travelseatsreads's reviews
639 reviews

In Day One we are immersed in Stonesmere primary school, an idyllic Lake District town, where things will never be the same again after a masked shooter opens fire on the crowded school theatre.

The grief, anger and chaos can certainly be felt from the opening pages right through until the final moments and Dean really does a fantastic job of anchoring you within that terrifying moment. Multiple timelines and POVs that don’t really dive deep enough is where it unfortunately begins to get a bit messy.

In an interview Dean notes she really struggled writing this book, in fact she rewrote it twice and unfortunately this struggle is quite apparent. While her outstanding writing skill does shine through in places, it doesn’t mirror the heights that she was able to reach with Girl A.

I think if you approach the book as a slow burning mystery rather than the intense thriller it is marketed as, you will get much more enjoyment.

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Ok so first off, here’s a word of warning. If you don’t like negative book reviews I suggest you skip this one completely. I always try to shine a glimmer of positivity even in my one star reviews but this will not be happening here. Also, there probably will be one or two spoilerish comments along the way, so read at your own discretion.

So let me begin by saying that I was a huge fan of Katie Price in her earlier days and I always really admired her honesty and strength in overcoming some horrible situations. So I came into this book hoping that she would shed some light on some of the quite unpleasant events of recent years such as her drunk driving crash and reported animal neglect. Well, spoiler alert, this isn't the case. Rather than use this book as a means of addressing these stories and taking ownership of her behaviours and flaws, Katie spends pretty much the whole book going off on one blaming the media and of course men for every negative action and situation. Let’s not forget the moments where she tries to lay blame at her own daughter's feet!

There is also a mountain of inconsistencies and contradictions surrounding several scenarios and events. Katie has spoken about the majority of the topics outlined in this book herself previously whether it be on her own social media or direct media interviews and there are clearly several versions of the same story being spun. 

To top it off the writing itself is all over the shop and the book needs an absolute monster of an edit, ok we get it Katie, you’ve been in the industry over 30 years, we heard you the first 123 times. 

I can’t recommend this book to anyone as it’s honestly a walking red flag, so if you do plan to pick it up please be forewarned that she speaks about topics such as drug abuse, addiction, mental health, physical and sexual abuse and animal neglect in quite a flippant unpleasant manner.

To be honest, I feel quite sad writing this as it’s quite tragic that someone can have so little self awareness and it really makes me wonder the impact it has on her kids. Sadly, it’s quite clear that Katie still has many more issues within herself that she needs to work on and I honestly really do hope that she is able to do so, for herself and for those around her, both two and four legged alike.

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Feminist serial killer books have become hugely popular in recent years and Eve Kellman has added another to the pile with How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways.

As with many others in this genre HTKAGITW centres around a deplorable yet somehow likeable female lead character who takes pleasure in killing not so wholesome men.

Does it work? Yes and no. It has plenty of those deeply dark yet hilarious gallows humour moments however it does run away with itself leading to a few eye rolls at the end.

I switched between kindle and audiobook and found the audiobook definitely increased my enjoyment. The narrators characterisation really brought the female lead to life.

Overall, an enjoyable pacey book which was let down slightly by its ending.

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The Midnight Feast follows the story of our protagonist Francesca as she opens her new exclusive wellness retreat “The Manor” in her hometown of Tome on the Dorset coastline.

She dreams of a relaxed, boujee curated experience for her guests which will bring in the big bucks; however it’s clear from the start that The Birds have other plans.

The story is told from multiple POVs, along a dual timeline, with a snappy page turning pace. Full of suspenseful horror like moments and multiple twists, it’s an easy book to binge. However, at times I felt it was a little over complicated in places and lacking in depth in others.

Overall, another enjoyable and tense locked room mystery from Foley but definitely not my favourite.

3.5/5

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Completely different style and vibe to previous millennium books. Time to stop flogging a dead horse

Described as a novel about food and murder based on a true crime story, I knew immediately, Butter was going to be a book I would devour. On starting the book I expected a fast paced Japanese true-crime style thriller with some food thrown in but what I got was a meandering lustrous story about hunger. Hunger for food, for knowledge, for connections and above all for acceptance.

While yes Butter is all about the food, it is also about so much more than just the food and it is this intricate folding of tantalising food descriptions with pervading commentary on women's weight and beauty standards in Japan which had me hooked. Yuzuki’s skill of blending such contrasting topics enables the reader to challenge their own thinking without feeling too much confrontation. Asako also beautifully depicts many intricacies of Japanese daily living, customs and culture that it’s easy to sink into Rika’s surrounding world.

Yuzuki also shines a mirror on people’s relationships with food, and even their lack thereof, examining connections to childhood, trauma and even individuals’ character and level of self-acceptance, posing many deeper questions. Is food a stand in for pleasure and fulfilment or a representation of it?

A masterpiece in contrast, it somehow felt warmingly comforting, yet clawingly putrid at times. I didn’t so much devour Butter, but indulgently nibbled away and savoured its many layers. Think more of a sumptuous 10 course tasting menu that is hard to forget rather than a punchy 2 course early bird and you’re close.

'What's wrong with coating barren, flavorless reality in oodles of melted butter and seasoning it with condiments and spices.'

Thanks to @4thestatebooks for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Spirit Level is the heartwarming yet hilarious debut novel from Richy Craven which follows our main character Danny and his best friend Nudge after they both experience a horrific drink-driving accident which leaves Danny traumatised and Nudge, well, dead yet somehow still around.

It’s a book that requires you to suspend belief a little, unless ghosts are already your thing, but when you do you are rewarded by a book that somehow gives you a warm cosy hug while also splits your sides from the constant laughs throughout.

I personally think if a book is a little on the far fetched side it needs some really good fleshed out characters and deeper themes to anchor it back to reality and Richy has mastered both of those within the story of Spirit Level. Each character has their own very distinct personality which jumps from the pages and there are a multitude of really meaty themes running throughout. I think it’s Richy’s ability to balance really tough topics such as men's mental health, death and sudden loss with cracking one liners that makes this the masterpiece that it is. It also helps that the book is bursting with Irishness, think silly county digs and a mountain of slang.

Now I’ll just have to try to start to forgive him for his Corkonian bullying tactics in time for his next book.

A must read for anyone looking for a funny easy read which has that little something extra.

Thanks to @gillhessltd and @eriubooks for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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