Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

I know I’ve neglected my blog for what seems like forever.  

 Best book you’ve read so far in 2020?

• All My Lies Are True (Dorothy Koomson)
• The Woman He Loved Before
• That Day You Left
• The Friend
• The Cupid Effect 
• Queenie

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020

All My Lies Are True

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

I’ve read the only new release that I had which was All My Lies Are True

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Personally I don’t get exited about new releases, it’s not my thing.  But Dorothy Koomson’s new book has just been released in England but isn’t released here in Canada until January. 

Biggest disappointment

I know a lot of LGBTQ+ people won’t be happy but The Bus 57 was possibly the worst of the books I’ve read. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t what I was expecting 

Biggest surprise

The Bus 57, it wasn’t what I was expecting. Like I said in the last question it wasn’t bad, it was just difficult for me. I was expecting it to be more of a fictional book rather then what happened. 

Favourite new author (debut or new to you)

Candice Carty-Williams who wrote Queenie

• Book that made you cry

Queenie, 

Book that made you happy

All My Lies Are True.  Just for the fact that it’s Dorothy Koomson and a sequel to The Ice Cream Girls.  There are a few books I’ve read where I wonder what happened to the characters. 

The most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Cover wise, some some of the Dorothy Koomson books that have been re released with new covers are absolutely beautiful. 

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I really want to start The Mortal Instruments Series.  I have the first 4 books and want to read at least the first one.  

Favourite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen this year?

I don’t really watch any tv shows or movies 

March & April 2021

Books Read: 9

Book Challenge Complete: 50%

• Dear Martin 
• That Day You Left \\ Dorothy Koomson 
• The Lucky One
• Sammy Woodhouse
• Maggie Oliver
• The Friend \\Dorothy Koomson 
• The Ice Cream Girls \\ Dorothy Koomson 
• All My Lies Are True \\ Dorothy Koomson 
• The Woman He Loved Before \\ Dorothy Koomson 

How I Felt This Month

I was on such a Dorothy Koomson kick and I loved it.  I must admit that I am struggling a bit with blogging and not enjoying it enough to keep going so, when I feel like blogging I will, I’m not going to force myself. 

Queenie Book Review

Book: Queenie

Author: Candice Carty Williams

Pages: 352

Publish Date: November 5th 2019

Start Reading Date: January 4th 2021

End Reading Date: January 13th 2021

My Goodreads Rating: 4*

Queenie is about Queenie Jenkins, who is in her mid 20’s. Her relationship breaks down, her work life is a mess, and her friendship group is varied. 

First Thoughts

I’ve seen people mention the book but I’ve purposely not gone into full detailed reviews about it.  Because I want to love the book without anyone’s influence. 

While I was filling out the top bit I didn’t realize just how new this book is.  I thought it had been out for years. 

While Reading

• I’ve only read like a page and a half and absolutely adore the book.  

• I’m a little further on right now, and I have found a book that I know I’m going to enjoy.  

• Honestly I wanna be like Queenie.  Maybe not.  I like sassy Queenie, but dislike the Queenie that is on a break from Tom.  I like Queenie that wants to stand up for police brutality.  

• This is a book that I needed. 

• It’s frustrating. I wanted to like Ted, he seemed so normal.  But he is frustrating me to no ends. 

• It’s also frustrating that Cassandra chose a man over a friend who she’s know for 10 years when the man was such a dick. I mean Guy was sleeping with your best friend, and when she didn’t know the two of you were dating, it wasn’t her fault. 

• There have been some things that have happened in the book that frustrated me more than Ted being an absolute dick, and Guy being a moron, and that’s how Queenie is being treated by people.  The sexual health clinic nurse/doctors talking to her like she’s not worthy of their time.  Gina (Queenie’s boss) flip flopping around Chuck. It infuriated me that she let some men absolutely take advantage of her yet others she didn’t.  

• Queenie is an absolute boss.  She’s been struggling a lot, and though she doesn’t realize it before she went to therapy she was trying to speak out about what she was doing.  Not well, but in her own way.  After therapy she’s definitely becoming herself again.  Even a better version of herself.  I’m proud that she stands up for herself and what she believes in.  

• Queenie has definitely matured throughout the book.  I hope she keeps maturing. 

• She has some really good friends.  Minus Cassandra.  

• Kyazike and Darcy are the kind of friends that people need in their lives.

Conclusion 

What I will say about this book is it keeps you on your toes a lot.  There is a lot of back and forth between current time and in the past (around 3 years or so).  

Rashan Charles.  I know it’s a fictional book, and that there are elements of today’s world in it but I didn’t expect just how realistic it is to the real world. Rashan Charles being one of those real world people that made it into the book. And fair play to Candice for bringing real life into her book.  

Also along with the realities of life that came into this book is a Black Lives Matter March that Queenie went to. I kept having to remind myself that this book came out before 2020. 

The sexual health clinic.  I think it’s a good idea to include things such as a sexual health clinic into the book.  It gets people used to the idea that they are out there and they can be used. 

It’s hard to write a review that makes sense for this book because so much happened within it. 

I hated how bad she was treated by the men in the book.  Tom, Adi, Guy and Ted.  These men were the ‘main’ men that Queenie had a relationship with wether it was a long term relationship or just a sexual relationship, and they turned on her quickly because it suited them. Yes she walked right to three of these men, because her confidence was low, and it came to bite her on the rear.  

In one part of the book Queenie says she’s been called a ‘bounty’ because she’s black on the outside and white on the inside. She was dating a white man in Tom, she slept with two white guys in Guy & Ted, and one was Asian.  She works for a company that is mainly white people within it, who have people of privilege within it, I find people want to fit in with who they work with, or socialize with so they won’t act how you’d expect them to act.  Take a look at her family. They expect her to be the way they are, but she’s not.  

As a whole I found the book really good.  I gave it 4* on goodreads.  I love that the author included things such as the Black Lives Matter moment, sexual health clinics, mental health issues, relationships and friendship breakdowns, therapy, bringing real life events, places and shops into the book.   It’s the perfect book to be a stand alone book.  

All My Lies Are True // Dorothy Koomson// Book Review

Book: All My Lies Are True 

Author: Dorothy Koomson 

Start Reading Date: March 16th 2021

End Reading Date: March 23rd 2021

My Goodreads Rating: 5

All My Lies Are True is the sequel to The Ice Cream Girls.  Having read a lot of Dorothy Koomson books there have been two that always stuck out to me that I wanted to know what happened to them, where the children are as adults, where the adults now, what’s happened in their lives.  The Ice Cream Girls is one of those books that I needed some sort of answers to. 

10 years after leaving Marcus grave Serena and Poppy are brought back together. Poppy’s younger brother has been attacked and Serena’s daughter Verity has been seeing him for almost a year. Both Logan and Verity have kept it quiet. Life for Serena and Poppy flip upside down once again.  This time their families are more involved.  

While Reading 

I am absolutely devouring the book.  

I can completely understand why both Logan and Verity didn’t want to say anything to Poppy, Serena or their family about being in a relationship because they were already tied together because of Marcus. 

I think the lawyer who works with Verity and becomes her lawyer after she is arrested is a vile man.  You can tell that in the last ten years Verity has become a strong, hard working woman, yet her boss reminds me of Marcus. 

When it comes to abuse, you never know who is being abused, who the abuser is. Evan makes a good point about how Logan can seem abusive because Verity hasn’t been spending time with her brother or her best friend via how a friend of Verity’s is with his girlfriend. 

I’m being to really dislike Verity & Logan.  Both have flaws. Poppy and Serena are comparing Logan to Marcus is a bit unfair because though it seems like Logan was abusing Verity is she also as innocent as it seems.  Where as Marcus was the only one who was abusive in both his relationship with Poppy & Serena. 

I really feel for Serena in this book more than I did in The Ice Cream Girls. Everyone seems to be after her to tell the truth about what happened. I would like to see Marcus son to also talk to Poppy 

Conclusion 

For me All My Lies Are True it highlighted that men can also be abused.  I like how Dorothy showed both sides of that. 

Omg this book.  I don’t know how Dorothy Koomson does it but I am not a massive fan of anyone else doing multiple characters perspective in books but Dorothy does it so well.  

It was the book I needed.  For me it feels like there will never be an end to Poppy & Serena. They’ll forever be linked because of Marcus. They’ll forever be linked because of bad times they went through. They’ll be linked forever because of what happened between Logan and Verity. 

The Friend // Dorothy Koomson // Book Review

Book: The Friend

Author: Dorothy Koomson

Pages: 480

Publish Date: 2017

Start Reading Date: March 2nd 2021

End Reading Date: March 9th 2021

My Goodreads Rating: 5*

Four very different friends, brought together years before the night where one friend is attacked in the school where their children attend.  Three of those friends hide secrets from each other, their loved ones and the world because they are ashamed by them, from risky photos as a teenager, to kidnapping a baby. Their friend blackmailing them, making them feel guilty about the smallest of things in their friendship.  

CeCe and her family move to Brighton for her husbands job, and her two youngest children twins Oscar and Ore become friends with Frankie, whose mother was friends with Yvonne the woman who was attacked at the school. CeCe’s ex asks her to find out what happened, soon enough Maxie, Hazel and Anaya’s secrets come spilling out. 

But is everything really as it seems. 

Conclusion 

Because of how many main characters there are in the book I did have to keep a track of who was who, who had which kid/husband and the backstory of the ladies to begin with. But after a while it was easy to know. 

I would’ve found it hard being friends with Yvonne for as long as Maxie, Hazel and Anaya did. She would’ve been a nightmare of a friend for me to have.  They kept their secrets because it’s their own business and having a friend dig around and blackmail you about them is horrible.  You should be able to trust friends, and they couldn’t trust Yvonne and that’s why I think Hazel has such a hard time getting used to the fact that Anaya and Maxie have become friends with CeCe so quickly after what’s happened with Yvonne.  

I absolutely flew through the book.  I always know when a book is good because I can read it really quickly. 

It definitely a hard to book to get into at the begging but once you get into it you can’t put it down.  It keeps you on your toes, and you have to keep up just because it does go between current day and the past, and to multiple characters pasts. 

February 2021

Books Read: 3 books

Ok, so I cant believe its March already

Twilight 

For me personally I can get through reading twilight just about.  It’s not my favourite book in the whole world, but out of the Twilight saga it’s one I can stomach without hating my life 

Caught

I didn’t know what to expect with Caught, because I’ve seen shows on Netflix that Harlan Coben has done and I loved them, but I’ve never read a book by him before and I liked it but for me I like watching the shows based on his books more. 

The Cupid Effect

I adore Dorothy Koomson anyway, and I read this book years ago, lost it, and so I brought it again and I didn’t appreciate how good the book was when I first read it. 

How I Felt This Month

This month I felt good.  I think because I only wanted to read Twilight without having to read the other books I felt good. 

Caught. Harlan Coben // Book Review

Book: Caught

Author: Harlan Coben

Pages: 370

My Goodreads Rating: 4

First Thoughts

I’m really exited to read this book.  I’ve seen a few Netflix shows that have been made on other Harlan Coben books, and really enjoyed them. 

While Reading

This is such a hard book to review because while I was reading it was going in and out of different people while still on Wendy. But I will try my best. 

I found that some of the characters such as Ed really annoying.  I don’t know what it was about him that I found annoying but I did. 

What I’ve learnt about books like this is to be suspicious of everyone. Men, women, children, mum and dad, grandparents, cops, lawyers.  It doesn’t matter who they are. Be suspicious of them. 

• There is so much happening within the book you really can’t tell what’s the truth. A missing teenager, a man who was accused of being a pedophile whose case was thrown out but he goes on

• The ‘missing’ link in the Princeton group, who isn’t on any social media and has nothing/anything online about him is a little suspicious. It’s more than likely designed like that.  

• Do I think that Dan is guilty of what’s he’s being accused off.  I’m flipping back and forth.  I think it’s crazy that the police suddenly find a missing girls cell phone in his room when he’s been murdered and his body is missing. 

• Ok so I’m obsessed. I’m less than 100 pages from finishing the book and the twists and turns.   Omg. I’m in shock. 
• Even when the obvious is staring me in the face I am so sow to catch on. 

Conclusion 

This is such a good book.  It’s so fast passed.  It pretty much all over the place when reading, it flips between people, but it works out really well. As I got closer to the end of the book, and I mean the last few chapters it reminded me of a Netflix show I’d seen, one based on a Harlan Coben Book. For me I felt that Wendy was really judgemental and just wanted an easy ride in her job and didn’t do enough research when it came to Dan.  

In some places it felt that it was way to easy to pass the blame onto Dan for the missing teenager, and that Wendy should’ve listened to those who knew Dan. But her pride and ego got in the way to much.  

With the group of men that went to Princeton with Dan all had their flaws, because of one night, and it took a toll on them in differently.  

The end of the book really had me shook.  I felt that it came together nicely. 

The Bus 57

Book: The Bus 57; 

My Goodreads Rating: 3*

First Thoughts

Ok, so back in the summer of 2020, around the time I went to the Black Lives Matter March where I live, I googled books by black authors, about racism, I wanted books that were both fiction and non fiction books. For Christmas I asked for some books, I had a whole long list, books by my favourite author (who is Dorothy Koomson and is black) a d books by black authors and white authors, books that covered racism within them.  The Bus 57, was a book I asked for and received.  

While Reading

• Wow.  When I asked for this book I had read the synopsis that Amazon gave and saved it for later.  Now that I’ve started the book it’s different than what I imagined it to be. 
• I like how the author put in meanings of different LQBTQ+, sexual orientation and gender phrases.  I had no idea just how many there were. 

Sasha

• “Why are you wearing a skirt?  Your not a girl” was said to Sasha by an older person. Sasha’s response is normal for them.  
• The whole bathroom thing, what’s the right bathroom for someone who is gender fluid, and while at home and school it’s easy to use what ever bathroom you want, in the ‘outside’ world it’s not so easy. 

Richard

• While reading Sasha’s first part of the book, I felt that when I got to Richard’s history that they were going to make him out to be this really bad kid, who grew up without any structure.  But he was a little different than I imagined. He did have structure, though the area of Oakland he lives in isn’t great, he has a family that want the best for him. He did wrong in his past but he was trying to do better. 

• I already have the feeling that how Sasha and Richard are treated is completely different by others because of their backgrounds.  
• The right vs wrong aspect that came into play annoyed me to no end. Yes, Richard is 16 year old and should know better but can anyone say they did things at 16 that they would one day look on and think that wasn’t right.  What I did was wrong.  
• Something else that annoyed me was that I’m not finished it yet but why is Richard the only one getting any sort of punishment. The other two people he was with that day were also involved, not with setting the fire, but were there. 

Conclusion 

Ok so my review on the book, it’s an ok book, I don’t love it but I don’t hate it.  There are areas that I love, areas’s that I don’t. 

I would’ve loved longer chapters.  I am someone who like actual chapters.  Sometimes in this book it was a page or less. 

I wanted to love this book, and I did at first, but I felt that it dipped.  I felt that people brought down Richard because of his actions and that he’d never learn from his mistakes, and that he should’ve known better.  

January 2021

January 2021

Books Read: 3

Book Challenge Complete: 10%

• Just A Child
• Queenie
• The Bus 57

How I Felt This Month

• I felt like January just flew by, I am on track with my goodreads challenge. 
• I am kinda lagging on my blog but I’m ok with that. 
• I really enjoyed the books I read this month. Though enjoying a book like Just a child by Sammy Woodhouse seems wrong, it did bring and insight to what you should be looking for in a child/young person who maybe going through abuse. 
• Favourite book this month was definitely Queenie.  

Just A Child \\ Book Review \\

Book: Just A Child

Author: Sammy Woodhouse

Publish Date: April 19th 2018

Start Reading Date: December 29th 2020

End Reading Date: January 1st 2021

My Goodreads Rating: 5*

It’s 100% a book that like Girl A, needed to be written and needs to be read, but a book and story that shouldn’t have be be made, because what happened to Sammy should never have happened in the first place.  She was clearly taken advantage off as a child and that is absolutely awful. I don’t think it should happen to anybody at any age, from any background, by anyone.  But it really does. 

It’s hard to comprehend that this was happening, and that the police, social services, people in government and in the area and surrounding areas knew what was going on but did very little to nothing about it.  But it happened.

I won’t lie and say it’s an easy book to read because it’s not.  It’s hard, and you’ll see just how let down Sammy and her family were because of the abuse she went through as a child by a man a decade older than her.  It’s easy to see that Sammy along with all the others were let down by people. 

There is an age of consent in pretty much most contraries yet how is a child under the age of consent (in England it’s 16) giving their consent to be abused, to commit crimes with their abusers.  It makes no sense.  Teenagers at any age don’t want to listen to their parents but there should be something in place to protect children of any age especially when it comes to grooming.  

I have to give it to Sammy though.  When she realized what happened to her she got justice in a small way by having her abuser put into jail.  But it also shows just how strong she is, and thinking of her child, wanting him to have contact with his father even though it didn’t last, her child came first.  

Resolutions and Hopes for 2021

I know for the last few months of 2020, I kinda disappeared from my blog.  I was having a hard time finishing posts, and sometimes even starting posts further from the title.  It just wasn’t fun for me anymore.  So rather than force myself to do it I took a break.  Am I 100% back.  No.  But I am in a better place and want to get back into it a little.  

• I Want To Read Books By New To Me Authors

For me I want to read more books by authors I never imagined I’d ever read.  I still have a lot of books in my wish list, but I got a lot of books for Christmas by authors I’d never normally read.  

• I Want To Be Pushed Out Of My Comfort Zone

Sort of along the same lines as new to me authors I want to push myself to read books I wouldn’t normally read.  If I could I’d read the same books, or the same authors, over and over again.

So here’s to 2021, let’s hope we get this world in some sort of normal.  A normal without a pandemic. 

Lauren

Xoxo