Bonnie

Brilliant. Hard hitting. I could read a book written by Melissa every day. Even though there are many characters and a lot going on, she weaves the story through them in ways that has you relating to all the characters at some point. My first 5 star read for the year.
The only thing that bugged me slightly is that I wanted Kerry and Steve to have a happy ending, and we don't know what happens. But that's just cos I'm a romantic. Wonderful book, highly highly recommend.

“Now, as he stands by one of these dirt tracks at the start of a blackened map, the damage from this fire stretches before him, over gullies and ridges in all directions. The hills are filled with exactly the kind of scrap metal - ruined farm equipment and endless strips of scorched corrugated-iron roofing - that he likes to collect. By lighting a fire, accidentally or not, he has turned the bush around his home into one vast junkyard.”

Parts of this book took my breath away; some pages brought me to tears; and others made me rage with the futility of attempting to understand the mind of an autistic arsonist.

I appreciated Chloe's attempts at providing all sides of the story, although the focus is mainly the lonely and tortured existence of Brendan. I liked the insights she provided from other people who have autism, on what it's like often being so misunderstood, and how differently they experience the world.

I definitely recommend this book, but be warned, it's not an easy read.

I really enjoyed this sweet edition from Josephine, a successful Sunshine Coast author. The book is peppered with references to local places and businesses, making me feel right at home. It is a very Aussie story. It talks a lot about morals, but it's a story with a big heart and realistic storylines that brought a tear to my eye at the conclusion. This is the third book of Josephine's that I've read so far and I am a big fan of her style and attention to detail.

Apart from an ending that kinda fizzled, I enjoyed this. I figured out whodunit.

A lovely escapism on a rainy weekend.

A sweet and spicy summer read. Love the setting

This was a great read. The best parts were the parallel but slightly unfocused storylines of the trial and the survivors; and the way Pip unravells until she can't separate herself from her work at all. Definitely keen for the next book!

Such a beautiful, sad story. I was very moved by it. Love the illustrations too

4.5 stars for this brilliant little book.

4 stars because i enjoyed it. I couldn't tell if we were in the florid 1980s or the ambivalent 2000s most of the time but I loved most of the characters and their nicknames!
Trigger warning for drugs being used and discussed on every second page, if not every page.

I really want to like this book. The first third was compelling and I liked the alternate timelines. But at some point the author got tired of that format and we remained in the overwritten, uninteresting present. Everything is an effort and men fall over themselves to help Katerina when she was quite capable of achieving what she set out to do herself. Ugh. My favourite character is Otto. Now that's a good human.

Although sometimes it felt like it would never end, It was an intriguing plot and the characters were real. The Vietnam War added a decent amount of background tension.

3.5. A bit underwhelmed after reading Wildlife first, but a sweet book

I enjoyed the pace and setting of this story, although the plot is not the strongest. I'm keen to read the other Under Suspicion books

I finished it so I could find out what the big mystery was. Cute but amateur. Needs a good edit. Characters are very one dimensional.

Suspenseful, read most of it in one day.

A very solid 4

Hunger Games vs The Handmaids Tale, set in space. Glow probably has the least amount of detail I've ever read in scifi, which makes it all feel somewhat simplistic. I am invested in the story though and am looking forward to reading the next book.