readwithamey_'s reviews
110 reviews

This was my first Riley Sager novel and I can definitely say that it did not disappoint! Wow! I do however have some mixed feelings which we will get into.

The first half of the book was slow-paced but still enjoyable and interesting. I really enjoyed the way the book alternated between Before and Now timelines, as it would give you a small glimpse of what to expect further into the book. There were so many unexpected twists, I can't say too much without spoiling the book! I am not a fan of the twist toward the 70-80% mark, I just thought it made it too far fetched and bloody ridiculous but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying the book.

Overall I found this to be a gripping read with a lot of psychological suspense, and shocking twists that I didn't see coming. Highly recommend! Can't wait to read more of Riley Sagers books!

I'm very picky about my romance books but this actually happened to be one I enjoyed for the most part. I was expecting a light and fun romance but it ended up being a moving and intense story of love, friendship, grief and second chances. And I'm happy to report that I didn't find it to be overly cheesy like most romances! I loved the forbidden love plot of this book and it was a slow burn which did have me frustrated at times! I loved Feyi, Joy and Alim! I loved their backstories and there development throughout the book! I also loved the LGBTQ representation in the book.

My main issue was with the romance element, personally it felt very rushed. Feyi and Alim went from attraction to love in a short period of time which felt abit unrealistic to me. But equally I loved them together and thought they were cute.

I also felt that they could of discussed Feyi's late husband Jonah a lot more, he was an important part of the book but I didn't feel any connection to him because there was no backstory or development there. The book ended with so many questions being left unanswered, it finished without really giving any closure or resolution which frustrated me.

Overall, I think this is a beautifully written book that explores really important themes (grief, love, friendship). I found it a really refreshing read and would recommend this to anyone who loves a slow burn romance

What a waste of a Sunday! Truly just an awful book. Firstly I wouldn’t really class this as a self-help book, if that’s what you are looking for there are plenty of decent one’s available but this is not one of them. The way this was written to me it came across more as though she was having a rant in her diary. Within the first 20 pages I already didn’t like the author.

I felt that the entire book was basically relaying common sense tips, nothing was particularly helpful. The general message was clear within the first 20 pages, focus on yourself, do what you want to do and stop worrying about what other people think.. and I also don’t think this makes you a “d*ck” like the title suggests.

Overall, it was a waste of my time and I’m glad it was only 180ish pages because I wouldn’t of been able to finish it if it was any longer..

This book actually exceeded my expectations! I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! This is my first Jodi Picoult book and will not be my last! The book is incredibly well-written and the characters are well developed, I was able to actually connect and care for each of the characters. Mad honey explores a lot of important topics, I would recommend looking at the trigger warnings. I loved the multiple twists in the book, they literally had me shouting ‘holy shit’ because I did not see them coming.

I really enjoyed the use of the dual timelines from both Olivia’s and Lily’s perspectives, I appreciated being able to have more insight to each of their histories. However, the chapters were longer than I usually like but I barely noticed because I was so hooked. I also wasn’t a fan of all the bee facts at the start of Olivia’s chapters. I enjoyed them at the very start but I didn’t really care about the bee facts I just wanted to get back to the story. I think the book could have been about 80-100 pages shorter if the facts were taken out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! It’s an engaging and interesting read with plenty of social topics to get you thinking and twists to keep you on your toes!

(TW: domestic violence, child abuse, gender violence, suicide)

Not going to lie I’m abit disappointed with this one! The plot and storyline had so much potential but didn’t do it for me. The story highlights themes that are very prevalent today around male violence and the fear that women are subjected to on a daily basis, this alone had me invested enough to finish the book. I did find that the book was quite slow paced and just kept going on and on. It was in the last 20% of the book I would say things became a lot more interesting.

The story is told solely from Alice’s perspective which did make it abit confusing to follow when it was following Ruby’s life most of the time. I didn’t really care for the side characters, but I really felt for Alice and Ruby.

Overall, it was an okay read. I would still recommend it simply because of the themes, however I wouldn’t get your hopes too high and I highly recommend looking into the trigger warnings!

2.5 ⭐️

Unfortunately I really didn’t care for this book. The description labels this book as a reckless and delicious thriller, but I disagree. I wouldn’t call this book a thriller at all, there was no suspense and there weren’t any twists or turns, I would probably say more of a dark romance. I actually found it abit bland and boring which is why it took me awhile to finish. I liked that the book was told from a few different perspectives (Wes, Ivy, Bianca and Karen) and the chapters weren’t too long (probably my only positive points).

I didn’t like the main protagonist’s Wes and Ivy, I found there toxic relationships and mind games pretty childish and repetitive. I didn’t think any of the secondary characters were that great either because there wasn’t enough development or personality for me to care for them. Also the book didn’t really feel finished because there wasn’t any closure and just ended abruptly.

Overall, this book didn’t meet my expectations and it was underwhelming. I don’t think I’ll be picking up another book from Downing for awhile.

I found this book a relatively enjoyable read and it’s really well written, I do however think there need to be some trigger warnings as the book covers some tough and triggering topics (rape, self-harm, childhood abuse) so this also made it a pretty heavy read at times. I enjoyed the alternating time lines of past and present as it helps to understand what her childhood was like and how it’s impacted her current life.

The characters were actually pretty good. I thought Meredith was so strong trying to conquer her agoraphobia and I felt really proud when she managed to leave the house even by a few steps. I loved Sadie (childhood best friend) and how supportive she was, and also her newly found friends Tom and Celeste.

Overall it was a heartwarming story and offers some hope to those with MH issues and anxiety, however there were also some triggering parts because Meredith’s character and story was relatively realistic and relatable, and mirrors topics that some people have experienced.

However, I was not happy with the ending! I felt it ended so abruptly and kind of didn’t really finish her story in my opinion so I brought it down from a 4 just for that!

Had to DNF at 19%. The writing wasn’t that great, felt very messy and boring. And Autumn was really annoying

Ahhh I’m torn with this book! I really liked the plot and enjoyed most of the story, especially as it mirrored an actual news story in the US. I found it incredibly impactful, it left me feeling so many different emotions. However, I don’t believe that JP as a white woman should have written a book about people of colour or racism when she does not have the first hand experience.

I really enjoyed the alternating points of views between Ruth and Kennedy, I don’t think Turks (the white supremacist) viewpoint was needed and some of the detail in his chapters were unnecessary. However the alternating POVs made it fast paced to read!

Overall, a hard hitting and important read that everyone should give a read!

Don’t fall for the nice cover. DNF’d after 35 pages - complete mess of a book and the mum was throwing tantrums like a toddler every other paragraph and the daughter was allowing it. Just pissed me off