Hey guys!
I have already read some amazing reads during May so I thought I would come and chat about some that I've particularly loved!
First up is Trying by Emily Phillips!
Synopsis from Amazon; She knows she's lucky. There's the handsome husband. The sounds-pretty-good-on-paper job. A house they can just about afford. Loving, intrusive and completely bonkers extended family. Plus, she's having more sex than she's ever had in her life. But the one thing she really wants seems to be the one thing she just can't seem to have...
My thoughts: For me this was definitely a 4 star read - I really enjoyed it. It followed a couple who are struggling to conceive, while being surrounded by family/friends who have babies/are pregnant and I just think the issues that so many people face of struggling to conceive, or not being able to conceive, was written about so well and it really displayed the different emotions while trying to conceive and I think this was captured really well. It was also so relatable in many different ways, and while also surrounding a serious topic - there were some moments in the book that really did make you laugh out loud. It just captured so many different aspects of trying to conceive and for me I found it a very important read, while not being too serious!
A five star read for me was The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves.
Synopsis from Amazon; Annika Rose likes being alone. She feels lost in social situations, saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way. She just can't read people. She prefers the quiet solitude of books or playing chess to being around others. Apart from Jonathan. She liked being around him, but she hasn't seen him for ten years. Until now that is. And she's not sure he'll want to see her again after what happened all those years ago. Annika Rose likes being alone. Except that, actually, she doesn't like being alone at all.
My thoughts: Honestly, I loved this read, I adored it, the characters and just everything about it. I seriously related to Annika, essentially it was like reading a book about myself - I connected with her so much, and connecting with the characters is such an important part of loving a book. I kind of went into this book blind, as I judged it based on the cover! And I was not expecting what happened at all. I loved the whole aspect of old friends reconnecting, and seeing how this pans out. But there were so many aspects of the book which were unpredictable, and so many emotions were felt while reading. It made me laugh, it made me angry, it broke my heart - it just made me feel such raw emotions and I think it will be one of those books that stay with me for a very long time. The ending of the book just really added to the intensity of the emotions and I wish I could go into more detail but I don't want to leave any spoilers! Just wow, so many emotions, so many relatable characters - fab, fab fab!
Synopsis from Amazon; Riley Pieterson is an adventurous girl with lots of questions. There's plenty she doesn't know yet; what a human brain looks like, all the constellations in the night sky, why others can't see her the way she sees herself. When Riley confides in her parents - Sally and Theo - that she feels uncomfortable in her own skin, a chain of events begin that changes their lives forever. Sally wants to support her daughter by helping her be who she dreams of being. Theo resists; he thinks Riley is a seven-year-old child pushing boundaries. Both believe theirs is the only way to protect Riley and keep her safe. With the wellbeing of their child at stake, Sally and Theo's relationship is pushed to breaking point. To save their family, each of them must look deeply at who they really are.
I have already read some amazing reads during May so I thought I would come and chat about some that I've particularly loved!
First up is Trying by Emily Phillips!
Synopsis from Amazon; She knows she's lucky. There's the handsome husband. The sounds-pretty-good-on-paper job. A house they can just about afford. Loving, intrusive and completely bonkers extended family. Plus, she's having more sex than she's ever had in her life. But the one thing she really wants seems to be the one thing she just can't seem to have... My thoughts: For me this was definitely a 4 star read - I really enjoyed it. It followed a couple who are struggling to conceive, while being surrounded by family/friends who have babies/are pregnant and I just think the issues that so many people face of struggling to conceive, or not being able to conceive, was written about so well and it really displayed the different emotions while trying to conceive and I think this was captured really well. It was also so relatable in many different ways, and while also surrounding a serious topic - there were some moments in the book that really did make you laugh out loud. It just captured so many different aspects of trying to conceive and for me I found it a very important read, while not being too serious!
A five star read for me was The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves.
Synopsis from Amazon; Annika Rose likes being alone. She feels lost in social situations, saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way. She just can't read people. She prefers the quiet solitude of books or playing chess to being around others. Apart from Jonathan. She liked being around him, but she hasn't seen him for ten years. Until now that is. And she's not sure he'll want to see her again after what happened all those years ago. Annika Rose likes being alone. Except that, actually, she doesn't like being alone at all.
My thoughts: Honestly, I loved this read, I adored it, the characters and just everything about it. I seriously related to Annika, essentially it was like reading a book about myself - I connected with her so much, and connecting with the characters is such an important part of loving a book. I kind of went into this book blind, as I judged it based on the cover! And I was not expecting what happened at all. I loved the whole aspect of old friends reconnecting, and seeing how this pans out. But there were so many aspects of the book which were unpredictable, and so many emotions were felt while reading. It made me laugh, it made me angry, it broke my heart - it just made me feel such raw emotions and I think it will be one of those books that stay with me for a very long time. The ending of the book just really added to the intensity of the emotions and I wish I could go into more detail but I don't want to leave any spoilers! Just wow, so many emotions, so many relatable characters - fab, fab fab!
I will talk about one more read as my posts are always super long, but this was another 5 stars and this was This Child of Ours by Sadie Pearse.
Synopsis from Amazon; Riley Pieterson is an adventurous girl with lots of questions. There's plenty she doesn't know yet; what a human brain looks like, all the constellations in the night sky, why others can't see her the way she sees herself. When Riley confides in her parents - Sally and Theo - that she feels uncomfortable in her own skin, a chain of events begin that changes their lives forever. Sally wants to support her daughter by helping her be who she dreams of being. Theo resists; he thinks Riley is a seven-year-old child pushing boundaries. Both believe theirs is the only way to protect Riley and keep her safe. With the wellbeing of their child at stake, Sally and Theo's relationship is pushed to breaking point. To save their family, each of them must look deeply at who they really are.
My thoughts: Wow this book. The topic is such an important one, and to be written about a young child too really hammers down on how important this topic is and how it can be so difficult for children feeling uncomfortable and different in their own skin. It was mainly written from the perspective of the parents, with snippets of Riley's perspective - it made me so sad reading this as it just broke my heart so much that Riley felt so uncomfortable, but it also really warmed my heart knowing Riley's mum was so supportive and how happy Riley was by the end. The author, without a doubt, did an amazing job at highlighting the difficulties and the raw emotion from each character, and I really loved how it highlighted the difficulties that not only Riley experienced, but also her parents, grandparents, classmates etc. It really highlighted the different responses different people can have and how these responses can really impact upon the individual. Again, this book gave me ALL of the emotions - and it will for sure stay with me for a long time. Such an important and emotional read. There were so many sections that I just wanted to cry for Riley, to cry for how sad and distressing the situation was, to cry at how some family members reacted.
I couldn't recommend these three reads enough - they all made me feel so many emotions and all included really serious topics that were written about extremely well! Please let me know if you have read any of these and feel free to recommend me some too!
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