I wrote recently about how last year I really enjoyed reading and found it helped my mental health a lot.
I had a few months break due to grieving a book I'd finished (more about that here).
I had a few months break due to grieving a book I'd finished (more about that here).
I love using GoodReads to track how much of a book I've read (honestly, even though I can feel the book in my hands and can see how much I've read I find seeing the % going up really helps me to 'just read one more chapter')
Last year I had a reading target of just 8 books. It was realistic for someone who doesn't read much. I exceeded that by reading 15 books! (15 and three quarters, I didn't manage to finish my last book in time).
This year I'm going to make an effort to post my reviews on here, just for me really, but wanted to also cover off the ones I read last year because not only did I read some amazing books by my favourite author, Claire Douglas, but also discovered two more favourites. Colleen Hoover and Freida McFadden.
"SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE
When Nina almost dies during a disastrous blind date, her life is saved by a waitress called Angel. But later that evening, Nina is surprised by a knock on the door. It’s Angel – and she’s pointing a gun at her."
I’d initially given this book 4 stars but like someone else says, I don’t want to give it 3 but also don’t want to give it 4. I have opted for 3 now because despite it being good it took far too long to get into and felt like a chore. It didn’t grip me quickly enough and it took too many chapters to feel like it had got going, which was sad because actually the first chapter had me gripped and then it went downhill from there, then managed to save it and get better as it went on.
The second half was definitely really good but I do feel like it could have got to the “grippy bit” sooner.
"It was the house of their dreams. Until the bodies were found . . ."
This book is everything I want! POV, characters I can attach to (and know I’ll miss when I finish reading), moments where I think I’ve predicted what’s happened but when realise I haven’t.This is such a clever book, it had me gripped. I couldn’t wait to finish it but I’m also so sad to have finished it too. Utterly incredible.
"It starts with a shocking accusation...
Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there’s one thing she knows for certain – she has everything she ever wanted.
Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a shocking accusation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident – but she says it was murder.
He insists he’s innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?
How will it end?"
I found this an easy read and finished it in 2 days. I found it gripping (can’t remember the last time I read a book so quickly) but do agree with some of the other reviews in terms of it being repetitive. Also felt the last few chapters felt a bit rushed however, I would recommend the book.
Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there’s one thing she knows for certain – she has everything she ever wanted.
Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a shocking accusation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident – but she says it was murder.
He insists he’s innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?
How will it end?"
I found this an easy read and finished it in 2 days. I found it gripping (can’t remember the last time I read a book so quickly) but do agree with some of the other reviews in terms of it being repetitive. Also felt the last few chapters felt a bit rushed however, I would recommend the book.
"She finally has her dream life. But someone knows the truth . . ."
Amazing amazing amazing!
It did take me a while to get into but my goodness was it worth it. I guessed right, then questioned myself, then went back to guessing right, to then thinking something else. Really cleverly written. Loved the characters, something Claire always seems to get right for me is having characters who you can like and get attached to. Ending was amazing!!
Highly recommend!
Amazing amazing amazing!
It did take me a while to get into but my goodness was it worth it. I guessed right, then questioned myself, then went back to guessing right, to then thinking something else. Really cleverly written. Loved the characters, something Claire always seems to get right for me is having characters who you can like and get attached to. Ending was amazing!!
Highly recommend!
"Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice?
But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?"
But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?"
It’s so interesting how people view books differently isn’t it? I saw the low ratings and worried I wouldn’t enjoy this but WOW! It was incredible.
I am glad I was aware of the writing style and about how Molly is “different”. If I didn’t know that before reading then maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much.
Molly is such a likeable character.
Loved the story, loved the writing style, loved that it made me laugh and also at one point made me cry. Highly recommend.
I am glad I was aware of the writing style and about how Molly is “different”. If I didn’t know that before reading then maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much.
Molly is such a likeable character.
Loved the story, loved the writing style, loved that it made me laugh and also at one point made me cry. Highly recommend.
"She gave away her children. Now she wants them back."
Wow wow wow!!!My friend sent me this book and having seen the good reviews on here I thought I’d give it a try. Absolutely incredible. Likeable characters, short chapters (something I look for in books), and an incredible storyline.
Definitely a book I will miss reading.
"You’ve known her all your life . . .
Or have you?
Tasha and sister Alice look alike, but couldn’t be more different.
Tasha’s married with kids, settled near their home town of Bristol.
While Alice travels the world with her husband. Yet each trusts the other with her life.
So when Tasha wants a break,Alice offers to stay in her home with the kids, so her sister can have a holiday. Tasha knows they’re in safe hands.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
The call sends Tasha rushing home.
Alice is in intensive care.
Her husband is dead.
The police are hunting for suspects and motives.
But Tasha can’t think why anyone would hurt her sister.
Then the note arrives, addressed to Tasha:
It was supposed to be you . . ."
I couldn’t not give this 5 stars. Claire Douglas is my favourite author and this book has her usual gripping, “keeps you guessing” twists. Really liked the characters, love the fact some chapters are 1st person and others are 3rd. Ending was brilliant and unexpected.
There was also a very impressive, clever reference to one of her previous books too! Loved that small detail.
"Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened."
I’ve given this a 4 but really I want to do a 4.5.
I’m usually a crime/thriller reader but have been curious about this book and ‘It Starts With Us’ for a long time.
This is just incredible. I couldn’t put it down. And will grieve for it and the characters now I’ve finished it.
This has been done so well because I’m sure the characters I shouldn’t like I really do, minus certain aspects! But I guess that is the point of the book.
I also had times when I didn’t really like Lily and felt a bit angry at her.
It would have been a 5 IF this was my usual genre but I felt the ending was predictable and so it lost .5 of a star simply for that.
I’m usually a crime/thriller reader but have been curious about this book and ‘It Starts With Us’ for a long time.
This is just incredible. I couldn’t put it down. And will grieve for it and the characters now I’ve finished it.
This has been done so well because I’m sure the characters I shouldn’t like I really do, minus certain aspects! But I guess that is the point of the book.
I also had times when I didn’t really like Lily and felt a bit angry at her.
It would have been a 5 IF this was my usual genre but I felt the ending was predictable and so it lost .5 of a star simply for that.
"Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life."
I usually read Thrillers but read “It Ends With Us” and loved it so immediately went out and bought “It Starts With Us”…despite the reviews and people saying to me they didn’t enjoy it.I’m glad I risked it because I loved everything about this. I loved getting to know Atlas more, when I finished “It Ends With Us” I didn’t really have any feelings towards him but now, what an amazing character.
I’ll miss reading this.
"Relocated to a coastal town with her young son Alfie, widowed teacher Sarah Grey is slowly rebuilding her life. But following a séance one drunken night, she begins to be plagued by horrific visions. Her attempts to explain them away are dashed when Alfie starts to see them too, and soon it seems that they are targets of a terrifying haunting."
I really didn’t want to give this 1 star and feel guilty for doing it but I can’t give it any more than that.
I finished the book but struggled all the way through it hoping it would get better, and at some points skim reading because I was so bored.
Too many characters, too many historical dates and details which felt unnecessary, the “ghostly” aspect of it felt too pre-teen, and I have never read a book with such an unlikeable main character.
To add, I believe in ghosts and spirits and feel like this book had so much potential but just felt really weak and a bit childish.
I finished the book but struggled all the way through it hoping it would get better, and at some points skim reading because I was so bored.
Too many characters, too many historical dates and details which felt unnecessary, the “ghostly” aspect of it felt too pre-teen, and I have never read a book with such an unlikeable main character.
To add, I believe in ghosts and spirits and feel like this book had so much potential but just felt really weak and a bit childish.
"As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job – not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . ."
I enjoyed this and found it really easy to get into. However, I didn’t really feel a connection with Enzo so that part of the story made me disconnect a bit (because I think Brock came across really nice and there was a definite easy connection with him).
I also found the ending a bit weak. It was one that felt a bit rushed to me and almost like “How do I finish it?”. The rest of the book, brilliant, kept me guessing and wanting more but the end was a bit “Oh. That’s it?”
I enjoyed this and found it really easy to get into. However, I didn’t really feel a connection with Enzo so that part of the story made me disconnect a bit (because I think Brock came across really nice and there was a definite easy connection with him).
I also found the ending a bit weak. It was one that felt a bit rushed to me and almost like “How do I finish it?”. The rest of the book, brilliant, kept me guessing and wanting more but the end was a bit “Oh. That’s it?”
"One lied. One died.
When one sister dies, the other must go to desperate lengths to survive. Haunted by her twin sister's death, Abi is making a fresh start in Bath. But when she meets twins Bea and Ben, she is quickly drawn into their privileged and unsettling circle.
When one sister lies, she must protect her secret at all costs. As Abi tries to keep up with the demands of her fickle friends, strange things start to happen - precious letters go missing and threatening messages are left in her room. Is this the work of the beautiful and capricious Bea? Or is Abi willing to go to any lengths to get attention? When the truth outs, will either sister survive?"
Incredible yet again! Claire Douglas is my favourite author and every book of hers never fails to entertain me and have me gripped. I had no idea where this one was going. It kept me guessing all along. I’d even like a sequel to this!"Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams.
Now I have to send a message to say I was wrong.
The twists were fab, the suspense was fab.
Such an easy read and couldn’t put it down.
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate… with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.
In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.
Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.
And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.
The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth."
I LOVED this so much. I was quite cocky in sending a message to my friend who recommended it saying “I’ve predicted it, I know what is going to happen”. Now I have to send a message to say I was wrong.
The twists were fab, the suspense was fab.
Such an easy read and couldn’t put it down.
"Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back."
Really enjoyed this! There were a couple of parts I struggled with:1. A few things were a bit repetitive
2. The emails to Mia were a bit boring although made sense at the end.
Overall though, easy read, couldn’t put it down and couldn’t predict it! I also really liked how the author almost played with me in a “should I like Natalie or not” kind of way. I found that really clever. Would recommend this though! Loved it.
"Some doors are locked for a reason…
While eleven-year-old Nora Davis was up in her bedroom doing homework, she had no idea her father was killing women in the basement.
Until the day the police arrived at their front door."
Yet again another book by Freida McFadden that had me thinking “I know who did it, it’s obvious” and then….big twist. I find her books so easy to read, really appreciating short chapters. The stories always have me gripped. Twists here and there and always brilliant endings.
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