Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time around a kindle freebie that ended up being a total dud despite my love for serial killer thrillers, and a YA graphic novel sequel I did enjoy.

Title: The Thames Path Killer
(Detective Rob Miller #1)
Author: Biba Pearce
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: April 5th 2019
Publisher: Joffe Books
Finished reading: November 15th 2022
Pages: 186

“But first, he would make her pay.”


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I picked up this kindle freebie on a whim when I was browsing titles for one of the prompts for the Kindle Challenge... I do love a good serial killer thriller and The Thames Path Killer has a very high rating, so I fully expected to have a great time reading this story. Sadly, it wasn’t ment to be… And this story ended up being another total dud. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fast read and the murder investigation itself is intriguing (although parts are predictable), but there were multiple elements that simply didn’t work for me. One of the biggest issues I had was with the writing. Not only did I find the tone to be too blunt and sometimes even crude, there was also something about the writing in general that really irked me. The characters basically felt like cartoon cardboard copies, and especially the descriptions of the women/victims bordered the line of disrespectful. I actually went back to check if this wasn’t written by a man, because it sure seemed that way… It was all rather distasteful, and then I’m not even talking about the sexy scenes, cheating, rape and the crude way of portrating it all. I never shy away from graphic scenes and gruesome descriptions, but the way it was done here just felt wrong. I never liked the main character Detective Rob Miller, and I only started to dislike him more and more as the story developed. It’s definitely not a character I would want to meet up with again, and it’s one of the reasons why I won’t be continuing this series. Add plot holes and the writing, and I don’t think this author is for me.

Title: Heartstopper Volume 4
(Heartstopper #4)
Author: Alice Oseman
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Romance
First published: May 6th 2021
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Finished reading: November 15th 2022
Pages: 384

“Sometimes people need more support than just one person can give.”


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I was craving something quick and guaranteed good, so I decided to pick up the final pending Heartstopper volume… Like volume three, this is another volume with more serious topics. It mainly focuses on mental health and eating disorder, but thanks to the balance with lighter moments and adorable interactions between Charlie and Nick it is still a lot of fun to read. They are definitely the main reason why this series in general speaks to so many people; they cannot help but win over your heart immediately. The interactions with their friends is always so great to read about as well, and there was more focus on family relations this time around. I can’t wait for the next one!

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