Rosie Walsh: Love of my life
Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she’d do anything for them. But almost everything she’s told them about herself is a lie.And she might just have got away with it, if it weren’t for her husband’s job. Leo is an obituary writer; Emma a well-known marine biologist. When she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best – researching and writing about his wife’s life. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist. Even her name isn’t real.When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was . . .But first, she must tell him about the other love of her life.
This was such a weird read because the story is a hybrid. It started as a contemporary fiction story, but then starts to transform into a mystery/thriller, only to finish as a women’s fiction novel. Like the author couldn’t decide what to write so she combined everything together! That being said, I really liked the mystery/thriller part. I think the misdirections are done well and it creates a really good plot for a domestic thriller. I would have loved for this vibe to remain throughout the entire story. The mystery was great, I was hooked and I couldn’t stop reading it. As I was buddy reading this with my friend we kept guessing what is this secret that Emma’s keeping?! But then, disappointment at the end. The last few chapters left me with the feeling: Is that it? Therefore I couldn’t give it higher than
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Emily Henry: Happy Place
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple – they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Except, now they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And they still haven’t told anyone. Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. For one glorious week they leave behind their lives, drink far too much wine and soak up the sea air with their favourite people. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth. The cottage is for sale so this is the last time they’ll all be together here and they can’t bear to break their friends’ hearts. So, they’ll fake it for one more week. It’s a flawless plan. But how can you pretend to be in love with someone – and get away with it – in front of the people who know you best?
This is the first Emily Henry book where I had tears in my eyes! I thought Happy Place was going to be a cute, sweet, and fluffy romance, but I was wrong. Happy Place was such an emotional and heartbreaking book. I mean, the title of the book is Happy Place, and the cover is so cute and has summer vibes, but don’t let that fool you, this book was sad. I also found this book different from the rest of her books, it felt more mature, somehow. I feel like it wasn’t as romcom-ish as her last books and it focused a lot more on different struggles people go through as they grow up, and it had a lot of interesting themes about friendship, family, and happiness… It felt a little more complete and I was fully absorbed in their story. Long story short, I loved everything about this and I highly recommend it for your next summer read!
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Paige Toon: Only love can hurt like this
When Wren realises her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover. On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on. Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again. But Wren doesn’t know that Anders is harbouring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious fall-out for everyone.
Only Love Can Hurt Like This started off strong for me. I was intrigued with where it was going. Also, I have enjoyed Paige Toon’s books in the past so my hopes were high for this one. As I got to the middle things started to drag for me, not much was happening. The twist at the end was interesting, unexpected and really original. I loved that we got a dual narrator and Anders’ POV at the end. I only wish we had his perspective throughout the whole book – I think that would have helped the plot.
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Sam holland: the Echo man
Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.
First, let me warn you! This is gruesome, graphic, intense, dark, disturbing and eerie! I rarely read books like this but I heard so many good things about this book! I think I’ll keep this review short because you should go into the story as blind as possible to get the full effect. There are three timelines that weave together over the course of the book, filled with short chapters and a fast-paced plot. Even while figuring out a good bit of the whodunnit prior to the reveal, it didn’t take away from my eagerness to remain glued to the pages. I suspected everyone at some point or another, which is a good thing for a book of this sort because it kept me turning pages to see what would happen. Even though there were multiple twists at the end ( of which I guessed one) I wasn’t satisfied with the actual ending. Is there a sequel planned maybe?
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Carley Fortune: Meet me at the lake
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort–something she vowed never to do. She needs a plan–a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive suit-wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.
I had high expectations for this book after reading Every Summer After so of course I was a bit disappointed initially. But now when I had some time to think it through I actually liked it. The romance is a bit unrealistic but it’s fiction, it doesn’t have to feel real. What I really loved about this book is the amazing representation of mental health care, non-traditional relationships and adult characters( both are over 30). I also loved the setting and description of Canadian nature. The pacing, however, dragged, it took ages to reveal the reasons behind their behaviour. There were chapters where literally nothing happened. Also, if you’re looking for a heavy romance, this isn’t it. The book is more about dealing with grief, mental health and finding your passion. Definitely worth the read if you liked her first book!
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Andrea mara: no one saw a thing
You stand on a crowded tube platform in London. Your two little girls jump on the train ahead of you. As you try to join them, the doors slide shut and the train moves away, leaving you behind. By the time you get to the next stop, you’ve convinced yourself that everything will be fine. But you soon start to panic, because there aren’t two children waiting for you on the platform. There’s only one. Has your other daughter got lost? Been taken by a passing stranger? Or perhaps the culprit is closer to home than you think? No one is telling the truth, and the longer the search continues, the harder she will be to find…
Wow! I never hear of Andrea Mara until I randomly picked up this book because the blurb sounded interesting and from now on she will be my auto-buy thriller author! This is one of the most addictive books I’ve read in a while – despite its decent size, I managed to finish it in 24 hours! he multiple narratives, short punchy chapters, and the way the author teases us by going back and forth in time, usually with a catchy ending to every chapter, meant that I just couldn’t stop reading it. I also loved the way there were so many possible suspects and motives stacked up throughout the story, so I really didn’t have a clue which way it was going to go until the pieces finally slotted together, and even then the shocks kept coming! Basically, it’s everything I want in a thriller!
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Lynn Painter: Better than the movies
Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Flash forward ten years, it’s Liz’s senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes’s help. See, Liz’s forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he’s hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He’s her in.But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.
I blame my high expectations but this book just wasn’t for me. I picked this one soon after reading It Only Happens in the Movies which I loved even though it’s YA, something I don’t usually read. I thought I will love this one as well, especially after all the raving reviews. Although, I understand why people love it so much. I liked Wes Bennet, I think he’s one of the best book boyfriend material out there but I didn’t like Liz, at times she was really annoying. Also, I felt the book was longer than it should’ve been and from the start, I knew how it will end. I liked some things (the development of the relationship was cute and funny) but not enough to really enjoy it.
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