Billy and Me
8.3
Rate It
Book
**ZOELLA BOOK CLUB 2016 TITLE** A gorgeously romantic novel about fame, friendship and falling in...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Chalet in Books
Oct 10, 2020
The plot is set in two time frames - 1998 follows the story of the death of a young man whilst on a skiing holiday with his brother and their girlfriends. Fast forward to 2020 and we find ourselves in the same ski resort, with a group of people who are somehow connected to that death. It's told from multiple points of view so you do have to keep your wits about you but it does work well for the story. In amongst this, we have a mystery narrator - that of a child and her difficult childhood spent in and out of foster care which I found heart breaking - how does she fit into the story?
I am not going to give away any of the plot or provide any spoilers as to do so would ruin it for others but what I will say is that I did see the twist coming from a mile away which took a bit of the suspense and head-scratching away somewhat. Having said that, it is a very clever plot which did make me second-guess myself a couple of times but in the end, I was right.
The characters are thoroughly awful; I think if I was stuck with them, I'd do away with the lot of them! I'm not sure whether it was the author's intention to make them so unlikeable but I felt it actually worked really well in the context of the story and I admit to secretly hoping something bad would befall them all!
Overall, this is a creditable debut and I will be looking out for more from this author in the future and I should thank HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction via NetGalley who invited me to read The Chalet in return for an unbiased review.
New York Dolls by New York Dolls
8.3
Rate It
Album
New York Dolls is the debut album by the American hard rock band New York Dolls. It was released on...
Razzmatazz by I Don't Know How But They Found Me
8.0
Rate It
Album
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, or iDKHOW is the new project led by frontman,...
The Blue Pool
9.0
Rate It
Book
What really happened that weekend? Four friends go to a remote cabin one summer. Only three return....
Amidst This Fading Light
10.0
Rate It
Book
Dominated by a few old, founding families, Germantown was mired in tradition and hearsay. All that...
Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective
7.0
Rate It
Book
For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy or Encyclopedia Brown nostalgia, this modern,...
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Girls Made of Snow and Glass in Books
Sep 5, 2017
You can read my full review here: https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/book-review-girls-made-of-snow-and-glass/
Awix (3310 KP) rated Beast (2017) in Movies
May 18, 2018
The thriller element is really kind of an afterthought, and the manner in which the did-he-or-didn't-do-it plotline is resolved would be unlikely to satisfy anyone if it were the sole focus of the film. But the film is built around characterisation and atmosphere much more than genre conventions, and is very strong here: as it continues it shades more into psychological horror than anything else, with a genuinely intense and impossible-to-predict denouement. An accomplished film in every department.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Eighth Grade (2018) in Movies
Apr 30, 2019 (Updated Apr 30, 2019)
Very, very impressive performance from Elsie Fisher, who's in virtually every scene, and a witty and thoughtful script (Burnham again). May be of interest to future anthropologists in its detailing of the way that social media exacerbate generation gaps and generally prevent people from communicating with each other; one of several ironies the film points out. Manages to be bleak to the point of depressing for most of its duration but still turns it around for a credibly warm and quite moving conclusion. Very relatable no matter what year you were born in.