leighlikestoread's reviews
108 reviews

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

This one was a re read as I needed something familiar to listen to as I couldn’t get into anything. 
The voice actors for this portrayed it really well and I think it made it a better book being read/listened. 

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-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? No

4.75

I LOVED this book. With a high stakes adventure in a forest that’s trying to kill you and people who think they’re fairytale characters and a pining star crossed love? Absolutely everything I wanted and more. 
The idea of how Grimm’s fairytale characters were born was such an interesting inspiration for this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
The pension and tenderness of the love between Clara and Axel is so well written that I just wanted to keep coming back to the story. 
The twists at the end were also so surprising and took the story in a completely different direction! 
There was a hint of a sequel at the end which if so I can’t wait to read. 
It is a 4.75 rather than a 5 as I wish there were more moments in the book that I wanted to tab and remember. 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

After not being gripped with reading it in a written format I am going to attempt listening to it instead

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

adventurous dark hopeful fast-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

4.0

The first book of spooky season and it really delivered. The fantasy with almost a horror subgenre works so well for this book. 

The adventure, motherly love and sprinkling of romance towards the end of this book is balanced really well so that nothing trumps the other and makes for a really enjoyable read. I definitely didn't find this book as horror-filled as other books I have read however it definitely is there. The idea of a literary alien species living amongst humans in England is such an interesting concept.

I enjoyed the time jumps between chapters as it gave you the context of Devon as a main character and the surrounding characters (such as the arc of Ramsey) and how the world of Book-Eaters whilst not eating up too much of the page count. It is also written in a digestible way that is well written without being prose-like. 

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This was the second PR book club choice and I was quite happy for it to be a thriller/mystery. I would definitely describe this book as more of a mystery as it’s not got a whole lot of tension to it. 
I did enjoy this book although I found it somewhat predictable (the twist still surprised me but it was linked to a previous prediction). 
I am not sure what else to really say about this book, except the stories of Amy, Alex and Jacob are ones that communicate persevering and believing in yourself. 

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a choice determined by BookTok as I had heard fantastic things about it. 
I did really enjoy this book despite the slow start of their relationship (nothing happens between them for the first 50% of the book). How they grow as characters is really heartwarming and you almost forget at times that they are killers. There is also quite a lot of humour mixed in with all the murders which stops it getting too dark. The spice in this when it happened was also fantastic and detailed, a good 4/5 on the spice level.
All in all I enjoyed the book but it wasn't as thoughtless of a read as I was expecting it to be. 

Moonstone by Laura Purcell

mysterious medium-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

2.25

From initially ordering this book I had high expectations for the story encapsulated and it didn’t spend too long at all day on my shelf before reading. I was sadly disappointed at this story…
I enjoyed the story to some extent, but I was constantly waiting for it to pick up, for characters to develop or for some tension or adventure. You could argue this story as an enemies to lovers, however there is no tension built between Camille and Lucy for it to  be worth it. Save the last 2 chapters, the story is Camille being dense and confused and Lucy being moody and secretive. There wasn’t any payoff at the end of this book except

Camille and Lucy ending up together

. 
If you’re after a riveting or interesting book based on Lycanthropy, I would not recommend picking this one up. 

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

This was my first friends Book Club book, and was one that I had noted on reading in the past. 
All in all I would count as it as a just above average read… the story was interesting but didn’t grab at you, the characters had a lot too them but you weren’t invested in them. 
I did find that it was in the last 25% of the book that the pace picked up, which meant you didn’t get to live in the romance for very long at all. I did also find that I got a bit confused at the last chapter as it didn’t really feel like an ending. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

This was the first book chosen for my work book club, which I was so glad for as I have been wanting to read it for such a long time and now I am so so grateful for because I loved this book. The prose is beautifully written and the way it flicks between present day and another part of Addie’s life means you really feel like you get to learn about the character and what she has lived through during her immortality. And Henry, oh Henry… I simply adored his character. He is so sweet and kind and the intertwining of his and Addie’s timelines is a joy to experience. I also think I adored his character so much as I could relate to him quite a lot in his want to be loved and be enough. 
The was gearing myself up for the

death of Henry

so the twist really hit me emotionally. 
Such an easy 5 star rating. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

I loved this book way more than I thought I would. I don’t have anything preconceived about the author as I wasn’t a Nickelodeon kid growing up so it was really interesting to hear about her upbringing and the start of her career. 
It is a really harrowing read and I feel for her so much for everything that she has been through and it’s fantastic to read through the beginning of her recovery journey.