(view spoiler)[ I wish we’d learned a bit more about Judith as she reintegrated into society. It was assumed she diA devastating and emotional story.
(view spoiler)[ I wish we’d learned a bit more about Judith as she reintegrated into society. It was assumed she didn’t reconnect with Megan but she must have gone back to school at one point. It would have been interesting to hear how the other children adjusted to their new lives outside of the cult. It wasn’t clear to me what drove Judith to maintain contact with Stephanie. Stephanie betrayed her in a pretty horrific way and she was so angry… once I knew the backstory, I was rather surprised Judith had stayed in contact. Of course, Stephanie was as much a victim as anything but she was eerily devoted to Nathaniel by the end… (hide spoiler)]...more
This was fine: nothing brilliant but engaging enough to finish. It isn’t particularly gripping right off the bat and while a bit confusing at firs2.5
This was fine: nothing brilliant but engaging enough to finish. It isn’t particularly gripping right off the bat and while a bit confusing at first, it clears up in time. The slow pace can be a struggle at times and because it starts off so slow, it can be a chore to get up to speed.
Ultimately, it wasn’t anything new and I’ve read similar stories before. The twists were largely predictable and underwhelming. The characters were drab and uninteresting.
I didn’t particularly get on with the writing style: it was quite stilted and detached. The spelling and grammar mistakes in the book were off-putting as well....more
This was way too bleak and depressing for me to say I enjoyed it. The translation and word choices were a bit jarring at times and the stories felt clThis was way too bleak and depressing for me to say I enjoyed it. The translation and word choices were a bit jarring at times and the stories felt clunky as a result.
I think I was expecting this to be more about people bonding after bereavement through food and cookery. Instead it was more of a romance. Not really my thing....more
Bite-sized histories and information about snow and it’s impact around the world written beautifully and accessibly. It wasAh, I really enjoyed this!
Bite-sized histories and information about snow and it’s impact around the world written beautifully and accessibly. It was a fascinating journey to go on.
I thought the purpley-blue font was a refreshing change. It seems like such a small thing but it was neat!
I liked how we also got to feel the impacts of climate change on different ways of life and communities across the world. People don’t seem to understand the knock-on effect that global warming is having and why it’s imperative we make a change now. I fear that the winters of my childhood truly are going to become a thing of the past; it’s heartbreaking when something has such a profound impact in your formative years and gets relegated to memory in a matter of two decades.
I highly recommend this book. It’s got something that everyone can enjoy and I can guarantee that you’ll learn something new. ...more
This was unlike any book I’ve read before in terms of premise. It was a bit frightening because one could see how something like this could end up 3.5
This was unlike any book I’ve read before in terms of premise. It was a bit frightening because one could see how something like this could end up happening as the world continues to spiral.
For the most part, the story was good and well-paced. I found it got a bit garbled toward the end and I didn’t quite understand the bit (view spoiler)[ with the female monkey and the doctor. I also didn’t comprehend how everyone was just hanging out at Sharon’s place. It seemed at odds with the urgency to get out of the country that some of the characters were adamant about. It didn’t have a definitive ending in a sense of closure. It seemed like everything just started returning to normal in America but Jean et al absconded to Italy. The closing sentences were a bit odd and the book kinda just stopped rather than being drawn to a close. (hide spoiler)]
The subject matter makes for some very uncomfortable reading at times. You’ll want to make sure you’re in the right headspace for it. ...more
I really struggled with connect with anyone in this story. They’re all pretty vapid and awful. The whole rich people having affairs trope is borin2.5
I really struggled with connect with anyone in this story. They’re all pretty vapid and awful. The whole rich people having affairs trope is boring to me and I struggled to care about anything or anyone by the end. Marin refused to divorce him despite his affairs because she didn’t want to give up her luxury lifestyle… like wtf? How can you possibly expect me to empathize with someone like that? Derek was a total knob too, like he’s completely one dimensional and vacuous. Kenzie was a manipulative, sociopathic cow. Sal was a creep. Everyone in this story sucks. What makes a story good is getting invested in it and having someone to root for, this lacked empathetic or well-rounded characters which kept me, as a reader, at arm’s length.
The threads in the story were all pretty stomach-churning and seemed to be going for maximum shock value which made for some pretty uncomfortable reading: (view spoiler)[ the child trafficking websites, the group, the graphic sexual scenes, the grooming, the affairs… (hide spoiler)] it was all a bit much.
(view spoiler)[ Marin’s decision to confess to Kenzie and give her loads of money and a pair of shoes at the end of the book seemed utterly ridiculous and uncharacteristic. She literally ordered a hit on her and then this? Come on. (hide spoiler)]
The writing was well done but this book has such an overwhelming ick factor that I can’t say it made for enjoyable reading....more
The blurb on this book is very misleading: this isn’t anything like Convenience Store Woman. It lacks the authentic characteriSelf-indulgent twaddle.
The blurb on this book is very misleading: this isn’t anything like Convenience Store Woman. It lacks the authentic characterization, the clever writing, and the punch that made CSW such a great read.
This book has the drabbest, most colourless character cast on the planet. The main character is whiny and horrible and treats everyone around her like crap. She’s impossible to empathize with because she’s utterly detestable with no redeeming features. I didn’t get a sense of personality from any of the supporting characters either. The dialogue didn’t feel authentic and interactions were stilted and forced.
The ‘sense of place’ was lacking within this book too. It was set in Sokcho but I didn’t get a strong feel for it and it could have taken place on virtually any seaside town.
The writing itself is trying too hard to be artsy-fartsy and the story suffers greatly for it. Some of the language choices and content digressions were downright bizarre. There were loads of mentions of fish and breasts that were downright jarring at times - can’t be bothered to flush out a character or a compelling plot line but let’s devote an entire chapter to gutting a fish in excruciating detail.
The book has little plot and flat characters. It felt more like navel-gazing than a genuine attempt at a story. The cover is striking and unique but not at all representative of the contents. ...more
This was a good story, as Lisa Jewell books often are, and a really wild ride from start to finish. Ultimately, it didn’t blow my mind the way tha3.5
This was a good story, as Lisa Jewell books often are, and a really wild ride from start to finish. Ultimately, it didn’t blow my mind the way that the reviews led me to believe it would. I found the mystery predictable and some of the elements around Sophie were hard to believe: (view spoiler)[ She didn’t recognize a plot device from HER OWN NOVEL? She managed to find the girls before the police? She was interviewing suspects and risking them doing a runner? (hide spoiler)]. Because of these leaps, Sophie’s thread lacked authenticity and made the conclusion feel a bit cheap.
The characters themselves were a bit lacklustre. I liked Kim and felt that she was the most flushed out of them all. Tallulah was annoying and hard to empathize with - she was so weak and silly. Zach was scary but (view spoiler)[ I didn’t see how those around Tallulah didn’t pick up on the abuse issues if it was genuinely as bad as it was portrayed. Especially Kim. They lived in the same house! (hide spoiler)]. Shaun was a bore and I didn’t understand why Sophie was drawn to him. Scarlett was absolutely insane.
The appalling lack of communication between Tallulah and Kim bothered me too. They were painted as being very close and in each other’s back pocket. It didn’t seem plausible that Tallulah would keep Kim in the dark (view spoiler)[ about Zach, or about Scarlett. Tallulah’s co-dependence on everyone she came into contact with surely would have seen her confide in her mother long before things escalated the way they did. (hide spoiler)]
The ending was a genuine surprise… I didn’t see that coming which was nice as the mystery was rather predictable.
All in all, a gripping and engaging story but it just lacked that ‘wow factor’ that I’d been set up to expect....more
Gosh, this is a heartbreaking but excellent book: emotional, tense, terrifying, yet hopeful and reassuring. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book as gGosh, this is a heartbreaking but excellent book: emotional, tense, terrifying, yet hopeful and reassuring. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book as genre-spanning and emotionally tugging as this was.
Be wary as there are some shocking and very upsetting scenes in this story. It’s not gratuitous but you’ll want to ensure you’re in the right headspace to read it.
The characters felt so real and human. They were frustrating and stubborn at times but so genuine that you can’t help but get invested. Characterizations were strong and very distinct. Even Heather, who was written almost entirely in the past-tense, had a strong sense of character and personality. Litta was a character unto itself - this book had an exceptional sense of place.
I'm going to need some time to fully process this one; I reckon it’ll be on my mind for a while!...more
This book has some gorgeous imagery and delightful magic; but it wasn't as brilliant as it could have been because the characters were so difficult toThis book has some gorgeous imagery and delightful magic; but it wasn't as brilliant as it could have been because the characters were so difficult to root for and get invested in:
Beatrice was a whingy wetwipe with a tedious superiority complex. She shunned society and what it stood for but was quite derogatory to James because he was "the son of a gardener". You can't have it both ways! To treat a childhood friend so poorly really lowered my opinion of her. Further, she was a total wetwipe at one point considering swapping lives with Rosa because she "deserved" Eustace. The mere fact that she couldn't get over her mother's death literally decades later was proof of her arrested development and immaturity. She was quite hard to empathize with depsite my wanting to champion such a lady to throw off the shackles of society and do her own thing.
Rosa was a total cow. She was entitled, loved to play the victim, and would stop at nothing to get her way. While there was some redemption toward the end, it wasn't enough to raise her in my esteem. Her treatement of Eustace seemed a bit much - the way I saw it, they were as bad as each other. They were both emotionally and physically abusive, they gaslit each other, and they were totally cutthroat in trying to get their own way. Rosa was entitled and saw herself as the main character in everyone else's lives and treated her friends like they were there to serve her. It was refreshing to see a character that fought back against societal expectations around women, but she was so absuive to Eustace in the end that fell flat. She seemed to do a total 180 on Ada and it was jarring: going from disdain to obsession overnight. It was also embarssingly sexist that she seemed to mature only when she "embraced motherhood"... come on, really? You don't ascend to another plane when you become a mother. At any rate, Rosa was a horrible and vapid character and I spent most of the book hoping that Eustance would actually finish her off.
I did like the character of James - I would have much rather read a book about his adventures as a orchid hunter. At least he was likeable and behaved like an adult.
The writing style was pedestrian and juvenile at times. Short of some adult themes toward the middle and end, I was concerned until then that I'd picked up a book more geared toward younger readers. Like others, I didn't feel that the sections mentioning slaves or POC were handled partiularly well; given how both Beatrice and Rosa were supposedly eschewing societal norms of the times, I expected better. Thinly-veiled racism has no place in books written in 2021.
The narrative around the Winter Gardens was magical and wonderful. I know why people say that this has echoes of The Night Circus. It's a bit of a stretch as it's maturity and characterization was miles behind The Night Circus, but it still had some wonderful features: magic, clockwork animals, bunnies that turned into teacups, anthropomorphic trees... it had a lot of the ingredients that would have made it spectactular but it didn't quite make it in execution....more
I was assuredly not the target audience for this book.
The message at the end: kEeP wOrKiNg HaRd AnD hOpE fOr ThE bEsT is trite, ridiculous, and prettI was assuredly not the target audience for this book.
The message at the end: kEeP wOrKiNg HaRd AnD hOpE fOr ThE bEsT is trite, ridiculous, and pretty terrible advice. Our protagonist suffered from burnout in an industry known for overworking and underpaying its staff. She seemed like a glutton for punishment by not taking the break her body and mind clearly needed but kept throwing herself at jobs like that would somehow fix everything and that made her hard to sympathize with; as did her treating a recruiter as a therapist and taking life advice from same. Recovery from burnout and job related illness is not likely to be found within another job. The only way we will improve conditions for workers is by taking a stand against this notion that we were put on earth to toil and run ourselves into the ground physically, mentally, and emotionally for a paycheque. I suppose I’ve known too many people who’ve got PTSD, trauma, long-term mental and physical health problems because of jobs to find this cute or funny… it’s a very real problem that’s increasingly plaguing people globally.
The book itself was very slow moving and meandering and felt disjointed at times due to abrupt stops in the stories. Like others, I feel like the translation was less of a translation and more as though it was “watered down” for Western readers. It was too British to feel like a convincingly Japanese story and I didn’t feel transported the way I usually do reading translations. I struggled to empathize with the character and didn’t like the my-life-is-my-job mindset she had. She claimed to have friends and family but we never see any of this side of her: it’s all the job! Because of the pacing issues, this felt like a slog and because I found the end message immensely stupid, didn’t feel it was worth it.
For context, I’ve read longer books than this in a day or two. This took me two weeks. My read was further interrupted by the fact that every time I read a bit of this book, I’d fall asleep. Every time. Yes, it’s that riveting....more
This was so disappointing! I can hardly believe this was written by Hazel Gaynor, it’s such a departure from her other books.
Firstly, it’s so slow toThis was so disappointing! I can hardly believe this was written by Hazel Gaynor, it’s such a departure from her other books.
Firstly, it’s so slow to start. Nothing happens for well over 150 pages. It’s a lot of whinging, waffling, and stiff upper lip nonsense.
Nancy and Elspeth had the exact same speaking and halter style despite their alleged age difference. I was surprised that Nancy was a child. I assumed she was a late teen by the way she spoke. It was completely unrealistic and confusing. The overall writing style was simplistic in nature and it genuinely read like YA, not historical fiction.
There were way too many names and nicknames. It added to the confusion that no one had a distinct voice or characterization so they all blended together.
The components of war were so watered down. If you’re going to write about the horror of Japanese occupation, you need to be all in. This was a heavily watered down version of events and it did a disservice to the memory of those who did lose their lives, freedom, and dignity during the occupation. The Japanese army were ruthless; but, if this book is to be believed they just went around punching people and poking them with sticks! I wasn’t convinced either by the liberties that the prisoners had at the camp… it doesn’t seem plausible that they would have been able to do half the things they did: teach classes, sing songs, earn badges, keep luggage and trinkets… they claim they were starving but they didn’t seem to get sick or have reduced energy at all. They whines at Chefoo, they whined at the second place, they whined at the camp… there was no sense of place to any of these locations and they seemed pretty interchangeable.
The war didn’t feel real to me. I wasn’t transported in time nor did I feel any sense of danger or tension.
Shoehorning in an implausible romance seemed forced and silly. Given the horrors of war, using internment camps as a staging ground for a romance really irks me. (view spoiler)[ Elspeth went moping about Harry all the time to insta-love with Charlie in a blink of an eye. It was totally unconvincing. (hide spoiler)]
(view spoiler)[ The baby thread was utterly ridiculous. At this stage it just felt like the author was trying to shoehorn in as much mass market junk as possible. (hide spoiler)]
So pacing issues, weak plot, non-existent characterization, and utter ridiculousness aside, I also found the following grating as hell: 150+ pages of pure British exceptionalism, a cult-like devotion to girl guides, the perseverance porn feel to the whole book, toxic masculinity and stiff upper lip crap, loads of Christian values and god bothering, and petulant and entitled posh people.
This was a total flop. I should have DNF’d it because the story and ending do not justify the slog....more
A marked improvement over her more recent books but still ever so reliant on the failure-to-communicate trope. Maybe it’s me: I just don’t find ant3.5
A marked improvement over her more recent books but still ever so reliant on the failure-to-communicate trope. Maybe it’s me: I just don’t find antics based in refusal to communicate or childish antics zany or amusing; they’re just frustrating. All of this could have been resolved with a simple conversation right from go.
I struggled to like Effie at the beginning. This book kind of reminder me of Save the Date (Morgan Matson) but where Charlie’s antics are a bit more excusable because she’s a teenager, Effie was just a petulant adult with severe arrested development. Her obstinance, assumptions, and entitled attitude made her exceptionally difficult to tolerate. I was really worried at the beginning because I find books with intensely unlikeable characters to be a struggle; however, she does improve as the book goes on which was a really nice surprise.
Bean and Gus were great.
I do get a bit weary of the recurring theme in this author’s work that any traditionally beautiful woman has to be super vacuous or an evil calculating villain (read: Krista, Lacey, Romilly). It kinda gives that I’m-still-bitter-about-being-bullied-by-popular-girls-in-high-school vibe. Like ugly women can be nightmares and pretty woman can be delightful… it’s all part of life’s rich tapestry.
I did enjoy how this book was less focused on romance that past books. I liked the family dynamic and focus far better. The romance element felt like an add-on here and it was frustrating for the usual reasons this author’s romances are (childish couple, refusal to communicate, etc). I wasn’t convinced by it. As above, it had echoes of Save the Date and the final scenes at the house were reminiscent of Malibu Rising.
The ending was a bit saccharine for my liking. What was, by the end, a really emotional and action-packed story was done a disservice by a rushed, convenient, and overly-positive ending. While the majority of the book felt plausible, the ending did not.
I think I’m harder on these books that I used to be. I haven’t enjoyed the past few and I really only read them because I loved the authors earlier works and I keep hoping for a banger in the style of the older books. While I understand returning to an authors work because you like their tropes and patterns (it can be comforting, look at Becky Bloomwood: she hasn’t grown up in decades), I find it has the opposite effect on me and I just find them samey and rehashed versions of themselves. The books are starting to read more and more like YA only with adults acting like teenagers instead of an age-appropriate cast for the kinds of behaviours we’re seeing.
The less said about this the better: pompous and overdone prose, glacial pace, predictable outcome, lack of compelling/sympathetic characters (I ha1.5
The less said about this the better: pompous and overdone prose, glacial pace, predictable outcome, lack of compelling/sympathetic characters (I hated that cat so much!), and a general gross feeling. The writing style was dry, pretentious, and dull and I felt the (view spoiler)[ “gotcha” moment was voyeuristic and rather cruel to the folks who do suffer from DID. Marketing a book about mental illness as horror is in really poor taste. This is not a horror book, it’s just sad. (hide spoiler)]
I don’t recommend this. I kinda wish I’d DNF’d it. Colour me thoroughly unimpressed....more
A great book for Spooktober. It reminded me of both The Village and The VVitch, with echoes of Midsommar. Honestly, up until about halfway, this w3.5
A great book for Spooktober. It reminded me of both The Village and The VVitch, with echoes of Midsommar. Honestly, up until about halfway, this was a five-star book.
While this book had cracking atmosphere and tension in the beginning, it fell a bit flat by the end. (view spoiler)[ The author had a brilliant opportunity to makes this book amazing but kinda steered it off a cliff in the latter half. Firstly, I genuinely don’t understand why Lilith was just as vilified as the god-botherers. I was really hoping Immanuelle would align herself with Lilith, embrace her dark power, and live life deliciously. I was disappointed when she treated the coven with the same disdain as the god-botherers when the latter were far worse. I got the impression that Lilith was firmly on Immanuelle's side so that whole bit at the ending was baffling to me. (hide spoiler)] Secondly, I wasn't convinced by the character of Immanuelle - she wasn't likeable, she lacked the strong characterisation that should have made me root for her, and, like all the other characters, seemed a lightly sketched version of her full potential. Lastly, the Ezra components impeded the whole feminist vibe - everything about Ezra felt shoe-horned, implausible, and forced. (view spoiler)[ This book did not need romance in it and, even though it was minor, it still distracted from things in an unnecessary way. Instead, we could have had a strong female friendship with Leah, a witchy familial element with Vera, an enemies-to-friends thread with Judith... but no, we got an undercooked and unconvincing romantic subplot. Ugh. (hide spoiler)]
Ultimately, these elements reduced what could have been a truly awesome story into an alright story. But, it's a compelling first novel and I'll be interested to see what the author does next.
Apparently this will be a three-book series. While that might explain the book ending on a whimper and not a bang, I'm still a firm believer that a book should have a definitive beginning, middle, and end with strong characterization. A good book should stand on its own merit, not be reliant on a series to redeem its initial failings....more
This gets a lot of points for being autumnal and atmospheric as heck but it’s a strange mish-mash of a book.
It’s not what I was expecting: it’s n3.5
This gets a lot of points for being autumnal and atmospheric as heck but it’s a strange mish-mash of a book.
It’s not what I was expecting: it’s not scary, and I’m struggling to fully ascertain who it was geared to. The writing was simplistic and there was a tedious amount of teenage angst that I could have done without yet some of the imagery around the haunts is not what I would expect as something geared towards mass markets or new readers. Hmmm.
Again, the atmosphere was perfect for October. The forest was a character unto itself! I liked the dynamic between Brom and Katrina. I wasn’t wild about Ben - I found his inner monologue tedious at times and his immaturity and failure to listen to sound instruction annoyed me. I also had a problem with how seriously Brom and Katrina took (view spoiler)[ the witchcraft allegations yet everyone seemed fine with acknowledging Ben was a lad. I feel like a town jumping on the witchcraft train wouldn’t have been on board with accepting Ben as transgender. (hide spoiler)]
The ending dragged a bit after (view spoiler)[ Brom’s death… (hide spoiler)] the story kind of lost its tether and ventured into ‘major suspension of disbelief to the point of ludicrous’ territory.
Definitely read this in October, it’s got great atmosphere. But, if you’re looking for something scary, this isn’t going to his the mark....more