Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren @ChristinaLauren @GalleryBooks #bookreview #bestof2018

Happy happy New Year’s Eve!🥂🎉🎉🎉

Last post of the year! I’d have to say that Christina Lauren wins my outstanding author of the year! they wrote three amazing books that I would encourage anyone and everyone to read!💕💕

this book was so much more than a romance it was a book filled with heart, all the feels, and amazing characters… my full review is below….. if you love books and words then you will love Macy and Elliot… and you will adore this book!😍

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Synopsis

The story of the heart can never be unwritten.

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother…only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

Review

5 absolutely Beautiful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved loved loved every single word of this book…. Christina Lauren absolutely hit a homerun with this book…. A book I couldn’t put down filled with characters I absolutely adored and was rooting for….

This is a second chance love story….Elliot and Macy were one another’s first love…. The story is told in alternating time periods between their teenage years and 11 years later when they are reunited…. Macy and Elliot started out as friends bonding over a love of books and words…. Their friends to lovers story develops so sweetly and slowly and perfectly…. I just could not possibly figure out what could have torn these two apart….

11 years later and Macy and Elliot run into each other at a coffee shop…. The connection is still there, but are Macy’s walls too high and too thick to be broken down? What happened to break these two up in the first place? What tragedy and secret has been haunting Macey for all these years? Well you’re going to need to read this book to find out! And I strongly encourage you to do so….. this book has all the feels and leaves you with a huge smile on your face….

Trust me my non romance loving friends even you will be entranced by this book…. and your eyes will not roll I promise…. it is almost impossible not to fall in love with Elliot and Macy and this remarkable love story….

Favoriteword…. YOU💕

*** thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book ***

Hope you read it and love it! Berit 💛

White Lies by Lucy Dawson @lucydawsonbooks @bookouture #bookreview #bestof2018

Happy New Year’s Eve! 🥂

Today I am sharing with you another one of my favorite reads of 2018! I read three of Lucy Dawson’s books this year and they were all five star reads for me! Cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in 2019!🎉🎉🎉

There are three sides to every story… his side… her side… and the truth….

White Lies by Lucy Dawson

Alexandra Inglis is a respected family doctor, trusted by her patients to keep their most intimate secrets. And if sometimes the boundaries between duty and desire blur… well, she’s only human.

But when Alex oversteps a line with Jonathan, one of her patients, she knows she’s gone too far. Jonathan is obsessive, and to get what he wants he will tear Alex’s world apart – threatening not only her career but her marriage and family too.

Soon Alex finds she’s capable of doing almost anything to keep hold of her perfect life, as it begins to spin dangerously out of her control…

A darkly gripping domestic drama of secrets and lies, from the bestselling author of The Daughter. Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies, Louise Jensen and The Couple Next Door.

Review

5 Big Brilliant Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lucy Dawson did it again! She took me on another crazy emotional rollercoaster ride that I wanted to stay on until the very end…. this book kept me up until 2:00 in the morning and left my head spinning…. and truth be told I still don’t know what really happened, but I think that is the beauty of it…. there are three sides to the story… his side… her side… and the truth….

This is a definite he said she said story…. and the way it was told was simply brilliant…. first we get Alex‘s point of view… Alex really isn’t the most likable of characters…. she was on a girls trip to Ibiza… had a lot too much to drink and woke up in bed with a guy and really no memory of the night…. now the kicker is he is a patient of hers and he is 17…… so even if hubby is OK with this there is going to be fall out…. yes Alex is married and a doctor and the mother of two young daughters…. so in the beginning of this book I’m thinking wow what bad luck, not that I condone cheating, but…..

Then we get Jonathan‘s point of view the 17-year-old…. now I have a 15-year-old and a 21-year-old son so this probably influences how I look at this….ick…. so is Jonathan a crazy stalker or the victim? Things start coming out and I was lead in one direction and then in a different direction and it was quite the journey…. along with Alex and Jonathan‘s point of view we got the points of view of several other characters just to add to the craziness…. i’m not sure if anybody was a very reliable narrator….

Along with all the twists and turns this book touched on a few very relevant issues… of course there is the obvious one… Sexual harassment and people in power abusing it…. but I really thought more interestingly the book really touched on social media and the power of the like…. I have to admit it was a bit disconcerting to see someone achieve fame for being a victim, maybe? For me it made Jonathan story less believable… it’s just quite amazing how much social media has altered and dictates our lives….

Absolutely without a doubt recommend to all fans of psychological thrillers with brilliant twists….

*** thank you so much too Bookouture and Net Galley for a copy of this brilliant book ***

 

About me by Lucy Dawson: 

 

I’ve been writing psychological suspense novels since 2008, when my first bestseller – His Other Lover – was published. I write full time (mostly on the playroom sofa) from my home in Devon, where I live with my husband and children. Before that, I used to interview the likes of Steps and SClub7 for a living, making absolutely no use whatsoever of my psychology degree from Warwick University, but it was a lot of fun.

I’m addicted to writing about the extraordinary things that can happen to ordinary people – I like stories that jump in at the deep end, with a gasp. When readers take the time out to let me know they’ve stayed up all night because they couldn’t put the book down, it makes my day.

I really enjoy catching up with readers and always reply to emails. You can reach me at lucy@lucydawsonbooks.com. I’m also on Twitter @lucydawsonbooks and have a Facebook page at lucydawsonbooks. Alternatively you can download a free short story of mine at www.lucydawsonbooks.com or if you want to look at a lot of pictures of the beach and books that I’m reading, find me on Instagram at lucydawsonbooks.

Lies lies lies yeah they’re going to get you! They won’t forget you! Berit 💛

Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck by Elizabeth McGivern @MayhemBeyond #bookreview

Happy Sunday bibliophiles!

I can hardly believe it is almost 2019, where did 2018 go?

Excited today to share with you my review for this wonderful story that I strongly encourage you to give a go!🍍

Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck by Elizabeth McGivern

My Thoughts

Amy Cole is flippin fabulous!

Another wonderfully fun installment in this delightful series! Elizabeth McGivern has done it again! She has the remarkable ability to take some pretty serious subject matter and infuse A large dose of compassion and a whole lot of humor into it…. I can’t even tell you how many times I laughed out loud during this book, tears running down my face laughing! This is the second book in the series, and it could be read as a standalone, but I would strongly strongly encourage you to pick up the first book and then immediately followed up with this one! This series is a little gem that should not be missed!

So Amy Cole has found her mind and infused her life with Zen…. don’t panic though she is still the crazy quirky Amy we met in the first book, she just has conquered a few of her demons… she is also still BFFs with Elle and the girls are still up to their silly antics! Some of the funniest parts of this book involved Elle beginning to date again determined to find the love of her life online….. from her ridiculous dating profile to a man in a llama shirt two the SafeWord pineapple, I was cracking up the entire time! Not only did we have Elle’s dating nightmares, we also spent some time with Amy’s mother in law… talk about the mother-in-law from hell, this woman was way too much! And then we had the skinny class that took fat shaming to another level…. oh my goodness so many wonderfully hilarious moments in this book, don’t worry I won’t list them all!

The true charisma of this book lies in its characters! Amy has a wonderful Group of people around her… of course there is Elle her BFF the ultimate ride or die! Ben her husband who has the patience of a saint and a heart of gold, although he could step it up when it comes to his mom! Her kids are adorable and add charm and whimsy to the story as children always do…. Joseph her fairy godfather is in this book as well, still solid as a rock…. and even though Amy might not always get along with her mother and father, they do bring some comedy to the book….

This book is a sparkling example of a perfect escapist read, I cannot encourage you enough to pick this one up! Absolutely recommend! And I will be eagerly anticipating the next book in this series, cannot wait to see what Amy and her friends and family are up to next!🍍

*** Big thanks to Elizabeth McGivern for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

Ding Dong the bitch is dead

The inner bitch, that is 

It’s been almost two years since Amy Cole walked through the door of her therapist’s office and now she’s ready to emerge as the sane, zen-like woman she has always wanted to be. Unfortunately for Amy, life has the nasty habit of not playing along.

There’s no time for a quiet life with a business to run, family life to balance and a newly-single best friend to keep an eye on.From getting embroiled in a feud with a maniacal diet guru, making sure Elle isn’t murdered by strangers from the internet and dealing with the mother-in-law from hell, mayhem always seems to find a way into Amy’s life.

Elle De Bruyn is on the cusp of finalising her divorce and is ready to jump, head-first, into dating once again. She soon learns that finding love in the 21st century is a tricky business. She lives in hope that somewhere in between the liars, cheats and unsolicited dick pics there’s still a chance for one more great love affair.

With life in a constant state of chaos, it doesn’t take long for Amy to realise that therapy was the easy part and now it’s time for the real work to begin.

Is sanity really all it’s cracked up to be?

Praise for Elizabeth McGivern & The Amy Cole Series

‘I just adore the character of Amy…a really cracking story’ Claire Allan, Sunday Times Best-Selling Author 

‘Fantastically written characters & an engaging storyline…I couldn’t put this book down’ – Frasers Funhouse

‘I was in hysterics for most of the time I was reading it‘  – Portable Magic

‘I’ve been in need of a good laugh & this book really did deliver’  – Goodreads Reviewer

‘Amy Cole is every wife, mother, daughter & survivor out there’ – Amazon Reviewer

‘Elizabeth McGivern is a gifted writer that takes a difficult subject matter and managed to mix it with wonderful dashes of humour’– Reflections of a Reader

Books in the Amy Cole Series: 

Amy Cole has lost her mind 
Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck 
Amy Cole has it all figured out (2019) 

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have a wonderful day! Berit☀️✨

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center @katherinecenter @StMartinsPress #bookreview #bestof2018

TGIF! Although I must admit it does not feel like a Friday!

Today I am sharing with you one of my absolute favorite books of 2018, if you have not read this yet I strongly encourage you to do so!I was lucky enough to get a copy of Katherine Center’s next book coming out in August 2019, and I will be starting that in a couple days!😍😍😍

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

5 Big Beautiful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis

Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

Review

5 Big Brilliant Beautiful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

BEST BOOK of 2018 so far…. WOW! This book had all the feels…. I was absolutely captivated from first page to last… my emotions went on an amazing rollercoaster…. sorrow, anger, hope, elation, frustration, happiness, sadness, love, Hate, and so much more….

Margaret was a remarkable and inspiring character… she had a bright future and then tragedy struck and it was all taken away from her…. this book was about Margaret’s struggle and journey to the other side of tragedy… along the way she found out who the true people in her life were….

Margaret didn’t always do things how I would have liked, but who am I to judge? I’ve never fortunately been in this situation…. there were also some people in her life that frustrated me quite a bit, and some of the things said were mind blowing…. there were also some people in Margaret’s life that exceeded both her and my expectations…. I realize I’ve been pretty vague…. but I want you to go on this journey without too much information and enjoy it as much as I did…. something beautiful that was touched on in this book is the deeper the sorrow you have felt, the greater the joy you will feel….#Truth

Strongly encourage you to read this beautiful book filled with hope and resilience and love.💕

*** thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this brilliant book ***

Much love! Berit 💛

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James @simone_stjames @BerkleyPub #bookreview #bookbestiereadssbrokengirls

Happy Thursday bibliophiles!

Hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas, my last day of celebration was yesterday and I am worn out! Today I have a review for a book that was just released in paperback by Berkley. This was a buddy read with Kenzie and I, the only besties that have not read this yet. We thoroughly enjoyed it and are excited to have Jennifer join us in the celebration of the paperback release!👻💕

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

My Thoughts

A haunting mystery filled with the perfect amount of chills and thrills!

Mary Hand Mary Hand, Dead and buried under land. She’ll say she wants to be your friend. Do not let her in again.

This book was a bit of a genre potpourri…. a dose of mystery, a measure of thriller,a shot of historical fiction, a sprinkling of the paranormal, and a pinch of romance! All these genres were blended seamlessly creating one heck of a book! This book definitely caught me by surprise, I really was not expecting to like it quite as much as I did… I was completely entranced by the words on the pages throughout this entire book… bravo Simone St. James!

The story was told from duel timeperiods and multiple points of view… this was done flawlessly, there was never any confusion as to time or perspective… something about Miss St. James writing just transported me completely to 1950 and 2014 Vermont….

1950 four roommates, for“misfits“ sent away to boarding school at Idlewild Hall… when one of them goes missing, the other three are the only ones convinced that there was foul play at work…. what I loved about this part of the story is we got all four of the girls perspectives, and really got to know them and their backstories… The bond that forms between these girls was unbreakable, kind of ironic when the world saw them as broken…. three smart savvy girls determined to seek justice for their friend…

2014 Fiona is still haunted by the murder of her older sister Deb… still uncertain that the right person was convicted of The crime and still drawn to Idlewild Hall where her sister’s body was found… when somebody begins to renovate Idlewild Fiona is driven to write a story about the renovation…. but as she begins to dig into the history of Idlewild she finds herself with more questions than answers… what I love most about this part of the story was Fiona herself, she was so fierce and determined, I could just feel her love for her sister coming off the pages!

Two very different stories woven together with threads of Idlewild Hall, Family, friendship, love, and a ghost… I really enjoyed both storylines equally… I was mesmerized by the past and compelled by the present… so many twists and turns that took me by surprise… so many times during this book I found myself literally sitting on the edge of my seat…. all the characters in this book were so well developed, so real, I felt as though I would know them if they were walking down the street…. although I must admit Fiona was my favorite, I really had a soft spot for her and really wanted her romance with Jamie to work out! Don’t panic if you don’t like romance, this was a very small part of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A captivating and compelling story that I would absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys a good thriller! Don’t let the ghost scare you off!

*** A huge thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

A suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare…

Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants–the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming–until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . . 

Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.

When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past–and a voice that won’tbe silenced. . . . 

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• The BESTIES

Jennifer @ Tarheel Reader

Mackenzie @ PhDiva

Book friends are the best friends! Berit☀️✨

Watching You By Lisa Jewell @lisajewelluk #bookreview #bookbestiewatchingyou #pubday

Happy Boxing Day! today is my holiday celebration with my extended family! One more day of food and festivities and then back to life, back to reality!💚❤️💚

Happy publication day in the US to this wonderful book! This was my very first Lisa Jewell Book, but it won’t be my last!💕💕

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

My Thoughts

A creepy compulsive character driven thriller that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!

This is my very first book by Lisa Jewell, I know, I know, shame on me! But before you start writing me hate male, LOL, this absolutely will not be my last! Miss Jewell won me over after the first chapter! Her exceptional character developMent made my heart sing! Add in a complicated twisty plot that sucked me in from the very first page and short chapters that kept me on my toes…. and all I can say is YES! YES! YES!

The book starts out with a dead body, somebody has been murdered… but who? And why? And by whom? The story is then told from multiple different perspectives leading up to the murder…. there is a lot of speculation about Tom Fitzwilliams the new head teacher… he appears to be a little too friendly with his students especially the female ones, and what happened 20 years ago? And why does he move around so much? What I thought was so brilliant about this story is we never get Tom’s perspective, but we get that of those around him, we learn about him and form our opinions of him through their eyes…. The three primary narrators in the story see Tom in very different ways… Joey the newlywed who has just moved in twohouses away from him is seriously infatuated almost borderline obsessed with him… Freddy, Tom’s son and a kind of lovable oddball is sometimes frightened and sometimes not by him… Jana the teenager down the street and a student at Tom’s school is very creeped out by him, convinced he is acting inappropriately towards her BFF…. we also get treated to the police transcripts of the investigation peppered in throughout the book, I thought this added an additional layer to the story.

Throughout the story there is a lot of watching going on… Freddie is watching the entire neighborhood… let me just add in my opinion here, getting your teenage son high power binoculars, probably not a great idea, just saying…We also had Jenna’s mother convinced crazy shenanigans are going on, watching Tom… Jenna is watching and watching out for her BFF… Joey is watching the comings and goings of Tom and his wife… and so on, made me wonder what is going on in my own neighborhood?

This book was really all about perception and assumption, my opinion of each and every character in this book change from beginning to end…. made you realize you never really get the entire picture…. a wonderful book about the darker side of what goes on behind closed doors…

Absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys an addictive dark twisted story with fantastically developed characters and a mystery that will keep you guessing!

*** many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.

As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.

One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam… 

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Bestie Reviews

Jennifer @ Tarheel Reader

Mackenzie @ PhDiva

Be sure to check out the girls reviews! Unfortunately we didn’t get to read this together because we were all busy with all the holidays, but we all really enjoyed it and I am sure will be discussing it sometime today!

Book friends are the best friends! Berit☀️✨

❄️❤️💚 Merry Christmas To All 💚❤️❄️

Merry Christmas bibliophiles!

vicci and I want to wish each and everyone of you a wonderful holiday season! We are so extremely grateful for each and everyone of you! The book blogging community is like no other, and we are so amazed to have so many amazing people in our lives every single day!❤️💚❤️

we have included Christmasy family pictures to give you a little glimpse into our lives, sorry all no pictures of me, but I look just like my daughter!🤣

Hope Santa was good to you! Berit & Vicci❄️

Snowday by B. R. Maycock @BRMaycock #bookreview 🌲❄️

Happy Christmas Eve!

Thrilled to share with you today my review for this delightful book written by a fellow blogger and author!❤️💚❤️

Snowday by B. R. Maycock

My Thoughts

this was a delightful story Full of charm, warmth, and snow!

A fun festive story full of hope and heart….A book about family and the good bad and ugly side of family at the holidays…. it’s not all ho ho ho, hot chocolate, and holiday cheer… it’s all pretty complicated…This book touches on the complexities in a very realistic manner with humor and wit…

Eloise was a lovable and relatable character who completely enveloped me in her life during this book… she and I had many things in common we are both divorced single mothers with three children, and I live in Riverside, just not in the UK! I really enjoyed watching Eloise navigate her way through motherhood, the workplace, and the dating world…. this book also painted a very realistic picture of dealing with the changing family dynamics after divorce, especially in regards to the holidays…. as I mentioned it is complicated, and sometimes we mama bears get very territorial and possessive, after all these are our Cubs!

It is quite amazing how much is packed into this little book! The character development was well done and the plot was engrossing…I think what impressed me most though about this book was how real it was, it did not sugarcoat life, but it’s still made me smile and left me feeling all warm and gooey….

The perfect read when you have a snowday of your own, or in my case a rainy day!❄️💦

*** A huge thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this most delightfull story! ***

About the Book

Sometimes hot cocoa just isn’t enough to keep you warm in the snow… 

Eloise is too busy juggling the chaos of three kids, an ever present ex-husband and a demanding boss to even remember the last time dating crossed her mind. 

But as soft snow falls silently all around, romance twinkles with the flakes. 

After being single for so long, Eloise suddenly has a lot of choices. Too many choices. Will anyone be worthy of melting the guard around her heart to let love in? 

A fun-filled, festive read for fans of Christie Barlow, Fiona Gibson and Colleen Coleman 

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About the Author

When Bernadette Maycock isn’t dreaming up vibrant leads for romantic comedies, she’s ingesting books for her blog (https://brmaycock.wordpress.com/), inparticular chick lit (her first love!) books, romantic comedies and thrillers. She can also be found playing footie or watching Marvel, DC or Star Wars moviesand cartoons in Co. Westmeath, Ireland with her brilliantly out there husband, Keith, and their four epiclittle men.

Her debut ‘It Started With A Snub’ and Christmas romantic comedy ‘Snowday’ are available now on Amazon.

Have a wonderful festive holiday evening! Berit☀️✨ 

Bloodhound Christmas Cracker❄️ No Place Like Home by Rebecca Muddiman @Bloodhoundbook @RebeccaMuddiman #BookReview #bloodhoundchristmascracker

Happy Christmas Eve eve!

Welcome to my stop on the Christmas cracker tour for Bloodhound Books! They have great deals throughout December and today I get to share or should I say reshare my review for this deliciously dark story!💚

What would you do if you came home to find someone in your house?

This is the predicament Polly Cooke faces when she returns to her new home. The first weeks in the house had been idyllic, but soon Jacob, a local man, is watching her.

What does he want and why is he so obsessed with Polly?

In a situation where nothing is what it seems, you might end up regretting letting some people in.

My Thoughts

4 Twisted Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

What happens when your dream house turns into your worst nightmare??? Wow this was quite the twisted story! Not even sure how to approach this review, can’t say much otherwise I will spoil this for you…

This book was NOT what I was expecting! It took a turn and it took it pretty early on… a turn I did not see coming at all… and you won’t either… therefore this vague review…. The book starts with Polly coming home to her dream house… there is a jump in the narrative between past and present that isn’t always as clear as it could be, and admittedly I did find this confusing at times… we also find out straight away that Polly has a stalker… not saying anything more than that!🤐

A cleverly crafted story that made me feel a little paranoid at times…. these characters were so untrustworthy… I had no idea who to believe and my allegiance was continually shifting…. I do like to get into the mind of crazy so this book definitely did not disappoint when it came to that!

Recommend for fans of a terribly twisty psychological thriller!

*** many thanks to Bloodhound Books for my copy of this book ***

Author Bio:

Rebecca Muddiman was born and raised in the North East and worked in the NHS for many years. She has published four crime novels – Stolen, Gone, Tell Me Lies, and Murder in Slow Motion. Stolen won a Northern Writers Award in 2010 and the Northern Crime Competition in 2012. She is also a screenwriter and was selected for the London Screenwriters Festival Talent Campus in 2016.

Most of her spare time is spent re-watching Game of Thrones, trying to learn Danish, and dealing with two unruly dogs. Sometimes all at the same time.

Links:

https://twitter.com/RebeccaMuddiman
https://www.facebook.com/rebeccamuddimanwriter/
https://rebeccamuddiman.wordpress.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7053551.Rebecca_Muddiman

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens #AudiobookReview #DeliaOwens #CassandraCampbell @audible_com #Mystery #MarshGirl

Hello guys,

I’m so happy to bring you a review for this wonderful story, you may have seen it around quite a lot, as it was chosen by Reece Witherspoon as her Sunshine Bookclub for September.

Believe the Hype…It’s stunning!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Southern Stars

The Blurb

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Southern Stars

What a beautiful story

I have to say that I tried to listen to this one…twice and struggled, I’m not sure what it was but it just didn’t grab me straight away.

This time I forced myself to carry on and listen, and I’m so glad I did because this book was just GORGEOUS!

The descriptions that the author uses are just stunning, I want to hug them all

“The morning burned so August-hot, the marsh’s moist breath hung the oaks and pines with fog.”

Kya is a happy child mostly, she lives in the Marsh area and is ‘at one’ with nature, she lives in her shack with her parents and siblings and doesn’t really see the bad in anything…until her family starts getting smaller.

One by one her siblings leave, and then it is her Mothers turn, she just leaves one day without looking back.

After a while she realises that it is because of her fathers alcoholic and abusive ways, and she is left to look after him.

She learns to live with her father, and they even become ‘friends’ for a while, but most of the time she is left for days at a time to fend for herself, while he goes out spending money they don’t have, and drinking to excess.

She learns that you don’t get ‘nothing for free’, so starts to sell what she can to the storekeeper in town, and soon makes a firm friend in him and his wife.

Kya is an incredibly knowledgeable girl, she could tell you what the weather was going to be like, just by the sound of the birds, but the one thing she cannot do is read, or write, until she meets Tate.

Gahhh, the friendship between Tate and Kya was just lovely, he really took the time to know her and help her, and I was really disappointed in him at certain points in the book!
Friends are something that Kya holds very dear, because she doesn’t have any, most of the townspeople are snobby toward her and look down their noses because she is the “Marsh-Girl”

In 1969 Chase Andrews a local football legend is found dead in the marsh area, the rumours start to fly, and The Marsh Girl’s name keeps being linked to his, but why?

This was an absolute joy to listen to, and the author Delia Owens certainly knows her stuff, she is a wildlife scientist, and this shows in her beautiful poetic writing.
I’m not at all surprised that Reece Witherspoon has chosen it to be in her Sunshine Bookclub, or that it will be coming to a movie theatre soon, I can’t wait to see it!!

🎧🎧 – Totally AMAZING narration by Cassandra Campbell, she made this listening experience even better.

Save a credit for this one it is a cracker

Vicci