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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The New Girl in Books

Jan 23, 2022  
The New Girl
The New Girl
Ruth Heald | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
After experiencing an horrific event whilst at university, Sophie has tried to re-build her life and put her past behind her. She is not happy at home and wants more from her life and when she is offered a job in London that sounds perfect and will give her the new start she is desperate for, she jumps at the chance but what's the saying "If it sounds too good to be true ... it probably is!"

Sophie is, in my opinion, a little naïve and pretty gullible. There were red flags and flashing warning signs everywhere but Sophie didn't seem to see them ... really??? A little implausible given her past, but I found the anticipation of how and when the penny would drop for her was quite engaging.

Full of interesting characters, well written and at a good pace, this is an enjoyable thriller with contemporary themes and whilst it isn't full of violence, blood or gore, there is a palpable sense of unease throughout. Some of the twists were quite obvious (to me anyway) and whilst the ending was satisfactory, the epilogue was disappointing in it's unrealistic outcome.

If you can get past the frustration of wanting to put your hands in the book and shake some sense into Sophie, this is an entertaining read and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
WA
Wreck and Order
Hannah Tennant-Moore | 2016 | Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Elsie is a wreck just as the title of the book suggests. She is living mostly off of her father's money with some little jobs to hold her over. She's seeing a guy who barely respects her and she doesn't really seem to have found her direction in life. Taking trips overseas to Paris and Sri Lanka improves on her recklessness, but once she's back in the states, it's hard to control old habits. Will Elsie find her place in this world before she destroys her life?

At the beginning of the book, I could relate to Elsie on some level. During my early 20's I was pretty reckless with my own life doing things that now I can look back and see weren't the best decisions. Those things have made me into the person I am today, but who would I of been without those experiences. Who is Elsie without her crazy alcohol induced, drug addicted boyfriend, Jared? Who is she without Suriya, her Sri Lankan "sister" and without her parents who continue to support her financially even if it's not the best thing for her

I was so looking forward to this book. I first discovered it through Penguin's First To Read Program, but at the time I had some difficulty downloading it to my Kindle I had the opportunity to borrow it from the library, but I was not as thrilled with the overall story as I was hoping to be from the description. To me Elsie seemed like she was going in circles instead of moving forward in her life. Continuing to make the same choices sh know are not good for her, not learning from her mistakes, or maybe she does learn from them but doesn't implement these changes into her life. I rated it three stars, but it's more of 2.5 for me. It started off strong, but the ending left something to be desired.
  
Switched
Switched
N.R. Walker | 2016 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jeez, this made me cry so much last night. There wasnt enough bedding on my bed for all my tears. It was so hard to read Israel's emotional outbursts in regards to the parents he'd grown up with and how he'd never been good enough for them. It seemed so unfair. I really was an emotional mess.

But the highlight of his life, his best friend Sam, who made him realise he was loved by lots of other people and by Sam himself. To me, it was pretty obvious that Sam wanted him on a deeper level than just a best friend but i think Iz was going through enough things in his life right then to not let it all sink in despite the signs. It was actually pretty cute.

I do like my N.R. Walker books and look forward to reading more in the future.
  
I love, love, loved this book! This is my first Mercedes Lackey book and it most definitely won't be my last! If all - or even most - of her other books are as good as this one, I'll be a fan for life! I do think the synopsis is a bit misleading, it's not exactly how everything happened, especially since the prince doesn't enter the picture until halfway through the book. Maybe hardcore fantasy readers won't enjoy it as much as those who love both fantasy and romance, but I thought it was a very smart and interesting twist on the usual fairy tales. I loved the epilogue and thought that added to the whole 'moral' of the story. I can't wait to get to the others in the series. :)