April was a good month for reading – I devoured book after book! I’ve been listening to Audiobooks mainly, as they’re so easy to have on in the background whilst I’m driving or walking the dog.
Books are one of my favourite subjects to write about, so it’s been a real joy getting back into blogging and putting this post together. I hope you enjoy today’s short, spoiler-free reviews, and if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments!
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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Everyone in Fairview knows the story.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
I don’t usually read YA but this received such glowing reviews I decided to give it a try. I thought the plot was interesting and the mystery kept me engaged. I much preferred the second half to the first and I devoured the last 100 pages. I’m normally left feeling disappointed by endings in thriller/mystery novels, but I thought this was really clever.
Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros for me. Despite dealing with several heavy subjects (murder, sexual assault, racism, suicide – the list goes on), the writing felt twee and juvenile. I know it’s a YA novel, but the dialogue was cheesy beyond belief (what 18-year-old says ‘holy pepperoni’ ?!). There were so many characters to keep up with, all of which I found bland and under-developed. Pip was particularly unlikeable and constantly put herself and her loved ones in danger.
This has a rating of 4.33 on Goodreads, so clearly I’m in the minority. Personally I didn’t feel it lived up to the hype.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
Oh, I loved this. It was dark, disturbing, witty, clever… I couldn’t put it down! The premise had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded. The characters were all layered and incredibly well-crafted – June was insufferable and it was so unsettling being inside her head. Every chapter was a hot mess and the whole thing sent my anxiety through the roof.
I was fully expecting to rate this five stars, but for me the ending let it down. It felt cheap and silly compared to the rest of the novel. Still, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. This was such a fun read and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a complex and sophisticated thriller.
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction.
Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained. Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer’s stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s.
I bought Call the Midwife a few years back after watching and loving the BBC adaption. It sat untouched on my book shelf until recently – I can’t believe I waited so long to read it! Jennifer’s memoir is essentially a series of vignettes about her career as a midwife. It also explores East End life in the 1950s and the difficulties faced by the lower classes. Many stories were devastating and hard to read (especially the passages about the workhouse) but there was also lots of heartwarming moments. I loved each character’s quirks and the camaraderie amongst the nurses and the nuns.
One of my only criticisms is that it wasn’t long enough! There were several plot lines I wish had been explored further (for example, Jennifer’s mystery love is touched upon but never explained) and I would have liked to have learnt more about some of the characters, such as Chummy and Jimmy. However, I understand that this is the first instalment of a trilogy, so I have more to come!
Overall this was a really enjoyable read. Jennifer Worth is a fantastic story-teller. The TV series is also definitely worth a watch.
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
Lisa Jewell is my go-to for thrillers! This was such an unsettling read but the build up was incredible – I couldn’t put it down. I listened to it on Audible and finished it in two days as I was desperate to untangle the mystery! I thought the plot was original and the characters were really well-written. I also enjoyed the Podcast angle.
I’ve only given four stars as I felt the ending fell a bit flat – the story began to lose steam towards the end and I found myself wanting more resolution. Still, this was a fun, riveting read and I can’t wait for Lisa Jewell’s next release!
I’d recommend listening to this on Audible as it really adds to the experience – the narrators were fantastic.
What have you been reading recently? x