ARC REVIEW: The Shadow Man – by Helen Fields

Title: The Shadow Man
Author: Helen Fields
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: February 4th 2021
Publisher: Avon
Finished reading: November 25th 2020
Pages: 400

“Time stood still here, the same ritual repeated, until the grave was little more than a revolving door between one world and the next.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been meaning to start the D.I. Callanach series for ages now, so when I saw Helen Fields was having a new stand-alone coming out in 2021 I just couldn’t resist the temptation to finally try her work. I have to say that I’m most definitely a fan now! Thriller fans: make sure to add The Shadow Man to your 2021 wishlist, as you will be in for an absolutely thrilling as well as shocking ride.

I’ll keep things short to avoid spoilers, but what I can say is that in The Shadow Man you will find yourself an extremely fascinating and terrifying serial killer in the spotlight. Being able to get a glimpse inside his head and learn more about the reasons behind the way he is and why he does what he does is absolutely intriguing. Definitely kuddos for originality here! The other character in the spotlight, forensic psychologist Connie Woolwine, makes for an excellent counter character too and I loved both her kick-ass personality and personal background with the achromat details. The cast of characters overall makes for a very interesting mix and with the help of different POVs we get a full perspective of the different angles in play.

The plot and building up of suspense was solid, and I really liked the focus on the psychological angle suplementing the police investigation. Connie and DI Baarda make for a great team and I liked how some of the bantering made for a great balance in between the more shocking scenes. There is also plenty of action in The Shadow Man, and the writing makes it really easy to just keep turning those pages. Fast, suspenseful, disturbing and action-packed: you won’t find a boring minute as you sit on the edge of your seat and keep your fingers crossed they will able to stop him before it’s too late.

All in all, The Shadow Man is an excellent crime thriller featuring an unique and shocking serial killer I won’t forget any time soon. Highly recommended if you enjoy the genre!

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YVO’S SHORTIES #191 – You Had Me At Hola & All Boys Aren’t Blue

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two more Goodreads Choice Awards nominees, belonging to two completely different genres… I was craving romance and You Had Me At Hola turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for. All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir I’ve been curious about ever since I first heard about it, and it turned out to be a very powerful read.

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Title: You Had Me At Hola
Author: Alexis Daria
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: August 4th 2020
Publisher: Avon
Finished reading: November 19th 2020 
Pages: 384

“Crushes were fleeting. Family teasing was forever.”

I admit that I was sold as soon as I saw that cover and read the blurb. I’ve been craving more romance stories than usual these last couple of months, and the promise of Latinx characters and a Hollywood angle sounded absolutely brilliant. I had high hopes for You Had Me At Hola, and it turned out to be just what I was hoping it would be! Sure, the sexy scenes did made me cringe as I already suspected. Sure, some of it might be a tad cliche, the insta-love vibe wasn’t for me and the attitude of the main characters can be annoying in points. BUT. Overall I was just having too much fun too care! I love that this story isn’t just focused on the romance, but is also about family and the filming of the show. I had a great time learning more about the background of both main characters, and I loved focus on the Latinx community and the fact that the show is actually bilingual. You will find many Spanish phrases and words in You Had Me At Hola, but don’t worry: even if you don’t speak Spanish, it is easy to understand the meaning by context alone and the Spanish really makes this story feel more authentic. And while there were some more serious moments involved, overall this turned out to be such a fun and uplifting read! Definitely perfect if you enjoy the genre.

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Title: All Boys Aren’t Blue
Author: George M. Johnson
Genre: Non Fiction, Memoir
First published: April 28th 2020
Publisher: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Finished reading: November 21st 2020
Pages: 304

“Knowledge is truly your sharpest weapon in a world hell-bent on telling you stories that are simply not true.”

I confess that I have been really bad at reading non fiction this year… Probably partly because I preferred escaping the real world with fiction reads instead. I couldn’t resist picking up All Boys Aren’t Blue though when I saw it was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, as I have been wanting to read it for a while in the first place. It most definitely turned out to be such an important and powerful memoir! George M. Johnson not only tells us his own story and struggles relating to his black and queer identity, but tries to speak to the YA black/queer community to show them they are not alone. For this alone I consider this a must-read for any reader young and old, as it helps giving insight in both the black and queer community and the discrimination and struggles they have to face to this date. This memoir is presented as a series of essays, and mixes lighter moments with heavy topics while also trying to open our eyes as a reader. It is a story about family as well as the author’s journey finding himself and his real identity… It’s a memoir that is both informative and moving and I can highly recommend it.

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YVO’S SHORTIES #190 – Cemetery Boys & One By One

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two more Goodreads Choice Awards nominees belonging to completely different genres… Cemetery Boys is a YA fantasy with a Latinx trans main character which I now understand all the hype about. And I’ve enjoyed Ruth Ware‘s books in the past, so there was no way I could resist One By One for long… Sadly I ended up feeling underwhelmed by the story though.

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Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
First published: September 1st 2020
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Finished reading: November 14th 2020
Pages: 352

“Why do you have to prove anything to anyone?”
“It{s just how it is, how it’s always been. In order for them to let me be a brujo—”
“You don’t need anyone’s permission to be you, Yads.”

I’ve been seeing Cemetery Boys mentioned a lot and as it was nominated in two Goodreads Choice Awards categories, I decided to see for myself what the hype was all about. And I must say that I definitely understand now why so many people rave about this debut! I haven’t seen many books with a well developed trans representation before, and to have a Latinx trans main character at that? Talk about a double bonus! I especially loved the building up of the fantasy/paranormal part of this YA urban fantasy, as it’s packed to the brim with Latinx culture and references to the Dia de Muertos celebrations. On top of this, we have a lot of diversity in the cast and I just LOVED both Yadriel and Julian. Sure, I wish some of the other characters would have been fleshed out beyond a few key characteristics, as some fell a bit flat for me… But the spark of Yadriel and Julian mostly made up for that. And I most definitely didn’t see those final twists coming! I liked how everything was wrapped up too and this is without doubt an excellent read for anyone who enjoys a well written YA urban fantasy that will both make you cry and bring a smile to your face.

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Title: One By One
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: September 8th 2020
Publisher: Scout Press
Finished reading: November 17th 2020 
Pages: 384

“They think that life can’t touch them – just like I used to do.

Only now it has. Now life has them by the throat. And it won’t let go.”

 Well well well, what do we have here? I guess it’s another unpopular opinion review to add to the pile. While I tend to have mixed reactions to Ruth Ware‘s books, I did love her previous two titles so I had high expectations her newest One By One would be another winner. Especially since I always love a good locked room mystery in the first place, and the blurb sounded absolutely brilliant… Sadly, somehow I ended up feeling quite underwhelmed by this story. It’s not a bad read perse, but it’s considerably slow and I found the whole thing to be rather boring most of the time? Not up to the point that I would DNF of course, but I never felt invested in the story either and there were a lot of parts that dragged for me. I also saw at least one of the big twists coming quite early on, which put a damper on things… And the whole Snoop stats each chapter were quite annoying. The dual POV is cleverly done to get a better perspective on what is going on and I really liked the setting, but I didn’t feel anything for the characters in play so it was more difficult to connect to them or care what happened. All in all not my favorite read of hers by far, but I know others who have loved it so don’t give up on my account.

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BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY: Fallen Angels – by Gunnar Staalesen #giveaway #win #competition #blogtour #RandomThingsTours @RandomTTours

Hello and welcome to my stop of the Fallen Angels Random Things Tours blog tour! A huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. Today I will be having a little something special: one of you lucky UK residents will be able to win your very own paperback copy of Fallen Angels! Another huge thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater for providing the mentioned copy and making this giveaway possible. More details about the giveaway below, but first let’s take a look at what this Nordic Noir title is all about to further tempt you to join.

Some people might have already met Varg Veum in later books of this series, brilliantly translated by the talented Don Bartlett. Not every book in this prolific series has been translated to English so far, but we now have the chance to meet a younger Varg Veum in this translation of book number eight that was first published in Norwegian back in 1989. It is a story that focuses on the main character contemplating his past as well as ‘present’ events, and it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about his roots and why he became the man he is in the most recent books of the series. Need another reason to join the giveaway? Just look at that absolutely stunning cover! I know I wouldn’t be complaining of having this beauty hanging out on my shelves, that’s for sure. 😉

So… The giveaway. I’m going to keep this nice and simple, as we all have already too many lockdown rules to follow in the first place. 😉 This giveaway is UK only, and the winner will receive a paperback copy of Fallen Angels. The winner must be willing to send me his/her address so I can pass it on to Anne Cater who will kindly take care of the rest.

How do you join the giveaway?

No rafflecopter. No complicated steps. Simply leave a comment below telling me about your favorite and/or most recent Nordic Noir read (if you have never read one before, the book you would want to try first).

Your comment will be your entry to this giveway! The giveway will run until November 30th 2020; I will announce the winner on Twitter and my blog on December 1st.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in
Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two
with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in
the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have
been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million
copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have
appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond
Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the
Prize of Honour) and Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona
Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted in 2019.
He lives with his wife in Bergen.

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YVO’S SHORTIES #189 – Dead Girls Don’t Lie & Beach Read

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around a TBR jar pick and a new release belonging to different genres… Dead Girls Don’t Lie sadly ended up being a miss for me, but I’m happy to say that Beach Read most definitely lived up to the hype for me.

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Title: Dead Girls Don’t Lie
Author: Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
First published: September 17th 2013
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Finished reading: November 11th 2020 
Pages: 352

“Everyone is equal, right? Just some people are more equal than others.”

It has been months since my TBR jar decided it was about time for me to finally read Dead Girls Don’t Lie, but somehow I never actually picked it up until now. The blurb sounded interesting enough, and I was curious about it, but I guess in the end my instincts did smell something funny and made me look in the other direction for months. Don’t get me wrong; it is not necessarily a bad read, but most of it turned out to be just so darn cliche! Sure, the ending came as a surprise, but overall there were so many cliches involved, both relating to high school, teenage relationships and immigrant talk (some even felt a bit racist?!)… Especially the way the Mexican community was described and Eduardo’s constant use of ‘boba‘ was a really turn off for me, but that might just be a personal thing. The characters themselves fell rather flat for me, or were at least partly described with cliches and weren’t exactly easy to connect to as a result. What I thought was going to be an investigation into Rachel’s death turned out to be a rather bland and slow journey packed with cliche references to Mexican gangs and high school jocks and students. Dead Girls Don’t Lie didn’t end up being my cup of tea at all, but if you enjoy the genre and don’t mind cliches/bland characters/a slower pace, this story might work better for you.

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Title: Beach Read
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: May 19th 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Finished reading: November 12th 2020
Pages: 384

“Happy endings don’t matter if the getting there sucks.”

I’ve honestly been a bit hesitant to pick up my copy of Beach Read. There has been a lot of hype around this title, and you all know how hyped books and me tend to get along… But my curiosity won in the end and I just couldn’t help myself reading it despite the sometimes mixed reviews. And guess what? Beach Read turned out to be an exception to the rule and I loved my time with this story! I’m glad of the warnings this wasn’t going to be a light read though, because I would definitely have expected a romcom judged by the cover… But I think I liked what I found even more. Both January and Gus managed to grow on me quite quickly and I loved the bookish element in Beach Read. Sure, there might be some cliches involved and I felt like the whole ‘enemy to lover‘ trope didn’t reach its full potential, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this was exactly the kind of story I was craving. Heavier topics and sad moments are mixed with lighter ones and I loved the banter between January and Gus. And to my surprise the sexy scenes didn’t even bother me that much, which once again proves I can tolerate them as long as they are written in a certain way… I also liked how everything wrapped up in the end, although I do admit the secondary characters lacked fleshing out a bit. Still, as a whole Beach Read is without a doubt one of my romance highlights of the year and I do hope she will write more similar stories in the future as I like the way she writes her romance.

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WWW Wednesdays #295 – November 25th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m still buddy reading The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton with Nicki @ Secret Library Book Blog, and it’s turning out to be a fantastic buddy read as well as a fantastic story! I already know this one will appear on my list of top 2020 favorites. I’m also reading The Shadow Man by Helen Fields even though it’s not due until next year, as I just couldn’t resist it any longer… And I’m about to start The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett so I can say that I at least read one of the historical fiction Goodreads Choice Awards finalists. xD

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria (4/5 stars) REVIEW 29/11
I admit that I was sold as soon as I saw that cover and read the blurb. I’ve been craving more romance stories than usual these last couple of months, and the promise of Latinx characters and a Hollywood angle sounded absolutely brilliant. I had high hopes for You Had Me At Hola, and it turned out to be just what I was hoping it would be! Sure, the sexy scenes did made me cringe as I already suspected. Sure, some of it might be a tad cliche, the insta-love vibe wasn’t for me and the attitude of the main characters can be annoying in points. BUT. Overall I was just having too much fun too care!

2. Fallen Angels by Gunnar Staalesen (2/5 stars) REVIEW 08/12
Ok… I’m still not sure what happened here, as I LOVED the newest Varg Veum book Wolves At The Door back when I read it last year. I connected to the main character almost immediately and profoundly, so I jumped at the chance to read Fallen Angels and learn more about Varg in his earlier years. Somehow, I didn’t like what I found at all though… I’m not sure if it’s just me being in a weird headspace right now, but I have picked up this title multiple times over the last three weeks and I just couldn’t warm up to the story or the characters at all.

3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 29/11
I confess that I have been really bad at reading non fiction this year… Probably partly because I preferred escaping the real world with fiction reads instead. I couldn’t resist picking up All Boys Aren’t Blue though when I saw it was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, as I have been wanting to read it for a while in the first place. It most definitely turned out to be such an important and powerful memoir! George M. Johnson not only tells us his own story and struggles relating to his black and queer identity, but tries to speak to the YA black/queer community to show them they are not alone.

4. When by Victoria Laurie (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 07/12
I’ve had When on my TBR for a long long time… I remember adding it as soon as I read the blurb as I loved the premise of this story, but somehow it took my TBR jar choosing it to finally pick up this title. I’m glad I finally did read it, as it turned out to be a really interesting story. I still think the premise itself is fantastic. I mean, imagine being able to see the deathdate of every single person you meet in your life, or even knowing someone who can… Would you want to know when exactly you die? Should you tell others or keep it a secret? This moral dilemma is fascinating and definitely one of the key points that makes this story stand out.

5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley (4/5 stars) REVIEW 03/12
Between the fact that I love a good locked room mystery and that I’ve been meaning to try this author for quite some time now, I decided to just give in and pick up my copy of The Guest List. And I definitely liked what I found! Engaging and fast writing style, fantastic eerie setting, multiple characters with something to hide… And multiple POVs along the way to keep you on your toes. The small island definitely makes for the perfect ominous backdrop for this story, and it is one of the reasons The Guest List works so well for me.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I’m probably reading The Winter Of The Witch by Katherine Arden next both because I want to know how the trilogy ends and I want to cross off another series on my list. 😉 I also want to read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano to see if it’s worth the hype… And it’s been a while since I read a physical copy, so I’m picking up The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton next. And I have a new TBR jar pick! Us by David Nicholls… I really have to update my TBR jar though as the last time I did that was at least four years ago and I only get old titles. xD

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YVO’S SHORTIES #188 – He Started It & Only Mostly Devastated

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two Goodreads Choice Awards nominees belonging to different genress. He Started It sadly didn’t live up to expectations for me; something I’m still surprised about… Only Mostly Devastated turned out to be a great read though.

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Title: He Started It
Author: Samantha Downing
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: April 30th 2020
Publisher: Penguin
Finished reading: November 10th 2020
Pages: 400

“I wonder how many bad things have been explained by such a simple phrase, a simple idea. Because I could. Because no one stopped me. Because it was easy.”

Well, well, well, what do we have here? I guess it’s unpopular opinion time again… So many people have praised He Started It and after loving her previous book My Lovely Wife I was fully expecting to have a repeat experience with this one. Especially since I always enjoy road trip stories in the first place… I’m not sure if it’s because psychological thrillers don’t seem to work as well for me right now, but the fact is: I was bored. A LOT. Up to the point that I kept wondering when the cursed road trip was finally going to end so I could get this story over with. The pace was just way too slow for me, which is strange as the characters are basically in constant movement… But there was just something static about the whole story. Top this with highly unlikeable characters and I had a really hard time to stay invested. True, there were some surprises including the ending, but overall sadly I can’t say I enjoyed my time with this one.

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Title: Only Mostly Devastated
Author: Sophie Gonzales
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: March 3rd 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Finished reading: November 13th 2020
Pages: 272

“We had no way of knowing what the future held. People changed their minds, people passed away, people moved unexpectedly. The only thing we could ever really do was play it by ear.”

I admit that I was sold as soon as I saw the Grease mention… I must have watched that movie a million times as a kid, so I simply HAD to read Only Mostly Devastated for nostalgic reasons alone. I must say that I was expecting more of a fluffy romcom after the cover and blurb, which I can confirm that this story is not. In fact, Only Mostly Devastated is quite heavy on the more serious topics and has a healthy dose of drama as well as heartbreaking moments. And no, they are not just relating to the relationship between the main characters as the blurb might make you think… There is a big focus on Ollie and his parents trying to help his aunt and her family as she is fighting cancer, which might be triggering for some readers. That said, I did think this topic was quite well handled. Thankfully we will see lighter moments too, and I especially loved seeing Ollie interact with his new friends as well as his niece and nephew. Both Will and Ollie could get a little frustrating at times, but overall I did have a great time reading this story. Would I have loved to see more Grease elements? Most definitely. But I liked this spin off very much and it has a great cast of characters that will most likely appeal to those who enjoy the genre. Just make sure to brace yourself for quite a few heartbreaking moments thrown in instead of just your regular dose of fluff… Chocolates and tissues are probably mandatory.

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ARC REVIEW: Deadly Betrayal – by OMJ Ryan

Title: Deadly Betrayal
(Detective Jane Phillips #4)
Author: OMJ Ryan
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: November 22nd 2020
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Finished reading: November 15th 2020
Pages: ?

“Now she wondered if she had been spared each of those times because her fate was to die in the place where she had been born: Hong Kong.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Inkubator Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been following this series ever since the first book came out last year, and Deadly Betrayal is already Detective Jane Phillips book number four… And without doubt another action-packed and entertaining ride! Technically you might be able to read this one as a stand-alone, but I don’t recommend it as you will be missing out on character background that might make it harder to understand the dynamics between the different characters. The case itself stands on its own though, and Jane Phillips and her team without doubt have another intriguing case on their hands.

The first thing that stands out in Deadly Betrayal is that this time around we don’t just stay in Manchester and its surroundings. Oh no, we get to travel all the way to Hong Kong for a few chapters as well! I really liked how this aspect of the investigation was incorporated into the plot and the descriptions and personal connection to Jane Phillips really made that setting come alive for me. And such shocking scenes too! The whole possible Triad connection in general managed to raise this story to the next level for me, and really gave the story an original touch.

These books always read superfast and Deadly Betrayal is no exception. This is one of those detective series where it’s best to clear your schedule, as you won’t even notice hours have passed until you reach that final page and stare at the clock. You won’t find a boring minute in Deadly Betrayal as it is packed with suspense, danger as well as your typical murder investigation. I had a brilliant time following Jane and her team as they try to get to the bottom of what is going on… And there is no doubt that this story ends with a bang too.

As for the characters… I’m still a fan of both Jane and her team. They are easy to like and their banter is a nice contrast with some of the heavier and action-packed moments of the story. Fox is still enormously frustrating though, and the story ends with a hint a different irritating character is going to be coming back in the next book… Overall, the plot and writing made up for those minor frustations though.

In short, if you enjoy the detective thriller genre and like your stories fast, suspenseful and action-packed, this series will always provide you with an entertaining ride.

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YVO’S SHORTIES #187 – Get A Life, Chloe Brown (DNF) & Such A Fun Age

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around a YA romance and a contemporary… The first, Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, I sadly ended up DNFing as the sexy scenes were just WAY too crude and explicit for me. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid turned out to be a great read though, and I understand why so many people seem to love it.

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Title: Get A Life, Chloe Brown
(The Brown Sisters #1)
Author: Talia Hibbert
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: November 5th 2019 
Publisher: Avon
Finished reading: November 5th 2020
Pages: 366
DNF at 45% (165 pages)

“When it comes down to it, everything we feel is in our head.”

Okay… I’m not sure what happened here. Or actually I do. I guess it’s unpopular opinion time again! I was in the mood for some romance, and Get A Life, Chloe Brown sounded like such a fun read, so I thought I had hit the jackpot when I started reading it. I connected to the writing and characters almost immediately. The snarkiness, the humor, the flawed and intriguing characters… I really enjoyed getting to know both Chloe and Red better, and I really thought I was well on my way to adding a new author to my romance list. But then… BOOM!! The first crude and WAY too explicit sexy scene showed up. I can normally tolerate them if they are not too explicit and I’m enjoying the rest of the story (which I was), but there was just something about the crude way of describing the scene that literally made me gag. Still, I decided to give the story another go, as I felt a connection to especially Chloe and wanted to know more about her. I tried to overcome that scene and it seemed to be working, up untill… BOOM!! Another even more crude and explicit sexy scene showed up that had all the signs of being even longer, and I just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading or even skimming to the end of the scene. Why not even skimming? I figured it wouldn’t be the last scene as there was still more than half of the story left, and I seriously felt like vomiting already. Ugh, this was most definitley not the story for me. *shudders* It’s such a shame, because I was really looking forward to spend more time with Chloe and Red… But it is what it is I guess. If you can stomach some serious adult content and enjoy the genre, you will probably have a great time with Get A Life, Chloe Brown though. Personally, I’ve decided to stay away from Talia Hibbert‘s books for now even though I did love her writing, character development as well as her sense of humor.

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Title: Such A Fun Age
Author: Kiley Reid
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
First published: December 31st 2019
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Finished reading: November 8th 2020
Pages: 320

“I don’t need you to be mad that it happened. I need you to be mad that it just like… happens.”

There has been so much hype around this title and to be honest I was a bit hesitant to pick it up myself as hyped books and me don’t tend to get along all that well… But I’m glad I did pick up Such A Fun Age in the end, as I understand why it has been receiving so much praise. I’m definitely in love with the writing style, which made the story so damn readable! I literally finished it in less than a day, unable to pace myself or to stop reading… Racism is such an important topic and this story shows us so well that it is so easy to seemingly do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. I never did warm up to Alix, but I LOVED Emira and Briar together. Both won over my heart immediately and made it really easy to care about what was happening in the story… Lighter moments are mixed with heavier topics, and I definitely enjoyed how the story ended. If you enjoy a well written contemporary with interesting characters and a powerful message, Such A Fun Age is without a doubt worth reading.

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What Books Have Taught Me: 2020 Edition

I was inspired by Kelly’s post to keep track of things books have taught me during 2020… So the next time someone dares to ask me why I read fiction and how it’s not useful, I shove this post under their noses haha. I confess that with all the COVID-19 madness, I have been REALLY bad at keeping track after March/April, but I still wanted to share those facts I did manage to gather. Fiction can indeed teach us new things every day! Wonder what were some of the little facts I learned/was reminded of this year? Let’s get this party started!