sarah_j90's reviews
34 reviews

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

A nice short story that paves the way for the good girls guide to murder triology but the series can definitely be read with or without this one. 

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

This has probably been my least favourite of all the books, no real twists to the story line and the end was really meh. I felt like the story line for the main woman it follows was really disappointing, it all came out and then she was just forgotten about. Wouldn't rush to read or recommend this and honestly if this had been my first book of hers I doubt I would of picked up another one!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

I went back and forth about reading this book for ages. It's not my usual genre but I'd seen so many people raving about it and finally decided to just go for it and I'm so glad I did!!!! It's such a great read!! It had me on the edge of my seat in places and I was really rooting for so many different characters. The character development throughout the book is really good as well. Apparently this first book of the series isn't as good as the others so I have high hopes for the rest!!!!! 
The story follows a girl called Feyre who is forced to hunt to keep her family alive but one day whilst out hunting she kills what she believes to be a wolf. But that killing ends up costing her!!! A high fae arrives and tells her she can either be killed or sacrifice her life and live with him forever, choosing the latter she soon starts to fall in love with him, but with so much danger constantly around her and a secret curse no one will tell her about its not the life she thought she would live!!! 
I absolutely loved the book from start to end!!!!

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-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? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this book but it was all abit typical romance book. Boy and girl fall in love, fall out of love, meet again, fall back in love, happy ever after!!! It's split between the past and the present and whilst the past went in to much detail, the present seemed very rushed!! In the space of a long weekend Sam and percy see each other again after more than a decade apart, catch up, have sex, fall out, make up, get back together and live happily ever after. Obviously it's the ending everyone wanted but maybe a bit more of a 50/50 split could of helped?!? Either way, easy read and I did enjoy it and it is a good story line. Plus the way Carley Fortune writes about the houses at the lake is so great I actually imagined being somewhere like that!!! I'd recommend for a nice easy, cheesy read.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book and did not see the twist that comes in part 2 until quite late on! The characters are really great and the way the story is written having you believe one thing to then flip it round completely is genius. 
The book follows a couple Nina and Andy, Andy is super rich and Nina is a doting housewife. She hires a live in housemaid, Millie but from the day she arrived Millie senses something isn't right. Why does the attic room she's been given only lock from the outside, why doesn't the only window not open? And why are there human scratch marks down the door?  
Everyone warns her about how crazy Nina is and Millie finds this out first hand when Nina starts accusing her of things Millie knows not to have happened asking her to do things and then denying she ever asked, and bad mouthing her and her work ethic to all her friends whilst Millie is standing right there. Only problem is Millie has just come out of prison after serving 10 years and is on parole so there's nothing she can do if she wants her secret to stay that way!!!!

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book mainly follows Mukesh and Aleisha. Mukesh has recently lost his wife who was an avid reader and finds a book under her bed. After reading it he feels more connected to her than ever and decides to return the book to the library and try and find others he can read. Alesha is a 17 year old libraian who hates her job and is stuck taking care of her mum who suffers severe depression. Alesha finds a list of books in amongst a pile of returned books and begins reading them and then recommending them to Mukesh and between them they forge an unlikely friendship. The book follows them as they find comparisons, comfort and heartache between the books they're reading and their own lives. It's a beautiful thank you to books and the new worlds they lead us to and the real world they allow us to escape from for a while. I loved this book. It made me feel privileged to find enjoyment in reading, it made my heartbreak and put a smile on my face. I fell in love with all the characters and wanted to go back and reread some of the books mentioned I'd already read and read the ones I hadn't. It was also set around a small library just like my local one which became my safe place after having my second baby and is now both of my children's favourite place to go. This is a book I will always recommend and will always think back about. What I will say though is ignore the blurb on the back ... it does not do the book justice in the slightest!!! Plus I didn't give it a full five stars because a couple of random people were given chapters which I kind of understood by the last chapter but which honestly for how small the parts were just didn't really need to be added. 

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

This review contains a spoiler about the book. 

This book isn't as easy to get into as the first two in the series so you do have to keep going with it because once you reach the second part it gets so good. I was in an ongoing battle with myself throughout this book with the journey that Pips character went on and whether I liked it or not. 
When she killed Jason I got it but when she then covered it up and Ravi helped I was screaming at her not to!!! I was begging her to go to the police, there were so many things she could of said for it to be self defence but I also got why she chose to cover it up. But then right at the end she cuts all ties with Ravi and I wanna jump in the book and smack her!!!! I was pleased with how it ended and wrapped up but my god this book tested all my emotions. This whole series has been so great to read and I've loved them all!!! Will definitely be checking out more of Holly Jacksons books this year!!

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much, I actually thought it was better than the first one, more grit and drama to it. I'm almost sad to move on to the third one because then the series will be over! I listened to this one on bookbeat just like the first, and, the narration is brilliant and really steps it up a notch, you really feel like you're there with Pippa in all she's doing. I loved that Pip and Ravi were still together and that he played just a crucial role in this one as he did in the first. In fact all the characters are involved or are consistently mentioned which was great because sometimes writers tend to get carried away on a brand new story line and miss them out altogether or just touch on them but keeping all the characters relevant and involved helped the two books to flow. Pippas character development was particularly strong in this book and I loved following along with this and the slightly dark twist it took at the end. 
This book follows Pippa and Ravi as they follow the court case of those involved in the first book and also the disappearance of Pippa's friends brother Jamie who goes missing the night of Sal and Andys memorial. His Mum and brother (Pippa's friend) report him missing to the police but due to Jamie's history the police don't take the report seriously and refuse to investigate. Conner asks pippa to look into it for him and put it on her podcast and so Good Girl, Bad Blood is born. Its a really great read, full of tension and twists that you just don't see coming. I really enjoyed it. 

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? N/A

4.0

I listened to this book and really enjoyed the narration, I feel like it added to the story for me. I felt like the first half of this book was maybe a bit slow and I dipped in and out of it but the last half/quarter really hooked me in. It follows a teenage girl who decides to open a murder case from 5 years ago up as part of a school project. The police believed the case to be solved and closed but Pip was sure they were wrong. What she uncovers blows everyone's life in town up, including her own!

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.0

This book is the follow on from It Ends With Us and you definitely need to read It Ends With Us first for this to make sense. It follows on from the story of Lily and Atlas, it goes back over their childhood and how they met and their lives now. The story is told from both of their perspectives which I enjoy. It Ends With Us was hard hitting but this is more of a soft love story and the happy ending at the end gives everyone pretty much exactly what they were rooting for for lily from the first book.