This lockdown period is giving us all a lot more free time than we’re used to – so, I have taken the opportunity to revisit my love for reading. Books are proving to be the perfect form of escapism for me, especially during these strange times. I’ve been downloading lots of books onto the Kindle app on my iPad, as well as purchasing a few books for our fairly sparse bookshelves at home. This all means that I’m going to start posting monthly round-ups of what I’ve read during that month, along with mini reviews of each book – hopefully feedback that you might find useful if you’re reading a lot more as well! So, today I’m bringing you 5 book reviews from April.
As part of embracing reading, I’ve also joined an online book club which I’ve been meaning to do for months. If you’re interested, it’s a very relaxed, friendly book club with no commitment and regular book chats – find out more about Beth’s Book Club here.
Onto the book reviews from April!
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Harriet’s debut novel is dark, with serious themes of gaslighting, affairs, rape throughout – all revolving around a toxic marriage that is hiding something you won’t expect. I’ll admit that I was expecting more from this book – the blurb and hype around this promised a gripping read from the very first chapter, which I didn’t personally experience – this is probably why I’ve given it 3 stars in the end. However, the final 1/3 of the book sucked me in and produced a very unexpected ending. After so many chapters of slightly lacklustre build-up, I did feel that the ending was all over far too quickly – especially as it was the only exciting, gripping part of the book!
Aside from the main storyline, which I didn’t find to be too exciting, the most interesting part of this book was the murder that the lead character, Alison, was involved with as barrister for the guilty party. It was a shame that there wasn’t more of a focus on this murder trial.
I found the characters unlikeable and this didn’t really change, although I did sympathise with Alison in the last chapters – which you will see if you read this book. Overall, while this was well written and certainly gripping at the end, I’m not sure whether I enjoyed the read as some of the more shocking parts of the book left me feeling quite uncomfortable.
What You Did by Claire McGowan
What You Did is a story revolving around the awful events from an evening among old friends gone very, very wrong. The themes throughout focus on infidelity and rape – some from years ago, and some from the present day in the book.
This was a bit of a funny one for me – it did sort of have me interested from the beginning, but I felt that the story was somewhat dragged out for longer than it needed to be. I found a lot of the story to be quite frustrating, but the ending was satisfying.
The Other Wife by Claire McGowan
I enjoyed this novel much more than What You Did! I was intrigued from the very beginning, and there were plenty of twists throughout – most of which I didn’t see coming.
I finished reading this very quickly and would recommend giving it a read if you enjoy a thriller.
The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
Beth’s debut novel, The Flat Share, is excellent. There’s no other word for it, really! I enjoyed every page of this feel good, comforting book – it was well written, the characters were likeable and I found myself grinning like an idiot throughout. Hilarious and witty, while also including more serious themes like gaslighting.
If you’re looking for a really good book to read during lockdown (or any time, really) – read The Flat Share. You’ll love it.
I See You by Clare Mackintosh
I See You was definitely a thriller – I was gripped from the beginning and found this creepy, but hard to put down. This was well written, building suspense and delivering a totally unexpected twist and a great ending.
I liked the characters, and found the main character Zoe relatable – although it has left me feeling a little apprehensive about using the London Underground! This was a good, quick read.
I hope you enjoyed these book reviews from April! What have you been reading lately?
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