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strawberrymivvy's reviews
564 reviews
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
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? Yes
2.75
This fell flat for me, the author was trying too hard to be everything to everyone, and ended up being nothing. Neither a great mystery nor a great humorous read. And the footnotes were just so grating...
The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Another great read by this author, but could have done without the unbelievable twist at the end which just makes a mockery of the rest of the story.
Kate's life in London is upended and so on a whim, having found a photo in an album of her parents at a hotel in Northumberland, she heads north to take a job as assistant to the elderly owner.
As a young girl living in Berlin, Audrey has a charmed life, but for the Jewish family she lives with, things are not so easy. One fateful day everything is brought to the fore, and she finds herself hiding in plain sight, working as the housekeeper in a house full of Nazi officers, whilst her Jewish friend Ilse hides in the attic.
As Kate settles into life in Alnwick, Audrey gradually reveals more of her past to her.
I read a lot of WWII fiction and always love a strong female character, it did feel a little as if the build up to Audrey's war time experience was too long, with the actual war years rushed through, but for all that it was an interesting take on the classic story, and Audrey's love interest was handled more unusually too. Kate's love interest was unnecessary and trope-like
Kate's life in London is upended and so on a whim, having found a photo in an album of her parents at a hotel in Northumberland, she heads north to take a job as assistant to the elderly owner.
As a young girl living in Berlin, Audrey has a charmed life, but for the Jewish family she lives with, things are not so easy. One fateful day everything is brought to the fore, and she finds herself hiding in plain sight, working as the housekeeper in a house full of Nazi officers, whilst her Jewish friend Ilse hides in the attic.
As Kate settles into life in Alnwick, Audrey gradually reveals more of her past to her.
I read a lot of WWII fiction and always love a strong female character, it did feel a little as if the build up to Audrey's war time experience was too long, with the actual war years rushed through, but for all that it was an interesting take on the classic story, and Audrey's love interest was handled more unusually too. Kate's love interest was unnecessary and trope-like
The Burning by Linda Castillo
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Not my favourite book in the series, I found the Anabaptist references/history confusing and largely irrelevant.
When an apparently Amish man is found burned at the stake Kate and the team are called in to investigate, but the more they learn, the more they realise all is not as it seemed. He had been cast out from his religion and was not a good man. The Amish refuse to speak ill of the dead, and Kate knows that even the priest and his wife are not being totally honest.
A few scary situations for Kate along the way, and this is another quick read, but as a character I enjoy reading about Kate
When an apparently Amish man is found burned at the stake Kate and the team are called in to investigate, but the more they learn, the more they realise all is not as it seemed. He had been cast out from his religion and was not a good man. The Amish refuse to speak ill of the dead, and Kate knows that even the priest and his wife are not being totally honest.
A few scary situations for Kate along the way, and this is another quick read, but as a character I enjoy reading about Kate
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Another page turner from Lucy Foley that has you thinking about myths and the supernatural.
An exclusive spa hotel is celebrating its opening with a midnight feast on midsummer’s eve. The timeline jumps from the present to the recent and older past, as well as to the future, told from different viewpoints.
The locals are against the hotel and its owner, saying she paid off council members to get what she wanted, and bankrupted local businesses in the process.
Gradually we learn all is not what it seems, with any of the main characters and even knowing what is going to happen, we are not totally sure how we are going to get there.
These are not my favourite genre of books but an enjoyable, tense read all the same and fans of the author will find much to like
An exclusive spa hotel is celebrating its opening with a midnight feast on midsummer’s eve. The timeline jumps from the present to the recent and older past, as well as to the future, told from different viewpoints.
The locals are against the hotel and its owner, saying she paid off council members to get what she wanted, and bankrupted local businesses in the process.
Gradually we learn all is not what it seems, with any of the main characters and even knowing what is going to happen, we are not totally sure how we are going to get there.
These are not my favourite genre of books but an enjoyable, tense read all the same and fans of the author will find much to like
Day One by Abigail Dean
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Even having finished this book I'm not totally sure what I made of it - ultimately I thought I'd enjoy it more than I did, but the challenging subject matter likely affected "enjoyment".
I did prefer it to Girl A, mainly I think because this setting and these characters felt more real, more like the author actually knew what she was writing about.
At times, particularly the sections about the "Truth Seekers" this was a disturbing read, that people can actually accuse parents of faking their kids' deaths, or denying that the kids ever existed. I liked that the ending left things slightly up in the air, for the reader to make up their own mind
I did prefer it to Girl A, mainly I think because this setting and these characters felt more real, more like the author actually knew what she was writing about.
At times, particularly the sections about the "Truth Seekers" this was a disturbing read, that people can actually accuse parents of faking their kids' deaths, or denying that the kids ever existed. I liked that the ending left things slightly up in the air, for the reader to make up their own mind
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Mass/school shootings
The Ball at Versailles by Danielle Steel
relaxing
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? No
2.75
Not an author I've read before, but my Mum always enjoyed her books and it seemed appropriate when this was given to me that I should give it a try.
Four young women in the US are invited to attend a coming out ball at the Palace of Versailles in the 1950s, and whilst the story nominally is about all 4 of them, it's definitely skewed to mainly be about 2. They are all fairly flat, stereotypical women of a certain social standing, who despite having brains are ultimately taken up by the excitement of the ball and the possibility of finding romance.
We are expected to believe that having spent mere hours in the young men's presence they all know themselves to be absolutely in love, and suddenly they are all about marriage rather than their education...
Many people have told me that Steele's books are formulaic, if not downright repeating the same stories, but this could honestly have been written by AI. The repetition was insane, even from one paragraph to the next - the novel needed a serious editing and then perhaps I could have overlooked the somewhat trite storyline and enjoyed it for an easy beach read
Four young women in the US are invited to attend a coming out ball at the Palace of Versailles in the 1950s, and whilst the story nominally is about all 4 of them, it's definitely skewed to mainly be about 2. They are all fairly flat, stereotypical women of a certain social standing, who despite having brains are ultimately taken up by the excitement of the ball and the possibility of finding romance.
We are expected to believe that having spent mere hours in the young men's presence they all know themselves to be absolutely in love, and suddenly they are all about marriage rather than their education...
Many people have told me that Steele's books are formulaic, if not downright repeating the same stories, but this could honestly have been written by AI. The repetition was insane, even from one paragraph to the next - the novel needed a serious editing and then perhaps I could have overlooked the somewhat trite storyline and enjoyed it for an easy beach read
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A decent read, in an enjoyable series, but I think perhaps because the location was so confined/limited this time around, I enjoyed it less than the previous one in particular.
A minor local celebrity, a sailing hero, turns up in a small coastal community out of nowhere, spends a few nights propping up the bar, then disappears again and nobody bats an eyelid. Then his body is found in an abandoned boat by the local lifeboat on a dark and stormy night, and Venn and his team are called in, ultimately having to take rooms at the pub as the storm worsens and roads are cut off.
Somehow I didn't really care about the characters in the book and who was guilty or not guilty, and we didn't spend as much time with Jen and Ross as in previous books in the series. Plenty of scope for this to become a long series, with Jonathan's "cliffhanger" at the end forming part of a future mystery I'm sure.
A minor local celebrity, a sailing hero, turns up in a small coastal community out of nowhere, spends a few nights propping up the bar, then disappears again and nobody bats an eyelid. Then his body is found in an abandoned boat by the local lifeboat on a dark and stormy night, and Venn and his team are called in, ultimately having to take rooms at the pub as the storm worsens and roads are cut off.
Somehow I didn't really care about the characters in the book and who was guilty or not guilty, and we didn't spend as much time with Jen and Ross as in previous books in the series. Plenty of scope for this to become a long series, with Jonathan's "cliffhanger" at the end forming part of a future mystery I'm sure.
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a quick read and very reflective, with a real melancholy tone. Lucy is adrift after being fairly recently widowed, and still on good terms with her first husband who she divorced many years ago.
As a scientist he is aware of the coming danger in February 2020 and persuades her to pack up and leave her New York apartment to move to small town Maine to stay safe and well.
Written in short paragraphs and snippets of recollection, this is a thoughtful piece on loneliness, isolation, love, belonging and so much more.
Always loved everything I've read by this author, reminds me I have more back catalogue to get through!
As a scientist he is aware of the coming danger in February 2020 and persuades her to pack up and leave her New York apartment to move to small town Maine to stay safe and well.
Written in short paragraphs and snippets of recollection, this is a thoughtful piece on loneliness, isolation, love, belonging and so much more.
Always loved everything I've read by this author, reminds me I have more back catalogue to get through!
Long Shadows by David Baldacci
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
Not an author I've read a lot of, but this was given to me and sounded interesting. I didn't feel I needed to have read previous Amos Decker books to read this one, but now, with what I know happens/has happened, it may be harder to go back and read older ones.
The novel opens with Decker receiving devastating news about a friend, then he's whisked away to Florida with a new partner to solve the high profile murder of a judge and her security guard. Decker is off his game and it takes him a while to realise that things may not be all that they seem.
He gets closer to the teenage son of the victim, which leads to reflection on his relationship with his own daughter, and in turn he finds common ground with his new partner. But still he feels he's not at his best.
As the body count rises, Decker finds himself at odds with his partner as he continues to investigate his theory, however far-fetched.
I must admit I found the conclusion somewhat wild, the leaps in investigation that were made to solve the "secondary" murders came totally out of left field, but for all that this was an enjoyable read with flawed main characters which I enjoy.
I will look for more by this author
The novel opens with Decker receiving devastating news about a friend, then he's whisked away to Florida with a new partner to solve the high profile murder of a judge and her security guard. Decker is off his game and it takes him a while to realise that things may not be all that they seem.
He gets closer to the teenage son of the victim, which leads to reflection on his relationship with his own daughter, and in turn he finds common ground with his new partner. But still he feels he's not at his best.
As the body count rises, Decker finds himself at odds with his partner as he continues to investigate his theory, however far-fetched.
I must admit I found the conclusion somewhat wild, the leaps in investigation that were made to solve the "secondary" murders came totally out of left field, but for all that this was an enjoyable read with flawed main characters which I enjoy.
I will look for more by this author
All My Mother's Secrets by Beezy Marsh
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Not an author or genre I seek out, but a friend loaned me this and I've read a previous one in the same "series" and it was enjoyable enough.
This tells the story of Annie, from her early teens to early 30s, with a few flashbacks to younger years, growing up in the laundry area of London in the early 20th century. Life is hard, abuse is common and there is no extra money.
No real surprises for me given I'd read a later book in the series already, but an interesting enough retelling of the author's family history and early 20th century life for the poor people of London
This tells the story of Annie, from her early teens to early 30s, with a few flashbacks to younger years, growing up in the laundry area of London in the early 20th century. Life is hard, abuse is common and there is no extra money.
No real surprises for me given I'd read a later book in the series already, but an interesting enough retelling of the author's family history and early 20th century life for the poor people of London