At the end of last year, I decided that from now on I will be doing yearly reading round ups of what I’ve read that year. But as January has ended, it has become obvious that a yearly round up won’t cut it. Why? Because I’ve managed to read pretty much the amount of books I read in the whole of 2021 just in January.
I am confident I am going to beat my Goodreads challenge within the next couple of months. In the hope I can continue this reading streak (I doubt it we all know the reading slump kicks in sometimes) I will be doing monthly posts instead.
So without further ado, let’s get into it. As previously mentioned on this blog, reading is my passion but I am not a book blogger and I don’t know how to write reviews without giving the whole plot away. Just like in my 2021 round up, I will include the blurb, how I rated it and briefly my thoughts.
Leave the world behind
Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a holiday: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic.
These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and – with nowhere else to turn – they have come to the country in search of shelter. But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple – and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
Rating: 2/5
Thoughts: This was such a difficult book to rate because I did not like it. I was lured in by the blurb but in my opinion, it really did not live up to it. It was unbelievably overly descriptive! The only reason I gave it two stars was because I could not put it down. That doesn’t really make sense, right? I know! Sadly, it was just one of those you want to know what happens next despite not enjoying it to only be disappointed. But that’s just my opinion, you might have a different one!
Sometimes I Lie
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me.
1. I’m in a coma
2. My husband doesn’t love me any more
3. Sometimes I lie
Rating: 5/5
Thoughts: Alice Feeney has definitely become one of my favourite authors. I had high expectations after reading the amazing Rock, Paper, Scissors and this did not disappoint at all! I was gripped from the very beginning and as always Alice did not disappoint with the twist! I had to re read a couple of pages as I couldn’t believe what had happened! Definitely a book I would recommend!
Wilde women
You never know what surprises life has in store . . .
Robin Wilde is crazy busy with her exciting job and her lovely new man. She’s parenting with flair, and she’s feeling better after the heartbreak of last year. But with so little time to herself, and best friend Lacey’s increasing struggle with post-natal depression, the cracks are beginning to show. Cue a team trip to New York. It might just be the tonic Robin, Lacey, Auntie Kath, Edward and even Piper need.
But when a huge family secret is exposed, Robin’s life looks even closer to falling apart.
Rating: 4/5
Thoughts: The third instalment in the Wilde series and just as good as the first two. It’s an easy read and best of all it is relatable. It has everything, it’s emotional, funny and really warming. More importantly, I admire how through this series Louise has raised awareness on a couple of important topics. For this one, she shed light upon postpartum depression.
All the lonely people
In phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun and friendship.
But Hubert Bird is lying.
Something has made him turn his back on people, and he hardly sees a soul.
So when his daughter announces she’s coming to visit, Hubert faces a race against time: to make his real life resemble his fake life before he’s found out.
Along the way Hubert renews a cherished friendship, is given a second chance at love and even joins an audacious community scheme. But with the secret of his earlier isolation lurking in the shadows, is he destines to always be one of the lonely people?
Rating: 5/5
Thoughts: I love books that shed light upon the harsh realities and the bitter truths of our society. I loved how Hubert’s journey to the U.K. was portrayed, the racism he faced which is the reality of so many and how that shaped him. The twist was really unexpected, I love a book that shocks you! Overall, a lovely heart warming read with such a great community feeling.
The man who didn’t call
Imagine you meet a man, spend seven glorious days together, and fall in love. And it’s mutual: you’ve never been so certain of anything.
So when he leaves for a long-booked holiday and promises to call from the airport, you have no cause to doubt him.
But he doesn’t call.
Your friends tell you to forget him, but you know they’re wrong: something must have happened; there must be a reason for his silence.
What do you do when you finally discover you’re right? That there is a reason – and that reason is the one thing you didn’t share with each other?
The truth.
Rating: 3/5
Thoughts: I really struggled to get into this for the first half of the book, it didn’t really capture my interest. I don’t like abandoning books halfway so I switched over to audio and I’m so glad that I did! It really picked up for me from chapter 20 onwards, was very unpredictable and the ending was perfect!
Why mummy swears
Welcome to Mummy’s world…
The Boy Child Peter is connected to his iPad by an umbilical cord, The Girl Child Jane is desperate to make her fortune as an Instagram lifestyle influencer, while Daddy is constantly off on exotic business trips…
Mummy’s marriage is feeling the strain, her kids are running wild and the house is steadily developing a forest of mould. Only Judgy, the Proud and Noble Terrier, remains loyal as always.
Mummy has also found herself a new challenge, working for a hot new tech start-up. But not only is she worrying if, at forty-two, she could actually get up off a bean bag with dignity, she’s also somehow (accidentally) rebranded herself as a single party girl who works hard, plays hard and doesn’t have to run out when the nanny calls in sick.
Can Mummy keep up the facade while keeping her family afloat? Can she really get away with wearing ‘comfy trousers’ to work? And, more importantly, can she find the time to pour herself a large G+T?
Probably effing not.
Rating: 4/5
Thoughts: I’ve had this on my bookshelf for such a long time but never got round to read it until now. I decided to listen to it instead and I think that made it more enjoyable as the narrator was amazing. It is a book that all mums should read especially if you want a good laugh!
I know what you’ve done
What if all your neighbours’ secrets landed in a diary on your doorstep?
What if the woman who gave it to you was murdered by one of the people in the diary?
What if the police asked if you knew anything?
Would you hand over the book of secrets?
Or … would you try to find out what everyone had done?
Rating: 5/5
Thoughts: This was such a brilliant read! Dorothy Koomson is one of my favourites and she did not disappoint with this read. I could not put it down, it’s the type of book that leaves a ‘oh my God’ feeling at the end. You keep on guessing, finally think you’ve solved it to not only find out you were wrong! Highly recommend!
The Hating Game
Lucy Hutton, baker-of-cakes, charming assistant and professional ‘nice girl’, is waging war. She’s got the whole office on her side – except for tall, dark and charmless Joshua Templeman. He’s been nothing but hostile since the moment they met and now it feels like nothing matters as much as taking him down.
Trapped together under the fluorescent lights, they become entrenched in an addictive rivalry. There’s the Staring Game, The Mirror Game, The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything, especially when a huge promotion comes up for grabs.
Finally she’s going to destroy the man she can’t seem to get out of her office, the man she hates, the man who’s taking up far too much space in her head. If Lucy wins, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. The race is on – but the real games have only just begun . . .
Rating: 1/5
Thoughts: I wanted to know what the hype was all about and I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a book so much. It’s your typical hate to love story that could’ve been better. I hated Lucy, found her very annoying and lacking some self respect for herself. Overall, I found there was too much ‘speech’ and I had hard time finishing it, had to force myself. I can see it as being a successful movie though but as a book, no.
The widow
My husband was not a monster. No matter what they say…
The day my husband, Michael, stepped in front of a lorry after being questioned by the police, my world fell apart. He was devoted to me and our six-year-old daughter. But they’d connected him to the disappearance of a young mother from our tiny village.
Now I stand at Michael’s funeral, clutching my little girl’s hand, with tears in my eyes as I insist to all our friends that he died an innocent man. Yet the questions have started, and nothing I say will stop them digging for the truth.
But none of them can read the secrets in my heart, or know about the phone I found hidden in his toolbox…
I’m determined that my daughter will not remember her father as a monster. I will erase any hint of wrongdoing in this house whatever the cost.
Because to keep my daughter safe, the last thing I need is for people to start looking at me…
Rating: 4/5
Thoughts: I listened to this and really enjoyed it. A type of thriller that convinces you of one thing but turns out to be the opposite, definitely recommend!
A Sky Full of Stars
He’d have done everything differently if he’d known she’d be gone so soon…
When Lisa married Alex, she gave his life meaning. She was a professional astronomer: a stargazer. And when she gazed at Alex, she saw that behind his tough exterior was a man she could love.
Alex, Lisa and their young son Connor made a happy little universe. But when Lisa dies suddenly, their universe is destroyed. Alex is shattered by loss, and overwhelmed by the difficulties of being a single father to a six-year-old boy.
Then Alex meets four strangers. Two men and two women, who never met Lisa, but whose lives changed profoundly because she died. As Alex hears their stories, he begins to realise the world may not be as cruel and senseless as it seems. Perhaps, after all, the future is written in the stars…
Rating: 5/5
Thoughts: I really took my time with this, it was such a heavy and emotional topic but so beautifully portrayed. It really hit home as whilst reading I personally came across a similar situation and the constant thoughts of putting ourselves in the shoes of these characters kept coming back. I definitely recommend but do have to warn you to be ready for an emotional ride.
I really enjoyed reading your reviews! I’m captivated by Sometimes I Lie, All The Lonely People, and I Know What You’ve Done. It’s too bad Leave The World Behind didn’t live up to the blurb. I totally understand what you mean by not liking a book but not being able to put it down! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for these new recommendations!
I really enjoyed reading your reviews! I read The Man Who Didn’t Call last year and I totally agree with you. It’s so hard to get into the first half, it really only picks up at the end of the book. I haven’t read The Hating Game but I did love the film, though I do totally get what you mean. All The Lonely People sounds interesting, adding that one to my list x