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mythicreader's Reviews (441)
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
AD: PR product gifted by Viking Books
"Go to your happy place, I think desperately, only to realize I'm literally in my happy place. And he. Is. Here.
The very last person I expected to see.
The very last person I want to see.
Wyn Connor.
My fiancé."
Did I devour this book in an evening? Yes. Yes I did.
So I've loved Emily Henry since Beach Read came out. Her books are the perfect portals to escape through. Her characters are always loveable. Her stories the perfect mix of swoon, frustration and emotion. So you can get I was excited when Happy Place landed on my door.
This one is up there with Book Lovers in terms of my faves!
Harriett and Wynn have the right buzz of chemistry, the correct amount of drama that unfolds and explains through the story, the friends are BRILLIANT. The story is addictive. I went to read a little in the bath and was there 2 hours later water gone cold. The sign of a brilliant book!
The premise: Harriett thinks she's going on a regular trip with her best friends but when she arrives they surprise her with Wyn... her (ex) fiancé. One problem - they haven't told their friends yet that they've broken up. Surprise - two of the other friends are getting married that week. So they have one option - fake that they're still together.
I loved the back stories of each character and related so much to them. It's about growing up and growing apart and together in different ways as you do. It's about finding yourself in your 30s and that dreams do change. It's about finding your people and learning (despite your circumstances) to love and live your way.
I loved the back stories of each character and related so much to them. It's about growing up and growing apart and together in different ways as you do. It's about finding yourself in your 30s and that dreams do change. It's about finding your people and learning (despite your circumstances) to love and live your way.
As usual I swooned, squealed, raged, sobbed and loved Emily Henry's latest book - and I'm sure you will too.
Also if someone could find me my own Wyn asap I'd appreciate Ty xox
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
AD: PR product gifted by Fleet
“It was all of them. Denny Bloch and Omar Evans and Robbie Serenho and the teachers who didn't intervene and the boys who thought it was all so funny. Dorian Culler and the cast of the play and Mrs Ross and Rachel and Beth and my parents, who sent me away, and Kristina, who made my bras and my body a topic of conversation, and you and you and you and you and you."
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai is an addictive, hard hitting, thoughtful literary read that is filled with social commentary about class, race, the American justice system, the internet and so much more. It also has so many twists and turns it leaves you on the edge of your seat.
The story follows Bodie, a separated mum of two and successtul podcaster, who goes back to her old boarding school to teach a two week course on podcasts and cinema. She tries to avoid Granby school as it holds the memory of her old roommates murder at the hands of Omar Evans, the school athletics coach.
As one of her podcast pupils picks the murder as her subject, believing Omar is innocent (as do a lot of people online), Bodie finds herself searching her memories to try and piece together the past - whilst her present day begins to fall apart.
I picked this up on Monday and finished it by Tuesday evening as I was completely addicted. The way it's written is so clever, and also realistic to the topic (which isn't always the case). It's so interesting watching Bodie try and understand how race and class may have played on the teenagers minds but also unearthing clues that lead to different people.
You will be left guessing right until the end on who has done it, how they did it and what the outcome will be. I also loved the parts about her separated husband and online issues he faces as it felt like a topic that is so important to society today.
You will be left guessing right until the end on who has done it, how they did it and what the outcome will be. I also loved the parts about her separated husband and online issues he faces as it felt like a topic that is so important to society today.
If you're looking for a pacy, thoughtful, impactful, clever read then this is one you should definitely pick up when it's out on 23rd Feb.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
AD: PR product gifted by Serpents Tail
"We convert ourselves into something absurd because the absurd is already living inside us."
"We convert ourselves into something absurd because the absurd is already living inside us."
Wtf did I just read?!
Okay, this is in a good way. But I think a bit of it went way over my head I maybe next time I shouldn't try to read satire whilst in a fibro fog...
Anyway! The bits I did get, I enjoyed.
Mona is a funny serious novel about (predominantly) literary writers and the writing community. The pompous aspects, the fronts they have, the absurdity of it. Set at a Swedish literary award event where writers all over the world are coming together, there is a lot of opportunity for Pola to take the piss of the snotty writing community she portrays.
The other, more serious, element to the story is woven in. Mona wakes up at the beginning of the novel covered in awful bruises and a mental block over what had caused them. She knows to avoid a certain man's phone calls but beyond that she has no clue what happened. We watch Mona cover up the bruises wondering how long they last, and we see her slowly begin to understand what has happened to her. I think Pola wrote these bits really sensitively and well.
I think this novel was a really interesting take on the writing world, and she writes those parts brilliantly. I think it fell into the absurd sometimes a bit too much so some of her points were perhaps lost (like that ending, wtf was that ending?). Perhaps this was just fibro fog brain though and I missed something. However, I'd still recommend this read and agree with Lauren Oyler who described it as 'Very funny and very f*** you'
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
AD: PR product, gifted by 4thEstate
Ola and Michael are meant to get married in a week... then #TheList drops.
Ola and Michael are meant to get married in a week... then #TheList drops.
If you've ever thought about the good and bad of social media and the internet, then this book should be high on your list. Don't worry, I won't be spoiling much as this brilliant book isn't out until July.
In The List by @yomi.adegoke, Michael is accused of abusing an anonymous person at a Christmas party on a massive list of rapists/pedophiles and other horrific men. It comes out just as he starts a new job, and just a week before he is meant to marry Ola - a feminist journalist who is asked to cover the story by her work.
They quickly become viral, and not in a good way, as people watch/egg on the downfall of the golden black couple of the internet.
This story explores all perspectives of the list - the accused, the victims, the partners of the accused, the friends and family attached to them, the accusers who have other games in mind.
It looks at society and how we choose to respond to these lists. It's an utterly fascinating take on something that we are seeing a lot more of since #MeToo. We should always believe the victims, it's important to take each accusation seriously, but we do see instances where people are falsely accused for another reason.
How do we split the two? Does one supposedly innocent person cancel out the whole list? Or are they collateral damage in the greater good? How can we ever prove someone's total innocence? And what about the partners of the accused? Do they deserve to be involved too?
Well written, thought provoking, pacey read. This is a must for any one of our generation. I liked how grey the whole situation and the opportunities it led for thought because of it. I think it'll start a lot of conversations. I am also REALLY excited to see this on tv - I think this is one of those books made to end up on screen. Overall a fabulous addictive read on internet justice and it's positivity and negativity.
Well written, thought provoking, pacey read. This is a must for any one of our generation. I liked how grey the whole situation and the opportunities it led for thought because of it. I think it'll start a lot of conversations. I am also REALLY excited to see this on tv - I think this is one of those books made to end up on screen. Overall a fabulous addictive read on internet justice and it's positivity and negativity.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
AD: PR product, gifted by HarperVoyager
“People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people. We show each other for what we truly are.
Yearning beings, desperate for love, power, safety"
When Godkiller by Hannah Kaner arrived in the post I squealed at the beautiful cover. I mean let us take a minute to fangirl over this cover because it's divine.
Anyway.
What I didn't expect was the inside to be as beautiful.
WHAT A GORGEOUS STORY THIS IS. We have four points of view: Kissen a god killer (who I'd say is the most focal character), Inara a noble, skedi the god of white lies (who seems to be bound to Inara some how), and Elogast an ex knight turned baker (can we take a min to swoon please). This band of characters somehow connect and join together as they enter an old land which was destroyed in the war which is filled with gods you don't want to mess with. Each of them have a reason to be there. Each of them are unsure of the other. Magic, demon fighting, general fighting/ banter and feelings ensue.
Although this book is short for a fantasy read, it's definitely mighty. You get a real feel for the characters and the world as they adventure. You fall in love with them, rage at them, cry with them and cheer them on. I cannot wait for the next book in the series (really - I'm not sure how I'm going to wait. Harpervoyager who do I need to make offerings/sacrifices to for the next book asap?!) THAT ENDING MAN. I need answers.
If you're looking for a new fantasy which is just as rich as the heavy tomes as the epic fantasy books you know and love but a hella a lot easier to hold and enjoy
-then you're looking at your next read.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Timely book, well written and intriguing - just wish it was longer.
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Can see the inspiration behind authors like Tom Hanks - very American feel to the collection. Insightful into the different versions of humanity.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
AD: PR product - gifted by wildfire books
'Go Atalanta. Her stare burned into me.
'Board the Argos as my champion. Be the best of them
all’
Atalanta is a woman in Greek mythology that I sadly know little about. A little came up in an epic module I did at university where we briefly looked at Jason and the Argonauts, but beyond that I never heard about her again - so I was definitely intrigued when @iennifer. saint.author chose her as her next heroine in her retellings. And of course, I wasn't disappointed.
Atalanta is a girl who was left as a baby on a hillside and then raised by a bear before being taken under her Artemis's wing with her nymphs. Atalanta is incredibly fast and strong and more importantly for a woman of that time she is free - until she is sent by Artemis to represent her on the Argo on the quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
This is a story of growing up, of sexism, of love, freedom, friendship, proving yourself. Atalanta represents so many women who battle men at every turn to just be seen as equal. Her story is timeless, even if she's mythological - and that's what I love about this book.
Jennifer is god-like in writing old tales in a way that makes them feel still so present and relatable. She is breathing new life into these women who were often footnotes in the story. She clearly knows her mythology and researches well to collate a story dripping in myth but adding a modern touch. You'll find yourself reading the whole book when you just meant to read a chapter.
It's the perfect escapism.
Of course this book was a five star read for me, but then I didn't expect it to be anything else if l'm honest. I can't wait to see what figure Jennifer Saint writes next!
