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Merissa (12066 KP) rated Waking Up Lost (Adirondack Spirit Series #4) in Books
Feb 8, 2022 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)
WAKING UP LOST continues the Adirondack Spirit series with Mehitable's son, Noah. He can't move as fast as his brother, Moses; nor can he see ghosts. What he does do is travel whilst asleep. And I deliberately use that phrase as there is no way he could walk!
He doesn't have it easy in that the girl he likes has been 'claimed' by the town bully, whose sister has set her sights on Noah! So Noah gets warned twice - keep away from his girl and keep away from his sister. He tries to, bless him, but Dorcas isn't so easily persuaded. In fact, Noah does everything he can to have a normal life, but his travels make that increasingly difficult.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Noah's tribulations although there was no explanation given for them. Instead, Noah also becomes adept at speaking with ghosts, just like his mum, and they help get him out of some deadly situations.
This is old-worldly and otherworldly, both things that stir my interest. I enjoyed meeting up with old friends and learning about new ones. I found this book to be gripping and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 8, 2022
He doesn't have it easy in that the girl he likes has been 'claimed' by the town bully, whose sister has set her sights on Noah! So Noah gets warned twice - keep away from his girl and keep away from his sister. He tries to, bless him, but Dorcas isn't so easily persuaded. In fact, Noah does everything he can to have a normal life, but his travels make that increasingly difficult.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Noah's tribulations although there was no explanation given for them. Instead, Noah also becomes adept at speaking with ghosts, just like his mum, and they help get him out of some deadly situations.
This is old-worldly and otherworldly, both things that stir my interest. I enjoyed meeting up with old friends and learning about new ones. I found this book to be gripping and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 8, 2022
Lee (2222 KP) rated Wild Rose (2018) in Movies
Mar 20, 2019 (Updated Mar 20, 2019)
A Star Is Born
I've talked before about how disappointed I was with 'A Star Is Born' last year. An overrated movie of two halves, with an incredible first half and a dire second half. What I wanted from that movie was the story of a girl chasing a dream, culminating in the birth of a star and an epic singing finale. That all happened in the first half though, with the second half spiraling into boring filler territory. Wild Rose tells the story of Rose-Lynn, a down on her luck, aspiring country singer with dreams of becoming a star. It more closely follows that story I was looking for than 'A Star Is Born' did and is a much better movie overall, despite remaining fairly average throughout. If you put Sheridan Smith in the lead role, this could have just as easily been shown on ITV as their latest big weeknight drama series.
Things kick off with Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) being released from a year in prison where she served time for drug charges. Before anything else, she meets up with a friend to catch up on some sex before heading over to her mums house (Julie Walters). Mum has been looking after Rose-Lynn's two young kids, aged 5 and 8, for the last year and it's clear the bond between mum and children has taken a serious hit. She doesn't exactly make any effort to reconnect with her children either, pulling on her cowboy boots and heading down to Glasgows Grand Ole Opry to try and pick up the regular singing slot she held there before winding up in jail. Rose-Lynn is a huge country music fan, and has plans to head over to Nashville in order to try and become a star.
Rose-Lynn lands a day job, cleaning for a wealthy couple in their large house. The lady of the house, Susannah (Sophie Okonedo) takes a shine to Rose-Lynn and after her children hear her belting out a song while cleaning, goes out of her way to try and help her. Using her connections to get a demo video to BBC Radio 2 legend 'Whispering' Bob Harris and even landing Rose-Lynn a gig at her 50th birthday party with a view to getting her wealthy guests to help 'crowdfund' Rose-Lynn.
Rose-Lynn is not a very likeable character for much of this movie. Selfish, annoying and with questionable life choices and actions. But that's the whole idea - to manipulate our feelings towards her. She's played wonderfully by Jessie Buckley and as her character grows and learns from life, we begin to like her that little bit more too. I was worried that if she eventually did find her way to Nashville, we'd see her become this huge star and I would have felt cheated if that were the case. Without heading too much into spoiler territory, I'll just say that things don't exactly work out that way. It's an unexpected but welcome change in direction, and leads to an incredible and emotional final number.
Things kick off with Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) being released from a year in prison where she served time for drug charges. Before anything else, she meets up with a friend to catch up on some sex before heading over to her mums house (Julie Walters). Mum has been looking after Rose-Lynn's two young kids, aged 5 and 8, for the last year and it's clear the bond between mum and children has taken a serious hit. She doesn't exactly make any effort to reconnect with her children either, pulling on her cowboy boots and heading down to Glasgows Grand Ole Opry to try and pick up the regular singing slot she held there before winding up in jail. Rose-Lynn is a huge country music fan, and has plans to head over to Nashville in order to try and become a star.
Rose-Lynn lands a day job, cleaning for a wealthy couple in their large house. The lady of the house, Susannah (Sophie Okonedo) takes a shine to Rose-Lynn and after her children hear her belting out a song while cleaning, goes out of her way to try and help her. Using her connections to get a demo video to BBC Radio 2 legend 'Whispering' Bob Harris and even landing Rose-Lynn a gig at her 50th birthday party with a view to getting her wealthy guests to help 'crowdfund' Rose-Lynn.
Rose-Lynn is not a very likeable character for much of this movie. Selfish, annoying and with questionable life choices and actions. But that's the whole idea - to manipulate our feelings towards her. She's played wonderfully by Jessie Buckley and as her character grows and learns from life, we begin to like her that little bit more too. I was worried that if she eventually did find her way to Nashville, we'd see her become this huge star and I would have felt cheated if that were the case. Without heading too much into spoiler territory, I'll just say that things don't exactly work out that way. It's an unexpected but welcome change in direction, and leads to an incredible and emotional final number.
Louise (64 KP) rated When We Collided in Books
Jul 2, 2018
* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review*
Vivi arrives at Verona Cove for the summer holidays with her mum, after a few days of being in this little town she manages to snag herself a cushy little job in a pottery shop. Vivi is an extrovert, she will speak to anyone and everyone wants to be around her, she has this infectious personality and she certainly makes no exceptions when Jonah walks into the shop with his little sister. Jonah is 17 and a permanent resident at Verona Cove, however his life has been tipped upside down in the last 6 months and has become a responsible guardian to his three younger siblings while his mother is suffering from depression. Vivi and Jonah start hanging out together and become more than just friends. Vivi shows Jonah how to live like a teenager again with her wild antics and enthusiasm for life, however Jonah knows that Vivi has suffered, he has seen the scars.
This book was ok, I had problems with it though. I didn’t like Vivi whatsoever she was too flouncy, her personality was too much and the crap she came out with, such as Jonah used to be a pirate in his past life just had me rolling my eyes. There is also a serious case of insta – love in this book, as soon as Vivi sets eyes on Jonah she has to have him! urgh! There was no build up or tension between the two of them and the romance seemed a little forced and too heavy on Vivi’s side.
The mental health issues in this book were depicted really well, you could definitely tell through Vivi’s character that she was suffering and it was told in such an honest and respectful way. Even when Jonah is trying to come to terms that his mother is suffering from Depression or Ellie when she talks about her brothers stay in the psychiatric ward and recovery.
Jonah is one of six children in his household, for the past 6 months him and his two older siblings have been looking after ‘the littles’ (his 3 younger siblings) whilst his mother is battling depression. He is also trying to work his shifts at the restaurant and continue his dad’s legacy. He has no time to be a teenager, like playing baseball or worrying about homework. I love that he is a foodie, I want him to cook for me everyday as the food sounded divine.
When we collided is told in dual POV alternating from Vivi and Jonah, I would have like some other point of views in this like Vivi’s mum and Jonah’s siblings. The writing was good and even poetic in some parts. I think this book was a really good for people wanting to read about mental illness but I feel the romance wasn’t really necessary.
I recommend this book if you are interested in YA with mental health.
Overall I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
Vivi arrives at Verona Cove for the summer holidays with her mum, after a few days of being in this little town she manages to snag herself a cushy little job in a pottery shop. Vivi is an extrovert, she will speak to anyone and everyone wants to be around her, she has this infectious personality and she certainly makes no exceptions when Jonah walks into the shop with his little sister. Jonah is 17 and a permanent resident at Verona Cove, however his life has been tipped upside down in the last 6 months and has become a responsible guardian to his three younger siblings while his mother is suffering from depression. Vivi and Jonah start hanging out together and become more than just friends. Vivi shows Jonah how to live like a teenager again with her wild antics and enthusiasm for life, however Jonah knows that Vivi has suffered, he has seen the scars.
This book was ok, I had problems with it though. I didn’t like Vivi whatsoever she was too flouncy, her personality was too much and the crap she came out with, such as Jonah used to be a pirate in his past life just had me rolling my eyes. There is also a serious case of insta – love in this book, as soon as Vivi sets eyes on Jonah she has to have him! urgh! There was no build up or tension between the two of them and the romance seemed a little forced and too heavy on Vivi’s side.
The mental health issues in this book were depicted really well, you could definitely tell through Vivi’s character that she was suffering and it was told in such an honest and respectful way. Even when Jonah is trying to come to terms that his mother is suffering from Depression or Ellie when she talks about her brothers stay in the psychiatric ward and recovery.
Jonah is one of six children in his household, for the past 6 months him and his two older siblings have been looking after ‘the littles’ (his 3 younger siblings) whilst his mother is battling depression. He is also trying to work his shifts at the restaurant and continue his dad’s legacy. He has no time to be a teenager, like playing baseball or worrying about homework. I love that he is a foodie, I want him to cook for me everyday as the food sounded divine.
When we collided is told in dual POV alternating from Vivi and Jonah, I would have like some other point of views in this like Vivi’s mum and Jonah’s siblings. The writing was good and even poetic in some parts. I think this book was a really good for people wanting to read about mental illness but I feel the romance wasn’t really necessary.
I recommend this book if you are interested in YA with mental health.
Overall I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
Lee (2222 KP) rated Spies in Disguise (2019) in Movies
Jan 1, 2020
I’m not exactly complaining, but Tom Holland does seem to literally be in everything right now. As I sat ready to watch Spies in Disguise, which features the voice of Tom Holland, there was a trailer for upcoming Pixar movie Onward, featuring the voice of Tom Holland. Then a trailer for Dolittle, starring Robert Downey Jr and featuring the voice of Tom Holland as loyal dog Jip. On top of starring in 2019s highest grossing movie, as everyone’s favourite neighbourhood webslinger, he’s certainly having quite the year right now. And well deserved it is too.
But before we get to his voicing of Walter in Spies in Disguise, we meet much younger Walter, 14 years earlier, building gadgets and being branded a weirdo at school. His police officer mum comforts Walter, telling him that weird is good and the world needs weirdos. And that one day, the invention he’s just tested on his unsuspecting mum - a grenade which explodes into glitter and projects cute kittens - might just come in handy...
Will Smith on the other hand, hasn’t had quite as great a year as Tom Holland. Ridiculed for his blue genie in the run up to the release of Aladdin, he actually wasn’t too bad when the movie came out. But then came the disaster that was Gemini Man. Hopefully though, the upcoming sequel ‘Bad Boys for Life’ will be a return to form for Smith, but for now, starring as the voice of Lance Sterling, the worlds greatest spy, has certainly landed him a winner. A suave, charming, one man operation, we’re shown just how cool and impressive Sterling is as he single-handedly and effortlessly takes out dozens of bad guys using combat skills and a variety of spy gadgets. But Lance is suddenly caught off guard when, instead of releasing a more traditional explosive to take out some goons, he releases a glitter-kitty explosion.
Returning to headquarters a hero, we discover that Walter is now working in the gadgets department, where new tricks and toys for spies are designed and tested. Lance is not impressed with Walter messing up his operation and the pair don’t exactly hit it off on the right foot. But when Lance is wrongly accused of committing a crime, he must go on the run and reluctantly team up with Walter to get the bad guy and clear his name. And how is he going to do that without being seen and caught? Well, just so happens that Walter has invented a way of turning humans into pigeons!
There’s nothing particularly new about the main plot of Spies in Disguise, aside from the pigeon aspect of it all of course. But it’s the fast paced action and humour that really sets this apart from the crowd and quite often reminded me of The Incredibles - great characters and great ideas all mixed together with some impressive visuals and slick action. Both Tom Holland and Will Smith are perfect in their roles and, aside from a bit of a mid-movie dip, Spies in Disguise actually proved to be hugely entertaining.
But before we get to his voicing of Walter in Spies in Disguise, we meet much younger Walter, 14 years earlier, building gadgets and being branded a weirdo at school. His police officer mum comforts Walter, telling him that weird is good and the world needs weirdos. And that one day, the invention he’s just tested on his unsuspecting mum - a grenade which explodes into glitter and projects cute kittens - might just come in handy...
Will Smith on the other hand, hasn’t had quite as great a year as Tom Holland. Ridiculed for his blue genie in the run up to the release of Aladdin, he actually wasn’t too bad when the movie came out. But then came the disaster that was Gemini Man. Hopefully though, the upcoming sequel ‘Bad Boys for Life’ will be a return to form for Smith, but for now, starring as the voice of Lance Sterling, the worlds greatest spy, has certainly landed him a winner. A suave, charming, one man operation, we’re shown just how cool and impressive Sterling is as he single-handedly and effortlessly takes out dozens of bad guys using combat skills and a variety of spy gadgets. But Lance is suddenly caught off guard when, instead of releasing a more traditional explosive to take out some goons, he releases a glitter-kitty explosion.
Returning to headquarters a hero, we discover that Walter is now working in the gadgets department, where new tricks and toys for spies are designed and tested. Lance is not impressed with Walter messing up his operation and the pair don’t exactly hit it off on the right foot. But when Lance is wrongly accused of committing a crime, he must go on the run and reluctantly team up with Walter to get the bad guy and clear his name. And how is he going to do that without being seen and caught? Well, just so happens that Walter has invented a way of turning humans into pigeons!
There’s nothing particularly new about the main plot of Spies in Disguise, aside from the pigeon aspect of it all of course. But it’s the fast paced action and humour that really sets this apart from the crowd and quite often reminded me of The Incredibles - great characters and great ideas all mixed together with some impressive visuals and slick action. Both Tom Holland and Will Smith are perfect in their roles and, aside from a bit of a mid-movie dip, Spies in Disguise actually proved to be hugely entertaining.
Sam (74 KP) rated Attachments in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I’ve wanted to read Attachments for the past few years, but I’ve always managed to find a book I wanted to read more, and it got forgotten about until I was looking to see what books I wanted for Christmas. I’m so glad I did finally get around to reading it.
Attachments follows the life of Lincoln, a man who works in IT at a newspaper office in 1999. Lincoln is a loner who works night shifts mainly monitoring ‘WebFence’, checking that employees emails aren’t inappropriate. This is where he discovers Beth and Jennifer – two best friends whose emails are constantly being flagged up. Lincoln finds himself reading these emails and falling for one of them.
I never expected this novel to be very deep, after all, it’s about a man who stalks the emails of two women. However, it goes into the issues both Beth and Jennifer have in their lives such as their relationships and happiness.
Lincoln is such a lovable character. He’s nerdy, rubbish at making friends and still lives with his mum.
I was shocked when I saw that the Goodreads rating for this one is only 3.9 because I actually preferred it to any of her other books I’ve read. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve only ever read her YA before but I just thought this was so much better. In some places, it did feel a little bit slow, but it soon picked up again. It’s definitely better than Rainbow Rowell’s YA novels.
Attachments follows the life of Lincoln, a man who works in IT at a newspaper office in 1999. Lincoln is a loner who works night shifts mainly monitoring ‘WebFence’, checking that employees emails aren’t inappropriate. This is where he discovers Beth and Jennifer – two best friends whose emails are constantly being flagged up. Lincoln finds himself reading these emails and falling for one of them.
I never expected this novel to be very deep, after all, it’s about a man who stalks the emails of two women. However, it goes into the issues both Beth and Jennifer have in their lives such as their relationships and happiness.
Lincoln is such a lovable character. He’s nerdy, rubbish at making friends and still lives with his mum.
I was shocked when I saw that the Goodreads rating for this one is only 3.9 because I actually preferred it to any of her other books I’ve read. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve only ever read her YA before but I just thought this was so much better. In some places, it did feel a little bit slow, but it soon picked up again. It’s definitely better than Rainbow Rowell’s YA novels.
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Escaping Camp Roosevelt in Books
May 30, 2019
good but not for me.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I'm going to struggle with this review, I know I am, so please bear with me, okay?
I don't usually like books with college age young adults as the main characters, but something about the blurb must have grabbed me for me to say yes to reading it, even though the blurb says how old Tucker and Dancer are. I can't tell you what though. And Tucker is a little naive at the beginning of this book. Dancer is far more world wise than a 21 year old should be, but he's been on the streets a long time.
There are some difficult topics dealt with here. Tucker's mum is a drug user. Dancer is selling himself (although nothing is described in any great detail). Some abuse. Homelessness, how families cope with that. All topics are, I thought, dealt with well.
Both Tucker and Dancer have their say, in the third person. Both voices are distinctive and clear, and they tell their story well.
I just *insert sigh* don't know that I LIKED it. I certainly did not love it, but I'm not left with any negative feelings about it, either. It just does not push my buttons, I'm afraid.
But I DID finish it, and it held my attention the whole way through. So for that reason . .
3 stars.
I'm sorry, I really I am! Someone will love the pants off this book, but it's not me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I'm going to struggle with this review, I know I am, so please bear with me, okay?
I don't usually like books with college age young adults as the main characters, but something about the blurb must have grabbed me for me to say yes to reading it, even though the blurb says how old Tucker and Dancer are. I can't tell you what though. And Tucker is a little naive at the beginning of this book. Dancer is far more world wise than a 21 year old should be, but he's been on the streets a long time.
There are some difficult topics dealt with here. Tucker's mum is a drug user. Dancer is selling himself (although nothing is described in any great detail). Some abuse. Homelessness, how families cope with that. All topics are, I thought, dealt with well.
Both Tucker and Dancer have their say, in the third person. Both voices are distinctive and clear, and they tell their story well.
I just *insert sigh* don't know that I LIKED it. I certainly did not love it, but I'm not left with any negative feelings about it, either. It just does not push my buttons, I'm afraid.
But I DID finish it, and it held my attention the whole way through. So for that reason . .
3 stars.
I'm sorry, I really I am! Someone will love the pants off this book, but it's not me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
The nerdy birdie (67 KP) rated The Other Woman in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley & St.Martin's Press & Minotaur books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review! I tried to win this in a Bookish giveaway but was a bit sad when I didn't win ! Surprise I still got my hands on it thanks to you all ...It was meant to be ❤️??
Yes ! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!! This book is everything you could possibly want in a thriller !!!!! Believe me I try to read almost every single thriller including both New Releases and the oldies but goodies! I am a huge critic when it comes to plot twists and pacing of a suspenseful novel and this one was spot on since page one! Gripping & addictive! Highly relatable characters, even the ones you can't stand, and wildly aggressive dialogue. I felt like I was Emily and was feeling her pain; her struggles!
I had a sneaking suspicion the entire time that I knew what was going on with good ol " Mum" but this book was so phenomenally written that I wasn't quite sure.
I read this in less than a 24 hour time span and literally could not put it down! I even brought my iPad along with me for the ride to the restaurant For dinner haha!
Un-putdownable ( I made my own word) I fell asleep with it in my arms! This is the first Netgalley book to be added to my favorites shelf ????
I'm pretty sure that this is a debut novel for Sandie Jones as well---- I commend you! Well done ❤️ Can't wait for more from her !!!
Yes ! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!! This book is everything you could possibly want in a thriller !!!!! Believe me I try to read almost every single thriller including both New Releases and the oldies but goodies! I am a huge critic when it comes to plot twists and pacing of a suspenseful novel and this one was spot on since page one! Gripping & addictive! Highly relatable characters, even the ones you can't stand, and wildly aggressive dialogue. I felt like I was Emily and was feeling her pain; her struggles!
I had a sneaking suspicion the entire time that I knew what was going on with good ol " Mum" but this book was so phenomenally written that I wasn't quite sure.
I read this in less than a 24 hour time span and literally could not put it down! I even brought my iPad along with me for the ride to the restaurant For dinner haha!
Un-putdownable ( I made my own word) I fell asleep with it in my arms! This is the first Netgalley book to be added to my favorites shelf ????
I'm pretty sure that this is a debut novel for Sandie Jones as well---- I commend you! Well done ❤️ Can't wait for more from her !!!
Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated Gnome Alone (2018) in Movies
Dec 14, 2018 (Updated Dec 14, 2018)
Funny (1 more)
Easy to watch
Good light-hearted film
Contains spoilers, click to show
I stumbled across this film on Netflix and after seeing Gnomeo and Juliet and being impressed with that I decided to give it a go. I was expecting it to be a remake of the Christmas film Home Alone. I believe that was the original intention. Instead, the protagonist Chloe has recently moved into a new home with her mum and after travelling around and moving schools finds it difficult to make friends and keep them. She discovers a necklace in a secret room in the house and removed it. Later she discovers that the gnomes left in her house are alive and they need the necklace back. With the help of her nerd friend Liam, they combat both high school popular girls and aliens and save the world. Whilst the film does have some comedy in parts, it wasn't as humourous as I was expecting. It is a children's film however and there is an underlying message of 'dont judge a book by it's chsracter', 'be friends with who you want to be friends with' and the ultimate one 'be kind'. I also liked the fact that Chloe was glued to her iPhone and then when push come to shove she had to part with it. I think it gave a good message to modern society today of how absorbed we become with technology (she says writing this review on her smart phone). Anyway, it was a very good film and I thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn't what I expected in the slightest.
Merissa (12066 KP) rated An Opportunity Seized (Haven Security #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from Sparkle Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review.
Toni is the daughter of an incredibly rich man in Australia and has therefore always felt like she has fallen short of the mark and will never live up to her parents' expectations. Her mum is slim and expects Toni to be the same, even though she has inherited her father's genes in the weight department. Jason is the military man who doesn't have oodles of money to his name but instead oozes sex appeal and Toni finds him irresistible.
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I am loving the Romantic Suspense genre at the moment but something in this book just didn't work for me... and I'm at a loss to explain what it is. Perhaps it's the quickness of their relationship, perhaps it is how the relationship with her parents turns on its head within moments with no real explanation of why she was treated the way she thought she was in the past. The other thing could be that I never really felt that danger was present for Toni. The whole suspense issue, indeed most of the issues in the book, seemed to be resolved too quickly, too easily and all tied together with a neat bow.
The writing of this book is very well done and the plot flows at a steady pace. This is a light book to read when you don't want to have to think too deeply about anything.
Toni is the daughter of an incredibly rich man in Australia and has therefore always felt like she has fallen short of the mark and will never live up to her parents' expectations. Her mum is slim and expects Toni to be the same, even though she has inherited her father's genes in the weight department. Jason is the military man who doesn't have oodles of money to his name but instead oozes sex appeal and Toni finds him irresistible.
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I am loving the Romantic Suspense genre at the moment but something in this book just didn't work for me... and I'm at a loss to explain what it is. Perhaps it's the quickness of their relationship, perhaps it is how the relationship with her parents turns on its head within moments with no real explanation of why she was treated the way she thought she was in the past. The other thing could be that I never really felt that danger was present for Toni. The whole suspense issue, indeed most of the issues in the book, seemed to be resolved too quickly, too easily and all tied together with a neat bow.
The writing of this book is very well done and the plot flows at a steady pace. This is a light book to read when you don't want to have to think too deeply about anything.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Last Request in Books
Oct 28, 2019
I had a mixed experience reading Last Request on The Pigeonhole app. I liked the storyline, but the main character Nikita (Nikki) Patel wasn’t particularly likeable. She’s very involved in her job which seems to take precedence over everything, including her family. I get that she has her mum, sister and the father of two of her three children to look after them, and I doubt I’d think twice if she was a man, but there is a pivotal part in the story where she really needed to talk to her eldest daughter, and she seemed to do everything in her power to avoid her. Not good.
Aside from that, I quite liked the other characters. Her work partner, Sajid, and his actual partner are great: very supportive of Nikki, and they go above and beyond their work roles where she’s concerned.
The action was non-stop, with the bones of murder victims turning up all over the place, and a drug dealer causing problems. I don’t think Nikki sleeps for most of the book (which might explain her mood).
This kept me guessing up to the end - although I did guess who did it before the big reveal (most unusual for me!). It did take me a while though, and indicative of how we were drip fed the evidence, just as the police were.
I would be interested to read the next in the series, especially if it’s going to go the way I think it might!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and to Liz Mistry for reading along!
Aside from that, I quite liked the other characters. Her work partner, Sajid, and his actual partner are great: very supportive of Nikki, and they go above and beyond their work roles where she’s concerned.
The action was non-stop, with the bones of murder victims turning up all over the place, and a drug dealer causing problems. I don’t think Nikki sleeps for most of the book (which might explain her mood).
This kept me guessing up to the end - although I did guess who did it before the big reveal (most unusual for me!). It did take me a while though, and indicative of how we were drip fed the evidence, just as the police were.
I would be interested to read the next in the series, especially if it’s going to go the way I think it might!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and to Liz Mistry for reading along!