Hello. Welcome to another edition of Quickfire Reviews!
Quickfire Reviews is a thing I do very sporadically when there are books to talk about that I should have reviewed but haven’t. Or that I do in times like this when I'm struggling to 'properly' blog. I'll get back to the posts with some substance eventually, but until then - here we are. Today I have 3 books to talk about, all Advance Reader Copies, although this does not at all impact my opinion of them. It's a good bunch, I liked them all.
What’s it About? Just before graduation Claudine's Dad drops a bombshell: he's leaving. Her Mum takes herself and Claudine to a remote island to lick their wounds. The last place Claudine wants to be the summer before college. But then there's Jeremiah.
What I liked This is the book I wish I'd read when I was 18, about a girl on the cusp of adulthood, determined to write her own story. It's clever and sensitive and intricate. It's relatable. It's sex positive. And oh that island. Take me there now, please.
What I liked Less I wasn't so taken at first with the whole Claudine / Jeremiah thing, it felt a little too much too fast and then it felt a little predictable but they're minor niggles really because by the end of it all I was rooting so hard for the both of them.
What’s it About? Retired detective Cal Hooper has moved, on his own, to a remote village in Rural Ireland. He plans to just live a quiet life, really, his policing days left behind but then a local kid appeals to him for help - they're large family on one of the kids is missing and nobody seems to care. And Cal can't leave a case unsolved...
What I liked This was such a good autumnal read. I love a good crime drama in the autumn, and in fact always, and this was one. I'm such a sucker for a retired cop drawn back to a case and I loved the setting of this one and the way it unfolded.
What I liked Less Oh I don't know, not much, I liked it a whole lot. I maybe found the climax a tiny bit underwhelming?
What’s it About? The daughter of a high ranking Nazi official and the Jewish boy she loves.
What I liked Ok, so we all know I am a sucker for a good bit of WWII historical fiction and this was that. I loved this book. It was so good. I loved it. I loved the way it all unfolded, how it showed Hetty grow from dutiful Nazi who speaks to Hitler in her head to this girl who'll risk everything to help the people she's always thought she should hate. I loved watching her eyes being opened, I love how cleverly this book showed what was the most terrifying about Hitler's regime - the way they turned everything upside down and played on just a little bit of discontent, a little bit of fear to bring about their own, terrifying, end game. I loved all the stories - mostly of women - that this book showcased. It's entirely my kind of book and I'm so glad I read it.
What I liked Less I just liked it. This is SUCH a good read. Perhaps the romance element let it down a little bit, I liked the romance, and I loved what it brought to the story but it was maybe a little bit OTT. Maybe.
