Review: BECOMING LIZ TAYLOR by Elizabeth Delo

 

Becoming Liz Taylor by Elizabeth Delo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'An accomplished and memorable debut full of heart and heartbreak - an absolute corker for reading groups!' Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things Val, a widow living in Weston-super-Mare, spends lonely evenings dressing up as the movie star Elizabeth Taylor. It seems to be a way of coping with the loss and sadness she has experienced in her life. One day, when Val sees a pram left unattended on the seafront, on a whim she kicks off the brake and walks away with it... Set in the present and the 1970s, BECOMING LIZ TAYLOR is a vivid and touching depiction of love, loss and bereavement - thought-provoking, moving fiction for fans of Rachel Joyce, Emma Healey and Ruth Hogan.****Shortlisted for the debut novel prize at the 'Festival du Premier Roman' in Chambéry.***

--

I picked this book up on a bit of a whim really. I was in Waterstones and saw that a new romance display had just been created on one of the tables, and this was one of the covers that really stood out to me. I've been trying to read a bit more contemporary fiction and romance recently, and as soon as I read the back of the cover, I was hooked!

I started the book a couple hours after buying it, and by the end of the day, I'd read half. The next day, I finished it. I simply couldn't read it quick enough.

There's something so compelling and enticing about Elizabeth Delo's writing. I think this is the first time I've read a novel that's got a narrator in their 70s, and it was very refreshing and I really appreciated the POV (normally, I read YA or narrators in their 20s or 30s).

Val is such a complex character. She's so flawed, but we can see why she's like this, and it's heartbreaking watching some of her decisions. So many times I was screaming at her! She felt so real, and I think that's what made this story so stunning and a compulsive read. Because, yes, Val is the villain. She kidnaps a baby. Only she thinks she's doing the right thing. She doesn't see it as kidnap. And while I wanted the baby to be reunited with his mother, I also desperately didn't want Val to be caught and punished.

In this stunning debut, Delo offers us a mixture of complex characters, heart, and insight into families.

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Review: BABY TEETH by Meg Grehan

 

Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A unique verse novel of queer love, lust, and vampires. From the award-winning author of The Deepest Breath and The Space Between.

The blood
Feeds the hunger
That threatens everything

It starts when Claudia offers her a yellow rose.
Immy has been in love before – many times, across many lifetimes. But never as deeply, as intensely as this.
Claudia has never been in love this before either. But then, this is her first time with a vampire.
The forbidden thirst for blood runs deep in Immy. And within her mind clamour the voices, of all the others she has been, their desires, and their wrongs.


“A fresh, dark take on the vampire myth and desire, Baby Teeth shows vampires haunted by their pasts and memories, where immortality is not one long life but a broken patchwork of different experiences. It will twine around your heart and bite, ever so gently. I adored it.” – Helen Corcoran

---

I picked up BABY TEETH at Waterstones just before my husband and I went on honeymoon. I then read almost all the book in one day but took it with me to finish on the train, only to them not be able to find the book. And then today, about four months later, I found it! No idea where it had been hiding all that time because weirdly it was just on my bookcase now, but I finally finished it. And that ending was perfect.

BABY TEETH is this beautiful sapphic story of vampires and lust and desire. It’s about memories and identity and found family, and I actually loved every single character. I also loved the take on vampires that Meg Grehan gives us: vampires living multiple lives, becoming different people, rather than living one life forever. It was so refreshing and a great way to explore the characters and their relationships.

And this is a novel in verse too! The writing is gorgeous, with some truly beautiful lines and imagery.

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Review: NOVEMBER 9 by Colleen Hoover

 

November 9 by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

---
November 9 is the first book by Colleen Hoover, and it feels very NA to me. Which was a surprise.

But I just couldn’t get behind the relationship ship as I couldn’t relate. Ben just seemed obnoxious and egotistical, and Fallon invited him to help her pack to leave for NY after a day of knowing her. He’s pretty smarmy and makes so many sexual references the first time they meet—and I guess there is sexual tension between them. Fallon seems to like what he says and does, how he behaves. Being ace, I just couldn’t relate and so I found myself not really backing their relationship. It seemed based on sexual attraction and maybe Fallon’s desperation, rather than romantic attraction and kindness.

But I just couldn’t get into this mostly because of Ben’s character—I just didn’t like the guy (hey, that’s strong characterisation!). What really annoyed me is how controlling and manipulative he is, and how it’s presented as a presumably romantic thing (though I couldn’t sense any actual loving romance). He controls what Fallon wears to their first date, lectures her until she sort of agrees/goes along with him undressing her, and he told her that how she feels about her scars is wrong and that he knows the right way to feel about them. I get that maybe this was meant to show him trying to boost her confidence, but wow is he arrogant. Fallon has major burn scars on her body, and Ben even says he knows how she feels because he has had small burns when cooking before. Um, that’s not the same thing at all!

By page 52 I’d already decided this was a toxic relationship, which intrigued me to read on to see if Fallon spotted this. I’d also heard a lot of Hoover’s books are criticised for romanticising toxic relationships, so I wasn’t expecting this to be outed. But still kind of hoped it would be...

The writing itself was okay on a craft-level. A bit clunky in places, kind of simplistic in others. But I kept thinking of other writers who I think are stronger in this genre, both in terms of craft and writing what I consider actual romance.

I was mainly super interested to read this book though as Colleen Hoover is a powerhouse-name and I know so many readers love her. There are such strong opinions about her books, and so I wanted to see why. And I can see how she is doing something a little different, giving us a New Adult romance that's relationship-based, with sex, and also plot twists. Of course, I know many other authors who do this too, but I think Hoover's marketing team (and when she was self-published) are great, and she's clearly pleasing readers.


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Review: MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever. 

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.

—-

Malibu Rising is the first book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and I can’t wait to read more of her work. This story is immediately striking as it’s told in third person omniscient which I find is so hard to get right. But it really works. Reid is a masterful writer. Not only do we have these alternating perspectives, but we have alternating timelines too.

This story is definitely character driven. It’s an examination of the Riva family, and every single character just feels SO REAL. The plot in essence isn’t so much a plot but this examination focused on a single night when all the conflict and energy that’s been building for the last twenty years comes to a head. It feels real. It feels frightening and energetic and lively and lovely. We’ve got so many emotions packed into this book. It was a rollercoaster, but a good kind.

This has to be one of my fave reads of 2022.

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Review: ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.

—-

This is the second Taylor Jenkins Reid book I’ve read, and she’s now a firm favourite author. I absolutely loved her Malibu Rising and this book was even better. I connected to the first person narration so easily, and this is exactly the kind of love story I adore. It’s a story with heart. It’s a story that has the perfect setup and the plot is about learning which choice Emma will make.

This is a story that’s heartbreaking and gut-wrenching, but every choice Emma makes does make sense. I was particularly impressed with how both Jesse and Sam felt like real love interests—they both could be ‘the one’. I found myself rooting for each of them just as much, which meant I shared Emma’s exact dilemma.

I loved how the novel started with the day that Jesse returned, and then we go back in time to see how teenage Emma met and fell in love (in different ways) with both the love interests, Jesse and Sam. We see her travel into adulthood, and there’s so much character growth in this book.

This book is light on the sex, which I really appreciated, instead being much more emotion-based. This has to be one of my favourite reads of 2022.

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Review: CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT by Brigid Kemmerer

 

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship...

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons? 

-- 

I have to admit it: this is, for sure, one of my top reads of 2021.

My friends have been trying to get me to read Brigid Kemmerer's dystopian fantasy trilogy for ages, and I don't know why I haven't read that (still), but I ended up buying this book at Waterstones and didn't realise for a while it was the same author.

And, the moment I started this book, I was hooked.

The writing is amazing. Beautiful. It really is.

But more than that: the characters are just so real. Maegan and Rob are both so fully fleshed and fully realised--they're both so believable, and I felt like I knew them, perhaps more than I have in reading any other YA romance.

But then this didn't really feel like a romance--and I suppose it's more of a contemporary story, first and foremost. Although we can see the two central characters are falling in love (and this is just so satisfying and had me rooting for them), we get to know them as people first, and, crucially, we get to see them hurting.

Both characters are somewhat loners at the start. Maegan's avoided by most of her year group, having cheated on a test previously that meant the whole year had to retake. She's not liked, despite her being a very likeable and relatable character. Maegan's also got a secret: her older sister is pregnant by a married man. And her family don't want anyone knowing of the sister's pregnancy.

Rob is a troubled teenage boy whose dad stole a lot of money from almost everyone he knows. Rob, despite not being involved in the fraud, has been dropped from the popular group at school and is still paying for his father's actions, the following year. It's also quite heartbreaking as Rob's father tried to kill himself when the fraud was discovered and is now somewhat 'brain dead' due to this and we see Rob as a teenage carer too.

We see Rob and Maegan as they go through an array of emotions--loss and hurt and self-hatred--and we see how they come together and help each other. We see them falling in love. And we also see other themes explored through the secondary characters. The pressures on male mental health and toxic masculinity are also well examined in this book, particularly via Rob's former best mate, and that's done in a really deep and engaging way. This book really is eye-opening. It teaches you a lot without being preachy. It shows that you never know what others are going through.

But it's also exciting--there are twists and turns that really shake things up as secrets are revealed. And there's a pretty big reveal about the fraud case that Rob's parents were involved in. That had me speechless.

I can't urge you all enough to read it--because I feel everyone should.




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Review: AGAIN, AGAIN by E. Lockhart

 

Again Again by E. Lockhart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud comes a complex novel about acceptance, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility, as a teenage girl attempts to regain some sense of normalcy in her life after a family crisis and a broken heart.

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.

--

Oh, this book. I mean, I should know by now that E. Lockhart's books leave me feeling absolutely destroyed after (in a good way!). I've read We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud, and so I should've been prepared for what Again, Again would do to me. But I wasn't.

Like all her books, Again, Again has lyrical, beautiful prose. I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Tavia Gilbert), so I didn't actually realise until reading other reviews afterward that this book has passages that are written in verse. I LOVE novels that dip into verse every now and again, and now I'm thinking I may have to get the ebook or a paperback because of this. But the writing is just so beautiful. It's haunting. It's compelling. It's addictive.

Adelaide is seventeen years old. Her younger brother is a drug addict and in rehab. Adelaide lives with her father who teaches at her boarding school, while her mother lives elsewhere to look after the brother. And this is a complex novel of love and family, of heartbreak and loss, of hope and new beginnings.

I actually don't know what genre to classify this as. It's contemporary--but it's also an 'issue' book. It's got some thriller aspects as well as magical realism (there are talking dogs). And plus, you've got the whole time stuff. I LOVED how every so often, the narrative goes back a page or two and retells the events according to what would've happened if a character had done something different. We follow that 'pathway' until we're either back at the same scene's starting point again, or until we get to the new part where the plot divulges and there are multiple routes again. This has an affect of layers--the novel's built up on these layers, and the writing is truly amazing as, because of this layering and retelling effect, the characterisation of Adelaide and her love interest(s) are built up. Because we've got details from the other 'alternate scenes' that don't apply to the current scene/pathway, the reader knows more about Adelaide's love interest than Adelaide herself knows at any time. It's like we've got the power of hindsight--a twisted, alternate hindsight--while Adelaide is navigating her relationships. It's disorientating and dizzy to read--but it's compelling.

And Part 5 of the book has Adelaide finally go for a different love interest. And, you know what? It works--because we've seen how toxic and bad the previous relationship was (on its multiple play-throughs) her new relationship here feels healthier and more organic, even though way less page-time is dedicated to it.

There are some truly heartbreaking moments in this book. But there's also humour too. And so many of the situations Adelaide finds herself in are so, so relatable.

Like all of Lockhart's books, Again, Again left me feeling wistful afterward. It made me feel like I'd lost something huge the moment I finished it--and I was so sad that the book was over.

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Review: FULL DISCLOSURE by Camryn Garrett

 

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a community that isn't always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love--and lust--for the first time. Powerful and uplifting, Full Disclosure will speak to fans of Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.

Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She's making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she's HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real--shy kisses escalating into much more--she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she's positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she's terrified of how he'll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone's first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on...

--

This is an amazing book (and it's got amazing narration too--I read it as an audiobook), and I can't stop thinking about it. You know, every now and then you come across a book that's so so so important, that you know is a significant book that you just want to make everyone read? Well, this is it.

I've been looking for more books with chronically ill main characters, and Simone (the MC) is HIV positive. She was born with the virus, as her birth mother had it and was untreated, and as a baby Simone was really unwell. Now, however, she's got her viral load under control, so she's not actually unwell with HIV in this book. Instead, this book is about how Simone's navigating her first relationship with a boy--while believing she is probably bisexual--and she's directing her first play. But there's someone in her school who knows she's HIV positive, and they're determined to make things hard for her, threatening to reveal her secret if she doesn't break up with Miles.

I'll confess--before this book, I knew practically nothing about HIV. I wasn't even taught about it at school, and reading this was eye-opening. I learnt so much, and I'm kind of horrified by how schools hadn't taught this. For example, I didn't know there were medications that could make the viral load undetectable, and when it's undetectable it's untransmissible.

This book tackles the stigma around HIV. We see Simone as she's bullied by a classmate, threatened with having her secret exposed for all, and we see how her close friends and boyfriend react when she tells them she's positive. We know that she's already moved school before when people found out--and parents of other kids were petitioning for her to be taught separately to their children--and we see first-hand the awful way she's treated because of others' lack of knowledge and understanding.
The person threatening to expose her secret does indeed do exactly this--and then we see again how she is treated, this time with social media being hugely involved.

But this book isn't just about HIV. It's about Simone who wants to be theatre director, it's about her finding her identity and accepting herself. At its heart, it's a cute love-story (one of the best I've read), and it's also got thriller elements, with the unknown person trying to blackmail Simone.

It's also about sex--a lot. Although there's no actual sex scenes, there's a lot of discussion about it, not just about how Simone needs to be careful due to having HIV, but there's also general rhetoric on safe sex, on exploring sexual desires for the first time.

This book also has a lot of diversity. Simone and Miles are both Black. Claudia, one of Simone's best friends, is asexual, and Lydia (the other best friend) is bisexual. Simone is also bisexual. Then we've got Simone's parents--they're in a same-sex marriage, and one is Black and the other Mexican. Jesse, one of the Simone's classmates, is gay. There's just so much diversity in this.

This is a highly recommended read, and it's a great way for me to finish 2020.

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Review: THE DNA OF YOU AND ME by Andrea Rothman

The DNA of You and Me by Andrea Rothman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Sharp...sets a bittersweet love story within the cut-throat world of academic research, a great pairing [Rothman] explores with heart [and] smarts.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Emily Apell arrives in Justin McKinnon’s renowned research lab with the single-minded goal of making a breakthrough discovery. But a colleague in the lab, Aeden Doherty, has been working on a similar topic, and his findings threaten to compete with her research.

To Emily’s surprise, her rational mind is unsettled by Aeden, and when they end up working together their animosity turns to physical passion, followed by love. Emily eventually allows herself to envision a future with Aeden, but when he decides to leave the lab it becomes clear to her that she must make a choice. It is only years later, when she is about to receive a prestigious award for the work they did together, that Emily is able to unravel everything that happened between them.

“Refreshing...Asks urgent questions about female ambition. Fans of Lab Girl have found a worthy successor.” -- Real Simple

--

The DNA of You and Me is such a powerful novel, and it's a romance like none other that I've read. And for that, I really appreciated it.

Let's start with the characters:

Emily is just so real. She's flawed, has a complex about being alone all her life, and is career-orientated. She's a STEM scientist and she's so goal-driven. I loved that. She just felt real. I could imagine walking into her lab and meeting her.

Aeden, her love interest, is... well. He came across as quietly arrogant and selfish, nearly always putting his own wants before those of others--and that just made him so realistic. There were also some really tender moments involving him too though. He's complex, and while most of the time when reading I couldn't decide if I liked him, I understood him.

The romance itself, I just adored. So I'm not a HUGE fan of romance or anything. I much prefer the romance to be secondary to the story, and here it was, yet it was also cleverly woven into the plot. The main focus on the book is Emily trying to achieve her goal as she works with mice to do with a sense of smell. Okay, so I have not worded that at all well. It's a lot more complicated than that, and there is so much science in the book. Yet even for a reader like me who has limited scientific knowledge, it's manageable. So Emily is hard at work in her new lab, and straight away we're introduced to Aeden. At first he's a competing postdoc student, but then they work together. And the closer Emily gets to Aeden, the more we understand him, even if we don't like him that much.

The way the romance started did not seem at all romantic--but it was believable. And from there on, it was possible to see Emily's feelings for him growing, and then his for her too. Yet I was never sure whether I was completely rooting for Emily and Aeden as a couple. I had my doubts because of his personality.

And the ending--[spoilers in this paragraph!]. Aeden is such an arrogant ****! Seriously, I'm so glad Emily didn't take him back. She stuck true to her morals, and I really admired her strength for that. She is a great role model. So I'm really glad that it ended how it did. It felt realistic, and though there's no HEA for Emily and Aeden, I did feel that Emily was happier and truer to herself on her own--and possibly with John? I really liked how John cropped back up here in a non-intrusive way.

The writing itself is beautiful. While it's clear the author has a scientific background, and plenty of science is effortlessly incorporated into the story at an approachable level for non-scientists without it seeming like it's being dumbed down, the language is simply beautiful.

You've also got two different timelines going on, and the only other times I've ever really seen this done this well is in memoir. And this definitely contributed to my love for these characters--because the book just seemed so realistic. I could meet Emily and Aeden and Justin. The events that happened really could happen. It's so believable, and a couple of times I had to check that I wasn't in fact reading memoir. That's how good the writing is, because I was so immersed in the story that it felt extremely believable.

My favourite quote has to be this one: "My father once said to me, shortly before he died, that a discovery is nothing but a moment. The moment when a truth, otherwise obscured, reveals itself, and your eyes are the only pair of eyes in the world to see it, and your mind the only mind to comprehend the truth and certainty of what you see. The moment is all you're left with, because that is all you will ever care to remember."

I just love the message in that. And I'm still thinking about it now.

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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. 

---

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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Review: ALL I KNOW by Tamara Lush

All I Know by Tamara Lush
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the author of Constant Craving comes a hilarious story about a woman who feels obligated to care for everyone, a sexy Marine who wants to make his first love his forever bride, and a fake wedding proposal that changes everything.

Kate Cooper has come home to Paradise Beach to help her mom recover from surgery. After all, who else is going to run the family's tiki bar? A few months on a Florida island won't hurt, even if her memories might.

Then Damien Hastings, her high school crush, walks into the bar one night. He's stunning. Intense. Way more muscular than when they were in high school. And can't take his eyes off Kate.

When Damien finds out Kate needs health insurance, he does what any gentleman would: ask her to marry him. He's going to Syria for a year as a military contractor, and he's loved her for years. It's the least he can do.

They didn't return to fall in love. They didn't expect to have the best sex of their lives. They didn't plan on a farting dog or a fake engagement. But strange and wonderful things happen on Paradise Beach...

Content warning: medical conditions, parent with cancer, heroine experienced bullying in high school.

ALL I KNOW is the prequel to Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore hilarious banter, second chances, and steamy sexytimes, this is the book for you!

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As a fan of the first book in this series, I decided to give the prequel a go after finishing it. I already knew the details of Kate and Damien’s relationship from book 1, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much extra this novella provides the reader with. Kate and Damien become even more developed, with their love seeming more believable in this novella.

There was also a lot more sex in this novella—with it being more explicitly described than book 1–but it works, given that Kate and Damien certainly seem more sex-orientated in this novella than Lauren and Max. This is something that surprised me as from reading book 1, I hadn’t thought they had the more physical relationship.

This book does have chronic illness rep in it, which really excited me (as someone who's chronically ill) but I'd have liked to see this explored a little more on the page. One of Kate's hospital appointments is simply skipped over and we don't see a lot of the day-to-day life of being chronically ill, which I was hoping for. Especially in a romance.

I liked how the end of the novella overlapped with book 1, however as soon as we got to the overlapping parts, the writing and pacing seemed very rushed. There was less characterisation for Damien and Kate in this section, and I didn’t feel like we got much “extra” in this part. Also, I noticed that Max and Lauren (The main characters of Book 1) seemed very 2D in this book compared to Kate and Damien, so I’m not sure whether completely new readers would warm to them and want to read their book quite as much.

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Review: ALL I WANT by Tamara Lush

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

Welcome to Paradise Beach. Land of sugar sand, shirtless men, and endless sunshine. Strange and wonderful things often happen here. And island life is even hotter after dark...

Social media influencer Lauren Spencer is determined to find out why her best friend is getting married on a whim. When she travels to Paradise Beach to stop the wedding, she's the one who comes to a screeching halt when greeted with the sight of a gorgeous naked guy in her hotel room.

He just happens to be the groom's adorably uptight brother -- and the best man in the wedding. Oops. Too bad she's sworn off relationships.

As a successful real estate broker in New York City, Max Hastings has taken his workaholic ways back to his hometown of Paradise Beach, trying to ready his family's resort for sale and attend his youngest brother's shotgun wedding. Complicating matters: the maid of honor is the sexiest woman he's seen in years, and he wants her in his bed.

After some hot and heavy flirtation, Lauren and Max come to an agreement: a weekend wedding fling is just the thing both of them need.

But when Lauren suffers an accident and can't leave the island, Max finds himself more than willing to take care of her for more than a weekend. Will Lauren set aside her doubts about relationships to explore something real with Max?

ALL I WANT is Book One in Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore beach romances, irresistible alpha men, and hilarious wedding hookups, this is the book for you!

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This is the first book I’ve ready by Tamara Lush and I found it addictive. All the characters are well-rounded and believable, and the chemistry between Lauren and Max was palpable and so, so believable. I could not stop reading!

The sex was tastefully written and woven skilfully into the story. This is always a worry I have when reading steamy romance, but it was well done.

This is a fast-paced romance, and the only part I didn’t quite like as much was the ending. It did feel rather rushed, and I’d have liked to see more of Lauren and Max in their HEA—though I guess they’ll also be in the rest of the series.


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Review: A KISS IN THE DARK by Cat Clarke

A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can love survive the ultimate betrayal? A compelling story of love and identity from a bestselling author.

When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.

Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy - everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.

Alex can't help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive...

But one of them is hiding an unbelievable secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives...

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A Kiss in the Dark is, I believe, one of Cat Clarke’s best books. I’ve read several of her other titles, and this is the first one I read in one sitting, devouring the book in 4-5 hours. I just could not put it down.

This is a complicated story of love, deceit, betrayal, and the difference between right and wrong. The twist that comes at the end of the second chapter blew me away—the whole book pivots around this, and I can’t write a thorough review without giving away that spoiler, so be warned. Don’t read on if you don’t want the spoilers!

Right away in chapter one, we’re introduced to Alex (who I read as male). He’s watching a girl at a gig, a girl he’s met online and arranged to meet up with at the gig. Kate is confident, charismatic, and immediately likeable. I’ll be honest; at first, I wasn’t sure that Alex’s intentions were good. There were some creepy vibes I was picking up on, and I was sure there was something we weren’t being told.

And then, bam. We’re told it. He’s a girl and didn’t mean to deceive Kate into thinking she was a boy. She just likes to wear more unisex clothes, and Kate assumed from the start that Alex was a boy. Alex doesn’t correct her, feeling it would be too awkward and embarrassing, and we’re drawn into a somewhat tangled relationship. At first, Alex is pleased that someone likes her—she has no friends at school, and she likes the company. Then she falls in love with Kate, and Kate’s in love with her too (oblivious to Alex’s secret), very much believing that Alex is a boy.

Alex comes up with increasingly drastic ways to keep this allusion going—bandaging her breasts, creating a fake “penis”, wearing her brother’s clothes, and Skyping Kate from her brother’s room.

As much as I wanted to dislike Alex for this deceit, the narrative voice was compelling and I found myself wishing there was a way forward for them and that Alex could be truthful to Kate. I could feel their love, though based on lies it was. I desperately wanted to see this relationship last—even though we know from the start that it doesn’t; the book is told in two parts, before and after Kate finds out. Alex narrates the before section, and Kate the after.

And at the end of part one, Kate does indeed find out Alex’s secret at a point where Alex is convinced it’s all over, having been persuaded by her brother (who learned of what was going on) to break up with Kate and avoid hurt. Yet Kate’s hurt deepens upon the discovery of the deceit. This revelation turns her bitter and looking for revenge—and she goes down the path of accusing Alex of sexual assault.

Immediately, this false accusation annoyed me. I hated Kate (it seemed really out of character, from what I thought I knew of her) and I was desperate for things to turn out okay for Alex who’s facing prison due to Kate’s accusation.

In this book, we see both main characters making a terrible decision that snowballs out of their control and has dire consequences on those around them. It was certainly a captivating read. And the writing itself is lyrical and just wouldn’t let me stop reading.

Neither Alex or Kate identify as LGBTQA+, both insisting at various times that they’re straight, yet by the end both realise they’re in love with each other. This is a powerful exploration of love, free from the restrictions of labels or categorisations being imposed on it, and I’m glad that Kate does admit she’s lying and prevent Alex from going to prison—in part due to the interference of Jamie, Alex’s brother.

Jamie was possibly my favourite character. He’s the kind older brother who’s 18 and into girls and the “uni life”, but still has a logical and sensible head on his shoulders. He definitely plays the role of peacekeeper in this book and always advocates for the truth to be told. When he finds out about his sister’s lies, he tells Alex she can’t continue. Alex is too scared to break up with Kate, so Jamie persuades her to end it and avoid Kate being “stringed along”. And when Kate lies to the police, falsely accusing Alex of assault, it’s Jamie who seeks her out and begs her to do the right thing and not ruin Alex’s whole life. Jamie provided a nice contrast to both characters and was real and believable.

All in all, I highly recommend this read.


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Review: Jane: A Retelling by Lark Watson

Jane: A Retelling by Lark Watson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me at 10%. I am just not sure what to make of this book... On the one hand, this is described as a gothic romance retelling of Jane Eyre, and I love Jane Eyre retellings and anything gothic. But this book just didn’t do it for me. It felt flat, there was little characterisation for anyone other than the MC, and it lacked the atmospheric imagery typically found in gothic novels.

The pacing at the start seemed off to me—there’s a lot of exposition for Jane’s background in the very first chapter, which does build her character well, but it just seems too much in one go, particularly as every moment of her interview is given to us, yet in the chapters that follow we’ve got whole months passing in a page. This really disrupted the rhythm, and I’d have appreciated it a bit more if we were given more time with Jane as she settles into her new job, so we can see what it’s like, rather than just being told what happens over the course of a month. (I did love the how Jane clashed with the interviewer though, but in a quiet way.)

Linked into this, I also found there was lots of telling and not much showing. Jane’s being employed as a nanny, yet when she meets Adelia and begins nannying, we aren’t given anything to tell us about the girl from Jane’s POV, her impressions of her, or any descriptions really. Whole days pass in a single paragraph, and a page later and a whole month has passed and we know little about five-year-old Adelia or Jane’s relationship with her. What we do know about the girl is told rather than shown, such as: “But, I realized nothing would save me if I didn’t have a gift in hand as Adelia was a very materialistic girl” and it was the first time I began to get a sense of who the little girl was/what her personality is—but it didn’t grab me as the writing just seemed flat and I would’ve liked to have seen examples that proved Adelia was materialistic rather than being told it. Things like this should’ve been integrated into the story more, and I’m afraid I just didn’t connect as there’s very little about Adelia’s personality.

Instead, the language used to describe Adelia at times “others” her. Before we even meet Adelia (and in fact, we don’t get to witness an introduction with the girl) another character calls her “odd” as she doesn’t speak English. This isn’t called out by the protagonist—not even internally, which first person narrative allows for—and is just left to pass as a normal comment which in itself is problematic. It places her nationality as inferior to the other characters’ nationalities, and almost suggests the only thing worth noting as she is introduced is her otherness. There’s nothing about her personality at this point—which could’ve easily been slipped in if we’d been given a scene where the two meet.

Yet even this portrayal of Adelia as Other is not consistent, as we are given her dialogue in English and there’s very little, if anything, about her Spanish culture, except for that she’s “odd”. The protagonist is supposed to also be conversing with Adelia in Spanish, but I just didn’t believe it. Coming from a household where one of my parents would regularly speak Spanish and I knew it growing up, we’d have little Spanish phrases we’d all use (even slipping them into conversations that were otherwise spoken in English) and it would’ve been nice to see something similar as it would’ve just made it more believable—and it would’ve *shown* a bit more, which there was very little of.

By the time we get to where the gothic tropes come into play—Jane seeing a person in a window of a house that she’s told is empty—I’d unfortunately lost interest. It also didn’t help that even these scenes were basically told to readers with the exception of one or two nice images. The author could’ve really made these into atmospheric moments with lots of evocative imagery and gothic language, and I was disappointed to find this wasn’t the case.

I’m also under the impression this is a romance, but 10% into the story, and we don’t seem to have met the love interest. To me, this is another pacing issue.

So at the moment this is a DNF for me. Unfortunately, it’s just not my cup of tea.


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