Notting Hill Carnival: A Westside Story by Candice Carty-Williams

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 could have ended up somewhere worse. And everything that happened, because of you, showed me that.”

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

The Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin

Rating: DNF Themes: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction Thoughts: Thoughts I tried to like this book I really did. I'd put it down to DNF only to return the next day to give it another go but unfortunately this story really couldn't keep my attention and i found myself scrolling on my phove with the book atill open in my other hand. The story has a sweet premise though it didn't exactly call to me but looking at other less favourable reviews this isn't indicative of Cressida's best work so I may have to have a go at a different book. Favourite Quote: Over the last week or so I've been seeing things a bit differently. I've been reminded that life doesn't have to be small and neat, everything put away in separate boxes. And that, even if you'd like it small and neat, that's not always how it turns out."

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