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strawberrymivvy's reviews
564 reviews
Hand of Evil by J.A. Jance
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Whilst I generally enjoy Jance's books, the Ali Reynolds series are not my favourite, but this was a good one, though I've already read many of the ones later in the series.
A man is dragged to his death by a car; Ali is suffering the loss of her marriage and career; a friend's teenage daughter has disappeared. How are they all connected?
With a 12 year old myself, this was at times distressing to read, but was a good reminder to keep an eye on your kids' internet/chat habits
A man is dragged to his death by a car; Ali is suffering the loss of her marriage and career; a friend's teenage daughter has disappeared. How are they all connected?
With a 12 year old myself, this was at times distressing to read, but was a good reminder to keep an eye on your kids' internet/chat habits
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Pedophilia
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What starts off feeling like a light-hearted old-fashioned British romp ultimately tells a sorry tale of racism, sexism, classism, snobbery and just about everything else experienced in England in 1919 as the men return from war and women are thrown out of work.
Always witty, at times heart-breaking, this is the tale of Constance, thrown out of her grace and favour home after her mother's death and tasked with acting as companion to an older lady at the seaside. Constance meets a variety of characters in the hotel and town, and finds herself drawn to a disparate group of young women motorcyclists.
Even across the century Constance is a relatable and understandable character as she grapples with the unfairness and inequalities of her life.
Of course there is the ubiquitous romance but really this is a novel about the times Constance was living in
Always witty, at times heart-breaking, this is the tale of Constance, thrown out of her grace and favour home after her mother's death and tasked with acting as companion to an older lady at the seaside. Constance meets a variety of characters in the hotel and town, and finds herself drawn to a disparate group of young women motorcyclists.
Even across the century Constance is a relatable and understandable character as she grapples with the unfairness and inequalities of her life.
Of course there is the ubiquitous romance but really this is a novel about the times Constance was living in
A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Not my favourite of the Gabriel Allon series, but far from the worst either, and more of his humour seemed to come out in this one.
I do find the art storylines get a little samey and they don't overly interest me, but the different settings across Europe are always fun.
I do find the art storylines get a little samey and they don't overly interest me, but the different settings across Europe are always fun.
What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I wanted to like this book more, it was a fast read that kept the pages turning but the murdered girl's "ghostly" POV was just annoying and pointless, and despite supposedly having no memory of how she died, she seemingly did know things that she shouldn't have known, like the name of an abused girl and so on. Minor details, but irritating.
When a teenage girl is found murdered in a corn field, it turns the whole small town upside down - who amongst them could have done that? Everyone is suspicious, and everyone seemingly has a secret.
I found the ending irritating, all solved and wrapped up a bit too quickly, but an OK beach read
When a teenage girl is found murdered in a corn field, it turns the whole small town upside down - who amongst them could have done that? Everyone is suspicious, and everyone seemingly has a secret.
I found the ending irritating, all solved and wrapped up a bit too quickly, but an OK beach read
Last House by Jessica Shattuck
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
From the blurb I was expecting this to be much more of a family saga based around Last House, but the reality is the house itself plays on a very small part in the overall narrative, and isn't featured at all in the first quarter or so!
I did enjoy the writing itself, the author has a beautiful, literary style but the discussion of oil and Iran was not something that was overly interesting to me, and the characters were not particularly engaging or pleasant people.
For all that, I did finish it, mainly for the writing itself. Not likely to seek out this author again
I did enjoy the writing itself, the author has a beautiful, literary style but the discussion of oil and Iran was not something that was overly interesting to me, and the characters were not particularly engaging or pleasant people.
For all that, I did finish it, mainly for the writing itself. Not likely to seek out this author again
When's Mummy Coming? by Rachel Wesson
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Fairly typical WWII fiction, an easy read that didn't really tell me anything new but did present a slightly different angle, that of a village in England taking in children from the Kindertransport out of Berlin.
The children all adapted marvellously and there was little, if any, tension or difficulties faced, but for all that it was an enjoyable enough read
The children all adapted marvellously and there was little, if any, tension or difficulties faced, but for all that it was an enjoyable enough read
The Note: A Historical Mystery by Allison Maruska
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This honestly read like it was written by (at best) a high-schooler. Overly simplistic style and a completely unrealistic narrative arc
Not a book I'd have chosen, but loaned to me in a pile of other books by a friend
Not a book I'd have chosen, but loaned to me in a pile of other books by a friend
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found this book really hard to get into, and almost gave up. Whilst I did come to like it more by the end, I was profoundly irritated by the anthropomorphised house! Completely unnecessary commentary, and there were better ways to get the author's message across.
The story opens with a dead body in a top floor bedroom of an all women boarding house in the 1950s, and through a dual time line we learn more about the characters living in each room and what led up to the death.
Interesting on the one hand, as 1950s/McCarthy era US is not something I know much about, but the story was ultimately pretty far fetched and a lot of the characters grating
The story opens with a dead body in a top floor bedroom of an all women boarding house in the 1950s, and through a dual time line we learn more about the characters living in each room and what led up to the death.
Interesting on the one hand, as 1950s/McCarthy era US is not something I know much about, but the story was ultimately pretty far fetched and a lot of the characters grating
An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Just could never face going back to this book, which tells me I didn't really want to read it!
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This was very nearly a DNF for me (very rare!), but it did improve after the end of Part One, which felt like it really dragged and was very long winded.
Hard to define this, not really a romance, not particularly humorous, just all round lacking for me
Hard to define this, not really a romance, not particularly humorous, just all round lacking for me