snugglesandpages's reviews
250 reviews

The author touches on a lot of heavy topics but it also felt like Maddie just went through it all. At 25 and the primary carer for her frail father, it was hard to believe she could be so naive. With her Mother partly living in Ghana, Maddie turns to Google for absolutely every question in her life. I understand a reason for this could be that Maddie was conditioned by her Mother to never talk to others about personal matters, so this was Maddie's way of seeking that connection. It was funny at first but then got a bit silly when she would rely on it for the most mundane questions and things a 25 yr old woman living in a modern world should know.

I can't go without saying how much I despised her mother The nagging and unrelenting pressure she put on Maddie to "find a husband" is archaic and came across as a means of securing financial support for herself rather than for her daughter's well being and happiness. Though, I connected with Maddie being the youngest & left to support everyone else, I must say the light shone on Ghanaian culture depicted by mostly Maddie's mother, didn't seem like a positive one.

I do think Maame is a great coming-of-age story that would suit the YA genre a bit more. Overall, I was touched and pulled in different directions with this book. The struggles of a young woman giving up her life to aid her ailing father while processing the reality of a "part-time mother was beautifully written and truly felt.

But, what confused me the most was how Maddie seemed to have evolved rather quickly the moment she moved out of home. It just felt a bit disingenuous.

In saying that though, I know a few of the ladies in my bookclub have rated Maame 5 stars, so not only will there be a lot to talk about when we catch up, but there is every chance you will love and experience this book differently to me.

*Thank you to the team at @hachetteaus for this #gifted copy

The Kind Worth Killing is one of my all time favourite books (pre-bookstagram). With its clever plot and a killer FMC (literally) you can't help but root for, it's no surprise that the follow-up, The Kind Worth Saving is one of my most anticipated reads of the year! 

The Kind Worth Saving mirrors a similar format to its predecessor. We are reunited with Henry Kimball, former teacher/police detective and now PI, who has been hired by a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair with a co-worker. Suddenly Henry is pulled into a dark web of deadly coincidences that all lead back to the women who hired him, and there is only one person he can think of who can help him make sense of it.. queue everyone's favourite sociopath, Lily Kintner. 🤗 

I'm just going to come right out and say it, Lily is my comfort character. Yes, I am aware she is a 🔪 but I'm telling you, you will find it hard not to like her. Much like Ruby in @sascharothchild Blood Sugar. 

There were aspects of this book that really took me by surprise, but I can't go into them without spoiling the impact it will have on you when you read it, so you will just have the trust me that there are some definite 💣 coming your way 😉

What I will say is, if you like your psychological thrillers with complex and cunning characters, multiple POVs mixed with perfectly plotted misdirection, then this duology is for you. 

"𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧?"...
"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙?"

I know we are only in April, but Dark Mode is by far the best book I've read this year. Seriously, if this isn't on your radar yet, it needs to be!! 

I read 90% of this book in a day. Every time I put it down to do something, the scenes played out in my mind and I found myself gravitating back to it. 

From the first page to the last, this book had me in a chokehold. It's dark, eerily confronting and oh so f*cking possible, I had literal chills. I think I can count on one hand the number of books that have made me feel that way. 

Young Reagan could have been any one of us. As a teenage girl in the 00s, my friends and I would constantly chat with strangers online. MSN Messenger, ICQ, mIRC.. gosh just how young and fearless we were. Funny thing is, even back then we used to be obsessed with crime docos on Foxtel, yet failed to heed the warnings of our online escapades thinking stalkers and serial killers only existed in movies or in America 🫣. 

But now... Now the world is so much darker and more violent. Now our entire lives can be tracked online. Where every other month some company we trust with our private information gets hacked or held for ransom, sold to sickos who sit behind their screens on the dark web plotting unspeakable things. 

That's what makes this book so frightening... 
The reality of it all. 

Dark Mode will undoubtedly unnerve you, but it will also satisfy the inner creeper who loves reading unsettling books about stalkers and serial killer, like me. 😂

The Hike is a tense and atmospheric destination thriller that will keep you flicking through the pages with hightened anticipation. 

📖 Liz, Helena, Maggie and Joni have been best friends since middle school. Now in their 30s and each with their own secrets, they emarke on their annual girls trip. Only this time, Liz insists on foregoing their usual sandy beaches to lead them on a Hike up the Norweigan mountains. A route with no phone reception and where a year ago, a young women mysteriously went missing. Emotions run high and friendships are tested when they are thrown off track and stumble upon something they shouldn't have, leading them up the mountain with a killer on their trail. 

🏔️ 🥾

💭 Thoughts:
I loved the multiple POVs from each of the women. They were well thought out and provided the right amount of background and character development to invest in each of their internal struggles. 

The Hike had me completely captivated with its short chapters and a creepy isolated setting. I've never been hiking before and now I probably never will. 🫣 The tension really builds towards the last third of the book, when a vicious storm rolls in, directing the story down more of an action/survival path. While one of the main reveals wasn't all that shocking to me, there were plenty of other twists that raised my eyebrows, and an ending that I did not predict. 😱
 
Thank you to @harpercollinsau for an ARC copy of The Hike, which is available now!

Dying to know kicks off with a pulse racing prologue that will keep you turning the pages with utter compulsion.

📖12 years after her sisters (Amber) disappearance, Geneva is doing all she can to support Hugh in raising her niece and nephew. When the search for Amber comes to a heartbreaking end, Gen refuses to give up without answers. Now her reignited determination and misguided guilt has her risking it all to find out the truth.

💭 Thoughts:
Dying to Know is a well paced crime thriller set in Sydney with plenty of family drama, lies and corruption. I also found the bikey elements to be an interesting addition to the plot, and not something I've read much about in the past.

I really liked Gen, our kickass MC who isn't afraid to jump into a dangerous situation if it means getting the intel she needs. Her undying devotion to her sister's children and the romantic subplot will have you rooting for her to succeed.

Thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia for an ARC copy of Dying to Know, available NOW!

• 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 | The Wedding Crasher
By:  Mia Sosa
Genre: Romance
Pub: April 2022
Rating: 4 / 5  ★★★★

"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙤."

>>swipe for blurb>> 

As the followup to The Worst Best Man, the side story of Solange and Dean is just as juicey as Lina and Max's. 

Read if you
- Fake Dating 
- Opposites Attract 
- One Bed
- Dual POV 
- POC representation 

Fake dating is one of my fav romance tropes. 
Solange is holding out for real love, and Dean declares he will never fall in love. This makes for some great sexual tension between the two as they get to know eachother. 

I loved that there was more of a family dynamic in this one with hilarious telanovea vibes. Solange's extended family make for great entertainment and I kept picturing a Jane the Virgin style if the series ever made it to the silver screen. (The first book has been picked up for a movie)

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC back last year, sorry it too soon long! So many books, so little time! 

"𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜"

Her Greatest Mistake is April's pick for our grpup buddy read, but I rushed through this one over a few sittings way before most of my ladies even started, and I ain't sorry about it! 🤣

This one has a bit of all! 
🫶 Childhood Best Friends
🫶 Second Chance
🫶 Friends to Enemies to Lovers 
🫶 Fake Dating 
🫶 Hockey Romance
🫶 Spiceeeee 🔥
🫶 Doggies 🐕

I definitely have a thing for Hockey Romances. Maddox Hutton is as swoony as they come, but honestly, I adored our FMC Braxton. Self professed 'chubby' girl (yes give me more of this rep pls) she's got snark and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Oh and did I mention she is a Vet! 🥰 So if you're a dog lover, then you will feel right at home with this one 🐕 

I loved the storyline and the fact there was no third act breakup or eye rolling drama. The Soulmate energy between Braxton and Hutton will melt your heart and the sexual tension was off the charts 🔥

Her Greatest Mistake is a second generation series, and based on some of the appearancea of Maddox's dad, Oakley I am without a doubt reading that series next!

So if you can't tell, this is an absolute M͎U͎S͎T͎ read if you loved "Icebreaker" or hockey/sports romances in general and is available on #KindleUnlimited to binge read NOW!