Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

On August 3, 2021August 2, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.
Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

It’s time for another review where I get confused about Greek Mythology! I think at this point I need to face the fact that I probably need to teach myself a little bit before reading more Greek Mythology inspired books, purely because this is the second book I’ve read in 2021 that I have been highly confused over (the first being Circe). I thought with this one being a YA book rather than adult it may have held my hand a little more, but it did still leave me feeling confused.

I feel like I left this book with not much more knowledge than when I went in, honestly. I really liked the idea of this book and the premise sounded brilliant – it sounds like it should have been fast paced and action packed. Instead, I found this boring and confusing at the same time. It took me so much longer to get through than I wanted to because it just felt so long and I didn’t want to pick it up when I wasn’t reading it.

I was born knowing how to do three things –

I liked the characters and the kind of found family element to it, but I didn’t feel connected to them at all. They all felt a little flat and I couldn’t tell you any defining feature about any of the characters less than a week after finishing this book. The plot also felt super slow even though technically a lot happens, I couldn’t pinpoint anything in partiular.

I know that part of my problem with this book was my lack of understanding of Greek Mythology, but I feel like I can’t blame everything on myself here. Partly because there were sections of this book (namely the flashbacks) that I actually really enjoyed. I’m so glad I enjoyed these parts because I do have hope for Alexandra Bracken’s writing. These sections personally felt so different to the rest of the book and I felt so much more connected to them.

how to breathe, how to dream, and how to love you.

It’s really hard to tell how much of this book’s problems is mine and how much is the book, but I really want to read the Passenger series by the same author so it will be interesting to see how I find that one!

★★★
2.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

On August 2, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Blackwells

Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

This was one of the books I’ve had on my TBR for the longest, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. For a while, I’ve had it in the back of my mind that this was a fantasy book, but it was actually a contemporary. Once I realised this, I absolutely stormed through this book and read it in a day. I just couldn’t put it down and needed to know what was going to happen to Naila.

This book certainly wasn’t a light one – Naila goes through a lot throughout this story and parts of it were utterly heartbreaking and left me horrified. But this was also such an important story as it shows something people go through in real life, which made it all the more horrific but also crucial to read.

My mother always says when you fight destiny, destiny fights back. Some things, they’re just written in the stars.

I really sympathised with Naila as a main character but I didn’t quite feel as connected to the characters as much as I wanted to. I think mainly because this book is quite short and feels full of action, leaving not much room for character development. As much as I did feel sympathetic for what Naila was going through, I never felt as emotional as I expected or wanted to.

The plot was very fast paced and I honestly didn’t want to put this book down (which is why I read it in a day!). I felt so sucked into this story and I am still thinking about it over a week later. I did find some of the plot points quite predictable and I didn’t find any of it surprising, but I did still enjoy the journey.

You can try but you can never escape what’s meant to be.

Although I did feel like this book was a narrow (and quite negative) look at Islam and Pakistani culture, as the author pointed out in the Author’s Note, this is unfortunately something that happens to a very small amount of people across race, culture and religions. I was so glad to have such an insight into Naila’s story and even though this book was hard hitting, it felt like a very important read and I really enjoyed it.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The 24-Hour Cafe by Libby Page

On July 26, 2021July 23, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Welcome to the cafe that never sleeps.
Day and night, Stella’s Cafe opens its doors to the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It’s a place where everyone is always welcome, where life can wait at the door.
Meet Hannah and Mona: best friends, waitresses, dreamers. They love working at Stella’s – the different people they meet, the small kindnesses exchanged. But is it time to step outside and make their own way in life?
Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella’s Cafe, where one day might just be enough to change your life …

Libby Page really doesn’t let me down! I loved, loved The Lido by her when I read it last year and I’ve been putting this one off for a while for some reason. I actually picked this one out in my first ever TBR game on my BookTube channel – my TBR mini golf game! You can check the video out here for my July TBR. I’m so glad this one came up in the video because I think the reason I have been putting this off is because I liked The Lido so much and I didn’t want to not like this one as much. And I have to admit, I didn’t quite love this one as much as The Lido, but I did still really love it.

Although this one follows two waitresses in a 24 hour diner opposite Liverpool Street station, it was the customers that really captured my heart. Working in retail, I completely understood the way the customers were portrayed and I find it fascinating knowing someone you have a very brief interaction with has their own complicated life. This book looks individually at these characters, their passions, problems and relationships. The way these people were interwoven in the story felt so graceful and effortless.

I also loved how this book followed the friendship of two women rather than a relationship, which felt like a bit of a change! Their friendship becomes messy and complicated but felt authentic and I could completely understand why their pathways were heading in the way they were. I also loved how this book was set over 24 hours – I always find books set over a few days are so masterful (I don’t know how you can write a whole 400 page book over just 24 hours and it still be entertaining!) and fast paced.

My only small complaints are the fact it took me a while to get into this one and that I did mix up the two main characters (waitresses) initially, as they have similar interests. However, once I got over halfway through I really didn’t want to put it down. I read the second half in just over a day and I quickly fell in love with all of the people in this one. Some of the scenes were so heartfelt and heartwarming, I ended up so emotional. I admire Libby Page so much for being able to make me cry from a scene with characters we only met a few pages previously. I was properly crying while reading a certain scene with a couple, tears falling off my face and onto my chest. It was just so wholesome and lovely.

Although this may not have lived up to The Lido, I still really, really loved this one and I can’t wait to read her newest release, The Island Home!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

On July 25, 2021July 23, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Seventeen-year-old Valeria is one of the only survivors of the freeze, a dark magical hold Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village. Everyone, including her family, is trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice. Ever since, she’s been on the run from the Czar, who is determined to imprison any who managed to escape. Valeria finds refuge with the Thieves Guild, doing odd jobs with her best friend Alik, the only piece of home she has left.
That is, until he is brutally murdered.
A year later, she discovers Alik is alive and being held against his will. To buy his freedom, she must lead a group of cutthroats and thieves on a perilous expedition to the very mountain that claimed her family. Only something sinister slumbers in the heart of Knnot.
And it has waited years for release.

Firstly a big thank you to Amy for the gorgeous Fairyloot copy I own! I adore the edition and I’m glad I got around to reading this quickly – although it felt strange reading a polar fantasy in the middle of the hot weather we are having right now in the UK. I actually read this one on audio as I didn’t have many books left on Scrib’d and this one captured my interest!

Sadly, I actually ended up having quite mixed feelings about this one in the end. Although I can safely say I quite enjoyed it, there was just something there that didn’t quite click for me. There was a lot to like about this one, but I also found myself not caring about the story and characters as much as I wanted to – even in the most emotional scenes in the book.

Fear the mountain, my dear. Fear the dark depths and the cold halls. Fear the call.

I did like the plot of this one, but I found some of it a little predictable. Some of it did feel quite unique, including the Russian folklore aspect, which I feel like we don’t see much of in YA fantasy. I have heard this may be a retelling, although it felt more generally inspired than a full retelling. I also felt like the atmosphere was one of my favourite parts and I really liked the general feel of the setting and surroundings.

I liked the characters, but as with a lot of this book, I just liked them. I did root for the main characters and I enjoyed the found-family aspect of the group. However, I honestly feel like I’m running out of things to say because I just…didn’t feel as much for any of this book than I wanted to.

For when the mountain sinks its teeth into you, it will never let you go.

So overall, this definitely wasn’t a bad read, and I certainly enjoyed it – it just also fell flat and felt really disappointing in some ways. I’ve recently found out this is a going to be a duology, and I think I may re-read the physical version of this when the second one comes out.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Furies by Katie Lowe

On July 22, 2021July 23, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

In 1998, a sixteen-year-old girl is found dead on school property, dressed in white and posed on a swing, with no known cause of death. The novel opens with this image, as related to us by the narrator, Violet, looking back on the night it happened from the present day, before returning to relate the series of events leading up to the girl’s murder.
After an accident involving her Dad and sister, Violet joins Elm Hollow Academy, a private girls school in a quiet coastal town, which has an unpleasant history as the site of famous 17th century witch trials. Violet quickly finds herself invited to become the fourth member of an advanced study group, alongside Robin, Grace, and Alex – led by their charismatic art teacher, Annabel.
While Annabel claims her classes aren’t related to ancient rites and rituals – warning the girls off the topic, describing it as little more than mythology – the girls start to believe that magic is real, and that they can harness it. But when the body of a former member of the society – Robin’s best friend, with whom Violet shares an uncanny resemblance – is found dead on campus nine months after she disappeared, Violet begins to wonder whether she can trust her friends, teachers, or even herself.

Okay, wow. I didn’t have many expectations going into this, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so dark or graphic as it turned out to be. I listened to the audiobook of this, which I actually really liked and felt the narrator fit the story really well – but did leave me completely enveloped in the darker scenes.

This book is the darkest of dark academia I have read. It takes all of the murder mystery elements and makes them more visceral and gruesome than I ever expected. The best part of this book, in my opinion, was the writing. I loved the writing, and I think it was probably the only part of this book I truly fell for. It almost read like a modern classic, lilting and atmospheric and perfect for the story. The writing just worked for me, and I feel like the audiobook only enhanced this with the narrator.

Every breath, every moment, possessed with an illusion of glamor, of filthy decadence, purely because it was ours,

Everything else, however, I have a lot of mixed feelings about. Our main character, Violet, left me feeling infuriated for most of the story. She never learns how to say no, how to take control of her own situation or how to stand up for herself. But I couldn’t stay mad at her forever – I was more frustrated with the fact it was so easy for her to fall into this trap of impressing the popular, enthralling group of girls known as The Furies. I didn’t appreciate the decisions she made, but I also felt angry at the fact her naivety left her exposed and vulnerable.

The plot felt a bit all over the place, and I never quite knew where the end goal of the story quite fell. Even when I did figure out the next ‘goal’ to the story, it came and went in a blink and I felt like I’d been left to wonder where we were heading. It was a bit like being left to feel around in the dark, grabbing strings and hoping they would develop into a real narrative.

we two our own radical world, a star collapsing inward and bursting, gorgeous, in the dark.

This book was twisted and honestly, screwed up. But I can see the message it was trying to portray and I loved the writing, it was just sadly let down by the plot and characters in a lot of ways. It’s the kind of book I can definitely understand why people like it, but I wouldn’t want to necessarily recommend it to anybody due to the dark nature of the topics.

CW (just some off the top of my head, this book was very graphic overall so beware!): sex, sexual assault, drug use, alcohol use, murder, gore

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Last Beginning (#2) by Lauren James

On July 20, 2021July 15, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives.
But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove’s investigation?
For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future, and failure could cost the world everything.

Not only does this book complete my reading of Lauren’s entire collection of novels (until Green Rising is released very soon!), it is also my 100th read of the year! 100 books was my Goodreads goal for 2021 and is also way more than I have ever managed to read in a year (I think my highest is around 85 in 2020). The fact I have reached this goal in the middle of July astounds me and I wanted to mention it here – my boyfriend also mentioned the irony of this book being called The Last Beginning and being the one to make me hit my goal.

It’s been years since I read The Next Together and I was a little worried going into this one without having read the first one recently. However, this one follows the main characters from The Next Together’s daughter, 16 years on. And luckily for me, she has an entirely different story allowing me to pretty seamlessly carry on.

I can remember thinking I’d been turned inside out.

Every Lauren James book I read astounds me with the sheer creativity of it. I could never even begin to think up the kind of worlds she seems to – worlds that are so different from our own but also have such a lovely familiarity to them. In this book, we follow Clove as she tries to find out why her birth parents appear over and over again throughout history. Her adopted parents are working on a time machine, which she uses to meet all of these variants of her parents. I really love the time travel theme and felt like it allowed us to explore different time periods really well, with all of them feeling authentic and believable.

The writing was so quick to read and once I picked this up, I found it hard to put down. I love how easy the writing was and this is definitely something I find across all of Lauren James’s work. The characters were also really likable and I love the family element and the relationship was so sweet and had such a lovely moral. The only problem I was how immature Clove could be, especially at the start of the book, and it made the whole book feel a little too young for me.

Kind of like the first time I saw you.

Once again, big up Lauren James for writing about women in STEM, having powerful female leads and a sapphic relationship! I really enjoyed this one and it got better and better as it went on.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Blog Tour + Review: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

On July 19, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Blog Tour, Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he’s going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.
A new relationship couldn’t have come at a better time – her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone’s moving to the suburbs. There’s no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who’s caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.

Thank you to Penguin for having me as part of this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

To be completely blunt, I wasn’t 100 percent sure this was going to be a book I enjoyed. I have read some brilliant adult contemporaries in the past few years, but I’ve also read a few I didn’t enjoy at all. And this sounded in some ways similar to the one’s I didn’t enjoy as much, so naturally I was a little hesitant. However, I am very happy to say I absolutely loved this book. It was bold and beautiful and confident without being abrasive or brash – striking a perfect balance that I just didn’t expect.

We follow Nina Dean, who I found to be a likable character from the second page, when she visited Hampstead Ladies Pond (I love outdoor swimming so I loved this instantly). I always find I enjoy books so much more when I actually like the main character and want the best for them – and I really did with Nina. She felt honest and relatable, a real and imperfect character with her own troubles and mistakes.

Maybe friendship is being the guardian of another person’s hope.

I found the pacing slow at first, but after around 150 pages I couldn’t put this book down and finished it the following day. The plot really picks up and I just wanted to know what happened to Nina and those around her. The writing was absolutely brilliant and may be my favourite part of the book as a whole – it was easy to read but had some real depth and honest discussions I loved reading.

There was something in the writing that just made me feel so connected to Nina, it made me cry (and I mean tears running down my cheeks!) but also made me laugh. It is so rare I find a book that makes me properly laugh, but this one did. It made me chuckle over and over again, and I applaud the writing for that! It also made my heart drop and brought a sick feeling to my stomach when certain things happened in Nina’s life that I just felt so emotional over.

I also love how this book was feminist without being men-hating. I have read books before that felt like they crossed that line and I didn’t appreciate it – Ghosts, however, appreciates both sides of a story and brings in both successful and unsuccessful relationships. It was the balance I really wanted from this book. The relationships felt so real and were another reason I felt so connected to Nina, especially the difficult relationship with her parents (it was a scene between her and her mum that made me cry).

Leave it with me and I’ll look after it for a while , if it feels too heavy for now.

This book was a really pleasant surprise and there is honestly so much to love about it. Despite the slow start I found it so engaging and brilliantly written. An emotional but funny and uplifting read all at the same time!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

On July 18, 2021July 15, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

Maeve Chambers doesn’t have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she’s found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn’t be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears.
Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily’s brother Roe find her? And will their special talents be enough to bring Lily back, before she’s gone for good?

I have to admit, this is exactly what I wanted House of Hollow to be. Both have parallels, but this was much more what I expected (and wanted) for the trope of ‘girl goes missing and could be in a place nobody can reach her’. Even though the trope was similar to others I’ve seen, this book was so unique in it’s premise and plot itself, which I loved. It felt like such an oddity of YA, and breaches a gap between contemporary and magical realism, giving off a spooky feel.

I really liked the atmosphere and felt it was portrayed really well. I definitely had goosebumps in places and felt slightly spooked by the scenes in this book, which beautifully showed the thinning of the veil between our world and somewhere else. I really enjoyed how much tarot played a part in the story and the fact it is set in the real world makes the story easy to follow.

The characters were so diverse and I really liked the friendship dynamic. I think my biggest struggle was sometimes how much I disliked the main character, Maeve, who occasionally felt very immature in her actions and the way she spoke to people around her. Although she did grow throughout the book, I did sometimes struggle to like her character. However, I loved the side characters and the way all of their stories intertwined and they all had different plots working alongside each other. Each character had their own struggles and demons but they came together to fight as a team.

One of the main characters spends this book exploring his gender identity, which I really enjoyed reading about and sparked some really interesting and important conversations between the characters. The entire cast felt very diverse and it was great to see a non-binary side character, although I found the main character still presumed the genders of others, which felt a little backwards in places. I did really like the romance, however, and seeing how the two characters communicated with one another and had a level of understanding I didn’t expect really warmed my heart.

This book is set in Ireland, which I really liked. It also felt like it played a key role in the story, including discussions of the Catholic Church but also the folklore of Ireland. This brought out some really interesting and important topics that I definitely wasn’t expecting to come up.

If you’re looking for a quirky and atmospheric creepy YA, I would really recommend this one. I can see how this is only the first one in a series and I’m looking forward to seeing where Maeve’s story goes!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

On July 16, 2021August 4, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students’ dark secrets to light.
Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can’t escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.
Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they’re planning much more than a high-school game…

Thank you to Usbourne for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange with an honest review.

I’ve been hearing good things about this one recently, but I have to admit it surpassed all expectations. I did not expect this one to be such a page turner with dark but really important themes. This book reminded me of SLAY in a lot of ways, as both are such compelling reads that focus heavily on race. I didn’t really know much about this book going in, so most of the themes came as a bit of a surprise. I’m glad I went into this one with little knowledge, however, as it made the book even more gripping.

We follow Chiamaka and Devon, two Black students at their private school who are suddenly targets of an anonymous texter who spreads their deepest, darkest secrets around the school. The two band together to try and find out who Aces, the anonymous texter is. Although this is the basic premise of the story, there was so much more to it than that. Both of these characters have a lot going on in their lives, resulting in exploration of sexuality, class boundaries and elitism.

I stop myself from apologizing-because what would I even be sorry for?

The writing was brilliant and really kept me on the edge of my seat. I buddy read this with Alex over 10 days, but every single day I wanted to keep reading when we reached the end of the chapter. I sped through the section for the day and couldn’t put this book down, it was so compelling and such an easy read despite the difficult topics it explores. Although I had my suspicions about who Aces was, the plot also kept me guessing and intrigued.

I really liked Devon as a main character and I grew to like Chiamaka too, although I never fully connected with her and definitely found her unlikable at the start. Devon’s chapters were just more emotional for me and I really felt for what he was going through. Both of their relationships with the side characters were also interesting to read about and I really liked some of the dynamics between the main pair and others.

Existing too loud?

Overall, this was such a compelling read that had an in depth look on racism and inequality. I loved how the teenagers had some really deep and important discussion about racism without it feeling inauthentic, which is something SLAY also does well. My only criticism would be that a few aspects of the plot felt just a little far fetched, but I would still highly recommend this book!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

On July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and in no other place. But he will live as a character, we surmise, as long as the memory of any reader lasts.
It is the story of this Jay Gatsby who came so mysteriously to West Egg, of his sumptuous entertainments, and of his love for Daisy Buchanan – a story that ranges from pure lyrical beauty to sheer brutal realism, and is infused with a sense of the strangeness of human circumstance in a heedless universe.
It is a magical, living book, blended of irony, romance, and mysticism.

It has been years (and I mean, years) since I finished a book and then just started it again immediately to re-read it. Although in this case it didn’t happen in quite that fashion, as I read the physical format and then switched to the audiobook for an immediate re-read. Although there were parts I enjoyed about my first attempt, I found re-reading this on audio gave me a new found appreciation for the book. I buddy read this one with my boyfriend (our first buddy-read!) and although we have yet to discuss our full thoughts and feelings, it’s been really enjoyable to read something together.

The Great Gatsby is a study of New York in the 1920’s, and all of the opulence, extravagance, decadence and pure drama that comes with it. I found the characters largely unlikable but also absolutely fascinating to read about, their relationships with each other fueled by infatuation and lust.

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies,

I found the writing compelling and humorous, something I didn’t notice until my audio re-read, which put emphasis on lines I otherwise skipped over. Some of the writing is so poetic, beautiful and almost lyrical, including the quote in this post which remains to be my favourite. Other lines made me chuckle out loud with their brashness or ludicrousness.

I loved the way this book took the concept of the American Dream and turned it on it’s head, instead showing that everything is not always as it seems, and behind closed doors anything could be going on. I found myself intrigued over and over again by the actions of each character, wondering about their drives and motivations – usually wealth, greed and lust.

I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

Overall, although not perfect, I did enjoy this window into the high society of New York in the 1920’s. It sometimes feels unbelievable and utterly ludicrous, but also makes for an entertaining and interesting read.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The Books are Everywhere

Tag: book review

Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Review: Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Review: The 24-Hour Cafe by Libby Page

Review: The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Review: The Furies by Katie Lowe

Review: The Last Beginning (#2) by Lauren James

Blog Tour + Review: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Review: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

Review: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald