Reviewer: @cair_paraval_chronicles (Instagram)
I was also flying to New York not to pack up an aunt’s apartment although I would not say no to living in that city. So it felt so surreal for my 2 worlds to collide just as the 2 worlds collided in the story.
Although I didn’t watch any movies this book did leave me with a tear or 2!
I was so in love with this book and read it for most of my 8 hour flight!
I loved the duel time lines and was enthralled from page one. It’s always difficult to read about situations during WW2 and this book was no different however the way the story was entwined was really spell binding. The portrayal of the horror of the time was so clearly conveyed.
The characters were all relatable and how they fit into the multiple timelines was really wonderfully woven together. I felt their pain, their moments of happiness and I loved how dance was the central theme though the 2 timelines – and how it can bring joy and togetherness.
The many love stories, light within the darkness, the optimism and the sheer will to survive are all key themes in this story. Be it in 1940 Germany or 2012 New York city they come together and work really well. I really enjoyed this story and would read more from this author.
The author said she had based this on a South African ballet dancer, to be honest I don’t know much about her but loved the fact that SA was represented here.
Thank you @jonathanballpublishers for this beautiful story!
@simon.says.books (Instagram)
🎤don’t make me laugh🎤
Words like “dark comedy” and “humour” have been used all over the internet to describe this book.
I’ll be honest, the only bit that made me cackle was the end. 😂
I’m saying this to point out that people have different ideas of humour, and not to bash the book. In fact, I thought this was an incredible book! I gave it 4.5 ⭐ without hesitation.
Julia Raeside clearly knows what she’s “talking” about.
This book is very unsettling, bold, and realistic to what women all over the world experience daily. Raeside wrote a fictional depiction of the unethical, and at times dangerous dynamics of the workplace. She wrote a very raw story of Ali, who works in the stand-up comedy world and has to deal with the toxic charm and control of Ed.
Raeside doesn’t sensationalise the emotional abuse that the female characters go through, but instead writes it very realistically and makes you almost go through it with them.
The characters subtly lose their confidence and resolve, and you are a bystander through it all. You fall for Ed’s charm alongside Ali, and you wait with her for texts from him to light up the screen.
This story is heavy and dark, but eventually there is a bit of hope, and a lot of solidarity. It’s a thought-provoking read with a lot of emotion, especially fury, and it will sit with you until the end of time.
The ending was without a doubt my favourite part of this book.
Reviewer: @plainjane.readss (Instagram)
𝗞𝗶𝘁 𝗠𝗰𝗞𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗼, 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀’ 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁.
I was sent a copy of Dead Man’s List by the wonderful people at @jonathanballpublishers which is the third book in the San Diego series, but the OCD in me just had to start from the beginning😂
I ended up bingeing the series, and I had a great time. Honestly, it kept me invested even though it had its ups and downs with the pacing sometimes. I am severely hooked on Criminal Minds at the moment, so maybe that helped keep me in the right state of mind for this particular story?
Each book can be read as a standalone because the cases are different. The only thing that would be a bit confusing is Kit and Sam’s relationship (along with some background on the side characters). The relationship isn’t too heavily focused on even though this is a romantic suspense. But I actually liked that we only get snippets of their chemistry and pining.
The author does a really great job of immersing the reader fully into the case with Kit. Lots of detailing on the murder, suspect interviews, and evidence collecting.
These books are quite lengthy, which could become a little tedious, but it wasn’t so bad that I’d abandon the book. I would always find myself wanting to continue after a short break.
But apart from the cases, we also get more of Kit’s foster parents and siblings. They all have a special bond with each other, and I love how there aren’t any hesitation to help out when a child is in need🥹😭
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
Thank you so much @jonathanballpublishers for my review copy! I think I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from this series 👀
Reviewer: @readingwithmichaela (Instagram)
Ana Huang’s latest release in the Kings of Sin series, King of Envy, may just be my favourite of them all.
King of Envy is the story of Ayana and Vuk. Ayana, a gorgeous and famous supermodel who is well known in the fashion industry and Vuk “The Serb” , the mysterious, stoic billionaire with a troublesome past.
Ana really raised the stakes in this one with Vuk’s dark past coming back with a vengeance and Ayana dealing with her own issues in her day to day life with things that weren’t exactly as they seemed. A morally grey MMC who gives off the best “I will burn down the world for her” kind of vibes, a romance that held its own obstacles, a bit of a forbidden romance, and some suspense in the background of it all. Plus an adorable cat.
In each book of this series there have been different takes on how the men are just so down bad for their love interest, but I really feel like Vuk took the crown here out of everyone with the way he was so legitimately obsessed with Ayana. He became an immediate favourite of Ana’s men for me with the way he was actually just so unhinged when it came to Ayana. No rules, no legitimate reasons. Just so beyond gone for this woman.
I genuinely loved every aspect of this book, and up until the 80% mark, it was a 5 star read for me. It started to drag out, and as a lover of “mafia romances”, they don’t tend to be this long so I definitely think the book could have been cut by 100 pages.
I found some things to be a bit too dramatic and overdone for the storyline. The plot itself was enjoyable to get through and experience. I kept wondering “will they or won’t they” and “but how do they end up together”. The one downfall? Without giving spoilers or anything, when I read the cat scene (if you know you know) at a pinnacle part of the main plot towards the end of the book, I actually had to put the book down, step away and literally laugh out loud.
I’m really excited to see where this series goes and I love the little cameos we’re getting of previous couples from past books (Bridget and Rhys have my heart forever and I will not apologise for it). I gave this one 4 stars and will happily continue with the series and probably every book Ana writes.
Thank you for sending this book to me in exchange for an honest review!
Reviewer: @liztheliterary(Instagram)
“It’s interesting how love colors things I would normally hate into my absolute favorite shade.”
A book so steamy, it turned winter into summer.
This was my first book by Alex Aster and it definitely will not be the last.
Summer In The City follows the mysterious screenwriter Elle as she is trying to overcome her writer’s block in her least favourite city – New York City. This is also the setting of her new movie and her archnemesis – tech genius Parker Warren. Her work is due at the end of the summer and running into Parker might have its cons… and pros.
“One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city.
Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise.
Until it isn’t.”
What first grabbed me about this book was Alex Aster’s marketing for it – her in pink, sparkly dresses and cute heels in New York, her signing a boatload of copies while singing Taylor Swift songs and her video on TikTok – “convincing you to read Summer In The City in under a minute”. That absolutely worked. I was a goner at this point.
Imagine my joy at being accepted for the Jonathan Ball Publishers readalong! Reading this felt like watching an early 2000s romantic comedy movie. Comfortable, addictive and fun. And a little spicy.
It’s so easy to relate to Elle’s character from the get-go – a career-driven, entertaining woman who loves coffee and appreciates a good pastry. With a smidge of commitment issues. Maybe a little bit of a procrastinator… Okay. She has her flaws, but I think that makes her even more relatable. I have never been to New York, but Aster wrote the setting so vividly – it felt like I was there with Elle and could experience what she was experiencing. It even made me crave some baked goods!
The only downsides to me were the timelines and miscommunications. Otherwise, utter perfection!
Read this if you love:
– Fake dating
– He falls first
– Slow burn
– Billionaire romance (I need to read more of this because I LOVED this)
★★★★
Thank you Jonathan Ball Publishers for hosting this readalong and for the beautiful copy and box!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
