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Clinch
Henning Koch, Martin Holmen and Tom Sanderson
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'Clinch is a dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I've read in years' - Lynda...
The Miseducation of Evie Epworth
10.0
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Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she...
Suitable for YA Coming of Age
The Astonishing Color of After
8.3
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Life, loss, love and art explode in a kaleidoscope of emotions as one girl must learn the truth...
young adult
Our Little Racket: A Novel
6.0
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A captivating debut about wealth, envy, and secrets: the story of five women whose lives are...
Fiction
A suspenseful read about the ownership of stories
Jacob Finch Bonner, the once promising author of the debut novel The Invention of Wonder, is now a struggling writer teaching at Ripley College in Vermont. At Ripley, basically anyone can attend to receive a MFA. This includes Evan Parker, a pompous jerk who declares he doesn't need Jake--or anyone's--help to make his novel a success. But when Evan actually deigns to share his plot with Jake, Jake can't help but agree. He waits for Evan's inevitable success, but it never comes. When he learns that Evan has died--without having published his book--Jake feels that his story must be told. So Jake writes it, and he is soon basking in the success he was so sure Evan would have. He's rich, famous, and touring the country on a book tour. But then he receives the first email: "You are a thief." Jake feels everything he has about to slip away. As the threats increase, Jake begins to dig into Evan's past. What he finds is horrifying--he may not be the only one who stole this story--and the consequences could be deadly.
"All Jacob Finch Bonnner had ever wanted to be was a writer."
THE PLOT starts off slowly, but then takes off, becoming a compulsively readable thriller. It's incredibly ominous and creepy and peppered with reading and writer references. If you love to read, or write, there's a whole meta layer to this book. (Not to mention, we get pieces of Jake's "stolen" novel within our novel as well.) Slowly everything untangles: Jacob's plot, Evan's life, and more.
"Evan Parker had been entirely correct: the worst writer on the planet could not mess up a plot like this."
The book builds on, year by year, as Jacob moves from his struggling writer days to a successful and famous novelist. I had an inkling of some of what happened, but enjoyed reading to see if I was right. Jake isn't exactly a sympathetic character, but he's fascinating, and the book certainly makes you think.
It's best to go into THE PLOT blind, so I don't want to reveal too much. But I stayed up late to finish it, because it's quite captivating--and different. I certainly recommend it. 4 stars.
"All Jacob Finch Bonnner had ever wanted to be was a writer."
THE PLOT starts off slowly, but then takes off, becoming a compulsively readable thriller. It's incredibly ominous and creepy and peppered with reading and writer references. If you love to read, or write, there's a whole meta layer to this book. (Not to mention, we get pieces of Jake's "stolen" novel within our novel as well.) Slowly everything untangles: Jacob's plot, Evan's life, and more.
"Evan Parker had been entirely correct: the worst writer on the planet could not mess up a plot like this."
The book builds on, year by year, as Jacob moves from his struggling writer days to a successful and famous novelist. I had an inkling of some of what happened, but enjoyed reading to see if I was right. Jake isn't exactly a sympathetic character, but he's fascinating, and the book certainly makes you think.
It's best to go into THE PLOT blind, so I don't want to reveal too much. But I stayed up late to finish it, because it's quite captivating--and different. I certainly recommend it. 4 stars.
Black Rabbit Hall
6.0
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One golden family. One fateful summer. Four lives changed forever. Amber Alton knows that the hours...
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Hard to Get: A Haven#s Cove Novel #2 in Books
Apr 19, 2018
stunning follow up to Hard to let Go.
I was gifted my copy of this book, direct from the author. That I write a review was not required.
We met Gabe and Nate in book one, Hard to Let Go. You don't NEED to have read that before you read this one, but it will give you a better picture of Haven's Cove and the people in it, and why Gabe is in town. But you SHOULD read it, not least because that is a stunning 5 star debut read, but also because I said you SHOULD!
And this is another STUNNING follow up to that novel!
Gabe is Brody's best friend; brother in all ways but blood. Nate is hired by Brody. When Nate and Gabe meet, Gabe is immediately pulled to Nate. But Nate pushes Gabe away, and keeps pushing but Gabe keeps trying. Until they each see a different side to the other, and think that they can be friends, at least.
While not quite as emotionally devastating to me personally as book one, I absolutely loved this follow up!
Both men have been hurt before, badly and they deal with that in their own way. I'm not saying who does what but know that neither way is right or wrong, but it's right for that person to deal with their past in that way.
When the full extent of Gabe's hurt becomes clear, I cried for him, I really did. I loved that Nate's family showed himhow it should be. Nate's hurt is no less painful, just different.
I loved that it took a single line from a 5 year old to make Gabe see what and WHO he really wants.
"Because that's what daddies do"
I take it back! This book WAS emotionally devastating! It was just in a very VERY different way to book one.
I loved that we got some Brody and Owen and Jonah too. His story is laid out here and I can't wait to read that one. I have a feeling Jonah isn't as happy as he makes out and Cameron?? Well that boy is in a world of hurt already.
I always worry, you know, after reading such a stunning debut novel, that the next book might not be up to par with that book. But I need not have worried here.
5 stunning follow up stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
We met Gabe and Nate in book one, Hard to Let Go. You don't NEED to have read that before you read this one, but it will give you a better picture of Haven's Cove and the people in it, and why Gabe is in town. But you SHOULD read it, not least because that is a stunning 5 star debut read, but also because I said you SHOULD!
And this is another STUNNING follow up to that novel!
Gabe is Brody's best friend; brother in all ways but blood. Nate is hired by Brody. When Nate and Gabe meet, Gabe is immediately pulled to Nate. But Nate pushes Gabe away, and keeps pushing but Gabe keeps trying. Until they each see a different side to the other, and think that they can be friends, at least.
While not quite as emotionally devastating to me personally as book one, I absolutely loved this follow up!
Both men have been hurt before, badly and they deal with that in their own way. I'm not saying who does what but know that neither way is right or wrong, but it's right for that person to deal with their past in that way.
When the full extent of Gabe's hurt becomes clear, I cried for him, I really did. I loved that Nate's family showed himhow it should be. Nate's hurt is no less painful, just different.
I loved that it took a single line from a 5 year old to make Gabe see what and WHO he really wants.
"Because that's what daddies do"
I take it back! This book WAS emotionally devastating! It was just in a very VERY different way to book one.
I loved that we got some Brody and Owen and Jonah too. His story is laid out here and I can't wait to read that one. I have a feeling Jonah isn't as happy as he makes out and Cameron?? Well that boy is in a world of hurt already.
I always worry, you know, after reading such a stunning debut novel, that the next book might not be up to par with that book. But I need not have worried here.
5 stunning follow up stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Louise (64 KP) rated The Square Root of Summer in Books
Jul 2, 2018
One word really describes this book…. confusing! for the majority of the book I didn’t really know what was going on. I think the state of confusion was on my behalf as I am not a massive fan of physics and unable to get my head around it.
The Square Root of Summer is Harriet Reuter Hapgood’s debut novel, the story is told from the perspective of Gottie. A year ago her life was pretty good, she had an amazing family, a boyfriend and decent friends and then it shattered all around her. It’s been a year since Gottie’s grandfather died, the family are devastated and have slowly drifted apart as they come to terms with their loss. To make things worse her so-called ‘boyfriend’ left for University/College and the great friends she had are continuing on with their lives without Gottie.
When she receives news that her next door neighbour/best friend Thomas is coming back to England to live after moving to Canada things start happening to Gottie that she just can’t explain.
Gottie is a science geek and loves physics, so when she starts having flashbacks of everything that happened the previous year before Grey’s(Grandfather) death, she tries to understand what is happening to her. Gottie believes that she is traveling back in time through wormholes and vortexes (all that physicy stuff) and soon the summer becomes a mission to find out if you can really time travel.
This book is a coming of age story that includes grief, families,friends, and love. The book shows how much heartbreak a death in the family can cause and that something stressful (major life event) will tip you over the edge. Wormholes and Vortexes were Gottie’s coping mechanism, she enjoyed physics and that’s what helped her. With these flashback’s/time travelling (you decide) it enabled her to start talking to her family and friends again, also finding herself and become the person she wanted to be.
This is a great debut novel set in Norfolk, England. Hapgood managed to include aspects of her German heritage into the book, the family dynamics and characters are complex and three-dimensional, there is bookstores and baking and also to top it off there is a cute romance.What more could you ask for?
I rated this 3 of 5 stars
*I received a copyofthis book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
The Square Root of Summer is Harriet Reuter Hapgood’s debut novel, the story is told from the perspective of Gottie. A year ago her life was pretty good, she had an amazing family, a boyfriend and decent friends and then it shattered all around her. It’s been a year since Gottie’s grandfather died, the family are devastated and have slowly drifted apart as they come to terms with their loss. To make things worse her so-called ‘boyfriend’ left for University/College and the great friends she had are continuing on with their lives without Gottie.
When she receives news that her next door neighbour/best friend Thomas is coming back to England to live after moving to Canada things start happening to Gottie that she just can’t explain.
Gottie is a science geek and loves physics, so when she starts having flashbacks of everything that happened the previous year before Grey’s(Grandfather) death, she tries to understand what is happening to her. Gottie believes that she is traveling back in time through wormholes and vortexes (all that physicy stuff) and soon the summer becomes a mission to find out if you can really time travel.
This book is a coming of age story that includes grief, families,friends, and love. The book shows how much heartbreak a death in the family can cause and that something stressful (major life event) will tip you over the edge. Wormholes and Vortexes were Gottie’s coping mechanism, she enjoyed physics and that’s what helped her. With these flashback’s/time travelling (you decide) it enabled her to start talking to her family and friends again, also finding herself and become the person she wanted to be.
This is a great debut novel set in Norfolk, England. Hapgood managed to include aspects of her German heritage into the book, the family dynamics and characters are complex and three-dimensional, there is bookstores and baking and also to top it off there is a cute romance.What more could you ask for?
I rated this 3 of 5 stars
*I received a copyofthis book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Katie Guinn (34 KP) rated Goodbye Days in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Where do I start with this book? I read Jeff Zentner’s debut novel, The Serpent King, last year and I absolutely loved it, I’m talking one of my favorite reads of the year. And after finishing his follow-up novel, it’s safe to say that he’s becoming an auto-read author for me. The story opens with Carver Briggs (named after Raymond Carver and nicknamed Blade, how cool is that?) attending the funerals of his three best friends who were killed in an auto accident while texting Carver. As you can imagine, Carver is constantly plagued by guilt, grief, and the threat of possible prosecution. Every time I picked up this book, I immediately had a lump in my throat, the emotion was so real and so raw. Throughout the course of the book, Carver has “goodbye days” with each of his friends’ families, sharing memories and trying to make peace with his loss. They were the hardest parts to read, but also the most beautiful, where you could really feel Carver’s love for his friends and the depth of his grief.
One of my favorite things about Jeff Zentner is how he writes his characters. Carver and his friends, The Sauce Crew, feel like real teenage boys, sometimes cringingly so. Zentner writes misfits and outcasts as only someone who has been there can; honestly and compassionately. His prose sometimes feels almost poetical, lyrical; which makes sense. He’s also a guitarist and songwriter with five albums under his belt, who’s recorded with Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry. His love for music is a common thread in his books, both of which feature musicians and the power of music to heal and inspire. (The music-related Serpent King cameo was possibly my favorite thing in this novel)
While I didn’t love this one quite as much as The Serpent King, it was still a five star read for me and I recommend it if you’re a YA contemporary fan or if you just enjoy having your heart ripped out of your chest and shredded into confetti multiple times.
One of my favorite things about Jeff Zentner is how he writes his characters. Carver and his friends, The Sauce Crew, feel like real teenage boys, sometimes cringingly so. Zentner writes misfits and outcasts as only someone who has been there can; honestly and compassionately. His prose sometimes feels almost poetical, lyrical; which makes sense. He’s also a guitarist and songwriter with five albums under his belt, who’s recorded with Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry. His love for music is a common thread in his books, both of which feature musicians and the power of music to heal and inspire. (The music-related Serpent King cameo was possibly my favorite thing in this novel)
While I didn’t love this one quite as much as The Serpent King, it was still a five star read for me and I recommend it if you’re a YA contemporary fan or if you just enjoy having your heart ripped out of your chest and shredded into confetti multiple times.
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Ivy (Blackbird #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The first thing that I loved about this book is that the main female character has a warmth and depth to her that makes her immediately likeable. She is a young widow (not a virgin for a change) who is still grieving for her husband who died unexpectedly from pancreatic cancer. She is encouraged (bullied!) to leave her flat to go Christmas shopping but whilst she is in the store there is a terrorist attack. She doesn't just scream and flap and wait to be rescued. No, she thinks about the advice her husband gave her and follows it to the best of her ability. And that, is just the start.
This book is amazingly written and it is hard to believe that it is the debut novel. I would have loved more scenes with the three of them as there were quite a few with Ivy, and Ivy and her friends, but not so much with Ivy, Gareth and Steve. Maybe I'm just being greedy but they had such a good connection, I wanted to see more. Hopefully they will be in other Blackbird books, which I am eagerly anticipating.
On the whole, this book has a well-developed plot line which proceeds with a great pace. The characters are all believable and have layers to them. The story itself is funny, warm and romantic. Definitely recommended.
This book is amazingly written and it is hard to believe that it is the debut novel. I would have loved more scenes with the three of them as there were quite a few with Ivy, and Ivy and her friends, but not so much with Ivy, Gareth and Steve. Maybe I'm just being greedy but they had such a good connection, I wanted to see more. Hopefully they will be in other Blackbird books, which I am eagerly anticipating.
On the whole, this book has a well-developed plot line which proceeds with a great pace. The characters are all believable and have layers to them. The story itself is funny, warm and romantic. Definitely recommended.