snugglesandpages's reviews
250 reviews

Ok, so I caved to the Bookstagram pressure and read Emily Henry's Beach Read... And it surprised me a bit. In a good way.

It delivered on all the staple elements needed for a hit 'enemies to lovers' rom-com, however, Beach Read is not as light of a read as the title portrays. With heavier topics of loss, grief, infidelity, abuse and my guilty pleasure... cults. Yep! There was a lot of emotional baggage for our MCs to unpack.

The chemistry and sexual tension between January and Gus bubbled with each page and I laughed out loud a lot at their sassy banter. Their signwriting convos and words of encouragement were a cute touch and I enjoyed Emily's writing style of a more character-driven plot.

Side note; I want to read Gus’s cult book. The original one though... Not the genre flip version. 🤣

All in all, it was a breezy read, but there were times I felt January's arc of coming to terms with her dad's truth, was a little drawn out. Oh... And textbook rom-com ending anyone? Queue the rain 🤣 haha, I'm such a sucker for it though.

An escapist thriller which follows two familes who go on a tropical island getaway together for the weekend. Only nothing at the serene resort is as it seems, when one of the couples marriage reaches breaking point and tension rises between the locals, someone is going to end up hurt.

Told from the alternating POV of our two couples, Lou and Adam and Eliza and Noah, The Cove is a shortish read filled with secrets, lies and murder.

The story itself is rather a slow burn, and felt more like a light domestic suspense rather than a tense thriller. There were two main plot points, one being the secrets and threat of the island itself, and the other the revolving around domestic relationships.

I didn't develop a liking to any of the characters, which is ok, but I did feel empathy for Lou, struggling to cope with her newborn daughter and care for her 8yr old son all the while her husband is off making moves on other women.

It was the cover art on this one that really drew me in. The cool colour of tranquil waters, a remote island and towering volcano screamed escapist thriller to me and that was enough to get me excited! But, all in all, it all fell a little flat for me. I think the settling had a lot of potential to provide imminent threat and hightened suspense, but it was very underplayed.

There were a few twists I didn't really anticipate, but none of them were really shocking to me. The final twist actually had me scratching my head a bit because it just felt a little left field, almost like an afterthought.

When Ruby's husband dies, she suddenly finds herself accused of his murder and questioned about her connection to the deaths of 3 other people. Now, Ruby might be a murderer, but she isn't a sociopath. She loved her husband, and of the 4 deaths she is being questioned about, his is the only one she did not have a hand in.

»»Swipe for Blurb»

Blood Sugar is not your standard thriller. In fact, the first person narrative reads like a tell-all, rendering insight into the mind of a successful and pragmatic woman with murderous tendencies.

Ruby is also a Psychologist, which in my opinion is one of the most intriguing POVs to read, especially one written so well. She is intelligent, witty, fiercely protective and yes she is a murderer, but let's just put a pin in that little detail for a sec because....

This is some of the best characterisations I have read in a long time. 👏👏

You know the writing is good when you find yourself justifying the actions of a killer and thinking, can we be friends. 🤣

Blood Sugar had me hooked from the very first chapter all the way through to the last line. I so wish there were more. (I really want to know what kind of Aunty Ruby will be!) I can't want to read what Rothchild writes next.

If you are a fan of Peter Swanson's "𝘈 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨" (which is one of my top 5 favs of all time) or Caroline Kepnes ”𝘠𝘰𝘶”, then Blood Sugar is your jam!

"𝙒𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨."

I'm still fairly green when it comes to the romance genre, but this was so much more than a standard second chance rom for me.

At first, I wasn't sure Rosie and Dom would or should stay together. Their relationship seemed strictly physical and outside of that, there was just no chemistry, but once the communication started flowing and secret sweet gestures came to light, it was clear their love was real and I was rooting for them to make it.

I really enjoyed the character of the hippy therapist. Removing the physicality of Rosie and Dom's relationship to incite honest and open conversation. It is so common for a couple's individual growth to be stunted when there is an intense emotional connection. When you find the only person you want and need in your life and comfort takes over, then suddenly it's yrs later and you've forgotten to serve yourself and your goals and dreams...

Ok, maybe I went too deep 🤣
Anyway, my point is, Tessa did a great job at exploring the love language within a relationship. I connected with Rosie and maybe even found myself analysing my own life in a way as well. So I guess what I am saying is, read it! 🥰

Oh, and did I mention the spice 🌶 was pretty epic as well 🥵. Never gonna look at a fridge the same way again 🤣.

The premise of the book really appealed to me & I was completely prepared for an emotional and heartwarming read, unfortunately, it was none of those things. 

Viv leads a fairly mundane life. She's married to, but not really in love with, Clint and they have a sweet 8yr old boy Ethan. 

Viv doesn't appear as though she has any zest for making the most of the time she has left, or a goal she is working towards before she dies. Instead, Viv has a list of pointless tasks she focuses on, like cleaning the fridge or doing her taxes. 

None of these actions made sense to me, as a wife and a mother I just couldn't wrap my head or heart around the fact Viv cared so little about making time for her husband and son, but rather she couldn't wait to be gone so she could "enjoy" the peace. 

Throughout the buddy read, it seemed the three of us had a collective opinion that the MC is a bit of a b!tch and because of her (extremely) dry sense of humour and absolute lack of regard for her husband or son, I was not at all invested in a story of her final days. 

I DNF this one at about a 3rd of the way through, which is something I rarely do. There was no real plot or purpose behind anything Viv did and all the characters were underwhelming.

Before I made the decision to wrap this one up, I did skip through and read a few chapters further in, as well as the final few to get more context, but in the end, it just wasn't for me. I have read mixed reviews and a lot of people have said they loved this for though, so maybe you will connect with it differently.

What a thrilling ride this was! 🔥🔥 

City on Fire is the first in a new trilogy from the acclaimed crime writer, Don Winslow. 

Set in Providence, Rhode Island in the late 1980's and influenced by the ancient Greek poem 'The Iliad by Homer, City on Fire is the tale of two gangster families that go head to head when a modern-day Helen of Troy disrupts the unity between the American Irish and Italian Mobsters. 

The gritty action is thick and fast and the tension between the Murphy's and Moretti's is explosive. Some scenes were graphic and raw, and there are some content warnings you should be aware of, such as racial and homophobic slurs (check the publisher's website for a full list). 

The humanity behind the characters is what drew me in. The dialogue and inner thoughts read with such authenticity, I couldn't help but root for the lead protagonist Danny Ryan, as he evolves from a longshoreman with unresolved amendment issues to toeing the line with the mob's heavy hitters. It's such a credit to Winslow's talent and deep analysis when writing this book that the unfolding felt cinematic. 

Also, I hate Liam. Just saying, that kid made me so mad I thought the Moretti's exercised some serious restraint with him in later days. 

A big thank you to Tandem Collective Global for inviting me to join in on this Readalong, and to Harper Collins for this #gifted copy.  

The discussion cards for this Tandem Readalong were curated with such detail, from thought-provoking questions to QR codes with songs, images and google map locations all to provide an immersive reading experience. My tip to you, WHEN you read City on Fire (because you should) head over to my Instagram (snuggles.and.pages) and watch my readalong story highlight for City on Fire so you can feel it all come to life as I did.

What a stand out debut this one is! 👏

Right from the beginning, Wake had me completely invested in uncovering the truth behind what happened to Evelyn McCreery like that $2 Million reward could have been mine.

The characters were well developed and likeable but still elusive enough that you wouldn't rule them out as suspects. The depiction of the outback town setting had the McCreery farm beautifully imagined in my mind, I could envision this all playing out like a movie.

The story unfolded at a suspenseful pace, packed with plenty of red herrings and subtle clues to pick up on along the way. I very much enjoyed playing sleuth detective, mapping out the clues on the evidence board as I read. It helped me connect the dots and build on my theory without forgetting key information. A very clever tool gifted by Hachette. Thank you.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Wake, right up until the ending... Now don't get me wrong, I got answers, but some are open a little open-ended. This method certainly works in this genre, leaving the reader unsettled and guessing, but I think when the plot is so heavily centred around cracking Evelyn's case, having a concrete resolution would have delivered this as a 5 star read for me.

A big thank you to Hachette for this gifted copy and Tandem Collective Global for inviting me to join in on this thrilling Readalong. I had such a great time discussing this with my fellow booksta’s.

First of all, WOW. 👏👏
Jar of Hearts was dark guys... and I loved it!

The story kicks off with a bang when our main MC Geo, is abruptly arrested during a board meeting for her role in the brutal murder of her best friend, Angela Wong 14 years ago. I love it when an author throws you into the thick of it right off the bat, reeling you in so that there is just no way you aren't going to smash through the pages to find out how and why!

We get a brief, but a raw glimpse into what life in prison is like for Geo. This part of the book gave me total "Orange Is the New Black" vibes, which I loved, before we time jump to her release 5 years later.

In the present tense, Geo is now faced with the reality that the perfect life she once had is gone. It's clear Geo and Calvin are still tethered in some way, after all, she protected him for all those years. But why?

In alternative chapters, we discover just how this sweet 16-year-old straight-A cheerleader fell in love with a violent and possessive future serial killer like Calvin, and the startling truth about what really happened to Angela Wong. These scenes were intense and very confronting at times.

I quite liked the chapters from Kai's POV as well. They provided further insight into the dynamics of the BFF trio that was Geo, Angela and Kai. It also satisfied the police procedural aspect of the story, though it could have done with a bit more of the investigative side.

About halfway through, the penny dropped for me and I was messaging a fellow booksta with my theories 😆 They were mostly right, but that didn't detract from the suspense. Hillers writing captivates you in a way that as dark and unnerving as parts of this story were, you will be utterly transfixed. I just couldn't stop reading.

If you like gritty thrillers with serial killer vibes like me, then you will love Jar of Hearts. Keen beans to read through Hiller's backlist as well, so I'm sure you will be seeing more of my thoughts on her work soon.

If you've read the blurb.... Ignore it, because it does not fit with the true narrative of this story at all. Going in I thought Mad About You would be a cutesy opposites attract, hot for roommate type vibe, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

With its hard-hitting themes of psychological and emotional abuse, trauma and gaslighting, Mad About You is more 'thought-provoking contemporary fiction' than a rom-com. The romance aspect is so minor and slow burn that I found myself losing interest fairly early on, even putting it down a few times.

With that said though, once I was able to resolve that I wasn't going to get the lighthearted rom-com I was hoping for, my perspective shifted and I became heavily invested in Harriet's story, flying through 300 pages in a single sitting.

This was my first time reading Mhairi McFarlane's work and now that I know what to expect from her highly descriptive writing, authentic characters and rich development, I will be more receptive when reading her backlist.

Fix Her Up is an easy, laugh out loud and extremely cheesy RomCom with waaaayyy more spice than I was prepared for.

Some things I loved
👉Friends to lovers trope
👉Fake dating trope
👉Whitty banter
👉The Just Us League was one of my fav parts of this book. Women supporting each other to achieve their life goals, standing up for what they want and making a name for themselves.

There were a few themes I wasn't keen on, like Toxic Masculinity and Sexisim but they weren't a deal breaker in any way, but the pet name Baby Girl almost was 🤮

Seriously though, I absolutely love Tessa's ability to create unique personalities with relatable flaws and depth.

I've come to realise it's next to impossible to pace yourself with any Tessa book. I found myself struggling to stick to our planned 120ish pages over 3 days and just wanted to devour it much like I HL&S.

Also, I dont think I will ever be able to look at a roll of aluminum foil the same, ever again 🤣