alireuter's reviews
244 reviews

i have searching for a book like this since i fell in love with strange & obscure stories, & this delivered everything that i wanted. its almost meta structure compliments the distortion of reality so well, turning a classic gothic haunted house story into a wonderful exploration of alternative realities & descending into insanity. as soon as i picked the book up, i was hooked. it felt as though the paragraphs & pages flew by as i feel deeper into the carefully crafted narrative. also, for such a complex & manic story, it was so easy to follow & understand the different aspects. the only downside for me was that certain elements weren’t explored as much as id liked. i don’t want to reveal anything but the ‘script’ that was a meta element of the book, was one of my favourite parts but was a bit inconclusive in my opinion. overall, it was a brilliant balance between a cycle of horror & creativity with the writing being both witty & intelligent. 

an honest & reflective breath of fresh air. this story is humorous and heartwarming, exploring the life of margo, a young woman navigating adulthood, motherhood & social media. i love how careful certain elements were discussed & often any discomfort would be disguised with humour, with a strong focus on themes of self-discovery, empowerment, and the power of storytelling. you can truly tell how much thorpe loves the character of margo, shown through how much care they put into her story & character, making the reader share that love & empathy. it’s so refreshing that a female protagonist, who yes made bad decisions, still comes across as relatable & completely real. throughout the book obviously she was a mess at points, but as a reader i completely understood her actions even if i didn’t always agree with them, seeing her as more of a friend that i was hearing a life story from. such a fun & lighthearted book that deals & explores complicated themes expertly. 

if your dream book is the secret history meets portrait of a thief then you will be as obsessed with this book as i am. with interchanging perspectives that lead you through the many twists & turns, this story entices you from the very beginning with strong themes of betrayal, secrecy & murder. i love how it plays around with the conventions of dark academia, but with an artistic depth that intertwines all the fascinating elements of the story. i read this book so quickly & can honestly say it’s a must read if you’re into books surrounding intellectual ideas with a prominent mysterious tone. i want to say so much about this book but i’m afraid anything can give it all away, it’s a magnetic story that pulls you every which way with a sense of purpose in Lloyd’s writing. if you’re into twists, this is the book for you as the last few pages will have your mouth hanging open as mine did. an absolute must read!!

this book feels like a warm hug! after watching so many rom-coms i can comfortably say that this is feels like an amazing ode to one. it’s charming & relentlessly funny, grabbing you by the hand on the first page & guiding you through ella’s uncertain but intoxicating life. it reminds me a lot of one day & love rosie in the best ways & i’m sure i’m not the only one with these comparisons! the characters (who you will fall in love with) are well thought out & presented to the reader with such care by the author. ella may not be the perfect protagonist but her flaws are the most understandable & you will truly feel like her friend. along with the romantic interest…he can speak for himself, & i really don’t want to reveal too much. as someone who doesn’t read many romance novels, i love the ultimate slow burn & will hold this up there as one of my favourite of the genre. you can really tell this story came from the heart. 

what a way to start off the summer with such an enticing & unique read. there is so much thought & meaning takes entangled between the pages that i have found myself reflecting on each key moment of the story. i love how it questions traditional marriages & the strict gender roles of societies, mostly through a queer lense. it also ponders upon the idea of being the perfect maternal figure, exploring how some women aren’t supposed to be mothers while others are, however i do wish this was touched upon more.

it seems that rosie, the protagonist that isn’t very self aware was a cautionary tale for those swept up by the utopian slow life that only exists on social media, a very relevant case for these times. unfortunately, through this trap, rosie felt lost & disconnected but i felt it couldn’t excuse her actions & she should’ve communicated instead. i thought jordan wasn’t being listened to & that he was more of a victim than rosie, but i also don’t agree with his actions & strict take on traditional views. i also feared the story was going down a route & finale i didn’t like, but was pleased with the real ending which may be an unpopular opinion…

everything i have said in this review is of course very specific to the characters, so i’m looking forward to hearing more thoughts on it once it’s finally released! overall, it’s a wonderful story on the portrayal of queerness as a romanticised fantasy in the story as well as the breaking down of social barriers. i really enjoyed the story however i have to say that characters frustrated me.

although it was short, cecilia is a treasure of a novella, telling the story of a lost & forbidden desire that triggers a collection of memories to come to the forefront. it is ultimately an exploration of obsession & sexual awakening with beautiful writing & intriguing characters that intertwine effortlessly. i love how there aren’t any chapters, just jumping through the protagonist’s subconscious & breaks down the mystery of her relationship with cecilia. the dichotomy between girlhood & boyhood is also investigated thoroughly, using complex imagery & themes to properly convey the feelings of the characters. although i love the ‘no plot just vibes’ genre, i feel as though the book was too short & quick to develop a deep emotional connection to the characters, after all i did read this in just a few hours. if you’re wanting to try something refreshing from an up & coming author, then this is a book that will tug your own memories out from your childhood. 

when i said i wanted to diverge from my normal reading patterns, this is exactly what i meant. this books is a riveting historical fiction with high tensions & cowboys (tom blyth i’m coming for your genre). with beautiful descriptions & a good use of language & accents to accentuate the time period, it explores discussions surrounding spirituality & fate in an interesting way. my mind also wandered towards the old idea of manifest destiny that was extremely prominent in america during this time, id love to know if this into consideration for barry. the book seems very experimental in his writing & although i haven’t read any of his other works, unfortunately it just didn’t fit right for me. although parts of the writing is gorgeous, shown in my post, other parts were hard to follow & sometimes felt a bit jarring due to the lack of punctuation & detail. this of course may be a style he’s experimenting with but it also doesn’t help in describing intimate scenes of women overall.there are also scenes of s*xual assault which i thought could have been treated better so please keep that in mind. i really liked the character of polly & how she managed her fearlessness & recklessness in her actions but she’s also the character i felt that i actually knew. overall, i felt that this was a story i appreciated more than i enjoyed but am pleased i was exposed to different styles. 

what a great book to start the warm weather with! this story has absolutely got me ready for the summer months & i’m so excited to bask in the sun. this was such a fun read that explores the community of tuga from an outsider’s perspective, learning the culture, history & drama of it all. at the start, there’s a character list which is so helpful to keep track of them as there’s a lot of people in the story. speaking of, i loved how the book doesn’t just focus on the protagonist, but explores the stories of key locals & dedicates chapters to learning about their lives. the story explores the feeling of just trying to find your place & people in the world, which i think is shown both through charlotte & the other residents. it also has a range of genres that get you hooked, such as drama, a subtle but addictive & realistic love triangle & a low key mystery that keeps you questioning throughout, along with great plot twists that left me with my mouth hanging open on a train. i liked charlotte not being the complete focus of the story, but i would’ve loved to see more of her work on the turtles & learn a bit more. a great summer read that is coming out soon, but i already want a sequel!

either you get it or you don’t. i did. i’m so glad i did. this is a beautiful story of love, loss & grief that masterfully uses elements of horror & mystery. i almost don’t want to say anything about the book because you just need to read it. i believe that every person will take something different away, i certainly did. the writing is beautiful & although i’m not usually a fan of a dual pov, armfield uses it in a way that enhances the story & the reader’s understanding. no matter what you’re going through, you could relate to either character; miri is losing her wife while leah  is losing herself. i don’t want to say much else as this is a book you should experience by yourself, i suggest going in blind but open minded. julia armfield is definitely an author i’ll be visiting again.

the more i’ve reflected, unfortunately the more i realise i didn’t enjoy as much as i thought i had. it’s such a shame because it has a beautiful cover & has such an interesting concept. i loved the fantastical lore & side stories from the local village as they revealed how the legends vary from person to person. i was really interested in the interviewing of the locals & learning about each kind of faerie, but this just didn’t happen. i think this was ultimately limited by the journal entry structure, it worked well however it would’ve been really cool to see it in maybe through documentation & interview scripts. the worst for me was the lack of character depth, i felt that i hardly knew either of the main characters by the end of the book which also caused difficulty for rooting for the romance. speaking of which, it wasn’t gradual at all. there were hardly instances of them warming up to each other & then we’re meant to believe that they were meant to be together. furthermore, the third act just let it down. i’m not going into spoilers but while i was reading i just didn’t think it concluded the story well & thought it was far fetched even for a fantasy book. overall, an interesting premise with a gorgeous cover but ultimately a bit disappointing.