Review: UNCOMFORTABLY NUMB by Meredith O'Brien

Uncomfortably Numb: a memoir by Meredith O'Brien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

About losing one’s life as it was once imagined, and the ultimate, uneasy peace that’s achieved with the permanent uncertainty which accompanies living with a chronic illness.

It begins with numbness on her left leg. Then it spreads. Even though an MRI finds a “mass” on her brainstem, it takes two more years for Meredith O’Brien to learn what is causing that numbness. Months after her 65-year-old mother dies from a fast-moving cancer, weeks after her father is hospitalized and she experiences an unexpected job change, she learns she has multiple sclerosis.

Suddenly, Meredith, a married mother of three teens, has to figure out how to move forward into a life she no longer recognizes. 

Reimagining her life as a writer and an educator, as a mother and a spouse, she has to adjust to the restrictions MS imposes on her. 

It is a life, altered.

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Wow, this memoir--it's just... wow.

I've had my eye on Uncomfortably Numb for quite a while. Back when I was researching medical memoirs (sometime around October 2019), this one was recommended to me. And I was just so excited to read it.

Fast forward to March 2020, and what with the Covid-19 outbreak, I decided to set up #BookPartyChat on Twitter, to celebrate the releases of books where events had been cancelled. And when Meredith O'Brien, author of Uncomfortably Numb, got in touch, I was so happy. Talking to her for an hour about this memoir was a dream come true!

A couple of days before our interview, I started this memoir. And I just couldn't read it fast enough.

It tells Meredith's story as she develops alarming symptoms and is later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

I'll admit, I didn't know much about MS before reading this memoir. Everything I did know was either on a super basic level or based on media portrayal, which isn't always that great (and is something I've written on before). Uncomfortably Numb taught me so much about what MS is--or at least what it is for Meredith. Of course, like many chronic illnesses, it's so individual and dependent on the person.

At times, this book was quite a tough read. It was harrowing in places. And I saw myself--as a chronic illness sufferer--in these pages so much. Especially when Meredith talks about how doctors didn't believe her, wrote her symptoms off as anxiety, and refused to take her seriously at times. Meredith also examines how females often aren't taken seriously by medical professionals--another thing I've encountered myself. Thus, while I do not have MS, this memoir has so many relatable moments.

It's also not just about MS. We get a glimpse into Meredith's wider life and other events going on during this time (after all, illness isn't an isolated incident--it affects everything). This book covers her mother's death, her teaching at university, her experiences as a grad student, and the publication of a book. We get to know her husband and children, her friends and colleagues. And everything just feels so real.

The writing craft itself in this book is really good too. Stylistically, Meredith's writing flows and just demands to be read. I've read quite a few medical memoirs, but I have to say, I think this is one of the best, and I'll be recommending it for years to come.

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Review: AIX MARKS THE SPOT by Sarah Anderson

Aix Marks the Spot by S.E. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jamie has been dreaming of this summer forever: of road trips and intensive art camps, of meeting cute boys with her best friend Jazz. What she didn’t count on was the car accident.

Exiled away from her family as her mother slowly learns to walk again, Jamie is sent to Provence and trapped in an isolated home with the French grandmother she has never met, the guilt of having almost killed her parents, and no Wi-Fi. Enough to drive a girl mad. That is, until, she finds an old letter from her father, the starting point in a treasure hunt that spans across cities and time itself. Somehow, she knows that the treasure is the key to putting her shattered family back together and that whatever lies at the end has the power to fix everything.

Armed only with a high-school-level of French and a map of local train lines, she must enlist the aid of Valentin, her handsome neighbor who’s willing to translate. To save her family, she has castle ruins to find and sea cliffs to climb; falling for her translator wasn’t part of her plan…

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Okay, so quite simply I couldn’t read this book fast enough! It was just so good. You know those books that keep you up until the early hours because you just have to know what happens? Well, AIX MARKS THE SPOT is definitely one of them.

It is a YA contemporary that tells the story of Jamie as she’s exiled away to France to live with the grandmother she’s never met. Oh and she doesn’t speak French, and the grandmother doesn’t speak English. Immediate conflict—plus the lingering question over why Jamie’s parents are estranged from the grandmother to start with.

And the backstory of Jamie’s mother’s injury is so well developed and incorporated smoothly into the narrative. Plus, how Jamie thinks she can heal her mother by her own actions in France bring in an element of magical thinking and false belief that isn’t often explored in YA fiction—or at least I’ve not come across it before.

Anderson is a master at characterisation. I immediately loved Jamie and Valentin, and loved the grandmother (in the kind of way you love complex characters who seem dark).

And the love story! Or should I say stories. This book has one love story wrapped up in another—it’s so good!

But there’s some really powerful and poignant stuff in here too. Many sentences made me pause and think deeply—you know the kind of writing I mean? The ones that just make you think how delicious this book is?

Oh and there’s humour too! A certain video scene had me laughing out loud.

This book has got everything you could possibly want in a YA contemporary: a complex exploration of family and redemption, powerful characters, and a look at how tragedy can lead to love, all wrapped up in a fun, treasure-hunt-style game.

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Review: TRIAL OF THORNS by Stacey Trombley

Trial of Thorns by Stacey Trombley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In a ruthless competition of blood and magic, attraction to the enemy may be the biggest weakness of all.

I am Caelynn of the Shadow Court, banished to the human realm for killing a fae prince in my youth. But when I learn my homeland is in peril, I strike a bargain.

The Trial of Thorns will decide a champion to save the realm from a terrible plague, and secure the winner fame and fortune. I could care less about the money or notoriety--I'm playing for freedom. If I win, I will earn a full pardon. And I intend to win.

But I don’t account for Reveln being one of my opponents. We've got...history. And ten years later, he's even hotter than I remember. Oh, right, he also hates me.

Only one of us can win, and Rev will do everything in his power to make sure I don’t make it out of the trials alive.

Because ten years ago, I killed his brother.

And Reveln never forgets.


TRIAL OF THORNS is the first book in the WICKED FAE series, featuring kick-ass women, fated mates, and a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance. Readers of Holly Black's Cruel Prince, Sarah J Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses and Audrey Grey's Evermore Academy will love this book!
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of TRIAL OF THORNS by Stacey Trombley, and I really couldn’t read it quickly enough.

This is a smart and sexy Hunger Games, told in dual POV by the heroine and hero. Caelynn and Rev are both excellent narrators. I always worry when I hear a book is duel POV in case the narrative voices sound the same, but Trombley doesn’t have this problem. Even without the chapter headings indicating who the narrator is, it was clear simply by the writing style itself.

The worldbuilding is amazing. I just love this world--and the backstory is woven into the narrative and plot so seamlessly. There's no heavy info dump.

There's also a great female friendship/romantic relationship in this story too, so points for LGBT+ rep here.

Overall, this is a great story. Super fun and engaging, and I love Caelynn's dark past.

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Review: CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

So, last year I read my first book by Courtney Summers. It was SADIE, and I loved it sooooo much. Instantly, I knew I had to read more of Summers’s books—but you know what? I was apprehensive. I thought that no other book could possibly live up to the expectations I now had. Because SADIE was phenomenal.

But with the ten-year anniversary of Summers’s debut novel, CRACKED UP TO BE, coming up, and it being reissued with a gorgeous new cover, I persuaded myself to buy a copy. I’m ashamed to say it still took me a while to get around to reading it. That is until yesterday arrived.

I started CRACKED UP TO BE at 2pm, and by 8pm I’d finished it. It’s amazing. Simply amazing. I might even love it more than Sadie.

It’s unusual for me to read a whole book in one sitting, and this just proves how good this book is.

The tenth-anniversary addition includes a new introduction written by Summers, and I loved the insight she gives us to her characters. Although, when reading it, I hadn’t yet started the novel, I already knew I’d adore the protagonist, Parker, as Summer tells us she’s considered to be “unlikeable”—precisely because she has the qualities and characteristics that are celebrated in male characters.

And, wow, I was not wrong about liking her. Parker is quite possibly the best protagonist I’ve read. Ever.

Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.

The best protagonist ever.

Yep, that’s how good this book is.

Parker is a troublemaker. She’s constantly in trouble at school. She’s dark and mysterious, she’s got a drink problem, and she’s harbouring a dark, dark secret that haunts her. Her behaviour is reckless and wild—but she’s also got a soft, vulnerable side. She cares deeply about others.

She feels so real. So, so real. Her actions are totally understandable. She’s afraid to let others close to her, so she pushes them away. She’s not just a reckless character for the sake of being reckless.

Just, wow. And even her narrative voice is amazing. It’s so unique.

And the plot. It is soooo good. We’ve got a missing girl and a murder, and a girl struggling with what she’s seen, as well as many other characters who are all struggling as well—but in different ways.

The other main characters—Jake, Chris, and Becky—are equally well written. So believable. Ah, I really can’t say enough good things about this book.

It’s told in a dual timeline. We’ve got the present day action interspersed with flashbacks all pertaining to one night. The night that a girl went missing. The night that was the catalyst for everything bad that happened. The night that turned Parker from a high-achieving student into a girl who’s broken and haunted and trying to pretend she isn’t.

Okay—spoilers ahead now, so skip this paragraph if you don’t want to know. When it was revealed that the missing girl Jessie was Parker’s best friend everything made so much sense. That’s when it all started to come together. And I couldn’t read quickly enough.

*Content warning for rape, sexual assault, attempted suicide.*

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Review: MEAT MARKET by Juno Dawson

Meat Market by Juno Dawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jana Novak's history sounds like a classic model cliché: tall and gangly, she's uncomfortable with her androgynous looks until she's unexpectedly scouted and catapulted to superstardom.

But the fashion industry is as grimy as it is glamorous. And there are unexpected predators at every turn.

Jana is an ordinary girl from a south London estate, lifted to unimaginable heights. But the further you rise, the more devastating your fall ...

Honest and raw, this is a timely exposé of the dark underbelly of the fashion industry in an era of #TimesUp and #MeToo. It might just be Juno Dawson's most important book yet.

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I’ve been reading so many amazing books recently and MEAT MARKET by Juno Dawson is definitely now top of my list. It’s just that good.

Last year I read CLEAN by Dawson, and I fell in love with her writing. I knew that this was an author I just had to read more of. And so when I got the chance to grab a copy of MEAT MARKET I just couldn’t read it fast enough.

This is the story of Jana Novak, a girl who is scouted to become a model. Initially reluctant, she goes ahead with it—and becomes one of the big names in the model industry.

This is just an amazing book. Dawson uses Java’s journey to show how toxic the modelling industry is. She exposes the sexism and impossibly high standards models are held accountable to, giving readers a powerful insight into this industry. Important topics such as sexual assault in the workplace and the #MeToo movement are explored tactfully and powerfully.

MEAT MARKET examines how models’ bodies are seen as commodities and just how bad some models are treated.

We see how this culture encourages eating disorders and how models are seen everywhere, but rarely heard. We rarely know what a model’s voice sounds like. They’re very much used just for their body.

We also see how drugs play a big role in this industry. Dawson skilfully shows how Jana starts off bright-eyed and eager, only to succumb to the impossible standards imposed on her and the relentless pressures, eventually choosing to take drugs to numb herself to the harsh realities of the modelling industry, in order to continue her career. As Jana becomes addicted to the drug, it provides a haziness to both her and the reader. I almost felt like I was also drugged at times as I read. That’s how good the writing is.

And yes, the narrative voice. It is phenomenal. Seriously good. Jana’s voice is unique and it grabs you. I also loved how there are a variety of different literary devices employed to tell the story alongside Jana's narrative. We've also got a film transcript and articles.

This is one of those books that is so important to read, and I really recommend that everyone reads it. It’s a powerful YA story and even though I finished it days ago, I can’t stop thinking about it.

*content warning for: sexual assault, rape, eating disorders, transphobic comments directed at the MC*

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Review: THE DARKEST CORNERS by Kara Thomas

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, this book surprised me.

It’s the second book I’ve read by Kara Thomas, the first being Little Monsters, which I absolutely adored. But this one? Well, I liked the start. It was intriguing, but from about 30% to 70%, I found it sooooo slow. I was getting disappointed and it took me months to actually finish it.

But then when I got past the 70% mark, it was AMAZING. The pace was fast, there was twist after twist, and I just couldn’t read fast enough. The ending is where all the strands of the book tie together and it is beautifully done. Though I must just say the last 5% has A LOT of telling as the missing gaps are fillers in.

But that final page? That was a great ending.

Tessa is a great narrator. She’s independent and has a dark streak, and she’s so believable when we know her upbringing. Everything she does make sense. I especially love how there’s no romance story for Tessa. Instead, the whole book is about solving a murder mystery, finding family, correcting past lies, and finally learning the truth.

I must admit I was confused when, about two-thirds in, the baby Macey storyline suddenly came in. It seemed a bit late for a new subplot—but the ending redeemed it when we realise that baby Macey has in fact been in the story the entire time.

This book has got cases of mistaken identity, kidnap, murder, lies, secrets, and looks at the pressure the media and police put on witnesses to get them to give an account that matches what they’re looking for.

I really liked the friendship between Tessa and Callie. It’s rare to have two female characters who remain friends and aren’t pitted against each other.

All in all, this is a 4-star read, precisely because of that amazing ending. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.

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Review: ALL I ASK by Tamara Lush

All I Ask by Tamara Lush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Princess Isabella of Montignac has never been angrier. She’s supposed to marry a prince that she doesn't love from a neighboring European principality — but he was caught on a viral video snorting coke off a stripper’s butt in Las Vegas.

All Isabella wants is to be left alone to do her environmental charity work. If she refuses to marry the prince, she’ll lose her title and royal allowance. So she flees to a Florida island to think about her future.

When she checks into the Paradise Beach Resort, a fat pug takes a whizz on her travel pillow. Then the dog’s owner, an extremely sexy man named Tate, asks her to dinner. But just when things are looking up, an unpredictable turn of events happens.

Isabella’s arrested for harassing an alligator and an island cop suggests she call a local lawyer. Turns out it’s a familiar face: Tate, the hot man candy from the day before. And since she has to stick around on the island to clear up her legal troubles, she and Tate have a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

Will Isabella forsake everything she knows — a royal title, palaces and riches — for Tate’s love?

ALL I ASK is part of Tamara Lush’s Paradise Beach series. It can be read as a stand-alone. 

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I had quite a gap between reading this book compared to when I read the prequel and book one. In fact, after finishing those, I did start this one right away--but then I left it for a few months. I'm not really sure why. But it was easy to get back into the story and returning to the Paradise Beach world was easy and familiar.

Isabella quickly became my favourite of the narrators so far. I warmed to her a lot more than Kate and Lauren. Her character just felt a lot more realistic and intriguing (though Lauren's characterisation is really good too in the first book!) and her goals were relatable. Bella's big on animal rights and this is something I'm really interested in, and it was good to read.

As a narrating character, Tate was great. I much preferred him to Damian. One worry I often have when reading series that have multiple narrators is that some are going to seem like copies of the others, but this has so far not been the case with Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach series.

This book also has a lot more comical moments than the last two, and I enjoyed the mix of lightheartedness and seriousness that this offered.

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