really got me thinking and relating the scenario to real life. I think the political aspect was written in a way that suited a novice like me! 

I find feral children incredibly fascinating from a psychological standpoint. However, I had to completely suspend my belief with Wilde’s character. I almost feel like his history was shoehorned in to make him seem more interesting, but it just was not realistic. In fact, there are many parts of this book where you need to completely suspend your belief, which did detract from my enjoyment a little. That being said, I absolutely loved Hester’s character, her tenacity, intelligence and take no prisoners attitude won me over completely! I hope she crops up again in this series! Overall, I enjoyed this and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters next. 

I would recommend this to fans of crime/mystery if you don’t mind having to suspend your belief.

This is such an incredibly beautiful and moving story, I’m not even sure if I can find the words to give it justice.

Keep Forever is based on a true story, Paul and Elizabeth meet when he is on his way home from combat in Vietnam, after being injured in battle. With both facing difficult starts in life, the scars run deep, but they do their best with the hands they have been dealt. However, the after effect of war follows them throughout their journey.

When I started this book I found myself completely engrossed. I love anything that is based on true events and I have so much respect for the honesty and bravery shown in publishing this important book. This book is incredibly raw, and deals with PTSD in such an honest way. It hit quite a personal note for me a few times, and I found myself needing to step away for a breather. But, I have so much praise for Kingaard’s willingness to discuss the dark sides of mental health with such brutal honesty. It can be a tough and emotional read, but it is an incredibly important one.

My main issue was that I found the middle section a little slow. However, I can also see it’s importance in helping us to really connect to the characters and follow their journey throughout its entirety. I loved the short chapters which did keep me ticking along even when the pace slowed a little. That being said, the ending grabbed me in an emotional stranglehold that left me with tears in my eyes. I had to put the book down a few times so that I could gather myself enough to carry on. Overall, this is an extremely well written and important tale, beautiful in its message of true love through all hardships. 

I would recommend this book to fans of books based on true stories or anyone with an interest in mental health. I want to thank Voracious Readers Only and Alexa Kingaard for allowing me to read a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts. 

What a wild ride this book was! 

Jar of Hearts tells the story of three high school friends. Angela disappeared at sixteen, Geo knows the truth about what happened, and Kaiser (now a detective) works to find out the truth. But, will the secrets Geo shares with her first love, Calvin, come to the surface?

This was one rollercoaster of a book! It actually managed to truly shock me during the first half. I had to put the book down to really wrap my head around what was going on. Although I found the second half a bit more predictable it was still able to surprise me a bit too! I loved that it used multiple POV’s and jumped back and forth between the present day and the past, it didn’t take me long to catch up with what timeline or perspective was being used. I particularly liked the scenes within the prison, they felt so vivid and really came to life. 

As a warning, this book got dark very quickly. During one scene I felt really nauseous, I can honestly say I’ve never read a book that mentioned this topic before and it was a tough one to take in. Please be very cautious of trigger warnings with this book. Not a single character was particularly likeable, all of them are deeply flawed. Which gave me a detached feeling, but I still found the story absolutely riveting and did not want to stop reading. I actually really liked some of the subtle messages thrown into this book too. It has definitely left me wanting to read more by this author! 

I would recommend this to fans of dark thrillers, but please be extremely cautious of potential triggers. 

I am not a huge non-fiction reader, so I want to make it very clear that my enjoyment of this book may very well be down to struggling with the genre rather than this book specifically.

If You Were There follows the tale of people who go missing. García has lived his life in the shadow of a missing father, Christobal, who left their family home one day, never to return. As he walks in the footsteps of the missing, will he find his family?

This was a bit of a mixed read for me, I found some of it really interesting and did learn a few things. I particularly loved the aspects of García’s personal life, they added a wonderfully personal touch to this book. However, other parts felt dragged out and a little repetitive, although they did give me much to ponder. I loved the bravery with which García told his families story, and all of those who contributed to the book with their personal stories.

My biggest issue was that after a while, I had no desire to pick the book up. However, I can often experience this with non-fiction as I read to get an escape from everyday life! I had hoped that the topic would interest me enough to keep me hooked but unfortunately that was not the case. That being said, I do not want my review to put off potential readers, I feel that those who love non-fiction will appreciate this more than I was able to.

I would recommend this to fans of non-fiction. I want to thank Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Francisco García for sending me a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts.