KJK Reads

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Short Stories, Mystery Thoughts:  I love reading these quick reads as a way of dipping my toe into a new authors writing and this is a great intro to Braithwaite’s writing and I will check out her longer books as I like her style. This one despite being short was very twisty and kept me guessing right until the end. I found the males mentioned in this book insufferable, especially with their attitudes towards women but it just added to the more complex characters involved and helped touch on the behaviour between the women in a better context.

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Cookbook Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I’m not really sure about the marketing of healthy living, as if protein is the be all and end all of a healthy diet since fiber is such an essential part of a balanced diet and has more health implications than a lack of protein, it can feed into the misunderstanding of its priority in diet that is prevalent online at the moment. However, I myself sometimes struggle with getting enough protein in my diet so I thought this book would be great for meal ideas on the days where I need to prioritise protein. The book has quite a long beginning before getting into the actual recipes (over 90 pages) but it is great that they explained the importance of protein and strategies for incorporating it in the beginning (although I’m guessing most of those who pick this sort of book up already know all that). The recipes themselves are easy to follow and there’s so many di...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Romance, Short Stories  Thoughts: I have to admit that I may have forgotten the intricacies of West Side Story so I may have been going into this a little more of a blank slate than many readers. I understood early on that Sapphire would be our FMC but it did take me a minute to accept Apollo as the MMC, but the way in which they interacted made it make more sense. The story did develop quite fast but this is a short story and they are both just 20 so whirlwind romances are much more common and acceptable in that age group. I didn’t see the way the fight scene played out coming, but it led to a great ending. I think Carty-Williams’ idea of taking the older story and applying it in a way younger people can relate to is a great idea, especially handling the topic of gangs and knives which are both horrifically prevalent at the moment. Favourite Quote: “I just want to thank you, you know. Yeah, I ended up in hospital, but the path I was on wasn't a good one. I ...

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Graphic Novel, Young Adult Thoughts:  This is such a beautiful book. I wasn’t sure what kind of tragedy in the making could arise in such a beautiful holiday destination, especially with this book being marketed to young adults/teens but it handled some really complex and difficult topics really well. The illustrations are amazing and compliment the intricately woven stories well. I liked the contrast of the girls exploring typical things like crushes, scary movies and gossip with them learning about more mature subjects like teen pregnancies and relationship problems.  Favourite Quote: “You read articles. I know it's the most natural thing... Yes. Well. Mother Nature isn't always the nicest person in the world”

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Cookbook, Alcohol  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a cute trendy little cocktail book. I know the cowgirl aesthetic, especially the hats, is in style at the moment and although I haven’t bought into all that (at least yet), I do quite like country music. The cocktail names were well thought out and witty but I did notice a trend of mainly really famous songs and really new ones (Austin by Dasha) too but there were a few more obscure ones showing the creator had done a little bit of research into the area. The recipes themselves were really easy to follow and the ingredients list at the top was clear so I could make sure I had everything I needed before starting. It was a good touch to add the box with the actual song being parodied at the bottom for those new to the area incase they couldn’t guess from the drink.

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Cookbook  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Those who know me know I absolutely love Italian food, especially pastas, and am constantly on the lookout for new dishes/recipes to try. This book is absolutely perfect with so many recipes there’s bound to be something for everyone. I liked the way in which the recipes were split up with pasta having its own section, and recipes on making each type as well as complete dishes, as well as pizzas and focaccia since I also love focaccia. The dishes with meat, those with seafood and plant-based being separated is great as it makes it easier when cooking for people with dietary restrictions such as a pescetarian or a vegetarian. The recipes themselves are easy to follow and laid out well with the ingredients to one side making it easy to check you have everything before you start. I also liked that at the top of each recipe is an active time and a total time...