Woops, been a little while since I’ve shown my face around here – life has been mental. Work is crazy, I’ve had multiple hen dos and back to normal-ish life plans, I’m juggling dog with house and catching up on uni before my second year starts in October, prepping for weddings and mini breaks and it’s all been a bit mad. That said, I’ve been pretty good (for me) with keeping up with the reading list which is handy, given that my TBR pile is as long as my arm. I’ve read some good’uns lately so grab a cuppa (or a very cold brew due to the prolonged heatwave we’ve had in the UK) and get stuck in with my latest reviews.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Okay, kicking off my April read with a controversial one as I didn’t actually make it to the end of this (very poorly got to around page 120 before accepting defeat). I tried with this and wanted to love it but I couldn’t get it to stick. The unusual lack of punctuation and speech marks made it almost too quirky for me and whilst I felt like the story had fab substance; covering the stories of 12 very different women in Britain, I just wasn’t obsessed enough to keep picking it up. Didn’t hate, so may well come back to it – would be interested to know if anybody else has read it and made it to the end. Should I persevere? Hit me up!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Loved this and got through it pretty quickly although the writing style is nothing ground breaking so not much of a surprise. Based on a remote island for an elite high profile wedding, it’s a ‘who dunnit’ with a twist. I really enjoyed the multiple narrators and the twists kept me guessing until the end. Perfect for an easy read.
The Flatshare by Beth O’leary
I was late to the party reading this one but I think it’s by far been one of my favs so far this year. Telling the story of Tiffy and Leon who become the weirdest flatmates ever as they never meet. Until they do, and you spend the rest of the book rooting for them. Such an easy read as I was obsessed with the characters, loved O’leary’s writing style and was gutted when it ended. I will for sureeee be reading more from the author and if you love rom-com fiction then you need to read this one.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
There has been a lot of hype around The Midnight Library and whilst I really liked the idea of the book which follows Nora, as she contemplates and lives through the different versions of her life that she could have had, I found it difficult to gel with the main character. It’s a story about undoing regrets and learning to appreciate life, the message was good and the ending worked well but I didn’t think it was anything special. In theory it should have been fab but it felt quite repetitive and Nora wasn’t a character I felt invested in for the first half of the book which let it down. Sorry Matt!
So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter
Loved this one for another easy read. It tells the story of Ruby, Beth and Lauren, showing that life on the outside isn’t always what it seems. It’s about women supporting women and the problem with judging a book by it’s cover. It was light-hearted despite some serious subjects, the characters are realistic and likeable and it was cleverly put together. Would recommend for a summer read.
Real Life Money by Clare Seal
Not my usual type of read but as I’ll be spending the next year diving into the world of non-fiction I started with this one. ‘An honest guide to taking control of your finances’ – and it wasn’t wrong. I found it relatable, easy to understand and follow, it was realistic and honest and is by far the best non-fiction on finance that I’ve read. If you want to understand our relationship with money, if you struggle with money anxiety and you want to change your mindset about money, then this one is for you.
I’ve got some good’uns planned for the rest of the summer but as always, so excited to hear what you have been reading. Any recommendations? As I’ll be focusing on Non-fition next year, if you know of any really great memoirs or essayists that I HAVE to read, then please please let me know.
Have a good one.
Love as always,
thehouseonthegreen 