hannahmariebrankley's reviews
61 reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

 

This is the second Emily Henry book I’ve read and I have seen so many conflicting reviews once again!

“Daphne cherished her love story with Peter until he fell for his childhood best friend, Petra. Now stranded in Waning Bay, Michigan, with a dream job that barely pays the bills, Daphne proposes rooming with Petra’s ex, Miles. Despite their differences—practical Daphne versus scruffy, heartbroken Miles—they form an unexpected friendship and hatch a plan, sharing misleading photos of their summer adventures. It’s all for show, of course—there’s no way Daphne would fall for her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?”

Emily Henry is fast becoming another marmite author in the book community. With each book, you get opposite ends of the scale of reviews. When I read Happy Place, I found myself loving Emily’s style and the way she writes romantic relationships but at the end of the day, it was just a nice story.

That’s how I feel about this one. I found myself connecting and liking the secondary characters more than Daphne and Miles. And I remember when reviewing Happy Place I said I loved how Emily wrote her character friendships. I liked Daphne’s personal development and thought it was another nice book for the summer. 4 Stars. 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I still need to finish the Good Guide’s Girl To Murder Series, but as someone who loves Crime podcasts and documentaries, of course, I picked this up.

“Eight-year-old Bel has lived in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished, and young Bel was the only witness. Rachel is presumed dead. When the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary, Bel hopes for normalcy once filming ends. But then Rachel reappears, turning their lives upside down forever.”

The twist in this book! After reading A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, I guessed the outcome a couple of chapters in. I was hoping this wasn’t going to happen again and although there was that feeling and some hints that something wasn’t adding up when Bel’s mum reappeared, I didn’t expect that ending!

Holly keeps that British humour in the writing and the character development is still very good. The only downside to that is I think this story doesn’t pick up plot-wise until about halfway through as character development is taking the forefront. 4 Stars. 

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

challenging funny informative mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I love a murder mystery and after seeing this in so many people’s hauls, I decided to pick it up for myself

“In 1965, seventeen-year-old Frances Adams was told she’d be murdered one day. She spent sixty years collecting dirt on everyone she met, hoping to prevent her demise. When she is finally killed, her great-niece Annie arrives and discovers Frances’ eccentric library of detective work. As per Frances’ will, whoever solves her murder inherits her fortune. Annie must unravel the mystery and find justice, but digging into the past may put her in the killer’s path.”

This is one of my favourite books of the year and was another that I devoured in one sitting. I’ve recommended it to everyone and even preordered Kriten’s next book.

It’s a classic “whodunit” murder mystery, but one that has been going on for decades. A premise I have come across before, but never with such an amount of detail coming from the murder victim.

Kristen Perrin writes so well. So cleverly. There were a couple of chapters in particular that made me doubt who I thought had done it. Even though I was right!

I enjoyed how she explained Annie’s thought process as she gathered evidence or looked at what Frances had gathered. Was it a little predictable at times? Yes, but in that lovely, cosy way where there is an answer for each puzzle piece. I liked the personality diversity amongst the characters and thought the English countryside setting was perfect. 5 Stars. 

Flawless by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

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

3.5

I’m definitely in my cowboy romance era…

“The rules were simple: keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now we’re stuck with only one bed. Rules are made to be broken. Once the golden boy of professional bull riding, my image needs cleaning up. Enter my agent’s tough, irresistible daughter as my “full-time supervision.” I don’t need a babysitter, but I can’t stop thinking about her. She insists this means nothing; I say it means everything. Boundaries be damned—I’m going to steal her heart.”

I enjoyed the pace of Elsie’s writing and I thought all the characters were fleshed out well, there was nothing extraordinary about this kind of storyline.

This is quite simply a fun, fluffy and sometimes spicy romance. It’s a traditional “enemies to lovers” but by throwing a cowboy in there it’s created a Hallmark movie-esque feel. And as this is part of a series, it sets up the protagonist of the next book quite well. 3.5 Stars. 

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

This is another highly anticipated read for 2024 and yet another where I did not expect the direction it went in!

“Marigold Claude, the new Honey Witch of Innisfree, can never find true love. When sceptical Lottie Burke arrives, Marigold is determined to prove magic is real. As they grow closer, Marigold faces a dark force threatening her home, risking her magic and her heart. A sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.”

This is very much Bridgerton meets fantasy with cottagecore vibes. I read this in a day and found it just a nice cosy book.

It’s descriptive and captures what magic can be and the darker side of witchcraft. I love how Sydney J. Shields sets her scenes. I want to holiday at Innisfree.

The only downside was that I didn’t fully connect with the main character, Marigold. Which is ok, not every main character is going to be likeable. I just found that Marigold, although not fully happy at home because she felt she couldn’t be herself, was very quick to decide whether someone was, almost, worth her time or not. And I found she developed her closer relationships with others through someone else or with someone else’s influence. 3.5 stars. 

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024 and it is not what I thought it would be.

“In this gothic mystery debut, set in Victorian England. Florence, cast out by her father, finds refuge at the remote Rose Hall to restore its rare books. Lord Belfield’s library holds dark secrets, especially about his late wife. When the library is broken into, Florence discovers a half-burned diary that may reveal the truth about the wife’s fate.”

Thinking I had picked up a murder mystery, I didn’t realise how many different storylines and themes this was going to hold. It is so difficult to not spoil this because as I was reading, the surprise of each revelation is what not only drew me in but opened my mind too.

So I thought, I would do a simple line with some of those themes as that would then hopefully not spoil it too much but give you an idea if you were wanting to read this…

Theme Spoilers on my blog (link in bio)

Kuchenga writes such depth and complexity to her characters but doesn’t erase the issue(s). It isn’t lectured or spoon-fed to the reader. It just is and she writes with such a clear direction, it’s a fantastic debut novel. 4.5 Stars from me.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I had never read anything by Katherine Arden before this. I know her “The Bear and The Nightingale” series is very well-loved on Bookstagram. But when I saw this in the coming soon section on Waterstones, it intrigued me.

“In this historical fiction/fantasy novel, Canadian nurse Laura Iven, discharged and sent back to Halifax in 1918, learns of her brother Freddie’s death in WWI but senses something amiss. Determined to uncover the truth, she returns to Belgium. Meanwhile, in 1917, Freddie survives an explosion and bonds with a German soldier in No Man’s Land. Together, they encounter a mysterious fiddler with the power to make their war-torn reality vanish, but at a significant cost.”

There is no doubt in my mind that Katherine Arden is meant to be a writer. She never shied away from the realities these characters face being at war and never shied the reader away either. The emotional rollercoaster that this book takes you on is unreal and opens you up to the importance of familial relationships. When reading, I found myself slowing down and then after some chapters and finishing, having to sit with what my thoughts were.

I studied both World Wars at length during my school years. And, I like a historical fiction book with a paranormal/fantasy twist. But in this instance, I found not only did I not expect it from the blurb written, but that it also didn’t seem something too out there to have happened. During World War One, there was a rise in Spiritualism. The horrors of war and the desperation of people to want to speak to their loved ones after death. It wasn’t what I expected but it’s 4 Stars from me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Another author I hadn’t read anything by before and another that has been highly recommended to me.

“Justin’s dating curse, revealed on Reddit, leads women to find their soulmates after breaking up with him. Emma, a travelling nurse with the same issue, proposes they date and break up to cancel their curses. They meet in Minnesota, planning a brief summer fling, but real feelings develop amid personal challenges. Could Fate have truly brought them the perfect match?”

I devoured this in a day.

Just for the summer is the perfect summer read. Abby Jimenez writes in a way that is effortless to read and yet, you are taking in so many deep and complex emotions. With these characters, you can feel it all in the pit of your stomach.

One thing I loved about this kind of dual POV storyline was that you were not just waiting around on their will they or won’t they romance. They had their separate life complications that affected the romantic side but also gave depth to each character’s development. I cried with sadness, with happiness and overall, connected to these characters. 5 Stars. 

The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Two sisters with very different lifestyles.

Older sister Alice is married to Kyle and lives for her career. Tasha married her childhood sweetheart, Aaron, and had twin daughters. She is now living in the suburbs.

Alice suggests a life swap, so Tasha and Aaron can have time away at Alice and Kyle’s Venice apartment while she and Kyle stay home to look after the twins.

But a few days in, Tasha gets a call that turns everything upside down. Alice is injured in the hospital, and Kyle has been murdered.

Police investigate it as a burglary gone wrong until Tasha receives a note through the door.

“It was supposed to be you.” But this story goes a lot deeper than you first thought.

Claire Douglas has done it again! I feel so thankful to have come across her books because I honestly cannot put them down once I start reading. I decided to get into bed early one night, around 9 p.m. By midnight, I had finished this.

It is very difficult to describe how many twists this has without spoiling. I will say that I again didn’t see some of them coming. We have Claire’s style of different POVs, some with different timelines. I have come to appreciate gaining more backstory, especially about characters, through this style of writing. It is really interesting how you make assumptions as you are reading, and then something from the past makes you question everything about that assumption. I think it keeps you on your feet but also paces the story well. 

I loved the dynamic between the sisters. It makes me think of the Chinese philosophical principles, Yin and Yang, because there is such love there and yet both balance the family’s dynamic. 

This was gripping, descriptive, and overall a great read. 4.5 stars.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

We find ourselves with Cassie Andrews, a bookseller in New York City. When a customer leaves her an unusual book as a gift…

He wrote on the front page that it is ‘The Book of Doors’ and that any door could be every door.

Cassie and her best friend, Izzy, soon discover the magic this book possesses. And that there are other books with different magical abilities. But there is a danger that follows.

Not long after Cassie is gifted The Book of Doors, we meet Drummond Fox, a man who is also fleeing danger.

Cassie has to decide if Drummond, who owns a secret library of these magic books, can be someone to trust.

“Because some doors should never be opened.”

I cannot remember the last time I read a book where I felt such a child-like buzz over what could happen next. The journey this book takes is so simple and so relatable for having that fantasy aspect. Cassie is very easy to relate to. Without spoiling too much, she didn’t have the easiest start but found safety and happiness with her grandfather. We do get to know a bit about him, which was both lovely and heartbreaking at times.

When you are like Cassie and feel stuck, it is usually the parent or parental figure in your life you yearn to talk to. Or go back for advice and comfort. The Book of Doors allowed that kind of comfort for Cassie. And those feelings came across to me as the reader.

The secondary characters were all well-fleshed, even though some are featured at brief moments or are the “strong silent type.” I didn’t find myself having to go back and figure out who came into the story where or through whom.

An impressive debut for Gareth Brown. This was a huge 5-star read for me. One of the contenders for my favourite read of 2024.