“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis
Author: Neide
Hi there, I’m Neide!
I spend way too much time on Youtube, I dance my little heart out way too often and, of course, I like to read really cool books. I read mostly YA, romances, non-fiction and thrillers. Also, I’m a professional cat lover and a Slytherin by heart.
Feel free to follow me on Goodreads. Let’s be book buddies!
“Tell a person they’re wrong, and they’ll cover their ears. Tell a person they’re right, and they’ll listen to you all day long.” – 4.5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: journalists, friendship bracelets, dementia, cigarettes, broken glass, old photographs, letters, bees, painted nails, school uniforms, hotel rooms, mini bottles of alcohol, knives, surprises, lies and regret.
If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…
Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving. Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.
When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.
Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.
Wow, this book was a crazy ride! What I liked so much about this story is how the reader makes new discoveries every chapter. This is the kind of thriller where you find out things slowly with time and where you can’t trust anyone. I think this is a great way to keep the reader curious about the story and to make guesses on who’s responsible. Well, it definitely worked for me!
The story alternates between a journalist and a detective (the main characters in the story), separating “His” and “Hers” points of view by chapters. These characters are investigating the death of the woman found in the woods, but things get… complicated (for spoiler reasons, let’s keep it this way).
I personally wasn’t expecting this story to be so dark, but I was wrong. There were some scenes here and there that were heavy. Not only that, but the eerie atmosphere of the woods gave the book an extra creepy vibe!
The ending was very surprising and shocking, and I was very pleased with it! I had my theories throughout the book and I suspected some of the characters, but I never thought it would end like that!
The author did an amazing job with this book. I really liked the story and I would recommend it to all the thriller/mystery fans. It’s a creepy story full of twists and turns, and I guarantee you will be entertained the entire time!
“Don’t all crazy people think they’re the rational ones?” – 3.25/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: kittens, diagnoses, tapes, medical records, walls, whispers, monsters and a lot of theories.
“A clever cocktail of psychological thriller and supernatural horror.” Kirkus
The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his job at a mental asylum, miscalculates catastrophically when he undertakes curing a mysterious and profoundly dangerous patient.
In a series of online posts, Parker H., an ambitious young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England and his attempt to cure the facility’s most difficult, profoundly dangerous case.
Originally admitted to the hospital as a child, the man has no known diagnosis. Every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide.
Parker, brilliant and overconfident, takes it upon himself to discover what ails this mystery patient and finally cure him. But things quickly spiral out of control …
Fans of Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes and Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World will be riveted by Jasper DeWitt’s astonishing debut.
PRAISE FOR THE PATIENT:
“A stunning debut! DeWitt’s The Patient is a thrilling, compulsive page-turner that will appeal to fans of F. Paul Wilson, Sarah Pinborough, and Alex Michaelides.” Brian Keene, bestselling author and World Horror Grandmaster Award winner
“‘Insidious evil’ is such an overused term, but there is no other way to describe what prowls the hallways of this riveting novella. A compulsive read I devoured in one day. And the ending … it still haunts me.” F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling creator of the Repairman Jack series
“The Patient is a fascinating and frightening read that comes at you like the monster under your bed.” Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author
Heads up: unpopular opinion incoming! So… I was somewhat underwhelmed with this book. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of positive things I can say about this particular story, because the truth is that it just wasn’t a very memorable/special book.
It’s a horror/mystery book with some creepy moments here and there, but I didn’t love the plot. There were some things revealed at the end that I wish were more… realistic? And yes, I understand what the author was trying to do and I’m okay with the direction he decided to take. But with that said, I wish the execution was better. There were so many scenes here that didn’t make sense and didn’t connect to the story well. I’m sorry for not being specific, but I don’t want to spoil the story for you. I’ll just say that even though I understand the mysterious part, I wish it was done a bit differently. A great example of this was the part regarding what happened at Joe’s home (if you already read the book, you probably know what I’m talking about).
On a positive note, I really liked the book’s format. I liked the concept of a doctor writing about his experience with a patient in an online forum. It felt personal and realistic, and it was done beautifully. I was interested in what he was saying and it felt like there was a real online audience for the story.I still think it’s a quick and easy read, nice for a lazy weekend. But it’s not in any way, shape or form similar to The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. So if you’re going into this with that in mind… you will probably be disappointed.
“He planned an adventure he never intended to take, imagined a life he never intended to live. Instead he sailed out on a tide of pills and tequila.” – 4.5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: cold beers, pot hounds, memorials, Albergs, prosthetic legs, Christmas gifts, fresh lobsters, Island hopping, bikinis, mountain climbing, nature, whales, decks, no WI-FI and suicide notes.
Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…
Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.
But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.
In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.
This book was very powerful. I saw Heather from Bookables (on Youtube) talking about it and I immediately knew I needed to pick it up.
This story is about Anna, a waitress whose fiance died recently by suicide. She was the one who found him – of course, this traumatic event had a huge impact on her. Months later, she gets a notification that reminds her they were going on a trip in his sailboat, and in that second, she decides to take the trip by herself. Unfortunately she quickly realizes that she can’t do it alone, so she hires a professional sailor to help her. Well, you can guess what happens next.But with that said, this is not a story about romance. It’s a story about a woman finding her happiness again and going through grief.
Anna was a likeable character and I felt her pain on a deeper level. She was very strong and it was a joy to watch her healing. Keane was also amazing, and he made a great pair with Anna. He was exactly what she needed for support!
I admit I was expecting more graphic/shocking content because other reviewers kept talking about how serious this book was. Obviously the main character suffered a terrible loss, and I can understand how triggering it may be for some readers who had been through the same thing. But I personally didn’t think the book was that dark, in the sense that it wasn’t about her husband’s suicide, but about her getting her life back on track.
We are always stronger than we think, and this story is a great reminder of that. I really liked this book and I would recommend it to other readers. If you’re considering reading this book, please be aware of the trigger warnings for suicide and depression.
I read A LOT this month and I’m very happy with the amount of books I got to read. In total, I read 14 books in June! I read the 8 books I originally picked for this month’s TBR, plus 6 books I didn’t plan to read! I’m very excited to share with you all the books I read, so let’s get into it 🙂
Here are the original books and ratings from my TBR for this month:
And that’s it! That was my reading month. I always have a huge, neverending TBR pile, so I’m happy when I get to read more books than I usually do. Well guys, thank so much for reading my post! Let me know how your reading month was! Thank you for reading, I’ll see you guys later 🙂
“Então, muitos e muitos meses depois de ter deixado o lar, Sho percebeu uma grande luminosidade à sua frente. Parecia que a floresta terminava ali adiante. Mas não conseguia enxergar além, a visão ofuscada pela claridade. Com o coração batendo forte, caminhou em direção à luz. Conforme os seus olhos se iam acostumando, conseguiu ver as árvores um lago imenso, casas coloridas. Ao fundo, vislumbrou o que parecia ser uma cidade de pedra na base da gigantesca montanha. Era magnífica, muito maior do que ele imaginara. Parou e ficou admirar aquele monte de pedra, perplexo. Não era possível visualizar o seu topo, mas nas partes mais altas podia ver o branco da neve, tal como contava a lenda.” – 4/5 estrelas!
Atenção! Este livro contém: figueiras, carvalhos, cestos de fruta, enchentes, floristas, cientistas, framboesas, gatos governantes, estátuas, coelhos de estimação, diários, muros, votações, novas religiões, olhos muito azuis e jornais.
Num lugar não muito distante, mas também não muito perto, o num tempo que já pode ter passado, ou talvez ainda nem tenhachegado, existiu, existe ou existirá uma pequena cidade à sombra de uma enorme montanha, de pedra branca e com o topo eternamente coberto de neve. Nela, aconteceram, acontecem ou acontecerão os factos narrados neste livro. Não se trata de um local místico, mitológico ou de qualquer maneira fantástico mas sim de uma cidade perdida no tempo e no espaço, com seus próprios costumes, leis, cultura, qualidades e defeitos. Até a língua falada não é parecida com nada que já tenhamos escutado. O dinheiro, então, não valeria sequer um centavo de nossa moeda. Mas a vida lá… Bem, talvez essa se pareça um pouco com a que vivemos atualmente. Afinal, por mais que o homem se tenha espalhado pelo planeta, e ido até além dele, convenhamos que adversidades, conflitos e situações de toda a natureza teimam em se repetir.
Afinal, se surge uma pessoa com a solução para um problema, sempre haverá duas outras, uma para contestar a solução dada e a outra para apontar dois novos problemas. Portanto, caro leitor, aproveite a história a seguir e não se sinta incomodado se algum dos casos narrados se confundir com sua realidade. Pois se cada sociedade possui as suas questões a resolver, e elas tanto se parecem, esta, com certeza, resume, pelo menos, uma parte da experiência chamada humanidade.
Fiquei muito impressionada com este livro. A história contada é brilhante e captou a minha atenção desde o início! Este livro retrata a história das várias gerações da civilização do Vale da Montanha Branca. Apesar de haver uma história principal, são contados diferentes acontecimentos que retratam as diferentes situações políticas, conflitos, hábitos e tradições do povo ao longo dos anos.
Apesar do tom humorístico ao longo do livro, é impossível não perceber a crítica política por detrás da história. Fez-me refletir sobre a facilidade com que se geram conflitos (mesmo sendo ridículos) dentro de uma sociedade e quão difícil pode ser geri-los e agradar a toda a população. E é exatamente por isso que é possível reconhecer este tipo de situações na nossa sociedade dos dias de hoje. E isto não se aplica apenas à política, mas também ao poder dos media e ao poder judicial, como também foi mencionado no livro várias vezes.
Existem algumas personagens fixas que vão aparecendo ao longo do livro, como por exemplo o jovem que trabalha na loja de flores do Senhor 11, mas existem também personagens mais passageiros. Achei muito interessante este formato e a forma como as histórias se cruzaram ao longo do livro!
Confesso que não estava à espera do final. Foi uma forma muito imprevisível e interessante de terminar o livro! Precisei de uns minutos para processar o que tinha acabado de ler, mas fiquei muito feliz com a decisão que o autor tomou. Foi a forma perfeita para terminar o livro, na minha humilde opinião!
Um dos meus aspetos preferidos do livro é a escrita. Apesar de ter um peso político, a história é muito fácil de acompanhar e o tom divertido faz-nos querer continuar a ler! Há sempre algo a acontecer em cada capítulo. Por exemplo, tão depressa os cidadãos discutem se seria bom ou mau erguer um muro em torno da cidade para ficarem protegidos de intrusos, como é tomada a decisão de se deixar de consumir framboesas (mesmo não se sabendo bem porquê).
Reparei que foram utilizados muitos termos e expressões em português do Brasil ao longo do livro (o que faz sentido, dada a origem do autor). Pessoalmente, o uso de expressões e termos em português do Brasil não me dificultou a leitura, mas compreendo que possa dificultar a outros leitores portugueses.
O autor fez um excelente trabalho ao criar uma história memorável em torno das várias gerações da população do Vale da Montanha Branca. Recomendo este livro inesquecível a todos os leitores. Vou levar esta história comigo para o resto da minha vida!
“The Community is truth. The Community is loyalty. The Community will keep you safe.” 4.25/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: initiations, strawberries, appointments, pizza, pink caps, swimming lessons, small bathroom windows, hunger, brainwashing, lies and the chosen one.
Piper was raised in a cult. She just doesn’t know it.
Seventeen-year-old Piper knows that Father is a Prophet. Infallible. The chosen one.
She would do anything for Father. That’s why she takes care of all her little sisters. That’s why she runs end-of-the-world drills. That’s why she never asks questions. Because Father knows best.
Until the day he doesn’t. Until the day the government raids the compound and separates Piper from her siblings, from Mother, from the Aunts, from all of Father’s followers–even from Caspian, the boy she loves.
Now Piper is living Outside. Among Them.
With a woman They claim is her real mother–a woman They say Father stole her from.
But Piper knows better. And Piper is going to escape.
For a mystery, it was a pleasant surprise! I only read another book about cults before, and I definitely prefer this one. I flew through this book because I was hooked from the first chapter! It follows a seventeen year old girl named Piper, who was raised in a cult, and the chapters switch between the Before and After she was rescued. We get to see how the cult operates and the all the child abuse, but it’s not descriptive to the point that will make you feel uncomfortable.
I liked Piper as a main character but it was frustrating to see her resist so much when she was out of the compound. I understand why she was behaving like that, but it was still frustrating as a reader to experience that.
The writing is very simple and easy to follow, and it is fast-paced. It also helps that the book is composed of small chapters – you will fly through it!
One thing you should know about this book is that it’s not a book with surprises. What I mean by this is that you discover new things as the story goes, but it’s not in a way that shocks you. So if you like that element of surprise, please know that you will not get it with this book.I really liked this book and I would love to read more from this author. It was an entertaining, fast-paced book… but I wouldn’t consider it a thriller, only a mystery book. If you’re interested in books about cults, this is an interesting one to check out.
Today I’m bringing you the 8 books I want to read next month! I’ve been having great reading months, because I’m still working from home and it seems like I’m not coming back soon. So instead of spending hours in traffic, I’m spending time reading books I’m excited about – and what a magnificent way of spending time!
I’m very excited for each and every single book I selected for this month! As you’ll see in a second, it’s a mixture of summery books with thrillers. I always hear that people like to read thrillers when the weather gets cooler, but I’m in a big thriller mood at the moment and I can’t put them down!
Well, without further ado, here’s my TBR for July!
Verity by Colleen Hoover This has been on my TBR for the longest time! One of my goals for this year is to read every single Colleen Hoover book, so I decided to add one of her books to my TBR. I did a poll on my Bookstagram, and my followers chose Verity over Ugly Love for the month of July. I heard it’s really good, so I have high expectations. We’ll see how it goes!
The Thursday Murder Club #1 by Richard Osman I’ve heard great things about this book and I’m very excited to read it! I recently got this, and I feel like I can’t wait to finally pick it up. The sequel is coming this year, so my hope is to read both of the books soon!
The Push by Ashley Audrain I don’t know a lot about this book, but all the great reviews made me curious. All I know is that it is marketed as a thriller and it got very popular! The Push was also translated to Portuguese, so that gave me the opportunity to support the Portuguese publishers. I have high hopes for this one!
Float Plan by Trish Doller Float Plan is a fairly recent addition to my TBR. I saw Heather from Bookables on Youtube talking about how great this book was, and I decided to buy it! I’m excited for it and I know it’s probably going to make me cry, but I’m ready! I hope it’s a good one!
O Silêncio da Cidade Branca by Eva G. Sáenz de Urturi This is not the kind of book I would usually pick up, but my friend lent it to me and insisted that I needed to read it. I don’t know a lot about this book, but I trust her and her good taste. So we’ll see how it goes!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid I’m not going to lie, this is probably the book I’m most excited for! Being a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, I just know it’s going to be amazing. Not only that, but the cover is gorgeous and it screams Summer! I know a lot of people who have read it and loved the book, so I have high expectations. I’m super excited for this one!
His & Hers by Alice Feeney I’m super hyped for this book! I think this will be the first book I’m going to pick up this month, because I’m really curious to read this story. I keep seeing this everywhere and I also see the overwhelming amount of good reviews this has. Right after I got my copy, my first thought was “this needs to be added to my next TBR ASAP”… so here it is!
Love & Gelato #1 by Jenna Evans Welch I thought this would be a cute, light book to add to the TBR! You know when sometimes we just want to read something quick and lighthearted? Love & Gelato seemed like the perfect addition in that sense. It’s a very popular book here in Portugal at the moment, so I’m excited to know what the hype is all about!
And here they are! These are the ones I’ll be reading next month 🙂 What about you? What are you planning to read in July? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments!
“A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.” – 5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: scoops of cherry ice cream, gnomes, the cerulean sea, rules, fire wings, secret files, beautiful gardens, threats, ferries, shovels, cellars, buttons, reports and moody cats.
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
I think I just found myself a new favorite! I’m so happy I decided to buy this and give it a try. It easily became one of the best books I have ever read.
The story is beautifully written and easy to follow, it’s full of magic and it also has some humour! You know a book is good when you’re smiling from ear to ear constantly.
I absolutely loved each and every character in this book. I have to say Lucy was probably my favorite just because I died laughing every time he said something outrageous to try to scare Linus. The interactions between the kids and the adults were so heartwarming and the relationships were beautiful to witness.
The clear message of this book is that we should accept ourselves for who we are and we should celebrate our differences. The world needs us to have courage to be who we truly are and to live our true nature.
This book suits everyone of every age. It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a tween, this story is meant for everyone.
I’m always a bit skeptical when books like this one are so hyped, but this one lives up to it. It’s beautiful, wholesome and it will touch your heart. Definitely worth it, can’t recommend it enough.
“Just because you can live without someone doesn’t mean you want to.” – 4.5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: parking spots, lemons, golden retrievers, notes, email drafts, Greek food and second chances.
When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.
Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?
Another great book from an amazing author! I got into it without knowing too much, and I was surprised with how strongly the story hit me and how it made me reflect about relationships.
Being in a long-term relationship myself, there were scenes in this book I personally related to. After being with someone for so long, it is normal that the relationship dynamics change with time. It requires effort from both sides to make the relationship work long term! It was very interesting to watch closely a very realistic development of a relationship over the years.
The only thing I would change in this book is that I wish it was a two POV story. Sure, there are small moments when you know what the husband is thinking, but the story focuses on the wife’s POV. At some point it felt like the story was only around the female character instead of being about the couple. It didn’t bother me too much, but being a book about a relationship, I thought it would be nice to get the husband’s POV on a deeper level.
The writing was exactly what you would expect from a TJR’s book. She has an amazing talent to grab the reader’s attention, so naturally I was very curious to see their final decision. Would they stick together or would they part ways? With that said, I am very satisfied with the way the story ended, and I applaud the author once again for writing an amazing, compelling story.
I’m not a huge fan of second chance romances, but it didn’t bother me in this book! So far I haven’t found a single disappointing book from TJR. Highly recommend this one!
“People are the problem. But they can also be the solution.” – 4.5/5 stars!
Attention! This book contains: emails, competitions, marketing strategies, kayaks, flamingoes, cocktails, competitions, snorkeling, bananas, tropical fish, work phones, bad tap water, yoga, social media, ABBA songs, lip-sync battles and cruise ships.
Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.
The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.
Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.
With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?
Looking for the next beach read? Well, look no further, because this is the perfect book for you. If you like tropical and summery books, you need to check this one out.
In this book, everything works perfectly. The plot is great, the writing was easy to follow, the story flowed perfectly, and of course, the romance was amazing.
The writing was so good, that every single description made me feel like I was on vacation with the characters. I never went on a cruise, but this book awakened that desire in me. The tropical theme was very inspiring and I loved all the wild animals that appeared in some of the activities, like the flamingos and the tortoises.
I was also a big fan of the romance. Enemies to lovers is by far my favorite trope, and this love story was a great example of what I like in romances. At first our main character hated the love interest with all of her heart, even though she didn’t have a great motive for it. After a while, it was clear they had amazing chemistry and I really liked every time they spent time together, getting to know each other better. I know the miscommunication between them had its purpose in the book, but I found it a little bit annoying at times. That’s the ONLY reason why I didn’t rate this higher.
Another thing I really liked was how the author incorporated what it feels like to be a woman living in a man’s world. It’s not like that everywhere, and thank God for that, but there are still women in this world that are belittled and disrespected in their workplace, regardless of how hard they work or of their positive results. It was a nice addition to the story, and it was done tastefully without taking the focus off the romance.
It’s the perfect summer book. If I would recommend any book for you to read this summer, it would be this one. Hands down, one of the best.
Sprayed Edges 