niamhreviews's reviews
582 reviews

I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley and HarperCollins UK.

So, 'The Maid' is getting a lot of hype. Florence Pugh's already making a movie from it - it hasn't even come out yet. I heard it described once as 'Eleanor Oliphant Investigates a Murder', and I would say that's probably accurate.

I think the hype is somewhat deserved. If you read a lot of books about murders, you won't find anything particularly revolutionary in the plot. But the book's strong point is not the plot - but in the way its told. The first person, unreliable narrator allows the twists and turns to unfold slowly, to keep you guessing as to what certain conversations mean. I have no doubt it's going to make for an excellent film - especially if there's plenty invested into the visuals.

The novel feels very contained. Ironically, everything is clean, placed just so for just a reason. Never stepping much outside of the boundaries of its world, which seems to slip between locations. One of the things I disliked was how the characters seemed to exist in multiple places - they'd mention American cities and restaurants, but then use slang like 'tenner' and 'cuppa'. It was like the author was trying to give them voices that didn't fit and it really took me out of the narrative when it happened.

I can see this book earning even more hype as it gets closer to publication date. And even I - who detest most thrillers - enjoyed reading it, so I imagine it'll be a very popular January 2022 pick.

'The Maid' by Nita Prose will be published in the UK on January 20th 2022.

I didn't really know what to expect reading this. And I think one of it's biggest downfalls (through no fault of its own - I clearly wasn't as impacted by it) is it is entirely mis-marketed. The general vibe I got from reviewers/the blurb was it was a fun story of two queer girls who drunkenly get married in Las Vegas and the fallout from that. But it's so, so much more.

I would put this in the same group as a book like 'Normal People' because its themes and the writing style - its abstract nature, the moments of artistry that weaves into the story - are very similar. This isn't your typical romance novel, in fact there's not much 'typical' romance in it. It's a remarkable story of grief, of depression, of expectations and trauma and quarter-life crises. Of trying to be perfect but not knowing where the edge of perfection truly is. This is contemporary fiction, not romance.

There are problems - no book is perfect. It's missing some development and it doesn't feel like much actually happens in the plot. The language, at times, is over-written and there are really flowery moments of prose that add nothing to the reading experience. But the story feels unique and I found a real connectivity point with Grace's issues with always trying to be 'the best' and feeling as though you're failing if you have anything less (also Grace is an Earth sign, I'm an Earth sign - you get the jist).

But I really enjoyed it. Much like when I read 'Convenience Store Woman' last summer, something about the book spoke to me, spoke to a deep worry and insecurity of mine - and put a balm over the wound. So, if you're going into this expecting a cute romance - try something else. But if you're open to a beautiful, complex book - read this.

I was very kindly given an e-arc of this book through Netgalley & HarperCollins UK.

This was just the right book for me at the moment.. Which is ironic, because this entire beauty of a novel is about finding (or rather, eating) the right thing at the right moment.

'Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune' is about a woman named Natalie Tan who left home to travel, never wanting to feel settled in one location. But when her mother dies, she must return home to face the realities of abandoning her community and neighbourhood in San Francisco's Chinatown. After she's gifted a book of her grandmother's healing recipes, she decides that food is the way to the hears of her mother's friends and confidants.

I devoured this book. It's exquisitely descriptive, particularly when pertaining to the food sections, whilst still deeply wrapped in the Chinese culture. There are moments that feel almost removed from reality yet they add to the emotion that has clearly been poured into each page. There's little more to say about this book except that it's rather exceptional. Blending food with grief and a great lead female character, this isn't a book to be missed.

'Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune' by Roselle Lim will be published in the UK on January 24th 2020.

The best way to describe this book is just...nice. It was nice.

Set in a sleepy English village, librarian assistant June finally has to find some courage and stand up for what she believes in when the library she works in is threatened with closure by the local council. Featuring a cast of 'quirky' characters, she has to operate incognito or risk losing her job altogether.

You can tell this is a debut novel. It feels very messy and the characters really aren't very differentiated. They all felt like huge caricatures of people you would imagine live in a small rural village and get up in arms about library closures. I did want to slap the main character multiple times purely for just how spineless she was. I get anxiety, girl, but that is something else altogether. There were lots of different threads in this novel and there were moments that very clumsily written and put together.

I can appreciate some of the themes involved, but I didn't particularly enjoy reading this book. It felt very saccharine and schmaltzy, even though there wasn't a traditional happy ending. It's also difficult to find sympathy for characters who seem completely up their own arses, which unfortunately some of them were.

There's an audience for this book. There's one for every book! I am just not that audience. I think I had expectations for this novel that just didn't come through. But someone will enjoy it, I'm sure.

As she discusses in her author's note, 'The Heart Principle' is Helen Hoang's most personal book - and you can tell from how she writes it. Interweaving a parent's serious illness, a character who discovers she's on the autism spectrum, mental block and a romance can be difficult, but Hoang's book examines the good moments and the bad moments of them all to create a smart and ultimately, rather hopeful romance.

Like all of Hoang's book, the third instalment in this series is immensely readable, heartfelt and sexy as FUCK. It's honestly one of the things that sets her apart from some other romance writers in this sub-genres - she's not afraid to really write down and dirty. What I especially liked about the sexy scenes was the consistent presence of consent, of no judgement, of partners respecting partners even when they don't feel comfortable enough to share all of themselves with you. Quan is kind of a dream guy in that respect.

There were moments that didn't quite do it for me, generally in just the way the book was plotted and how certain themes were interwoven, but I don't want to pass judgement on it. Especially because I know that feeling of mental block very well - and so much of this has come from Hoang's life over the last few years.

Like 'The Kiss Quotient' and 'The Bride Test' before it, 'The Heart Principle' establishes Helen Hoang as one of the most original and exciting romance writers currently out there, her novels always looking beyond the classic love story and giving its readers something to adore and to think about all at once.