KJK Reads

Rating:  4 Stars  Themes:  Contemporary, Psychological Fiction, Care System, Coming of Age, Thought Provoking, Arranged Marriages, Pregnancy, Racial Issues Thoughts:  Gritty, heartbreaking and real. My heart broke for Bess who despite all her bravado is still a vulnerable young girl. With a foster mother who threatens with socials services and doesn't try to hide her preferences for the bio child and memorial of her own bio mother trying to drown her as a child, Bess is vulnerability and in desperate need of affection. So naturally she doesn't see the problem with a boy 4 years older than her (at only 15) wanting to hang out and be intimate. However, when she ends up pregnant as a result, she's left with no adults to turn to for support. And when her foster parents finally find out, they attach her with ultimatums that only reaffirm the preference for the biochild and leave Bess feeling isolated again.  Although a side character, Esh is also an important person ...

Rating: 4 Stars  Themes:  Romance, Enemies to Lovers, One Bed, Fake Dating Thoughts: A sweet slow burn romance where the man falls first. We can tell so earlier on how much Aaron cares for Catalina (wayy before she notices). My heart broke a little for Lina when we found out about her past and why exactly she was so weary of feeling anything for Aaron but the epilogue showed sometimes it's worth opening up and risking hurt.  Favourite Quote: "You know every person is different. We all have our own pace to put back together our lives after going through something like that. Some people need more time then others. And if you haven't managed to get there yet, then there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Memoir, Holocaust, Non-Fiction, Biography, War Thoughts: Another poignant holocaust story, this time highlighting areas not commonly taught/known. Despite knowing Gypsy's were sent to Auschwitz and it being mentioned breifly in other stories like the Tattoist of Auschwitz, the stories of those held in the Gypsy camp aren't as widely known or spoken of as others held in the camp (such as Jews or POWs). Otto is just a child when everything started and as he grows both in age and experiences, talking us as readers through his journey into the camp and survival as if as it happens. It can be a difficult read at times, especially things such as the soldiers speaking to him as a child by his name while knowing exactly what they were doing to him and his campmates in the camp before transportation to Auschwitz.  Favourite Quote: "In a situation like that, you lose all sense of compassion. Your only instinct is to kick, beat and steal in pursuit of some adv...

Rating: 3 Stars  Themes: Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance, Short Story Thoughts:  A lovely short story detailing the backstory of Eva and Nolan. Steamy in some areas and full of love and ambition. As someone whos family is from a small village, I agreed with the dynamics of coming from a small town and Eva's concerns and desires around returning. Personally I would have split the first chapter up into more (although that may have been my own problem as a cat kept trying to help read) but overall a sweet read and I definitely need to read more in the series to understand the epilogue.  Favourite Quote: "I know my word's are true because when Iook out at the people who supported me all my life that this is right. That this is where I belong. Home. Always."

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Horror, Thriller, Gothic, Paranormal, Dual Timeline Thoughts: This is my first horror/supernatural type read and it was definitely different for me. The haunting type chapters were well written although I personally feel the book was a little long with some of the paragraphs feeling unnecessary, especially by the end when we knew more about what was going off. Favourite Quote: "No. It's self-preservation. Some people get a glimpse of what might be there truth, their truth anyhow, and they think they can find a way into - into something not meant for them. And it never ends well. Never. People lose perspective."

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Coming of Age, Romance, Young Adult, Psychological Fiction Thoughts: A coming of age story with mystery and romance threaded in. Quinn’s lost journal causes her to face many things in her life she was too scared to tackle, helps her find new, Black friends who understand what her life is like and gaining a boyfriend along the way. Quinn was mostly loveable and her actions mainly understandable but I struggled to feel empathy for her in some areas like having to face the reality after her own lies about University were released.  Favourite Quote: "There are enough closed doors and glass ceilings in the world. My comfort zone shouldn’t be one of them."

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Thriller, Mental Health, Psychological Thriller, Murder Mystery, Crime, Unreliable Narrator Thoughts: This is the first book I've finished and felt genuinely disappointed by (and it’s my 50th this year). There were over 400 pages in the book and the premise really excited me so I had high hopes for the execution. There was clearly quite a bit of research put into this book with details such as the medications for different mental illnesses and the procedures inside a mental health unit being present when needed and accurate. There was also a fair amount with the police procedures, detailing both the official police procedure and Alice's own daily investigation being included. However, the ending felt rushed to me which was even weirder with how many pages were available, and the last few pages showing that Alice had already been terminated due to mental ill health felt like it left the book unfinished.  Favourite Quote: "I mean, apparently a lot of ...

Rating: 5 Stars  Themes: Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Dark, Mystery Thoughts: This book is a complex story that keeps you on edge right till the end, and with that ending even then. Verity herself is a complex and fairly unlikeable character but depending on which team you fall on (manuscript vs letter), may be redeamable right at the end or even worse for lying about that. I somewhat understand what Lowen was doing taking the job and moving to the Crawford home, but seeing her develop a relationship with Jeremy and invading what little privacy Verity should have by reading the secret manuscript when she knew it wasn't meant for someone like her feels extremely inappropriate and especially with the manuscript trying to justify her own affair.  Favourite Quote: "Some families are lucky enough to never experience a single tragedy. But then there are those families that seem to have tragedies waiting on the back burner. What can go wrong, goes wrong. And then gets worse.”