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beate251's reviews
412 reviews
The Secret Life of Beatrice Alright by Brooke Harris
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.
Beatrice, Mum to 4 year old Ellie, is a cleaner at St Helen's Hospital in Dublin after she had to drop out of medical school. She grew up in foster care and her boyfriend Declan turns out to be married and suddenly leaves, withdrawing his financial support. After a living arrangement at friend Cora's becomes unsustainable due to her annoying boyfriend, Beatrice and Ellie end up homeless at Christmas, sleeping in a hospital cupboard until she is rumbled by boss Elaine - who has a surprising connection to other characters.
Beatrice never loses hope though, she has a child to look after so she simply makes it work, from saving money by walking everywhere, eating less and making a Christmas jumper herself when required to, to striking up unexpected friendships with elderly Malcolm and his grandson Shayne. They both have their hidden traumas too which are gradually exposed.
Homelessness is often shamefully hidden and not talked about, unless without respect for the unhoused. It can happen so fast - in Beatrice's case due to one man who simply vanishes, without paying child support. I was incredibly upset about this unfairness, hitting women who have to look after a child instead of getting a career doubly hard. It also highlights how every unforeseen expenditure like a late fee at the crèche can topple a careful budget, and how shelters can often be less safe than expected.
Malcolm is a cantankerous, terminally ill man who hasn't spoken to his daughter in ages. He tries to make amends but it seems too late. Instead, he spends more and more time with Beatrice, Ellie and Shayne, showing us the power of intergenerational friendship and found family.
The more time Bea spends with Shayne the more she likes him. There is an incredibly corny line about "his blue eyes are the colour of the sea after a storm", but then Declan reappears, keen to reconcile - what should she do? What would be best for her daughter? Ellie is a lovely child and your heart will break over her circumstances and her continuous cheer about kite flying and her friend "Malco".
This is a beautifully written, engaging and emotional story about falling on hard times and second chances, and that you should never push people away. It's a heartwarming and uplifting book about the power of kindness that will stay with you, and I read it in a day. A great new author for me!
Just as an aside: Who puts Rich Tea biscuits in the fridge? Disturbing.
Beatrice, Mum to 4 year old Ellie, is a cleaner at St Helen's Hospital in Dublin after she had to drop out of medical school. She grew up in foster care and her boyfriend Declan turns out to be married and suddenly leaves, withdrawing his financial support. After a living arrangement at friend Cora's becomes unsustainable due to her annoying boyfriend, Beatrice and Ellie end up homeless at Christmas, sleeping in a hospital cupboard until she is rumbled by boss Elaine - who has a surprising connection to other characters.
Beatrice never loses hope though, she has a child to look after so she simply makes it work, from saving money by walking everywhere, eating less and making a Christmas jumper herself when required to, to striking up unexpected friendships with elderly Malcolm and his grandson Shayne. They both have their hidden traumas too which are gradually exposed.
Homelessness is often shamefully hidden and not talked about, unless without respect for the unhoused. It can happen so fast - in Beatrice's case due to one man who simply vanishes, without paying child support. I was incredibly upset about this unfairness, hitting women who have to look after a child instead of getting a career doubly hard. It also highlights how every unforeseen expenditure like a late fee at the crèche can topple a careful budget, and how shelters can often be less safe than expected.
Malcolm is a cantankerous, terminally ill man who hasn't spoken to his daughter in ages. He tries to make amends but it seems too late. Instead, he spends more and more time with Beatrice, Ellie and Shayne, showing us the power of intergenerational friendship and found family.
The more time Bea spends with Shayne the more she likes him. There is an incredibly corny line about "his blue eyes are the colour of the sea after a storm", but then Declan reappears, keen to reconcile - what should she do? What would be best for her daughter? Ellie is a lovely child and your heart will break over her circumstances and her continuous cheer about kite flying and her friend "Malco".
This is a beautifully written, engaging and emotional story about falling on hard times and second chances, and that you should never push people away. It's a heartwarming and uplifting book about the power of kindness that will stay with you, and I read it in a day. A great new author for me!
Just as an aside: Who puts Rich Tea biscuits in the fridge? Disturbing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
If We Could Turn Back Time by Sian O'Gorman
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
Alice Murphy, 30, originally from Sandycove in Ireland, has spent the last ten years in Australia but is back for a month long holiday because she misses mother Ciara and grandmother Eve.
Sandycove is a small town near Dublin and the location in a few other books by the author which I haven't read. I'm sure you can read it as a standalone but it might be better for the understanding of the community to have read others. For there is a big community and it took me a while to learn the big players. Apart from the three generations of Murphys, we have the Blake family: Paddy, son Conal and matriarch Dolores, now in supported living, plus friends Becca and Mary-Marg.
There are secrets and lies connecting those two families, and I had a hard time detangling it in my mind once it was all revealed. It's an incredibly Irish story, and the romance subplots were very predictable.
I mainly got this book for the gorgeous cover, and it's well-written but it didn't grab me as much as it could have. There is much talk about the resurrection of a disco for the over 45, and the modernisation of a general shop and deli, something I didn't find terribly interesting.
However, I liked how it gave middle-aged women a voice (menopause is mentioned frequently) and painted a lovely picture of all the scrumptious Irish food to be had.
It's an uplifting story of friendship and second chances. Recommended if you love small town communities with long-held secrets.
Alice Murphy, 30, originally from Sandycove in Ireland, has spent the last ten years in Australia but is back for a month long holiday because she misses mother Ciara and grandmother Eve.
Sandycove is a small town near Dublin and the location in a few other books by the author which I haven't read. I'm sure you can read it as a standalone but it might be better for the understanding of the community to have read others. For there is a big community and it took me a while to learn the big players. Apart from the three generations of Murphys, we have the Blake family: Paddy, son Conal and matriarch Dolores, now in supported living, plus friends Becca and Mary-Marg.
There are secrets and lies connecting those two families, and I had a hard time detangling it in my mind once it was all revealed. It's an incredibly Irish story, and the romance subplots were very predictable.
I mainly got this book for the gorgeous cover, and it's well-written but it didn't grab me as much as it could have. There is much talk about the resurrection of a disco for the over 45, and the modernisation of a general shop and deli, something I didn't find terribly interesting.
However, I liked how it gave middle-aged women a voice (menopause is mentioned frequently) and painted a lovely picture of all the scrumptious Irish food to be had.
It's an uplifting story of friendship and second chances. Recommended if you love small town communities with long-held secrets.
Love to Hate You by Jo Watson
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Ex Effect by Jo Watson
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.
I like Jo Watson's books but there are two things you need to know beforehand:
1. They take place in South Africa and
2. They are sexually very explicit, from the first page.
The whole book centers around the fact that FMC Ash has had a bad first sexual experience with her high school boyfriend Logan and now seems cursed to never have good sex. She is a cinematographer with a big circle of friends and somehow their WhatsApp group discusses nothing other than her unsatisfactory love life.
Logan now runs a film location agency, and because he has changed his name to Max and Ash is Leigh in a professional capacity, they have professional (and flirty) email dealings without realising who the other is. Until they need to do a location tour in Africa together.
While Max is happy to see her again, Ash is in a nightmare. There is mud, snakes, mosquitos, thorns, a storm, a free roaming leopard, rickety old planes and her ex. It couldn't get any worse. And she will not have sex with him. No sirree. Absolutely not. Never. Out of the question.
I loved Love at First Flight but this didn't gel with me in the same way. It's far too predictable and uses tired old tropes like forced proximity and miscommunication. Max was a bit too intense for me and there was no real reason to me why he loved her other than he found her beautiful and got very jealous when she spoke to other men. I don't like it when men talk about what they are going to do TO a woman sexually, like she has to endure it. Why not talk about doing something WITH another person?
I liked their travels through Africa though, Max's mother's dementia was portrayed realistically and it's always nice to read a second chances love story. I think Jo Watson is very talented and I will be curious what she writes next, though I might skip the steamiest pages again.
I like Jo Watson's books but there are two things you need to know beforehand:
1. They take place in South Africa and
2. They are sexually very explicit, from the first page.
The whole book centers around the fact that FMC Ash has had a bad first sexual experience with her high school boyfriend Logan and now seems cursed to never have good sex. She is a cinematographer with a big circle of friends and somehow their WhatsApp group discusses nothing other than her unsatisfactory love life.
Logan now runs a film location agency, and because he has changed his name to Max and Ash is Leigh in a professional capacity, they have professional (and flirty) email dealings without realising who the other is. Until they need to do a location tour in Africa together.
While Max is happy to see her again, Ash is in a nightmare. There is mud, snakes, mosquitos, thorns, a storm, a free roaming leopard, rickety old planes and her ex. It couldn't get any worse. And she will not have sex with him. No sirree. Absolutely not. Never. Out of the question.
I loved Love at First Flight but this didn't gel with me in the same way. It's far too predictable and uses tired old tropes like forced proximity and miscommunication. Max was a bit too intense for me and there was no real reason to me why he loved her other than he found her beautiful and got very jealous when she spoke to other men. I don't like it when men talk about what they are going to do TO a woman sexually, like she has to endure it. Why not talk about doing something WITH another person?
I liked their travels through Africa though, Max's mother's dementia was portrayed realistically and it's always nice to read a second chances love story. I think Jo Watson is very talented and I will be curious what she writes next, though I might skip the steamiest pages again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Dementia and Injury/Injury detail
Remember, I Love You by Claudia Carroll
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
This is a story about loss and grief and you best suspend any disbelief about ghosts and mediums.
Connie lost her mother but she still gets calls from her on a very old mobile phone - something that is apparently called clairaudience. She is a jobbing actor who lived with her mother and now has to sell the house because her brother inherited it jointly. I was actually quite annoyed at her mother for not stipulating the house go to her alone!
Luke has lost his wife Helen, and his six year old daughter Amy her mother. He is a very busy architect and struggles not just with losing his wife but now being a single parent to a grieving child, juggling child care with a demanding job and an unsympathetic work environment.
Lucasta Liversidge is a famous writer and also medium who sees ghosts all the time. She always has her grumpy assistant Phoebe in tow, even when she makes a surprise appearance at a Bereavement Café in Dublin. Here she meets a broad spectrum of grieving people, containing café owner Will, Connie, Luke, teenagers Alex and Lucy, school principal Stella and a mother/daughter duo that can't stop baking for their weekly sessions.
I loved the community and friendship aspect of the story and the fact that it's emotional and hopeful. Everyone of us has a different way of dealing with grief, none right or wrong, and everyone has a different problem, like dealing with children, work or financial troubles.
I wasn't convinced of the magical realism aspect though. Sure, it's a story, but mediums are trying to make money by hoodwinking grieving people, and I felt it was irresponsible peddling a version where they are both truthful and in touch with the dead. Having a dead mother ring you on an old brick phone for a natter while you're at the theatre felt like slapstick. Also, some of the characters did barely get any story at all - you could have cut Alex and Lucy from the book completely without anyone missing them.
All in all, it's heartwarming though how the bereaved people come together and help each other. The solutions often felt a bit convenient and I fail to see how an architect striking out on his own will have a better work/life balance than before, but hey, this is fiction with a gorgeous cover. Read if you like Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern.
This is a story about loss and grief and you best suspend any disbelief about ghosts and mediums.
Connie lost her mother but she still gets calls from her on a very old mobile phone - something that is apparently called clairaudience. She is a jobbing actor who lived with her mother and now has to sell the house because her brother inherited it jointly. I was actually quite annoyed at her mother for not stipulating the house go to her alone!
Luke has lost his wife Helen, and his six year old daughter Amy her mother. He is a very busy architect and struggles not just with losing his wife but now being a single parent to a grieving child, juggling child care with a demanding job and an unsympathetic work environment.
Lucasta Liversidge is a famous writer and also medium who sees ghosts all the time. She always has her grumpy assistant Phoebe in tow, even when she makes a surprise appearance at a Bereavement Café in Dublin. Here she meets a broad spectrum of grieving people, containing café owner Will, Connie, Luke, teenagers Alex and Lucy, school principal Stella and a mother/daughter duo that can't stop baking for their weekly sessions.
I loved the community and friendship aspect of the story and the fact that it's emotional and hopeful. Everyone of us has a different way of dealing with grief, none right or wrong, and everyone has a different problem, like dealing with children, work or financial troubles.
I wasn't convinced of the magical realism aspect though. Sure, it's a story, but mediums are trying to make money by hoodwinking grieving people, and I felt it was irresponsible peddling a version where they are both truthful and in touch with the dead. Having a dead mother ring you on an old brick phone for a natter while you're at the theatre felt like slapstick. Also, some of the characters did barely get any story at all - you could have cut Alex and Lucy from the book completely without anyone missing them.
All in all, it's heartwarming though how the bereaved people come together and help each other. The solutions often felt a bit convenient and I fail to see how an architect striking out on his own will have a better work/life balance than before, but hey, this is fiction with a gorgeous cover. Read if you like Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
Kate hasn't spoken to her sister Emma in 15 years, ever since Emma stole her fiancé Philip from her. She is now a hotshot lawyer in London, about to make partner, so when a call comes in from Dr Matthew Whitford, the grumpy headmaster of the posh school Emma's two children Izzy and Max attend, she isn't happy to have her routine interrupted. Emma is in hospital and has apparently offered Kate's name up as next of kin. Reluctantly, Kate drives to the dilapidated big house that Emma and Philip unwisely bought in order to renovate it. Not only is it unfit for habitation (the family live in the small gatehouse) but it's also spooky. Oh, and Philip is nowhere to be seen.
In 1880 something, Rookswood House was occupied by a photographer, his wife and two daughters, Ava and Camile. The Victorians loved the macabre and it was a craze back then to have photos doctored so bodies would appear headless or with their head under their arm. Photos of dead people in alive poses were also popular. Ava got her father to teach her the art of photography, so when their parents died, they had a means of supporting themselves. The Weird Sisters, as they were known, swore to always stay together, but then something happened to tear them apart forever. Now Ava is a trapped spirit who haunts the big house, not able to move on, and strange things happen to Kate and anyone else coming close to the house.
We get two stories here of two pairs of sisters, all brought together by a crumbling manor house. I'm not normally one for ghost stories but I was drawn in by the cover so I downloaded it. I'm glad I did. It is more atmospheric than spooky, and it's best to just believe there's a ghost and get drawn into the story. I really liked Ava and Camile's flashback parts because they felt kind of exotic, whereas Kate's story was modern and without the interrupting "can you find my sister for me?" ghost could have been a regular romance, albeit with secrets and sister reconciliation. I thought Kate was rude and snappy at the beginning but Izzy wasn't much better. Then there is Charlie the builder - what are his true intentions?
Recommended if you liked Jenni Keer's The Ravenswood Witch. This is a new author for me, but Lauren Westwood, like many Boldwood Books authors, is on Kindle Unlimited, so I immediately downloaded The House of Second Chances for future perusal.
Kate hasn't spoken to her sister Emma in 15 years, ever since Emma stole her fiancé Philip from her. She is now a hotshot lawyer in London, about to make partner, so when a call comes in from Dr Matthew Whitford, the grumpy headmaster of the posh school Emma's two children Izzy and Max attend, she isn't happy to have her routine interrupted. Emma is in hospital and has apparently offered Kate's name up as next of kin. Reluctantly, Kate drives to the dilapidated big house that Emma and Philip unwisely bought in order to renovate it. Not only is it unfit for habitation (the family live in the small gatehouse) but it's also spooky. Oh, and Philip is nowhere to be seen.
In 1880 something, Rookswood House was occupied by a photographer, his wife and two daughters, Ava and Camile. The Victorians loved the macabre and it was a craze back then to have photos doctored so bodies would appear headless or with their head under their arm. Photos of dead people in alive poses were also popular. Ava got her father to teach her the art of photography, so when their parents died, they had a means of supporting themselves. The Weird Sisters, as they were known, swore to always stay together, but then something happened to tear them apart forever. Now Ava is a trapped spirit who haunts the big house, not able to move on, and strange things happen to Kate and anyone else coming close to the house.
We get two stories here of two pairs of sisters, all brought together by a crumbling manor house. I'm not normally one for ghost stories but I was drawn in by the cover so I downloaded it. I'm glad I did. It is more atmospheric than spooky, and it's best to just believe there's a ghost and get drawn into the story. I really liked Ava and Camile's flashback parts because they felt kind of exotic, whereas Kate's story was modern and without the interrupting "can you find my sister for me?" ghost could have been a regular romance, albeit with secrets and sister reconciliation. I thought Kate was rude and snappy at the beginning but Izzy wasn't much better. Then there is Charlie the builder - what are his true intentions?
Recommended if you liked Jenni Keer's The Ravenswood Witch. This is a new author for me, but Lauren Westwood, like many Boldwood Books authors, is on Kindle Unlimited, so I immediately downloaded The House of Second Chances for future perusal.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt
Grave Talk by Nick Spalding
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.
Alice and Ben have both lost people - they meet on the graveyard one day when Ben stands in front of his brother Harry's grave wearing a green Kermit outfit. Alice's husband Joe's grave is right next to it and so they start talking. The next year they meet at the graveside again, and from then on every year for ten years, through Ben's marriage and Alice's move to Sydney.
The book is told in dual POV, with Ben and Alice helping each other overcome grief, self-loathing and hiding away from relationships, not deterred by distance and lockdowns. This isn't a romance but they form a friendship based purely on their shared experiences.
There are some absurd situations, with Ben having to wear a different silly costume to the graveside each year as stipulated in his brother's will, Jobbers the annoying kookaburra making mischief and Alice's fifth date with Grant not going to plan, to mention just a few.
But they are both messed-up people and I felt the grieving and self-loathing took way too long. I mean, ten years, come on! Plus, I had to struggle through an entire rugby game that ended in utter chaos, just because Ben had never learned to say no to his overbearing family.
This is a story with raw emotions - love, loss, grief and friendship is being dealt with in an honest way. Given that the book spans ten years, not much of note is happening but I don't think it is meant to - we just accompany two bereaved people's struggle to carry on living and find meaning in their life. Grief is a strange beast, and it doesn't run in a straight line. But the morale of the story is that we all need people around helping us deal with it. Read if you like a gentle, sometimes bizarre story about grief.
"The people we love die. But the people we love live, too. And so should we.”
Alice and Ben have both lost people - they meet on the graveyard one day when Ben stands in front of his brother Harry's grave wearing a green Kermit outfit. Alice's husband Joe's grave is right next to it and so they start talking. The next year they meet at the graveside again, and from then on every year for ten years, through Ben's marriage and Alice's move to Sydney.
The book is told in dual POV, with Ben and Alice helping each other overcome grief, self-loathing and hiding away from relationships, not deterred by distance and lockdowns. This isn't a romance but they form a friendship based purely on their shared experiences.
There are some absurd situations, with Ben having to wear a different silly costume to the graveside each year as stipulated in his brother's will, Jobbers the annoying kookaburra making mischief and Alice's fifth date with Grant not going to plan, to mention just a few.
But they are both messed-up people and I felt the grieving and self-loathing took way too long. I mean, ten years, come on! Plus, I had to struggle through an entire rugby game that ended in utter chaos, just because Ben had never learned to say no to his overbearing family.
This is a story with raw emotions - love, loss, grief and friendship is being dealt with in an honest way. Given that the book spans ten years, not much of note is happening but I don't think it is meant to - we just accompany two bereaved people's struggle to carry on living and find meaning in their life. Grief is a strange beast, and it doesn't run in a straight line. But the morale of the story is that we all need people around helping us deal with it. Read if you like a gentle, sometimes bizarre story about grief.
"The people we love die. But the people we love live, too. And so should we.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
Horrible Husbands by Jessica Huntley
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.
This book is about three women who have been friends for years even though they are now scattered across the UK and haven't met in person in ages. They have one thing in common: they all have horrible husbands.
Lisa is a pharmacist living in England. Her husband Simon is a domestic abuser and gaslighter.
Holly is a personal trainer with a disabled hand, living in Scotland. Her husband Will is a gambler, a thief and maybe a cheating murderer too.
Penny is a well-off business woman with two kids, living in Wales. Her husband Drake is a cheat and a possible paedophile. Throughout the story we learn that some of them are also other things.
This all comes out when the women meet for a long overdue girls' weekend, at the end of which a shocking plan is formed - at least two of the three husbands will be killed by them and the third will be investigated for criminal shenanigans.
This isn't an easy read, and especially some of the flashbacks are brutal. Domestic violence and rape are described in disturbing detail so prepare yourselves.
I feel the flashbacks are mostly unnecessary and the halfway twist is very obvious from the beginning, but there's another twist or two towards the end I wasn't expecting at all.
This is a terrific multi POV description of revenge when women can't abide the monsters in their lives anymore. I feel that how they get away with it all is not really explored realistically, but it didn't impede my enjoyment of the tale. Recommended if you like women turning the tables in a psychological suspense story that is high on action.
This book is about three women who have been friends for years even though they are now scattered across the UK and haven't met in person in ages. They have one thing in common: they all have horrible husbands.
Lisa is a pharmacist living in England. Her husband Simon is a domestic abuser and gaslighter.
Holly is a personal trainer with a disabled hand, living in Scotland. Her husband Will is a gambler, a thief and maybe a cheating murderer too.
Penny is a well-off business woman with two kids, living in Wales. Her husband Drake is a cheat and a possible paedophile. Throughout the story we learn that some of them are also other things.
This all comes out when the women meet for a long overdue girls' weekend, at the end of which a shocking plan is formed - at least two of the three husbands will be killed by them and the third will be investigated for criminal shenanigans.
This isn't an easy read, and especially some of the flashbacks are brutal. Domestic violence and rape are described in disturbing detail so prepare yourselves.
I feel the flashbacks are mostly unnecessary and the halfway twist is very obvious from the beginning, but there's another twist or two towards the end I wasn't expecting at all.
This is a terrific multi POV description of revenge when women can't abide the monsters in their lives anymore. I feel that how they get away with it all is not really explored realistically, but it didn't impede my enjoyment of the tale. Recommended if you like women turning the tables in a psychological suspense story that is high on action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse
The Full Nest by Fiona Gibson
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.
Carly, a librarian and husband Frank, a mechanic from Portugal, are in their early fifties. They have two daughters and a son in their early twenties, but the daughters have already flown the nest. However, Eddie, 22, is a lazy layabout and he doesn't see the need to leave the place where he gets his laundry washed and food cooked. One day though he suddenly moves in with his best friends from school in Edinburgh and finds a restaurant job, and Carly and Frank can finally walk around in their underwear at home.
The relief is short-lived though. Carly's belligerent father Kenny, 85, gives himself botulism by eating ancient pilchards from a rusty tin (They cost money, don't you dare throw them away!") and has to move in with them. Then Eddie comes back with shocking news and the number of house inhabitants goes up again. All the while, Carly longingly eyes up "The Empty-Nester’s Handbook" but its tips seem frustratingly out of reach.
I have to say, while it is funny in parts, I did not find this as funny and uplifting as the author's other books. The rapidly disintegrating marriage is sad, broken down from the strain of being in the middle and having to deal both with the younger and the older generation. It's bittersweet and realistic, and will draw you in, hoping it will all end well. There is also a sad side story with a gay colleague who feels hidden away by his partner. As is the case in a Fiona Gibson book, it's the men who cause the multi-generational drama and who can't cope while the women hold it all together. It's a well-written, easy read and if you're looking for a relatable family drama with strong women, this will be for you.
Carly, a librarian and husband Frank, a mechanic from Portugal, are in their early fifties. They have two daughters and a son in their early twenties, but the daughters have already flown the nest. However, Eddie, 22, is a lazy layabout and he doesn't see the need to leave the place where he gets his laundry washed and food cooked. One day though he suddenly moves in with his best friends from school in Edinburgh and finds a restaurant job, and Carly and Frank can finally walk around in their underwear at home.
The relief is short-lived though. Carly's belligerent father Kenny, 85, gives himself botulism by eating ancient pilchards from a rusty tin (They cost money, don't you dare throw them away!") and has to move in with them. Then Eddie comes back with shocking news and the number of house inhabitants goes up again. All the while, Carly longingly eyes up "The Empty-Nester’s Handbook" but its tips seem frustratingly out of reach.
I have to say, while it is funny in parts, I did not find this as funny and uplifting as the author's other books. The rapidly disintegrating marriage is sad, broken down from the strain of being in the middle and having to deal both with the younger and the older generation. It's bittersweet and realistic, and will draw you in, hoping it will all end well. There is also a sad side story with a gay colleague who feels hidden away by his partner. As is the case in a Fiona Gibson book, it's the men who cause the multi-generational drama and who can't cope while the women hold it all together. It's a well-written, easy read and if you're looking for a relatable family drama with strong women, this will be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Family and Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.
Dawn is a 53 year old Black widowed journalist. Dawn's husband Dale has died of cancer and she returns to her hometown Baltimore to give the ashes to his brother Brent. While there she realises some unresolved career problems coming up again when her nemesis Joe Perkins, also Black, is on the same plane. A movie is planned detailing his Pulitzer prize winning exposé - but he stole the research from her and now makes her out to be the villain.
A complicated story ensues involving her sister Tonyah, an old admirer called Eddie, a diva with the name of Vivienne St Clair, and young journalist Bria. For me, there were too many flashbacks and it took too long to get the proof Dawn needed to take Joe down and then everything happened at once at the end.
The story is told in first person narrative which I'm not sure is the correct one here. I couldn't really get on with this novel, it was too American for me, and it took me forever to read this, which is never a good sign. I expected more of a light-hearted rom-com, instead I got rivalry and revenge for previous and current wrongdoings plus family conflicts, and it wasn't the story I wanted to read. If you enjoy complex family relationships and strong protagonists wanting to right a wrong, this may be for you.
Dawn is a 53 year old Black widowed journalist. Dawn's husband Dale has died of cancer and she returns to her hometown Baltimore to give the ashes to his brother Brent. While there she realises some unresolved career problems coming up again when her nemesis Joe Perkins, also Black, is on the same plane. A movie is planned detailing his Pulitzer prize winning exposé - but he stole the research from her and now makes her out to be the villain.
A complicated story ensues involving her sister Tonyah, an old admirer called Eddie, a diva with the name of Vivienne St Clair, and young journalist Bria. For me, there were too many flashbacks and it took too long to get the proof Dawn needed to take Joe down and then everything happened at once at the end.
The story is told in first person narrative which I'm not sure is the correct one here. I couldn't really get on with this novel, it was too American for me, and it took me forever to read this, which is never a good sign. I expected more of a light-hearted rom-com, instead I got rivalry and revenge for previous and current wrongdoings plus family conflicts, and it wasn't the story I wanted to read. If you enjoy complex family relationships and strong protagonists wanting to right a wrong, this may be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Racism, and Grief