All Of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor

Ebook originally provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

3/5 stars

So I originally started reading this in 2018 as a NetGalley eArc. I ended up marking it as Did Not Finish at 20%. At the time I struggled to connect to the characters and the formatting of the ebook wasn't working in those early stages (I presume this was fixed for official release?). I later found a paperback in a charity shop without realising it was the same book. Then this month it just so happens that it fit one of my reading prompts that I'm doing, the word "All". Even then I didn't connect that I'd previously attempted it until I went to Goodreads to mark it as "currently reading".

The way the book is laid out is unusual. We have video transcripts for the characters Miri and Penny, complete with a video graphic style header for the show "The Whole Truth". Then we have Soleil whose journal entries are being serialised in a newspaper. Lastly there are extracts from Fatima's new book, some scenes of which will cause deja vu.

The central plot point of this seems to be discussing this new book and the events that led to an attack on Jonah, the girls' friend. The kick off of everything is a book called The Undertow, written by local author Fatima Ro. Miri is a superfan who has a plan to get to know Fatima and become her friend. Her plan works but gradually everything changes. Not least of the changes is a secret that Jonah has been carrying with him that will turn them all upside down...

This was a very fast paced read and it drew me in but the characters aren't super likeable. Penny was the most "human" but there was a whiny quality to her and a lack of backbone to change her own situation, she was too much of a doormat. As soon as a certain event was mentioned in relation to a certain character I guessed the truth of what happened. It felt very naive of the other characters to assume what they did. It was fairly enjoyable but I won't reread, it's lost its mystery now.

Stef Out x

The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

2/5 stars

To start with I disliked the chapterless style and Adam's diary entries lacked distinction. I could tell when they started due to the date/time stamp but the end transition could be better.

On to the story. We have two unconnected cases, one of a college professor accused of sexual assault by her male student. The other a murder of a woman that may or may not be connected to a historic rapist.

Apparently this is the 5th book in the series based around DI Adam Fawley and to be honest you need to read the others. There's a who's who cheat sheet at the beginning but I soon forgot and the parade of surnames was a little confusing, also there were discussions about relationships etc that lacked context. Not to mention the bio mention of Adam's young son taking his own life. The writing itself was good enough that I may check out the previous books and hope they come together a little tighter than this one.

The storylines were decent though the assault case became a little convoluted by the end and it was hard to work out what the actual truth was, especially with the epilogue. Also there was an unfortunate throwaway comment at the rape clinic where one of the cops wonders how often they need the clothes to change into (after their own have been taken for evidence) in an XXL which felt very heartless because as well as demeaning the few male victims - the exact plot point of this book - it also dismisses the idea that some of the female victims being larger bodied. Rape doesn't just affect the thin.

Anyway, as for the murder case and its related bits, there was no proper conclusion. Crucial evidence was discovered and then the book ended with no solid conclusion. No arrest, no setting free of the wrongly accused. Nothing. Very disappointing.

Stef Out x

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

I found this book very compelling and it drew me in but it's also one I personally found tricky to review.

June Hayward, a white woman, is a writer. As is her friend Athena Liu, a Chinese American. However while Athena's books have been bestsellers, June's book has struggled. But then Athena dies and June finds her latest unfinished books. June then inexplicably decides to steal it, finish it and publish it under the name Juniper Song. Her own full first and middle name that conveniently make her appear more ethnically ambiguous.

The book when released is an instant hit and the popularity inevitably leads to criticisms about the validity of a white woman writing about Chinese soldiers in the war. Subsequently the internet takes offence and tries to cancel her.

June wasn't particularly likeable but I guess she wasn't supposed to be. She tried to make too many excuses for her actions and as if once wasn't bad enough she then stole and took over a second piece of Athena's work!

I did enjoy reading this book and it made me think but I'm not sure of the overall point. Stealing is bad? Duh. Don't talk over the people that experienced something? Also seems clear, but neither of those feel like the whole story. *Shrug* Maybe I'm just being dense?

Stef Out x

Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot to say and some important themes and the characters were brilliant.

Zelda, her brother and her brother's new boyfriend are attending an improvisational comedy camp for two weeks in the mountains. Zelda's excited but when they arrive she discovers that she's one of only 5 girls which doesn't fill her with hope. Hope that diminishes further when, though she's cast in the top Varsity team, she's constantly the butt of the joke and being cast in parts such as "prostitute".

The situation is worsened by a coach who in the room is constantly criticising her work and giving her contrary advice, but outside, in private, is giving her compliments and kissing her.

I really enjoyed the story's progression and Zelda's gradual realisation of how wrong things were. I just would have liked a little more ending. Maybe an epilogue of them coming back the following year and things being so much better.

Stef Out x

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Gio, the General Innovation Operative, is a humanoid android living in the middle of the forest in an expansive treehouse that he's self-built. He has a human son, Victor, whose existence has a mythical quality, he was apparently left with Gio by a couple in trouble. Then there are the robots that Victor has found in the Scrap Yards: Rambo, an anxious and excitable robot vacuum who is obsessed with vintage movie Top Hat; and Nurse Ratched, a medical robot with sociopathic tendencies and a fondness for drilling.

Life is good but then one day they discover another humanoid android in the Scrap Yards. It has residual power in its battery and they decide to take it home to repair and save. They succeed in awakening the robot and christen him Hap for Hysterically Angry Puppet. It soon transpires that Hap's original designation was something drastically different and his discovery is about to change everything and send them on a treacherous journey...

Once again TJ Klune shows us that he is the master of found family stories. Everyone is so well defined and quirky and fit together perfectly. I love Rambo and he had so many great moments! Victor was lovely in his worry for everyone and it's always nice to see asexual representation. He also gave me a lot of autistic vibes reading him and if he was I'm surprised that Nurse Ratched didn't have the necessary diagnostic capabilities.

I did feel that I had to knock off a star for world building and the ending. I just wanted more of both. The ending felt very abrupt and I wanted to know more about how it all became machines and what happened to the humans.

Stef Out x

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

CW: murder, suicide, self-harm

I've seen this book around Instagram a fair bit lately and then I was scrolling through my Kindle when I spotted I had it (memory of the proverbial goldfish me) and thought now's a good time to read it.

For me while the story was intriguing I'm not sure if I really cared. Even with her diary entries Alicia didn't seem a very solid character. She didn't have any interests or personality. Theo was an arrogant dick and to be honest I'm not sure how much of his story was true and how much was manipulation. He was very controlling for a therapist and the way he went out searching for Alicia's family was pushing the boundaries a bit too much.

The twist was interesting but the ending on the whole felt a bit rushed and the timelines in the end were a bit muddled as to what happened when.

Stef Out x

The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Lycroft Phelps is an elite boarding school with very traditional values. "Turn a blind eye" and "boys will be boys" both ring true. Above all the boys rowing team rules the roost. They control the school and have created the Slycroft Club, a secret society with less than stellar ideals.

Charlotte is a dancer who is dating one of the rowers but she feels like Seb is holding back, and then she starts receiving mysterious notes about him. Max is a scholarship nerd, insecure about his height but then he's asked to join the rowing team as a cox. He enjoys it but all is soured once he learns the truth about Slycroft. Quinn, known as Q, is depressed and angry following a rape that can't be prosecuted. The three, along with some other friends, come together to start changing the "boys club" culture of Lycroft Phelps.

I really enjoyed the way this all came together and I liked the characters and how they developed and grew. I especially enjoyed Q's progression from alienating everyone to letting people in. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and it didn't seem like the situation of who was sending Charlotte the notes was properly resolved. Overall a great book that people should definitely read.

Stef Out x