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Lindsay (1760 KP) rated A Night at the Farm: A Bedtime Story in Books
Feb 8, 2021
The pictures are down well. Its pages look so real. The antics the animals are doing make you laugh and enjoy the story. Parents should get this for their young readers. It is good for children of four years old and to eight years old. If you are older that does not mean you will not like it.
There seems to be a party that begins once the humans go to sleep for the night. The party lasts all night long. Will the animals enjoy the fun. The farm seems unaware. Each page has some rhyming going on but you will be drawn in with the picture being so real. The animals look so real. The animals get into mischief and other trouble. What will they get into? There is something fun for everyone. If your child enjoys fashion shows. There seem to be a dance-off and I wonder what animals are on that. Children will love this bedtime story and the fun mini animals in the book.
Fragile is a haunting thriller, where two young people, Nell and Joe, run away to London from their foster home after a tragic event. An event that we’re drip fed the information of as the book progresses.
Joe and Nell become separated, so Nell decides to go and knock on the door of the last place she saw him. When Dr. Robin Wilder opens the door at Starling Villa, Nell manages to talk him into employing her as his housekeeper. But all is not as it seems. Is Nell really safe here? What happened in Wales before she ran away to London with Joe? What does Dr. Wilders wife want with Nell? And where is Joe?
Nell and Joe’s backstories about their lives in care are heartbreaking. From a young age, Nell becomes the house ‘mother’, cleaner and cook. It’s a horrible life for her and so well described. Joe’s life isn’t any better.
Actually, the writing is so descriptive: people and places are described picture perfectly, and some scenes are so emotive, whilst others are really tense. The gripping finale was heartbreaking.
Sarah Hilary is a new author to me, and one that I’ll certainly look out for in future.

Merissa (12894 KP) rated Beautiful Facade in Books
Feb 2, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)
This was a thoroughly enjoyable novel, told from the first perspective of the main female character. It was pretty clear from the start that Winter wouldn't end up with Liam, and their picture-perfect life wasn't as good as she imagined. I did enjoy the question mark over who was with him and was glad I was wrong. I won't say more as I don't want to ruin it!
The scene-setting was very well done, with a bunch of flawed characters as the supporting cast. If I had to say anything negative about this book, it would be the copious amount of alcohol that was drunk for the majority of the story, plus the number of texts and missed calls Winter had. If I had that many from one person in that amount of time, I'd be worried about their mental health!
On the whole, this was a great, smoothly-paced story that held my attention from beginning to end, that I have no hesitation in recommending.
* 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 2, 2021

Merissa (12894 KP) rated Silver Wood Coven: The Complete Series in Books
May 20, 2023
This set tells the story of Summer, who has been living rough in Central Park for the last six months, with no previous memories of who she is or how she got there. Michael is a Templar that has been watching her, supposedly to make sure that she doesn't hurt any humans, but more because he feels a deep connection to her. Because she is a witch, he telephones Troy, a warlock with whom he has a long and tumultuous relationship. And so we start...
This is exceedingly well-written, with multiple points of view so that you get the complete picture. The 'big bad' is well hidden until the penultimate book when I figured it out, but I thought that it was still brilliant! The relationship between Summer, Michael, and Troy is heartfelt and touching. With amazing supporting characters, this is a story that will grip and enchant you, right up to the climax and epilogue. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Jan 31, 2016

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Yeah, but I Didn't in Books
Feb 15, 2020
Benji Stevens is a bright 14 year old high school girl. In fact, she's so smart, she's even skipped a grade in school. When something horrible happens to her one day at her house, her life begins to spiral out of control. With bad things happening right after one another, will Benji find the light at the end of the tunnel or will it be too late?
The premise for Yeah, but I Didn't is really interesting. There were some great aspects of this book. In fact, after reading this book, my new life motto is now, "You can’t control how other people treat you. But you CAN control how you react. And that’s how you take back your power." I love that quote, and it's said a few times throughout Yeah, but I Didn't. I liked the theme of hope and forgiveness towards the end of the book as well. Ann Swann did a fantastic job with her descriptive language at making it easy to picture each scene in the book. I found myself being transported to the setting of Yeah, But I Didn't whenever I started reading.
The characters in Yeah, but I Didn't felt fairly realistic throughout the novel, though Benji's character seemed more like she was 12 with how she would speak and act sometimes. I liked Benji though, and I admired her determination to get through this horrible part of her life. I enjoyed reading about Benji's mom and how (in the last quarter of the book) she turns to God to help her with everything. (Though this was a sudden shift and was a little jarring. The story went from no real mention of God to suddenly focusing on how God can help you.) Janie was a well-written character, but I just wanted to shake that girl sometimes for being so spiteful and horrible to her mom and Benji especially! My favorite characters were Uncle Aidan and Dr Blue. They always came across as being optimistic and wanting to help Benji be the best version of herself. I will also say that each character is described very well, so it's easy to picture each one as a real life person instead of just some character in a book.
As much as I enjoyed the book, there were things that didn't work for me. I found the pacing to be a bit too slow for my liking, and I felt like there was too much narrative description through much of the book; I didn't need to know exact details of every little thing. I could have done without the mention of politics in this book; it didn't seem necessary. And a pet peeve: it's mentioned that Benji and her uncle they order chicken nuggets from Sonic. Sonic does not do chicken nuggets; they do chicken strips, popcorn chicken, and boneless wings -- but never chicken nuggets!
I also felt like, although this book is considered a young adult book and deals with some heavy subject matters, it felt like it was written for a middle grade audience.
Trigger warnings for Yeah, but I Didn't include alcoholism, suicide, attempted suicide, teenage pregnancy, some violence, and attempted rape.
While I found Yeah, but I Didn't to be a bit of a slow read mostly, I do think younger teens that who are going through a dark patch in their life would enjoy this. I would recommend Yeah, but I Didn't by Ann Swann to those 14+ who need a bit of hope in their life.
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(A special thank you to Lone Star Literary Life for providing me with an eBook of Yeah, but I Didn't by Ann Swann in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)