b00kw0rms0fthew0rldunite's reviews
586 reviews

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was expecting a few tears to be shed in this readalong as I had my packet of tissues at the ready and a few warnings that this would be a tear jerker. What I didn't expect was for me to be so emotionally involved in the story and to be really torn between opinions of what the 'right' thing to do was. 
This book follows the story of an elderly couple who, through one of their diagnosis' with Parkinsons, decide to only live for one more year. It is a dual timeline and the other story is set during the war years and beyond and tells the tale of how they met, fell in love and the challenges and triumphs they had along the way.

I enjoyed the fact that each chapter was told under the different headings of characters. Due to this, we can see the point of view from their children and grandchildren and from different people involved in their story. I could see the views and opinions of each character so well that each time I thought about the main issue they were facing, I could really empathise with all of the characters that I read through.

This is not a light hearted fluffy read by any stretch of the imagination. The book deals with so many topics such as grief, losing a family member, drug abuse, divorce, cheating and suicide and although it is beautifully written, it does drag the mood down into the characters who don't seem to see much joy in the world.

If you are in the mood for a sad story which has been well thought out and flows throughout the 2 timeslines seamlessly, this is the book for you. It made me think about life, love and beauty in a whole new way.

I'd like to thank Tandem Collective global, Bloomsbury Publishing and Amy Neff for the chance to read this book in a buddy read situation. 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 2: The Maid & Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel) by Margaret Atwood

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What the Lady Wants by Emma Orchard

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A lovely third book for this series by Emma Orchard. I was introduced to the second book through Netgalley and loved the free flowing writing and modern twists involved in the story. This book is another well written addition and brings back the well known and loved characters from the first two.

I appreciated the modern feminist take, amongst regency chivalry and society. It's refreshing to see characters so open about their desires, especially set in the 1800s and especially for women.

I laughed to see how the chapters were 'numbered' and greatly enjoyed the first half of the book. The second half did get caught up in the old romantic cliche of a misunderstanding forcing the lovers apart unfortunately, and seemed to drag on a little bit before resolving. 

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read with seamless writing and I can't wait to see if there are more books in this series!

My thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for an opportunity to read the book. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Textbook Romance by Kristen Bailey

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I cannot count the amount of times I laughed out loud because of this book. I also shed a few tears, got extremely angry, got well hungry for Nando's and looked at paperclips in a new light!

Kristen Bailey writes in such a smooth, flowing way and really gets into each character so well that I feel I know them all. I have multiple new kids, super siblings, hilarious and cake loving colleagues, evil exes and a hot new relationship... Thanks Kristen!

I really like the way that the rom-com cliches are not at home in this book. No big misunderstandings leading to break ups, no jealous exes laying traps for the lovers to argue over and no kids plotting against new partners. There were issues of age, however, plenty of communication and a really respectful understanding that kids will always come first.

Kristen is THE ultimate rom-com queen and the modern take she puts on things, including the slang, meaning of emoji's and the multiple different words for parts of anatomy that cropped up, really educated me. The thing that impressed me most though, was how a fictional school was actually pretty accurately represented. The scenes of mobs of boys charging through the school took me way back, and then there was the fact that she knew schools run on coffee and cake...

I also have to put a LOT of love out there for the narrator, Abigail Hardiman, who did an outstanding job. Males and females of various ages were represented so differently that you never had trouble distinguishing the characters from each other. The accents were also spot on. The comedic timing helped enhance the humorous book to no end. The people who could see me on my daily commute must have thought I was bonkers!

I loved this book so much I have already bought myself a copy. 5 stars from me and cannot wait for the next one!
My big thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Kristen Bailey for the opportunity to read the book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last Christmas by Clare Swatman

adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love the idea of a parallel universe starting with a simple decision. Very 'Sliding Doors!' 

I also loved the characters who were there throughout it all, best friend Mia and Maggie and the cast of supporters in Bea's life 

To be honest, it got really confusing halfway through as to which storyline we were in as there were similar circumstances in each. None of them were the perfect fairytale that I look for in an escape read. 

I did like the fact that a lot of similarities continued to happen and the way the ending worked. 

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Clare Swatman for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own. 

The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page

hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sally Page can do no wrong in my opinion. She has delivered another book that had me alternating between crying, laughing and sighing. This book was heartwarming and thought-provoking and an inspirational mix between a modern day woman reclaiming her life and coming to terms with her demons and a lady that lived long ago finding out just how important she could be. 

I love to learn about all things Titanic and the questions and answers that were asked and answered in this book fascinated me. Who was the florist on the Titanic? I googled it out of curiosity and couldn't find any information myself. I did however look at the articles that the author had and referenced at the back and by doing that, I saw the photo of Violet Jessop. I love the way the author was able to weave a story between fact and her fiction, taking a historical person and writing their backstory and staying as close as possible to the information at hand.

The modern story was written from the perspective of a woman who had severe anxiety and I think quite a few people would have found Emma relatable. The cast of characters around the modern story were full of character and heart. Sally Page wrote quite a community around Emma and she had friends that could relate to her passions all around the world.

I liked the fact that each chapter was titled with a flower, many of which I had never heard of. The entire mystery of flowers and their meanings was something I found intriguing.
Readers who appreciate stories of self-discovery, healing, and the beauty of nature should definitely read this!

Thanks to Netgalley, Sally Page and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The House of the Witch by Clare Marchant

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 My first Clare Marchant novel and it won't be my last!

A very well written dual timeline book about the power of standing up for yourself among all odds.
The more I read, the more the timelines were tied in a way. in the 1600's it was a woman that had seen hardship all her life and trauma at the hands of men. In the present day it was a woman who needed to know just how strong she was when she wasn't being a victim of foul play.

I loved the way the characters were so real to me that I felt their emotions alongside them. Because of this, most of the book had me feeling extremely angry in a way that good writing can do when it taps into your head and makes you resonate with the characters and situations.

The endings were good although I wish there were more on the familiar and the part it played or more to Addie's story than feeling what she feels. I guess I just wanted to read more!

I thank Netgalley, Boldwood Books and of course Clare Marchant for the opportunity to read the book and leave this review with my honest opinions.