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Then She Vanishes
Then She Vanishes
Claire Douglas | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
83 of 235
Book
Then she Vanishes
By Claire Douglass
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jess and Heather were once best friends - until the night Heather's sister Flora vanished. The night that lies tore their friendship apart.

But years later, when a brutal double murder shakes their childhood town, Jess returns home.

Because the suspect is Heather.

What happened to the girl you used to know?

I’m not sure where I stand with this book. It took me so long to read and not because it was bad because it wasn’t it was a good story but I think it was just a bit drawn out and a bit slow to begin with. The ending was good which is why it’s a 3 and not a 2 star. I’m definitely sitting on the fence with this one.
  
FB
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For Better or Worse is the second of three in the Wedding Belles series and so far has been my favourite (though only 2 have been released) I loved Josh Tanner from the get go – as soon as his character popped up he was the one for me.

We meet Heather Fowler briefly in To Have and To Hold and her character in that book appears to be very blasé about love – she’s all about the wedding planning – which isn’t a bad thing until For Better or Worse.

Heather is a one track mind kinda gal and wedding planning is it. Her big dream and her reasoning behind that is due to the endless string of “The One” from her mother; I don’t – in all honesty the first few times we hear from Heather’s mother – like her, she gives me a bad vibe. But my opinion of her improves greatly the further the story progresses.

My all time favourite character in this book was Josh Tanner. He had the YOLO kind of attitude and the way he spent his life before Heather moved in next door was a “what I want when I want” mentality. He was very funny and kept me smiling throughout the book even when things were getting hard for him he still managed to retain his sense of humour.

It also felt a little like Josh was going through a mid – life crisis and wasn’t 100% sure on where he was going in life. After a battle with cancer he’d taken to the “what I want when I want” mentality quite quickly but had also begun to feel like it wasn’t enough.

His friendship with Heather was awesome – 4c and 4a were the nicknames floating around during almost every conversation – and their friendship didn’t start off all that well but it turned into a budding friendship with benefits that ultimately (despite their refusals) led to love.

The book had just the right amount of seriousness and was – in my opinion – overpowered the great humourous relationship between Heather and Josh; despite their differences and the difficult times they managed to retain the great sense of humour throughout the story.

I really enjoy Lauren Layne’s writing style and she’s definitely my favourite “chicklit ” author which considering I don’t really like it an amazing feat. Her books have always got humour and great characters with witty banter and good back stories. The plots are quite unique as well and I can’t wait until the next Wedding Belles book is out and the next Oxford one for that matter.
  
    My Little Pony: The Movie

    My Little Pony: The Movie

    Book and Entertainment

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    The official storybook app for MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE is here! In Hasbro’s MY LITTLE PONY THE...

Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8)
Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8)
Terry Pratchett | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I recently finished reading Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett, the latest book in the Discworld series. The wizards at Unseen University discover a law that states that they must participate in city football games (soccer), but the catch is they can't use any magic. The assistant candle dribbler, Mr. Nutt is brought in to coach this humorous seemingly hopeless team of over the hill wizards. Mr. Nutt is a little odd and seems to be a goblin, but he can't really remember himself. He befriends his candle dribbler boss Trevor Likely whose father was a famous footballer and they strike up an unlikely, but endearing friendship.
 I loved this book. The friendship between Mr. Nutt and Trevor makes you smile and even laugh at certain points in the story. Terry Pratchett introduces some new characters like Juliette, Trevor's love interest and assistant cook and Glenda, her supervisor who warns her all the time about men and their ways. There are even cameo appearances by old favorites like Rincewind, the librarian, DEATH, the watch, and even Lord Vetinari.
 The pacing starts off a little slow, but it finds its groove and we are told a great story about football, the fans, and the players. We are also shown how wonderful it is when you have friends and loved ones, that see the good in you and because they believe in you, it brings out the best in you. There are also the funny jokes, wit, and social commentary that comes with a Discworld book, overall making it quite an enjoyable read.
 If you haven't read Unseen Academicals yet and you are a Discworld fan, I suggest you do. It's a great story and you will find yourself chuckling at various moments.
  
Evvie Drake Starts Over
Evvie Drake Starts Over
Linda Holmes | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh goodness, what can I say about Evvie that hasn't been said before? Nothing, I'm sure. This is such raw, real, funny, and lovely read. Evvie Drake lives alone in her small Maine town. She's recently widowed and the entire town--including her best friend, Andy--thinks her solitude is due to her grief. Meanwhile, in New York, pitcher Dean Tenney is a national joke. He's struggling with the "yips" --Dean can no longer pitch properly, and he has no idea why. Dean is also Andy's childhood friend, and so he accepts an invitation to stay in Evvie's back apartment. She needs the money, and he needs a place to get away. They make a deal: he won't ask about her husband, and she won't ask about baseball. But, even so, the two form an unlikely friendship.

Oh yeah, you say, I can see where this is going. They'll form a "friendship" and it will bloom into something more and yeah, yeah. Well, maybe. But this book is so much more than a typical romance. Evvie is not a romance caricature at all. There is true grief that screams across the pages in this novel--Evvie's and, yes, Dean's too. Dean is not just a celebrity love interest tossed in for fun. You root for him--and for them.

This story, this book. It has these funny moments and cute sections. It's sweet and tender, but there is no schmaltz. And Holmes weaves in pop culture quite seamlessly, too. Evvie and Dean will seem like people to you, your friends, and they will break your hearts, and yet, in the end, maybe mend them too. This is a wonderful read, and I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars.
  
40x40

ClareR (5885 KP) rated Mayflies in Books

Jul 4, 2021  
Mayflies
Mayflies
Andrew O'Hagan | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mayflies is a book of two halves, and I really enjoyed both.
The first half, set in 1986, follows a group of friends who travel down to Manchester from their small Scottish town. Manchester is the epicentre of everything they believe to be cool. Best friends James and Tully decide that weekend to make something of their lives, and not to compromise. This part of the novel is full of nostalgia - even for me, and I was 13 in 1986, so nowhere near as independent as Tully, Jimmy and their friends. But I could empathise with their new-found freedom, their enthusiasm of good music, films and books, and their feelings about politics.

2017, and Jimmy gets a phone call from Tully asking him to come home from London and see him. Tully has terminal cancer and needs Jimmy to help him - this is the true test of their friendship.

I loved how this was written, and how it really brought home the power of friendship and the memories that you share with those friends. Tully and Jimmy are more brothers than friends, and this felt like a really genuine relationship. So much so, that I was close to tears on several occasions. This is NOT a book to read in your lunch break (I did - but just the once!), because once I started reading it, half an hour wasn’t enough. And walking in to a room full of three year olds after a particularly emotional part wasn’t my finest moment!

So would I recommend this? Yes, I most certainly would. And I listened to parts of this on Audible, read so well by the author, so I’d recommend this too!