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emma_therabbithole's reviews
162 reviews
The New Famous Five: Five and the Forgotten Treasure: Book 1 by Chris Smith
5.0
One for our reading challenge, and this absolutely succeeded in making me feel young again! I adored every second of this, the ‘flashbacks’ were perfection and captured the original five amazingly well for a new generation, and the use of the original setting of Kirrin and the island was so nostalgic. Lots of lovely Easter eggs for older readers and plenty of good old fashioned famous five adventures for a brand new set of children. Very excited that this is the first in a new series and although it’s rare for me to read a children’s book (or at least without reading/being read to my own children) this is a series I’ll be sticking with. An absolute joy!
The Lost Passenger: A Novel by Frances Quinn
4.75
For sheer enjoyment, this would have been a five star. As I’ve come to expect as a fan of The Smallest Man and That Bonesetter Woman, Frances Quinn has delivered a story filled with warmth. I love her writing style and as a child of the Titanic movie generation, I did develop an obsession with the doomed liner and so this could not have been more up my street if it tried. I’ve only knocked off .25 because I had expected it to be based on someone who actually lived, but it seems it was fiction. Unfair perhaps., but I did feel a frisson of disappointment when I discovered this. However, a wonderful read!
Rivals by Jilly Cooper
5.0
Obviously picked this up thanks to the Disney Plus tv show and after starting at the beginning with Riders, I was very excited for Rivals. It’s different enough from the tv show to hold my interest in the first half of the book from which the first season is based. But I was desperate to know what happened with Rupert and Taggie!
Really enjoyable and tons of fun, what more can you want when you’re in search of bookish escape!
Really enjoyable and tons of fun, what more can you want when you’re in search of bookish escape!
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
4.25
My first book by Alice Feeney and I really enjoyed it. It held my attention throughout and had me intrigued and trying to figure out what was going on even when I wasn’t reading.
Telling the story of an author, who goes to a remote Scottish island to try and write his new book after being rendered unable to write following his wife going missing a year earlier. It does require you to suspend belief a little, which I don’t mind at all, helps with the escapism vibe I feel which is just why I read in the first place.
Telling the story of an author, who goes to a remote Scottish island to try and write his new book after being rendered unable to write following his wife going missing a year earlier. It does require you to suspend belief a little, which I don’t mind at all, helps with the escapism vibe I feel which is just why I read in the first place.
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
5.0
Sometimes you read a book that is so beautifully written with characters who really get beneath your skin and stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. Nesting is one of those books.
It is a story of courage, but more than anything else it is a story of love. The love Ciara feels for her children leaps from the pages. Her escape from an unsafe home life and her quest for independence and stability against the odds is one which will stay with me for quite some time. Subtle yet loud all at the same time, this book deserves a lot of love.
It is a story of courage, but more than anything else it is a story of love. The love Ciara feels for her children leaps from the pages. Her escape from an unsafe home life and her quest for independence and stability against the odds is one which will stay with me for quite some time. Subtle yet loud all at the same time, this book deserves a lot of love.
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
5.0
Absolutely loved it! Despite having read The Twyford Code and Alperton Angels, I still haven’t got around to reading The Appeal. Reading The Christmas Appeal (which I’ve read for a book club) I wondered if it would make sense or if my enjoyment would be stunted having not read The Appeal. Thankfully not at all, I devoured this and loved every second. The passive aggressive emails, misunderstandings and to and fros within the community are hilarious and, dare I say, very recognisable! The Appeal has now risen to lofty heights on the TBR pile as a result!
Riders by Jilly Cooper
5.0
Did I read this because I watched Rivals. Am I hooked. Absolutely. Five stars and then some, so much more than a ‘bonkbuster’. Brillliant characters, excellent perception and amazing story intersection. Loved every second of it and could not put it down. A classic for a reason.
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
4.0
Do not read this book alone! True I’m a bit of a scaredy cat, but I swear I have never had a book make me physically jump before! It gets into the action immediately when a mother, alone in a big spooky house with her two children in a snowstorm spots an intruder. From here the next part of the story had me having to remind myself to breathe. I was fearful, placing myself if her situation and asking what would I do? And then scaring myself imagining myself in that situation! It’s a story that frightened me, but also had me feeling full of rage as the story continued to unfold. A cracking read!
Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan
3.75
When a woman's body is found decades after she vanished, young reporter Nicoletta reports the news, but soon discovers that things don't quite add up.....
An enjoyable read that I sailed through quickly with really interesting and topical discussion points around abortion. It did feel a little contrived at times, and things fell into place a little too easily throughout the investigation while I felt that some of the grittier parts of the book could have been explored with more depth. I really enjoyed the authors writing however and would definitely read more from her.
An enjoyable read that I sailed through quickly with really interesting and topical discussion points around abortion. It did feel a little contrived at times, and things fell into place a little too easily throughout the investigation while I felt that some of the grittier parts of the book could have been explored with more depth. I really enjoyed the authors writing however and would definitely read more from her.