Zoe Adams

This was a huge disappointment. I found it really hard going, and just could not feel anything at all for the characters.

3.75 stars. It took me a while to warm to this; Ryan is not an immediately likable character, and I found everyone was a bit of a charichature. However, I liked how Ray and Ryan's relationship developed, and found I did enjoy this in the end.

3.75 stars. I'm really warming to this series. They are nowhere near as good as Kent Krueger's standalone books, which are definitely high-end literary fiction, but they are also far better than most crime novels, with real depth and great character development.

3.5 stars. This was a solid, enjoyable, book - but I'm surprised at some of the hyperbolic reviews about this. Yes, it was well-written. Yes, it was a moving story. But it wasn't particularly novel or original, some of the characters did fall a bit flat, and I found myself a bit under-whelmed at times.

2 stars. This started out readable, but fairly dull and ridiculous. But by the end, it was actually irritating me so much I found listening to it extremely stressful. It was just stupid.

I agree with other reviewers that this was overly long, and I felt it could/should have ended about 3 times before the final conclusion - although the actual ending was satisfying. Generally, I thought this was excellent. My only reservation was that, while in large part a critique of fatphobia, and the way in which thinness trends operate as a means through which to exercise power over women, I did get the impression at times that the author actually bought into more subtle elements of diet culture. Even after the main character had called out the problem, she still noticed people's weight first, for example, such that even when objecting to it, some degree of objectification of women's bodies continued. In any event, I did think this was very clever, and insightful.

3.5 stars. There is something about Amanda Prowse that just makes me feel warm. Her books are not memorable, and there's nothing special about them, but everyone is like a comforting cup of tea.

3.75 stars. There are LOTS of books like this out there at the moment, some are better than others. This was one of the better ones, it was nuanced, sensitive, and the character development was good as well. I do feel like this is getting a bit ‘old', and I'm not sure how many more books with almost the exact same story I can read... but I did think this was a good one.

This was my least favorite of Karen Rose's books so far. I think the issue was that the ‘villain' was just not believable. And because of that, it made domestic abuse seem almost exceptional. It was still well-written, but the whole thing just seemed to miss the mark.

3.5. Nothing special, but an enjoyable WWII novel, from a different perspective. The characters were believable, and the story realistic.

3.75 stars. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well written Karen Rose's books are. I thoroughly enjoyed this (even though it was obvious who it was from the very beginning!)

There are a lot of books like this out there at the moment. While I do like the deep exploration into domestic violence and its psychological impact, I do find the ‘trope' is being a bit overdone. This was also just plain weird at times.

3.5 stars. This was an enjoyable memoir. The voice obviously made a huge difference, and I suspect Sam Heughan could read anything and it would be a nice listening experience. However, I thought this was well constructed - definitely one of the better memoirs I've read.

This was such a disappointment. I really enjoyed the author's second novel, Whispers, and hoped this would be similarly good. But this was dark and weird - with no deeper meaning. It was just not nice to read.

Unfortunately, this was just dull and boring.

I absolutely adore this whole series. It is so well-written, the characters are wonderful, and the historical detail is really excellent. I love Alex in this book in particularly, but I also became very fond of Highbury too. I hope Brannan has more of these in the pipeline.

3.5 stars. Another really good police procedural. I love the character development, and while the mystery was, once again, fairly predictable, it still comes across as realistic and holds your attention.

3.75. This was a slog to get through, but I did appreciate the detail, humour, and complexity. I think this is one that will grow on me as I proceed through the series.

I really struggled with this for the first 50 pages or so, but I'm SO glad I stuck with it. This is definitely Picoult's best work. The links between Shakespeare's famous lines and Emilia's experiences were so cleverly interwoven into the story. The parallels between the modern and the historical not too contrived and (mostly) realistic. And the general message really well conveyed. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

3.75 stars. This book had no story, no direction - it was just a meander driven by the traumatised thoughts of a grieving mother. It had no clear ending. And yet, that is exactly how it should be. It was beautifully written, and I truly appreciated the exploration of the different ways we grieve, and how the loss of a loved one affects all our relationships.

The four stars in no way reflect the level of enjoyment I got from this novel (more like a 2.5). But I appreciated it nonetheless; it was a very powerful and highly accurate depiction of modern Britain, covering all its contradictions. It was an impressive work of social critique, even if it was at times hard to follow, and fairly gruelling.

3.75. I'm so glad I gave Karen Rose a go. I really enjoyed this. I guessed the outcome from the start, but not the details, but that didn't matter. I liked the character development; felt it wasn't contrived like so many police procedurals can be, and I thought the writing was good.

3.75. This was a really touching exploration of grief, and while it wasn't what I expected, I think Cave did an excellent job here.

There were times when I thought this was brilliant; but far more when it angered me so much I wanted to throw it at the wall. Rooney's writing style is extremely annoying. “The apple, she ate” or “Shining, the sun, it was” rather than “She ate the apple” or “The sun was shining”. The lack of basic punctuation was also extremely frustrating. But I found everything that Rooney achieved in Beautiful world where are you, her cutting social commentary, her enlightened view of the world - was entirely reversed and undermined. The women submissive; reduced to being vehicles for male pleasure. The whole Sylvia story-line was just so stupid - what accident could possibly leave you unable to have sex? And in what world is penetrative sex the essence of what it means to be a sexual being, or even alive, as Rooney alludes at one point. I did not like Normal People; I thought Conversations with Friends was just okay, but I was won over by Beautiful World Where are You. Now, however, I feel that books misled me and I am now back to feeling that Rooney is not for me.

This was disappointing. It did not live up to the hype. It seemed confused in execution, despite promising concept.