The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review

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The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Publication date: 14th October 2021

Blurb:

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Review:

I am always wary when it comes to books that are hyped up but I could kick myself for not picking this up sooner.

I probably don't need to properly review this as I feel like the only person left in the world who hadn't read it yet but, in case you haven't, here are my thoughts.

Evelyn Hugo is a Hollywood starlet with her golden years being from the 1950s to 1980s. Journalist Monique Grant receives a phone call to her workplace, Vivant magazine, from Evelyn's people, requesting that she write an article about her. Evelyn lured her there under false pretences. Evelyn doesn't want Monique to write an article about her for Vivant, she wants to relay her life story to Monique so that she can write a true biography after Evelyn dies. This could set Monique up to make millions.

Monique agrees but wonders why Evelyn would choose a relatively unknown journalist like her. As Evelyn tells her story, it all becomes clear.

This book is stunning. It is essentially split into sections, each focusing on one of Evelyn's seven husbands and the stories behind them. But who was Evelyn's true love?

It is so interesting to get to know Evelyn as a person, she is very well developed and such a strong character. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted and where she needed to be in Hollywood. I loved the interspersing of news articles in between the telling of Evelyn's story and also snippets of Monique's life too. I felt so many emotions whilst reading this and it is just perfection. I went through the whole book also wondering why Evelyn chose Monique but I did not see the reveal coming. Spectacular.

Sea Shaken by J.M. Simpson | Blog Tour Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a eBook copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Sea Shaken by J.M. Simpson

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication date: 26th September 2022

Blurb:

Jesse Stevens lies in a coma after being pulled off a cliff by a psychopath who escaped from prison to find her.

He is in hiding, also hurt from the fall, but fuelled with rage. He needs to make sure she’s dead. If she isn’t, he’ll finish the job once and for all.

Military Intelligence Officer, Sam Jones, missing presumed dead, returns from Afghanistan after two years of brutal torture in captivity. Struggling to cope, Sam has no desire to carry on living, or return to family life, with his wife, Sophie, and son, Marcus. Sophie is desperate to help Sam recover and leans heavily on her friend and ex-forces soldier Foxy for support.

Castleby is plagued by a series of unexplained deaths among the elderly and that of a local fisherman. Inspector Steve Miller works closely with the new local GP, Kate Cooper, to try and find an explanation and they eventually uncover the sinister truth.

Review: 

If you have been a follower of mine for a while, you will know that I reviewed the previous two books in the Castleby series; Sea State and Sea Change. As soon as I heard there was a third installment, I jumped at the chance to read because I am so invested in these characters.

If you haven't read the other two books, a lot is caught up but I would definitely advise reading them first. In Sea Shaken, we are back at Castleby where we left off last time. Jesse is hospitalised and in a coma following an attack by her ex-boyfriend, Sophie's husband Sam has been found after being kidnapped and tortured whilst serving but is in a bad way and, like the other two books, we have the introduction of a new character, GP Kate Cooper. As well as the previous mafia storyline involving Jimmy, we also have some further goings-on that need solved. Elderly residents at a care home seem to be dying suddenly and it doesn't seem to just be due to old age...

I think this is probably my favourite of the three books in the Castleby series. I love how the fleshed out storylines continued on, I felt more of a connection to the characters and the chase was fantastic. The ending too - wow!

 

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A massive thank you to Literally PR for having me on the blog tour. You can find the information about the other bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.

I Am Ill With Hope by Gommie | Book Review

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I Am Ill With Hope by Gommie

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Salamander Street

Publication date: 28th September 2022

Blurb:

In 2019 poet-artist Gommie began walking the coastline of an England with nothing but a backpack, a tent and an unusually large collection of pens. His aim? Searching for hope during increasingly hard times. 

From losing his way on the Dover Hills to bankruptcy in Rhyl and wild camping in Scarborough, Gommie’s extraordinary journey is still ongoing, and his findings, a deeply moving mixture of texture, illustration, poetry and verbatim conversations, are a gentle homage to the often-overlooked places we inhabit and the frequently forgotten voices we hear.

Review:

I don't claim to be massively into poetry but I was intrigued by this one. In 2019, artist and poet Gommie began walking the coastline of England and Wales. On that journey, he spoke to people, wrote his thoughts in poem format and illustrated them based on his surroundings.

Every image inside the book is stunning and I could honestly sit and stare at them all forever. Beautiful.

The poetry is, I want to say, candid. I have my favourites for sure but in my mind, poetry is totally subjective and down to the reader. I found I Am Ill With Hope to be a nice book to flick through. I smiled on occasion, whilst reading others I had to read a couple of times to analyse. 

Until I Met You by Amber Rose Gill | Book Review

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Until I Met You by Amber Rose Gill

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Mills & Boon

Publication date: 7th July 2022

Blurb:

It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime for Samantha: the launch of her travel blog, her best friend’s wedding and – hopefully – her own marriage proposal. Until she finds herself on her way to Tobago – single.

Disillusioned with his corporate job on Wall Street, Roman is starting afresh in Tobago. He doesn’t need a distraction, especially a free-spirited travel blogger. But something about Samantha intrigues him.

As romance blossoms, Roman and Samantha must learn to risk their hearts. But when secrets are revealed, their new relationship is put in jeopardy. Now Samantha and Roman must decide what they really want. They came to Tobago to find themselves, but could finding each other be what they needed all along?

Review:

This is a super cute read that packs a punch. It really surprised me!

Samantha Roberts is newly single and travelling to her best friend Naomi's wedding in Tobago. Samantha is based in London with her and Naomi's group of friends travelling from across the globe.

Whilst in Tobago, Samantha meets, and hits it off with, groom Anthony's friend from his college days, Roman Carver. But will it be smooth sailing for these two?

I absolutely loved the backdrop of Tobago for this story and the diversity of the characters. Each couple is at different stages in their relationship and it was really interesting to read. Not only is it a sweet romance novel but I love how it delves into their friendship group, their struggles and how they communicate together.

Really lovely!

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy | Book Review

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I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Publication date: 15th September 2022

Blurb:

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Review:

"I'm allowed to hate someone else's dream, even if it's my reality."

Oh my goodness, what a book. I love a memoir but I love them even more when I listen to them in audio format and they are read by the author. I would go as far as to say that this is one of my top reads of the year. I'm Glad My Mom Died is raw, honest, heartbreaking, candid and funny.

I consume a lot of pop culture so although I was aware of Jennette McCurdy, when iCarly and Sam & Cat were on TV, I was past the age of their target audience. I was initially drawn to this book ahead of its release due to its frankly stunning title. I was intrigued, I was curious. I didn't know what to expect. 

Jennette writes brilliantly about her relationship with her mother Debra from the age of six, up to her death when Jennette was 21 years old. She then recalls her life following her mother's death. 

Debra got Jennette into acting as a child but the story is very deep. Jennette quite clearly loved her mother and believed that their relationship was completely normal but only realised after her death that this was not the case. I was completely enthralled and my heart felt like it was breaking as Jennette told the story of attending therapy and unpacking what her childhood was really like. 

She writes honestly about her mother's abuse (something that she now realises that it was), Hollywood, her time at Nickelodeon, her relationships (both romantic and with her family) and her eating disorders. Jennette is effortlessly funny so although there are serious topics, it did make me laugh too.