One-Liner: A delicious collection of tidbits about the City of Joy by a Kolkata girl.
Tilottama at a Glance is much more than a compilation 4.5 Stars
One-Liner: A delicious collection of tidbits about the City of Joy by a Kolkata girl.
Tilottama at a Glance is much more than a compilation of information about Kolkata. It’s the heart and soul of a Kolkata girl proclaiming her love for the city, its history, and its people.
It’s a short and sweet book compiled from the A to Z blog posts written for the yearly A to Z Blogging Challenge. From the Addas to street food to Eden Gardens, Chor Bazaar, and Durga Pujo, the book touches on several aspects that are intrinsic to the city.
Some of them reminded me of the beauty of my own city, while the fish festival took me to my native state, where a similar event occurs every year.
I traveled with the author as I flipped the pages, seeing the city with her eyes and listening to the bustling crowd with her ears.
Read Tilottama at a Glance not to know more about Kolkata but to feel it the way the locals do. Every word in the book reflects the author’s love for her beloved city.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. The views expressed in the review are my own.
Note: A version of the book was previously available under the title, Kolkata Chronicles: An A To Z Guide For The Uninitiated. ...more
Timothy ‘Sparrow’ Sperling misses his mother. He knows what to wish on a shooting star but falters and ends up asking for snow. Candela hasn’t4 Stars
Timothy ‘Sparrow’ Sperling misses his mother. He knows what to wish on a shooting star but falters and ends up asking for snow. Candela hasn’t seen snow in a long, long time. The folks are excited until it doesn’t stop snowing. Candela is covered with snow, so much that people have dug snow tunnels to move around.
Timothy knows needs to do something to save Candela. His uncle, Morris is already deep in despair about what happened in the past. The townsfolk blame Morris even though they are equally to blame for the ‘disaster’.
Timothy finds help from an unexpected source, and of course, it’s his beloved sparrows and a mysterious girl that show him the light. But life doesn’t go as planned, and Timothy needs to be very brave to pull off the job. Can the little kid save Candela from neverending snow?
The book is classified as middle-grade fiction and fits right in. It’s slightly dark and heavy with a few lighter moments. This isn’t a book you read for enjoyment, though magic realism works its magic rather well.
Themes such as conserving nature, ornithology, human greed, and righting the wrong play a prominent role in the book. The prose dips in and out to suit the changing moods. The ending is a little abrupt, though there’s an epilogue to give enough information for readers to imagine the rest.
The cover is beautiful, but there are no other illustrations inside. I so wish there was one for every chapter. The imagery is vivid, and having a few illustrations on the side would have made a lot of difference.
To sum up, Sparrow is a bittersweet book with valuable lessons for kids. But it is heavier than regular middle-grade fiction.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Diving Boy Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh, the illustrations are warm and delightful! They indeed light up the book while still being soft enough for a bedtime read. The story is abo4 Stars
Oh, the illustrations are warm and delightful! They indeed light up the book while still being soft enough for a bedtime read. The story is about a little kid who tries to find the light within him. He listens to his heartbeat and lets the light seep out of him. It’s in his smile, and the more he smiles, the brighter he gets.
Some of the lines rhyme, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I read it more like prose than verse and that helped ignore the uneven meter. Grab this book for the illustrations. I’m sure kids will love them.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and am voluntarily leaving a review. #TheLightWithin #NetGalley ...more
The title tells you the story. Badger is bored, and so are his friends. They try different activities, things they usually like. But on that3.5 Stars
The title tells you the story. Badger is bored, and so are his friends. They try different activities, things they usually like. But on that day, no activity seems fun or interesting. Then comes a mouse, and the animals get an idea to have fun and drive away boredom.
Kids are sure to relate to the story. They tend to get restless when nothing keeps them engaged. While there isn’t much depth to the story, the illustrations are beautiful. The backgrounds are done in pastels, and even the overall color scheme is lovely and soft on the eyes.
I only wish the text was bigger in size. The tiny text makes it hard to read when there’s enough blank space around.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and North South Books Inc. and am voluntarily leaving a review. #BadgerisBored #NetGalley...more
Umm… okay! As the title says, Meow is not a cat but a kid. He’s active, energetic, and a wee bit different. He likes to ask questions and wo3.5 Stars
Umm… okay! As the title says, Meow is not a cat but a kid. He’s active, energetic, and a wee bit different. He likes to ask questions and wonder why we should stay quiet when the sign says walk left or why the monkeys get all the bananas while the kids end up with none. Naturally, his antics get him into trouble. But he manages to save the day by coming up with a unique idea.
The illustrations are cute and funny. The book is lighthearted and entertaining. Just that I’m not sure what it teaches the kids. Of course, it does show that asking questions and thinking differently from others is not wrong. Guess that is the moral of the book. Though, maybe kids should also be taught about being careful as they could end up hurting themselves and others.
Oh, wait! The book talks of sharing. That could also be the lesson. I prefer my interpretation, though.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, FDI Publishing, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mommy, Look At Me! is a cute book about a little girl who wants to do different things on different days. She wants to be a princess, teacher,4 Stars
Mommy, Look At Me! is a cute book about a little girl who wants to do different things on different days. She wants to be a princess, teacher, vet, grown-up, and so on. Her mother encourages her while also giving well-directed advice as a reply.
The story is very simple and yet shows that kids can be whoever they want to be as long as it brings them happiness. It’s up to parents to gently nudge kids to identify life lessons in everything they do.
The illustrations resemble an online gaming interface (not sure what that style is called). But they are bright and cheerful. What I rather liked was the inclusion of two languages in the same book.
The first half has the story in English, and the second half has it in Spanish. A great idea, especially if the parents or kids are learning Spanish. Makes it easy to understand the words and sentences.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review. #MommyLookAtMe #NetGalley ...more
How to write a story set in India to please the colonial masters and give the illusion of being an intellectual and a realist?
• Start and end **Rant**
How to write a story set in India to please the colonial masters and give the illusion of being an intellectual and a realist?
• Start and end with heavy metaphoric prose • Stereotype caste division • Stereotype class division • Insert as many instances of racism as possible • Take a wafer-thin plot • Add all possible social injustices (domestic violence, oppression, alcohol abuse, worker abuse, teen pregnancy, torture by MIL, AIDS through a partner... I hope I didn't forget any) • Go back and forth to insert the above-mentioned tropes • Sprinkle heavy prose at random • All men are evil (except the refugee from another country) • Women should be passive-aggressive (yeah, like my review) and continue to suffer • Remove all chances of hope or positivity • Mercurial main characters to tick off the checklist • Present the worst version of India and win accolades for writing realistic hard-hitting fiction (where did all the kind people vanish!?)
*****
Don't need to be a genius to figure out how much I liked the book, right? I already had an inkling about how the book would be. Even then, I expected something less dramatic and more balanced. Makes me wonder why I even bothered.
The narration did start well but soon felt like a drive through a construction site. You never know when you'll need to step on the brake because there's a sudden diversion ahead.
It didn't help that I guessed the crux of the plot within the first 50 pages but had to wait until the last 50 pages for the reveal.
One of the reviewers called the book misery porn, and I'm inclined to agree. Why is it that there is hardly anyone good in the book, except for a young boy, Haider? Even Dinaz is a stereotyped social justice crusader from an affluent family (think of rich girls joining campaigns to take selfies for Instagram).
Not sure if others didn't find it odd, but I got annoyed by Bhima's obsession with Pathan (the Afghan balloon seller). Leave the poor man alone!
Maya plays such a vital role in the book and doesn't get a chance to share her POV. We see her through Bhima and Sera's eyes. It looked like she had it in her to be a strong character but the author didn't bother to develop her arc. She ended up more as a plot device.
I know the book has a sequel, but the metaphorical ending felt totally off. I'm not surprised by the events towards the end. That was the only way the book would go. Yet, I expected a much-rounded ending, something more grounded or even hopeful. Got neither. :/ ...more
One Liner: Heartwarming but has nothing to do with the title.
Esther plans a letter-writing workshop after her father’s death. She and her f3.7 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming but has nothing to do with the title.
Esther plans a letter-writing workshop after her father’s death. She and her father loved exchanging letters (handwritten), and Esther wants to experience the same through the workshop. She also plans to offer her copyediting skills to prospective novelists.
Imagine her surprise when the applicants are everyone else by aspiring writers! From an elderly lady to an angsty teen and a delusional businessman, a total of five people are a part of her workshop. That makes Esther the sixth participant.
She wants to help them learn how to write better. But what do they want from the workshop? A chance to express themselves? A chance to seek answers? A chance to reconcile and start fresh?
Esther realizes that her workshop is helping the participants and her in a way she didn’t expect. Letter writing isn’t about writing a letter, is it?
My Observations:
• The book takes its own sweet time to progress. (it’s a slow read). The book alters between letters and regular narration (that gives the backstories and more insight into the characters).
• The letters are arranged in a neat order almost until the end. The slight change at the end is mentioned in the first few pages and makes sense once we get there.
• Various themes, ranging from postpartum depression to loneliness to social activism, etc., are dealt with. While some are more effective, the others pale in comparison.
• Each character is distinct and can be identified by the tone of the letter. This is very important when six people are writing letters.
• The ending is happy, hopeful, and touching. It leaves the reader with a satisfied smile. A couple of issues haven’t been resolved. Guess the author left the issues that way to keep things more realistic. It works in the bigger picture, so no complaints.
• There are a few hiccups in connecting the letters. It doesn’t always feel smooth and effortless. That said, the character arcs are decent and worth mentioning. My favorites are Samuel and Juliette.
• The concept of opening up to a stranger via letters was well explored. However, I couldn’t feel the magical touch of letter writing. Maybe it’s because I was reading an electronic copy of the book. Or maybe because there weren’t images of handwritten samples or signatures to give the feeling of reading physical letters.
• Despite dealing with heavy topics, the book is not a heavy read. It’s both a plus and a minus, depending on the reader. For me, it’s a plus.
To sum up, The Little French Bookshop is a heartwarming book that deals with quite a few issues. The epistolary style makes it possible to give the topic decent space. However, the title is rather misleading. This isn’t about a bookshop, except that Esther owns a little bookshop in Lille, France.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Annie, a twenty-year-old, reaches the Sicilian island of Galatea after the deat**Happy Publication Day**
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Fast-paced and gripping.
Annie, a twenty-year-old, reaches the Sicilian island of Galatea after the death of her beloved father. She is grieving the loss of the only loving person in her life. Annie has always been low on confidence, thanks to her mother’s standards. The trip to Galatea is a way to gain confidence, get her life back on track, and complete her father’s quest for his birth mother.
Meeting Salvo, the local fisherman, gives Annie the support she needs to search for her grandmother’s history. The delicate bracelet on her wrist makes things easier, but only until she realizes what her grandmother had to do to save her loved ones.
Even as Annie gets used to past unfurling in front of her eyes (literally), is she strong enough to handle the truth? Can she find peace and look forward to her life with Salvo, or will she abandon her quest and go back to the safety of her home?
What happened on Galatea that her grandmother was last found in the WWII concentration camp?
What I Like:
• It’s a short book (240+ pages) and goes at a steady pace. The combination of show and tell works well to keep me hooked. • The touch of paranormal without putting too much emphasis on it makes it alluring. It suits the beauty of the setting and the ancient ties between the people, land, and sea. • Mira and Mimi are both strong characters. Annie is, too, without being obvious about it. • The shift between the past and present is seamless. The story weaves in and out without jerks. • WWII wasn’t the central focus of the story. After reading quite a few of those this year, I’m glad to read something a little different.
What didn’t Work for Me:
• The rushed ending spoiled the beauty of the story. Sure, the actual issue is solved, but we could’ve gotten a little more information about the characters. I was surprised to see the epilogue when I expected another final chapter to tie the loose ends. • The epilogue isn’t as effective as it should be. We get the happy ever after, but something vital felt missing from the end. Also, there is no mention of Annie’s mother or her reaction to the developments. Since Annie’s character arc depended on her mother, it was disappointing to not know. • Annie’s character development wasn’t steady. It went up and down to suit the flow of the story rather than being the other way round. She needed more time to establish herself. The past track stole the limelight (as it almost always happens with dual timelines).
To sum up, The Italian Island is an intriguing and fast-paced story about women connected across generations and stood up for love. It’s not a heavy read, though it does deal with some complex issues of life and relationships.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Umm… okay. The Journey of Yuan and Kian is an interesting story about a land unicorn and a sea unicorn. The two become friends and decide to3.5 Stars
Umm… okay. The Journey of Yuan and Kian is an interesting story about a land unicorn and a sea unicorn. The two become friends and decide to play after work. But darkness descends, making it impossible. The duo plans to learn to fly so that they can poke holes in the sky for some to appear.
They go from one animal to another asking for help. Each of them directs the duo to another and takes them one step closer to the mission. They finally learn how to fly (from a stork) and poke holes in the sky, allowing the stars to appear.
The moral is to believe in yourself and persist until you achieve. The book is text-heavy, with text on one side and illustrations on the other. Adults will probably have to read it out to the kids.
Coming to the illustrations, I’m still not sure if I like them or not. Drawings have been placed on real background pictures. While it is cute, the overall result looks more like an outdated animated movie. I’m not sure how it’ll look on paper. The e-copy wasn’t exactly wow.
To sum up, the book is pretty decent and entertaining but not something I'll remember for long.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Go Out and Play has a lovely concept, showing kids the ways they can play outdoors and explore the world instead of using smartphones and el3.5 Stars
Go Out and Play has a lovely concept, showing kids the ways they can play outdoors and explore the world instead of using smartphones and electronic devices. The illustrations of the background are perfect! I love the color scheme and the warm, cozy feeling of nature flaunting her beauty.
However, the badger looked a little odd on some pages. I think the smile was off. The fox looked rather cute. The story is presented in a rhyming verse, which goes off-key at times. Maybe a more natural tone would have suited better.
To sum up, the book is pretty cute and has an important message for the kiddos if you don’t focus too much on the rhyme scheme.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Clavis Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh, well, lol. Never thought I’d see crocodilians in a domesticated setting. The book is for littles who have learned alphabets and are tryi3.7 Stars
Oh, well, lol. Never thought I’d see crocodilians in a domesticated setting. The book is for littles who have learned alphabets and are trying to form words. There isn’t any story here except that the 26 baby gharials are a naughty bunch. Who’d have thought such scary reptiles would look so cute in colorful onesies!
As a fellow reviewer mentioned, gharials are crocodilians from the Indian subcontinent. The illustrations are pretty cool. I like how pastels and softer colors were used to make the reptiles seem friendlier to the kids. The overall color scheme worked well. Not surprising since the book won the Silver medal of the 2020 Key Colors Competition.
Oh, forgot to add that the alliterations made me chuckle throughout. Nice wordplay. ;)
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Clavis Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Soomi is a cute little girl eager to wear her new sweater to school. The sweater is too big, but her mother pins it up when Soomi insists. H3.5 Stars
Soomi is a cute little girl eager to wear her new sweater to school. The sweater is too big, but her mother pins it up when Soomi insists. However, a thread starts to unravel from the sleeve and grows into a big, round hole. Her friends try to help her fix it in vain.
Soomi is sad and dejected. Her mother fixes it up nice and good, and Soomi learns to wait and grow up before she wears the sweater again. The story, as such, is quite simple. The illustrations are a bit rough but lively and cheerful. I loved Soomi’s tiny fountain that moves as she does.
There’s diversity in illustrations, which was good to see. The book is for kids aged 4 and above, and there isn’t anything else that memorable in the story. It’s a cute one, though.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Clavis Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Drayton family is enjoying dinner with close friends on a cold night. Libby is a 17-yo 3.5 Stars
One Liner: Interesting, but nothing new to offer
The Drayton family is enjoying dinner with close friends on a cold night. Libby is a 17-yo and the perfect daughter of Evie and Tom Drayton. Brandon, Evie’s stepson, doesn’t enjoy the same adoration.
Una and Jim are Evie’s college friends. Jim is a GP and a docile middle-aged man, while Una is the life of the party. When Libby goes out for an event and doesn’t respond to Evie’s messages or calls, Evie starts to panic. When the girl doesn’t come home, Evie knows something is wrong.
Dan Riley is assigned to find Evie and soon discovers that the girl was neither perfect nor as innocent as Evie believed. Soon enough, Libby’s body is found, and thus begins a murder investigation. As secrets are uncovered, we realize that no one is who they seem to be.
What made Libby turn into a manipulative daughter? Can Dan find out who the killer is?
The story is revealed in multiple perspectives, with Dan’s voice in the first person and the rest in the limited third person. This gives us all the necessary information to solve the case ourselves even before Dan does. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Plus Points: • I got to know after reading the book that it is a part of a series of cases solved by DI Dan Riley. Makes sense that his voice is the first person. It worked so well as a standalone! I wondered why there was a chapter at the end with more details about Dan. Now I understand. • The main characters are all flawed, some more than others. The side characters are decent, though. • The story moves more like a show on the telly. Given the characters, this approach worked well. I could read the book without being involved and still enjoy it.
Not-so-Plus Points: • There isn’t anything new in the book. Story-wise or character-wise, we don’t have much to look forward to. • The twists are super easy to guess (especially for a thriller reader). That does make the book slightly dull. Since there wasn’t any action, the story felt bland towards the end. • Readers following the Dam Riley series might connect more and like it better than I did. For me, it was just another regular thriller.
To sum up, The Night of the Party is a decent thriller with a fast-paced narration. Non-thriller readers might find it more entertaining.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
One-Liner: Some great side characters, but not enough.
*Minority Opinion*
Merrin was in love and excited to marry her beau, Digby. She could s3 Stars
One-Liner: Some great side characters, but not enough.
*Minority Opinion*
Merrin was in love and excited to marry her beau, Digby. She could see her entire future with her family and Digby in Port Charles, Cornwall. It was her home, after all. But the day of the wedding leaves her shattered and vulnerable. Merrin leaves her home in the fishing village to rebuild her life.
Six years have passed, and Merrin has a life of her own away from home. She doesn’t want to go back but has no choice when a tragedy strikes. Merrin realizes what she missed by leaving her community and dear ones and changing into someone she isn’t. Back home, Merrin has to decide who she is and what she wants from life. What does her future hold? Is she willing to move on and be truly happy?
I’ve had some of the author’s previous books on my TBR list for a while. When this one showed up in the Read Now section on NetGalley, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.
Plus Points:
• Ruby (Merrin’s older sister) and Bella (Merrin’s bestie) are two fab characters in the book. Merrin’s mother was just as good. • The tension between Ruby and Merrin is a highlight of the book. • Women have a larger role to play (as expected) throughout. They are the decision-makers. • Beautiful descriptions of Cornwall. Something different from the city/ small town descriptions I usually read.
Not-so Plus Points:
• The narration is too slow. I understand slow beginnings, but this one is slow from start to finish. At no point did I want to read fast to know what happened next. The story went its own sweet way. • Despite Ruby being painted as the insecure sister, Merrin seemed self-absorbed in many scenes. It was about her most of the time. Even when I understood what she went through, I couldn’t continue feeling sad for her for the rest of the book. • Multiple POVs (in the limited third person) but none for Ruby. I wanted to know her more. She seemed more real and vulnerable than many others. • No clear indication for time leaps. We won’t know that a few months/ years have passed until we read the first 2-4 paragraphs in a chapter. Makes it a little hard to track the timeline. • The happy ending was good, but bringing a new love interest in the last chapter somehow didn’t work for me. Given what Merrin repeats in the book, it felt surreal. • Some weird adverbs (I forgot to note them but I remember wondering why they had to be used).
To sum up, To Love and Be Loved has its merits but hasn’t been a noteworthy read for me. Pick it up if you want something slow and sedate with bursts of emotions sprinkled throughout.
Thank you, NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Home for a While is a story about little Calvin who goes to live with a foster caregiver for a while. He is depressed, dejected, angry, unwi4.5 Stars
Home for a While is a story about little Calvin who goes to live with a foster caregiver for a while. He is depressed, dejected, angry, unwilling to trust, and unable to express his feelings. However, Maggie is patient and suggests ways for him to let go of his pent-up frustrations.
Each night Maggie asks him if she can hug him. Calvin wonders why she wants to. Each night, she gives him an answer that instills confidence in him.
It’s great to see a picture book tackle issues like foster care and overwhelming emotions. I love the illustrations (they felt so real!) and the steady progress from frustration to mild hope to acceptance.
It would have been great if Maggie and Calvin talked about what’s hurting him. But given the complexity of the issue and the length of picture books, it might have gotten a little too much.
Maybe a sequel for this to show how to initiate a conversation and express their feelings in words?
To conclude, Home for a While is a sad yet beautiful book. It can be used as a basis to start discussing foster care and how it impacts kids.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, American Psychological Association, and Magination Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.
One-Liner: Steady-paced thriller with corporate and Pharma dealings
Rick Cahill is leading a settled life after pretty much giving up on dang3.8 Stars
One-Liner: Steady-paced thriller with corporate and Pharma dealings
Rick Cahill is leading a settled life after pretty much giving up on dangerous detective pursuits. His fiancée, Leah, is pregnant with their child, and Rick is more than delighted by the news. However, his health seems to be a concern, as the headaches suggest a grave brain-related disease. Rick just wants to stay alive long enough to see his child and maybe spend some quality time with the baby.
When Moria, his dear friend, and investigative partner, calls for help, Rick knows he’ll do anything for her. She’s been through thick and thin by his side, and it’s time to help her. Moria’s son Luke seems to have broken a restraining order, and she wants to know what Luke is up to.
Rick finds the request simple enough. However, the surveillance and Luke’s subsequent disappearance, followed by deaths in the past and present complicate the case. Rick is now deep into the dealings of the corporate and Pharma world. With billions of dollars at stake, no life is safe. It’s up to Rick to find the truth and keep Luke alive (if he isn’t already dead). Of course, it feels as if Rick’s time has become rather limited on the earth.
Will Rick manage to expose the dark dealings and stay alive long enough to see his child?
Last Redemption is the eighth book in the series and can be read as a standalone. It starts a little slow but soon picks up the pace and keeps the story going. There’s a mystery, thrill, suspense, intrigue, danger, and action.
Even though this is my first book, I had no trouble understanding the relationship between the characters. There are enough snippets to provide a backstory when necessary. Rick is a rugged PI who goes more by instinct than by the book (PIs can’t solve cases if they go by the book). That puts him in danger more than once, but it goes with the job. He’s extra worried this time because of the ticking clock and a miracle child on the way.
The plot is revealed one step at a time through different characters and developments. I enjoyed how the whole thing was structured to arrive at the final conclusion. The culprit wasn’t hard to guess. In fact, we pretty much know who it is halfway through. The rest of it is to uncover the what, how, when, why and bring everything together.
There were a couple of incidents that made me wonder why Rick didn’t think of those on his own. He is an experienced PI, after all. But I let go because his character was clearly not at his best in this book. He was worried about the brain damage, and that most likely affected his instincts.
There’s an epilogue of sorts, which ties up the loose ends (almost). The book ends in such a way that there may or may not be a continuation. It leaves the reader satisfied and gives the author a chance to decide what to do with the series.
The story reminded me of the current scenario where a section of the Indian media and opposition has been lobbying for Pfizer to be brought when our Indian vaccines are already effective. The misinformation doesn't seem to stop when money is involved.
To sum up, Last Redemption is a steady-paced thriller with a capable PI taking control of the case. I’m going to check out the previous books in the series and start from the first.
Thank you, NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
#LastRedemption #NetGalley
*****
P.S: I ignored the typos and minute errors as my e-galley was an uncorrected proof copy. ...more
2010: Kayla’s Carter lost her husband in an accident when building their dream house in Round H3 Stars
One Liner: A social drama with a bit of mystery
2010: Kayla’s Carter lost her husband in an accident when building their dream house in Round Hill. The house is now complete and ready for Kayla and her four-year-old daughter to move in.
However, a strange woman walks into the office and tells her not to move in. The meeting leaves Kayla shaken, but she has no choice but to move into the new house.
Kayla soon meets Ellie Hockley, a woman with secrets from her past. Ellie is a lovely lady, but what does Kayla know about her anyway?
1965: Ellie is determined to do something worthy in her life. Marrying her boyfriend and having kids isn’t on her list. When Prez Johnson announces a change in voting registration, the civil rights activities plan SCOPE, a program to convince black voters to register and vote for their rights.
Ellie knows she needs to be a part of the program even if her family and friends don’t see the reason. But life is hardly easy when a revolution is brimming. Ellie’s decision changes many lives, including her own. What had happened back then that Ellie still holds resentment in her heart and maybe even desire for justice?
How do Ellie’s and Kayla’s lives converge with so many decades between them? Why is the house on the hit list? What will happen when the secrets come out in the open?
What Worked for Me:
• The second half of the book, or rather the last 100 pages or so. • Side characters seemed more defined (with their flaws) and real than the main leads. • Rounded ending with no loose ends. • Not a happy ever after but hopeful and assuring. • The portrayal of racism, KKK, and bigotry.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
• The first 65% of the book is slow and left me wondering what the mystery was and when it’ll be solved. • Kayla paled when compared to Ellie. Her track didn’t feel emotional or touching despite her apparent sorrow and fear. • Ellie’s track was the primary focus of the book, and that affected the mystery angle as well as the modern-day Kayla’s story. What saved the story was how the two came together at the end. • Ellie fights for the cause, against racism, and for black rights. All good. She has better character development than Kayla. But she appears too good, too innocent, and unwilling to believe the worst of those she loves.
(view spoiler)[Ellie was more than ready to blame Reed for the attack on Win, saying he was jealous when he was supportive and understanding (as much as he could in the circumstances). However, when it came to her parents and even Brenda, who openly showed their disgust and hatred, she wasn’t willing to consider them guilty.
Even after almost five decades, she was ready to blame Reed rather than rethink what had happened that night and who all were involved. A classic case of selective blaming and unwillingness to see people for who they are. Being an ostrich when it comes to dear ones doesn’t make her an ally. (hide spoiler)]
Ellie finds solace in yoga after whatever happens in her life and is a yoga teacher in the present track. She is also vegan and loves Middle Eastern cuisine. Of course, she couldn’t find solace in any other profession (despite being a pharmacologist) or fall in love with another cuisine. Talk of irony! Racism is much more than abusing a race/ culture or burning crosses.
To sum up, The Last House on the Street deals with poignant issues and is more of a social drama than a mystery. Many people loved the book, but some elements didn’t work for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Alessia has a loving husband, Carl, and a cute little son, Jacob. Her **Happy Publication Day**
*****
4 Stars
One Liner: Quick, Focused, and Intriguing
Alessia has a loving husband, Carl, and a cute little son, Jacob. Her life appears wonderful, and it was until it isn’t anymore.
Alessia has a past. She and her friend Sarah have done something they shouldn’t have. The news became public, and somehow it was only Alessia who stood the trial.
Twenty years have gone by, and some of her fears have subsided. But then, there’s someone intent on digging up the past and ruining her life again.
People didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t commit the crime. Alessia knows they won’t believe her now either. Her family, her life, and her future are at stake. Can she face the past to save her family?
What will happen when the truth comes out? And… what is the actual truth?
The story goes back and forth (now and then, written under the chapter head for convenience). The narration is in the limited third person and gives us insights into the characters’ minds.
Plus Points
• Short chapters and lots of tell (works for the story) • Good pace throughout • Focus on what’s necessary for the plot • No unnecessary twists or subplots (there were many instances to complicate the story and extend it by another 50-70 pages. Thank you for not doing that.) • Clearly defined characters (not deep but easy to predict their actions) • Harriet is a sensible cop. I wish she has a book of her own (or even a series) • No rambling (most of the time. The rest was necessary to provide more information) • Deals with topics like child abuse, trauma, and mental health without overemphasizing anything • Sustains interest almost from first to last (I had to rearrange my ideas more than once) • It's a small book (less than 300 pages) and a quick read
Things That Didn’t Work Me
• Some strange use of adverbs (ref: robotically. I'll never forget this word now. Ugh!). It seemed like an attempt to shorten sentences to increase the pace. Doesn’t always work.
• The first chapter! I can’t put my finger on it, but the first chapter just wasn’t right in there for me. It’s perfect bait (something I've done myself). Yet, something felt off. If the book didn’t come with recco, I’d have been wary of the rest.
• The scene in the climax felt a wee bit unrealistic. I see why it was done. Just wished it was a bit more ‘in there’ with the rest of it.
To sum up, I’ll Never Tell is a quick thriller dealing with important social issues. The overall result is more than satisfactory.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The book is written in rhyming verse and has sweet illustrations about a brother and sister who have to play a fun game to earn jellybeans. 3.8 Stars
The book is written in rhyming verse and has sweet illustrations about a brother and sister who have to play a fun game to earn jellybeans.
While the verse as such wasn’t gripping, the concept was. The book isn’t limited to teaching kids about sharing. It talks of being patient, planning, and knowing how to win. There’s a bit of subtle financial advice for kids about saving.
That said, parents/ teachers will have to explain it to the kids and start a discussion. The themes in the book can be interpreted for different aspects, so that’s a win-win situation at the end.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Mascot Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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