Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around a new release and a backlist title I’ve been meaning to read… Dear Edward turned out to be a good read, although not as mindblowingly good as I thought it would be. The Craftsman was without doubt another great Bolton read.

Title: Dear Edward
Author: Ann Napolitano
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
First published: January 6th 2020
Publisher: The Dial Press
Finished reading: November 30th 2020
Pages: 352

“Take stock of who we are and what we have and then use it for good.”


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I’ve seen so many raving about Dear Edward and I couldn’t resist finally reading it myself when I saw it was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. And I guess it is unpopular opinion time again… Because while I did think that it was a good read, somehow it didn’t exactly blow me away as much as I thought it would. It might have been the wrong story at the wrong time, it might have been that my expectations were simply too high, but the fact is that there was something about Dear Edward that didn’t convince me completely. I still can’t put my finger exactly on the why, but I think it probably has to do something with the fact that I found it rather slow in parts. This slower pace made it harder to stay invested in points, and while I did love the dual timeline with the ‘before’ and ‘after the crash’, I did think introducing so many different characters didn’t help either. Edward himself was an intriguing character to follow though and especially after the crash. Dear Edward is designed to play with your feelings, and it is without doubt heavy on the sad and emotional moments. That said, I think I was expecting the story to make me feel more? There was something about the way the different characters were described that made it harder to actually connect to them. Still, this is probably just me as most people seem to love this story, and like I said despite a few issues I’m still glad I took the time to read this story.

Title: The Craftsman
(The Craftsman #1)
Author: Sharon Bolton
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: May 3rd 2018
Publisher: Trapeze
Finished reading: December 4th 2020
Pages: 422

“The crowd seems to press forward and hang back simultaneously, like a confused tide that can’t quite remember whether it is ebbing or flowing.”


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I’ve enjoyed Sharon Bolton‘s writing in the past, so I have been looking forward to finally pick up my copy of The Craftsman. And I most definitely like what I found! This is not your ordinary crime thriller, as you will find the supernatural and witch references infused in the plot. I love how the author used old legends and information about the witch trials and incorporated it into the story… It definitely took The Craftsman to the next level for me. This story has a dual timeline, where the majority is set in 1969 back when Florence first caught the killer, and the rest of the chapters are set in 1999 which is the ‘present’ timeline. Suspense and plot twists are built up expertly, and The Craftsman definitely has that creepy supernatural and horror vibe in points. While I did have a gut feeling about part of the final reveals, I never guessed the full truth and Florence was a great character to follow. I really do hope there will be a sequel coming out, as I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her!

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