_beccareads's reviews
68 reviews

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you could travel through time, but not change anything, would you still do it?

In this thought-provoking book, Toshikazu Kawaguchi explores themes of love, loss, and regret in a beautifully crafted narrative. Set in Japan, the story revolves around an urban legend that whispers about a tucked-away retro-cafe where time travel is possible. However, there's a catch: a strict set of rules renders the act of time travel seemingly pointless. The most important rules being that no matter what you do in the past, the present remains unchanged, and you must return before the coffee gets cold.

Divided into four captivating short stories, Before the Coffee Gets Cold follows the journeys of four individuals who visit Funiculi Funicula, seeking to travel to the past. Each story presents a unique and poignant experience, delving into real-life situations that would leave you yearning for the ability to turn back time. While each tale stands on its own, they beautifully intertwine, leading to a heart-wrenching finale.

This book emphasises the significance of expressing our true feelings to the people we love. It serves as a reminder that we never know if it could be our last chance. I imagine this poignant message will resonates with me for a while, as it’s left me with a renewed appreciation for the fragility of time and relationships.

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ouch, this one hurt. This book hits you right in the feels, especially if you've experienced the pain of losing someone you love. As I write this review, my heart still aches.

Elsie and Ben's love story begins unexpectedly, during a chance encounter while waiting to collect their pizzas. Their connection is immediate and intense, a supernova, and after just six months, they find themselves standing at an altar in Nevada, ready to commit their lives to each other.

But just 10 days later, Elsie’s life is turned upside down as Ben tragically dies in an accident. 

The book alternates between the past, recounting Elsie’s and Ben’s intense love story to the present as Elsie tries to navigate having lost someone she loved so much, so early into their journey. It was in the present timeline that I think I really fell in love with this book, TJR has perfectly summed up what grief looks and feels like for me. 

The journey isn’t linear, it’s hard, there’s no dream fairytale ending, Ben is dead and that doesn’t change, but slowly Elsie learns to live with that grief.  It's a poignant and honest portrayal of what losing someone you love so much can do to you.

The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is that I found it slightly slow-paced in the middle, and I felt a pang of sadness that we don't get to know what happens to George, Ana, and Kevin.

Overall, this is a powerful, beautiful book about love, loss and grief. If I had the chance to read it again for the first time, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian

inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

In this captivating and empowering book, Mathangi Subramanian explores the themes of women, friendship, and resilience with a poignant touch.

A People's History of Heaven weaves together the narratives of a diverse group of girls who are determined to survive and protect their home, the slum known as Heaven. Each girl faces her own unique struggles, yet their unwavering determination shines through in their beautifully portrayed stories. The profound bond between the girls, their mothers, and their grandmothers is nothing short of breathtaking, serving as a powerful representation of the challenges that women encounter.

The reason I didn’t enjoy this more is because I found it challenging to fully immerse myself in the story due to the frequent shifts in timelines. The fragmented structure made it difficult for me to establish a strong connection to the story, or any one of the many characters.

Nevertheless, A People's History of Heaven remains a stunning exploration of a diverse group of women's indomitable spirit and their relentless pursuit of fulfillment in a world that is stacked against them.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Grace's tale of revenge, where she cold-bloodedly kills six members of her family, initially had me intrigued. The concept held such promise, which is why it pains me to give this book a disappointing two-stars.

I had high hopes for this story—a vengeful daughter going on a killing spree to exact justice on her despicable and elitist family. It had all the makings of becoming one of my favorite reads of the year. However, I just couldn't overlook how unlikable Grace was as a character.

As a result of her difficult start to life, it was evident that Grace harbored deep-seated resentment towards everyone and she made no effort to hide her offensive remarks, targeting individuals from all walks of life. I think her constant whining (and the excessive use of the word "banal") is meant to come off as sharp humour but this completely missed the mark for me.

Grace’s dislikability and complete lack of redeeming qualities, coupled with chapters that rambled on endlessly made this a chore to read, the only saving grace (no pun intended) was her murderous endeavours - special mention to the sauna scene, which was particularly gripping.

*potential spoilers below*

I was tempted to DNF this book multiple times, but soldiered on, solely fuelled by the chance to see Grace's final act of revenge. So you can imagine my disappointment when, within just three short chapters, a new character was introduced, completely undermining the climactic murder I had eagerly anticipated.

Overall, this book really could’ve been great, but Grace’s unbearable nature, chapters that dragged on way to long to keep me hooked and the rather abrupt ending just made this book unsatisfying.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

TJR does it again! Taylor never fails to make me desperately fall in love whilst simultaneously ripping my heart out and crushing it.

This book is a beautiful heartbreaking story about what true love really means.

Emma Blair our protagonist marries her high school sweetheart Jesse, and just 1 short year after their wedding day, he’s in a horrific helicopter accident and is presumed dead.

Three years later Emma dares to love again, and is engaged to Sam, another childhood sweetheart. As her life feels like everything is finally falling into place, she gets the call that Jesse is still alive and he’s coming home. Her life is quickly thrown into turmoil as she has to decide who her true love is, is it Jesse or is it Sam?

I could not put this book down. I was immersed in Emma’s story as she navigated this impossible, brutal decision and it left me constantly wondering what I would do if I was her. The complexity of guilt, grief and love all crashing together at once made for an incredible journey.

I think what I loved most about this book is its perfect depiction of how complex love really is, especially the novel concept of a “true love”. 

Each time we fall in love, we fall in love differently and how naive could we be to possibly believe that we could only have one true love.

“Just because something isn’t meant to last a lifetime doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant to be.” 💗

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what I've just read... 

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is undeniably one of the most confusing books I've ever read.

The story shifts between the perspectives of Leah and Miri, taking us on a journey through Leah's harrowing submarine mission that left her lost in the depths of the sea for months and the aftermath of her prolonged return.

To be honest, this book was a struggle for me to follow. It started off painfully slow, and just as the story began to pique my interest much like the ocean at low tide it would inexplicably slip away from my grasp again.

With its blend of mystery and horror, I was genuinely excited to uncover the truth about what happened down there in the depths of the ocean and how this had changed Leah, but to my disappointment, the anticipated twist I was eagerly awaiting just never materialised.

My biggest gripe with this book lies in the many loose ends and unanswered questions. It left me feeling completely unsatisfied, something was just missing.

Now, it's entirely possible that this book simply isn’t for me, or maybe I missed something crucial along the way. Nevertheless, I can still appreciate the underlying theme of grief and loss, and how these experiences can completely transform us. It's just a shame that the mystery aspect didn't deliver something more fulfilling.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

I loved this book.

Matt Haig's writing style is both captivating and thought-provoking, and once again, he has completely shifted my perspective.

The concept of time is something that we all struggle with - we feel like we never have enough of it. Except for Tom. 

Tom Hazard, our protagonist, has a rare condition that causes him to age incredibly slowly, giving him more time than most. Living for over four centuries, we follow Tom as he struggles with everything beautiful, and painful about life - time, love, loss and grief.

Haig's writing is nothing short of beautiful, and I found myself completely immersed in Tom's story. This book resonated with me in so many ways, reminding me of the importance of spending our time wisely, cherishing the moments with the people we love, and truly living in the present.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It's a beautiful and moving exploration of the human experience of time that will stay with you.

Even The Gods Fear It by Kelly Barker

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

An interesting quick read, with a really intriguing plot line. 

Zoe, our protagonist has extraordinary ability to bring her creations to life, and quickly the world is filled with the mysterious creatures from her imagination. 

Now, I want to preface my review by mentioning I didn’t realise this was a sequel, and as a result I could’ve missed important character building in the first book. That being said, something I really struggled with was the pace of the book and the lack of plot development - which even if I knew the characters well, I think still would’ve been an issue.

Personally, I love a quick read but this book was so fast, it felt a bit chaotic. Written from Zoe’s point of view, the story felt a little all over the place at times, now this could be because Zoe herself was pretty… erratic, as she barely gets any sleep, it’s believable that her thoughts and imagination could run away from her, but from a readers perspective I really struggled to connect with the story because of it. 

The ending, in particular, felt abrupt with a lot happening in a couple of chapters and then everything suddenly returning to normal which felt unrealistic and disappointing.

Another reason this book missed the mark for me is I found Zoe completely dislikable. She consistently put the world at risk, stubbornly refused to listen to reason, and seemed indifferent to the innocent lives at stake. I think the real kicker was she didn’t even seem slightly remorseful and showed no intention to change.

On the other hand Varik was absolutely hilarious. I really enjoyed his witty comebacks, sarcasm and his relationship with the other characters.

Overall, I thought the storyline was great and if the book had greater plot development throughout I probably would’ve enjoyed it more. I’m intrigued to see what else the author brings out as her creativity is clearly unmatched.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

So, I just finished reading this book, and I have to say it's a perfect example of why I hate massively hyped-up books. I went in expecting to be blown away but instead, it ended up being a bit of a letdown.

The first 70% of the book was super slow and confusing, and I had to force myself to keep going because nothing was happening. Feyre just seemed to be living her comfortable life with no real action or excitement happening.

However, the one thing that kept me going was Sarah's amazing writing style. Her descriptions of Prythian's landscapes were so vivid and breathtaking, I found myself longing to see them in real life.

But, let's be real, I really wish the entire book had been as fast-paced and exciting as the last few chapters - I couldn’t put it down. They were a total game-changer and made me eager to read the next book in the series.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m not sure what I loved more, this book or watching men’s reactions to me reading it on public transport 😂

What would happen if women were more dangerous than men? 

This book tackles the important topic of women’s safety in a predatory, male dominated world. Kitty Collins our dexter-esque instagram influencer finally snaps one day after the oh so common incident of a man not listening to “no”. She quickly becomes obsessed with hunting down the worst men out there and removing those monsters from the world. And her “perfect” influencer life means absolutely no-one would ever suspect her.

This book was absolutely entertaining and was jammed packed with some seriously gorey scenes that sent my stomach going a couple of times. 

The main reason I’m only giving it 4⭐️‘s is because I have no f*cking clue how she gets away with it?!

There’s some seriously impressive loop holes that made Kitty as a murderer (especially one who’s supposed to know how to get away with it) rather disappointing. From texting her victims that she’s coming over, to creating witnesses by ordering Ubers to the victims house, casually walking in and out of murder scenes AND actually wheeling a dead body into her apartment on roller skates at one point…

<spolier/>

It’s actually impossible that she would’ve gotten away with it. I would’ve understood if  for the first couple, she was a little clumsy and then slowly improved, but she actually got worse towards the end?!

Overall, it’s a great book which took me on an emotional rollercoaster, especially the last 40ish pages which had me all over the place. It’s fast paced, gorey and even damn right hilarious at times, I just wish Kitty was better at murdering 😂

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment