Category: Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review, Book Blog, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : The Break

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Book Title : The Break
Book Author : Marian Keyes
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : September 7th 2017

You know you’ve come across a good book when you don’t really want it to end, even though it’s almost about 600 pages. 

Reading The Break have left me with all different kind of emotions, some relatable and some not. It was super easy to fall in love with it as it had the most realistic prose, plot line and characters.

A heart warming tale, set in Dublin, our Protagonist, Amy, receives one of the worst news of her life. Her husband, Hugh, who fell into a deep depression after the loss of his father and best friend, decided to take a “break” and leave for six month backpacking in Asia.

The first part of the book was ok for me. I used to force myself to pick it up as I believe the whole process of Hugh leaving and Amy dealing with it was a bit prolonged. It was also a bit whiney for my taste.

But as soon as things picked up and we got into the plot, it got interestingly hilarious! I wasn’t able to put it down. I was so keen in finding out what will happen.

Will Amy take Hugh back after six month?

Will their relationship change? Mind you, Hugh was on a mission to sleep with other women as well. (I know, right! *rolls eyes)

Will Amy herself change?

What will happen to the rest of the family? 

Their girls? 

Three daughters left behind and a husband gone is a lot to deal with. Amy finds herself struggling between her emotions, what’s right and making sure her daughters are not affected.

Overall, I would totally recommend The Break whether you are a women’s fiction fan or not. It’s definitely worth the read. You’d find yourself so into the story and rooting for choices of your own.

What would you do if you were Amy?

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.
 

Book Blog, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : Fierce Kingdom

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Book Title : Fierce Kingdom
Book Author : Gin Phillips
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : June 15th 2017

Do you know that feeling when you pick up a less than 300 pages book, and say “Hey! That’s a breeze, I’ll finish this quick!” and then it feels like you are forever reading it!

Yes! That’s the case with this one.

A fast read. It’s a thriller. It should get you all gripped up, all tensed and on the edge of your seat. Sadly, this book was none of those.

It talks about Joan who after a normal visit to a zoo, finds herself locked up in there with her son while there were some shootings going on. She sees dead bodies all around and glimpses a man with a gun. This is when she realizes that she needs to hide till she finds a way to make it out of there alive along with her son.

I was very interested in this book when I read the synopsis, and immediately asked for a copy to read and review. It started out real well. The situation was very well described. It’s not every day you get locked up in somewhere with your son while some psycho is out there with a gun shooing off just about everyone.

I was actually very impressed with the writing, the descriptions, the plot and the psychological side of the story. I think it would have made the perfect thriller but it lacked that intense whodunit and why vibe.

I found myself yawning a couple of times, forcing myself to pick it up and if it wasn’t for the three hour bus ride, I don’t think I  would have bothered finish reading it or maybe I would have skimmed right through it to reach the end.

And ah Yes, The end! I wasn’t at all a fan of how it was all wrapped up – which wasn’t really. The story already had many loop holes, so I didn’t appreciate the ambiguous ending where we need to draw our own conclusions. I usually love endings like that but it just didn’t work with this one. This one needed a confirmed conclusion from the author herself.

Overall, I wouldn’t be rushing to recommend this one and I’d ask Thrillers fan, or anyone really, to read it at their own risk.

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

Book Blog, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : The Wardrobe Mistress

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Book Title : The Wardrobe Mistress
Book Author : Patrick McGrath
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️/5
Expected Publication Date : September 7th, 2017

My first book by this author, Patrick McGrath.

A historical set in London and its theater, during the 1940’s, we follow our protagonist, Joan whose husband, Gricey, just died and she was over-engulfed in grief. After certain events, she discovered a secret and realized her husband is not the person who she thought he was.

With such a beautiful cover, I really wanted to love this book. Badly!

I found the first chapters as readable as could be. I was interested in Joan, her relationships with her daughter plus the husband, and quite a few characters being introduced in the book.

I kept on reading on the hope that things will eventually make sense, but Alas! I was almost halfway through the book till new things started to happen and it wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. The author have prolonged the grief part a bit too much and everything else was just vaguely described.

For a historical, there wasn’t much talk about the war or the events. For a theater-based book, there wasn’t much description about it either.

I believe those who are passionate about the theater might (I still say might!) find it more interesting than those who don’t. I personally have never been to a theater before and wasn’t able to imagine or connect to it throughout the book and actually found it a bit dull.

I wouldn’t really recommend the book as I didn’t really get anything out of it.

 

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Book Title : The Wardrobe Mistress
Book Author : Patrick McGrath
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️/5
Expected Publication Date : September 7th, 2017

My first book by this author, Patrick McGrath.

A historical set in London and its theater, during the 1940’s, we follow our protagonist, Joan whose husband, Gricey, just died and she was over-engulfed in grief. After certain events, she discovered a secret and realized her husband is not the person who she thought he was.

With such a beautiful cover, I really wanted to love this book. Badly!

I found the first chapters as readable as could be. I was interested in Joan, her relationships with her daughter plus the husband, and quite a few characters being introduced in the book.

I kept on reading on the hope that things will eventually make sense, but Alas! I was almost halfway through the book till new things started to happen and it wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. The author have prolonged the grief part a bit too much and everything else was just vaguely described.

For a historical, there wasn’t much talk about the war or the events. For a theater-based book, there wasn’t much description about it either.

I believe those who are passionate about the theater might (I still say might!) find it more interesting than those who don’t. I personally have never been to a theater before and wasn’t able to imagine or connect to it throughout the book and actually found it a bit dull.

I wouldn’t really recommend the book as I didn’t really get anything out of it.

 

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

 

ARC Review, Book Blog, Book Reviews, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : All the Good Things

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Book Title : All the Good Things
Book Author : Clare Fisher
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : June 1st 2017

If you could list all the good things in your life on a page, what would it say?

Twenty-one year old Beth was in prison and she was asked to do exactly that. She was to list all the good things in her life as a way to make her feel good again.

Throughout the book, with the exceptionally creative chapter titles, we were taken back and forth into Beth’s life which helps us understand her character more. I thought it was a very clever idea and works well with the plotline; to know more about Beth then find out what was the bad thing she did.

Though it gave me “The Catcher of the Rye” vibe, I still loved its distinctive narrative style and I think it’s unique in its own way. I was so afraid that the ending would not measure up but in my opinion, I find that it did pull through.

All The Good Things was a tormenting and emotional one that I have read with an open-mind. I loved how realistic it was though it did get a bit of a drag in some parts.

It wasn’t very easy for me to write this review. I have typed, deleted, retyped and I’m still finding it hard to place exactly how I feel about it, but I believe I was able to pull through it cause I’m a sucker for books that voices subjects about psychology and mental health issues.

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review, Book Blog, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : Exit West

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Book Title: Exit West

Book Author: Mohsin Hamid

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Publication Date: March 7th 2017

This was my first Mohsin Hamid book so I had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t so difficult to get into the mood of the book or get connected with the characters. They were simple enough, first names basis, easy going and didn’t say much. Though I’m not sure whether this was the character’s mood or the books but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
The book follows two people, Saeed and Nadia, who met and fell in love. Shortly after, they had to leave their homeland behind because of the war and they find themselves entering a door that lead to an alien and uncertain place.

I liked the idea of the book. I took it mostly as metaphorical especially when it comes to the places they go to, the people they met and the new place they have found and assumed it would be their sanctuary.

But, here comes the but, as much I liked it, there were some parts that have been a bit slow for me. I also felt the need to be more connected to the characters, it was left up to our imagination most of the time as to what they are thinking which could work for some readers.

All in all, it was a good read but get ready to have a very open mind as you will have to grasp what you can and have your own interpretations of the book.

I’d first love to thank Penguin UK books @penguinukbooks for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blog, Book Reviews, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review: Leopard at the Door

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Book Title : Leopard at the Door
Book Author : Jennifer McVeigh
My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication Date : July 13th 2017

Are you a fan of Historical Fiction?

Whether your answer is a yes or no, you should definitely visit your nearest local bookstore and get yourself a copy of Leopard at the Door.

Set in the 1050’s, Eighteen year old, British Rachel Fullsmith, returned back, after six years, to her home in Kenya expecting her life to be pretty much the same. She soon discovers that a lot had changed and gets caught up in the political drift that involved the secret Mau Mau group, rebelling against the European Colonial living there.

I literally couldn’t put the book down!! Even though I was surrounded by family and kids, I managed to finish it in a day as I was totally captivated by it and I just had to know how it ended.

Jennifer’s writing style was very impressive which made the story easy to follow with all those rich descriptions and the mind–blowing events that had me gripping the edge of my bed till my hands bled. I was purely drawn to the characters, their emotions as it was so vividly described.

Aside from an informative Kenyan history, this book touches subjects about racism, prejudice, injustice and much more. It’s also a book about self-discovery, family relationships and love.

I would, without hesitation, totally recommend it as it was truly a book that leaves an impact on you.

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for this book, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

Book Blog, Book Reviews, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : Jenny Sparrow Knows the Future

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Book Title: Jenny Sparrow Knows the Future
Book Author: Melissa Pimentel
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Expected Publication Date: July 27th 2017

It’s been a really long time since I have read any chick-lit, so when I was offered this book, I was like, why not?

And why not indeed!

This was a good read. Light, fluffy just like your Saturday morning pancakes. I loved how it touched base in a comical way an important subject that we all (maybe not all?) went through at some stage in our lives.

Jenny Sparrow was all about planning. According to the calculated list she created when she was thirteen (laminated, mind you!), it’s time for her to get married. When her boyfriend proposes a break instead of a wedding, she goes off to join her best friend for a girl’s time out in Las Vegas. This seemed to be the perfect gateway till she wakes up the next morning, married and to a stranger!

It was really hilarious to embark on this self-discovery mission with Jenny, to realize that sometimes, things do no work out the way we want it to be and that it’s ok for them not to. It was quite amusing as well to read how Jenny dealt with all those sudden changes that happened after one irresponsible drunken night and to realize that you cannot force love/marriage but rather they would somehow find you.

This is a perfect read to de-stress with, have fun and enjoy at the moment. I would not consider this one as one of my favorite books or one what I would remember in the long run. But hey! That’s just me as I’m not really into chick-lit or rom-com anymore.

Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for the ARC, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Blog, Book Reviews, Penguin U.K. Books

ARC Review : Final Girls

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 Book Title:Final girls
Book Author: Riley Siger
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Expected Publication Date: July 2017

I’ve been reading lots of mysteries/thrillers lately so I’m trying very hard not to compare them to each other as I think every book is unique on its own way.

Though I wouldn’t exactly categorize Final Girls as a thriller or added it to this genre. It’s more like a horror-movie-as-a-book kind of situation and I don’t think I’ve come across or read one of those before.

So it talks about Quincy, one who survived (with a partial memory loss) a massacre at an isolated cabin in the woods and is now called a Final girl just like two others, Lisa and Sam, who have been in the same situation years ago. They were bound to meet and be interviewed when one of them, Lisa, commits suicide. Sam suddenly appears and messes up Quincy’s almost perfect life after having convinced herself that she’s moved and on and over it.

I fell in love with the plot line as it had you guessing the whole time about what really happened at that cabin. Can we trust those around Quincy’s life? Can we even trust Quincy herself? I think this was the highlight of the book. It was such a clever way to mess up with your mind.
As much as I was thrilled by the story line, it did get a bit slow and frustrating at times. I did not like or connect to any of the characters. Riley tried to show Quincy as a strong women and a survivor but honestly most of the time, I just felt she’s weak and whiny.

I don’t think I’d mind recommending this book. It does have this unique flare about it and I’d ask that you’d give it a chance. You could end up loving it and adding it to your favorite list.
Thanks to @penguinUkbooks for the ARC, which was given in an exchange for an honest review.