emlawley's reviews
83 reviews

Love Will Tear Us Apart by C.K. McDonnell

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I LOVED this book! I was totally hooked after the first few minutes of listening despite it being so off the wall and not at all linear - you just get thrown right into the utterly glorious Stranger Times world. Honestly, it has soared into my top books and, subsequently, series of all time. The narration is truly exceptional too. 
Sweet Briar Rose by Alex Smith

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Troy by Stephen Fry

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adventurous emotional funny informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As ever, I loved Stephen Fry’s writing style, exceptional storytelling (I love the detail he includes along with the humorous elements dotted throughout) and always-wonderful narration. It took me a few months to listen to it all as I dipped in and out due to the detailed/informative and semi-historic nature of the story as I find this style harder to listen to “all in one go”. Also, after reading Clytemnestra and Circe previously it makes reading this male-centred telling of the sacking of Troy more difficult for me to ‘accept’! 
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

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funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

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emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I devoured this book in two days! After not enjoying the last book of Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series I didn’t have high hopes, but I was very much proved wrong! I love the way he writes characters, and this bunch was central to my enjoyment of the story. I also really liked the fact I didn’t guess who was guilty until the very end. A thoroughly enjoyable listen! 
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

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emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a really interesting book. It’s not the usual genre I would choose, fantasy, but I really enjoyed the story and was intrigued by what was happening to June. I found the story quite sad and heart-wrenching in places and didn’t love the ending as it left things feeling a bit unresolved. I also found some of the descriptions of the various timelines and time travel elements a bit confusing at times which detracted from my enjoyment of the story. 
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the first novel by Christina Lauren that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it! The depth of the characters and the character progression really surprised me as it’s not a given in novels of this genre and it added to how much I enjoyed it. Just sexy enough for me without being too graphic, OTT or dismissive of women’s pleasure.