Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read April 2021.

4/5 stars

This guy really knows how to write characters! Josie and Delia co-host a cult horror themed TV show. For Josie TV is what she wants to do with her life and her parents have even organised an opportunity in a different town for her. For Delia horror is the thing she loves, it's the thing she shared with the father that abandoned her. She's scared because everyone leaves.

I loved the friendship between Josie and Delia, it was such an authentic relationship. Lawson was amazing as well, he defied stereotypes and I loved it! The writing throughout was really fun and genuine. Delia and her mother's depression was treated so well and the use of medication was totally normalised and they had a great relationship. The stuff with Delia's dad was handled brilliantly as well.

I only have a couple of tiny criticisms. I wish we could have had a little more of Josie with her family, on the whole "family" was skewed heavily towards Delia. There were a couple of idiotic jokes that were too bad for one person to know, never mind multiple (2022 note: why did I not include these specific jokes in my initial review?). Also the entire convention section was absurd and went way too over the top with trying to jam too much into just a few hours.

Stef Out x

When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read April 2021.

4/5 stars

Catherine has a secret. Her real name is Sara and aged 10 she killed her parents. Now many years later her older sister, Shannon, is featuring in a new documentary about the murders and their family, hoping to reconnect with Sara. This news incites a renewed media interest in the case, interest that soon leads to the revelation of Catherine's identity. most crucially to her formerly clueless husband and teenage daughter.

The book has three narrators: Catherine/Sara writing in third person, mostly alternating with Brinley, the sisters' childhood friend turned journalist in first person, with additional chapters by a politician who is in trouble for remarks he made about the case on live radio. There are also frequent flashbacks to the girls childhood.

The base story was intriguing with plenty of twists. The key them seems to be you never know what's going on behind locked doors. I felt that the storyline with the politician was overall pointless, it felt like you could cut it completely with no impact to the rest of the story. The writing style was easy and readable but a few "medical" based scenes were weirdly detailed. I also wish the ending was more complete.

Stef Out x

Heads Up

 Just a mini heads up post to let anyone out there who might be reading this that I'll be doing three extra posts today after this one to make four reviews in total. One has already been posted.

After re-doing my NetGalley list I found several books that I had read and not left feedback for. I didn't think I'd even written reviews but double-checking my other notebook revealed them so I am going to type them up and post them all today.

Stef Out x

Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read May/June 2021.

5/5 stars

Chloe has a plan. Cross country running, top grades and a good college. But then she collapses while running, revealing a heart defect that necessitates a transplant.

8 months later Chloe's physical health has improved enough that she's taken up surfing despite no prior interest, but the cute instructor helps! Her mental health however is a little shakier, she's lost her place in the world and she's having strange nightmares and memory flashes she doesn't recognise. What's going on?

I loved this book! It was so well-written and engaging and it really drew me in. I loved Chloe's progression as a character and how she became more accepting and more relaxed as the book went on, that pressure to achieve being alleviated.

The twist near the end was so interesting and so well-written and so heart-breaking and I loved it! The overall story is one of hope and carrying on.

Stef Out x

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read May 2022.

3/5 stars

Camino and Yahaira are half sisters, not that they know it yet. Their father has been splitting his time between the Dominican Republic with Camino and New York with Yahaira, that is until the plane he's on comes down and he's killed.

This book was written beautifully, I believe it's considered a novel in verse. There are a lot of Spanish phrases which obviously I don't understand but it doesn't particularly take away from the reading experience.

The pacing of this novel could have been better, for two thirds not a lot actually happens which is especially shocking when you consider that all in all that covers a period of almost two months. It took way too long to get the sisters together and then the book ends very abruptly. I wanted to see more of their new life together, what was the adjustment period like? It just ends which I found very disappointing and almost dropped the rating to 2 stars.

Stef Out x

A Land of Never After by R.L. Davennor

 

Ebook provided by BookSirens for review. Thank you.

Read May 2022.

3/5 stars

So I will preface this by saying that I have never read Peter Pan, I don't think you need to though. This book takes a few familiar elements: Wendy, Peter, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys and Neverland and completely twists them.

Wendy has just left the orphanage where she grew up when she runs into Peter who then steals her satchel, so she follows him straight into Neverland. But Neverland sits under a horrible curse, kill and steal a being's life force or rot. But who is responsible for the curse? One Captain Hook. Peter's long-standing rival. Everyone has secrets and somehow Wendy is the key to everything.

I thought that the story and ideas were great but there were elements that were lacking. The pacing was strange, one chapter ended with Wendy falling asleep then the next opens with her running through the forest with no explanation, some kind of training session maybe? I'd also have like more development. Wendy didn't seem to have much personality beyond the basics. Also her 'friendship' with Peter is a bit something and nothing. They have a deep conversation about something which seems all but forgotten after apart from one small aside.

I might read the sequel if I come across it but it doesn't feel especially memorable enough overall to actively seek it out.

Stef Out x

Goodreads: Here

Instagram: Here

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

 

(Review copied from Goodreads)

Original review March 15: I liked and didn't like this story. The characters were well-developed and interesting and very real as modern teenagers but Tori is so unlikeable. She improves slightly throughout when she realises that shock horror she's allowed to care! I found myself wanting to know more about Michael and I really want a more detailed story about Charlie, he was so sweet! There also wasn't much detail given about the situation with Ben and the conclusion of Lucas was a little obvious and cliched. I also found all the conversations about shipping and fandoms and the sexual tension between Sherlock and John in BBC's Sherlock very odd as despite them being popular topics of conversation these days - particularly online - I haven't come across those sort of conversations in books before now.

Re-read Oct 19: I still sort of agree with some of my previous thoughts but now I find Tori relateable in her pessimism and some of the rest I just don't care about. I just enjoyed the book. I do still want to know more about Ben's situation though. I don't know if it comes up during Heartstopper at all? I seriously need to read that sometime!

Re-re-read May 22: Ben's story makes so much more sense having read Heartstopper. Also having read Heartstopper I wanted more Charlie and Nick! On this reread I barely noticed most of the fandom stuff although there is a lengthy Harry Potter based conversation in the opening chapter. I've come to appreciate Tori more with each reading. I did want to know more about the other guys involvement in Solitaire though.

4/5 stars

Stef Out x