It’s been 7 years since Holly Kennedy’s husband Gerry passed away and he left 10 letters for her to open every month in the year following his death tIt’s been 7 years since Holly Kennedy’s husband Gerry passed away and he left 10 letters for her to open every month in the year following his death to help her through her grief. Now Holly is in a new relationship, her life is back on track, kind of, until she takes part in a podcast - telling her and Gerry’s story and the magic of his letters. Now she is being contacted by a group of terminally ill people calling themselves the PS I Love You Club and they need her help but will her involvement bring her back to the darkest time in her life?
For fans of PS I Love You, this story might be a sweet yet emotional return to the life of Holly, her friends and family, and her memories of Gerry who served the ultimate romantic move by leaving behind letters for his wife, even when he was no longer around. I wasn’t sure about this at first and if the continuance of the story was a good idea, as it feels like things for Holly are still very raw, she isn’t fully healed from Gerry’s loss and then when the club approach her she’s very prickly - and I understood this as there is an element of feeling these people took something from Gerry by ‘stealing� his idea without permission from Holly, it felt like a gut punch at the start.
However, the more the story progresses and Holly explores the journey of her grief further and the person she is now compared to the Holly Gerry knew, she and the readers realize how much she needs the club and vice versa. She ends up learning more about Gerry and why he wrote the letters and understands his process more while helping others with their own letters.
The only thing I wasn’t completely sold on in this book was Holly’s relationship with Gabriel - maybe it’s because we just had to accept Gabriel from the start, we didn’t see the beginning of their relationship, just the rocky middle part. I think I wanted something bigger and more romantic for her and I felt like Gabriel just wasn’t that.
The end felt a little bit rushed and I would have liked to have seen Holly next steps take place more in the end of the middle, so the middle I guess was a bit drawn out and it took a while for a bulk of the initial club moments to happen and for Holly to make certain decisions.
But I enjoyed this. I listened to it on audiobook narrated by Amy Huberman who did a lovely job....more
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Eating disorder, emotional abuse, death
Dinner Party starts with just that as Kate hosts her family for an anniversary dinner dedicated to the memory of her twin sister. As she sits at the table with her two brothers, Kate can’t help but think of all the tensions and things left unsaid, while her own mental health dips in and out. The story then switches between past and present as we learn bout Kate’s childhood, her sister and her adult life.
This is a very character focused novel where we get a lot of slices of Kate’s life and her interactions with the important people that shaped who she was. We also learn what it’s like for her to grow up as a twin, and despite their differences, how severe that untethering is when her twin dies in a tragic accident.
A big part of this book focuses on Kate’s eating disorder and how affected a lot of her life including college and relationships, and how in her early thirties it has resurfaced as she has fallen into a toxic relationship with a married man. I think the book personally could do with a content warning at the start to make this more clear for people as I was surprised that the book focused so heavily on an ED but thankfully wouldn’t be affected by it personally. There is also a very toxic relationship between Kate’s mother and pretty much all of her family - it’s clear her mother is a narcissist and likes to bring down her family while also drawing them close. While the end of the book did see little steps made in everyone confronting this behavior, it still wasn’t quite enough for me as I felt the mother was such an awful character and I hated how she treated her children.
Once I was past the initial first chapter which for some reason was slow for me, I read the rest of the book very quickly and easily. I think Sarah Gilmartin is able to create flawed characters going through their own trauma very well, and telling a story in a pretty addicting way but I do prefer her second novel Service over this one....more
Abi has just finished her school exams and is now entering that summer between secondary school and college life - and with dad working away for threeAbi has just finished her school exams and is now entering that summer between secondary school and college life - and with dad working away for three weeks, she has the house to herself and the freedom to make some choices to step out of her sheltered upbringing like going to the local underage disco, and finally talking to the cute local boy who works in the chipper.
This was a very sweet story about a sweet girl and there's so much in it that I think would really resonate with another teen reader from Abi's journey with learning more about her Afro hair texture and styling, make-up for her skin and her loneliness at not having a lot of Black female role models in her life and how much she yearns for one. There's also just the normal teen dilemmas from first crushes, uncertainty about the future and friendship that everyone can relate to as well.
I do think some of the writing is very simple and there were times I felt the characters, particularly Abi, read a lot younger - 15 more so than 18 - but I actually found the story as a whole so heartwarming I didn't mind and at the end of the day I'm also not the target audience for this story anyway so I think teen readers won't mind this....more
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Róise, Maggie and Harley are all celebrating their bI received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Róise, Maggie and Harley are all celebrating their big 3-0’s and still living life as if they are college students in a moldy, falling-down house share, shared custody of a turtle called Barnaby and a lot of romantic exploits and dramas still following them around. All three also still mourning the death of their friend Lydia, whose death was sudden and happened before an argument could be resolved.
This book is chaotic and heartwarming showing female friendship at its finest and its worst, and a combination of sad girl/messy girl. Perfect for fans of Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident or Ghosts by Dolly Alderton.
The pacing and the style of the writing is easy to fly through and you almost feel hungover yourself as you travel along on the girls� nights out from pub to nightclub to…museum. Grief is a big element in this book as the ghost of Lydia is with them all the time from her room which still holds her vibrator (and yes, Harley thinking about using it was a bit of a step too far), as well as the echoes of their last argument with her and the forgiveness that can never be shared.
Each girl is going through their own stuff - Róise is still reeling a bit from her past relationship but ends up entering a sexual relationship with her boss Adam (who is actually a pretty decent guy) and her issues may end up stalling it before it’s really begun. Maggie, the lesbian of the group, is in a toxic relationship with her ‘friend� Cate who keeps her at arm’s length but also pulls her in every chance she gets. And then Harley definitely takes too much drugs, likes her landlord/dealer a little bit too much and could probably do with making better, healthier decisions with her sex life.
The book feels more character focused than plot as we follow the girls from one exploit to another, or one mistake to another. TW for some descriptions of disordered eating (stemming from anxiety rather than body image), abortion, and heavy drug and sexual content. I would have liked to have seen a bit more character growth throughout rather than a lot of it being shoehorned in at the end in the last chapter even though it was nice seeing the girls all a bit healthier and happier....more
Dr Terry O'Brien has moved from Glasgow to Dublin to become the new state pathologist and things take a turn when the body of a young woman is broughtDr Terry O'Brien has moved from Glasgow to Dublin to become the new state pathologist and things take a turn when the body of a young woman is brought in. It's obvious the woman was murdered and once she's identified, things start to become more interesting as her case is linked to the death of other young women. But Terry's words about a serial killer are falling among deaf ears at the Garda HQ, and she starts investigating on her own.
This was...okay? Due to the author's experience being a real pathologist, these areas of the book were well written and very informative. I also liked how you could see that even though Terry was investigating the murder, it wasn't really her job and she was warning away from stepping on too many toes unlike other books where the pathologist or coroner is immediately brought in to help every step of the way.
I think the characters felt a bit wooden too me, and not totally like real people. There were elements of the mystery where it felt like Terry and the story was going around in circles and becoming repetitive. I also thought the mushroom angle was a bit out of left field.
Not the worst crime book I've read but not the best. ...more
We are back for another, and final, Aisling book and retuning to New York where Aisling has just answered her door to an unlikely guest. This book seeWe are back for another, and final, Aisling book and retuning to New York where Aisling has just answered her door to an unlikely guest. This book sees Aisling mke some big decisions about her future, and as always support her friends as they go through their own milestones.
I was skeptic about this book as I was really unhappy about the return of that character in the last book - I hadn't enjoyed the storyline of them getting back in touch and it borderline felt like emotional cheating. It's very obvious what decisions Aisling is going to make and yes, it was hard to see her leave NYC behind for a return to BGB. Now Aisling is Aisling - she was never going to live in New York for the rest of her life but I would have liked to have seen her make a bit more of a go of it, and stay a bit longer.
In saying all of that, there is something about all of these characters from Aisling, John, mammy, Majella, Sadhb and even Una Hatton that is so lovely and heartwarming and I loved when Aisling back in the heart of things while still being able to balance her corporate life in Dublin. I was worried about what would happen with the relationship because surely it's been tried and failed (twice) before but the character growth and maturity was really there this time and it did feel like a new start for them, and in many ways it was a new John and for the first time ever, I actually liked him!
The pregnancy storyline has Majella gets another big blowout bash for her baby shower and Aisling's own struggles with her own journey really hit me this time - (view spoiler)[ the miscarriage section of the book was done really well, not holding anything back or brushing it under the rug but showing the gory side without being too much, the pain and the grief for both man and woman (hide spoiler)].
I feel sad leaving this gang behind as I enjoy reading about everything going on in BGB!...more
Anna Walsh is back in her parent’s house in Dublin, recovering from a terrible accident and thinking about her return to New York and reuniting with hAnna Walsh is back in her parent’s house in Dublin, recovering from a terrible accident and thinking about her return to New York and reuniting with her husband Aidan.
This is the fourth book in the Walsh series and so far, it’s my favorite one. Anna has always been a bit of a kooky sister, along with Helen, but we see a tamed back version of her here a few years after Angel, with a job in beauty PR, a husband and a successful life in New York.
Now we see how Anna is shattered and needing to build herself back up with a new reality and while this book is quite heartbreaking at times, it’s also laugh out loud funny. I genuinely think I will be using the term ‘feathery stroker� for a certain kind of man for the rest of my life now and now love to identify feathery strokers in real life or books. I also really enjoyed seeing Rachel in this book and how far she has come since her own book Rachel’s Holiday. I’m already looking forward to reuniting with Anna in My Favorite Mistake....more
Erin is a young woman living in Belfast with a spiky relationship with her mother, and trying to deal with her grief after the death of her best frienErin is a young woman living in Belfast with a spiky relationship with her mother, and trying to deal with her grief after the death of her best friend. Waling away from her college degree, and drinking with friends while working as a nanny, Erin is trying to put the past behind her while hooking up with on again, off again love interest Mikey as well as developing a relationship with American professor Matt.
This kind of a coming of a age novel - there’s not a lot a plot but very character focused on Erin’s decisions from what she’s going to do with herself as well as how she actually treats herself from drink and drugs, as well as casual sex with two different men. Her relationship/sanctuary with religion is a touching part of the novel and I liked at one point when she’s talking to Matt about how in Belfast (or Ireland in general) you don’t have to necessarily be religious to go to a church to light a candle for someone.
I think I would have liked to have seen more happen between Erin and her mam as there were definitely a lot of things still unresolved by the end of the novel, and it’s a relationship that started the novel and is obviously a very hurtful one in Erin’s life.
I wish I would have liked this a little bit more. It was fine but it didn’t blow me away the way I thought it was going to be. I think people who like books like Snowflake by Louise Nealon or The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue might like this one as it follows the same vein of ‘messy gal trying to figure out where she’s going� vibes....more
The sequel to The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets brings us back to the land of Celtic Ireland and the reign of BriThe sequel to The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets brings us back to the land of Celtic Ireland and the reign of Brian Born. After the battle of Clontarf, Gormflaith is now Brian’s wife and isn’t very happy about it - seething at the betrayal of her son, and her brother, and lamenting her role as woman in a world where even someone has powerful as she is has to hide their strength. As Gormflaith’s bitterness grows, Fódla is also struggling both with her guilt over her friend who died to save her, as well as her split loyalties between the Descendants, her abusive ex-husband Tomas and her new love for the humans of Brian Boru’s fort.
This book/trilogy is just really well written and researched and I throughly enjoyed this next foray into the lives of two incredibly different but compelling women. Where Fódla is gentle, Gormflaith is hard and when Gormflaith makes the selfish decisions, Fódla will always be self sacrificing. Yet while Gormflaith does so many bad things, you can’t hate her as much as you want to as you can see how she has been stepped down and crushed by those around her and she screams to be independent and free.
I love Fódla's character growth in this story as she realizes the abuse and manipulation she has received from Tomas - and I also really enjoyed the chapters in other POVs set in the Descendants camp and seeing how not all is well with Tomas’s exacting rule.
I do feel like declarations of love between Fódla and a male character in the book came quite suddenly even though it had been building for a while - I think I would have liked a kiss or more subtle touches and moments before the love and marriage declarations.
This is a character-focused story with some action and history thrown in that gives the fantastical side a deeper feeling and I love it. I’m so excited to read the third book and see what happens and good god, I hope Tomas gets thrown off a building or something! Especially now we know the truth behind the crows!!!...more
Loading...
