Thursday 15 September 2022

5 recent reads | September 22

I've definitely got back into a reading buzz at the minute, and I've been watching a lot of Booktube/Booktok too, so it's basically just all things books right now. And I'm not complaining! Here's a round up of my most recent reads, with my usual quickfire reviews...

Can I Trust Her? by Frances Lucas

I love reading YA, and I love reading mystery/thriller style novels - so when I got an ARC of this on NetGalley I was so excited. And I really enjoyed it. It follows two high school girls (who happen to be ex-girlfriends) called Katie and Virginia; it's a dual narrative, and they start the book not speaking to each other but when a follow student is murdered, the girls decide to team up to follow their passion. They're amateur sleuths, determined to solve this mystery and find out what happened. And if their spark rekindles along the way... well, wouldn't that be nice? Buy it here.

Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

I grew up on Jacqueline Wilson, as a lot of girls my age did, and even at 27 I'll happily pick up one of her books - I bought this in The Works a while ago, and recently got round to reading it. It follows a girl called Frankie as she navigates her mum's illness, her intense friendship with the boy next door, and her ever-growing crush on the girl who was once her worst enemy. It's basically a YA enemies-to-lovers, written in that typical JW style where the characters say things like 'heaps of fun'. I enjoyed this a lot and I think a younger audience will lap this up! Buy it here.

The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler

What an absolute rollercoaster; this is a psychological thriller that will give you chills, following Beth - her mum walked out when she ws a kid, her elderly father is in a home, her & her husband have recently split up... everything's a bit of a mess but she's happy and getting on with things, or so it seems. Beth is haunted by something she did as a child, which is teased to us throughout the book, and then her mum turns up out of the blue and things just start to go oh so wrong for Beth. I loved this and would definitely recommend it if you like a good thriller. Buy it here.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

When I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and it broke my heart in the best way possible, I wasn't sure if I would ever read another TJR book - I wasn't sure anything could live up to that. I got Malibu Rising for my birthday, and it's taken me until now to read it... but it was so worth the wait. That woman writes flawlessly, and the character cameos are just spectacular. This story is about the Riva family, four kids from a broken home making their way in the world of surfing fame following their father walking out and the loss of their mother; the story is centered around a big party at Nina's house (she's the eldest) and from the outset it's clear that it won't end well... Buy it here.

The People Before by Charlotte Northedge

I read an ARC of this, and thoroughly enjoyed it; split into two parts, the book centers around an old house called The Maple House. A couple from London with their two kids have just moved in, ready to modernise it, but they just don't settle - Jess, the protagonist of part one, keeps seeing things out of the corner of her eye and constantly feels watched. She befriends Eve, who works in a gallery in town, and over time their relationship fractures. Eve is the one we're with in part two, seeing her perspective of the house and its history... and why it all goes wrong! This is absolutely excellent and I'd definitely grab it when it comes out in November. Pre-order here.

Have you read any of these? Let me know what you thought if so! And as ever, I'll take any recommendations you have...


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