Book Review: Forget My Name by JS Monroe *AD Gifted

Head of Zeus sent me a free electronic review copy of Forget My Name by JS Monroe.

I thought that this was a very clever domestic thriller and although I was expecting a twist (there's always a twist) this one surprised me quite a bit.

How do you know who to trust...

...when you don't even know who you are?

You are outside your front door. 

There are strangers in your house.

Then you realise. You can't remember your name.

She arrived at the train station after a difficult week at work. Her bag had been stolen, and with it, her identity. Her whole life was in there – passport, wallet, house key. When she tried to report the theft, she couldn’t remember her own name. All she knew was her own address.

Now she's outside Tony and Laura's front door. She says she lives in their home. They say they have never met her before.

One of them is lying.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Waterstones

5 Words: Secrets, lies, memory, manipulation, mystery.

Forget My Name was an quick and compelling read, one that was difficult to put down. It presented so many mysteries that I was desperate to solve and slowly became more and more sinister as the story progressed.

Our mystery women is quite quickly called Jemma with a "J" by Tony, and this is pretty much where the fun starts. With a main character unable to remember even her name, the narrator is immediately wholly unreliable. As the story unfolds she becomes even more unreliable as she is influenced by everyone around her.

I loved how unpredictable this book was. I was surprised again and again. It is definitely more of a mystery than a thriller, but it did have me on the edge of my seat at times.

I thought that Forget My Name by JS Monroe was a very clever read, I liked the way the story twisted and turned, and how I never knew who to trust or what was true. It is a compelling read that I couldn't put down.

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and is a chance for everyone to get to know fellow bloggers and share lists. I love lists. Every week is a different list.

This week is Top Ten 

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2019

This was actually pretty hard to put together, as I've been out of the scene for a couple months. I had to sit down and seriously think about, expect for the first two because FAVOURITE AUTHOR HYPE.

1. Sanctuary by VV James
2. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
3. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
4. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
5. The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
6. Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
7. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
8. The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
9. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
10. The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo

What books are you looking forward to?

My Paper & Hearts Society Summer Reading List *AD Gifted

BKMRK sent me a free electronic review copy of The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie.

The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie is not only filled with fabulous friendships, but an excellent book club. The pages are bursting with recommendations, and I loved the passion of the characters when they were talking about the books.

I was inspired while reading to pick up a few of the books recommended by various characters, and compile my own summer reading list solely from the recommendations of The Paper & Hearts Society.

"Are any of you really going to read them just because I said so?"

"Yes!" Olivia replied, her voice raising "That's the whole point of the book club."

There were so many excellent recommendations, from One Italian Summer by Keris Stainton to Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt, a fair few of which I have already read. Every time I came across a book, I jotted it down, then I whittled it down to a manageable summer reading list.

We all know how I do when I set myself a TBR, it's either a resounding success like #TheReadingQuest Reading Challenge or it's a complete failure like the the UK Re-Readathon.

So what's on my Summer TBR?

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• Nimona by Noella Stevenson
• One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

I deliberately picked out things I wouldn't ordinarily pick for myself, and it just so happens that I can also knock off some of my 30 Classics Before 30 as well.

Book Beginnings #71

For Book Beginnings, Rose City Reader invites us to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

For Friday 56, Freda's Voice asks you to turn to Page 56 in your book or 56% on your e-reader and pick a sentence.

I am currently reading Forget My Name by J.S. Monroe.

I can't remember my own name.

I think this is and excellent first line, it's dramatic and striking and has me asking so many questions, I can't wait to go on!

Judging from the cover and the blurb, I'm expecting Forget My Name to be one of those books that really gets in your head and has you questioning everything, and I can't wait to read it!

She looks unsteady on her feet and slumps down at the kitchen table, holding her head in her hands. "I'm sorry for coming here today, for walking into your life like this, you house, and I apologise if I've somehow upset you tonight."

I am well past this bit in the book, but it gives a good peek at what's to come. The characters hold a lot of regret and guilt and prejudice, their own preconceptions of each other.

It's a great story so far and although I haven't worked out what's going on yet, I'm intrigued and addicted.

What are you reading this week?

Release Day Book Review: The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie *AD Gifted

BKMRK sent me a free review copy of The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie. I also somehow ended up buying myself multiple finished copies oops.

The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie is filled with friendship and self-discovery and a great love of books, and I enjoyed it so much that I have already reread it multiple times. Oops.

Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn't want to go to parties - in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.

It's like she hasn't found her people...

Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING - especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.

But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it's the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed's fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself...

Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Waterstones

5 Words: Family, friendship, books, self-discovery, bullying.

This. Book.

I first read The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie back in April when BKMRK kindly sent me a review copy. Then pretty much as soon as it was first spotted in the wild in June I read it again, this time armed with a pencil for underlining and annotations.

As much as I loved Tabby, the main character, I related so much with Olivia that she is definitely my favourite. It was astounding to see myself so clearly in a book, in a side character so fleshed out that they came to life. I saw me - I was represented. It was a shock to me how much I felt seen.

I think one of my favourite things about The Paper & Hearts Society was how it was packed with a huge love for books. I loved spotting books that I'd read, bumping books up my existing TBR, and adding books I hadn't heard of. Check back on Saturday for my own Paper & Hearts Society summer reading list, inspired by the books that the characters discuss.

I really liked the conflict in this book - it was so natural and so real. The friendship group came to life to such an extent that I almost forgot they were characters in a book, and every interaction between them was natural.

I loved the road trip, how it was another factor in the changing dynamics of the group. And all of the destinations were already on my literary travel bucket list, so it was great to see them come alive. It made me wonder how the Paper & Hearts Society would react to Barter Books and Alnwick Castle - they should definitely head up North and do a flying lesson at Hogwarts.

The Paper & Hearts Society is one of those books that lifts you up, and it's fast becoming a self-care reread book for me. Read it, pre-order the next one, reread it.

Ten Unpopular Bookish Opinions

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and is a chance for everyone to get to know fellow bloggers and share lists. I love lists. Every week is a different list.

This week is Top Ten 

Unpopular Bookish Opinions

This is my first time doing Top Ten Tuesday this year, and hasn't time flown since I posted My Top Ten Favourite Posts This Year back in December? I really felt like letting my bitchy side out this week.

• Books aren't meant to stay pristine.
  Books are there to be read and loved Spines should be broken and pages should be dogeared and annotations should be written. As long as they're your books you can do what you like.
  
• DNF reviews are good and helpful.
  I like to know why it didn't work out for you, because your idea of hell could be my idea of heaven.
  
• A 5 star rating system is more helpful than a 10 star rating system.
  You have to be more harsh in your judgement to decide whether you will round a half star up or down. The more stars you have to rate with the easier it gets to smack a 7 or 8 on everything and frankly that's useless.
  
• Sometimes the film is better.
  I'm looking at you, Pride & Prejudice. Although this could be because I an Keira Knightley trash.
  
• Love triangles aren't all bad.
  Sometimes they are excellent and they can build conflict and chemistry so well. Also, they're kind of a guilty pleasure, I love the WHICH ONE WILL THEY CHOSE moments.
  
• Backwards Books are OK.
  I personally have a lot of my books displayed page out on my shelves rather than spine out. They make small, dark rooms lighter, they're a good backdrop from Instagram, sometimes the noise of all of the spines is too much.
  
• Content warnings should be on every book they apply to.
  Honestly, a single line at the beginning would be amazing. So many times I have been surprised by shock triggering content, and while I've been OK others may not have been. I always try to include them in my reviews.
  
• Blurbing a book in your review is just lazy and spoilery.
  If I want to know what a book is about, I will read the blurb. When I read a review I want to know what you think and why, I don't want the story rehashed for three paragraphs before a single short line on why you liked it.
  
• Umbridge is the best Harry Potter character.
  She is so complex and layered, and I love how she is so set in her conviction that she is right and that she is the hero
  
• Most of Bookstagram is boring
  It's the same books in the same flat-lay themes over and over. Where has the creativity gone?

What are your unpopular bookish opinions?

Book Beginnings #70

For Book Beginnings, Rose City Reader invites us to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

For Friday 56, Freda's Voice asks you to turn to Page 56 in your book or 56% on your e-reader and pick a sentence.

I am currently reading The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie.

Tabitha Brown's heart thudded in her chest as she read the Instagram caption on her phone. Best night with my favourite girls!

This is a book that I am rereading already, despite having just read it in April and it not even being released for another week. I just can't help myself.

The Paper & Hearts Society is full of friendship and self-discovery and books. It makes me so happy to read it, and get lost in a book club I wish I were a part of.

"That's the second time you've mentioned bringing Jane Austen back from the dead now, Livs," Henry replied. "I think you might have a problem."

One of my favourite things about The Paper & Hearts Society is the sheer adoration of books within the story. Even if Cassie plays it cool and pretends she's not a reader, once she's started on graphic novels there's no stopping her. I love the UKYA books and authors name dropped in the pages. I also love the friendship dynamics, the way they gently tease each other, but always in good fun.

What are you reading this week?