gillyreads's reviews
1069 reviews

Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

Found the elaborate lying a bit off putting and then it expired in netgalley 

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

I loved this. Children detectives are a favourite genre of mine so this was right up my alley. I also love children who can be totally horrible but have a squishy centre (very realistic) and overall just found the whole reading experience delightful. I thought Robin Stevens did a great job of balancing the realities of murder and the impact that'd have on a kid (especially seeing a dead body) with still writing something fun and not too gruesome.

Hilda and the Hidden People by Stephen Davies, Luke Pearson

Fun and cute

Girl Running, Boy Falling by Kate Gordon

This book made me cry multiple times. Kate Gordon is such an incredible writer, and this is a great contribution to Australian YA lit.

Seven Wherewithal Way by Samantha-Ellen Bound

Great book
https://www.gillyreads.com/review-seven-wherewithal-way-by-samatha-ellen-bound/

No Big Deal by Bethany Rutter

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Really enjoyed this one. Adorable but heart wrenching.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia

There is a lot of diet talk and weight bias that is always challenged and rejected - still would say worth taking care when reading if that's something that's triggering.

I Love Me by Ambelin Kwaymullina, Sally Morgan

 This is a lovely book by mother and daughter duo Sally Morgan and Amberlin Kwaymullina. It's a simple story detailing all the things the two children in the book love about themselves (curly hair, 'the way my feet splash' etc). We love the vivid illustrations and the kid loves yelling out I LOVE ME as we read along. 

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

This was fine

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

I thought this was fun. I loved the concept of Puck as narrator. Very enjoyable.

I do think this leans more toward being a story with romance rather than a Romance because of the narrator not being one of the main characters. You don’t get exactly the level of interior emotion about their relationships that I feel is necessary in a Romance (and Alexis Hall does incredibly in other books) but I think it’s just a matter of expectations. It’s a good read.

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale

medium-paced

I have mixed feelings about this, mostly because the first half of the book felt way too long. This made it hard to connect to Josie because she was stuck as a quite irritating character for so long also didn’t really get a feel for the other characters. It kind of fit that they felt like maybe they're not real people because it was almost like she didn’t see them that way. But it made it hard to connect or care about them or Josie.