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The Prom (2020)
The Prom (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Drama, Musical
9
7.5 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
From the get go this movie made me so angry. Basically the PTA of a high school decide to cancel prom rather than allow her to take her girlfriend. Then when we are thrown into a musical number by meryl Streep and James corden, I knew this was going to be fab right after I finished laughing at James corden fake accent of course! Anyway this duo are the star of a Broadway show called 'Eleanor' which closes on opening night due to bad reviews, and not for the first time either. During a long bar scene they decide they want to become activists to regain their fame, their project? Get prom reinstated and ensure Emma can bring her girlfriend.
Considering I thought the whole movie was about giving prom the go ahead, I thought prom was reinstated very quickly, as many dance numbers and 40 minutes later they are successful. As the movie is over 2 hours long though, that obviously meant there is more to the movie, but I'll leave that to you to see what happens. A word of warning though, it is so cruel! In true Hollywood style though it all works out.
I really enjoyed the movie, it has so many catchy and humorous songs. It's funny, emotional and full of pazazz all the way through. Arianna De bose and Jo Ellen pellman as Alyssa and Emma have great chemistry, and who'd have thought James cordon would be so good at playing a camp gay guy! If you love musicals, you will definitely love this.
  
The Night Swim: A Novel
The Night Swim: A Novel
Megan Goldin | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Having worked in the criminal court system for years, I was looking forward to The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. The premise that you follow along with a podcast to reach your own verdict of a current and controversial trial sounded intriguing. I found myself angry by the main character's obvious slant on her podcast. If her role was to present an unbiased reporting of the events in court, she failed at her job. Her reporting of the case proceedings and the investigation taken are accurate, detailed, and complete. Goldin successfully captures the emotions involved in sensitive cases such as the one podcaster Rachel Krall covers for the third season of her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty.

Goldin's story of the trial, the people involved, and the overlapping, interconnected tale from the past are woven into a clever novel narrated by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. All three narrators are accomplished voice actors. LaVoy narrated books by Patterson, Deaver, Grisham, and Goldin's New York Times Bestseller, The Escape Room.

The narrators' voices matched the story well, but the speed in which they spoke was too slow for me, and I listened to the story at a faster rate.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/3/20.
  
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Witch’s Curse (The Bone Coven Chronicles book 1)
By Jenna Wolfheart
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wanted: Magically Armed and Dangerous.

Ever since my parents died in the demon war, I’ve paid my way through life by using magic to con people. It’s not right, but a girl’s gotta do what she can to survive.

Unfortunately, my latest con has left me smack dab in the middle of a murder scene. Now, a coven of angry mages thinks I’m the killer. In order to clear my name, I have to team up with an infuriatingly sexy warlock whose powers are far darker than he admits. Throw in a string of related murders and a vexed vampire clan, and I’m up to my eyeballs in danger.

But that's not even the worst of it. When I get too close to the real killer, he casts a life-threatening curse on my grandmother. Before, I just wanted to save my own butt, but now I’ll do whatever it takes to track him down—even if it means following him through monstrous dimensions.

Because I don’t play nice with magic. And when you mess with Grandma, you become #1 on my sh*t list.


Ok so it was good I’m struggling between a 3 & 4 star so I eventually decided on a 3! I liked the concept and structure of the supernatural and the storyline line was good but it didn’t wow me. I’m hoping as the series develops it will be more gripping. Also a new author for me so that’s a plus.
  
The Life She Wants
The Life She Wants
Mel Sherratt | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am a fan of Mel Sherratt's work and always look forward to reading her books but, I have to say, never have I been so confused as I was with this one.

Now, whilst at first this might seem to be a negative, let me reassure you that if you stick with it, everything falls into place very nicely and the confusion was well worth it in the end.

Told from different perspectives over different timelines, this is a complex storyline which deals with various unsavoury but important and contemporary themes; coercive control, domestic abuse and loss. These are hard-hitting subjects but Mel deals with them with respect.

There are a number of characters and all have a part to play but I found I didn't really focus on them that much as I was more interested in the story and how it was going to play out. That's not to say they weren't great characters, far from it, it's just that the story was so engrossing that they felt secondary to me somehow.

Full of secrets, lies and manipulation, this is a book that makes you angry and sympathetic all at the same time. It's definitely one that kept me totally engrossed and I couldn't read fast enough.

With atmosphere, suspense and tension aplenty, this is a book that I would definitely recommend to lovers of psychological thrillers and I have to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.