I found this really entertaining, perhaps because I am close in ages to the characters and have experienced the same angst about life that forms the backbone of this book. I kept wanting to hear more about HER side of the story, and the 'big reveal' about her feelings just felt a bit ordinary. Maybe that was the point. The strength of feelings we have in ordinary situations. Like him, an entertaining read, but quiteforgettable now I have moved on!

It was an entertaining easy read, and I enjoyed it. I felt it relied on a lot of cliches and a stereotypical bad-guy husband with no redeeming features. Also a huge fascination with hair... Anyway, lots of small characters who didn't add a lot to the plot, alongside our plucky heroine, who took a lot of slightly implausible risks. Particularly for the finale. I mean, you just would NOT do that. Unnecessary peril. But nevertheless, a good read.

I mean...it was entertaining and I cared about what would happen next. I liked the ENORMOUS hints that the author dropped, that meant we all knew the big reveal long before the character knew. I loved that it was split into three 'chapters' - effectively diagnosis, aftermath and ending. I found the main woman and her friends likeable and believable. BUT. It's just too ridiculous. Another story of someone doing something completely against the odds

This book opens with a lot of sexual intercourse... It's graphic, light porn! It's interesting to think back and analyse that and its relationship to other themes in the book now I have finished. It's a journey novel, and the hapless protagonist is not particularly likeable. There are philosophical themes embedded within this sordid image of China; the illegal dog trade, consumerism and ethinicism are all covered. An absorbing & strange read. Odd.

I really enjoyed this book. For the first few sections, I was expecting the narrator to change, or the original setting to escalate - but no, like a one-act play, a one-shot film or a monologue, I remained captive to this intriguing storyteller. It spoke to me of humanity and the way people's storylines can be misinterpreted - was he a young, heartbroken boy whose sense of self evolved through the story? Or was he a terrorist jihadi troublemaker?

Truly horrifying, stupefying gruesome and unforgettable. Peppered with facts about the Foley craft, accidental deaths and the unbearable torment of grief, this book is a whirlwind of emotion. While describing one brutal storyline, he drops in another nugget - nonchalantly - and maintains a narrative that leaps across timelines and is rewound and rewritten repeatedly. Somehow, he keeps us desperate to follow the fates of these tragic, awful people.

I'm sorry, I bailed after she had been at The White House a while. It was a fascinating insight into a mindset and way of being that she developed through a determined childhood and adolescence. The rise to power was great to read, but I think she should have stopped there - I get why she didn't, as she is more than just a First Lady and wouldn't want to be defined as having 'made it' when she entered the White House - I just stopped caring. Good.

This was not my usual type of book, but I grabbed it in the library because I fancied something light. Well. It was extremely well written, gripping, exciting and with a healthy dollop of salacious silliness. A great read. The main character went through a big shift to become a much nicer person, and everything worked out nicely in the end. It will date quickly because of the way they use emails (I hope! Surely no-one is like that?!). Overall, fab

If you wanted to go down the pub with Roy Keane and have him ramble incoherently about his life and the many injustices he has suffered, in no particular order, this is the book for you. To be fair, it has captured the essence of Keane. I just can't follow what is going on - it's written as though we are all devoted fans of his and have read his first biography. I find him very entertaining as a pundit, but need a bit more bones for my meat. Bail.

A book full of distinctly unlikeable characters. I mainly persevered due to all the references to London transport, which I enjoyed trying to visualise.... The main guy was just horrible and the younger woman was awful. I didn't care what happened to him.Im not sure who the target audience is for this story; I didn't have an 'ah-ha' moment & was desperately hoping for a love story somewhere. Was the author an estate agent and victim of an affair?

I realised during the first chapter that I had read this before, but I decided to persevere because I remember enjoying it. It's a charming story of an ordinary woman who has been pushed to live in an extraordinary way. It's a touching description of the end of loneliness, and she is so endearing and it's easy for me to see similarities between our approaches to life. Starts funny, gets deeper, ends poignantly with space to imagine her future. 😍

There was a palpable sense of suspense throughout the first three quarters of this book. The characters were expertly crafted and I was eager to find out about the 'scandal' that had led the promising young academic to become a bored Istanbul housewife. The storyline was compelling in its strangeness - facing up to a mugger, student housemates and the nature of God - and I really enjoyed it. Ultimately, the 'scandal' was a damp squib, but nvm!

I call Jane's books trashy - that's perhaps a little unfair; they deal with intense themes and this one is no different. It's got the usual references to infidelity, prison and Devon and Cornwall, but this time there is a dash of homelessness added. It is a page-turner and I enjoyed devouring it over two evenings. I thought the mental health storyline was compelling and well written, switching neatly between different time periods. A good read! 👍

This ended up being a bit trashy. There were far too many characters for my liking, and a whole series of cheesy moments involving the lead male getting a stirring in his trousers...! It was very readable and the plot was interesting and easy to follow, but the whole book was very light. Lots of references to moving to Australia (the author did). Far from life-changing, but a perfectly pleasant quick read. Forgettable.

This was a typical farce, but interspersed as it was with the lives and dramas of real 21st Century leaders and events, it had a certain poignancy. The storyline was higgeldy piggeldy and charming, with interesting characters ranging from Nazis to Maasai warriors. The tone was twee throughout - some may find it annoying, but it worked for me. A pleasant, silly, interesting story with some random asparagus.

It was very readable but predictable at the same time... The main character was the typical 'cop with integrity who doesn't play by the rules' and his love interest was mostly defined by being ridiculously attractive. In contrast to the female characters, we have little idea what 'The Chef' looks like and I assumed he was black until there was a little aside saying he was a white man in a black neighborhood. It had nice short chapters but 🤷🏻‍♀️

It was a fun book. The female lead was completely implausible and she seemed to define every male character she met by whether she fancied them or not. There was a weird section focused on her family which didn't fit in with the rest of the story and felt like a non-sequitur. Overall, though, it was well paced and fun to read, a basic whodunnit with the heart-wrenching context of kidnapping babies. An easy read, not life-changing!

I am in floods of tears. What an amazing storyteller Moriarty is. I couldn't put this book down. Madeleine is bolshy and ballsy but vulnerable in her own way; Jane is defiant and brave but seems so fragile; and Celeste is the one that everyone assumes is fine but is living a lie. It picked on so many themes of being a woman and motherhood, as well as friendship and relationships, and I loved the interviews at the start of each chapter. Excellent!

I tried really hard to care about this story and characters. Two children, presumably magical, both arrive in different places in Europe. The poor peasants don't understand them and they interpret the world in deep and meaningful ways. Yawn. There's a hell of a lot of description and meandering about without much really happening - I bailed after the big build up of one of the girls receiving - wait for it- a letter. For me, it was just dull. BAIL

I'm sure this isn't the first Will Trent book I have read. It was entertaining and kept me reading - I liked the way it jumped between the seventies and the present day. The narrative was typically brutal, lots of rape and brutal torturous deaths. Casual sexism was explicit and embodied by the character Amanda, in a way that probably made the author baulk at her character's anti-feminism! Final verdict: Entertaining but most probably forgettable.

Ugh. You know when you can just tell that a man has written a female character? The lead character was unrealistic and came across as arrogant and one dimensional. The story is dull, the passion about the precious jewels was OTT and I didn't really care by half way through whether she found them or not. The description of some of the locations was evocative and I enjoyed it, but that wasn't enough to save this story.

I'd really love to visit the marsh, meet Old Red and look out for Coop and all the other amazing wildlife in the dirty, wet wilderness. The story was great, nice bit of courtroom drama at the end and the inevitable twist in the tale, but for me, it was that incredible habitat that stole the show. Kya is a great character with a backstory that evoked dismay, frustration and rage. The men are the bit parts really, but are all needed for Kya's story.

A lovely, heartwarming story of families, marriage, and the joys of the mundane. This book is a bit like 'The Vicar of Dibley' or 'Heartbeat' - gently comedic Sunday-night viewing with just the right amount of emotion to get British people feeling a bit fuzzy inside. Realistic characters and a neat ending, pretty enjoyable. I read it, but I won't remember it!

I disagree with the New York Times. This was not a superb novel. The main character (Susan) is part of the 'Robinson Crusoe' story but her version is duller, with racist language and a weird approach to sexual intercourse. There's a sub narrative of her search for her daughter, which made no sense to me. She keeps bleating on to this author and finding 'Friday' strange... It was just a bit of a waste of time.

Hahaha, this book was silly and fun. Lots of snooker references crowbarred in to a complicated gangland murder mystery whodunnit, with a side order of one-dimensional female characters that only exist as plot devices. Despite all these issues, I really enjoyed it - even though the conclusion of the 'whodunnit' seemed a bit disappointing (I didn't know who the guy was). The main character seemed autobiographical, but we love Ronnie so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Wow, I am in floods of tears! What a beautiful, life affirming story - it sounds so trite to describe, but the journey of discovery from suicidal hopelessness to boundless hope founded in love ❤️ Something about the people you love being a net to catch you in your grief and despair. Loved it.

He is so curmudgeonly but there is something really loveable about him, something about that inherent kindness and gruffness. I love the way the book deals with grief and loss, and how Ove focuses on that every day, but almost inadvertently makes wonderful friends and changes people's lives for the better. Then he is slowly led to realise he doesn't want to die anymore. Life affirming and beautiful.

I absolutely loved this book! I was dimly aware of the crane folk story but I found the delicate descriptions of heartache and human relationships beautiful. The story of the crane and the volcano was entirely appropriate and the two stories folded together beautifully, like the extended metaphor of the art. A joyous read, a page-turner. Kumiko's inevitable fate and the gentle aftermath ensured this book was nourishing like a hearty meal.

Strange book but a gripping context of the Russian Revolution made it good to read. Lots of self-absorbed unpleasant characters (kind of the point of the book I think) and looking at family dynamics which I always enjoy. Very intense, not frustrating, fascinating read.

Ugh, if you enjoy farce and wholesome family values, this might be the book for you. It's very light and jolly and gives a trite account of a family separating and reconnecting via some international fraud operation, with lots of sweet, fluffy, relatable characters. Some may find it funny in a 'vicar where's yer trousers?' kind of way. It just lacked the depth and grit to move me, which is what I look for in a novel.

This was a simple story about a male athlete and an army coup in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. A few nasty, grimace-worthy descriptions in a simple story with underdeveloped female characters and lots of local details about Bristol and Devon (which I enjoyed - shout out to Exmouth!). It had some irrelevant plot lines. Too short to have much of an impact and lacking the suspense and details that would have made the storyline more interesting.

This was a beautiful love story set in the near future. We follow our hero from his tragic upbringing through a rags-to-riches story that incorporates some deep and formidable questions about the nature of reality and relationships - but with a light touch and humour. You can tell the target audience of the novel, but despite not being a white nerdy man in my 40s, I really enjoyed it!

This book made me love Tina more - honest, sometimes brutal and yet written with a simple positivity that pervades the whole story. Such an inspiring woman.

I think this is a book about motherhood. The classic suburban family and the family that dares to be different, both led by strong matriarchs. The storyline is good but the characters are the bit that keeps you turning the pages - Elena Richardson is like a Shakespearean tragic hero, let down by her fatal flaw of wanting things to be exactly as she believes they ought to be, no room for difference. We all know people like this. A great read!

An easy read, both characters have elements that are extremely relatable. It's a few weeks after I finished it and I can't really remember the plot - just that there are two people who love each other a lot and keep going back to each other - for certainty, for understanding, for being alone together - for love. They are young and you can tell the author is young, but that adds to the sincerity and authenticity of the love she relates to us.

This was enjoyable, but it was all about a man....