Category: Hodder Children

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (Book Review)

Publishers Hodder Children’s Books
Pages 302
Book Birthday 26.1.2021
How I Got It NetGalley
About: Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley – the girls she’s been.
Nora didn’t choose a life of deception – she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.
For five years Nora’s been playing at normal – but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes … awkward). Now it will take all of Nora’s con artistry skills to get them out alive.
Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is – that girl has been in hiding for far too long …

This book is everything I wanted in a contemporary thriller read. It’s written in a way that makes it destined to be a hit when adapted for the screen later this year.

What I loved most of all was the almost dejavu feeling of familiarity I got from falling into the narrative. Not in a rip-off way, but that comfortable, I’m in safe hands, sort of way. It took me a day or to afterwards to pin point what it was. I’d recently watched the episode Monday of X-Files. The only connection really being that they’re were both set in a bank during a robbery. However, I would argue that it’s testament to Sharpe’s writing that I connect the book to one of the best episodes of a much loved show.

The characters are amazing and I must emphasise that I adore the introduction of a character with endometritis and the commentary of periods. It’s subtle and yet incredibly powerful. It also doesn’t feel forced or plot driven, it’s simply something the reader is left to consider, empathise or, in some cases, relate. It’s strange to say ‘representation’, however while so many women are being ignored when it comes to diagnosing this condition, having it presented as a condition that should be taken seriously is validity that a lot of women will appreciate. I do also occasionally wonder how many women will seek a diagnosis because of this book.

What I truly loved was that it works as a stand alone novel. I feel satisfied. However, if a sequel were to emerge I’d be happy.
One things for certain; between this and Evolution of Clare, Sharpe is a writer I will automatically read from now on.

The Liars by Jennifer Mathieu

Publisher: Hachette/ Hodder

Pages: 352

Release date: 5.9.19

About: From the author of Moxie, soon to be a major Netflix production

The highly anticipated new novel from Jennifer Mathieu. Two siblings wrestle with the secrets and lies that threaten to destroy their future. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars.

How can one family have so many secrets?

It’s the summer of 1986. Joaquin and Elena, two teenage siblings live in a toxic environment with their alcoholic mother on an island off the Texas Gulf Coast.

Elena falls for a new boy who has just arrived from California. Joaquin must wrestle with his decision to stay on Mariposa Island to protect his sister or flee from his mother’s abuse.

As both teenagers struggle to figure out who they are and want to be, they are caught in a web of family dysfunction and secrets from their mother’s past.

Can fierce love save them, or will their truth tear them apart?

There are very few authors I will drop my TBR for the minute I’m able to read a new book from them. Jennifer Mathieu is one of those authors.

The Liars is a powerful read that will stay with me for a long time. It’s narratives are haunting and heartbreaking. I thought this was amazing right from the beginning and then there was a flip; in came a third voice that challenged everything I thought and felt. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life.

It’s themes don’t make for an easy read, but I feel it’s one that is much needed for the current climate.

The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

About:
A brand new series from Booktuber Lucy Powrie – about what happens when you give up on trying to fit in and let your weird out! It’s time to join The Paper & Hearts Society …
Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn’t want to go to parties – in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.
It’s like she hasn’t found her people …
Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING – especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.
But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it’s the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed’s fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself …
Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?
Perfect for fans of Holly Smale and Super Awkward.

Review

I knew I’d love this book. It’s the sort of book that has an energy about it before you even jump into the world.
What I wasn’t expecting was to feel so utterly at home with the characters that I wanted to sign up and join the society. I mourned the ending more than any book I’ve read this year.
I had to pause part way through due to issues regarding my own mental health; these characters felt so real to me that I pulled away from them in fear that my negativity would infect them.
Tabby is our eyes into this inclusive literary world. She takes a leap despite her reluctance and it gives her a group to call her own. And while she holds back on incidents in her past, she is still that relatable girl who questions her value when it comes to deserving friends.
The plot is a delightful origins story for what I hope is going to be a new series about friendship, belonging and love in various forms. There will be aspects that can lead you to suspect how the plot will unravel, which gives the book a suspenseful tone that the cover totally doesn’t prepare you for.
The book ends with a heartfelt and fulfilling resolution. It ensures the book works as a stand alone, but it’s the characters that will have you begging for more.

Emily Eternal by M G Wheaton

About: Meet Emily – she can solve advanced mathematical problems, unlock the mind’s deepest secrets and even fix your truck’s air con, but unfortunately, she can’t restart the Sun.

‘A visionary work of science fiction’ Blake Crouch, author of DARK MATTER

She’s an artificial consciousness, designed in a lab to help humans process trauma, which is particularly helpful when the sun begins to die 5 billion years before scientists agreed it was supposed to.

So, her beloved human race is screwed, and so is Emily. That is, until she finds a potential answer buried deep in the human genome. But before her solution can be tested, her lab is brutally attacked, and Emily is forced to go on the run with two human companions – college student Jason and small-town Sheriff, Mayra.

As the sun’s death draws near, Emily and her friends must race against time to save humanity. But before long it becomes clear that it’s not only the species at stake, but also that which makes us most human.

Characters

Emily is the strangest main character I’ve ever had the pleasure to have met on a literary journey. Experiencing the story from the sole perspective of an AI, one that feels and learns gives a unique voice to her. Her skills and personality are engaging and you are emotionally invested from the start.

Jason is only ever seen through Emily’s eyes, but he’s a likeable character and I do enjoy Emily’s conflict in her engagement with him.

Plot

The plot is a high octane ticking clock. It kept my heart racing from the moment all hell broke loose up until the moment Emily Eternal resolved.

Writing

It was the writing that made sure I was able to follow this otherwise high concept story. The form grounded the characters and the plot in such a way that removed any confusion that would have been present at the hands of another author.

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Devoted is quite possibly the most difficult read I’ve ever experienced. It’s expertly written and contained wonderful, well rounded and well intended, characters to compliment a complex and compelling story.

However, it really held me ransom and I had to take a few pauses and even considered abandoning it completely at one point. Again, this is actually a testament to the writer. Mathieu has, again, created something real and emotive.

It just so happens that while I have a love of books like Book of Fire and The Special One’s that contain a cult-like society, I found devoted, being one rooted within a real religion, so unbelievably frightening. There were certain fears I had about the progression of the plot and that the book would send an anti-religion message. I think my fear came from the thought that this plot is so real in parts of the world.

I’m happy to say, the message I wanted was made very clear. It’s the first contemporary book I’ve read in a long time that has had me question the world in which we live in. My main reason for not abandoning the book was that I felt I had a duty to not leave Rachel with her family. I felt overwhelmed and trapped within the narrative, just as she did.

Mathieu’s writing helped me moved past my own weakness and I felt like I was supporting Rachel on her journey. I loved the romantic sub plot between Rachel and Mark. More so that there was no rush to tell their story within the confines of the novel. I’ve been inspired, they’re now part of me and I will spend some time considering their blossoming friendship and perhaps romance.

Love Han x