Fiction

Review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes

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Louisa makes a go at being on her own in New York City! Moyes shows us that Lou is still a teensy bit not quite over the whole Will thing — and thankfully her city crush gets checked by reality before she gets too smitten. Caring for Agnes proves to be a struggle, kind of like it was with Will, but Moyes uses it as Louisa’s segue to better things.

By the end, Lou balances her natural talent for taking care of people with taking care of herself. Lou takes the opportunity to explore her passions, make new friends – shout out to Mrs DeWitt, the coolest building-mate ever – and grow up a little.

I don’t know what could be in store for a book four – maybe a year in the life of Lou and Sam – but I’m up for it!

-calliope

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Review: The Single Girl’s Calendar by Erin Green

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Cute rom-com featuring Esmé who turns her life around from cheated-on-and-dependent to determined-and-independent. Loved the escapades while she shared the flat with four guys (and learned a little about herself in the process). Adored the neighbor lady and the relationship that was able to grow there. Was suitably annoyed by Esme’s brother – as anyone would be, even and especially Esmé! Green could’ve written better girl-friendships, and maybe had more memorable calendar ideas, but I enjoyed the read. Entertaining!

-calliope

Buy THE SINGLE GIRL’S CALENDAR

Review: Charlatans by Robin Cook

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Medical mysteries are a dime a dozen these days. Great ones, however, are a different story. Robin Cook is one of the best, a master of the genre.

Boston Memorial Hospital. Noah’s finally achieved his dream of working at this state of the art medical institution. And everything is going his way. He’s busy and has almost no social life to speak of, sure. But he’s rapidly moving up the ranks and earning quite a reputation as a surgeon. And then several unexpected deaths occur. Not under his hand, but when he’s called upon to help investigate these deaths he finds himself right in the thick of it.

Enter Dr. Ava London. The highly regarded anesthesiologist is under suspicion of negligence and must prove her innocence. When Noah becomes involved with Ava, matters definitely become more complicated. As their relationship intensifies, Noah’s suspicions about Ava begin to grow. He starts to question himself. Is he just being paranoid or is she really hiding something?

This story reads like vintage Robin Cook. Medical jargon, secrets, murder, suspense…it’s all there. I did feel like the ending was rushed and left too many unanswered questions. Still, a good one!

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Charlatans

Review: Sad Girls by Lang Leav

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I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending and then the epilogue coming. That doesn’t happen often. I can’t say I was shocked. I just didn’t see it coming.

If I had to find fault there are a couple of points that I think a good editor would correct. They just didn’t make sense. They might be minor details, but still, they were glaringly amiss for me and really bothered me.

However, once I started this novel I had a hard time putting it down. At first I just kept thinking that this would be a great novel for older teens. It would keep them engaged and hopefully some valuable life lessons could be seen. As I read I found myself not even thinking of the audience it could engage, as I was enjoying the novel more than I even expected, despite the couple of flaws that bothered me.

No the characters weren’t perfect. However, what 18 – 20-year-old is? Or, as this novel points out, what adult or parent is for that matter?

I have no problem at all as seeing this as a runaway hit when it’s finally released.

This review pretty much sucks, but in my defence, I’m really still a bit shell-shocked from the ending and I’m not at all sure how I feel about the whole thing…Despite that, I didn’t find it that it was done for shock value. I found it very true to the characters. Yes, both *surprises*…

Until next time…
Urania xx

Buy it now Sad Girls by Lang Leav

ARC provided by Edelweiss for an honest review

Review: Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery

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Stacey and Harper are two very different sisters who each struggle to make their way in the world. Harper has a hard time navigating the financial and teen-parenting lands of the newly divorced, while Stacey makes bank but can’t respond to social cues to save her life.

Lucky for them, Susan Mallery has just the challenges they need to figure out that they can shift focus, ask for help, and come out the other side nearly unscathed. Nearly.

Harper’s story was a little better fleshed out than Stacey’s, but I enjoyed them both. Harper’s nutty mom, ex-husband, teenager, clients and new employees were rich fodder for big laughs and tender moments. Stacey’s story was going to break my heart until her husband’s nephew saved the day with his gentleness, gratitude, and earnestness. Just like in real life, sometimes all it takes is that one person to give a couple of meaningful minutes for you to realize you’re not alone, and you can do that thing you thought you couldn’t.

Really heartwarming, Susan Mallery. Those are some pretty awesome sisters, and they’ve got a pretty terrific circle around them.

-calliope

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Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

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I love Kristin Hannah.  I gotta admit, though, I wasn’t sure about this one going in.  The description made it sound very much like outdoorsy adventuring type stuff.  Still, I jumped right in.  And I’m glad I did.

Leni and her family are at a crossroads.  Her dad, recently back from Vietnam, is suffering from the horrors of his past.  Leni’s mom is helpless to do anything to protect them.  And Leni, well, she loves her dad.  Unconditionally.  She remembers the good times.  So many of them, in fact, that it’s somewhat easier to overlook the bad times.  She and her mom just want to help him forget, to be the person he was before.

It’s no surprise, then, that when her dad comes home one day and says they’re all moving to Alaska that they all willingly go.  A new beginning is just what this young family needs.  A fresh start away from the pressures of society will be the cure to what ails them.  It’s nothing like a cozy family vacation, though.  Alaska is tough.  And her dad’s demons have made the journey with them.  Isolated and alone, who will help Leni and her mother when the darkness in her dad’s mind descends once again?

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story.  I shouldn’t have been, I know.  Kristin Hannah just has that brilliance that authors of her calibre do.  Grab it, dive right in, and enjoy!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Great Alone

Review: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

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I put off reading this book for months. I loved the first book so much and I couldn’t dream how Arden could pull off a second book that was anywhere near as good as the first. At some point, I finally knew I could put it off no longer, so I pulled out the first book again and did a reread. Oh. My. Gosh. I loved it even more the the 2nd time, so my anxiety (yes I sometimes have anxiety over books….don’t judge me for that I won’t judge you because you don’t! #justsaying). I forced myself to start this book.

At 20% I was just…well….heck….what can I say…I was surprised….I was honestly loving it even more. I knew there was no way the 2nd book could be even has as wonderful as the first…yet somehow it was turning out EVEN BETTER!!!! I was terrified to ask my friends who loved the first book to read it…to see if they would feel the same way….I spent page after page wanting to rush and ask them to read this and the need to keep silent so I didn’t jinx it…At about 30% the need to share my love won out…I let the world know I was in love! I was crushed with myself…I KNEW I had ruined it and jinxed the novel…that it would all go downhill quickly…At 70% I couldn’t believe all of the emotions I was feeling…at 75% I had to stop reading and take a half day off from reading…I couldn’t slow down enough to make sure I didn’t miss anything…I was just loving it so much that I wanted to race heedlessly to the end…so I forced myself to set it aside for most of the day to calm myself…

What can I say? There’s no way I can express all the wonder in this book. No way to explain why this is so much better than the first book. I don’t even know why….well…sure…I mean, there’s the part of spending more time with Vasya…and the Winter King…But seriously…I just can’t do a review to put all of my feelings into words…So different from the first book…but also so much the same…less of a made-up fairytale feel and more of a real-life fairytale….yes perhaps that’s it…instead of just wanting a warm cozy fire nearby reading the first book, this book I found myself snuggling deep within the covers…of both the book and my bed…Every time that Morozko spoke I felt the kiss of the cool fresh air of first light on cold winter’s morn…

See, I am rambling…I am like some over stimulated child that has had too many sweets and too much excitement all in one day…

I loved this book so very much that I am ALREADY having anxiety through the roof about the third book…I just want to keep these characters near…I woke up with morning (after staying up past midnight to finish this novel!) knowing I had dreamt of horses and domovoi…

I just want to be one of those crazed fans and run out and meet Katherine Arden and thank her for the beauty she has brought into my world. For making me believe…well…in all the wonderful things this book brings to me…that magic does exist….that love is the greatest gift…that there are those that will sacrifice anything for the right cause….that loyalty can’t be bought…nor sold…that kindness matters…the list goes on and on….and honey oat cakes…I want to bake her honey oat cakes over an open flame…and FFS I don’t even know what those are!!!

Until next time…
Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now The Girl in the Tower

Review: This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell

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Teenage love is hard, no doubt.  Surely this is the person you’ll be with for the rest of your life, right?  And there’s no possible way you can live without them, is there?

For young Jessie, it all becomes a bit overwhelming.  Sure, she loves Chris with all her heart.  And she can’t imagine her life without him.  But when things start moving a bit too fast, getting a bit too permanent, she decides to slow it down a bit.  Just a break, she tells, him.  Just one week.  A chance to take a step back and breath for a minute.

And then Chris disappears. And she wants him back.  But it’s too late.  She makes all kinds of promises to herself and everyone else.  If only he’ll come home, things will be different.  She didn’t really want a break.  She’s sorry, she misses him, things will be better than ever.  If only it were that simple.

This story is all kinds of things at once.  It’s a love story, sure.  But it’s also a mystery. Exactly what did happen to Chris?  It’s also an excellent take on teenage issues.  A great read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  This Is Not a Love Letter

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

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10,000 stars!!!! I am speechless. Wow. What a wonderful magical fantastic novel!

How does one review a book that you absolutely love and manage to do it the justice it deserves? One where you get to 40% and can’t put it down. One where you have 20 pages left and tell your husband to shut up and leave you alone when he reminds you that it’s bedtime. One that after reading you’re so hyped up you can’t possibly sleep, even thought it’s past 11 pm and you have a full day of work to do the next day.

If I had to complain about anything, it’s that at the start it is a bit confusing with the children’s names. They have their given name, but also the names their family calls them and they go by. I also struggled with some of the Russian vocabulary, but soon discovered that there was a glossary in the back. I soon got over these bits and had no issues at all following along.

There is so much here to review. So I will just tell you again, that I loved this book. Every single bit of it. The family. The fairytale. The spirits that Vasilisa cares for. Even the Winter Demon. I love these old folklore stories and they all came to life in this book. Please, give this novel a chance. It will go down as an all time favourite of mine. Seriously. Top 5 lifetime reads.

What I find very interesting is that the step mother and Vasilisa are from the same bloodline and although they are much alike, their attitude it what separates and divides them. One refuses to accept what is before their very eyes, the other one does. This attitude makes all the difference to themselves, but also to everyone in the village.

Man, this is truly a Midlevel Russian Fairytale. Go satisfy that child within your heart, the heart that longs for a good old-fashioned story…where good and bad clash….where you’re too scared to breathe and too afraid to not go on…where you have to pause to build your courage and you close your eyes at the truly scary parts and cheer for the really happy parts….go curl up to a warm fire on a snowy night, make yourself a hot drink and some fresh cookies, find a warm and fluffy blanket and curl up with this book. I can’t imagine a better way to spend any night…Seriously….the best…

Until next time…
Urania xx

Buy it now The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Review: Searching for Billy Shakespeare by Crista McHugh

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What fun! Grad student Kate moves in to a unbeknownst-to-her-til-she-got-there posh apartment with a new, silly, girly-girl roommate, and boom, things start happening in her life.

The phone rings, and a gorgeous voice on the other end starts talking, looking for his sister (the roommate) but spending an awful lot of conversation on Kate. Roommate girl’s blondie friends give Kate a makeover (gasp) and help her find her inner fun self. Between the roommate and Gabe nudging Kate to know more of herself than just the Shakespeare-dissertation-writer, Kate develops newfound passion for her grad work and her social life.

This tale of silliness absolutely brightened my week. I didn’t care that there was actually no good plot reason for the roommate to ask Kate to live there, nor that Kate seemed uncharacteristically good natured about a bunch of strangers taking her out for 12 hours. I didn’t care that a few plot points were underdeveloped, or that the roommate did something a little unexpected and possibly contrived. Know why? Because this book made me smile. It’s a good bit of fun in a roller coaster world, and I’m totally glad I read it.

-calliope

Buy SEARCHING FOR BILLY SHAKESPEARE