melc's reviews
1200 reviews

I was initially enchanted by this novel. Fletcher's ability to draw characters is excellent and I enjoyed the humorous no-nonsense narrative voice of Florrie. 

But whilst I could see the plot has serious themes at times, the cozy old people's home crime investigation took up too much space in the book. I would have enjoyed more detail and to have spent more time looking back at Florrie's past. This does happen but it's written in a fragmentary way and often skips around in a way that left me feeling less engaged. This combined with the large cast of characters in the present time line diluted the impact of this book for me. 

In the end the pace was just too slow and I grew tired of it. There are real strengths in this novel, but I grew impatient with the parts I was less interested in and wanted to journey in the more engaging themes more.

DNFd at 41%.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This is a really well put together introduction to living with a chronic illness. Written in an open, friendly tone, Stacey works through issues such as illness management, relationships, mental health and more. She acknowledges problematic attitudes within our ableist world with a good balance of frustration, hope for change and above all compassion for ourselves. Her advice about rethinking our life choices with kindness and self-care are written with friendliness and vulnerability. This is an excellent first stop for anyone who is struggling to manage their condition.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I couldn't get on with the fast pace of the story and the short chapters. I didn't feel this worked with the emotional level of the book and prevented me from connecting with the characters.

Couldn't get into this. The narrative perspective switched around too often and I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. One minute we were inside the head of a character then seemed to jump to viewing the person from another's perspective. It didn't settle anywhere for long enough for me to enjoy the journey. DNFd at 29%.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This shouldn't have felt boring as the premise was definitely intriguing with real life historical figures and events setting a backdrop for other fictional characters and their stories. The social injustice of Victorian London is something I would normally find interesting. 

But this feels too episodic in plot structure. I became quickly bored with things looking like something happening which then turned out to be nothing. The characters were underdeveloped and Halls didn't give me chance to take time to get to know them and connect with them in their troubles. So, therefore, instead I didn't care. The pacing was all wrong tripping through plot with a disposable attitude rather than care in building moments of emotion and significance.

DNFd at 29%. I often feel that books based on fact can fall foul to the level of research and historical accuracy at the expense of good story and character development - it's a hard balance and this book didn't work for me.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

The evocative scenery and sensory descriptions of this novella were beautiful and captivating. But the storyline left me cold. I couldn't feel where the author was trying to lead me. Maybe it was just too short. Or maybe I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief enough. But this didn't do much for me I'm afraid.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.