ARC – The House Fire – Rosie Walker

Link to book – The House Fire by Rosie Walker.

Rating – 5 out of 5 stars.

TRIGGER WARNING – discussions of eating disorders within the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for the advanced copy of this book to read and review.

There were very few things in this book that I didn’t like or enjoy, and they were so minimal (and likely my own personal fussiness) that I couldn’t rate this book any less than 5 stars…

The one thing that bugged me was the author could have used headings or chapter titles to date and timestamp who was delivering the story, just to make it slightly easier to grasp who was telling the story and when. But like I say, that’s probably just my own pickiness!

Other than that, The House Fire was an incredible book! Definitely a slow burner (pardon the pun) but I feel that helped the book, it allowed things to develop more naturally and didn’t overwhelm us with information and things going on.

It definitely managed to balance that slow burn with the intrigue though, and it was very difficult to put down! I had this urge to just keep reading constantly, fearful that if I didn’t I would miss something vitally important. The same with the atmosphere, which again was incredible considering the slower nature of the story.

I think all of that comes down to the author’s writing, I couldn’t pick a fault with how the author wrote this book, it was impeccable.

Which was also reflected in the plot, the story that was woven together with all of these different layers, leading us on a wild goose chase at points and making us question everything about everyone… The story was so well done and I think it was the best part of the book for me.

I would definitely recommend The House Fire to anyone who is looking for a slow and steady read that will knock your socks off!

Until next time, Em xxx

ARC – Meet Me in the Margins – Melissa Ferguson

Link to book – https://www.goodreads.com/

Rating – 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I’m really in two minds about this book as there was aspects I absolutely adored and parts that I just felt didn’t work so well.

The characters were a big hit for me, our story was narrated by Savannah who clearly is having a hard time feeling like she’s the least successful of the family. Savannah’s character, whilst annoying at points I will admit, was like a breath of fresh air and I found it really pleasant to read the book from her POV.

I also liked our side characters, although I do feel the author could have taken a little more time to develop them and include them in the story more, it would have added real value for me.

The writing itself was another high point, as I felt the author managed to craft this glorious setting for Meet Me in the Margins… It’s set in a publishing house!!! Our main character is an editor!!! I honestly got so excited when I started reading it and I learnt this information. It felt incredibly real as the author was writing about an ARC room and how bookfluencers can get their hands on early release copies, it just felt like I’d been transported into a magical dream.

However, I did feel that the plot let this book down. It didn’t feel to me as if this book had a purpose or an end goal. I found myself struggling at points to really get stuck into the story and hooked on it. Which I think is part of the reason why it took me quite a while to read it.

And on the same vein, the romance aspect of this story just didn’t work. It felt more like an afterthought, as other than a few comments here and there about Savannah’s crush and her love life it only really came to fruition in the epilogue. It felt very rushed to me.

On the whole, Meet Me in the Margins was definitely a book I enjoyed reading! I just felt it needed a bit more on the romance side to really help this story elevate itself.

Until next time, Em xxx

ARC – The House of Dust, Noah Broyles – A Review.

Hello fellow book bloggers and book lovers! Welcome back to my blog, where I am today sharing my review of The House of Dust by Noah Broyles. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for the advanced copy to read and review!

The House of Dust was published on the 28th September 2021 and you can read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

Overall rating – 4 out of 5 stars.

The one thing I want to say about The House of Dust before I get stuck into my main review, is to stick with this book. It’s such an incredibly slow burner, but please give it chance before you put it down, it’s well worth the read.

I feel like there is right place to start with my review of this one, because there are so many different strands to the book it’s hard to find the best thing to bring up first!

The House of Dust was like no other book I had read before, from the very opening pages where we learned about Brad and the magazine he was writing for, to the very end of the book where everything (at last) seemed to fall into place. The story itself was very slow to start with, and you’d be forgiven for being a bit confused as to what was actually going on, but once things started to unravel and make sense it was just wow.

Every page kept you guessing where it would head next, whilst also building this incredible story in your mind, of which anything could happen.

Broyles writing lent itself well to the eerie feel of the story, as the paragraphs he wove, and the words he used built up a picture of our surrounding brilliantly. The author really seemed to be able to bring the parts of the plot to life that brought the most thrills and chills, whilst also using an incredibly descriptive, but in no way boring, style of writing for the rest of the book.

Because it’s a slow burn the atmosphere and intrigue are also slow to build, but it’s as if you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole, you feel compelled to keep reading.

The one thing that did let The House of Dust down was it’s characters, which is a shame as they were such a huge part of the book! I just found them really hard to keep a track of and to understand, in no way were they terribly written or were just downright awful… I just struggled with really connecting to them.

That being said, The House of Dust was a truly superb read, one that I am very glad I stuck with and continued reading, even though it took me a lot longer than it should have (that’s a me issue haha). All of the elements of this book came together to create this tense, eerie and excellent read.

Please, if you are planning on reading this book stick with it! It will make seem to slow to start with and there are time jumps (mid chapter) but once you get your head around that it’s well worth the read.

Let me know if you’ve got this on your TBR, or if you’ve read it already and what you thought!

Until next time, Em xxx

ARC – The Woman in the Water, Kelly Heard – A Review.

Hello friends and fellow bookworms! I’m here today bringing you my review of The Woman in the Water by Kelly Heard. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this from NetGalley and Bookoture in return for an honest review.

The Woman in the Water by Kelly Heard was published on the 22nd July 2021 and you can read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

Overall rating – 5 out of 5 stars.

I am blown away by this book, honestly, it was exceptional and I cannot rate it highly enough!

It’s really hard to pick a stand out aspect of this book, as the whole thing was just executed perfectly, but I think for me it was the characters. They made this book with their dialogue and their relationships and growth throughout the story. I also loved how they reacted and interacted in the different situations and scenes, nothing was predictable from them at all and it really helped to bring enjoyment to the story.

A personal favourite of mine was the scenes between Dawson and Silas later in the book, they managed to break the tension in the funniest way!

Not only were the characters executed perfectly, so was the atmosphere and intrigue. The entire book managed to keep this sense of fear and foreboding, without ever dropping off or losing track. And because the book was quite a slow burn, it definitely kept your attention, but to be able to continue that need to know what was going on throughout the whole story was just very well done.

The Woman in the Water was brilliantly written, everything was written in the right way or at the right time and whilst it took a while to build up to the main plot of the story, the quality of the writing was enough to keep you reading, without even needing to have a story line.

Although, it did have a story line I would like to add! And what a story it was. It was hands down one of the best books I had read for a while. The main story was woven so well with the supernatural element of the lake (which wasn’t overpowering at all) and the childhood/history of Felicity and her sister Holly, everything was layered together like a piece of puff pastry. (Pls excuse my food references haha).

My other favourite thing about this book is how it answered all of our questions in the end, we were left with no questions and everything was rounded off nicely – which I absolutely love!

On the whole, The Woman in the Water was just a thoroughly entertaining book, it was so twisty, I had absolutely no idea what the pages would hold and every time I turned the page I was shocked or had goosebumps (in a good way), you cannot escape the darkness and eerieness of this book.

Let me know if you’ve read The Woman in the Water and what you thought or if it’s on your TBR!

Until next time, Em xxx

ARC – Autumn Falls, A R Kingston – A Review.

Hello friends and fellow bookworms! I’m here today bringing you my review of Autumn Falls by A R Kingston. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in return for an honest review.

Autumn Falls by A R Kingston was published on the 14th May 2021 and you can read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

Overall rating – 3 out of 5 stars.

The beginning seems like a good place to start (both with the book and the review!) and it was from the very start that I was in two minds about this one… Straight away, we were launched into the story, with a lot happening in such a short of space time that you’d be forgiven for thinking the author was going straight for the shock factor and not focusing on much else.

As we progressed through the story I was gradually drawn in, and as the intrigue built so did the sense of fear and foreboding. The author definitely managed to create a creepy and eerie atmosphere. Sadly, though, towards the end of this book when it reached the climax this atmosphere seemed to fade away.

I felt the same with the writing style as well, to begin with it was excellent I was getting goosebumps, paranoia and I kept looking over my shoulder, it was well written and captivating. It was confusing, but not in a bad way, in a way that keeps you guessing and makes you want to keep reading to find out what’s happened. But that did taper off and I started to feel as if the fear factor was missing.

I started feeling as if I wanted the book to just hurry up and get to the point…

Character wise, I felt these were the poorest part of the book. They just didn’t stand out for me, they weren’t as well written as the descriptive aspects were and they felt very 2D. I couldn’t feel anything for them, which as we reached the climax of the book became an issue because I didn’t care if they survived.

I also feel as though first person would have benefited this book and perhaps endeared the characters more to the reader.

The overall entertainment value of this book just didn’t hit the spot for me either. Some of the more superficial details that make the story were just unnecessary and didn’t add value, and the more menial details seemed too easy – for example, how easy it was for Kevin to walk back into their lives. It was too simple.

Overall, Autumn Falls just didn’t feel right to me, it didn’t have the right flow to the story, which wasn’t helped by the dips in the atmosphere and writing and the poor characters. The plot itself and the intrigue the story built were definitely there, and they elevated the book and did bring some enjoyment from Autumn Falls. Sadly, this just wasn’t the finished product in my eyes.

Let me know if you’ve read Autumn Falls and what you thought or if it’s on your TBR list!

Until next time, Em xxx

ARC – The Happy Family, Jackie Kabler – A Review.

Hello friends and bookworms, I’m so excited to share with you my review of The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK in return for an honest review.

The Happy Family is due to be published on the 4th June 2021 and you can read the synopsis here.

Overall rating – 5 out of 5 stars.

I’ve read books by Jackie Kabler before and I was not disappointed with her latest offering, I was completely addicted to reading The Happy Family, it drew me into the story and before I knew it I was halfway through without even realising. It was so easy to read and get swept up with.

Because the book was written in first person it felt as if we were in Beth’s head, which lent itself to the nature of the book so well. It felt as if we were falling apart, questioning everything and unsure of who we could trust… I felt myself becoming paranoid just reading the book, it really got under my skin.

There were points that felt unrealistic, with how Beth welcomed her mother back with open arms and with how she didn’t question certain things, but when you think that Beth is a divorced mother of two who really has her shit together (really refreshing to read by the way) you can understand why her mother suddenly reappearing out of the blue would throw her off kilter and lead her to make these decisions and assumptions.

Throughout the story Kabler dropped these small hints that built up the tension and lead into this great little backstory that eventually made it’s way to the forefront of the book and delivered the mother (excuse the pun) of all twists!

I did not expect the final third of the book to play out the way it did, and while I did guess some aspects of how it would pan out, there others that completely blindsided me and left me sitting with my mouth hanging open.

I also loved how the very end of the book showed everything coming a full circle, it rounded the story off and left me feeling really fulfilled with the story.

On the whole, I loved this book. It kept me guessing, had so many twists and turns that I thought I was on a rollercoaster and finished by wrapping everything up into this perfect little read!

Be sure to check out The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler on the 4th June when it’s published.

Until next time, Em xxx

June NetGalley Update!

Hello friends, I’m here (actually on time this month) to share my NetGalley update!

I have actually requested 2 more books (from an auto-approved publisher) and then like 5 or 6 more that I’m hoping the book Gods will look favourably on me for… PLEASE :)))))) so my ratio is down a little bit on where I’d like it to be.

So as of 1.6.21 my stats are:

Ratio – 85%

46 approved / 39 feedback sent (I do have one that I’ve read and need to submit feedback for but I haven’t gotten around to it yet).

My titles to read are:

– The House of Dust by Noah Broyles

– The Neighbour by London Clarke

– Unnatural by Luke Fitzpatrick

– Silvers Hollow by Patrick Delaney

– Level Zero by Dan McDowell

– The Face At The Window by Ruby Speechley

A couple of these have already been published so I’m going to try and get those read first so I can get my review out ASAP and then I will make some time (maybe in August) to read The House of Dust.

Please pray to the book Gods that I get approved for the other books I’ve requested and hopefully I can add them to my list!

Em xxx

ARC – The House of Whispers, Anna Kent – A Review.

Hello friends I am pleased to bring you a review of The House of Whispers by Anna Kent.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and hq publishers for the advanced copy of this book. The House of Whispers by Anna Kent will be published on 27th May 2021.

Overall rating – 3 out of 5 stars.

I’m going to start with the end of this book, which is an odd place to start but will allow me to explain my 3 star rating of The House of Whispers.

The very last pages, and I mean the last 2 or 3, absolutely ruined this book for me. It felt very much like a cop out and didn’t give us any closure at all. I felt let down by the author, as if they took the easy way out in ending this book.

The remainder of the book was average, it was a very slow burn which usually I would enjoy but this one felt like it went at a snails pace and I found myself wondering if we would ever get to the point of the story… I felt like I was wading through treacle for the first few chapters.

Once we met Grace things started to pick up a bit, and if nothing else the introduction of her character brought some life to the story, sped things up and made it quite an enjoyable read, from that point onwards at least.

I did enjoy the way there seemed to be an interview with Abi’s husband, Rohan, in every few chapters. It really interested me, gave us a different dimension to the story and kept me guessing why it was placed in the story.

Character wise, my opinion did change once I completed the book, but that was based on how the ending unravelled.

I will admit, I wasn’t expecting the twist that came our way but I also feel it was very thrust upon us, there were no hints leading up to it for us to piece together, we were just thrown in at the deep end.

Overall, I just feel really disappointed by this book. It took me a while to get stuck in, the ending was abysmal (the last 2 or 3 pages) and I felt the interviews with Rohan were never really expanded upon or explained. We were left with more questions than answers…

If you do read this book or have done so already let me know what you thought!

Until next time, Em xxx

May NetGalley Update!

Hello fellow bookworms and bloggers! This is my slightly late (very late, we’re halfway through the month Emily…) May NetGalley update!

I am pleased to say that I haven’t requested any more books since my last update, I am very pleased with myself, I can’t promise I won’t have requested 10 books next time I update you all but here we are.

So, as of 14.5.21 my stats are:

Ratio – 93%

41 Approved / 38 feedback sent

My titles to read are:

– The House of Dust by Noah Broyles.

– The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood.

I have to review and then share my review of One Monsoon in Mumbai by Anitha Perinchery, which I just haven’t gotten chance to get to reviewing yet, but I have read it and IT WAS BLOODY BRILLANT.

I’m actually really proud of myself for managing to not only increase my ratio but also not request anymore books!

I will try and be more punctual with my June update but don’t hold out hope…

Until next time, Em xxx

April NetGalley Update!

Hello fellow bookworms and bloggers! This is the first in the series of my monthly NetGalley updates, in some vain attempt to keep myself on track with my ratio…

I have really gotten my requesting under control over the last month or two, but I had a few that I was reeeeeeeally desperate to read and the book gods answered me!

All at once...

So, as of 1.4.21 my stats are:

Ratio – 88%

41 Approved / 36 feedback sent

My titles to read are:

– The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler.

– The Repeater Book of the Occult by Eugene Thacker, Tariq Goddard and others.

– The House of Dust by Noah Broyles.

– The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood.

– One Monsoon in Mumbai by Anitha Perinchery.

I am very excited to read every single one of these titles, and I am forever grateful to have access to copies of these books before their publish date😭

I will update this again in May and I’ll redo my stats and see if I’ve improved my ratio! Hint – probs not 🙂

Em xxx