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Debbiereadsbook (1413 KP) rated Part of Her Plan (Cupid's Cafe #5) in Books

Jul 21, 2021

Part of Her Plan (Cupid's Cafe #5)

Catherine Peace | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

not an easy read, but a bloody good one!

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I have no idea what I expected from this book, but it certainly wasn't this!

Jenny and Lydia have real life problems. Both are recovering from their respective addictions (or not, as the case may be) and this book focuses on that, more than the romance, and I really LOVED that. All too often these topics get brushed under the carpet and here, they are front and centre.

Lydia has a plan, to get her own apartment, and then be on her own. Meeting with Jenny again should not waver her from her plan. She's doing well, and is committed to get to the end. Jenny, on the other hand, isn't doing so well and the place in the sober living house SHOULD be her ticket to get to be with her brother again. But Jenny's recovery isn't going to plan, and one single mistake might ruin them both.

At one point, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. I started it, and it took a downward turn (I thought) and I contemplated leaving it. But something made me carry on and I am so bloody glad I did!

Yes, it's not an easy read. it certainly isn't a fluffy romance that you can breeze through, but it IS a bloody good book! It shows the struggles, the real life struggles that people face. How people spiral downwards, how they hit the bottom and try to get back up. How the deal with their addiction (in this case drugs and alcohol) and what they do when faced with what might possibly be their last chance.

Jenny and Lydia are not perfect, but they are perfect for each other, and other than the issues with their addictions, the romance side of things moves along slow, at first, but then speeds up, and slows down again. I loved that it wasn't explicit. There is steam and passion a-plenty, but the detailed sex scenes are not here, and I truly think had they been, I would not have liked this book as much!

I've not read anything by this author before, nor any of the previous books in this series, I don't think you need to, to enjoy this one. I might go back and read them!

But please, be aware of the subject matter: drug abuse and alcohol abuse mostly. Some people might not be able to read this because of triggers.

4 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Kudos

BookInspector (124 KP) rated He Said/She Said in Books

Sep 24, 2020

He Said/She Said

Erin Kelly | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.4

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

I have seen a lot of buzz once this book came out, and after reading it, I can freely say, this book is a bestseller, and it absolutely deserved it.

The main characters of this book were Laura, Kit and Beth. The way they met was very unusual; Laura and Kit witnessed Beth being raped (well, aftermath of it). The events after that, brings Laura and Beth really close, but suddenly some things start to happen, which put Laura and Kit into hiding. All the characters of this book are incredibly interesting, and have their very diverse and unique personality, that is why I absolutely adored that. My absolute favourite was Kit. He is this Oxford smart, but at the same time innocent, cute geek. The whole story was told from Laura’s and Kit’s perspectives, and they told this story beautifully, fulfilling each other. Even though, it is enough for Kit and Laura to tell it, I still wanted to hear the story from Beth’s perspective, I think it would’ve made this book absolutely perfect.

The plot of this book was absolutely fantastic. To tell the whole story, characters had to travel between present and the events, which took place fifteen years ago. This book has everything you need for a great thriller: there were unexpected twists and turns happening all the time, the suspense was very well kept throughout whole book, and it was really fast paced, which made it an intense page turner and was very hard to put down. Before reading this book, I was not very much into eclipses, but this book radiated the passion for eclipses so intensely, that I might even try and watch one this year.

I really loved the important topics Erin Kelly was discussing in this book: how hard to convince a rapist in the court of justice; how rape affects victims and rapists as well, especially if rapists are well known; how anxiety can affect people and their lives after certain events. This book is filled with interesting topics, situations and feelings.

As I mentioned before, this book grips you form first pages with very clever writing style, and keeps the suspense going on by drop feeding new information and new findings, plus add short chapters and you are hooked. Language itself is easy to read and understandable, quite relatable to any Londoner. The author kept the interest till the last sentence by throwing in more turns and twists, that’s why it is an absolute must read and I strongly recommend it to everyone.

Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.