Admittedly June was not the best of reading months but in my defence, I had exams in the first week and when I did finally pick up a book, I was so severely hungover from it (no prizes for guessing which book that was) that it took me forever to pick up another...
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A Court of Mist and Fury
- by Sarah J Maas
5.0/5.0 stars
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A Court of Mist and Fury is the hotly anticipated sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, my review for which is here, and which I now regret rating five stars. Hell, I'm almost ashamed. Because A Court of Mist and Fury hits it out of the damn park. It is a game-changer. Sarah J Maas stepped it the hell up and it is a phenomenal masterpiece. Find my full review here
Pear Shaped
- by Stella Newman
1.0/5.0 stars
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There's nothing I hate more than picking up a book on a whim, getting excited about it, and then having it disappoint bitterly. I also hate having books on my bookshelf that I didn't enjoy reading so this particular one has now made its way to the pile of unwanted, discarded books that lie hidden in a corner in my room. It's very rare that I hate a book; I may dislike it or get bored of it, but rarely do I hate it. Pear Shaped though, I hated.
It starts off with 33 year old Sophie meeting 45 year old James in a bar on a Friday night who she instantly feels a spark with. Handsome, funny and a love for things in life that she can't do without, he's her dream guy. But he's also elusive and whilst the air of mystery reels her in, she can't help but question what he's hiding from her. Her instinct tells her he's too good to be true but her heart tells her to maybe just take a risk in falling in love...
The number of things wrong with this novel, I don't even know where to start. I loathed James. I actually don't think I've read a novel where a male character irks me to the point where I question his fictional existence. There was nothing remotely likeable or charming about him. I just couldn't figure out the attraction. He wasn't the typical good-looking swoony hero, his personality was bland and his perception on women was warped as hell. His relationship with Sophie just didn't sit well with me, I don't understand why she kept taking him back after he cocked up because his cock-ups were of the emotionally abusive, derogatory type in which he constantly kept putting her down and wrecking her self-esteem. He was an awful person. I didn't like Sophie either if I'm honest. She made some stupid stupid decisions even when the truth was blindingly obvious to everyone but her. I didn't connect with her in the slightest and her attempts at being witty and humourous didn't work. I found myself more interested in the more mundane parts of her life (like her job as a foodie) and the relationships with her work colleagues which basically says it all really. Who wants to read a chick lit hating the relationship of focus and wishing they could read about the heroine's frickin' job? You know what's truly laughable? She mentions her ex about twice in the whole book and I wished that I was reading about him instead of whatever else I was reading. A book with a weak heroine who takes shit from a jerk of a guy only to back for more, unnecessary fat-shaming that is insulting to women everywhere, and an unhealthy look at depression that made this book a bloody train-wreck. It's a shame I don't want this book on my bookshelf because the cover is kinda pretty...
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| Girl meets boy. Girl loses boy. Girl loses mind. |
Girl in the Blue Coat
- by Monica Hesse
4.5/5.0 stars
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The year is 1943 and Amsterdam has been invaded by the Nazis. Seventeen year old Hanneke is secretly working in the black market, sourcing and selling stolen goods to the rich citizens that can afford it. It is the only way she can support her parents. And it is a small act of rebellion against the Nazis who stole the life of the boy she loved as he fought on the Dutch front-line when the Germans invaded. But in less than a day, Hanneke's life changes irreversibly when one of her clients asks her to find Mirjam, the Jewish girl that she has been hiding behind the pantry in a secret room. She wants nothing to do with it; struggling to grieve the loss of Sebastian and shutting the lid on her emotions, Hanneke has succumbed to a life governed by the Nazis and just lives to survive, not wanting any unnecessary complications in her life that will force her to feel what she no longer wants to. But the disappearance of the girl in the blue coat opens up a world of questions and mysteries that don't add up, and knowing that Sebastian would have travelled to the ends of the earth to solve them, she can't help but be drawn into the mystery of the vanishing girl and when she quickly finds herself pulled into a life of dangerous secrets and illicit activity, she realises that acts of rebellion are running rife amidst the Nazi rule in Amsterdam. The only question that remains is just how far will Hanneke go to save one girl's life?
Girl in the Blue Coat is remarkable in so many ways. The story of Amsterdam following Nazi invasion despite Hitler promising to never enter their country, is one that is seldom told. Holland's involvement in World War II is always deemed as "neutrality" but in fact, the truth is so much more than that and I appreciate Monica Hesse bringing that to light. Her research and insight into the victimisation of innocents, and the lengths that the people of Holland went to in order to fight it, takes this story from strength to strength as we follow Hanneke's journey to locate Mirjam. I loved Hanneke as a heroine; she's tough and strong, and she has a dark wit that makes her narrative compelling and made me instantly connect with her as a reader. And yet she's grieving the loss of the boy she loves, a grief so palpable, that I fell in love with Sebastian despite him featuring in Hanneke's story as a mere ghost. She is also weighed down by a gut-wrenching guilt as she feels responsible for his death and she suffers as she bottles up this overwhelming guilt and grief. Her love for him is in part, the reason why she decides to take on the suicide mission of searching for a girl who shouldn't even be missing in the first place. As she tries to dismantle Mirjam's past and present in an attempt to learn the truth, she finds herself caught up in the Resistance, a movement determined to rebel against the Nazis and be the change that occupied Amsterdam desperately needs.
Through the eyes of Hanneke and her involvement with the Resistance, the question that Girl in the Blue Coat constantly begs, is that if we can only save one life whilst millions of others are lost, is it worth that risk? Is it worth anything? Is saving a human life an iota of "change" in the grand scheme of things?
See, Girl in the Blue Coat doesn't touch on the heart-breaking deaths of soldiers like Sebastian who gave up their lives for their country. It doesn't portray the brutalities of Hitler's regime as he took over a country he promised to never touch, and nor does it reiterate the cold-blooded murder of millions during the Holocaust. Rather, it looks at the moving tale of thousands of others across the country who risked their lives just the same, to protect the lives that the Nazis unjustly tortured and tossed away without a second thought. It is the story of ordinary people who are brave, who don't lose their humanity in a world stripped of it.
One of my favourites in historical fiction, it is beautifully written, weaving together the lives of a scattered few across Amsterdam to tell an extraordinary story of friendship, bravery, loss and war, and how the latter brings out the best - and worst - in us. A memorable novel that is quietly powerful in the story it tells, Girl in the Blue Coat is a hidden gem.
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Richard VanRyan is cocky, confident, and a self-confessed playboy with not a care in the world for the feelings of others. He works for a high-flying advertising company but when his boss passes him up for a promotion, he decides to exact revenge by moving to the company's biggest competitors. A company that is family-run and that values integrity above all else. The catch? To land that job, Richard has to be seen as a reformed man, a complete contradiction to the reputation that precedes him. Katharine Elliott is Richard's PA. Shy and timid, she takes the abuse and insults her boss throws her way because she really needs the money. She is also the perfect candidate for Richard to present as his fiancee in order for him to look settled and committed to a woman. When he offers her a huge sum of money to play the role, Kathrine is torn between the lure of the extra cash, and leaving Richard to hang high and dry. As they both get sucked into the game they're playing, sparks begin to fly and their contract is about to crash and burn...
The Contract started out strong; I liked the jerk that Richard was and I liked that Katharine was the doormat heroine who showed her backbone when he treated her like an asshole. And I liked these two together. Their relationship was a slow burn, and there was a strong character growth as they discovered more about one another, gradually falling for the real person that they each hide behind their respective facades. Their witty banter and the plot that underlies the charade they're playing made for an interesting read and whilst it was admittedly cliched and cheesy at times, I had enough fun reading it.
The year is 1943 and Amsterdam has been invaded by the Nazis. Seventeen year old Hanneke is secretly working in the black market, sourcing and selling stolen goods to the rich citizens that can afford it. It is the only way she can support her parents. And it is a small act of rebellion against the Nazis who stole the life of the boy she loved as he fought on the Dutch front-line when the Germans invaded. But in less than a day, Hanneke's life changes irreversibly when one of her clients asks her to find Mirjam, the Jewish girl that she has been hiding behind the pantry in a secret room. She wants nothing to do with it; struggling to grieve the loss of Sebastian and shutting the lid on her emotions, Hanneke has succumbed to a life governed by the Nazis and just lives to survive, not wanting any unnecessary complications in her life that will force her to feel what she no longer wants to. But the disappearance of the girl in the blue coat opens up a world of questions and mysteries that don't add up, and knowing that Sebastian would have travelled to the ends of the earth to solve them, she can't help but be drawn into the mystery of the vanishing girl and when she quickly finds herself pulled into a life of dangerous secrets and illicit activity, she realises that acts of rebellion are running rife amidst the Nazi rule in Amsterdam. The only question that remains is just how far will Hanneke go to save one girl's life?
Girl in the Blue Coat is remarkable in so many ways. The story of Amsterdam following Nazi invasion despite Hitler promising to never enter their country, is one that is seldom told. Holland's involvement in World War II is always deemed as "neutrality" but in fact, the truth is so much more than that and I appreciate Monica Hesse bringing that to light. Her research and insight into the victimisation of innocents, and the lengths that the people of Holland went to in order to fight it, takes this story from strength to strength as we follow Hanneke's journey to locate Mirjam. I loved Hanneke as a heroine; she's tough and strong, and she has a dark wit that makes her narrative compelling and made me instantly connect with her as a reader. And yet she's grieving the loss of the boy she loves, a grief so palpable, that I fell in love with Sebastian despite him featuring in Hanneke's story as a mere ghost. She is also weighed down by a gut-wrenching guilt as she feels responsible for his death and she suffers as she bottles up this overwhelming guilt and grief. Her love for him is in part, the reason why she decides to take on the suicide mission of searching for a girl who shouldn't even be missing in the first place. As she tries to dismantle Mirjam's past and present in an attempt to learn the truth, she finds herself caught up in the Resistance, a movement determined to rebel against the Nazis and be the change that occupied Amsterdam desperately needs.
| Two best friends meeting on the street to say so many things at once: I betrayed you, I love you, I want to save you, I'm sorry. All around Europe, people are dying by the hundreds of thousands. And here, in my city, the Nazis slaughtered a family because of events that started with love and jealousy and a slip of the tongue - Hanneke, Girl in the Blue Coat
Through the eyes of Hanneke and her involvement with the Resistance, the question that Girl in the Blue Coat constantly begs, is that if we can only save one life whilst millions of others are lost, is it worth that risk? Is it worth anything? Is saving a human life an iota of "change" in the grand scheme of things?
See, Girl in the Blue Coat doesn't touch on the heart-breaking deaths of soldiers like Sebastian who gave up their lives for their country. It doesn't portray the brutalities of Hitler's regime as he took over a country he promised to never touch, and nor does it reiterate the cold-blooded murder of millions during the Holocaust. Rather, it looks at the moving tale of thousands of others across the country who risked their lives just the same, to protect the lives that the Nazis unjustly tortured and tossed away without a second thought. It is the story of ordinary people who are brave, who don't lose their humanity in a world stripped of it.
One of my favourites in historical fiction, it is beautifully written, weaving together the lives of a scattered few across Amsterdam to tell an extraordinary story of friendship, bravery, loss and war, and how the latter brings out the best - and worst - in us. A memorable novel that is quietly powerful in the story it tells, Girl in the Blue Coat is a hidden gem.
The Contract
- by Melanie Moreland
3.5/5.0 stars
Richard VanRyan is cocky, confident, and a self-confessed playboy with not a care in the world for the feelings of others. He works for a high-flying advertising company but when his boss passes him up for a promotion, he decides to exact revenge by moving to the company's biggest competitors. A company that is family-run and that values integrity above all else. The catch? To land that job, Richard has to be seen as a reformed man, a complete contradiction to the reputation that precedes him. Katharine Elliott is Richard's PA. Shy and timid, she takes the abuse and insults her boss throws her way because she really needs the money. She is also the perfect candidate for Richard to present as his fiancee in order for him to look settled and committed to a woman. When he offers her a huge sum of money to play the role, Kathrine is torn between the lure of the extra cash, and leaving Richard to hang high and dry. As they both get sucked into the game they're playing, sparks begin to fly and their contract is about to crash and burn...
The Contract started out strong; I liked the jerk that Richard was and I liked that Katharine was the doormat heroine who showed her backbone when he treated her like an asshole. And I liked these two together. Their relationship was a slow burn, and there was a strong character growth as they discovered more about one another, gradually falling for the real person that they each hide behind their respective facades. Their witty banter and the plot that underlies the charade they're playing made for an interesting read and whilst it was admittedly cliched and cheesy at times, I had enough fun reading it.
