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karteabooks's reviews
526 reviews
The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I enjoyed reading the author’s previous novel, Greenwich Park and was pleased to be accepted by Netgalley to read and review an early copy of this book.
From the start, this book had me well and truly hooked and immersed in the lives of Tash and Sophie. I don’t want to give away too much of the plotline, I want you to read this and discover the tangled lives of a group of mothers from London, I will give you a very brief overview to make you pre-order this book now!
A fresh and deftly paced thriller about murder, class, and motherhood in one of London’s toniest communities.
When a young nanny dies under mysterious circumstances near new mom Tash’s home, she is certain that this could be the story to relaunch her journalism career.
Meanwhile, she also needs to find a local playgroup for her son. Nearby is the gorgeous neighborhood filled with wealthy and friendly families, stunning houses, and lavish playdates. But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye and the more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the mothers in her son’s playgroup.
Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?
When a young nanny dies under mysterious circumstances near new mom Tash’s home, she is certain that this could be the story to relaunch her journalism career.
Meanwhile, she also needs to find a local playgroup for her son. Nearby is the gorgeous neighborhood filled with wealthy and friendly families, stunning houses, and lavish playdates. But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye and the more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the mothers in her son’s playgroup.
Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?
The characters are all so well written, and I really felt part of the mum’s group that Tash became part of, and they way that they wouldn’t discuss Sophie and her past. The story was a real rollercoaster of twists and turns, that left me second guessing and wanting to read ‘just one more chapter’ throughout the book, culminating in an ending that was a truly shocking and unexpected ending. One that made me sit with the last page for a very long time.
I highly recommend this fast-paced psychological thriller to everyone. A perfect summer read to become immersed in by the pool or relaxing in the shade.
Thank you to the author and Bloomsbury UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
The Misadventures of Margaret Finch by Claire McGlasson
The book is set in Blackpool, 1938. Miss Margaret Finch - a rather demure young woman - has just begun work in a position that relies on her discretion and powers of observation. Then, her path is crossed by the disgraced Rector of Stiffkey (aka Harold Davidson), who is the subject of a national scandal. Margaret is determined to discover the truth behind the headlines: is Davidson a maligned hero or an exploiter of the vulnerable? But her own troubles are never far away, and Margaret's fear that history is about to repeat itself means she needs to uncover that truth urgently. This deeply evocative novel ripples with the tension of a country not yet able to countenance the devastation of another war. Margaret walks us along the promenade, peeks into the baths and even dares a trip on the love boat in this, her first seaside summer season, on a path more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.
I really enjoyed this book and I was completely immersed in Margaret’s adventures and at times I really felt part of her life and found myself ‘talking’ to Margaret to try to help her see the reality of what was happening around her. As the story unfolded, I found myself unable to put the book down and I was completely rooting for all of the characters, I particularly enjoyed Margaret’s ‘relationship’ with James, no spoilers, but I really hope, with the onset of the Second World War looming ahead of them, that they are guided in the right direction.
I highly recommend this book, I loved the historical fact / fiction in this book, finding out about the Mass Observation project of the 1930’s was a eye opener to me! I truly felt myself being transported to Blackpool in the late 1930’s and joining in with the sideshows and wonders of the era.
This is the first book that I have read by the author, but I will be adding her first novel, The Rapture to my TBR soon.
The hardback book published yesterday, 6th April, so go and buy your copy now!!
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Thank you to the lovely people at Faber who sent me this gorgeous proof of The Misadventures of Margaret Finch by Claire McGlasson.
The book is set in Blackpool, 1938. Miss Margaret Finch - a rather demure young woman - has just begun work in a position that relies on her discretion and powers of observation. Then, her path is crossed by the disgraced Rector of Stiffkey (aka Harold Davidson), who is the subject of a national scandal. Margaret is determined to discover the truth behind the headlines: is Davidson a maligned hero or an exploiter of the vulnerable? But her own troubles are never far away, and Margaret's fear that history is about to repeat itself means she needs to uncover that truth urgently. This deeply evocative novel ripples with the tension of a country not yet able to countenance the devastation of another war. Margaret walks us along the promenade, peeks into the baths and even dares a trip on the love boat in this, her first seaside summer season, on a path more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.
I really enjoyed this book and I was completely immersed in Margaret’s adventures and at times I really felt part of her life and found myself ‘talking’ to Margaret to try to help her see the reality of what was happening around her. As the story unfolded, I found myself unable to put the book down and I was completely rooting for all of the characters, I particularly enjoyed Margaret’s ‘relationship’ with James, no spoilers, but I really hope, with the onset of the Second World War looming ahead of them, that they are guided in the right direction.
I highly recommend this book, I loved the historical fact / fiction in this book, finding out about the Mass Observation project of the 1930’s was a eye opener to me! I truly felt myself being transported to Blackpool in the late 1930’s and joining in with the sideshows and wonders of the era.
This is the first book that I have read by the author, but I will be adding her first novel, The Rapture to my TBR soon.
The hardback book published yesterday, 6th April, so go and buy your copy now!!
The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell
Thank you to Faber & Faber for the copy of the book in exchange for a review!
5.0
Rupert’s thirtieth birthday is a black-tie dinner at the Kentish town McDonalds, catered with cocaine and Veuve Clicquot. The next day, his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath. All the party goers have alibis, naturally.
Detective Caius Beachamp oversees this investigation, working his way through Classic degrees and Instagram influencers and a hierarchy of who know who. As he delves deeper and tries to uncover the truth behind the influence and luxury, a staggering wall of wealth threatens to shut down the investigation before it’s even begun.
What an amazing debut! One of my favourite genres, police procedural, but with so much more too! This was fast paced and with such a broad cast of interesting characters that really bring the narrative to life. I might just add that all these characters are not necessarily nice, and a few of them are not at all who you think they are, but that’s what makes this such a brilliant book. I read this over a few days, but I know that if I had picked it up at the weekend, I would have gorged on it for two days.
I highly recommend this.
Thank you to Faber & Faber for the copy of the book in exchange for a review!
The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
Eight year old Carmel gets lost and her 'Gramps' is there to take her to safety, after it is revealed that her mother has been seriously hurt in an accident. Alarm bells begin to ring, when this is a reality that is so very far from the truth. As other reviewers have mentioned, I too, thought that this was more of a crime novel, and at times, the story felt very slow, but I did keep reading as I wanted to find out whether mother and daughter were actually reunited. Once I got to about halfway in the book, I realised that I had read this before, way back upon it's release in 2015! I still read it to the end though. Looking forward to reading her next novel, The Lost Girls soon.
Influential by Amara Sage
fast-paced
4.0
What an excellent YA debut.
This book is every teenagers dream on social media, but in real life it’s their worst nightmare.
Almond is an influencer, it’s maybe not her choice, but it’s how it is, and she just has to get on with it. Almond is only 17 and her mother has moulded her into being the perfect teenager, with her perfect skin, perfect life, and endless free beauty products to promote. This is Almond’s Insta life, but in reality, Almond is struggling, really struggling, from her parents’ divorce to self-harming, Almond is not in a good place and just as things can’t seem to get any worse, she then falls victim to an online troll, who not only takes her money, but her followers, public opinion and her sanity.
I really enjoyed this book for so many differing reasons. It’s topical Insta vs reality check in, made it so readable and relatable and I’m a several age spans away from YA readers. The author’s writing style was so easy to engage with too, and even though this is a YA, the main characters are 17/18, and the writing style reflects their ages well, and the author doesn’t shy away from their emerging sexual and emotional feelings. Another aspect that made this book enjoyable was the differing type of writing, from the dialogue between the characters, to the text bubbles and even the graphs detailing Almond’s followers and likes on social media, which made it all that more appealing to the YA market
I highly recommend picking up this YA debut, regardless of your age, as so many issues are dealt with within this book, my other recommendation maybe a box of tissues nearby as some of the content was pretty emotional, and brought tears to my eyes, but then on the next page I was crying with laughter at the sheer craziness of Almond, Heather and Joss.
After a debut like this, I am really looking forward to what the author writes next.
Thank you to Faber & Faber for the copy of the book in exchange for a review!
Thank you to Faber & Faber for the copy of the book in exchange for a review!
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
4.0
This has been sitting on my tbr for a very long time, and after wanting to read a short, physical book (I was going on an adventure and didn’t have a very big bag!) and this seemed the perfect book! This is an amazing debut novel, and a hugely deserved win of the 2021 Costa First Novel award.
So many difficult subjects are tackled within this novella so well and with a compassion and understanding. This novella starts off as an ode to young love. A dancer and a photographer and this story show how they are drawn together and their shared experience of attending private schools, whose students are predominately white. This tender story of love is contrasted are the trials and tribulations of being young and black. The police, and basically every ‘normal’ act being constantly hounded by the police.
It's a unique and very special piece of narration, at times this book read like free verse and poetry. Within it’s too few (in my opinion) pages, it captures a world of experience.
I keep saying this, but I really wish that I had picked this up sooner, but I am glad that I was able to read and immerse myself completely into this book in just one sitting as I just couldn’t have torn myself away from the characters for any length of time.
Ten Years by Pernille Hughes
4.0
I was lucky enough to join in with some fellow bookish people on a readalong of this funny, witty, and endearing book.
Becca and Charlie have known each other since university, and for all that time, they have bickered, argued, mocked, and rubbed each other up the wrong way. Until their loved one, Ally dies and leaves them a bucket list. Charlie and Becca must complete the bucket list together, and over the course of ten years, Charlie and Becca’s lives collide as the deal with grief, love, and life after Ally.
This is a classic, boy and girl dislike each other but are ‘friends’ because they have a mutual friend, who are then thrown together after the death of afore mentioned friend as she has set them up to meet at least once a year to work through her bucket list. The premise of the book is OK, but for the first half of the book, I found the writing a bit slow, but in saying that, there are some difficult subjects handled well within the book. The plot twists livened the second half of the book up, and I certainly didn’t see the final twist coming!
Thank you to the lovely Sara @onemorechapterhc for inviting me onto the readalong for this and sending me an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.