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samsweebooknook's reviews
91 reviews
Finale by Stephanie Garber
5.0
The finale of the Caraval series and what an ending it was! Fast paced, dramatic and full of all the magic and beauty that was built up in the first two books. I adore Garbers writing and how she draws me into her world. The character development was just brilliant, but I particularly loved seeing Scarlett grow from strength to strength in each book, and on the flip side I loved seeing Tella show more vulnerability.
This one definitely felt a lot heavier on the romance side of the Fantasy Romance compared to the last two books, but I loved it and was rooting for the relationships between certain characters the whole way through.
A bittersweet ending in that I was delighted to see what way it wrapped up but sad to say goodbye to the world I've become so invested in. Thankfully I have the Once Upon A Broken Heart series to dive straight into which I believe is set in the same world as the Caraval series and heavily features Jacks, my new favourite morally grey character! ๐
Caraval's definitely opened my eyes to the fantasy genre and I'm excited to read more
This one definitely felt a lot heavier on the romance side of the Fantasy Romance compared to the last two books, but I loved it and was rooting for the relationships between certain characters the whole way through.
A bittersweet ending in that I was delighted to see what way it wrapped up but sad to say goodbye to the world I've become so invested in. Thankfully I have the Once Upon A Broken Heart series to dive straight into which I believe is set in the same world as the Caraval series and heavily features Jacks, my new favourite morally grey character! ๐
Caraval's definitely opened my eyes to the fantasy genre and I'm excited to read more
In the Dark by Claire Allan
3.5
Seven years ago, Nora Logue went for a walk in the woods with her daughter Daisy but only Nora came out - not only without Daisy but without any recollection of what happened that day.
Completely gripping, fast paced and full of intrigue and suspense. I loved the writing style and the dual point of view. Even though Nora was an unreliable narrator, I was really rooting for her the whole time. The true crime aspect made for a really interesting perspective - making the reader consider just how much the media can put a bias on things to enhance the "story" of the crime to the audience. I really don't want to give anything away but I would say for me the ending didn't quite gel with the rest of the story as much as I'd have liked. None the less it was an engrossing, gripping read that had me hooked from the beginning. If you're a fan of Lisa Jewell or Andrea Mara, I'd recommend picking up In The Dark!
Huge thanks to @harpercollinsire for sending me a gifted copy and inviting me to be a part of the book tour for this one
Completely gripping, fast paced and full of intrigue and suspense. I loved the writing style and the dual point of view. Even though Nora was an unreliable narrator, I was really rooting for her the whole time. The true crime aspect made for a really interesting perspective - making the reader consider just how much the media can put a bias on things to enhance the "story" of the crime to the audience. I really don't want to give anything away but I would say for me the ending didn't quite gel with the rest of the story as much as I'd have liked. None the less it was an engrossing, gripping read that had me hooked from the beginning. If you're a fan of Lisa Jewell or Andrea Mara, I'd recommend picking up In The Dark!
Huge thanks to @harpercollinsire for sending me a gifted copy and inviting me to be a part of the book tour for this one
The Money Mentor by Santis O'Garro
My first non fiction read of 2023 and a very practical one to start with. Like many people we're definitely feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis in our household so I was genuinely delighted to be sent a copy of The Money Mentor by Santis O'Garro prior to its release earlier this month.
If you follow @thecaribbeandub on here, you'll know she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to making savings and working towards financial goals. The Money Mentor is all her practical advice, tips and tricks pulled together into one book.
I've tabbed and highlighted many sections that we are going to start implementing ourselves - from trying the monthly money calender to no spend days to building up better savings funds. There are parts that include advice I already know such as meal planning, the importance of switching suppliers, etc but it's never a bad thing to be reminded of these!
I feel like through this book, Santis has given me the kick up the backside I needed to start working towards our own financial goals for our household. It's hard not to be encouraged by her motivation and enthusiasm that shines through this book.
If you follow @thecaribbeandub on here, you'll know she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to making savings and working towards financial goals. The Money Mentor is all her practical advice, tips and tricks pulled together into one book.
I've tabbed and highlighted many sections that we are going to start implementing ourselves - from trying the monthly money calender to no spend days to building up better savings funds. There are parts that include advice I already know such as meal planning, the importance of switching suppliers, etc but it's never a bad thing to be reminded of these!
I feel like through this book, Santis has given me the kick up the backside I needed to start working towards our own financial goals for our household. It's hard not to be encouraged by her motivation and enthusiasm that shines through this book.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
4.0
Gavin Scott seems to have it all - successful baseball career, two beautiful daughters and a gorgeous wife. But his world comes crashing down when his wife Thea asks for a divorce. Seeing how devastated Gavin is, his friends let him in on a secret. They're part of a bookclub that they believe can help Gavin to save his marriage.
Okay, so spoiler alert - I adored this! ๐ Marriage in crisis / second chance romance wouldn't be my go-to trope and I wasn't sure this would be the book for me.....how wrong was I?!
What I loved:
~ great pacing and tension build up
~ lovable main characters that felt genuine and relatable
~ some great secondary characters (Mack!)
~ a book club filled with men who appreciate romance novels ๐
~ the male characters challenging toxic masculinity and casual sexism
Although the next book focuses on a secondary character that I wasn't as fond of, I've already ordered it and can't wait to continue on with the series! Witty, funny, heartwarming, endearing - this just ticked all the boxes for me!
Okay, so spoiler alert - I adored this! ๐ Marriage in crisis / second chance romance wouldn't be my go-to trope and I wasn't sure this would be the book for me.....how wrong was I?!
What I loved:
~ great pacing and tension build up
~ lovable main characters that felt genuine and relatable
~ some great secondary characters (Mack!)
~ a book club filled with men who appreciate romance novels ๐
~ the male characters challenging toxic masculinity and casual sexism
Although the next book focuses on a secondary character that I wasn't as fond of, I've already ordered it and can't wait to continue on with the series! Witty, funny, heartwarming, endearing - this just ticked all the boxes for me!
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
4.5
Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Now at the centre of media attention, she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood and learn about a past she can't remember.
Spanning dual timelines and told from two perspectives, this one had me hooked from the beginning. It's a dark and heavy read but completely gripping. I stayed up far too late each night, desperate to find out how things were going to pan out. As is often the case with Nugent, her characters are unique and complex - I was never sure how I was meant to feel about each of them as the story was unfolding. Ultimately, Sally stole a piece of my heart. A wonderfully written protagonist who will stay with me.
Spanning dual timelines and told from two perspectives, this one had me hooked from the beginning. It's a dark and heavy read but completely gripping. I stayed up far too late each night, desperate to find out how things were going to pan out. As is often the case with Nugent, her characters are unique and complex - I was never sure how I was meant to feel about each of them as the story was unfolding. Ultimately, Sally stole a piece of my heart. A wonderfully written protagonist who will stay with me.
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
5.0
In 2016 Rob Delaney's life was turned upside down when the youngest of his three sons, Henry, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sadly after a two year battle, Henry passed away aged just two and a half. A Heart That Works is Rob's memoir of this time, written to help people understand what families like his have gone through.
It goes without saying that this is an emotional read, I sobbed multiple times reading it. But I think this might be one of the most important books I've ever read. While I felt the grief, hurt, anger and devastation that he and his family went through, I also couldn't help but feel the amount of love that poured from each page. I cried, I laughed (Rob's trademark humour is laced throughout), I felt.
I can only imagine the comfort this book will bring others in a similar situation. For people like myself who have friends that have lost a child, it's given me a new perspective which I hope will allow me to be an even better support to them.
Unflinchingly raw, honest and moving, this is a very special book that will genuinely stay with me for a long time.
It goes without saying that this is an emotional read, I sobbed multiple times reading it. But I think this might be one of the most important books I've ever read. While I felt the grief, hurt, anger and devastation that he and his family went through, I also couldn't help but feel the amount of love that poured from each page. I cried, I laughed (Rob's trademark humour is laced throughout), I felt.
I can only imagine the comfort this book will bring others in a similar situation. For people like myself who have friends that have lost a child, it's given me a new perspective which I hope will allow me to be an even better support to them.
Unflinchingly raw, honest and moving, this is a very special book that will genuinely stay with me for a long time.
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
5.0
Legendary is book two of the Caraval series and picks up where the first one ends. After completing Caraval and escaping their father, sisters Donatella and Scarlett Dragna should be living freely. But Donatella made a deal that she has to now repay, and the only way to do so is to take part in a second Caraval game and discover the true identity of Legend.
I had really high hopes going into this one as I enjoyed Caraval so much, and thankfully it didn't disappoint! More of the whimsical writing I adored, more beautiful world building, more plot development, more intrigue and suspense. There were new characters to fall in love with (Jacks ๐) and the development of characters we already know and loved.
I didn't expect to enjoy this one even more than Caraval but it's safe to say I did! A fantastic sequel and I can't wait to get started on Finale now.
I had really high hopes going into this one as I enjoyed Caraval so much, and thankfully it didn't disappoint! More of the whimsical writing I adored, more beautiful world building, more plot development, more intrigue and suspense. There were new characters to fall in love with (Jacks ๐) and the development of characters we already know and loved.
I didn't expect to enjoy this one even more than Caraval but it's safe to say I did! A fantastic sequel and I can't wait to get started on Finale now.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Iโve had this book recommended to me multiple times but was always put off by the genre so it came as a complete surprise that I found myself absolutely loving this one. The start had me hooked, wanting to find out who exactly Ryland was and how he got to be on the ship. Iโll admit there was a part maybe about a third of the way in where my attention wavered a little as the pace slowed for a time, however it was well worth sticking it out. I adored the relationships that developed (amaze, yes yes yes!) and the flashback scenes where we learnt more about the characters.
The amount of research that must have gone into this is nothing short of impressive but don't let the science talk put you off - itโs extremely accessible for even the least sciencey person like myself!
I listened to the audio (thanks @borrowbox) and think it added to the experience of the book even more than if I would have read it. The narrator was fantastic and thereโs certain parts I just couldnโt imagine reading in a physical book.
I found myself giggling at the humour laced throughout and even slightly emotional at parts. A fantastic book to end the year on.
The amount of research that must have gone into this is nothing short of impressive but don't let the science talk put you off - itโs extremely accessible for even the least sciencey person like myself!
I listened to the audio (thanks @borrowbox) and think it added to the experience of the book even more than if I would have read it. The narrator was fantastic and thereโs certain parts I just couldnโt imagine reading in a physical book.
I found myself giggling at the humour laced throughout and even slightly emotional at parts. A fantastic book to end the year on.
No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara
4.5
Andrea Mara is an auto-buy author for me. I've read all her previous books and loved them, so when I found out that No One Saw A Thing was available to request on Netgalley of course I jumped at the opportunity to read it.
Sive and her three children are standing on a crowded tube platform waiting to board. Her two eldest daughters jump on the train but as she tries to wangle the buggy with he youngest, the doors close and the trains takes off. Sive rushes to the next stop telling herself that things will be okay but when she reaches the next platform, only one of her daughters is there.
A fast paced psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. Unnerving and unsettling to read as a parent but utterly unputdownable - I was gripped from the very start. One of the things I love about Andrea's stories is that there's an authenticity and realness about the scenarios her characters find themselves in (this one in particular was based on a real life event that happened to her and her sister when they were children). She plays on a parents biggest fear and turns it into a tense and compelling read with plenty of twists and turns that make it impossible to put down. I won't say anything about the plot as I don't want to give a thing away but I think this is up there as one of my favourites from Andrea to date!
Unfortunately No One Saw A Thing isn't published until May 11th 2023 (I've my physical copy on preorder!), but I promise it's worth the wait!
Huge thanks to @penguinukbooks @penguinbooksireland @andreamaraauthor and @netgalley for this advanced copy. As always this is an honest review.
Sive and her three children are standing on a crowded tube platform waiting to board. Her two eldest daughters jump on the train but as she tries to wangle the buggy with he youngest, the doors close and the trains takes off. Sive rushes to the next stop telling herself that things will be okay but when she reaches the next platform, only one of her daughters is there.
A fast paced psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. Unnerving and unsettling to read as a parent but utterly unputdownable - I was gripped from the very start. One of the things I love about Andrea's stories is that there's an authenticity and realness about the scenarios her characters find themselves in (this one in particular was based on a real life event that happened to her and her sister when they were children). She plays on a parents biggest fear and turns it into a tense and compelling read with plenty of twists and turns that make it impossible to put down. I won't say anything about the plot as I don't want to give a thing away but I think this is up there as one of my favourites from Andrea to date!
Unfortunately No One Saw A Thing isn't published until May 11th 2023 (I've my physical copy on preorder!), but I promise it's worth the wait!
Huge thanks to @penguinukbooks @penguinbooksireland @andreamaraauthor and @netgalley for this advanced copy. As always this is an honest review.
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
3.0
"๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ต ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ด๐ฌ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต, ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ."
Enemies to lovers, a bookstore that needs saving, set at Christmas time - could there be a book more up my street? ๐ This short novel (it's only 180 pages) ticks all the boxes for a festive, feel good easy read to curl up with on a cold winter's evening.
Chloe Liese is the queen of positive representation - in this case the female main character has autism (which is written from the author's own experience) and is demisexual (again the authors own voice experience), while the male character has Type 1 diabetes - none of this is a spoiler, the author mentions it in the opening note.
I would have loved if it was a little longer and while it wouldn't top the Bergman Brothers series off my top spot for a place on my favourite books from her, I really enjoyed it and loved the message behind it that everyone deserves a love story โค๏ธ
Enemies to lovers, a bookstore that needs saving, set at Christmas time - could there be a book more up my street? ๐ This short novel (it's only 180 pages) ticks all the boxes for a festive, feel good easy read to curl up with on a cold winter's evening.
Chloe Liese is the queen of positive representation - in this case the female main character has autism (which is written from the author's own experience) and is demisexual (again the authors own voice experience), while the male character has Type 1 diabetes - none of this is a spoiler, the author mentions it in the opening note.
I would have loved if it was a little longer and while it wouldn't top the Bergman Brothers series off my top spot for a place on my favourite books from her, I really enjoyed it and loved the message behind it that everyone deserves a love story โค๏ธ