Today I’m sharing some more of my mini book reviews! I seem to be reading way faster than I can review at the moment so this seems a good way to get a few reviews posted before the pile grows any higher!
The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal
I actually read this book late last year but I struggled to get my thoughts down into a coherent review. This is the first novel I’ve read by the author but it definitely won’t be the last. It follows Mona in two timelines: in the present she runs a business selling weighted dolls to help women deal with the loss of their babies, and in the past we see what made Mona the woman she is in the present. There is a lot of heartache in this novel but it’s the resilience that shone through for me. I’ve suffered a miscarriage myself and while I got over it as much as anyone can I still know how old my child would be now. I didn’t talk about it much at the time, I just picked myself up and got on with it. It feels like every woman going through such a loss needs a Mona in their lives. She knows pain too but she channels it into easing other women’s pain. I cried quite a lot reading this book but it was cathartic tears. This novel is such a special book, one I won’t ever forget. If you haven’t already read this novel then I urge you to, it’s beautiful and unforgettable!
Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce
This is a gorgeous novel and I enjoyed every minute that I spent reading it. Emmy applies for a job on a newspaper but is shocked to find on her first day that she isn’t going to be a war correspondent but an assistant to the resident agony aunt. She overcomes her disappointment and finds that she wants to help the women who write in. The novel is set during WW2 so there are some sad moments but the novel on the whole is heartwarming and is such a comforting read. If you haven’t already read this then I recommend you grab a copy and read it asap!
Ivy and Abe by Elizabeth Enfield
I completely and utterly fell in love with this book. I knew from the blurb that it was my kind of book as I have a fascination with the possibility of fate and whether there is a person that we’re destined to meet. Ivy and Abe follows the two protagonists throughout there lives but it’s presented in disconnected chapters where their meeting and the way things pan out for them has a different outcome. The wonderful thing though is that throughout the novel there is a thread that keeps coming up and you see in each story how it might have been different if only something had or hadn’t happened. It’s a beautiful novel and even though I read it right at the beginning of January, it’s still staying with me and I often find myself thinking about Ivy and Abe and wondering how they are, as if they were real people. I adored this novel and I highly recommend it!
Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey
I have to start by saying that I don’t think describing this book as a thriller helped in my enjoyment of it as I was expecting a thriller – I hadn’t read anything by the author before so I believed I was getting what I told I was getting. However, this book is a thriller with supernatural, borderline-horror elements at times, which is not a genre I like to read. I will say that once I got to understand what I was reading I did come to enjoy it, it definitely had me gripped and it was hard to put down so on reflection I’m glad I (albeit somewhat unwittingly) gave this a go. Liz is struggling as she lives with her abusive husband and is trying to protect her children from seeing the worst of his behaviour. I did love the way Liz and Fran’s life became so entwined and blended, and the way one dominated the other’s personality was fascinating. I was engrossed and this kept me turning the pages as I just couldn’t see how the situation was going to be resolved. The ending was hugely satisfying and I would read more books by this author.
I loved The Trick to Time as well and Dear Mrs Bird was fun!
They’re both such great reads 🙂
Wonderful mini reviews! Your thoughts about Trick to Time made me feel like crying, so goodness knows what a mess I’d be reading it!
Thank you 🙂 The Trick to Time is such a great read but I definitely recommend having tissues to hand.
I loved Mrs Bird and I have Carey on my radar. Great post!
I hope you enjoy the Carey, I’d definitely read more of this books in the future now I know what to expect. 🙂
I read Girl with all the gifts and loved it, and keep meaning to get more by the author 😊
I definitely want to read that one after reading Someone Like Me. 🙂
These are great ‘bite-sized’ reviews, Hayley. I’m glad you had good reading experiences. As for me, I think Dear Mrs. Bird sounds like a great story. I’ve not yet read it, but I can see how you liked it as well as you did.
Thank you so much 🙂 Dear Mrs Bird is wonderful, I very much enjoyed reading it.
Love the sound of Ivy and Abe and huge hugs hugs to you too. Great reviews X
Thank you so much, hugs are always appreciated. Ivy and Abe was brilliant, I loved it – I hope you do too if you decide to read it. x
I’ve not read any of these and they sound wonderful. Thanks for bringing them to my attention:)
I enjoyed the mini reviews. I’ve had someone like me on my wishlist for ages now, I have the read the author’s other works thou so I should have an idea of what to expect.
Thank you 🙂 I think you’d really enjoy Someone Like Me then, I enjoyed it once I got to grips with what I was reading.
Great reviews. I loved Dear Mrs Bird though I realised early on what was going to happen in one scene and felt a bit tense getting to it!
Thank you. I know what you mean about Dear Mrs Bird!
I think I’ll have to add a few to my readlist! I love the sound of Ivy and Abe and I love that a novel was able to make you cry!
Ivy and Abe is brilliant, I still keep thinking of these two characters and it’s a little while now since I read the book. If you decide to read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
What a great selection of books! Your descriptions make me want to read all of them. I think I would particularly like Dear Mrs. Bird!
Thank you so much! Dear Mrs Bird is wonderful, I’m sure you’d enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
Wonderful mini reviews Hayley. Ivy and Abe sounds good, I have added it.
Thank you so much 🙂 Ivy and Abe is brilliant, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Great mini reviews! I’m especially excited about Someone Like Me as I loved his writing in The Girl With All The Gifts.
Thank you 🙂 Someone Like Me was really good (once I got to grips with what I was reading), I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Pingback: That Was The Month That Was… March 2019! | RatherTooFondofBooks