laural27's reviews
706 reviews

After the huge success of Billy And Me last year, I have been waiting rather impatiently for Giovanna’s second novel to hit the shelves. Billy And Me was by far one of my favourite books of last year and I had really high hopes that this second novel would be just as good, if not better.
I wasn’t disappointed.
You’re The One That I Want tells the story of Maddy, Robert and Ben: three friends who have known each other since childhood. Growing up together, Maddy, Robert and Ben were affectionately known as ‘The Tripod’ they were three people that made up one whole; without each other they were nothing. We follow them in this novel as they go through childhood, adolescence and their early to mid-twenties.
Maddy has never fancied either of the boys, they’ve always just been her friends; she’s seen them at their best and at their worst and has never wanted to be anything more. However, as the three grow up, a whole host of complicated emotions stem from each of them and soon the three of them are trapped in a love triangle; one that is full of emotion and potential heartbreak.
What do you do when you have to choose between the two people you love most in the world?
Wow, this book was FULL of emotion. I found that I connected instantly with Maddy; when I was growing up I had a lot more male friends than female friends and have had two best male friends, so I could completely relate to the dynamic between the three main characters. I think this is a really strong point of the novel, so many people will be able to relate to the situation Maddy finds herself in.
The story is told from three viewpoints which made for some really lovely insights into the way each character was feeling. I loved getting into Ben’s head and seeing how he felt (he was probably my favourite of the two guys) and it was really interesting seeing how each character perceived the others behaviour in totally different ways. Maddy is the perfect female lead; she is funny, caring, confusing, loveable, just everything a teenage/young female character should be!
The novel takes place in various locations: in Peaswood where the three grow up, at university, in Paris, in London…the list is endless! I loved how smooth the transition from each location was and how accurately and concisely Gi managed to describe them. I really felt like I was in all the different locations with the characters. The pacing was also superb and I couldn’t put the book down! Each chapter ending just made me want to keep reading and I am almost disappointed I read it so quickly! I’d love to go back and re-read a little slower to really appreciate the beauty of Gi’s writing.
Gi has the perfect narrative voice for this genre and writes in such an experienced way that you fall head first into her fictional world. The characters are beautifully formed and develop spectacularly well over the course of the book. As previously mentioned, the descriptions are tangible and suck you right into the action.
I honestly cannot fault this book! I adored it from the first page to the last and I am so very excited about what else we can expect from Gi’s pen in the future. I think she has a VERY exciting career ahead of her.
A beautifully told story exploring the notion of friendship and first love through three gorgeous characters who will capture your heart.

When a copy of this gorgeous novel arrived, I was very quick to place it right at the top of my TBR pile. I loved the cover and the blurb promised a corker of a novel, full of psychological suspense.

Reading a book like this, full of complex characters, fast plot twists and shocking revelations makes it hard to summarise the plot. I’m frightened of giving away too much information about what happens so I have tried to briefly summarise.

Oliver seems to be the perfect man: works as an author, has a generous amount of money and is married to his illustrator. However, when he attacks his wife and she ends up badly beaten, all eyes turn to Oliver and as we learn about him from those who have met him throughout his life, we begin to piece together the events that could have led to the brutal attack. It slowly dawns on us, as the reader, that Oliver is not all he claims to be and that underneath the bold exterior, he might be a very damaged character.

This novel was extremely well planned but when you start reading it all feels a little confusing. It wasn't until I got to about seventy five percent of the way through that everything started to fall into place and all the characters started to link beautifully. The novel is cleverly told through the eyes of several characters who, in the beginning, seem a little unimportant, but as the book progresses it becomes clear just how many people’s lives Oliver influenced. We also have the chance to see things through Oliver's eyes and I found I had a range conflicting emotions about him. I hated him, yet I felt sorry for him. Which left me unsettled.

I think that was the common theme that ran throughout this book: a sense of unease. Whilst the story was dark and compelling, I was far more concerned by the way it made me feel. I felt like I should be feeling a certain way and when I didn't I wanted to challenge what I was feeling. I also found it hard to sympathise with any of the characters because I was constantly worried they would turn out to be untrustworthy.

Whether this was intended or not, I felt the book explored the nature/nurture debate and, being a huge psychology fan, meant I really relished that aspect. I thought it was cleverly illustrated through using Patrick as Oliver's antithesis and their juxtaposing behaviour was incredibly well written.

There wasn't a huge amount of character development over the course of the novel but that didn't matter too much to me, I liked the claustrophobic nature of the plot which centered very closely on a tight knit group of people. The characters were really well crafted and I found it fascinating to witness the relationships between them all.

Nugent's writes with an experienced hand and it feels far too impressive to be a debut. I am very excited about what we could enjoy next from Liz and I am sure I will not be the only person keen to read her next offering.

A haunting debut novel about the true strength of human nature.

After reading this book I am slightly terrified of an alien invasion and am eager to learn how to use a firearm and increase my survival skills…
The 5th Wave grips you from the very first page and holds you captivated until the very last. This novel is told through a handful of viewpoints; however, perhaps the most important of these is Cassie. We are embroiled in her nightmare first and learn why she is stranded, alone and relentlessly protecting her life. As we read, we understand some kind of alien invasion has taken place killing a huge proportion of the human population in ‘waves’ (hence the apt title). Cassie’s viewpoint gives us a glance into previous events and we begin to piece together what has happened and why she is hell bent on surviving.
Two other narratives run parallel to Cassie’s and, whilst at first they seem to be paving the way to their own conclusions, it becomes apparent, as the narrative continues, that these viewpoints have the potential to merge and climax in succession. I will refrain from discussing these two other narratives as it could potentially ruin a lot of the tension!
We follow Cassie and others on differing journeys as they all strive toward two core goals: survival and love. As the novel intensifies and each character faces a unique set of challenges, we begin to see the true force of human nature and the inbuilt need we have for survival.
Yancey has written a book that perhaps contradicts everything I’ve ever assumed about science fiction before. Not only is this book understandable and cleverly plotted, it also has so many themes intricately weaved through it. Themes of loss, death, suffering, human nature, power, group behaviour, conformity, love…the list continues. This isn’t a normal ‘alien invasion’ book; it is also a coming of age tale set against a bleak backdrop where one teenage girl has to grow up remarkably quickly. Cassie’s narrative voice was just outstandingly realistic and I still find it hard to believe that a male writer has so expertly captured the thoughts and feelings of a teenage girl in the way he has.
The pacing of this novel was on point, each page more compelling than the last, forcing you to stay up late into the night just get to the end of the next chapter. Yancey’s lexicon was in places perhaps a little mature for a YA audience, nevertheless, the emotion that he managed to create and the tension fuelled descriptions were more than enough to keep me reading. I think the strongest point of this novel was the way it managed to make me feel, as a reader. I constantly felt on edge and wasn’t willing to relax at any moment, almost expecting a fight to ensue and for me to be ready to battle. I imagined myself so strongly in Cassie’s shoes that I went through her wide array of emotions at the same time she did. I felt panicked, despairing and at one point I even punched a pillow because I was so angry with what had happened…not many books manage to rile me to that extent!
The 5th Wave also raised so many questions as I read: what would I do in Cassie’s situation? Would humans really become so brutal and unrepentant? Would life turn into a lonely fought battle, each man for himself? Would you conform to the group or step aside and make your voice heard?
One of the only negative points I could perhaps say about this book is that in a couple of places it felt almost rushed, especially towards the end, and it felt as though resolutions were easily come across without much explanation. However, I was incredibly impressed and excited by the outcome of this novel and wait extremely impatiently for the next one called The Infinite Sea.
A must read for all sci-fi fans and book lovers alike. A fast paced, tension filled ride through a world that is rapidly falling apart.

The Right Side Of Mr Wrong is Jane's second novel and after seeing the gorgeous cover I was itching to read it! (Can I have a pair of legs like that please?)

Meet Shea: a woman who wants to try and get over the awful things in her life. Meet Brando: (a really really really hot man) troubled by things in his own past. What happens when the two of them meet, each thinking they are meeting under different circumstances? Well, I tell you what...a LOT happens!

The Right Side Of Mr Wrong is a sort of chick lit laced with erotica! It's certainly got the perfect chick-lit components but it is also a little steamier than your average chick-lit. I really enjoyed this merging of genres and thought the balance was brilliant; there wasn't too much sex, but there wasn't too little of it...it was just right!

Jane has written a pretty gorgeous character in the form of Brando. *Fans self* I did find him to be incredibly attractive and even though he was a bit of an arse at times I still couldn't help but love him quite a lot! Shea was the perfect female equivalent to Brando and gave as good as she got which meant there were some perfectly written scenes with each of them bouncing insults and sarcasm at each other (always really great to read). The weren't too many other characters that we got to know well...but that didn't matter to me that much...I liked being so trapped in the tension between the two main characters.

This book was quite short, in the sense it wasn't full novel length, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not! I really liked how the story was told but equally I would have loved to have known more about both characters' pasts a little more. The plot was also predictable, but, hey! Show me a chick-lit book that isn't! I really liked the route it took, one that was a little different from where I had imagined it would.

Jane has a great writing style that was shown off perfectly in this book. Whilst we saw things from both characters perspectives, she managed to keep a really smooth style and transition throughout which I was really impressed by. Her descriptions are really well developed and meant I could easily in envisage what was going on.


This is a fun, quick read that will have you wishing you could be in Shea's shoes!

I love a good psychological thriller and whenever I hear about a new debut in this genre I do get very excited! There have been some killer debuts in this genre: Before I Go To Sleep, Close My Eyes and Reconstructing Amelia to name a few. I had high hopes for this book and let me tell you, I was not in the least bit disappointed.

When I first read the blurb I was expecting a novel very similar to Reconstructing Amelia and I was worried it would be a retelling of a mother not knowing her daughter as much as she thinks she does. However, whilst they touch on similar ideas, they are both very different novels.

The Accident starts with protagonist Sue discussing how her daughter, Charlotte, is in a coma after being hit by a bus. Her husband, as well as many others around her, thinks that it was an accident but Sue is sure Charlotte purposely stepped out and is intent on finding out why her seemingly perfect daughter would have resorted to doing such a thing. As Sue delves into her daughters past, she begins to learn that her own past might have a rather large bearing on the present.

I read the first half in the early hours of the morning and it was such a thrilling feeling, reading it in dead silence and minimal light. Taylor has really got some skill in filling her writing with tension and revealing shocking facts which keep you desperately fixed to the page. This book is a perfect thriller. I couldn’t put it down and felt on edge constantly, afraid of what would happen next.

Taylor has got an incredible talent in this genre especially when it comes to her characters. Every single character was a puzzle: I never knew who to trust, who to be wary of, who to listen to; every single one of them was an enigma and I LOVED that. I found myself hanging on every word and nuance, trying to second guess the author and work out who was in fact the person to believe. Each character developed incredibly well over the course of the novel and I loved seeing the effect one single person can have on the lives of so many other people.

The book was told through chapters in the present day and then entries from a diary Sue kept in the early nineties. I really liked being able to see Sue in two different lights: one as a young woman and one as a mother on the edge; it was a lovely juxtaposition.

Taylor has excelled in writing this book and I can honestly say it is going to take a LOT to beat this book this year. I am so excited about what else we can expect from Taylor in the future!

A hauntingly realistic psychological thriller that will keep you up into the early hours.

Hester Browne is not an author I’ve read before so I was excited to get started on her latest novel. Not being a huge vintage lover myself, but growing up in a house filled with vintage objects, I felt right at home with Evie and her story.
Evie works in a London antique shop run by restless owner Max. With Evie’s penchant for items of emotional significance rather than of value, Max is exhausted with making loss after loss. When Evie is offered the chance to visit Kettlesheer Castle in Scotland to value the family antiques, she jumps at the chance, fully expecting to live out her Austen day dream of sweeping grounds and tight corsets. When she arrives a chain of events occur leaving her attending the annual ball in her sister’s place. With a complicated, traditional dance to learn, antiques to discover and a crush on her sister’s boyfriend, can Evie make it through the ball without any problems?
Evie was a character I very quickly warmed too, however on occasions it didn’t feel like she was particularly mature: some of her inner thoughts were a little childish at times. Aside from that small issue, I really loved seeing the story through her eyes and being privy to her feelings about the characters. Robert, one of the men Evie meets in Scotland, was a bit of a troubled soul and spent the beginning of the book making me feel quite frustrated but luckily over the course of the novel his character developed and he ended up being my favourite character of them all.
The plot was devoid of twists and turns: it was very predictable and at times lacked a little pace. I would have loved to have learnt more about the history of the Castle and perhaps a little more about the surrounding area. There were superfluous descriptions of a dance that the characters had to learn for the ball and after a while it felt slightly tedious. It didn’t particularly add anything extra to the story which was a shame.
Hester’s writing style is very witty and has a fair few laughs along the way. She paints the characters well in most cases and a lot of the descriptions of Scotland and the castle had me longing to be there too. It would have been lovely to have had more ‘things’ going on in the plot rather than just a few events being described in such depth - sometimes less really isn’t more. I would have loved, as mentioned before, a little more background to the castle and it would have been nice to have a few scenes away from the castle grounds too.
Despite this, The Vintage Girl is a quick, romantic read that will leave you wishing you could be in the Scottish countryside and had an invitation to a ball!

I have been really excited about reading this book for a long time and after hearing so many positive reviews about it, I was so eager to start!
Now, I am always honest when I review books and I have to say I was left feeling a little disappointed after reading this book.
Bonnie is a thirty-something single mother with a fifteen year old daughter and has a rather unprecedented ‘mum’ crush on Holden Finn - singing sensation and twelve years her junior. When Bonnie finally gets the chance to meet Holden Finn, she can’t quite believe her luck but she quickly lands back in reality and has to face up to the demands of her fussy boss, her mum who is intent on moving abroad and her teenage daughter.
I thought the premise sounded really brilliant and quite original too: I haven’t read a book about a normal person/celebrity romance for a while and especially not one where there is such a striking age gap. However I felt that this aspect of the novel was more a sub-plot than the main plot. I would have thought an eponymous character would have a greater presence in the book but it seemed the plot focused more on Bonnie’s dysfunctional family life and her budding romance with delivery driver Max. The whole plot felt a little unrealistic: I can’t imagine a mega superstar having such a strong attraction to a single mother who is much older than him.
The characters were a confusing bunch. I found it hard to relate to Bonnie and she flittered between being headstrong and being walked all over constantly and it was hard to work out what she really was like as a character. Her daughter, Paige, was an awfully rude and disrespectful character: the things she got away with saying and doing to her mother and grandmother were atrocious in some cases! I would never ever talk to my family in that way. Linda, Bonnie’s friend and colleague, was again a little of an enigma, at times I liked her but other times I felt a little uneasy about her. Max was the saving grace of this book: he restored in my faith in nice characters! He was very considerate and put up with a lot from Bonnie and I really enjoyed reading about him.
Tilly’s writing is consistent throughout and she writes well for the genre. There were a few tiny places where I had to stop and re-read parts as they didn’t make sense. A sentence about Bonnie having an eighty year age gap with her mother was very strange and I had to read it about twenty times to make sure I was reading it right! There was also a strange flow to the book –there were a lot of asterisks breaking up the text and I have to say that there were many points that they weren’t needed: it was clear enough from what was being said that we were in a new environment or time had skipped ahead. It interrupted the flow a little.
However, I cannot say that this book is not worth reading. If this book had a slightly different blurb then it would perhaps have made me love it more. I think I was mainly disappointed because the promise of a great, laugh out loud, celebrity crush story wasn’t fulfilled. It was instead an in depth look at one woman’s love life where she was in a, well, a ‘love square’ and happened to bump into a famous celebrity who developed a strange and unrealistic crush on her.
Furthermore, I am just one reader and, from looking at other reviews about this book it appears the majority have LOVED it so I think there was a lot of reader fault in not enjoying this book. Give it a go! You never know, you might fall in love with it.
An interesting and comprehensive look at one woman’s love life and the tough decisions she has to make and the things she has to sacrifice to live the life she wants.

Peach Blossom Pavilion is a book I would have never chosen to read. It was only when I was contacted about being part of the blog tour that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a go. As I turned the last page I wondered whether I would have finished it if I wasn’t reviewing it and the answer is: I’m not sure.
Peach Blossom starts with an elderly lady (Precious Orchid) sitting with her granddaughter and her granddaughter’s boyfriend – they are eager to write down their grandmothers memoirs. As Precious starts to recall the story of her life, we are transported back to the early 1900’s Shanghai and to a family torn apart. Precious (real name Xiang Xiang) is sold to a prostitution house after her father is murdered and her mother moves away to become a nun. At only thirteen years old, Xiang Xiang is thrust into adulthood and is expected to become a worthy prostitute under the trusty wing of Pearl, an older prostitute. Over the course of this novel, we follow Xiang on her journey through adulthood, being taken on her journey from naive young girl to experienced, bitter adult.
This is a tricky book to review: it’s not something I would normally choose to read and I don’t know if I enjoyed it. It is weird to think about enjoying a book about a young girl sold into prostitution so I think instead of enjoyment; it was more intrigue that kept me reading. It’s not a light-hearted easy read; instead it’s full of challenging ideas and situations which were in places slightly difficult to read.
The main character, Xiang Xiang, was a very honest and believable protagonist which added to the urge I had to keep reading about her – I cared about her. The rest of the characters were mainly vile and were the kind of characters who you would be happy to see die on the pages. There were few who I enjoyed reading about which made for quite an interesting reading experience – normally if there is just one protagonist, you sometimes question their viewpoint but for the whole entirety of the book I was in agreement with Xiang Xiang: the men were vile and the women in charge of the prostitutes were just as horrifically behaved.
This book was set in China in the early 1900’s but if I’m totally honest, aside from some phrases and brief descriptions of food, rickshaws and gardens, it didn’t have a very oriental feel about it. Perhaps this was mainly because the action was so character based that I had little time to appreciate the Chinese elements: either way, it wasn’t a striking part of the book. There were limited character descriptions so in my head, I pictured them as English looking and English speaking characters…strange!
The plot was reasonably paced and there were a few transitions from past to present which divided the narrative nicely. The book was split into three parts which focused on different parts of Xiang Xiang’s story which helped to move the story forward in time and to a whole new aspect of Xiang’s life. Yip’s writing was consistent throughout and whilst it wasn’t immature in its tone, I felt it could have been a little stronger in places: the descriptions of sex were quite strange. For example to describe a penis, the word ‘jade stalk’ was used which whilst in context when Xiang was young, didn’t have a place when she was a fully grown adult and it felt a little odd at times to be unable to read the ‘real’ names for certain body parts.
This book isn’t for the faint-hearted, the subject matter isn’t easy to read and it will take you from your comfort zone, however, I did find this book compelling and wouldn’t be adverse to reading something similar in the future.
A shockingly realistic portrayal of the life of a young Chinese prostitute and her journey from being nothing to becoming something.

Before I begin this review I just have to let you know I’m listening to Whitney Houston’s greatest hits because this book has made me feel lots of different things and I need some good 80’s music to help me write this review. So, if there are accidental insertions of Whitney lyrics then I’m sorry.

I had never heard of this book until I did some fiddling around on Amazon looking for some good YA reads and this book kept popping up and because I like the name Matthew and because the cover looked pretty I clicked on it and then thought ‘I HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.’


In Bloom is such a romantic, anger inducing, happy, devastating, brilliant, funny book about cancer.

Now the first thing anyone is going to say is ‘WAIT, YOUNG ADULT FICTION AND CANCER, THAT’S THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.’ No, this book is not –that- book and nor is it in anyway a rip off or a pathetic attempt at copying the idea. Did I love this book more than The Fault In Our Stars? I think…I think I might have done. It is one of those books that now I’ve read it I need to get a copy to put on the top shelf of my bookcase which is reserved for the bestest books ever.

In Bloom is about Francis and his battle with Leukaemia. Whilst in the hospital during treatment he meets three other teenagers his age who are all going through the same fight and he becomes close with Amber, another patient who shows Francis how to (share my life, take me for what I aaaaaaam (sorry, Whitney happened)) who shows Francis how to embrace life and live every day as if it is your last. Francis has to deal with a weepy mother, a jokey brother (who was ace) and his grandmother who is slowly become intolerable to everything in the world; mainly people.

Ok, I’m going to use one of those semi-annoying phrases right now. ALL THE FEELS. This book was SO emotionally charged and I went from laughing on minute to grasping my chest and on the verge of ugly crying the next. This book was only 230 pages long but I honestly went (again, clichéd phrase) on an emotional rollercoaster without having the chance to stop for a break and gather myself together. You won’t put this book down after you’ve picked it up and, as I write this review, I am clutching it tightly to me, wondering if it would be so bad to incur a preposterous library fine just so I can keep it forever. Anyway, I digress…

Matthew, I think I love you. I don’t think I have felt such a genuine adoration for a character for a long time. I ‘love’ characters and find them brilliant but I wanted to lift Francis from the pages of this book and hold him tightly (WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GOOOOO?) and not let him go. Matthew has managed to create a cast of characters that although small, were perfectly formed. I had a constant need to find out what would happen to them next and this kept me turning the pages in rapid succession. The honesty of the characters was refreshing and I particularly loved a moment when Francis realised he was losing all of his body hair and the events that ensued had me giggling quite loudly, I even did an unattractive snort.

The fact Matthew could lace this plot with such comical and humorous moments yet still tell a story that included heartbreak was impressive and I think he managed to do this with such ease. I think I’m gushing now but whatever you do, make sure you read this book because as Matt Haig says on the front cover ‘It will improve your life.’

I am going to save my pennies and make sure I have a sparkly paperback copy of this book on my shelf in the near future to stroke.

Matthew Crow, I love you and I think you should write another book soon. That is all.

A beautifully told coming of age tale that will make you hug those you love that little bit tighter and remember to live life like every day is your last.