“The aftermath of rape is like a slow death, a cancer eating away at you from the inside, unwilling to let you go, unwilling to let you live.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: nosy reporters, rekindled romances, difficult bosses, prostitutes, wigs, piercings, revenge, trauma, pain, little kids and open chests.

DI Helen Grace returns in Pop Goes the Weasel, the electrifying new thriller from M. J. Arlidge.

The body of a middle-aged man is discovered in Southampton’s red-light district – horrifically mutilated, with his heart removed.

Hours later – and barely cold – the heart arrives with his wife and children by courier.

A pattern emerges when another male victim is found dead and eviscerated, his heart delivered soon afterwards.

The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse; revenge against the men who lead sordid double lives visiting prostitutes. For Grace, only one thing is certain: there’s a vicious serial-killer at large who must be halted at all costs…

I’m loving this series! Like I said in the review of the first book, I’m not usually a fan of police investigation mysteries, but this series is surprising me in a very positive way!

The story still follows most of the characters that appeared in the first book Eenie Meenie, and we also have Helen Grace again as the main detective.

The case featured in this book was what really grabbed me to the story! I was so intrigued with the murders and the modus operandi of the killer, that it was difficult to put the book down. The book is very graphic not only sexually but also with violence, so if you’re sensitive to blood and internal organs… you have been warned!

I personally wouldn’t recommend reading this as a standalone because there is a very strong connection to the first book. I’m not talking about the plot itself, but the way the characters are affected by the events of the first book. Even though each book talks about a different case, there is a bigger plot behind it that brings the series together. I tried picturing what it would be like if I read this without reading the first book, and it would be extremely confusing because I wouldn’t understand what they would be talking about most of the time.

I was very satisfied with the end and with the creativity of the plot. It’s not the kind of book where you discover exactly what’s going on and why, so I guarantee you will be surprised with the ending.

I’m definitely continuing the series! I’m loving it so far and I can’t wait to read the next one. Read this book in one sitting!

xoxo,

“Everyone wanted so many things from her—to believe in herself and see her own true beauty, but not to be conceited, to know her place. Be more than your looks, but never speak out of turn. Don’t be defined by love, but remember, you’re nothing without it. Be a princess. Find your prince. You don’t need a man to complete you. Stand on your own two feet.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: fancy capes, interviews, engagement rings, online bets, family gatherings, blog articles, interviews, Ryan Gosling, stylish bathing suits, mean tweets, elimination rounds, designer clothes, culinary chefs, prom queens, lipstick colors, cruel words and a great fashion sense.

Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale.

This book is phenomenal. For the last few days after finishing it, I kept on thinking about this story and bugging my friends to read it. The funny thing is that I didn’t even plan on reading this book – I just picked it randomly and I ended up falling in love with the story!

Bea was a wonderful main character and I connected to her on a deeper level – maybe because I understood her feelings and attitudes throughout the book. Even though she had a lot going on (especially hate she constantly got for being overweight), she kept her head high. I was rooting for her happiness the entire time!

Still, I would say the coolest thing about this book is not only the format, but also the rawness of it all. This is a work of fiction, but everything I read made me feel like this could be a real story. Through its format – that included tweets, blog articles, text messages and conversation transcripts -, the book shows all the negativity and positivity that you would expect from a television production team picking a plus size girl to be the star of a tv show. You have a lot of people supporting it, but also a lot of people being against it… and I really liked how real it felt in that sense. The mean tweets and blog articles were brutal and it makes me really sad that this is a reality for a lot of people, but I’m glad this wasn’t a romanticized story.

Also, just as a side note,  I really liked all the fashion moments featured in this book. The descriptions of the clothes and fabrics gave life to Bea, in my opinion. This was a small detail I really enjoyed!

Being a debut novel, I was super impressed with the final result. The romance is great, but there’s so much more to this book that you get. Regardless of your opinion on plus size women and men, everyone deserves a shot at love. And regardless of shape and size, we all have our own value – you are not less of a person for not fitting the beauty standards of today.

Loved this book. This is a breath of fresh air that I will keep recommending to friends! If you like tv shows like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, this is a must read.

xoxo,

“The most loving parents and relatives commit murder with smiles on their faces. They force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: cleaning supplies, dreadlocks, nigerian food, knives, flowers, hospital rooms, scrubs and blood stains.

When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker – and more difficult to get out of the carpet – than water…

I was somewhat disappointed with this book. Since it was so hyped up and it was nominated for several awards… I was expecting more.

I have mixed feelings not only about the story but also about the characters –  and by characters I mean the two sisters. The story felt slow and still, and there wasn’t visible development in every single aspect of this book. I was at least expecting some character development by the end of the story, but that didn’t happen.

With that said, I do have positive things to say about this book. My favorite thing was definitely the cultural aspect. I really like the references to the Nigerian cuisine, traditions and expressions! I learned a lot with this book, which I wasn’t expecting.

Another great aspect was the writing!  Pace aside, I really liked how short the chapters were and how easy it was to follow the story. It made reading so much easier!

I think it’s important to know that if you’re going into this book for the mystery/thriller aspect, you will probably be disappointed. But I still think you can take something from this book like I did. For me personally, it was a great way to learn more about the Nigerian culture. It’s a fairly quick read, so why not give it a shot and see it for yourself?

xoxo,

“Books are time travel. True readers all know this. But books don’t just take you back to the time in which they were written; they can take you back to different versions of yourself.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: blog posts, thriller books, secrets, ginger cats, questions and the dark web.

A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s A Secret History.

But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for the longest time, and now that I did… I’m underwhelmed. 

In my eyes, this story had great potential. The concept behind the book is incredibly creative: a bookstore owner wrote a blog post about eight perfect murders based on great thriller books, and someone decided to recreate those murders. He then gets to work with an investigator to discover who is responsible for those murders.

The book was okay. It’s the kind of story where you keep uncovering secrets and you don’t know if you can trust the main character. With that said, it’s not the most memorable book, probably because the real plot is overshadowed by the other thriller books it’s based on. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending and the “big” plot twist.

One thing that REALLY bothered me about this book was how some books I wanted to read were spoiled. To be fair, the thrillers mentioned are pretty old, but I still wanted to read some books from Agatha Christie that were mentioned. Unfortunately, this story describes exactly what happens in each mentioned thriller book… including the plot twists and killers! So… thank you for that.

If you like books about books, you should probably give this one a go. Like I said, there’s a bookstore and there are endless references to thriller books, and if that’s something you might enjoy, you should give it a go.

xoxo,