Ruth Ware: One by One
Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?
For the last three years every winter I have read a book like this, remote setting, snow storm (or in this case an avalanche), people with messed up histories and murder(s). There is certainly nothing original here but I really like the atmosphere and it’s very Agatha Christie.In the beginning, I did find myself confused with keeping up with “who was who”. I rarely have a problem remembering large casts of characters but, in this case, only the two protagonists, were well developed, so I had to distinguish the others by their role. Also I found the first third very slow due to that, but the story picks up from there and is really intense with the avalanche and a killer killing randomly. This is where I got really hooked. Having said that, I didn’t like the ending. The book continues to drag on after the ending, tying up all the ends when it didn’t really matter. Also I felt the killer’s revelation was a bit obvious. There was no surprise and it was more why than who. All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining thriller to cosy up with under the blanket.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Sophie Cousens: This Time Next Year
Down-to-earth baker Minnie Cooper knows two things with great certainty: that her New Year’s birthday has always been unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Minnie and Quinn were born at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day thirty years before, and not only did he edge her out by mere minutes to win the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990, but he stole the name she was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it’s no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before. When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The handsome, charming business owner truly seems to have it all–including the perfect girlfriend. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each frustrating interaction somehow seems to leave them both hoping for more?
This is one of those missed chances style stories that can sometimes drive me a little crazy, but this one was really cute. The story takes place over the course of a year, with several flashbacks to past NYEs, for both Quinn and Minnie. The story is predictable but has a little more depth than I initially expected. There is also a real unique subplot within this and it made the ending even happier! I would describe it as part of woman fiction, part chick lit, part romantic comedy. It’s about romance but it’s also about building friendships, family dynamics and most importantly loving yourself. Overall, this was such a charming and delightful book and I would recommend it to all contemporary romance fans.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Richard Osman: The Thursday Murder Club
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?
I was delaying reading this book because I honestly thought it was based on good PR because celebrity books are kind of hit and miss. But TV presenter Richard Osman’s debut novel is such a charming and heartwarming mystery with so much wit, fun and interesting characters that I couldn’t put it down from the first chapter. The plot is fast paced, keeps you guessing as it’s got many a twist along the way, It’s very cleverly written with several clever red-herrings thrown around and I really couldn’t guess the murderer. I always appreciate a book that can trick me like that and leave me clueless and guessing right up to the last page! Super fun and sweet with characters so lovable and quirky you’d love to have them around for tea. Definitely one of my favourite reads of 2020! Looking forward to the next book in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Josie Silver: One Day in December
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic… and then her bus drives away. Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be. What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.
The story is told from both Jack and Laurie’s perspectives, starting from the snowy December day they find themselves on opposite sides of a misty bus window, inexplicably drawn to each other. This is not a typical love story. It unfolds over the course of ten, angst filled years! In the decade following the moment they first laid eyes on each other we follow Laurie and Jack’s ups and downs, their heartaches and relationships, misunderstandings and of course their friendship and undeniable connection. I found this book to be addictive. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to these characters. This is a great book to get a blanket and curl up with. I actually managed to finish the whole book one Sunday afternoon! My only complaint was that I wanted an epilogue! I just wanted to know what kind of life they have now! I found this book to be engaging, fun and a very enjoyable read. It has a little bit of everything: friendship, loss, grief, new beginnings, forgiveness, heartache, and love.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Holly Jackson: Good Girl, Bad Blood(#2)
Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.
But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time EVERYONE is listening.
But will she find him before it’s too late?
Ok, I really hope these books will be turned into a tv show or something because they are brilliant! This book was as thrilling and engaging as the first one. After reading so many crazy adult thrillers I really needed a break and this was it. It’s fun with an easy to follow story and likeable characters. I just couldn’t stop reading! It’s fast paced and the mystery is even more dreadful than the first book, not giving readers time to chill out even for a second. We have no clue why Jamie disappeared and we also have no clue if he was dead or alive for the majority of the book. And even though it is a bit farfetched, I love the way the mystery unraveled. I can’t wait for the next book!
Just a heads up: even though the books can be read as a standalone, there is a major spoiler about the first book and so you might want to read that one first.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sally Thorne: The Hating Game
Lucy Hutton is charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual. Trapped in a shared office together they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking. If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
So this book will now be the reason I will have a break from rom coms! This is the most cringy romance book that I’ve ever read! I was sitting on the sofa and I could’t stop saying ‘oh my God’ even half an hour after I finished it. I noticed that American chick lit is just not for me because it’s just too over the top. There is no surprise they are turning it into a movie, because it would really be a great tv! It was a quick and fun pass-time but it was a bit childish considering they are not teenagers but working professionals. Also repeatedly using The ______ Game in the text was so annoying. Definitely more chick lit than I would prefer but still enjoyable on some level.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
T.M. Logan: The Holiday
It was supposed to be the perfect holiday – a group of families enjoying a week together in the sun. Four women who have been best friends for as long as they can remember making the most of a luxurious villa in the south of France. But Kate has a secret: her husband is having an affair. And a week away might just be the perfect opportunity to get the proof she needs – to catch him in the act once and for all. Because she suspects the other woman is one of her two best friends. One of them is working against her, willing to sacrifice years of friendship to destroy her family. But which one? As Kate closes in on the truth in the stifling Mediterranean heat, she realises too late that the stakes are far higher than she ever imagined . . . Because someone in the villa may be prepared to kill to keep their secret hidden.
I’m in a minority here but I couldn’t wait to finish this book. I would give it fewer stars if the ending wasn’t so interesting and twisty. I had previously read Logan’s The Catch and really liked it so I thought this would be as good but it wasn’t. I was expecting something to happen because there was this constant sense of dread in the air but ultimately nothing did. There was too much descriptive writing which didn’t really add to the story (like describing the weather in detail), the adults were so unlikeable and the children were bratty and the plot lacked pace. The last 25% made it better. I feel everything was very well explained and more complex than I thought. I didn’t guess who the killer was and definitely didn’t guess the reason which means that I have to give the story some extra points.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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