Hi all! As you may have noticed, I took a two week break/holiday from my blog and social media. It wasn't planned so I'm publishing this post quite late this month (I can't believe it's almost May!) but it felt so good and I've got so much energy! I've read some pretty amazing books in February and March so I'm excited to share my thoughts on them with you!

Eyes Like Mine - Sheena Kamal

Rating: 4/5

To view my full review click here 

All The Missing Girls - Megan Miranda (The Pigeonhole)

Rating: 5/5

All The Missing Girls is a psychological suspense story told backwards; it's about the disappearances of two young women. The opening really sets the feeling and the setting is easy to imagine; I was already absorbed in the book after one chapter. This book is just brilliant and I can't recommend it enough. There's so many twists and the way it's written will leave you with a craving. Telling the story in reverse is very clever and it adds more excitement!

The Method - Shannon Kirk

Rating: 5/5

To view my full review click here 

You Will Know Me - Megan Abbott (The Pigeonhole)

Rating: 4/5

You Will Know Me is a story about a family whose life revolves around their teens' success in gymnastics. I found the beginning of this book quite slow-paced although it had good character introduction and story build up. About half way through the book I started to enjoy reading it a lot more and felt attached to a few characters. I didn't really enjoy the gymnastics side of the story that much as it's just not something I'm interested in but it was nice for the book to be based around a not so usual setting. Overall, I recommend the book because it really is an interesting read.

The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo - Amy Schumer

Rating: 4/5

I won this book in a competition hosted by Laura at Snazzy Books (go and show her some loving because she writes fantastic reviews!). I admit that I probably wouldn't have bought this book myself because I'm not really into comedy but I was pleasantly surprised by it! Amy managed to balance both funny and serious topics in her book including dealing with her parents and gun violence. Some chapters weren't that interesting but some made me want to be Amy's best friend. Even if you don't know anything about Amy, I still recommend this book! 

Dare To Remember - Susanna Beard

Rating: 5/5

To view my full review click here


Post Mortem - Kate London (The Pigeonhole)

Rating: 5/5

Post Mortem tells story of the aftermath of a long-serving officer and a teenage girl falling to their deaths from a tower block in London's East End. Post Mortem is a very realistic crime novel; this probably has something to do with Kate London working for the Metropolitan Police Service. I like the way the book has been written in and I just really enjoyed the whole book overall. I strongly recommend it! I'm currently reading Kate London's second novel 'Death Message' so stay tuned to hear about this book next month!

Fire Damage (Jessie Flynn #1) - Kate Medina

Rating: 4/5

To view my full review click here

Gone Without A Trace - Mary Torjussen 

Rating: 5/5

To view my full review click here

Title: Gone Without A Trace
Author: Mary Torjussen
Genre: Thriller & Mystery
Price: £8.58
Publication Date: 23/03/2017

Hannah is a manager for a group of accountants and is on course to be promoted to a director. She comes home from a business trip only to discover that her boyfriend has disappeared. His belongings are gone and have been replaced with her old ones, it's like he never even existed. His photos, emails and texts to her have all been deleted. As she is searching for him, she realises that someone is also watching her. 

Hey there! I finished reading Gone Without A Trace last night and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on it with you! I've already told my friends and family they need to read this book and I don't see how I can stop recommending it! I read the book in the space of two days and I have no idea how I managed to find the time but putting this book down was a struggle!
I saw some mixed reviews of Gone Without A Trace before I read it so I was a bit hesitant as to liking it but wow was I proved wrong! I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book except for a few minor things - the timeline of the story was a bit confusing for me, I would suggest putting dates to make it a bit easier. Also, at some points the writing is over descriptive and repetitive however you realise that actually it makes sense once you get to know the personality of the main character, Hannah. The chapters were short which made for easy reading and the story just flowed.

I think Hannah is the most frustrating character I've ever met (well I didn't exactly meet her haha). On one hand, I want to shake Hannah and tell her to wake up to reality and move on; but then on the other hand, I understand how her boyfriend's disappearance shook her up so I sympathise with her. Don't even get me started on Katie! How can one be so sweet yet so unlikeable? Torjussen seems to have really planned the characters, even though they're not the most likeable, they are still complex and brilliant.

I had so many emotions while reading this book. When the moment comes and we find out what happens, I honestly wanted to hit myself with the book! I asked myself how I could be so naive. It's hard to talk about it with no spoilers. Let's just say, never trust a first-person narrative! I had my doubts but I didn't really expect the ending. The epilogue was great and was a pleasant final touch.

I give this book a rating of five stars because I genuinely enjoyed reading this book. The writing, the characters, the story - everything was just fantastic! I was gripped from the very first page and taken on an emotional rollercoaster. This book will with no doubt be on my 'Favourite Reads of The Year' list. 





____________________________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Title: Fire Damage
Author: Kate Medina
Genre: Mystery/Psychological Thriller
Price: £4.00
Publication Date: 24/03/2017

Jessie Flynn, a military psychologist, has to work alongside her former patient, Captain Ben Callan, to uncover the truth behind the death of an officer in Afghanistan. At the same time, Jessie starts counselling Sami, a four year old son of a Major. Why does he refer to himself as 'the girl' and who is 'The Shadowman'? Will Jessie manage to get to the truth before something dangerous happens?

Hi there! Today I want to share my thoughts on Kate Medina's psychological mystery novel Fire Damage - the first book in the Jessie Flynn Investigation series. I was supposed to read the book and review it last week but I've been feeling really unmotivated so apologies for that!

I have to admit that at first I found the number of events taking place at the same time a bit overwhelming so I was slightly hesitant about carrying on reading. However, as the story progressed I was so impressed! I do love a good thriller and Fire Damage was certainly not a disappointment; I found it very difficult to put the book down (well actually my tablet).

I grew really attached to Jessie when I read the book, she's a complex character and she may have made some bad choices but you can't help but have a soft spot for her. The portrayal of her relationships with the different characters was very realistic. Medina didn't portray Jessie as a psychologist who has a perfectly balanced life but rather as someone who needs help herself. This shows that no one is perfect and we are all vulnerable at times. 

As for the other characters in the book, I would have really liked to find out more about Callan because I think he is as much of a major character as Jessie. I'm not sure whether it was necessary to include the character of Marilyn in the story but as it's a series I understand that the characters are not going to massively develop in one book so there's a chance I can still take a liking to him in the future books!

I was intrigued by the way Medina integrated military themes drawn from her own experiences into the plot. It gave a modern twist on the classic thriller story and made it original. The ending was just perfect for me; the story was nicely wrapped up and it left me feeling very satisfied! I immensely enjoyed reading Fire Damage so I decided to give it a rating of four out of five (it would be a five if it wasn't for the overwhelmingness at the beginning). This book is an absolute page turner and I honestly recommend it!

I'm looking forward to find out what's next for Jessie Flynn and will definitely get my hands on the next book in the series which is coming out in May!



_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

          About The Author

Source

When I first heard about Clique, I was slightly relunctant to watch it. I thought it would simply be a university drama and I worried about not relating to it since I took a different path in life and had little knowledge of university life. Just over a week ago, I was on the sofa with my snacks beside me and I was desperate to find a new, compelling TV series to watch. I finally decided to put my worries aside and give Clique a watch. I'm very happy that I did because honestly? This is the best TV series I've seen this year.

The characters are just brilliant and the actors that portray them are young yet professional and there's a lot of potential for further progression for them. The character of Holly is very intriguing, she seems like such a nice girl but there's definitely a dark side there and I'm looking forward to seeing it develop in future episodes. As for the other characters, they all have distinct personalities that complement each other. The main cast is made up of mostly women which I think is a reason in itself to watch the show. The writers and producers have really pulled off the portrayal of female relationships in high pressure environments.

Clique is much more than just a university drama, it's a psychological thriller which pushes boundaries. The story is original and I'm someone who can usually predict what will happen next when I'm watching something but not with this show! If you're a Skins fan then you may sense some familiarity, the reason for this is because Clique has actually been written by Skins writer Jess Brittain. Accompanied by writers Kirstie Swan and Milly Thomas, she managed to create the masterpiece that is Clique.

I can't recommend Clique enough, you won't understand why I feel so passionate about this series until you watch it yourself. The wait between episodes will certainly leave you frustrated and wanting to kill someone (okay probably not this extreme but it will for sure test your patience). The only negative thing I have to say about this series is that it's only made up of six episodes. The end is fast approaching and I'll be sad about it but I'm looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds. 

Clique is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer (and will be for the next 5 months - hooray!). 

Honestly guys, give this show a watch, I wouldn't be telling you to unless I really enjoyed it.