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Christine A. (965 KP) rated Little Darlings in Books
Mar 23, 2019
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding has been described as an "unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales." I would say I enjoyed the novel, its plot, and the writing.
Like almost all mothers with newborns, Lauren Tranter is exhausted from lack of sleep. Lauren has it worse than many mothers because she gave birth to twins. SInce she is so exhausted and sleep deprived no one believes her when, still in the hospital, she claims someone tried to take her children and wants to replace them with her own.
A month later her children are taken but when they are returned Lauren knows they are not really her children. Again, no one believes her.
What do you do when everyone tells you are wrong and does not believe you? Do you start to wonder if they are right? What if you are positive you are right and everyone else is wrong?
Melanie Golding's debut novel is a slow start but it is worth reading. The novel gets creepier and most suspenseful as the story progresses. The writing and character development, and the creepy stories at the beginning on the chapters helped set the mood well.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/23/19.
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding has been described as an "unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales." I would say I enjoyed the novel, its plot, and the writing.
Like almost all mothers with newborns, Lauren Tranter is exhausted from lack of sleep. Lauren has it worse than many mothers because she gave birth to twins. SInce she is so exhausted and sleep deprived no one believes her when, still in the hospital, she claims someone tried to take her children and wants to replace them with her own.
A month later her children are taken but when they are returned Lauren knows they are not really her children. Again, no one believes her.
What do you do when everyone tells you are wrong and does not believe you? Do you start to wonder if they are right? What if you are positive you are right and everyone else is wrong?
Melanie Golding's debut novel is a slow start but it is worth reading. The novel gets creepier and most suspenseful as the story progresses. The writing and character development, and the creepy stories at the beginning on the chapters helped set the mood well.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/23/19.
Dana (24 KP) rated Furthermore (Furthermore, #1) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Okay, so I got this book as an ARC at Yallwest back in May, so I finally decided to read it because it comes out later this month!! This is my second book in the 10 books in 10 days challenge!!
I love that Tahereh Mafi wrote a middle grade book. I don't often read this age group, but because it was hers, I went for it and oh my goodness I was not disappointed. Even though it's a middle grade book, maybe even because of it, the story is able to get super deep and promotes the idea that you are enough as you are, no matter what you look like or what you have. I think that's super important for students during this time.
It is amazing how much one person's writing style is able to change based on the story they are telling. Tahereh, I feel, is very much a method writer in the fact that she really inhabits the characters and their worlds as she is writing them. I really appreciate that as a reader because it makes the stories more immersive and entertaining!!
I loved the nonsensicalness of the story. It is very reminiscent of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, but it doesn't blatantly copy what he wrote. While they both have lands in which nonsense rules, they are still different beings.
Alice is so freaking sassy and I love it. The insults she throws throughout the story are hilarious, my favorite being "overgrown pineapple" because why not?
Also, the author asides are almost at a Lemony Snicket level of commentary. And the chapter breaks are so random, but I love them. There are so many interjections that are hilarious.
I love this adventure story so much! It focuses a lot of the growth of friendships and of the characters themselves which, again, is something I think middle grade readers need to see more of.
This book is actually very emotions as well! It shows a child's view of her parents and that everyone, even parents, can make mistakes and should be able to apologize for those mistakes. The characters are very well written and are amazingly deep. I haven't read many middle grade novels recently, but this one seems especially awesome. It shows people as having flaws and making bad decisions.
I recommend that everyone reads this at some point because it is just so freaking amazing and so quotable!!
I'm going to post some of my favorite quotes after this, so if you don't want to read them, stop here!!
"Love had made her fearless, wasn't it strange? It was so much easier to fight for another than it was to fight for oneself." (p144)
"'And his sentence was very long,' said Oliver.' 'Oh yes, it was made up of many words!'" (p231) (This one made me cackle)
"He never let her win, never let her convince him she was right. He fought harder for her than she ever fought for herself." (p250)
"This new Alice was confident and bold; she was articulate and passionate; she had become the kind of person who'd lived through hardship and survived with grace." (p382)
<b>"The simple truth was that Alice would always be different-but to be different was to be extraordinary, and to be extraordinary was an adventure. It no longer mattered how the world saw her; what mattered was how Alice saw herself." (p385)</b>
I love that Tahereh Mafi wrote a middle grade book. I don't often read this age group, but because it was hers, I went for it and oh my goodness I was not disappointed. Even though it's a middle grade book, maybe even because of it, the story is able to get super deep and promotes the idea that you are enough as you are, no matter what you look like or what you have. I think that's super important for students during this time.
It is amazing how much one person's writing style is able to change based on the story they are telling. Tahereh, I feel, is very much a method writer in the fact that she really inhabits the characters and their worlds as she is writing them. I really appreciate that as a reader because it makes the stories more immersive and entertaining!!
I loved the nonsensicalness of the story. It is very reminiscent of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, but it doesn't blatantly copy what he wrote. While they both have lands in which nonsense rules, they are still different beings.
Alice is so freaking sassy and I love it. The insults she throws throughout the story are hilarious, my favorite being "overgrown pineapple" because why not?
Also, the author asides are almost at a Lemony Snicket level of commentary. And the chapter breaks are so random, but I love them. There are so many interjections that are hilarious.
I love this adventure story so much! It focuses a lot of the growth of friendships and of the characters themselves which, again, is something I think middle grade readers need to see more of.
This book is actually very emotions as well! It shows a child's view of her parents and that everyone, even parents, can make mistakes and should be able to apologize for those mistakes. The characters are very well written and are amazingly deep. I haven't read many middle grade novels recently, but this one seems especially awesome. It shows people as having flaws and making bad decisions.
I recommend that everyone reads this at some point because it is just so freaking amazing and so quotable!!
I'm going to post some of my favorite quotes after this, so if you don't want to read them, stop here!!
"Love had made her fearless, wasn't it strange? It was so much easier to fight for another than it was to fight for oneself." (p144)
"'And his sentence was very long,' said Oliver.' 'Oh yes, it was made up of many words!'" (p231) (This one made me cackle)
"He never let her win, never let her convince him she was right. He fought harder for her than she ever fought for herself." (p250)
"This new Alice was confident and bold; she was articulate and passionate; she had become the kind of person who'd lived through hardship and survived with grace." (p382)
<b>"The simple truth was that Alice would always be different-but to be different was to be extraordinary, and to be extraordinary was an adventure. It no longer mattered how the world saw her; what mattered was how Alice saw herself." (p385)</b>
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Switch in Books
Jan 7, 2021
A touching look at love and loss
Leena Cotton's way to deal with life is losing herself in her work. But when she's forced to take a two-month sabbatical, her usual focal point is gone. So Leena comes up with a plan: she'll escape to her grandmother Eileen's house, a beautiful little cottage in the lovely, quiet village of Hamleigh, and Eileen will come and stay in Leena's flat in London. To Leena, this sounds perfect; her grandmother, after all, though nearly eighty, is newly single and looking for another chance at love. Where better to find it than in bustling London? But switching places isn't as easy as it seems. In Hamleigh, Leena learns her grandmother's shoes are hard to fill, having to plan a local festival and deal with nosy neighbors. Meanwhile, in London, Eileen has to get up-to-speed with online dating and the hustle and bustle of a busy city. But, all may not be lost for the Cotton women.
Oh this book. It's just absolutely lovely. I wasn't sure if the idea of a "swapping places" book would come across as silly or trite, but in O'Leary's deft hands, it's perfect. She gives us a beautiful story about healing after grief (Leena's sabbatical comes because she blows a presentation as she's dealing with the grief of losing her sister; Eileen, obviously, has lost her granddaughter). But it's also funny, sweet, and romantic. The sadness is woven in with hope and beauty. It's one of those rare books that can make you both cry and laugh.
Eileen and Leena--what can I say about these characters? They are so real! I identified, of course, with workaholic Leena, and you just want to go into the book and save her (though she doesn't need it) as she struggles with her sister's death, feeling abandoned by her own grieving mother after the loss, and getting her life back on track. And Eileen? She's a total trip. Finally free to find love again, she's a wonderful and spunky woman that you cannot help but root for. The supporting cast is absolutely excellent--Leena's friends and flatmates, combined with the townspeople of Hamleigh, make for some of the most memorable supporting cast I can remember in quite some time. They all fit together perfectly in the story.
Overall, I defy you not to fall for this tale. Eileen's quest for love. Leena's quest to find herself again. O'Leary gives us a beautiful gift in THE SWITCH. One of my favorite reads of the year. 4.5+ stars.
Leena Cotton's way to deal with life is losing herself in her work. But when she's forced to take a two-month sabbatical, her usual focal point is gone. So Leena comes up with a plan: she'll escape to her grandmother Eileen's house, a beautiful little cottage in the lovely, quiet village of Hamleigh, and Eileen will come and stay in Leena's flat in London. To Leena, this sounds perfect; her grandmother, after all, though nearly eighty, is newly single and looking for another chance at love. Where better to find it than in bustling London? But switching places isn't as easy as it seems. In Hamleigh, Leena learns her grandmother's shoes are hard to fill, having to plan a local festival and deal with nosy neighbors. Meanwhile, in London, Eileen has to get up-to-speed with online dating and the hustle and bustle of a busy city. But, all may not be lost for the Cotton women.
Oh this book. It's just absolutely lovely. I wasn't sure if the idea of a "swapping places" book would come across as silly or trite, but in O'Leary's deft hands, it's perfect. She gives us a beautiful story about healing after grief (Leena's sabbatical comes because she blows a presentation as she's dealing with the grief of losing her sister; Eileen, obviously, has lost her granddaughter). But it's also funny, sweet, and romantic. The sadness is woven in with hope and beauty. It's one of those rare books that can make you both cry and laugh.
Eileen and Leena--what can I say about these characters? They are so real! I identified, of course, with workaholic Leena, and you just want to go into the book and save her (though she doesn't need it) as she struggles with her sister's death, feeling abandoned by her own grieving mother after the loss, and getting her life back on track. And Eileen? She's a total trip. Finally free to find love again, she's a wonderful and spunky woman that you cannot help but root for. The supporting cast is absolutely excellent--Leena's friends and flatmates, combined with the townspeople of Hamleigh, make for some of the most memorable supporting cast I can remember in quite some time. They all fit together perfectly in the story.
Overall, I defy you not to fall for this tale. Eileen's quest for love. Leena's quest to find herself again. O'Leary gives us a beautiful gift in THE SWITCH. One of my favorite reads of the year. 4.5+ stars.
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated C is for Corpse (Kinsey Millhone #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
While working out at the gym, PI Kinsey Millhone is approached by a young man who was in a horrific accident 10 months ago take took part of his memory. He doesn’t think it was an accident but attempted murder and he wants Kinsey to find out why someone would want to kill him. She just begun when tragedy strikes. Can she solve this 10 month old puzzle?
Another strong entry makes it easy to see why this long running series is so popular. The characters are sharp; in fact, it is a pleasure to see how easily the author creates characters with just a few sentences. The plot moves along well, although I did figure things out a bit before Kinsey did. That’s a minor issue in this enjoyable novel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-c-is-for-corpse-by-sue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Another strong entry makes it easy to see why this long running series is so popular. The characters are sharp; in fact, it is a pleasure to see how easily the author creates characters with just a few sentences. The plot moves along well, although I did figure things out a bit before Kinsey did. That’s a minor issue in this enjoyable novel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-c-is-for-corpse-by-sue.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.