Reviews

Books mentioned and mini-reviews:

Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett

This one is about three witches who reluctantly act as fairy godmothers to the heir to the throne, whisking him away so that he’s safe from the new king, and then equally reluctantly trying to work out what’s gone wrong in their kingdom and fix it. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Equal Rites but it’s still my second favourite so far from my Discworld listening project.

I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of their Time, by Laura Vanderkam

The least relatable of Laura Vanderkam’s books in my opinion. If you’re not a high-earner with children I’d definitely start with 168 Hours or Off the Clock, but if you want more practical examples of how to use Laura’s advice about time management this one is worthwhile.

Resolution Way, by Carl Neville

This is a very interestingly structured book moving through multiple viewpoints to present us with multiple endings! Definitely worthwhile for those who want to have intellectual thoughts about their fiction reading.

Goodbye, Johnny Thunders, by Tania Kindersley

This is about an American living in 1990s London, falling in love with a very dodgy bloke despite warnings from pretty much everyone she knows. I wasn’t that into the story but loved the trip back in time – it was contemporary at the time it was published.

The Lost Sisters, by Holly Black

This is more of a short story than a book, told from the point of view of Jude’s twin sister Taryn, explaining the choices she made during The Cruel Prince. It was interesting but very brief!

Vegan, Virgin, Valentine, by Carolyn Mackler

I found this to be an easy, engaging read and would have rated it more highly except that I don’t think it’s aged well. There’s a relationship with a large age gap that I can’t condone and the depiction of the main character’s veganism doesn’t seem fair now.

Lottery Boy, by Michael Byrne (review copy provided by publisher but I listened to audiobook)

This is a thriller about a 12 year old boy living on the streets of London who finds a winning lottery ticket. He is too young to claim the prize but when he tries to get someone to help him, he finds himself being pursued by people who’d do anything to get their hands on his winnings.

Drop, by Katie Everson (review copy provided by publisher but I listened to audiobook)

Carla moves to a new school and is determined to be more interesting, which means avoiding getting pigeonholed as one of the brainy, plain girls and making friends with the cool kids. But her insecurity and desperation to be liked leads her to feel pressured to start taking drugs. I was expecting this to be grittier than it was but it was still a good read, surprisingly funny in places.

Our Stop, by Laura Jane Williams

If you would like a rom com about decent people, missed connections, and finding ‘the one’, you must read this. I loved it.

The Other Half of Happiness, by Ayisha Malik

This is the sequel to Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, which I read last month (??), and I found it to be very, very different in tone. I didn’t have a problem with the direction it took, but I found that a lot of what I loved about the first book was missing here. This meant that although I could appreciate what the author was trying to do, it ultimately fell short of meeting my expectations.

Books mentioned:

Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett

This was a bit of a Discworld ‘more of the same’ as an eighth son of an eighth son, a sorcerer, takes his father’s revenge on wizardkind. It was perfectly enjoyable but nothing special.

The Confession, by Jessie Burton

Another case of more of the same! If you enjoyed Jessie Burton’s previous books I think you will love this story about a woman in her thirties who has never known her mother or even what happened to her, who ends up pretending to be someone else in order to get close to someone who might hold all the answers. Like in The Muse, the story follows two characters in different time periods, but this time one of those time periods is the present day.

Spellbook of the Lost and Found, by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (proof given to me by a friend, not the publisher)

I loved this! At times I found it hard to keep all the characters straight (there are two trios, plus a duo, of friends), but I loved the story and the atmosphere. It’s about a group of teenagers, some of them runaways, who discover a mysterious spellbook and cast a spell to bring back lost things, but of course some things should stay lost…

The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo

I also loved this! I started reading it while waiting for a bus on holiday and was instantly captivated. I haven’t read a novel in verse in years and I really enjoyed both the poetry and Xiomara’s story. The development and trouble in her relationship with her mother was really powerful and moving.

The True Queen, by Zen Cho

Well, obviously I also loved this sequel to Sorcerer to the Crown! It’s got magic, dragons, politics, mystery, and romance. I may have got a little emotional at the end! The True Queen is about two young women who find themselves washed ashore on Janda Baik after a storm, with no memory of anything but each other. Mak Genggang, who you will remember as a hilariously bossy and extremely powerful witch from the first book, takes them in and ends up sending them to Regency England to get help restoring their memories.

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black

I was also expecting to love this, and I did! It took me a ridiculously long time to get around to picking it up considering I got my copy while Holly Black was touring to promote it, and I have always loved her books, but it was as great as anticipated. We’re back in the land of the fae, only this time we’re following a pair of human sisters who were kidnapped by the faerie that killed their parents and have lived there ever since. It’s full of politics and mean beautiful creatures and it was delightful.

The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han

Unfortunately I did not love this. I was hoping I would because I really enjoyed To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, by the same author, but it was very very different and although I don’t normally mind a love triangle, I’m not into love triangles where two of the points are siblings, so it was probably doomed in my esteem from the start. I won’t be continuing with this trilogy and will go straight to PS. I Still Love You instead!

Rules of Summer, by Joanna Philbin (review copy from publisher)

At this point I thought ‘hmm, a theme is emerging in my summer project books’, as The Summer I Turned Pretty involved a long stay at a holiday home and so does Rules of Summer, but I really enjoyed this one. It has two protagonists, Rory, a ordinary girl who goes to work in the Rules’ luxurious summer house in the Hamptons beside her aunt, who is their housekeeper, and Isobel Rule, who is starting to feel like she doesn’t fit into the neat, ordered little life that’s been laid out for her. I love it when books tackle class issues and the tension between Rory, Isobel, and all the other characters, be they other servants or family members, was explored well.

The Summer of Impossible Things, by Rowan Coleman (free copy from Lush Book Club)

This was an interesting idea – woman goes back in time to try to save her own mother, possibly erasing her own existence in the process, and it was a very emotional read. However something about the ending just didn’t work for me, and that’s very hard to talk about in a review!

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, by Ayisha Malik

This is a romantic comedy about a Muslim woman in her thirties in London, working in publishing and trying to get over the end of her last sort-of-relationship, which ended because they would have lived in a house next to her in-laws with a hole in the wall. Everything changes when she is asked to write a book about Muslim dating. I really really loved this, I found the narrator’s voice irresistible and found myself listening to it whenever possible!

Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson

Another holiday home book! This one involves a lake house rather than a house on a beach, so that’s a little different, and overall this was my favourite of the three, featuring a family who have gone away for a last summer together as the father has terminal cancer. Despite the sad subject matter, it was overall an uplifting book as relationships develop, and the protagonist comes to terms with loss while finding love. I really liked the setting and all the details about the town around the lake.