Contemporary Fiction |

13Aug 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Normal People by Sally Rooney book review

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Normal People is one of those books, like quite a few on my blog actually, where I picked it up because I'd heard a lot of chatter around it. My partner watched the television show and really liked it and one of my friends had read the book too. Therefore, to feel involved, I decided to pick it up too. What did I think? Please note that this article contains affiliate links, this means that if you choose to purchase any products via the link below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Normal People by Sally Rooney focuses almost solely on the lives of Connel and Marianne and how they constantly intertwine…

17Jun 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller book review

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction

I picked up The Paper Palace as a random pick before I went on holiday a few weeks ago. Since then I've been on quite a journey and thoroughly enjoyed so much of it. Not all of it was perfect but it's a book that has definitely left a good mark on me. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase a product via one of the links below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. The Paper Palace is told over 24 hours and 50 years. It's a book about betrayal and tough adult decisions. It's also a book that spends so many of its…

20May 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

A Change of Seasons by Khurram Elahi book review

Contemporary Fiction

A Change of Seasons left me thoroughly confused about whether I loved it or found it incredibly dull. At points, I connected with it and it flowed incredibly well and then at others, I found myself wondering what on earth was happening. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Please note that this article was sent to me by the author, free of charge in return for an honest review. A Change of Seasons follows John Winters as he goes through and then recovers from a heart operation. It touches on…

03Mar 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Colleen Hoover is an author I've been meaning to pick up for quite some time. I've seen a lot of her books on my social feeds as books that are often five-star reads. It Ends With Us was a book gifted to me recently and so it's my first Hoover book. I'll let you into a secret early on: it's absolutely bloody brilliant. It Ends With Us is a book that focuses on some dark matters and some uncomfortable matters but Hoover writes these in such a raw but intelligent way that will have you caring far too much. It Ends With Us plot - 5/5 It Ends With Us is a story about Lily and inevitably her relationship with two men: Ryle and Atlas. We follow the tale of…

01Feb 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review of The Night She Disappeared

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

The Night She Disappeared is Lisa Jewell's latest book, having come out in the middle of last year. It focuses on the night a mother's daughter disappears (shock) and the resulting search her mother and a lady who also gets involved partake in. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Night She Disappeared via any of the links in this article, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Night She Disappeared follows a similar form to a lot of Lisa Jewell's books - it covers the tale of a very dark night and switches between two different times which both eventually build towards…

04Jan 2022 by Luke Harkness

Book Review of Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Thriller

As I start many book reviews, I’d seen quite a lot of good things about Sweet Pea on my Bookstagram before I picked it up with some even stating it’s their favourite book series. Therefore when it came on offer on Kindle and was a cheap Audible buy, I had to pick it up! [caption id="attachment_1573" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Sweet Pea by C.J. Skuse is a book about a psychopath who lives a normal life alongside her murderous other life. We follow Rhiannon as she goes about her everyday duties via the entries of her diary. Plot – 3.5/5 Rhiannon seems like a very regular person to most people - she may be a little odd, but no more so than everybody these days. However, little does…

29Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction

A Man Called Ove is a heart-warming book about a grumpy old man whose melancholic and monotonous life is turned upside when a new family move in next door. Ove begins to see that there may be some light when he thought his only light was gone. [caption id="attachment_1448" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest[/caption] The reason I picked up A Man Called Ove is similar to that for why I pick up a lot of books - I had seen a lot of good things about it, it looked like not a long commitment and I had the kindle version of it ready to go. I knew it was going to be a lighthearted read but I didn’t realise it was going to get me so damn emotional. Plot…

07Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Lisa Jewell is a bug author among the online bookish community and Then She Was Gone is considered one of her bigger stories so I felt it was a must for me to pick it up. I'm impressed and very ready to tell you why. [caption id="attachment_1218" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Song of Achilles via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Then She Was Gone is a story by Lisa Jewell, arguably her first big hit, that features the story around a mother whose daughter goes missing…

25Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Mystery

A couple of years ago I picked up One Of Us Is Lying but for some reason or another ended up DNFing it. I've picked it up again though however and managed to plough through and I must say I have mixed feelings about it. [caption id="attachment_1172" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Final Empire via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. One of Us Is Lying is the first book in what is going to be a trilogy. It focuses on the unraveling events after five teenagers walk…

17Sep 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Crime, Mystery

The sequel to the record-breaking The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is now out. The Man Who Died Twice brings back all of our favourite characters with their wit, intelligence and dry sense of humour and introduces us to some new characters, expanding on this utterly enjoyable fictional world that Osman is building. [caption id="attachment_1136" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Set after The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice has quite the hype to live up to after Osman's first book broke records for the speed at which it sold. With intelligent, funny characters, an utterly loveable fictional British town and Osman's dry and very English writing style, this is another huge success. Plot – 4.5/5 The Man Who Died Twice sees our favourite Thursday Murder…