adult fiction – Book Dust Magic

The most beautiful book about love and loss: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silber (BookReview) #BookLovers #WomensFiction #LoveStory

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about the book the I read in 2019, the one that has stolen my heart. When I read it in November it was my absolutely favourite read of 2019 and I hope my words will make you give this beautiful novel a try.
The Two Lives of Lydia Brid should be published as an e-book today, on January 30th 2020, and the paperback comes out on March 5th 2020. It is published by Penguin and it has 432 pages.
I want to say thank you to lovely people from Penguin for sending me an invitation to read this book via Netgalley.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’ve been together for almost a decade, and Lydia thinks their love is indestructible.

But she’s wrong. Because on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies in a car accident.

So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob ’til her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to live her life well. So, enlisting the help of his best friend and her sister Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world and starts to live – perhaps even to love – again.

But then something inexplicable happens, which gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened. But what if there’s someone in in her new life who wants her to stay?

Review:

Perfection. That is the one word I would use to describe The Two Lives of Lydia Bird.

This novel has stolen my heart with it’s beautiful storyline, with the intensity of emotions it awoke in me.
I honestly can’t even remember when was the last time I fell in love with the book so hard…

If I’m not mistaken, it was back in 2018 when I read One Day in December, that was one of my favourite reads that year.

If nothing (but it’s not nothing, it’s everything) this book showed just how amazing Josie Silver of a writer is.
She wrote two novels, and they both were stunningly written with emotional, heart shaking but beautiful plots, and characters one can’t help but get attached to.
I now am sure I don’t want to ever miss a piece of work written by this incredible author! I want to support her as long as my eyes can see, as long as my brain can recognize the sentences…

I loved the magical element that is the foundation of the story, but also how it affected the main character and the way the story developed.

The story is written in first person, with Lydia as a narrator.
It is beautifully written and even though the book has more than 400 pages it didn’t feel like it.
I wished it was longer, so I could spend more time in this world, with these wonderful characters.

I rarely cry while reading, but this book made me shed some tears.
That one scene, with lighting up candles, was especially emotional. It was my favourite scene in the whole story.

The story wrapped up in the most satisfying way. I hoped it would end up that way, and when it did, I was overwhelmed in a good way. I approve it 100%.

I will mention only one more thing: I want to praise Josie Silver for mentioning my county, Croatia. I was in Makarska many times in my life and I loved reading about it in one of the most beautiful books.

In the end, if I could make you want to read one book from my recommendations list, I would chose this one, because I am sure it will touch many hearts and I hope it will move yours too.
I am so thankful I had an opportunity to read this wonderful novel and I truly believe I will carry it in that part of my heart reserved only for favourite stories, for the rest of my life.

Breathtaking story set in small town: Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain (Book Review) #BookReview #SmallTown #NorthCarolina

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the book I read in 2019. It’s a story with two time lines, and I really enjoyed it.
Big Lies in a Small Town was published today, on January 14th 2020 by St. Marin’s Press, and it has 400 pages.
I received an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley, in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

Review:

Diane Chamberlain was on my “authors I’d like to read” for a while now because Nicole from GirlyGirlBookWorm really likes her, and us two have the similar taste in books.

This was my first read by this writer, but it surely won’t be the last, because I really liked Big Lies in a Small Town.

The story follows two time lines: one set in 1940 and the second set in today’s time.
This book made me realize that I actually enjoy reading books with two different time lines, and I will try to add more novels with that kind of concept in my future readings.

We follow two women: Morgan, who is the narrator of the story and her chapters are written in first person.
Then we have Anna who’s story is set in 1940 and is written in third person.
Both stories take place in North Carolina, and of course, are connected.
After I finished my reading I wasn’t sure who’s story I liked better, and then I came to conclusion that Anna’s was more interesting, but with Morgan I connected more.

This book hit the home for me, and not in a good way, because it reminded me of my not-the-happiest childhood. I often caught myself thinking about my own life and my own complicated relationship with my parents, but that is the story for another time…

The writing was very good. It was beautiful and easy to read.

I think it is important to say that this book covers serious topics like alcoholism and racism in a sententious way, and from my perspective, it was not triggering. Still, I can’t speak for others.
However, there is one trigger warning readers should know about: and that’s that this book talks about sexual abuse.

I loved the way the story wrapped up, and the scene at the very end once again hit home for me, but it also warmed my heart.

I really, really enjoyed reading Big Lies in a Small Town and would recommend it to readers who like historical fiction, general fiction and art.

Creepy but realistic: The Assistant by S. K. Tremayne (Book Review) #TheAssistant #Thriller #BookLovers

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about a novel that really creeped me out, because it made me think how realistic the events that happened in this book actually are, and how our future and present day is not so far from the same doom.
The Assistant was published on December 2nd 2019 by HarperCollins and I want to thank the pr team of that house for sending me an invitation to read this book.

About the book:

FROM NETGALLEY /

She’s in your house. She controls your life. Now she’s going to destroy it.

A terrifying and timely new psychological thriller, from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ice Twins.

She watches you constantly.
Newly divorced Jo is delighted to move into her best friend’s spare room almost rent-free. The high-tech luxury Camden flat is managed by a meticulous Home Assistant, called Electra, that takes care of the heating, the lights – and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company.

She knows all your secrets.
Until, late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo’s fragile world in two: ‘I know what you did.’ And Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable.

Now she wants to destroy you.
Only two other people in the whole world know Jo’s secret. And they would never tell anyone. Would they? As a fierce winter brings London to a standstill, Jo begins to understand that the Assistant on the shelf doesn’t just want to control Jo; it wants to destroy her.

Review:

Going into this book I had no idea what I signed up for. You see, I recklessly thought that the assistant in this story is a live, breathing person, when instead it was a smart device, similar to Alexa from Amazon.
Even though the story is set in present, at times it felt like the events took place in the future, but I would ascribe that to my “less technology” style of life.

I was so happy when I got an invitation to read this book because I previously read The Fire Child by S. K. Tremayne and really liked it.
I hoped the same will happen with his newest piece of work, and I am happy to say that it did.

The story follows a woman named Jo who lives in her best friend’s house in London almost rent-free. Her friend is very wealthy and she has set of home devices that work as assistant to maintain the house, and keep company to people who live in the house.
As her friend is often out of the house, travelling and sleeping in her boyfrined’s place, Jo is usually alone and after some time the assistent start to talk to her about personal things no one should know.

The book starts slowly and to be honest, the first 10% was pretty boring and dull. Jo was alone and the only character in those chapters and, as I was reading, I started to yearn for other persons, in hope they’ll pick up the story.

As the story progressed it became more and more intriguing. The close to the end I was, the more thrilled I became.

The writing style was amazing and it is easy to read, with many quotes worth remembering.
The story is written in first person, from Jo’s perspective, but it also has several chapters that follow other characters’ perspectives, and those are written in third person.

In the end I loved how the story unfold and it really made me think about the rise of technology in our world and where it all can lead us as species.
What our life will be and will we use it to make our lives easier as we all long for, or will it turn us against each other, bring the worst of us?

The end was satisfying and, even though the first person I suspected turned out to be the villain, I like the reasons and revelations behind the one’s motive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to thriller lovers, but also to people who like to read books set in future ( even though this one is set in our time, it felt futuristic in some sense).

Beautifully written: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (Book Review) #Magic #Witches #BookLovers

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the book I should have read ages ago, but I only finished it this year. Sometimes we think we have all the time in the world to pick up the book, and that was my case when it comes to The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman.
This novel was published on October 10th 2017 by Simon & Schuster, and it has 369 pages.
I want to say thank you to Simon & Schuster pr team for sending me a Netgalley widget for an eARC, in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Review:

Few years ago I read Faithful by Alice Hoffman and I loved it. It was one of the best books I read that year and I knew I wanted to try Hoffman’s other work at some point.
When nice people from Simon & Schuster provided me with an eARC of The Rules of Magic I was pretty happy, but then life got in a way and this magical book was left behind, neglected.
This year, I made a decision to read all the books from my dusty to-be-reviewed pile and this prequel to Practical Magic shined it’s way to my hands.

I have to confess that I have never read Practical Magic, but I’ve seen the movie many times, because it is a good movie and it’s also very popular in my country because it has Croatian actor in it (Goran Višnjić) along with two famous actresses (Nicole Kidman and Sandra l).

However, it is not obligatory to read or watch Practical Magic to read The Rules of Magic, because it is it’s prequel, and it features different characters.

What won me at the very start of my reading journey was the beautiful writing style that almost read as sing-song in some parts.
I remember I loved it the most in Faithful too, so I guess it’s save to say that Hoffman’s writing is one of the most beautiful voices out there that I have come across.

This novel is written in third person, following perspectives of three siblings who have magical abilities.
I enjoyed following each character, and I honestly can’t even say that one’s story sticks out from other. I liked them all similarly.

The story takes place in New York in sixties (and after as the story progressed) and in the small town Massachusetts. I usually love small town stories, and this time was the same, but I have to admit that I enjoyed New York parts more.

I love how this book roused emotions in me, even though the story itself wasn’t too sad or too emotional. It is a story of life, with magical realism in it.

The Rules of Magic will stay in good memory with me and my only regret is that I haven’t read it sooner.

Alice Hoffman is well received writer with a reason, and I highly recommend you to give her a try. Read this novel, Faithful, her newest release The World That We Knew, or any other of her many novels. I truly believe that you won’t regret it!

The one I was disappointed with: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #BookReview #BookBloggers

GIFTED / When you’re a book review you sometimes come across books you don’t like, even if you wanted to. This happened to me with Olive, Again, a book I wanted to read for a couple of months before getting a chance to.
This book was published on October 15th by Penguin Random House, and it has 304 pages.
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is “a compelling life force” (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire moments of transcendent grace.

Review:

Once again I didn’t do my homework, and went into Olive, Again without knowing it was a sequel to already published book called Olive Kitteridge.
Nevertheless, this book can be read on it’s own.
However, if I read it’s predecessor, I would just skip this one for sure.

I’m not saying this is a bad book, because, judging by other readers’ and critics’ reviews, it is a really, really good book, but it wasn’t for me.
I just couldn’t see it’s greatness, I guess.

I think that the main reason why I couldn’t connect with the story was that the main character, Olive, is so much older then me.
This is the thing I realized while reading this novel: I just can’t enjoy the story, connect with it if the characters are so much older then me (we talk here about 70+ years old characters, and even 80+ as the story progressed).
Therefore, thanks to this piece of literature, I made a decision not to read books featuring old main characters any more (at least at this period of my life).

The second issue I had with Olive was that I didn’t like her as a character at all. I know she is described as honest, outright and ruthless, but to me, she often came as just rude.
I just didn’t like her energy and I could not care for her or what was going on in her life, and it especially showed as I was further into the story.
I caught myself scanning the last 50 pages of the story because I just wanted to be finished with it.

It is a shame, I do know, but it is what it is!

Also, when it comes to writing style my expectations were pretty high because this novel is labelled as literary fiction, which stands for beautiful prose.
Unfortunately, I was very disappointed because it read as simple general fiction.

Still, I have to note that the book covers some pretty important things and some of the stories that involved other characters were interesting.

On the other hand, there were some situations that made me feel uncomfortable (like when Olive said that it was stupid that an adult man cries aloud, and even if he’s Jewish, it’s still stupid).

In the end I’ll just repeat that Olive, Again is very loved book and I am aware that many people won’t agree with my opinion.
As for me, I won’t be reading Elizabeth Strout’s other work because I don’t think I would enjoy it at this stage of my life.

The one about wicked village: The Liar’s Sister by Sarah A. Denzil (Book Review) #TheLiarsSister #Thriller #BookLovers

GIFTED / Today I decided to tell you about the latest thriller that I have read, since October is approaching and many readers like to devour that genre during spooky season (aka Halloween month).
The Liar’s Sister really surprised me with it’s plot, but only in positive way.
This book was published on September 25th 2019 (in other words: today) by Bookouture and I have read an eARC I received via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / A SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCE. A VILLAGE FULL OF SECRETS.

Ten years ago, a boy named Samuel Murray went missing from the quiet village of Buckthorpe and was never seen again.

Rosie Sharpe cried over her missing friend for weeks after. But her little sister Heather knows that Rosie’s tears hide the truth. Because the night Samuel was last seen, Heather watched her older sister climbing back through the window of their childhood bedroom. Her jacket torn, her eyes wild and her body trembling with fear.

Heather never told anyone what she saw, but secrets can’t stay buried forever…

A decade later, Rosie and Heather return to the home they grew up in when their mother falls ill. But when their house is ransacked and they receive a threatening note, it becomes clear that someone in the close-knit village doesn’t want them there.

When Heather finally confronts her sister about what really happened on the dark, rainy night Samuel vanished, Rosie’s version of the truth is more shocking than she could ever have imagined. But can she trust her sister? And who broke into their house that night? As the lies of the past begin to unravel, they have the power to put the lives of both women in terrible danger…

Review:

One day I was browsing through Netgalley books in order to find a good thriller because I was really in a mood for that genre.
Out of all of the novels in that category (and may I say, it’s the most popular category there) The Liar’s Sister was the one that sounded the most appealing to me.
The cover is attractive, but the premise is what got my attention, so therefore I knew it was a winner.

My feeling was right, because not only did I like the story in the book, but I also fell in love with the atmosphere, people relationships and interactions within the story. All the secrets and mystery that were not visible at all made me appreciate this piece of fiction so, so much.

This small community, spooky atmosphere was my absolutely favourite thing about this book, and with all the creepy characters and events it really gave a life to the place, it felt like the village was it’s own character.

As a cherry on top, there is a writing style that can simply be described as high quality.
Beautiful writing is always welcomed when it comes to fiction, but to me this one really stands out.

The novel is written in first person, from Heather’s POV.

After finishing the book I found out that Sarah A. Denzil is very popular author, but somehow I haven’t heard about her before (once again, this is the proof I live under a rock). I would really want to check her other work, especially Silent Child because from others’ reviews, it seems to me that that is the most loved one.

I would recommend The Liar’s Sister to everyone who is in the mood for a good thriller.
With it’s cold atmosphere, it is a perfect pick for cold nights during October.

A novel every woman should read: Her Husband’s Mistake by Sheila O’Flanagan #HerHusbandsMistake #WomensFiction #BookLovers

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about a book I really loved, and even though it has been some time since I’ve finished it, I still think about it at times.
Her Husband’s Mistake was published on August 13th 2019 by Headline Review, and it has 448 pages.
I want to thank Becky Hunter for sending me a physical ARC of the book, in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Roxy’s marriage has always been rock solid.

After twenty years, and with two carefree kids, she and Dave are still the perfect couple.

Until the day she comes home unexpectedly, and finds Dave in bed with their attractive, single neighbour.

Suddenly Roxy isn’t sure about anything – her past, the business she’s taken over from her dad, or what her family’s future might be. She’s spent so long caring about everyone else that she’s forgotten what she actually wants. But something has changed. And Roxy has a decision to make.

Whether it’s with Dave, or without him, it’s time for Roxy to start living for herself…

Review:

Once again I am guilty for not reviewing a book as soon as I finished it. It has been quite some time since I read Her Husband’s Mistake, so I do apologize for having only brief and short review.
The book is still (kind of) fresh in my mind when it comes to main points of the story, but, as I already stated, it has been some time so I don’t feel comfortable writing a full in depth review.

The story follows Roxy who one day finds her husband in their bed with their hot neighbor.
Her husband wasn’t supportive of her when she took care of her ill father, and now when he passed away Dave (husband) made this big mistake that is so hard to forgive and forget.

I would say that the story talks about a woman who is torn apart between her husband’s infidelity and the two possible decisions it brings: to forgive and try to work it out as a couple, or to leave and move on while she can.
She is also grieving her late father and the situation is not easy, especially when people around her also have their opinions.

I would also call this coming of age story because it talks about a woman finding her voice and her own strenght.

I think every woman should read this novel because it talks about the capability of a woman to support herself even though that was not something she has done for her whole marriage life, and also how sometimes husbands like for women to depend on them.
Even though it officially does not belong to that kind of genre, I dare to say that this also talks about feminism.

The writing style is amazing. The book does not read quickly but it has so many beautiful sentences and thoughts that it is worth to spend time with.
It is written in first person. from Roxy’s POV.

Sheila O’Flangan is well known author with many books written and this book reminded me how much I loved her novel Suddenly Single that I still remember today, even though it has been years (we talk here about cca 14 years) since I read it.
I kind of regret now for not reading more of her work, but at least I know it is not too late to keep up with them.

I loved everything about this book and the only think that bothered me, and it is personal pet peeve of mine, is that the sentence “I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding” was in there three times (and if you ask me even one is too many), but I have to stress out that I read an ARC, so maybe that was change in the finished copy.
As I said, it is my own personal pet peeve, so please don’t take it seriously.

To wrap up, I want to recommend this book to readers (especially women) who enjoy reading general and women’s fiction, and to those who love beautiful writing in their books.

Book Review: Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas #Thriller #ThenSheVanishes #BookBloggers

GIFTED / Today I bring you my brief review for the thriller I read some time ago and never got around to review it: Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas.
This book was published by Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House on August 8th 2019, and it has 448 pages.
I want to thank the team from Michael Joseph for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

Heather and Jess were best friends – until the night Heather’s sister vanished.

Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night. Nor has Heather.

But now Heather is accused of an awful crime.

And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she’s avoided for so long:

What really happened the night Flora disappeared?

Review:

It has been some time since I finished Then She Vanishes so I will try to keep my review short and point-blank.

First and most important: this thriller was highly entertaining and that is it’s main plus.
It took me five days to finish it but that is because I was very busy in time I was reading it. I imagine if I had more time to read I would probably finish it in two days.

It was so easy to read, and I really wanted to turn those pages faster, even though the reason for that wasn’t that I was dying to know what will happen, but because I was purely enjoying spending my time with this book.

It main disadvantage, if I’m being honest, is it’s predictability.
There are many things that happened in the story and, of course, most of them weren’t as obvious, but the main revelation and the outcome were visible from the very beginning of the book.

The second flaw is that the story is just not rememberable.
As I already stated, it has been some time since I finished this novel and I already have hard time when I try to think about it’s side characters or subplots. Most of it is a blur.

In the end, I think this book would appeal to readers who like to read thriller from time to time, but if you’re an advanced reader of that genre, maybe you’d wish it brought more to the table.

The one about friends who don’t act like friends: The Friends We Keep by Jane Green (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #Books

GIFTED / Today I decided to speak about one book that came out few months ago, that I wasn’t too fascinated by. In other words, it left me disappointed.
It’s the story about friendship and forgiveness.
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).
The Friends We Keep came out on June 4th 2019 and it has 384 pages.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known each other since university. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and none of them ever found the lives they wanted – the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.

Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man.

Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with at university, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.

Topher became a successful actor but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.

By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with each other and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness… until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.

The Friends We Keep is about how despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.

Review:

If I could use only one word to describe The Friends We Keep by Jane Green, it would be boring.
Even though the story takes place in time period of 30 years, and so many things happened during that time, it still felt like the story was dragging and dragging.
This novel has 384 pages, but it felt like I was reading 600 pages long book. It took me 4 days to finish it, even though I really do have time for reading on my hands at this point in my life.

The story follows three people, Evvie, Maggie and Topher who met in collage and started their friendship there.
Through the story they keep and lose contact with each other, but their lives are always intertwined in some way.

I usually love novels that explore human relationships, and I don’t mind when the story takes time, but this time I just couldn’t wait for it to be already over.

I think my main problem was with characters. Two of four main characters (yes, four, because one side character is very significant) were very superficial, one was alcoholic and I feel like person who knew about him only tried to find excuses for his behaviour, and one only made bad choices in her life.

The worst of them all was Evvie. I think with a friend like that you really don’t need enemies.

This is the story about forgiveness, and although I am aware that forgiveness is important for one to move on with his life, I also think that some actions are unforgivable and even if you do forgive with time, it’s better to move on with your life without a person who wronged you in it.

Jane Green is very popular author and I have to admit that, even though I haven’t read her work before, I was pretty disappointed with The Friends We Keep.

The one with troubled teens: Breakers by Doug Johnstone (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #GeneralFiction

GIFTED / Today I am proud to be the host for the Breakers blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me, and to Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of this book.

About the book:

Seventeen-year-old Tyler lives in one of Edinburgh’s most deprived areas. Coerced into robbing rich people’s homes by his bullying older siblings, he’s also trying to care for his little sister and his drug-addict mum. On a job, his brother Barry stabs a homeowner and leaves her for dead, but that’s just the beginning of their nightmare, because the woman is the wife of Edinburgh’s biggest crime lord, Deke Holt. With the police and the Holts closing in, and his shattered family in devastating danger, Tyler meets posh girl Flick in another stranger’s house, and he thinks she may just be his salvation . . . unless he drags her down, too. A pulsating, tense psychological thriller, Breakers is also a breathtakingly brutal, beautiful, and deeply moving story of a good kid in the wrong family, from one of Scotland’s finest crime writers.

My Review:

Breakers is the novel that cought my attention with it’s synopsis. The story sounded interesting and it has been a while since I read an adult book with teens as main characters.

This novel is perfect for readers who usually read young adult, but would like to try adult fiction. Since our main characters were teenagers, the story often (at least to me) read like ya novel, but only with stronger language and some taboo subjects.

The story touches some serious topics like poverty, drug addiction and incest.

Even though it has an interesting plot, this is a character driven story.

It also blurs the line between moral and wrong, and it will probably (at least at some points to the story) make reader root for guys that don’t make the right choices.

As for my reading experience, I wish I got more attached to our main characters, because I would enjoy the story more.
This way, I only followed the story with Tyler, but I wasn’t emotionally invested, not in the way I wanted to be.

Also, the atmosphere of the story reminded me of Savages by Don Winslow. It is a totally different book from that one, but I still couldn’t help but think about it while reading.

The writing style was solid. There were no beautiful sentences that would make me think of life, but it was easy to follow and well structured.

I feel like most people who read this book absolutely loved it, so I guess I’m in minority here when I say it was an average piece of fiction. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I wouldn’t describe it as mind blowing either.

I would recommend this story to everyone who likes to read general fiction and to young readers who’d like to try some adult novels.

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