Not for the faint-hearted. Although packed with itense gore and extreme violence, there is a riveting story underneath, filled with anxiety inducing suspense and fantastic world building. Albeit a world you would never want to end up in.

A creepy little novella about a woman who gets possessed by a demon. A quick and scary read for a rainy day.

Do I know what I just read ? - NO
Did I love it ? - YES

Psychedelic fever dream from start to finish.

Mr Loverman was great! Bernardine has such talent for building communities and complex charaters within her books. A love triangle between Morris, Barry, and his wife Carmel. A wonderful exploration of living secret lives and the trials of being a closeted older gay man from a Caribbean community 🇦🇬

Did I read it in one sitting? Yes. Would I recommend it to anyone? No. Go for it if you like extreme horror - all the trigger warnings possible. Haha - what a wild ride.

Really enjoyed this. It kept me intrigued from beginning to end. A collection of interviews from a small coastal town in the UK after a girl is murdered by 3 other girls. A great build up to find out what actually happened and the motivations behind the murder. Alongside the murder plot, is a great dissection of what it was like to be a UK school girl with the rise of social media in the 2010's and the dark side of being a true crime fan.

I don't even know what to say 😂 You know a book is bad when the editor can't even be bothered to read something thoroughly enough to stop countless spelling and grammar mistakes. Are the sex scenes good? Yes if you can delete from your mind that it's about an Orphan sleeping with her step uncle and her two grown up step cousins, whilst also playing happy families (which I couldn't). I need to stop taking book recs from Tik Tok 😂

Wasn't too sure about this one. Much better female centric greek myth adaptations available. Agree with other reviewers that Medusa is hardly in this story. Too much emphasis on forcing the reader to understand that Perseus and the Gods are the monsters, not the Gorgon's. I think most women who read classics and retellings already understand this.

Book number 2 from my beach reads. Very interesting story about enduring friendship; the kind that ebbs and flows throughout the years whilst dealing with many of life's big battles, including grief and disability. Also, there is an interesting insight into what goes into making video games. Definitely recommend if you are a gamer but also enjoy ( sort of) romance 😊

Number one of my summer holiday beach reads. As we all know TJR is my fave contemporary author so decided to give one of her early books a go. Great beach read - easy going romance but prefer her newer stuff 😊 (even got my husband reading Carrie Soto this holiday!)

This book was so gross 😂 Trigger warnings for basically anything you can imagine and not imagine.

Crazy that this came out just before Covid 19 - set in a town in California where a mysterious sleeping illness sweeps the population, forcing quarantine. The book explores the struggles that come with a pandemic for the town and follows individuals' stories of survival. At the end it needed more explanation of the virus - considering the suggestion that there was some sort of mystical/ dimensional element. I got no answers at the end *shrugs*

A very good gothic tale set in 1950's with historical and mystical elements. Creepy and unique with a very likable and charismatic heroine. Read somewhere they are making a tv show, which will be a good watch 👻

I really enjoyed this. Such an interesting concept - that you are notified on the day you are going to die. The story of two people who find each other on their last day and the journey to live that day to the full.

I'm not sure about this one. Set up to be a poignant semi-autobiography of a gay man and his relationship with his first lover Trevor, and his Vietnamese Mother and Grandmother- who moved to America as a result of the war in Vietnam. There were lovely moments but I just couldn't grasp at any coherency within the themes and I don't really understand what any of it was about to be honest 😂 Maybe it was above me on an intellectual level. Who knows.

Today I went to 66Books LTD in Hemel Hempstead and it was amazing! 20 new books with 70% off - £61! 😻 I am sorted for the year now!! 😂

I really enjoyed this from TJR, especially after being a little bit disappointed with Malibu Rising after loving Daisy Jones and E Hugo. It is very tennis heavy 🎾 - shot by shot so if you aren't a fan of the sport then it might be a bit much. Carrie, although being an abrasive character, ' The Battleaxe' is a trade mark TJR female protagonist. Unapologeticly themselves and unwilling to dull down their shine for anyone ❤️

Leant to me by a friend - great thriller/ murder mystery. I struggled to put this down. I noticed after I finished it was book 3 in a series containing the two main female protagonists - you don't need to read the others beforehand, but I will definitely circle back and read others from Tess Gerritsen.

Bad start to 2023 - I rarely pan books and this was a pan for me. I finished it and the writing style was good and evocative - but I just didn't relate. The theme of the short stories is fears of women twisted in to horror/fairytales but I just didn't understand them at all or see myself in them.

Kept me guessing to the end. And I defintely don't think I would have gotten the twist if I hadn't read a very similar book this year about the same subject matter. If you like twisty books that are a bit weird and at the end you're still not sure what happened, then this is for you 😂

I definitely think I'm too old for this type of book now. I did relate to some of the anecdotes looking back to when I was about 10 years younger than I am now... but I can't get invested in the self indulgent and at times narcissistic tales of an affluent randomer who has found celebrity doing... something or other.

A funny little romp in to the lives of Bettina and Bart, friends since childhood growing up in 1920's England, who both confide in each other that they are gay. They decide to marry each other as a cover with the story following their relationships with each other and the lovers they meet along the way.

A very romantic story set in WW1 told by Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Absolutely loved the stories of the two couples this book follows, of course being set in WW1, there are bound to be a few tears. Not sure it needed the added layer of the Gods and Goddesses though. This felt a bit forced and would have made a magnificent love story without that element. Still a good read 😊

This was a much better offering from CH. There are still parts of her writing style that I don't like. She doesn't trust her readers to follow the story and over describes details that don't matter to the plot. That being said, my goodness was there suspense built throughout the whole story. I actually felt creeped out, which rarely happens. Good going seeing as this is more thriller than horror. Read if you want to get your pulse racing!

Beautiful writing but just a tad too much Shakespeare for me. Also not enough mystery, I found the whole plot just a little bit too predictable. Still, interesting concept and kept me engaged throughout.

Definitely a book that 'booktok' made me buy that just isn't worth it. It reads like really bad fanfiction (which there is nothing wrong with, I love good fanficiton when it's written well). I had no connection to any of the characters and the book as a whole made me feel nothing. Sorry to anyone who loves this book - maybe i'm just too old for this kinda thing now 🥱

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I finished a book 😂 So unlike me, but life has been unrelenting.
OK book about a young girl moving to the big apple and getting a new job at a restaurant. Navigating the city, making new friends, lovers and learning about life. Lovely descriptive language to evoke smells and tastes, but overly pretentious in places - sadly unavoidable when the story is heavily focused around fine dining and wines.

Finally finished a book and out of a very long reading slump, and it was this lovely story. Tender, poetic, and bursting with the most beautiful writing. A masterclass in world building on a small scale. Strong themes of coming of age, loneliness and self reliance in a hard world, and what it is to be truly 'connected'.

Very interesting premise - 100% go in to it blind. Not knowing the subject matter of the story before hand is definitely what makes this a good read. Contains very mature content and themes so definitely check this before reading if certain topics upset you.

This was good. Not what I would normally read so I don't really have a bench mark but chose after reading Addie LaRue by the same author. Great for anyone who enjoys the Sci-fi/ Superhero genre packed with morally grey characters. Looking forward to reading the next book in the duology.

I had huge hopes for Taylor Jenkins Reid's new book but unfortunately it didn't resonate with me as much as Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo did. Saying this it was still a great book with TJR's undoubtable talent for characterisation and writing complex, strong and passionate women. Looking forward to exploring some of her earlier writes and adding to my collection 😊

Eh, it was ok. Have definitely read better murder thrillers. Unfortunately a twist that I did partly see coming from near the beginning even though the book does do a good job of trying to throw you off the scent in many different directions. Unfortunately wrapped up in a very quick and flimsy way.

Yes! Taylor Jenkins-Reid is officially my favourite contemporary author. I still prefer Evelyn Hugo, but this is amazing in its own right. Jenkins Reid has a natural talent for conveying raw emotion that grips you. I was a sobbing mess during both of these reads. Heading out soon to buy Malibu Rising!

I feel guilty for 'panning' this considering the subject and the fact that Homegoing was one of my favourites last year, but I just didn't like it. Main character, Gifty, didn't grow until the last 2 pages when the whole of her future was wedged in with no explanation. Just felt like rambling pages of religion vs science, with what could have been a very interesting story about loss, depression, religon, race and addiction badly woven within it.

Wow. I was nervous going in to this as I've seen so much hype around this book and that can often lead to disappointment. Definitely NOT the case, it was phenomenal. Hands down my favourite book of the year so far. Evelyn Hugo, what a formidable woman. I think im in love.

I am now a vegetarian. That is all.

When your to be read fills a whole shelf!

Reading night with bubba - just finished Ariadne. One my favourite Greek retellings I've read so far, up there with Circe and Song of Achilles. Will definitely enjoy if you liked these ❤

It has taken till page 206 for me to find this book interesting and throw me a twist! My evening sorted. Please ignore my pot of houmous on the table 😂

I went crazy at the book shop 🙃 I need to be on a book buying ban for a couple of months I think 😂

A lovely little anthology of retellings of myths through the lense of love. Some were better than others but as a whole a poignant collection that made me smile 😊

Urgh I really didn't want to like this book because it is so hyped but I loved it. The premise is something that i've never come across before, a historical fantasy novel with sprinkles of old mysticism. Big enemies to lovers trope, which I have a soft spot for, but definitely isn't the whole basis for the story. Well written, poetic, and has me crying out for a sequel. Can't wait to see this adapted for the big screen!

An excellent YA novel (maybe slightly too YA for me) and definitely should be recommended reading for secondary school children to get to grips with rape culture and the affect it has. Also shows how powerful girls and women are when they come together with a common goal 👏

About to start The Nowhere Girls, freshly stamped with my new 'From The Library Of' Stamp. LOVE it.

Happy Bank Holiday monday! 😘

An amazing book, perfect for fans of Girl, Woman, Other. Homegoing follows the family tree of Maame and her two daughters split by the slave trade. Starting in Ghana and moving through the generations to America, Homegoing is an illuminating telling of black lives through the ages. At times the details of colonial atrocities are very difficult to read, which is exactly why it is an essential read.

This book is challenging me in amazing ways. I'm really taking my time to read each individual story and this quote just stuck with me.

Such a rainy day. Perfect for reading ⭐

On to my next book. Trying to get through the stack I have before I come off furlough and go back to work... when I never have time to read 😪