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shelleys_book_nook's reviews
449 reviews
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
I don’t know what it is about Elizabeth Strout’s writing that always captures me. Maybe it’s because it is about ordinary life written in such an extraordinary way. There’s so much sadness in this book sexual child assault, murder, suicide, aging, cancer and death. But for some reason that’s not what I focused on. I’m a pessimist at heart but the way Elizabeth Strout writes had me noticing the love, laughter, friendships and joy more than anything else.
There’s a bit of a mystery in this one as well, when the dead body of a resident shows up in a car crashed in the Quarry. But the focus isn’t really on solving the murder as much as why it happened in the first place and that was very refreshing. This book is very character driven so there really wasn’t a plot per se.
Don’t try to find meaning in this series (this is book five) it’s just about unrecorded simple lives. It’s about the little things that matter and not the big picture. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” What I reflected on while reading this was, don’t take life too seriously and enjoy the little things while you can. As my English friend Morning always says bloody brilliant. All. The. Stars.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my gosh, how I loved this book. The five-hundred-plus pages practically turned themselves. The premise was so unique and I devoured every word from the banging prologue to the surprising epilogue.
On a flight from Hobart to Sydney an older lady walks the aisle of the plane while stating age of death, cause of death to multiple passengers. When the passengers start dying the way she predicted they believe she is a clairvoyant and worry that their prediction will come true next, so of course they start to live their lives as differently as possible to avoid their prediction from coming true.
I loved the different points of view in each chapter, five passengers and the elderly lady herself. We also get snippets of how her predictions affect each person's life and the people surrounding them. The elderly lady also basically gives us her very interesting life story. I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how this book made me feel. I felt anxious, happy, sad and hopeful. I cried, I got scared and I laughed…at a book about death! It also really made me think about my own mortality but do not fret because there's also lots of love and joy in the book.
I'm a big fan of butterflies so the cover of this one had me all 😍. The butterfly was chosen because of the idea of the butterfly effect scenario. I love them because they represent change, rebirth etc. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. All. The. Stars.
On a flight from Hobart to Sydney an older lady walks the aisle of the plane while stating age of death, cause of death to multiple passengers. When the passengers start dying the way she predicted they believe she is a clairvoyant and worry that their prediction will come true next, so of course they start to live their lives as differently as possible to avoid their prediction from coming true.
I loved the different points of view in each chapter, five passengers and the elderly lady herself. We also get snippets of how her predictions affect each person's life and the people surrounding them. The elderly lady also basically gives us her very interesting life story. I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how this book made me feel. I felt anxious, happy, sad and hopeful. I cried, I got scared and I laughed…at a book about death! It also really made me think about my own mortality but do not fret because there's also lots of love and joy in the book.
I'm a big fan of butterflies so the cover of this one had me all 😍. The butterfly was chosen because of the idea of the butterfly effect scenario. I love them because they represent change, rebirth etc. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. All. The. Stars.
Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is my first book by Fiona Barton, which is the second title in the Elise King series. And it can certainly be read as a standalone. I'm not a big fan of series’ or police procedurals and this book is both (but I've always wanted to read a Barton book) and because of that, I was surprised by how much I liked it.
This is a slow burn of a murder mystery where we get to know the residents of the seaside town of Ebbing. We get three points of view in the story, the first is Detective Elise King who the series is named, the second is reporter Kiki and the third is grieving mother Annie. (Why is it we have a name for when a spouse dies either widow or widower or if our parents die we are called orphans but there's no title for the parents of a dead child?) The chapters from Annie's point of view were the ones I enjoyed the most. The three narratives were woven together seamlessly with short, punchy chapters. I found the book completely immersive and compelling and my interest was piqued throughout but the epilogue was not surprising at all.
Barton is an author I’ve wanted to read for a while now and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this one but I don't think I'd read any more of this series or anything else by the author. Don't get me me wrong, it was a fun read if a bit predictable but it didn’t wow me.
This is a slow burn of a murder mystery where we get to know the residents of the seaside town of Ebbing. We get three points of view in the story, the first is Detective Elise King who the series is named, the second is reporter Kiki and the third is grieving mother Annie. (Why is it we have a name for when a spouse dies either widow or widower or if our parents die we are called orphans but there's no title for the parents of a dead child?) The chapters from Annie's point of view were the ones I enjoyed the most. The three narratives were woven together seamlessly with short, punchy chapters. I found the book completely immersive and compelling and my interest was piqued throughout but the epilogue was not surprising at all.
Barton is an author I’ve wanted to read for a while now and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this one but I don't think I'd read any more of this series or anything else by the author. Don't get me me wrong, it was a fun read if a bit predictable but it didn’t wow me.
Last Christmas by Clare Swatman
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
Claire Swatman is a hit-or-miss author for me I enjoyed The World Outside My Window and A Love to Last a Lifetime but I found The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright lacking. I picked this one up as a Christmas in July read but I got so behind it ended up as a Christmas and August book but that's okay because this really isn't a Christmas book. Each chapter takes place in December of every year from 2002 to 2010 but that's it as far as Yuletide goes. The book is about Bea and whether she goes to live in New York or not also which man does she end up with Dom or AJ? The chapters alternate between Stay and Go...it's very reminiscent of the Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors.
The book was okay I just wish I liked it more because the premise was wonderful and Clare Swatman managed to keep each chapter fresh, a lot of times books like this can feel redundant. The problem I had with the story was our female lead, Bea, why couldn't she just be on her own? She left England because of sexual harassment and not feeling fulfilled in her relationship, she should have just worked on herself. Secondly in both scenarios, she keeps flip-flopping back and forth between two men. Love triangles make me feel so frustrated and reading about these two men suffering at this woman's hands just made me angry.
What I really did like and loved was Bea's relationship with her best friends, that was the best part of the whole book, the relationship she had with these people and how they were always there for each other gave me all the feels. The ending was a little too neat and tidy for my liking in both scenarios. I like a happily ever after as much as the next person but these were just too perfect. I would have preferred one of them not working out quite so well. I'm assuming the author was trying to make a point about the fact that no matter what we do destiny will always decide our fate.
Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the authors others it was still a good book in my opinion and I would read another by Ms. Swatman. If you haven't read anything by her I suggest you start with The World Outside My Window or A Love to Last a Lifetime
The book was okay I just wish I liked it more because the premise was wonderful and Clare Swatman managed to keep each chapter fresh, a lot of times books like this can feel redundant. The problem I had with the story was our female lead, Bea, why couldn't she just be on her own? She left England because of sexual harassment and not feeling fulfilled in her relationship, she should have just worked on herself. Secondly in both scenarios, she keeps flip-flopping back and forth between two men. Love triangles make me feel so frustrated and reading about these two men suffering at this woman's hands just made me angry.
What I really did like and loved was Bea's relationship with her best friends, that was the best part of the whole book, the relationship she had with these people and how they were always there for each other gave me all the feels. The ending was a little too neat and tidy for my liking in both scenarios. I like a happily ever after as much as the next person but these were just too perfect. I would have preferred one of them not working out quite so well. I'm assuming the author was trying to make a point about the fact that no matter what we do destiny will always decide our fate.
Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the authors others it was still a good book in my opinion and I would read another by Ms. Swatman. If you haven't read anything by her I suggest you start with The World Outside My Window or A Love to Last a Lifetime
One Midnight With You by Shari Low
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
It's no secret that I love Shari Low's “One” series of books. Well, they're not really a series they're just a set of books that have one in the title and they happen in a single day (or moment, or weekend, or holiday) As you can probably tell by the title this one takes place on New Year's Eve, or as they call it in Scotland "Hogmanay".
A lot happens in the 24 hours of this book…people facing their fears, new romances, old romances renewed and lots of drama from all the families. Every single character is likable...I cheered them on and wished that they’d get their happy ending. I loved that we saw some characters from the previous "One" books too.
This is an important New Year's Eve to everyone involved but all for different reasons. As in all of Shari Low’s books friendship and family feature prominently. Each character has their own chapter from their own point of view and that helped me feel like I knew them. Minnie was my favourite character in the book, I always looked forward to her chapters the most because she was so much like my own grandmother I adored her. The friendship between Ailish, Gwen and Rhonda really touched my heart. They were always there for each other and we're always brutally honest. They're the type of friends that kick you in the butt when you need it.
Some parts of this book were sad or made me angry but it was also very humorous at times… and I even felt scared for the characters sometimes. What an amazing feat for a book to make me feel lots of everything all at once.
Looking for an uplifting, yet sad and romantic book? Any of Shari Low’s books would be for you. In her books, you can feel the characters joy and pain and this one was such a lovely read with Shari Low’s trademark relatable characters.
A lot happens in the 24 hours of this book…people facing their fears, new romances, old romances renewed and lots of drama from all the families. Every single character is likable...I cheered them on and wished that they’d get their happy ending. I loved that we saw some characters from the previous "One" books too.
This is an important New Year's Eve to everyone involved but all for different reasons. As in all of Shari Low’s books friendship and family feature prominently. Each character has their own chapter from their own point of view and that helped me feel like I knew them. Minnie was my favourite character in the book, I always looked forward to her chapters the most because she was so much like my own grandmother I adored her. The friendship between Ailish, Gwen and Rhonda really touched my heart. They were always there for each other and we're always brutally honest. They're the type of friends that kick you in the butt when you need it.
Some parts of this book were sad or made me angry but it was also very humorous at times… and I even felt scared for the characters sometimes. What an amazing feat for a book to make me feel lots of everything all at once.
Looking for an uplifting, yet sad and romantic book? Any of Shari Low’s books would be for you. In her books, you can feel the characters joy and pain and this one was such a lovely read with Shari Low’s trademark relatable characters.
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
slow-paced
3.0
I always find three-star reads hard to review, the rating of this one isn’t a reflection of the author’s talent or writing capabilities. Many of Jodi Picoult’s books have been five-star reads for me. This is more about my personal preference and enjoyment of the book rather than the author’s writing style; poetry and Shakespeare are just not for me.
I loved the idea of the book about two women, who are playwrights, one in 1581 (Emilia) who is the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays and the other (Melina) is in the present and she’s the ancestor of Emilia. The two timeline narratives worked well for me and Jodi Picoult is the consummate storyteller as always, but this is a very long book at over five hundred pages and I found my attention waning throughout.
The majority of the book is in the earlier timeline and I think that is why it didn’t work for me. I’m not a big fan of Shakespeare but as always Picoult did a marvellous job with her research it was simply incredible and five hundred years later women are still struggling in the male-dominated world of publishing. Picoult deserves three stars for her writing ability and research alone. Where she lost me was the drag it was to read so much about the Shakespeare writing controversy, its long chapters slowed the pace so much. But I will always love her for her bravery in taking on tough topics of which she gets plenty of hate mail and pushback. Ms. Picoult don’t ever stop.
Dear Hanna by Zoje Stage
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have not read Baby Teeth which is the first book about our main character, Hanna. The first one is about Hanna as a child, but Hanna is all grown up now. This book can be read as a standalone and we do get little snippets of Hanna’s life from when she was young. This one includes Hanna corresponding with her younger brother, Goose via written letters and I really like that, it’s no secret that this reader loves epistolary novels.
Stage writes her sociopath well and her dark, disturbing thoughts will shock you, but don’t worry Ms. Stage does not go into over-the-top territory, she writes her cunning female lead perfectly. This one sucked me in and never let me go.
The ending wasn’t a big surprise but for some reason, I really liked this book. It was easy to read, the writing and story flowed well and I hated every single character. Hannah is a bitch of the highest order but the people who enter into her realm uninvited aren’t so great either. What’s wrong with my brain that I was cheering this psychopathic bitch on? Now I want to read Baby Teeth, the first book, and see where it was that Hanna got her start. Will there be a book three? I certainly hope so and that says a lot.
After Oz by Gordon McAlpine
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
What really surprised me about this book was the fact that there was very little of Dorothy in the story. The story is told from two points of view, one being an unknown neighbour/townsperson and the female psychologist who travels to Kansas to get to the bottom of Dorothy's tale. Dr Wilfred’s sections are done in letters she is writing to her mentor to describe the situation and the discussions she has with the townsfolk. I very much enjoyed that as I love epistolary novels. And although the writing style is fairly dry it didn't disappoint me.
I love that the book reads more like a murder mystery because after Dorothy describes melting the witch a woman is found dead, killed and melted by using lye and Dorothy is blamed. I was really sucked into the mystery and doctor Wilford's investigation because I wanted to know the truth. There were a few surprises along the way and the tornado isn't the biggest twister between these pages. I was honestly surprised by the ending and the reveal in the best way possible.
The townsperson's point of view is done in a narrative style and I really enjoyed that, it felt personal that way and that’s where the dry writing is. Mental health, prejudice and religion are all themes and at the forefront. Like Baulm’s Oz, the story is dark but an utterly unique take on a story that's been redone to death.
I love that the book reads more like a murder mystery because after Dorothy describes melting the witch a woman is found dead, killed and melted by using lye and Dorothy is blamed. I was really sucked into the mystery and doctor Wilford's investigation because I wanted to know the truth. There were a few surprises along the way and the tornado isn't the biggest twister between these pages. I was honestly surprised by the ending and the reveal in the best way possible.
The townsperson's point of view is done in a narrative style and I really enjoyed that, it felt personal that way and that’s where the dry writing is. Mental health, prejudice and religion are all themes and at the forefront. Like Baulm’s Oz, the story is dark but an utterly unique take on a story that's been redone to death.
In Every Life by Rea Frey
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The thought of a current partner finding you a new partner doesn't sound romantic to me at all, it sounds controlling and manipulative. I know Ben was supposedly doing it from his heart but it seemed to me he was doing it for himself because he has to know Harper's okay before he dies. Like she can't be okay without a man in her life? And him wanting her to do her art was because HE wanted to see one of her shows before he goes. It just pissed me off to no end. Everything just sounded like manipulation disguised as love and for her benefit.
All the secrets Harper's been keeping drove me mad as well. She too was only thinking of herself by not revealing the truth about her and Leo. The whole plot just seemed to go round and round in circles and the repetitiveness of it all was boring. This was another almost DNF for me but it has such rave reviews I wanted to give it a chance. It was just too unbelievable where Ben's health worries were concerned. One minute he can't go in the sun because of his treatment and the next minute he is out feeling the sun on his face and doing hikes. He had stage four pancreatic cancer and is supposed to be in hospice.
It was so damn slow getting the plot to go forward, the characters were all one-dimensional and the ending was just too much for me to take. It was so implausible and outlandish that it made me want to barf. (spoiler) All that new age "your mind can cure stage four cancer" bullshit. (end spoiler) I can't believe all the five-star reviews for this one. This is my first and my last book by this author.
All the secrets Harper's been keeping drove me mad as well. She too was only thinking of herself by not revealing the truth about her and Leo. The whole plot just seemed to go round and round in circles and the repetitiveness of it all was boring. This was another almost DNF for me but it has such rave reviews I wanted to give it a chance. It was just too unbelievable where Ben's health worries were concerned. One minute he can't go in the sun because of his treatment and the next minute he is out feeling the sun on his face and doing hikes. He had stage four pancreatic cancer and is supposed to be in hospice.
It was so damn slow getting the plot to go forward, the characters were all one-dimensional and the ending was just too much for me to take. It was so implausible and outlandish that it made me want to barf. (spoiler) All that new age "your mind can cure stage four cancer" bullshit. (end spoiler) I can't believe all the five-star reviews for this one. This is my first and my last book by this author.
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley
slow-paced
2.0
Okay, I gotta say it, this book was awful. It was really slow going and not in a good way. It was slow going in a confusing and boring way. I liked the premise and that’s why I requested it plus I love a good horror tale, especially when murder is afoot. But to me, the writing style felt very young adult. I don’t mind YA when it’s done well but the characters in this one were irritating. It wasn’t easy to feel any sympathy for them. The plotlines jumped around too much for me to get a connection.
There are three storylines in the book and not one of them felt authentic so it was difficult to get absorbed into their tales of woe. They were all so dumb even for young characters. If you like young adult horror tales like those in the 80s and 90s with teenagers doing remarkably stupid things this may be the book for you. I know these types of books and movies have a cult following but I just felt frustrated. The book didn’t work for me on a multitude of levels and the ending was unsatisfying but I do see there being a niche for this.