Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time around a crime classic that ended up being a major disappointment and the first book of a romance series I had a fantastic time with.

Title: The Collector
Author: John Fowles
Genre: Classics, Thriller, Horror
First published: May 1st 1963
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Finished reading: June 5th 2023
Pages: 322

“We all want things we can’t have. Being a decent human being is accepting that.”


REVIEW

WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead!!

I’ve had my eyes on The Collector for quite some time now as a possible title for the Reading Through The Centuries challenge. I’m trying to get in as many challenges as possible early this year, so I decided to finally pick up The Collector and see what I would make of this classic. My first impression was without doubt a positive one, and I absolutely loved my time with Frederick’s POV. He is such a fascinating (and tragic) character, and his emotional state and reactions really take the story to the next level. I fully expected this book to be a new favorite… Up until the POV suddenly switches to Miranda’s diary. Suddenly, things went downhill FAST. Miranda is such a despicable, self-centered and snobbish character, and I absolutely hated having the spend time inside her head. I couldn’t bring myself to feel not even the tiniest bit sorry for her, and to make things worse her diary entries are mainly not even focused on her time trapped, but are instead ramblings about her ‘superior’ world views and life as well as her ‘special’ relationship with G.P. I started to despise her more and more with each page, and I kept wishing Frederick would just kill her already so that I could avoid more suffering. What a way to completely ruin the first fantastic 40% of the story… I confess that I only made it to the end because I started skimreading and skipping all the bits where Miranda talked about G.P. or her life outside. The ending was a major anticlimax as well, although by then I was already feeling hugely disappointed with this book in the first place.

Title: The Bromance Book Club
(Bromance Book Club #1)
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: November 5th 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Finished reading: June 5th 2023
Pages: 350

“That’s why fiction resonates with people. It speaks to universal truths.”


REVIEW

This series has been recommended to me multiple times since it was published four years ago, and I’ve been meaning to finally pick it up for ages now. I actually added it to my list of series I wanted to catch up with in 2023, and after a fantastic start with The Bromance Book Club I have no doubt that I actually will this time. Oh yes, this first book and me got along splendidly! I was warned about the female main character before I started, but thankfully I wasn’t too bothered by Thea herself. I did find her sister Liv to be extremely frustrating, but that was probably the only minor blip in this story for me. It was so easy to warm up to Gavin and the rest of his friends, and I loved the twins from the start. As a result, I found myself rooting for Gavin from the very beginning… The bromance book club element was brilliant, and I liked how the Courting The Countess chapters were incorporated into the plot. Thea’s behavior could get a little annoying, but then again it is understandable if you keep in mind her past… The smut was a bit too much for me, but somehow I didn’t mind those scenes that much as the main focus of the story was on Gavin and Thea rebuilding their relationship. I can’t wait to read the next book!

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