Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

Rating:

3 Stars

Themes:

Mystery, Suspense, Fiction

Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure whether to stick with this book and at one point I mentioned reading it to see if it gets better because it felt like it was taking forever to get started as over 100 pages and we weren’t even in Morocco yet despite the blurb saying soon. I found Florence unlikeable almost from the beginning as she seemed to feel she was better than everyone and deserved more than everyone else while almost blaming them for her not having it yet. I also found Helen and her attitudes unlikeable pretty soon after meeting her so that made me more hesitant about the book but I was confident that they’re being portrayed that way for a reason and they really were. As the real mystery elements unfolded in the latter half of the book I saw that all the build up (that I thought was slowing it down) and Florence and Helen’s characteristics were really important to making the ending work. I was very interested in seeing how the twists and turns after the car accident worked out and found it fun to be able to guess some but still be surprised too.

Favourite Quote:

“The only place she had ever gotten a sense of the world's beauty and magnitude was in books. She'd been obsessed with The Lord of the Rings in middle school. She'd loved escaping into a universe entirely unlike her own. It was part of what made her want to be a writer. She wanted to hold that immensity in her hand. To mold entire worlds according to her vision.”

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 ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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