Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

The book is very quick and sweet, easy for a light-hearted read. However, I don't know if some of the nuance is lost in translation as the language used comes across as very simplistic.
I would expect to see this in a teen/young adult section of a bookstore rather than general fiction as I don't believe it would fully grasp the attention of certain older readers due to the simplicity of the language and story.

Mean Spirited by Nick Roberts

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challenging slow-paced

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

1.0

Pop culture references remove some of the horror

when you consider the plot may have taken place because of Facebook conspiracy ghost videos.

(It also makes me remember the real world when characters name drop shows or movies, such as minions).

The horror seems to come from cliches of what is creepy, body horror, and extreme gore, rather than suspense like many on TikTok/Insta suggest.

The attempted/suggested rape was also unneeded and wouldn't have made a difference to the scene if it wasn't included.

Twist ending is explained to you instead of letting readers come to a natural conclusion.

Content Warnings

Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

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challenging dark sad tense

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

0.25

Content Warnings

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

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challenging dark sad tense medium-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

0.5

This is not a romance, this is an abusive relationship.

He rapes her multiple times, however this is 'justified' through his other actions somehow, terrible that this is a book that young readers are seeing being advertised to them as romance on TikTok.

Also poorly written, would have been annoyed if I had physically bought this instead of borrowing it.

Content Warnings

You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here by Benji Waterhouse

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challenging emotional funny informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK (Vintage) for access to the ARC.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is compared to "This is Going to Hurt", both books talk about the NHS system but from different perspectives. The book if funny and charming, as well as bleak and cold when discussing the limitations of mental health support available in a underfunded system.
The personal anecdotes are touching and reflective, more vunerable than I have come to expect in this genre (as there is a lot of focus on personal flaws).
I'd highly reccommed this book to those who want an interesting, thought-provoking read.

Content Warnings

Will We Still Be Here Tomorrow?: poems on the way by Ford Turrell

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dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Thank You to Netgalley and Sunrise Press for the ARC.
Reading these poems reads like I'm looking into a persons private diary and thoughts, their prayers to God, and their deepest fears when they lay awake at night.
There is a lot of hopefulness in these poems, but also a lot of pain and reflection on deaths of others and of the eventual self.
A short, reflective read, however the addition of a contents page or list of themes may be useful,

as to not look for something lighthearted or spiritual to wind up reading about child death or nuclear destruction.

Content Warnings

A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Thank You to NetGalley and Oldcastle Books for the ARC.
A stunning debut that I would expect to see front and centre in a Waterstones. The prose was engaging and the narrative kept me hooked, so much so that I read this within two days.
The exploration of life and death is one that I feel many may reflect upon, and enjoy seeing the many different perspectives offered within this book.

There are some issues I have with the writing, reading under the assumption that this is to be sold in the UK, readers are confronted with this questionable anti-white person sentiment that is repeated throughout the book through all of the characters perspectives. The anti-polish sentiment stood out the most as it was prominent at the start of the book and used for jokes within the chapter. Not to say the exploration of racism isn't welcomed, but it may put readers off of reading a book that is calling all white people lazy, racist, job-stealing, repeatedly throughout the book. There is also internalized racism towards Indian people which may put them off of reading as they are called dirty, untrustworthy, scammers, quite often in this book.

There is also a short segment about homosexuality and how one of the characters may not be able to forgive his son if he came out to him, whilst also knowing about the suspected homosexuality of a relative. This could have been left out as it just makes the character seem like a racist, homophobic, cheating man with little redeeming qualities.

I wish I got to know the female characters a little more in depth as Sushma feels underdeveloped despite being a major character within the narrative. If there was less narrative changes and more focus on 1 or 2 characters the book may have felt more fleshed out.

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kadbee's reviews 26 reviews

kadbee's reviews
26 reviews