reading – Book Dust Magic

Another not-so-good book club pick: Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister #bookclub #thriller

After starting on a not so good foot, in the other half of January me and my girls picked another book to read together, and this time we were even less thrilled.
I was excited to read another book by Gillian McAllister as I liked some of her novels in the past, but unfortunately Just Another Missing Person didn’t do it for me.
You can read my review bellow.

This novel was first time published on August 1st 2023 and it has 384 pages.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.

Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.

Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun, or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family’s safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia – and must frame somebody else for her murder.

If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?

This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood, and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.

Review:

This was a book club pick for January.
I was excited to read this author again, as I previously loved her other two books, and because in the meantime her career skyrocketed (or so it seems to me).

Unfortunately, reading Just Another Missing Person was not a good choice by me and my friends. Out of five of us, only three of us managed to finish it, and not one of us gave it a rating higher than 2.
So I think in this case it’s a book, not us.

The biggest turn down was the way it was written. Some chapters were written in third person, some in second, with so many characters that it was hard to get into the book.
I couldn’t connect to anyone really, but I didn’t have trouble to judge that mum who threw her son to the wolves and I am still not sure if she was even aware of that.
Since that was the only case when I felt at least something, I will hang on it if anyone ask me how I feel about this book.

Also, I have to mention that the father of a missing girl sounded like a creep and gave me chills. It was like reading from perspective of an adult who is romantically in love with his daughter.

I couldn’t care about the missing girl as the author didn’t do anything to make us connect with her.
The only character I can say I was intrigued about was that young guy who dated the missing girl.

Unfortunately, this was a big let down for me and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

I made a mistake for not picking up Wrong Place, Wrong Time instead, but now, after finishing Just Another Missing Person, I lost the will to give it a try.

Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up October 24th-30th) #SundayPost #Blogging #WrapUp #Reading

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi guys,

I have been quiet for a while. I skipped the last two Sunday Posts. The reason for that is: I haven’t been feeling well. I was too tired, spent most of my weekends in bed, caughing all the time. It was just exhausting. It wasn’t covid (I tested negative) but whatever it was took too long to finally end. I feel better since Thursday, so let’s hope it is the end game for whatever it is.
If nothing, this experience made me think of my body and how I treat it and I should take more care about my health.

I haven’t been blogging for a while. Most of the posts were pre scheduled and now I have lots of comments and blog visits to keep up. I hope I’ll do it til Wednesday. Unfortunately I have to go to work on Monday.

Last week on Book Dust Magic:

Tuesday: I reviewed The Shaadi Set-Up by Lille Vale
Wednesday: I talked about Sunkissed by Kasie West
Friday: I gave an early review for the novel Never Rescue a Rouge by Virginia Heath

Next week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

The Ex Between Us by Nicola Marsh book cover UK edition

Dahmer MOnster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story

Book Haul:

I got two books for review from the publishers and I also won one in the contest organised on my work place.

Currently reading:

I am reading this ya novel for ages now. It is a solid coming of age story but I am ready to finally finish it, which I hope will be today (so I can read something scary for Halloween).

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!

One sunny title: Sunkissed by Kasie West @PRHGlobal #partner #BookReview #Sunkissed

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for a book that I have read twice already. Once before it was released, and second time recently (read: this summer). I enjoyed it both times which is not surprise since Kasie West is one of my all time favourite authors.

Sunkissed was published on May 4th 2021 by Delacorte Press and it has 304 pages. I want to say thank you to 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 /

Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can’t help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of “fun.” Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks—mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks—who just happens to be on staff—which means he’s off-limits.

What starts as a disaster turns into . . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be.

Review:

Kasie West is my go to author when it comes to ya contemporaries. For years she’s been my favourite and by now I know with her books I can’t go wrong.

Sunkissed was entertaining, fun, fluffy at times and perfect pick to spend a relaxing day with.
I read it twice and enjoyed it both times.

The book was written in first person which made it so easy to flew through. Avery was a good narrator to follow and I have to say, she has good sense of humour.
You know who has even better sense of humour? Her sister. I enjoyed conversations between them and liked their relationship even more than Avery’s and Brooks (who is the love interest).

If you like music and happen to like music making, this story could be the one for you because it features the band and all the things that go along with it: writing, rehearsals, member fights, live gigs…

I wish we got to see more of family camp Avery visited with her family, and if the author decided to include at least one or two camp visitors as well, but overall it was a good book that I would recommend to ya contemporary summer reads.

Witchy and relaxing: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #Halloween #Witches

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I am so, so, so happy to bring you my review for a book I read and enjoyed so much. I am so grateful books like this exist and am happy to spread my word about it in hope it will reach as many readers as possible.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was published on August 23rd by Berkley and it has 336 pages. I want to say thank you to 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 /

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

Review:

I simply loved this book. It was perfect read for the fall, and would be excellent one to pick up during October/spooky season.
Although The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is not a spooky book, it is still perfect to read for Halloween, as it’s protagonists are witches (and with witches comes magic).

I am actually glad books like this exist, because they do provide that Halloween mood to readers who aren’t into horrors and gory.

This book was just adorable. It was relaxing, witchy story that talked about family, friends and love, and what is the most important, the relationship one has with themselves.

The story follows Mika who takes a job to teach magic to three little children. There, in the Nowhere House, she finally learns how it feels to belong somewhere and what it’s like to have a family.

The story is written in third person following Mika’s POV, but there were also some parts that followed Jamie, the librarian.
As you can assume, Jamie is the love interest and when it comes to romance, this one include grumpy-sunshine trope.

I think the author pictured small circle (of people) vibes so well. It was so easy to get attached to all of the characters, main and the side ones. Holiday scenes in the story were like a warm hug from the author and her characters to us readers, that I appreciate the most.

I highly recommend it to everyone who’s looking for a warm, relaxing, witchy story.

Important story done in an unusual way: I am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin #BookReview @WednesdayBooks #Mystery

I am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about the book that was promoted highly before it was released earlier this year. I was lucky enough to receive a copy before the book hit the shelves, but was also unfortunate in sense o that I didn’t have enough time to read it. Now when I finally have more free time on my hands, and am organized better I slowly but surely go through my Netgalley shelf and read/review all of those neglected stories I promised I will talk about here on my blog.
I am Margaret Moore was published on March 15th 2022 and it has 320 pages. I want to thank the publisher Wednesday Books for providing me an ARC.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

Review:

I am Margaret Moore was different from everything that I have ever read.

The writing style is very poetic and often repetitive. Assuming that it was repetitive so the author would emphasize the blur in MC’s head and also take us on a journey where we would, slowly, but surely, connect the dots that would lead us to big revelation in the end, I appreciate it in whole honesty.

Still, if I am being true to myself (and you guys), the writing style didn’t do it for me.
If anything, it only disconnected me from the main character and although I recognize how important the story is, and that it would be emotionally wracking to some readers, I couldn’t get into it, no matter how hard I tried.

Reading this book was like being in the mist myself, somewhere hidden in an imaginary woods, levitating above the creek and not being able to really see, feel or live the story Hannah Capin made.
Because of that, I feel sorry.

And I feel sorry this novel didn’t win hearts of readers all over the world, because in general, I think it was a beautiful story, written in a way that makes it difficult for readers to connect with, and my opinion is that it would work better as a short story.

New book in a series I adore: Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee #bookreview @STMRomance #BookLovers #Romance

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee book cover

GIFTED / Recently I have read the third book in A Sweet Mess series. As some of you know, I love that series. It is cozy and I always enjoy reading about the small town Weldon and it’s characters, and I hope the series will have many sequels in the future.
Booked on a Feeling has 320 pages and it was published on July 26th 2022. I want to say thank you to Sara from St. Martin’s Griffin for inviting me to read and review this book via Netgalley.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Jayci Lee’s romcom Booked on a Feeling features an overachieving lawyer. A failing bookstore. A childhood friend. And the chance of a lifetime…

Lizzy “Overachiever” Chung, Esq. has her life mapped out neatly:
* Become a lawyer. Check.
* Join a prestigious law firm. Check.
* Make partner. In progress.

If all goes to plan, she will check off that last box in a couple years, make her parents proud, and live a successful, fulfilled life in L.A. What was not in her plans was passing out from a panic attack during a pivotal moment in her career. A few deep breaths and a four hour drive later, Lizzy is in Weldon for three weeks to shed the burnout and figure out what went wrong. And what better place to recharge than the small California town where she spent her childhood summers with her best friend, Jack Park.

Jack Park didn’t expect to see Lizzy back in Weldon, but now he’s got three weeks to spend with the girl of his dreams. Except she doesn’t know of his decades-long crush on her–and he intends to keep it that way. She’s a high-powered attorney who lives in L.A. and he’s a bookkeeper at his family’s brewery who never left his hometown. He can’t risk their friendship on a long shot. Can he? When Lizzy decides that the local bookstore needs a little revamp, of course, Jack is going to help her bring it back to life. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore there might be more than just friendship among the dusty shelves and books…

Sometimes the path to the rest of your life has been in front of you all along.

Review:

If you keep up with my reading (which isn’t too hard to do since it has been pretty slow this year but I am on a mission to change that) you know I loved The Dating Dare and A Sweet Mess. In matter of fact, I pronounced myself a fan of the series, so when Booked on a Feeling was about to come out I was as happy as one romance lover can be.

I was looking forward to get back to a small town Weldon as I missed that cozy feeling this series provides.

In the third installment, when it comes to that cozy feeling, the author didn’t disappoint.
However, the sense of humour lacked and after I finished the book I realized I didn’t laugh out loud. Not even once, and that realization turned into disappointment.

The writing style was good and I flew through the pages.
Still, even if the chemistry between the two MCs was good and their reasoning for not acting on their feelings made sense at time, after a while all the miscommunication (or the lack of it) and “will they or won’t they” agenda started to get on my nerves, and I just wanted them to find the way to each other and be over with.

The obvious story development without any surprises or the fact that the main “bad guy” was countries away didn’t help either.

Overall, I did like the book but it isn’t even comparable to it’s ancestors.
Yet, I am happy I read Booked on a Feeling and will gladely continue with the series if the author decides to write more books (which I hope she will).

If you could call your loved ones: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao #BookReview @WednesdayBooks

you've reached sam by Dustin Thao book cover

GIFTED / Today I am bringing you my review for a book I read several weeks ago. I was happy to see it was READ NOW on Netgalley.

You’ve reached Sam comes out tomorrow, on November 2nd and it has 304 pages. Thank you Wednesday Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review it.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

Review:

When I picked You’ve Reached Sam I was ready to be emotionally wracked. Just reading the premise I expected to be at least touched with the story, if not literally crying (because I don’t do that often).
Instead, most of the time, this book made me feel… confused.

It had original part: the phone calls between late boyfriend and alive girlfriend, and I do appreciate it’s uniqueness, but if I am being completely honest, after a while I just didn’t see the point.
I blame the execution for that part. The idea was good.

I also blame the main character who seriously lacked manners and empathy.

I also didn’t understand how she, and people around her, acted as if everyone should move on so quickly. She getting rid of all of her stuff, her mother advising her and people in school in general. One would say it’s been 6 months since Sam’s accident, not a week.

The book was written in first person, following Julie’s POV.
The author’s voice was good and I believe with time it will improve with time.

In my opinion this was a solid ya book with magical elements that made it unique, and it was good for entertainment purpose.

Why I Disappeared and Getting Back to Blogging #blogging #books #MentalHealth

It feels like it has been ages since the last time I posted anything here on Book Dust Magic. It was never my intention to disappear. I guess life had other plans for me, and as much as I wanted to keep up with the same lifestyle I had before 2020, I couldn’t.

As I feel like I am ready to at least try to get back to blogging, before I do, I feel like I need to explain why I disappeared over night from the blogosphere.

Some of you may know that in 2020 I became a mother for the first time. I was really looking forward to a new chapter of my life. I had so much plans, including telling you about my experience as a first time mother here on my blog too.
However, each day after giving a birth was harder and harder, I fell into postpartum depression when I felt like I had no right to be in that state of mind, because I had no one except my fiance to help me with the baby. I felt like I had no luxury to have some rest, to be sad, or to just be myself, when all I had to do was taking care of my son. I really wished for my mother to help me, or to have a friend who would just look after him for couple of hours, just so I could sleep or rest, but wishes don’t always get granted.

I missed reading so much, but I didn’t have time or energy to do it, and I honestly felt like the old me was slipping away, until her final disappearance.

I was already in a bad shape, and then to make more room for the baby I had to give up on so many (un)read books. I sent them to my parents with plan to get them back when we move to a bigger apartment that we plan to purchase in next 10 years (we want to buy an apartment without mortgage), and then my father placed them in my late granny’s house and guess what? Dump ruined them.

And then I had to say goodbye to my cat GiGi (my father took him) because of his aggressive side, so our baby wouldn’t be in danger while he was newborn, and to be honest, saying goodbye to GiGi was a nail to a coffin of a person I used to be.
From then on, I felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body, living someone else’s life and not being able to live a life that was mine.

And then the earthquake happened (and another one), and cut the strings I still held onto with tips of my fingers.
I still have ptsd and I don’t think it will ever go away.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know why I wasn’t around, I practically stopped being part of this community not only because I simply didn’t have time, but because it was hard for me to look at everyone reading more books then ever. If I’m being honest, I was envy, and it was healthier for me to stay away from twitter and blogs.

Now when my son is 13 months old, I feel better and more rested as he started to sleep during night, and I started reading again.
It is still not as much as I would like to, and I will probably have to make piece with the fact that maybe I won’t read as many books as I’d like to for next few years.

My English suffered too, I find it hard to express myself as good as I used to, but I am working on it.

So… I decided to try to get back to blogging. One post at time. I won’t have a schedule because I can’t obligate myself to one.
I will cross post some reviews I have already written on Goodreads, and write new ones as I read, with hope that with time I will be able to write discussions and touch other subjects too.
And I hope someone will read them.

Winter photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

The best book I read this year so far: It Sounded Better in my Head by Nina Kentwood #booklovers #romance #teens #anxiety

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about one special book I read few days ago and fell in love with it completely. I loved it so much that it’s now my favourite read of 2020.

It Sounded Better in my Head has 272 pages and is already out.

I received this novel via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. I want to thank to Text Publishing.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / From debut author Nina Kenwood comes a tender, funny, and compulsively readable novel about first love and its confusions, and all of the awkwardness of teen romance.

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

It Sounded Better in My Head is a compulsively readable love letter to teenage romance in all of its awkward glory, perfect for fans To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Emergency Contact.

Review:

This book was AH-MAZING!!

I mean it, everything about it was just right! Almost perfect.
From the writing style to the story itself, and it’s characters.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel!
Sign me up for next Nina Kentwood’s novels, because I want to read all of them!
Her writing style is amazing, and from her acknowledgments where she thanked to authors who’s books she read in her lifetime, is obvious she reads and loves books a lot.

The story was great. Entertaining and realistic, and just what I craved at time.
I was hungry for good ya contemporary and It Sounded Better in my Head is just what I needed.

The characters were likeable and they felt real.
Even though I am older then Natalie, I could relate to her.
I also don’t like to be seen (but it has nothing to do with my look) and I feel like my mind works similar to hers. However, she did go on my nerves sometimes.
With lifelike friends and good family dynamics, plus “not so perfect for each other” love interesting, this book has the best cast.

I love how believable It Sounded Better in my Head turned out to be, and the was it wrapped up.

I know I said it many times this year, but I think this is my favourite read of 2020.

Because I loved it so much, I now want to read as many ya contemporaries as I can.

I recommend this novel to everyone who’s looking for something quick, easy, and entertaining.

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.