snugglesandpages's reviews
250 reviews

Well holy sh!t, I was not ready for that!

From the very first line, I was hooked. 
The absolute brutality had my stomach turning at times, but CoHo's effortless writing style had me completely transfixed. Even at the most confronting moments, I couldn't stop myself.. 

I can't say the ending shocked me all that much though, but for the average reader, I can definitely see how it would blow your mind.

I highly recommend going into this one blind, with caution if certain sensitive topics are triggering for you. 

Having read the first in the Orphan X series about 5 years ago (and absolutely loved it), I really don't know why it has taken me so long to read the second of the series... 

While I felt the first two-thirds of the book didn't quite deliver the same level of intrigue as Orphan X, I put this down to the fact we had already uncovered so much of who Evan Smoak is in the first instalment.

Queue the last third... And 🔥
I caught myself holding my breath and my pulse was racing. When forced to put down the paperback (adulting seriously gets in the way of life sometimes), I quickly checked out the audiobook on Libby so I could ride to momentum while going about my day. 

Side note: the narration of this book is superb 👌

Without spoiling anything about this series too much, I'll just say that if you enjoy watching action movies about assassins and vigilantes, with a high body count like John Wick, then this is the series for you!

*Audiobook Review 

This might be an unpopular opinion but... I stopped and started this audiobook a lot over a period of a week and no matter the time of day or my state of mind, I just didn't really feel it. 

I'm honestly not sure if it's because I am still not completely acclimated to audiobooks, & perhaps it would have been more compelling had I physically read it instead...

Given the title itself gives a lot away, the storyline wasn't all that suspenseful and I found the majority if not all the characters to be quite unlikeable. 

The ending was all a bit rushed & too neat in a way that it failed to really deliver any satisfaction.

 Wow! 🤯 For a short 180ish pages, Sedira sure knows how to leave a lasting impression...

Uniquely narrated from the perspective of the Murderer's spouse in a somewhat open letter to her partner, recounting the events which lead to the inexplicable crime, while she tries to come to grips with the reality of what her partner has done.

I think what made this story so interesting is the fact it is loosely based on the true events of a quadruple family homicide that took place within a small French village in 2003. The elements of truth behind such savagery leaves a lingering weight that is hard to shake.

People Like Them explores the thought-provoking questions behind how and why this heinous crime happened, rather than the who done it, and with that, the author does a tremendous job at delving into the underlying triggers of casual racism and social class... What does it take to push a seemly normal man to breaking point?

The translation by Lara Vergnaud is seamless, truly capturing both the beauty and brutality of Samira's writing. I'd be very interested in reading more of both their work in the future 

Expect to cry... A lot. 😂

Thanks to Bookstagram, I've really opened myself up to genres I'd usually shy away from, like romance, so Reminders of Him is actually my first CoHo read and I am so glad I dived in.. blindly I might add.

I wasn't at all expecting to connect in such an emotional way or be so engrossed that I devoured this book over 2 afternoons....Or that I'd fall so in love with Colleen Hoover's writing that I'd order 4 of her other books before even finishing this one 🤣

When you know, you know, right?

So, if you haven't picked this up.. Go.. Go now and don't think twice.

If you've got it and haven't started reading it yet..what the hell are you waiting for ?? 

 The Good Sister is a compelling domestic thriller told from the perspectives of Rose and Fern Castle, twin sisters who couldn't be more different from one another.

Rose is portrayed as the responsible level headed sister and almighty protector of the more vulnerable, Fern. We get to know Rose through her journal entries, recounting her abusive childhood and complicated history with her mother.... And the dark secret of what Fern did to Billy at the lake when they were 12...

From Ferns POV, we enter her most inner thoughts as she navigates life with Sensory Processing Disorder. Fern has a very different take on their childhood and still visits her mother weekly, but no matter what happens Rose is her Person.. The one being she can count on to help her "be good". So when Fern finds out that Rose can't carry a baby, of course, she decides that she will do this for her. After all, Rose has done so much for Fern.

But nothing is as it seems...

I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through Fern with her witty and intelligent quirks. The relationship she developed with Wally was so heart-warming and made me swoon at times.

I can't say I was surprised by the ending though, but I feel that is intended in this case, with nuggets of the truth revealing itself as the story unfolds.

The Good Sister is the second book I have read by Sally Hepworth this month and she is fast becoming one of my fav Aussie Authors. 

After losing her own mother to cancer at a young age, Lucy yearned to have a close and loving relationship with her Mother-In-Law, but Diana has always kept her at arms length.

Diana and her husband Tom have very different views of what supporting their children looks like. While Tom prefers to bathe in the wealthy lifestyle, Diana is steadfast in her decision to withhold financial aid, forcing her children to work for the things they want in life, even if it meant they resented her for it.

Soon after Tom passes, Diana is found dead with a suicide note nearby. Only the police have found evidence of foul play and suddenly everyone has something to hide.

From the opening chapter, I was instantly invested in this domestic mystery. As we delve into the complicated family dynamics, we come to find a family plagued with resentment. They all have their own internal conflicts and motivations, fuelled by miscommunications and unspoken truths.

Told across dual timelines from the alternating perspective of Lucy and Diana, we are able to get a true sense of who Diana was under her guarded exterior and the life experiences which made her so. While some may not agree with Diana's choices, in the end, I found myself rooting for Diana and Lucy to overcome the complexities of the relationship and connect in the way Lucy had always yearned they would, if only they had the chance.

I'll admit, this was my first time reading Sally Hepworth and I am kicking myself that it took me this long! So much so, that before I was even a third of the way through the Mother-In-Law, I rushed out and bought 2 more of her books to add to my TBR. 

Unpopular opinion here.

For a medical thriller, Brain Damage is a very simple and painfully slow burn. I found the plot to be completely predictable and had the ending and twist pegged about 50 pages in.

I felt the protagonist was written in a way that made her feel very shallow and superficial, with her overserving comments about how incredibly gorgeous her husband is

I almost added this to the DNF, but I really try hard not to do this with respect for an author's work.

Overall I've rated it 2 stars on the basis the overarching storyline was intriguing but fell short. 

 Wild Place is the 3rd novel by best selling Aussie author and screenwriter, Christian White (he co-created Nextflix's Clickbait) and it certainly delivered on what I have come to expect (& love) of his effortlessly deceptive writing style.

Set in Australian suburbia during the Summer of 1989 and at the height of the Satanic Panic, school teacher Tom Witter becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the disappearance of his past student, 17-year-old Tracie Reed.

What the Police initially dismissed as a runaway case, has Tom convinced is something more sinister. With fear and accusations running high, Tom soon has the residents of Keel Street in a panic over rumours that Tracie may have been victim to a satanic ritual, and that one of their own is at the centre of it all.

Christian's character and setting depictions and well thought out plot make for a compulsive read. Dark secrets and consequences, coupled together with a few baity twists to keep you on your toes, before delivering on that final WTF moment.... 🤯

I will say though, after reading the author's notes and acknowledgement at the end of the book, I really understood what this book could have been and a part of me can't help but wonder 🤔. 

I have three words for you....Holy Cow Batman! 

This book is flipping amazing, in only the way a truly fast-paced & brutal thriller can be.

When a young woman turns up at a gas stop in the middle of an Australian rural highway, badly injured and covered in blood and mud, no one could have predicted the horror of what she'd been through or what was to follow.

There is soooo much I want to say, but I feel it would just dampen the wild ride for anyone who picks this up, and we can't have that

Told from multiple perspectives and alternating timelines of then and now, this intensely vivid and suspenseful read plays out like a movie!

The Hunted is in no way for the faint-hearted so if you're squeamish, this may not be the book for you... But, if you love action-packed, gruesome thrillers with a high body count, then you need this book..