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For Your Own Good
For Your Own Good
Samantha Downing | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fun and Over The Top!
I read a lot of thrillers and I am getting harder to please but I'm happy to say that For Your Own Good pleased me!

This book had me hooked and I read it in super quick time. It is full of thoroughly unlikeable characters where few had any redeeming qualities and I have to admit that I actually smiled when at least one of them came to their sticky end!

The story is written from various points of view and whilst this puts you right into the heads of the characters, it does take away some of the tension and thrills but it was fun being in the heads of people who had clearly lost the plot!

This was a fun and over the top read that I would recommend to those who are able to put reality and plausibility aside for a few hours and just hop on and enjoy the ride.

My thanks go to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Family Business
Family Business
Jonathan Sims | 2022 | Horror, Paranormal
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have never read anything by Mr Sims before but I do like to dip into the horror genre on occasion however, this is what I would call more supernatural with a bit of horror thrown in rather than a full-blown horror but that's ok just like this was an ok read.

What I enjoyed: the characters were interesting and believable, the "monster" was something a bit different and the plot was pretty unique.

What let it down for me: it was a bit of a slow burn with not a lot happening for quite a lot of the book although there was an increasing sense of unease which built up from the start but it just seemed to take a long time to get there unfortunately.

Whilst I wouldn't say this was one of my favourites in this genre, I did like Mr Sim's writing style and I would be tempted to read his future books and I must give my thanks to The Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Family Business.
  
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Karla Dee (6 KP) rated Her Good Side in Books

May 27, 2023  
Her Good Side
Her Good Side
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Love this cover and I am so happy to have won a copy from bookish first to review. I used to play basketball in middle school and I enjoy any YA books that take me back to the time of playing sports in High school. I also love a good rom com and this book has that too but of course I am going to bring up that they are a diverse couple and she is plus size. I love a book that has representation and this one is so cute down to her jordan's on the cover and his van's.

Friends turned into more than friends story and it is a coming of age tale for both of the characters. Bethany and Jacob are bad at dating and decide to pretend date and usually this kind of story ends up getting dramatic messy and full of teen angst that is hard for me to get through but this book was totally not that vibe. They are both strong characters that don't succumb to peer pressure which is awesome <3<3<3
  
Ascendant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #6)
Ascendant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #6)
Alexander Elliott | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ASCENDANT MOON is the sixth book in the Gladstone Shifters series and you really need to have read everything before this one.

There is so much going on in here - the lost pack is found, a male omega is abused and impregnated due to the 'new' knowledge being used against him, new True Elders, new mates, new rules. So hold onto your hats, as it's a lot to take in.

As always, this was a gripping read. If I had any complaint, it would be that sometimes it is hard to remember just who is with whom, as there have been so many couplings and throuplings, it gets a little confusing.

I am always happy to return to Gladstone and the amazing, intricate stories that unfold there. Definitely recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
19 Sep, 2024
  
Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here
Jodi Picoult | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I didn’t quite realise how much this book would resonate with me until I started reading it. It reminded me sometimes about the awful things that we have lived through the past 2 years but also reminded me how strong people can be.
Diana and Finn are living in New York as the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning, they have planned to go on a once in a lifetime holiday to The Galápagos Islands just as the world seems to be shutting down. Finn, being a surgical resident, has been told that he can’t take time off, even pre planned holidays. While Diana, who is an art specialist working for Sotheby’s, knows that she needs to take time off as a deal she had brokered for a painting has fallen through. Finn tells Diana to go anyway as he doesn’t want to make her sick since he’s working in the hospital.
We then follow Diana exploring the beautiful, scenic Isabela island, and meeting a family who take her in and look after her when she becomes stranded there. She explores the island and although she doesn’t speak the language she manages to get by because she needs to. She has no phone service and very limited access to the internet so she has no way to contact the outside world, but it doesn’t seem to matter too much when you’re in paradise.
The second part of the book was a complete surprise, but a pleasant one. It reminded me of exactly how we were at the start of the pandemic, wiping down anything that came from outside, not opening mail for days and for some of us stripping as soon as we came in from work for fear we’d brought the virus home with us. I am a support worker and so had no choice but to go into work and look after people that had Covid-19 because as much as I was scared, I knew that they needed me more. One line that sticks in my head is also one that I thought myself: “Well if I catch it, I catch it” and that became my opinion for a lot of the pandemic.
It was a nice change that not everything was tied up with a neat little bow at the end of this book, as that’s how life is sometimes. I really enjoyed this book and I feel like it will be one of those that helps us to remember the pandemic in years to come.
  
OA
On a Clear Day
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've never been so confused with an audiobook. I don't really know why, either.

<b>There's not much of a plot going on – just a group of teenagers from random parts of the world (I think) banding together to take down a major company while figuring out how a terrorist fits in with it all.</b> If you want a shorter version, it's a group of teenagers coming together to take down a monopolizer.

<i>On a Clear Day</i> is probably <b>better to listen to than actually reading the book</b>. There are some parts that are read rapid fast, but Rebecca Soler is an amazing narrator. Like Amanda Dolan in <i>Red Queen</i>, <b>the story is narrated realistically and it was just far more enjoyable to listen to.</b> I felt like I was listening to a recording of a conversation (that might actually be very accurate).

The narration might have been why I even completed the book. Maybe the heat is getting to me (not likely), but I feel like <b>I'm just chugging along and nodding without interpreting anything going on. I don't feel like I know much about any of the group of teenagers aside from what they're well-known for</b> – chess prodigy, math/computer whiz, athlete, musician, etc.

<b>I feel like I'm reading the middle of a stand alone series</b> where I'm supposed to know all the major characters really well and Myers can just focus on developing the plot. The points to the point disappeared somewhere. <b>The end feels like a pause that Myers will never get around to. It's a happily ever after with loose ends and an unknown future.</b>
<blockquote>C-8 had backed off from acquiring another company. For now.</blockquote>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/audiobook-review-on-a-clear-day-by-walter-dean-myers/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>