Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult - Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a copy of this book to take part in a readalong with Tandem Collective UK. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult - 4/5

Blurb:

"Diana O'Toole's life is going perfectly to plan. At twenty-nine, she's up for promotion to her dream job as an art specialist at Sotheby's and she's about to fly to the Galápagos where she's convinced her surgeon boyfriend, Finn, is going to propose.

But then the virus hits New York City and Finn breaks the news: the hospital needs him, he has to stay. But you should still go, he insists. And reluctantly, she agrees. Once she's in the Galápagos, the world shuts down around her, leaving Diana stranded - albeit in paradise. Completely isolated, with only intermittent news from the outside world, Diana finds herself examining everything that has brought her to this point and wondering if there's a better way to live.

But not everything is as it seems..."

Review:

Wish You Were Here is a book of two halves. I have read a few books now that incorporate the coronavirus pandemic into them but it isn't the main focus. This book is mostly about the pandemic and virus. It is clear that a hell of a lot of research has gone into it, both from a Galápagos point of view and covid one.

Diana is a 29 year old art assistant who works at Sotheby's in NYC and her boyfriend Finn is a surgical resident. The coronavirus pandemic has just hit but Diana doesn't expect it to be a serious thing (much like how we all felt back in early March 2020!). 

The two had planned a trip to the Galápagos but Finn chooses to stay, anticipating a surge in hospital cases and urges Diana to go on without him. This first half is absolutely beautiful. Picoult writes Isabela Island so well that I could imagine myself being there and, although isolated as the island is in lockdown, it still sounds blissful.

We go into the second half and it is very covid-heavy. At the time of reading I actually ended up having to go for a covid test and England's restrictions got tighter. It feels like a very hard read even almost two years on because it's still all so real life. Finn's experiences working in a hospital at the peak of the pandemic are brilliantly written.

Despite my thoughts on it being hard to read, it is a beautiful story about self-discovery after a difficult time. One I would definitely recommend, but avoid if reading about covid or self-harm are triggering for you.

The Lost by Simon Beckett | Blog Tour Book Review

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

The Lost by Simon Beckett - 4/5

Blurb:

A MISSING CHILD

Ten years ago, the disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young son almost destroyed him.

A GRUESOME DISCOVERY

A plea for help from an old friend leads Jonah to Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies. Brutally attacked and left for dead, he is the only survivor.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Under suspicion himself, he uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people he thought he knew - forcing him to question what really happened all those years ago...

Review:

I can't believe I've never read any of Simon Beckett's books before. This is just brilliant!

Firearms officer Jonah Colley receives a call from old friend and colleague Gavin McKinney, who says that he is in trouble and needs his help. Gavin and Jonah haven't spoken in ten years but Jonah decides to go because he realises it must be serious if Gavin chose him to call.

He goes to the, aptly named, Slaughter Quay to find Gavin dead alongside other people who have been suffocated in plastic bags. Jonah manages to overpower the assailant and escape.

After waking up in hospital injured, DI Fletcher and DS Bennet question Jonah and it becomes apparent that they believe that Jonah has something to hide.

We learn that ten years earlier, Jonah's four-year-old son Theo goes missing from a park. Jonah suspects a "down and out", who he later learns is named Owen Stokes, has taken him. 

Whilst trying to clear his own name, Jonah looks into why Gavin called him that night and is surprised to discover that Owen Stokes may be something to do with it. At the same time, Fletcher and Bennet are investigating Jonah and he seems to just make things worse for himself.  

I was completely engrossed in this story from the beginning and I could not guess where it was going. You can feel Jonah's frustration when everything he is finding out is being turned against him by the investigating officers.

I love a fast-paced thriller and I cannot wait to read more from Simon Beckett.

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A massive thank you to Compulsive Readers for having me on the blog tour and to Orion Books for providing me with a copy of the book. You can find information on where to find reviews by the other bloggers taking part in the graphic below.

The 12 Days Of Christmas by Poppy Alexander | Blog Tour Book Review

[AD/Gifted - I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

This review was featured on Twinkl as part of their Christmas campaign.

The 12 Days of Christmas by Poppy Alexander - 4/5

Blurb:

"For the first time in ten years, Freya is back in the little village of Middlemass for Christmas. The streets might be twinkling with fairy lights, but after the recent loss of her mother, she's never felt less festive.

Forced to sleep under the same roof as her handsome neighbour Finn, Freya realises she's going to need a distraction - fast! So she sets herself a challenge: to cook the '12 Days of Christmas'. Her delicious food soon brings the villagers together, and as each day passes, old friendships are renewed, memories stirred and there's even the flickering of romance...

She was only meant to stay for the holidays, but could Middlemass - and Finn - steal her heart forever?"

Review:

If there is one thing that I am a sucker for, it's a Christmas romance novel. This one is made even better by the running theme of food and honestly had me salivating throughout - props to the author for the recipes at the end too!

The 12 Days Of Christmas follows Freya who goes back to her hometown of Middlemass following her mother's death from breast cancer. She was working in a high-profile restaurant in Paris and lost her job due to having to leave suddenly to be with her dying mother.

She bumps into an old friend from her childhood, Finn, and upon discovering that her Freya's mother's house is inhabitable as she's been in a hospice, he invites Freya to stay with him for a while. The novel is set over Christmas and in order to keep herself busy she decides to cook every day for 12 days, recipes themed on the 12 Days Of Christmas.

Although you go into this type of book knowing a romance is bound to blossom, there are deeper aspects too such as Freya's possibility of also having the BRCA2 gene, just like her mother and grandmother. It is a wonderfully, easy read with a beautiful setting. Perfect if you are a fan of festive romances.

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A massive thank you to Orion Books for having me on the blog tour and for sending me a copy of this book. You can find information on the other bloggers that are taking part in the graphic below.

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout | Blog Tour Book Review

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

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout - 4/5

Blurb:

"Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband - and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Recalling their college years, the birth of their daughters, the painful dissolution of their marriage, and the lives they built with other people, Strout weaves a portrait, stunning in its subtlety, of a tender, complex, decades-long partnership."

Review:

Shamefully, Oh William! is the first Elizabeth Strout novel that I have read and although this is the third book in a series, it is perfectly easy to follow without having read the first too. I loved this so much that I definitely will go back and read I Am Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible.

Lucy Barton is 63 and is newly widowed after her husband David dies. Lucy is still connected with her ex-husband, 70 year old William, with whom she has two adult daughters.

Oh William! is written from the point of view of Lucy and the writing style is like nothing I have read before. It is beautifully descriptive and an easy book to fly through.

Lucy and William are obviously tethered together due to their children but we learn that although they are not together as a couple any more, they have a deep relationship. Oh William! explores that relationship, Lucy's feelings towards him (in a platonic way) and it is just stunning. We also delve into Lucy's own childhood and development of herself. 

It is just a beautiful book to read and although at the start I wasn't sure where it was going, I am glad I read this one.

Thank you so much to Viking/Penguin for having me on the blog tour. Check out the graphics below for information on the other bloggers and bookstagrammers who are taking part. Be sure to check out their reviews too!

Femlandia by Christina Dalcher | Blog Tour Book Review

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Femlandia by Christina Dalcher - 4/5

Blurb:

"Miranda Reynolds has lost her home, her job and her husband – all thanks to an economic collapse that has brought America to its knees.

The shops are empty; the streets no longer safe. Miranda and her daughter Emma have nowhere left to turn.

There is one final hope, a self-sufficient haven for women who want to live a life free from men. Femlandia.

For Miranda, the secluded Femlandia is a last resort. Life outside the gates is fraught with danger, but there’s something just as sinister going on within."

Review:

Dystopian fiction was never really my bag until I read 'Q' by Christina Dalcher. I was then very excited for Femlandia to be released. I still have 'Vox' on my bookshelf but I will definitely be reading that soon. 

Femlandia follows Miranda who is in her forties and she has a sixteen year old daughter named Emma. America has suffered a huge economic collapse and right at the beginning of it, her husband Nick commits suicide. In present times everything is shut down, food supplies are limited and the women have lost their home and everything they owned.

Miranda's mother Win Somers set up a women-only commune called Femlandia decades before. Miranda never agreed with her mother that all men were evil and to be avoided, so Win took Miranda's best friend Jen Jones under her wing as she shared the same values.

The idea caught on and lots of Femlandia's were set up all across America. These communes are free from men and are fully sustainable and self-sufficient. Miranda thinks that maybe her only shot at staying alive is to join her closest one. Her mother has since passed but Sister Jen is still there. After getting to Femlandia she realises that maybe this isn't the utopia that it first appears to be.

The chapters alternate between present tense when Miranda and Emma are in Femlandia and also Win Somers' background and Miranda's childhood. These weave easily together and really help build the story.

Dalcher can really paint a picture with words and everything is described in such a way that you can just imagine being there amongst it. It is a very hard read at times with a lot of mention of rape and sexual assault. Femlandia, the commune, is anti-trans women too so that is something to be aware of before reading.

It is an interesting one because it could so very easily be true and that is what I love and Dalcher's novels. I am a thriller reader and she kind of merges thriller and dystopian fiction together. I love a twist and this one has them!