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Book Review, Books and Literature, Entertainment

Book Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

26/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

If you’ve scrolled through my Instagram then I don’t need to be the first to tell you that I’ve read a fair few books – from romances and thrillers, to murder mysteries, fantasy, and children’s fiction. I’m a book lover, and I will never turn down a recommendation. But there is no other book I have read that has affected me like this one.

Before this, I had never read a Stephen King novel. I’m not a fan of horror, so most of his works don’t really appeal to me very much. So, when I said to my best friend, Isaac, that I wanted to start reading his work, he suggested that I begin with 11/22/63. And holy moly cannoli with a side of pepperoni, what a book to start with!

I have a confession: this is not a recent read. I actually read this five years ago, in 2019, but I think about it constantly. When someone asks me what my favourite book is, this is the one with which I reply. I am not a fan of historical fiction, but this is the exception. It combines history with fantasy and thriller, and is an exquisite piece of writing that I urge everybody to read.

I never ever thought I would be crying at a Stephen King novel. The words “crying” and “Stephen King” don’t usually fit in the same sentence unless they’re tears of fear and horror. But the ending of this book had me sobbing for forty-five minutes. I cried, re-read the ending, and then cried for another forty-five. The ending was so profoundly moving that it was overwhelming for me, and I never wanted it to end. It was beautiful and bittersweet – both heartbreaking and comforting, and I couldn’t have imagined anything better.

This novel is over 800 pages long – something which is probably intimidating to a lot of readers, especially if they have the “big book fear.” Tackling something so dense in length can feel overwhelming, like climbing a mountain and wondering if you’re ever going to reach the top, while also asking whether the payoff is going to be worth it. I myself will admit that I had the same thoughts and was apprehensive at the beginning. It was the first book over five hundred pages that I had ever tried to read, and my fear was that I was going to lose interest or I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end.

I’m not going to lie: the story is quite slow to begin with, and doesn’t really get started until around 200 pages in. There is so much detail, description, and backstory that it can be a lot to process. But once the story really starts, it’s an utter page turner. It took me two days to read the entire thing because I couldn’t put it down, and once I finished it, I wanted to re-read it all over again.

Of course, you’re probably asking whether all of the 800+ pages are necessary? The answer: yes. One hundred percent, yes. It is in my honest opinion that I don’t think the book would have been the same without them. Does it get a little bit repetitive at some points? Sometimes. After all, you’re reading about a time travelling English teacher journeying back to the same day in history over and over again, with a detail/action changed each time (both big, and small). But, it is this repetition that upholds the ending. It is this repetition – the feeling of having lived Jake and Sadie’s story over and over again with them, that allows for the emotional final pages. (And yes, I believe that this is Jake and Sadie’s story more than anything.)

Honestly, I can’t really say any more about this book without giving things away, and I really don’t want to spoil anything, as this is a book you have to read without knowing much about the plot or the characters. I wish I could forget everything I know about this book and read it again for the first time because it was a rollercoaster and a half.

And to those who are still hesitant about picking this up: don’t be. I promise it’s worth every moment.

This is a book that has irrevocably changed me, and it is a story that I will carry with me forever.

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘When all else fails, give up and go to the library.’

✨ ‘We never know which lives we influence, or when, and why.’

✨ ‘.. stupidity is one of the two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances.’

✨ ‘A person who doesn’t learn from the past is an idiot, in my estimation.’

✨ ‘But I believe in love, you know; love is a uniquely portable magic. I don’t think it’s in the stars, but I do believe that blood calls to blood and mind calls to mind and heart to heart.’

✨ ‘Life always turns on a dime. Sometimes towards us, but more often it spins away, flirting and flashing as it goes: so long, honey, it was good while it lasted, wasn’t it?’

✨ ‘Sometimes the things presented to us as choices aren’t choices at all.’

✨ ‘If you’ve ever been homesick, or felt exiled from all the things and people that once defined you, you’ll know how important welcoming words and friendly smiles can be.’

✨ ‘Even people capable of living in the past don’t really know what the future holds.’

✨ On the subject of love at first sight, I’m with the Beatles: I believe that it happens all the time.’

✨ ‘I saw something even more beautiful than a sense of humour: an appreciation for life’s essential absurdity.’

✨ ‘Things do happen for a reason, but do we like the reason? Rarely.’

✨ ‘Home is watching the moon rise over the open, sleeping land, and having someone you can call to the window, so you can look together.’

✨ ‘Resistance to change is proportional to how much the future might be altered by any given act.’

✨ ‘For most of us, I think it’s easier to admit doing wrong than being stupid.’

✨ ‘Sometimes life coughs up coincidences no writer of fiction would dare copy.’

✨ ‘Life’s simplest answers are often the easiest to overlook.’

✨ ‘Life’s too sweet to give up without a fight, don’t you think?’

✨ ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it harmonizes, and what it usually makes is the devil’s music.’

✨ ‘A person could see a lot without ever leaving his own living room. Especially if he had the right tools.’

✨ ‘You know how it’s going to end, but instead of spoiling things, that somehow increases your fascination. It’s like watching a kid run his electric train faster and faster and waiting for it to derail on one of the curves.’

✨ ‘Sarcastic people tend to be marshmallows underneath the armour.’

✨ ‘Like all sweet dreams, it will be brief… but brevity makes sweetness, doesn’t it? Yes, I think so. Because when the time is gone, you can never get it back.’

✨ ‘The multiple choices and possibilities of daily life are the music we dance to. They are like strings on a guitar. Strum them and you create a pleasing sound. A harmonic.’

✨ ‘Because the past isn’t just obdurate; it’s in harmony with both itself and the future.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

23/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

When author Finlay Donovan is discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet… but, Finlay soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult that it’s fictional counterpart, as she becomes entangled in a real-life murder investigation.

First things first, I absolutely adored the plot of this novel! It was a genius piece of writing in terms of how Finlay ends up in her less-than-ideal situation. It really is a prime example of how context in a conversation is everything, and how easy it is to misconstrue one thing for something else.

Don’t get me wrong… this book is in no way realistic. It’s over-the-top, and the things that Finlay and Vero get away with would never happen. But then, we’re here for the entertainment, not for the realism, and the absurd dramatics that are incorporated within this book are really what makes it fun to read!

I’m really not going to dive into any plot details because this is a book where you need to discover all of the twists and turns for yourself, but this book is super twisty and I never saw half of them coming! I haven’t gasped so much in a long time; and just when you think you know what’s coming, more information is thrown into the mix which entirely changed your perspective and theories!

The relationship between Finlay and her nanny, Vero, is one we all need. They make a wonderful pair, and are the perfect partners-in-crime… literally. I could feel their bond through the pages, and I just liked them both as characters (which is another one of the reasons why I think this book works so well.)

However, two not so likeable characters were Stephen and Teresa… but especially Stephen. I was so hoping that the two of them would get their comeuppance (do they – well, read and find out!). Stephen is literally the most toxic man in existence (and he’s not even real!), and I haven’t found myself so infuriated with a character in a long time. He had no respect or faith in Finlay and every time he made an appearance I wanted to punch his lights out (or at least hoped Finlay would!)

But, one of my favourite moments has to be towards the end of the book when Finlay and Vero go back for ***. This whole scene was such a page turner and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. In fact, night turned into early morning because I was up until 2am reading as I had to know what happened.

And as for the ending… WHAT? This book ends on an epic cliffhanger, and I made me eager to read the next in the series!

I really think this book would make the most perfect TV adaptation, eand I really hope it happens because I can’t even tell you how excited I would be to see this series on screen. It gives both Pretty Little Liars mixed with Criminal Minds vibes and you know what… I’m totally here for it.

If you’re looking for a light mystery with comedic thrill, then add this one to your list friends, because I can guarantee that it won’t disappoint!

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by eight thirty A.M. on any given morning. On the particular morning of Tuesday, October eighth, I was ready by seven forty-five. If you’ve never had to wrestle a two-year-old slathered in maple syrup into a diaper while your four-year-old decides to give herself a haircut in time for preschool, all while trying to track down the whereabouts of your missing nanny as you sop up coffee grounds from an overflowing pot because in your sleep-deprived fog you forgot to put in the filter, let me spell it out for you.’

✨ ‘My Google search history alone was probably enough to put me on a government watch list. I wrote suspense novels about murders like this. I’d searched every possible way to kill someone. With every conceivable kind of weapon.’

✨ ‘Iris Smiled, endorphins loosening the stern lines of her face. She actually looked like she was enjoying this. The woman was a masochist.’

✨ ‘Easy for her to say. She was twenty-two and had never had children. She could probably hold it until menopause.’

✨ ‘Let us not attribute to malice and cruelty what may be referred to less criminal motives.’ I make it a point never to assume the worst about people.’

✨ ‘Unfortunately, the man’s made of Teflon. Nothing sticks. He should’ve been locked up a dozen times, but there isn’t a judge in the state with the balls to convict him. Even if we could, he has friends that can make almost anyone disappear . . . new name, new passport, and wipe them off the map as if they’d never existed.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: Five Survive by Holly Jackson

22/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

With the release of The Reappearance of Rachel Price this year, I thought it only right that I should post about the last Holly Jackson book I read, because holy cannoli with a side of pepperoni – what a thrilling, suspenseful and amazing novel it was!

I absolutely loved the first book in A Good Girls Guide to Murder and though I haven’t read the sequels (yet), I knew from the moment this book was announced that I most definitely had to read it! Thus, imagine my excitement and glee when I found an early proof copy on the free bookshelves at work, and got to devour this before it’s official publication!

Boy, oh boy, Holly Jackson has done it again. I can’t even begin to explain how good this book was. From the very start to the very end, I was on the edge of my seat – heart pounding, and palms sweating! Holly Jackson knows how to write thrillers, and I think this is one of the best I’ve ever read.

I’ll admit that it is a little slow to begin with as it’s mostly setting the scene for the rest of the story… but once it picked up the pace it sucked me in like a black hole, and I even stayed up reading until 3am because I couldn’t put it down! For me, the best kind of thrillers are the ones where the narrator is always unreliable, or you consistently question the validity of each and every thing that a character says or does, and I think that is why this thriller works particularly well and is so addictive. There wasn’t a single moment where I was able to predict what was going to happen throughout this novel, and I gasped in shock many, many times.

This novel sees an ensemble of six teenagers on their way to spring break, confined in an RV, and before they know it they’ve broken down in the middle of nowhere with bullets flying at them left right and centre. Why? That’s up to the six of them to figure out… but the only thing that’s for certain: one of them knows. But, which one?

Holly’s writing is the perfect example of giving the audience just enough to keep them engaged with the story, but not giving away too much that it spoils everything. Though written in the third person, she writes such unreliable narratives for each of the six characters, and you as a reader are constantly questioning their motives and dialogue… and perhaps that is where the brilliance of this book lies.

If you’re a fan of twisty thrillers that will have you neglecting food, sleep, and every other daily task so you can finish reading, then this will be one for you!

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘One sniper. One gun. One red dot. And one liar.’

✨ ‘This was the absolute worst way to die. Mid-squat-pissing behind a tree while Maddy’s axe-murderer charged at her from the front.’

✨ ‘What are you, the tequila guardian?’ He pointed at her. ‘Right, because I’m Mexican?’

✨ ‘Simon scoffed. ‘Sure, just a misunderstanding. There’s a sniper out there with a high-powered rifle and a laser sight who’s decided to use us as target practice. But yeah, just a misunderstanding.’

✨ ‘Oh, come on,’ Simon interjected. ‘This is turning into Lord of the Fucking Flies. We’re going to end up killing each other, forget about the sniper.’

✨ ‘For god’s sake, Simon, enough with The Office references.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen

21/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

Saffy has a secret: A secret she is deeply ashamed of. It’s not the fact that she’s a serial killer in her free time. In fact, she’s quite proud of that. After all, she’s only killing bad men. She’s making the world a better place.

No, her secret is far worse than that. She has a messy, inexplicable, uncontrollable crush. So, while she’s busy plotting her next murder, she also has the much harder task of figuring out how to get a boyfriend.

but, if there’s one thing Safft knows, it’s how to get her man…

—

So, I was kindly sent a proof copy by Zaffre Books before it’s release, and I kid you not when I say that it ruined all other books in 2023 for me. I completely binged it in a day or two because it has all the makings of an exceptional thriller and I could not put it down. Literally. I would try and focus at work, but honestly all I could think about was reading this book until I finished it.

I’m not usually one for annotating my books as I’m too much of a perfectionist and they would have to be annotated exactly right, but I found that I couldn’t help it with this one. There were so many great lines, so many thoughts bumbling around in my head as I was reading, and so many shocking twists, that I felt it only appropriate to note down my reactions as they happened – and that happened to be in the margins of the book, because where else could I put them?

This book is an utter rollercoaster. One second I am laughing from the sickeningly dark humour, and the next I am on the edge of my seat because it’s suspenseful and tense! I have never read a book that is able to execute this so exquisitely. I often find that most thrillers tend to focus on the thrill aspect of the book and forget about the subtle tension that you’re able to create – something which this novel does so well through Saffy’s character. It is rare that I have such visceral reactions to a book, but my heart was pounding, my stomach was twisting, and I audibly gasped more than once!

As for Saffy, I sit on the edge of loving her and also being utterly disturbed – something which I still have yet to make up my mind about months later. The line between vigilante and psychopath is so blurred that the two become almost indistinguishable, and I feel it’s almost inappropriate to say that you like or love her as a character because of her actions. , I would situate Saffy in the circle of morally grey characters like Dexter Morgan from Dexter… I mean, she’s practically his female counterpart so I guess that would make sense. Does the fact that she’s doing the wrong thing for the right reasons make it wrong?

But her (very) dark humour – to the point where it’s impossible to tell whether she’s joking or not – is so endearing that a part of you can’t help but feel some twisted connection or kinship to her while reading. You don’t want to like her… but you just do. Perhaps it’s because you’re constantly questioning things and wondering whether her actions are in fact justified – is it okay that she’s a serial killer, simply because she’s killing only the bad men who deserve it? Do they deserve it? What does it say about me as a reader if I’m on her side? Does that make me as sick and deranged as her? Is she deranged, or is she a vigilante on a warpath for justice? Do I sympathise and empathise with her on some level?

I’m always in awe of anybody who can write from the perspective of a serial killer. It’s such an intricate mindset to get into that I feel its hard to make it feel real… but somehow Julie managed this perfectly. As I reader, I firmly believe that Saffy is out there right now, just living it and killing it…

In between the edge of my seat action, the thrill of will Saffy/won’t Saffy get caught, the dark humour that had me both unnerved and amused, and the little trail of the Agatha Christie-like breadcrumbs that Julie leaves scattered throughout for us to collect up like the end, I became utterly invested in this book.

It is not surprising that this book had made it to the #1 spot of my 2023 reads because I have recommended it to every single person I know. The book is is currently making its rounds through my family and friends, and so far (from those who have read it), they have all said the same thing: it’s thrilling, sickly humourous, and they absolutely loved every moment of it… so if that’s not motivation for you to pick this up, then I don’t know what is!

Usually this is the space where I would include favourite quotes, but with this book I feel like it would give away too much of the story and the spark that makes this book special… so I’ll simply include a list of some of my other favourite thrillers/crime novels/murder mysteries!

Sadie by Courteney Summers

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan #1)

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James

Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler (Bryant & May #1)

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers

20/01/2024 Becks 1 Comment

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she has been raising her sister Mattie in a small, isolated own, and trying her best to provide them both with a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world comes crumbling down. Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find them.

When West McCray – a radio personality working a segment about small, forgotten towns in America, overhearts Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, and hoping to find her before it’s too late.

—

My oh my. It’s hard to know where to begin with this book but I guess I should start by saying that this is unlike any young adult mystery/drama/thriller I have ever read before. The premise of this books was so intriguing, and I absolutely loved the way it was executed. This is a raw, emotional, incredibly dark book, but brilliantly written. The opening line of this book is exquisite, and nothing had never captured my attention and drew me in quite like it. In fact, I think it is one of the best opening lines I have ever read.

I have to admit that I partially listened to to the audiobook version while reading this, mostly for the podcast sections, and I have to say: woah. I didn’t expect it to change the atmosphere so much, but the audiobook is so well done that it’s like it tricked my brain into thinking that I was listening to a real true crime podcast, instead of simply listening to a work of fiction. It completely elevates the experience and I struggled to remember that these characters whose stories were being told weren’t actually real people.

This book presents itself like a puzzle, with Sadie leaving clues as to her whereabouts and what really happened to Mattie, and it is down to the audience, and the podcast presenters, to try and piece it all together to uncover the answers. If you’re a reader who likes a lot of twists and turns, and are a fan of the whodunits, then this might be a good book for you as it will certainly keep you guessing throughout.

As for the ending – I both loved it and I hated it. It’s very ambiguous depending on how you read it, but I can say with certainty that it left me wanting more. I would love for there to be a sequel to this book, bu then again, the ending also left me really satisfied that I feel prolonging or extending the story with another would ruin the suspense, thrill, and mystery of this one.

However, I must say that as much as I rave about this novel, it is not to be taken lightly. In fact, if you are thinking of reading this I would suggest using something like Storygraph or google to research all of the possible trigger and content warnings beforehand, because there are a lot of deep and sensitive things that are explored within this book. It covers themes such as pedophilia, sexual abuse, drug abuse, and murder, not to mention depression, possible suicide, and other mental health conditions. It is a heavy book and not for the feint-hearted. I urge you to open it with caution, in the right headspace, and be prepared that what you’ll read may be difficult at times. But, for those worried – they are not sensationalised. They are real, and brutal, and dark.

I think it would be crass and insensitive of me to say that this was a book that I enjoyed reading because of the content matter inside it. As I have said, a lot of the content inside is not pleasurable or comfortable to read at times, but they are all wrapped up within the mystery – which is written so well.

Ultimately this is a raw, dark, emotional, and brilliant book with a gripping story, and if you think you can read it and have the opportunity to do so, then I would highly recommend (with the audiobook for extra atmosphere!).

Usually this section would be reserved for my favourite quotes, but that too feels inappropriate, so I shall simply leave a few links to some of my favourite true crime podcasts on Spotify which I find utterly interesting.

Crime Junkie by Audiochuck

Conspiracy Theories by Spotify Studios

The Trial of Lucy Letby by Daily Mail

Serial Killers by Spotify Studios

I Could Murder a Podcast by I Could Murder a Podcast

Small Town Murder by James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman.

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: When in Rome by Sarah Adams

19/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

If you’ve seen my Instagram account, you’ll know how much I love a Sarah Adams book. However, this might just be my favourite book she’s ever written. I managed to read this entirely in one day because I could not put it down! It’s totally binge-worthy and I just want to dive right back into it all over again.

When in Rome is such an enchanting story and the whole time I was reading I couldn’t stop thinking about how it reminded me of Gilmore Girls – small town, romance, comedy, drama… this book is everything. Mabel also exudes Miss Patty vibes and I chuckled out loud more than once at her shenanigans! She didn’t miss a thing, but I love the fact that she acted all innocent and pretend not to know what was going on – I could literally envision her and Noah’s conversation in my mind, and I was beaming the whole time.

And, if it hasn’t been put out there yet, then allow me to say that Noah and Amelia are the 2020s version of Luke and Lorelai. Their banter, and Noah’s grumpy ruggedness was absolutely perfect, and I had love hearts in my eyes the whole time while I was reading about them. Of course, there was less will they/won’t they going on because unlike GG, there were only three hundred odd pages rather than a few seasons… but it will still deliciously wonderful!

I think I have said that about every book of Sarah’s, but I will most likely continue to say it for every book she writes: my favourite thing about her writing is how she writes comedy. I have yet to come across a book that does it as well as she does. I have laughed out loud at every single one – sometimes to the point where my stomach hurts – because she has such an immense talent with the most perfect comedic timing. Honestly, if she ever decides to stop writing books (I hope she doesn’t), I really hope she’d venture into the world of Hallmark movies and write sweet and hilarious romcoms, because I think she would be exquisite at it.

Of course, there are so many other things to love about this book tooe, like the homage to Audrey Hepburn, with whom Amelia is obsessed with! I have to admit that I haven’t seen any of her films (bad, I know, but I will rectify soon!), though I am vaguely familiar with Breakfast at Tiffanys (I mean, even if you haven’t seen it, the post is simply so iconic that you just know!). When in Rome particularly draws inspiration from Hepburn’s film Roman Holiday – considered to be one of the most romantic films of all time – with Amelia constantly asking herself ‘What Would Audrey Do’ in the context of the film to negate her decisions. I mean, that’s the main character energy we all need, right?

Ultimately, if you love Gilmore Girls and you love reading romance books that will have you swooning, then buckle up folks and friends, because this is probably the perfect book for you. It’s like the literary version of Stars Hollow, and every page felt like a giant, comforting hug. You want to nestle into the cosy vibes, and simply live there forever – at least, I do, anyway.

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘I think we’ll get hurt a lot in this life, but maybe it’s worth it because sometimes we will experience really amazing things, too. Maybe not everything will end in hurt. But we’ll never know if we don’t try.’

✨ ‘Sometimes a woman is just worn out and needs a break, you know?’ […] ‘That doesn’t prove you’re week or neglectful. It proves to all the women standing by and watching you pave the road to success that it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to shut your door every now and then and put up a sa sign that says ‘busy taking care of me today.’

✨ ‘Care is reckless because it doesn’t come with the seat belt that selfishness offers. Care has so much to lose, and almost always ends in heartbreak.’

✨ ‘Sometimes people decide not to like me for the most arbitrary reasons. SOmetimes it’s just because I’m famous, and successful people make them uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s because I voted differently than them. And sometimes it’s because I frowned outside their favourite yogurt shop and now they want to cancel me forever because they think I’m against yogurt.’

✨ ‘I’ll tell you what makes me madder than a hornet. When people tell other people how they should feel.’

✨ ‘Have you never loved something just for what it means to you?’

✨ ‘If you don’t intend to walk her down the aisle, then don’t go dipping your toes in her pond.’

✨ ‘To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.’

✨ ‘I will memorize him if it’s the last thing I do. I will carry the feel of his smile in my pocket for the rest of my life.’

✨ ‘Unfortunately, I’m also forbidden from cupcakes, any sort of exhilarating activity, or blinking without Susan’s consent.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

19/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

Enemies to lovers novels are like marmite – either you love them or you hate them. A lot of people find them super cheesy and unrealistic, but for me, I am an absolute sucker for them. And this, my friends, is perhaps my favourite enemies to lovers story that I have ever read. A bold statement, but true.

I posted about this book on my Instagram back in 2021 as it was my number one book that I read in 2020, and four years later it still sits firmly in my top 10 books of all time. There are very few books which I devour so quickly, or capture my attention so much that I can’t put them down, but this folks and friends, was one of them. I loved everything about it. It was beautifully witty, hilarious, and I found myself physically laughing from cover to cover.

One of the things that I liked most about this book is that it’s written in the first person, from the point of view of the main protagonist, Lucy, which really connects the reader with the character. The way she describes her love/hate relationship with Joshua is so real and expertly crafted that you become so immersed in their love story that it becomes entirely possible to forget that these two human beings only exist on paper. From the very minute you begin reading you are begging, pleading, and yearning for these two characters to realise their love for one another.

Though, I will admit that this novel is a slow burn. Like… a really slow burn to the point where you’re physically itching with anticipation. But the payoff is so good and makes it all worth it. The love/hate relationship/game between Lucy and Josh is one of those romantic archetypes which we love to see but don’t dare admit, and something which can be incredibly difficult for writers to achieve successfully – but Sally Thorne executes it perfectly.

But, perhaps my favourite thing about this book is that it never actually states where the story is taking place. When I started reading I assumed that it was New York City because it had that particular feel, but in actual fact the location is never stated. I think that is what makes this story so wonderful because ultimately it could be set in any city, in any corner of the world; and it is down to the reader to use their imagination about where that might be – perhaps someone near them!

I think it is very rare to have nothing bad to say about a book – not even a small criticism – but personally, with my preferences, I am struggling to find things that I didn’t like. I don’t think I will ever be able to find the right amount of words to be able to describe how much I loved this book, but I think about it often.

Note: Yes, I have also seen the movie; yes, I loved it; but no, I have yet to write a post about it. I’m thinking about writing a book vs film comparison when I get the time, but I think I need to rewatch the film again before I do so!

Favourite Quotes:

✨ ‘Books were, and always would be, something a little magic, and something to respect.’

✨ ‘Watching you pretend to hate the nickname is the best part of my day.’

✨ ‘I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations. Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are shredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with adrenaline and you’re in the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed and it scares you. Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game – and you have to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. Trust me, I should know.’

✨ ‘I want to know what’s going on in your brain. I want to juice your head like a lemon.’

✨ ‘All I want to do is kiss you until I fall asleep. I want to slide in between your sheets, and find out what goes on inside your head and underneath your clothes. I want to make a fool of myself over you.’

✨ ‘I love strawberries. I’m so lovesick, I eat them constantly. Can I nickname you Shortcake? It’ll be a dead giveaway that I love you’

✨ ‘Maybe the only way to truly unite people is through battle and pain. Confrontation and competition. Maybe surviving something is the point.’

✨ ‘Brute, raw masculinity contrasted with gentleness is the most attractive thing on earth.’

✨ ‘You look like a hot virginal dork who’s been defiled in the backseat of my car.’

✨ ‘You love him. You love him. You always have. More than you’ve ever hated him. Every day, staring at this man, knowing every color and expression and nuance. Every game you’ve ever played has been to engage with him. Talk to him. Feel his eyes on you. To try to make him notice you.’

✨ ‘I always thought you’d live underground somewhere, near the earth’s core.’ / ‘Uncle Satan didn’t have any apartments available in my price range.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon

14/01/2024 Becks Leave a comment

This book was… okay. It was a quick read, but if I’m being totally honest, I wasn’t blown away by it.

I feel like the best stories are ones where you can suspend your disbelief enough to make it feel realistic – in the way that millions of children reading Harry Potter for the first time fully believe that their Hogwarts letter will be arriving on their doorstep the moment they turn eleven. The same also goes for stories not set in fantasy worlds. When the narrative of a fiction book removes you from the story just enough to look at the characters from an outside perspective, but also not so much that it feels like they’re fiction – that’s the sweet spot. And perhaps it’s because the action in this book takes place over the course of a single day, but I just found it to be too unrealistic and unbelievable that it didn’t resonate with me as much as I would have liked it to.

That being said, I liked the fact that this book has short chapters – some only one or two pages long. It makes for a quicker pace, both physically reading and with the action, and I think for this story it is definitely necessary to prevent it fizzling out. I also managed to read this book in a single day because the writing is easy to follow and not overly complicated.

I also enjoyed the dual perspectives of Daniel and Natasha. The two led nicely in to one another eg. if Daniel was describing Natasha walking into a shop then Natasha’s perspective would pick up directly from the moment that she enters. It was very seamless in transition, and worked well with the overall plot.

Moreover, I also quite liked the ending. It was certainly unexpected for me as I was utterly convinced that she was going to get what she wanted and those last few pages took me by surprise.

I feel like I know a book is really good (worthy of at least four or five stars), when:
a) I cry at the ending.
b) Go on thinking about the book for days after I’ve finished it.
c) Tell everybody I know to read it.

Unfortunately, while this book is a lovely, heartwarming story, it just didn’t impact me very much. However, as this written with young adults in mind, I am not the target audience (as I’m closer to 30 than 20!), and perhaps it might resonate more with a different audience.

Favourite quotes:

✨ ‘Maybe part of falling in love with someone else is also falling in love with yourself.’

✨ ‘We are capable of big lives. A big history. Why settle? Why choose the practical thing, the mundane thing? We are born to dream and make the things we dream about.’

✨ ‘According to multiverse theory, every version of our past and future histories exist, just in an alternate universe. For every event at the quantum level, the current universe splits into multiple universes. This means that for every choice you make, an infinite number of universes exist in which you made a different choice. In this way we get to live multiple lives.’

✨ ‘I don’t believe in love.’ ‘It’s not a religion,’ he says. ‘It exists whether you believe in it or not.’

✨ ‘Sometimes your world shakes so hard, it’s difficult to imagine that everyone else isn’t feeling it too.’

✨ ‘The sun is also a star, and it’s our most important one. That alone should be worth a poem or two.’

✨ ‘Growing up and seeing your parent’s flaws is like losing your religion. I don’t believe in God anymore. I don’t believe in my father either.’

✨ ‘Thing about falling is you don’t have any control on your way down.’

✨ ‘People just want to believe. Otherwise they would have to admit that life is just a random series of good and bad things that happen until one day you die.’

✨ ‘We have big, beautiful brains. We invent things that fly. We write poetry. You probably hate poetry, but it’s hard to argue with ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate’ in terms of sheer beauty. We are capable of big lives. A big history. Why settle? Why choose the practical thing, the mundane thing? We are born to dream and make the things we dream about.’

✨ I think all the good parts of us are connected on some level. The part that shares the last double chocolate chip cookie or donates to charity or gives a dollar to a street musician or becomes a candy striper or cries at Apple commercials or says I love you or I forgive you. I think that’s God. God is the connection of the very best parts of us.

✨ ’Observable fact: People aren’t logical.’

✨ ‘People spend their whole lives looking for love. Poems and songs and entire novels are written about it. But how can you trust something that can end as suddenly as it begins?’

✨ ‘You’re just looking for someone to save you. Save yourself.’

✨ ‘Human beings are not reasonable creatures. Instead of being ruled by logic, we are ruled by emotions. The world would be a happier place if the opposite were true.’

✨ ‘It is better to see life as it is, not as you wish it to be.’

✨ ‘Names are powerful things. They act as an identity marker and a kind of map, locating you in time and geography. More than that, they can be a compass.’

✨ ‘Life is just a series of dumb decisions and indecisions and coincidences that we choose to ascribe meaning to.’

✨ ‘But he’s no planet, just the final fading light of an already dead star.’

✨ ‘Tragedy is funny.’ / ‘Are we in a tragedy?’ he asks, smiling broadly now’ / ‘Of course. Isn’t that what life is? We all die at the end.’

✨ ‘Love always changes everything.’

✨ ‘I think we’re all connected, everyone on Earth.’

✨ ‘Because everything looks like chaos up close. Daniel thinks it’s a matter of scale. If you pull back far enough and wait for long enough, then order emerges. Maybe their universe is just taking longer to form.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler

13/01/2024 Becks 1 Comment

Series: Bryant & May
Book in series: #1

I always believe that the first book in a series is the most important, because if you’re not completely hooked by the first, then you are unlikely to read the rest. The first book is the foundation upon which the following are built, allowing for stories and characters to develop. Can you imagine a series like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings without the first in the series?

I’ll admit that this is not the type of book I usually pick up. With crime novels, I’m extremely fussy. I like murder mysteries being told in a specific way, otherwise I find they don’t capture my attention. I don’t like it when a novel takes too long to get to the action (ie. when I have to wait 200 pages for someone to be killed), or when the story is good but the detectives investigating the murder are so unlikeable that I can’t continue. So, when this was recommended to me, I wasn’t sure as to what I was going to make of it. But, wanting to read more detective fiction, I decided that all I could do was give it a go…

And holy cannoli with a side of pepperoni! This book is an absolute page-turner! Eating? Goodbye. Sleeping? Don’t be ridiculous—I have a book to read!

My primary reservation was that it was going to be too cliche or predictable; that the story was going to be easy to guess, and thus become boring. But, folks and friends, this novel is anything but! I literally had no idea who did it until it was revealed towards the very end!

I have to admit that I’m usually not a fan of stories that contain dual timelines. They’re often messy, details get forgotten, and sometimes they can completely veer off on tangents that have absolutely no relevance to the plot or characters whatsoever. And to make it doubly difficult – the murder in the present connected to the murder in the past? Well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it?

But folks and friends, this book is exquisite. The two narratives – one set in war-time and the other set in present day, interlink perfectly with one another; the breadcrumbs you’re fed throughout are all connected at the end; and the mystery gets tied up in a nice little bow. It’s like a modern day Agatha Christie novel that reminds us that in order to understand the present, we must first understand the past.

Of course, I cannot write this review without mentioning our two main characters – Bryant and May. Loveable octogenarians with weird quirks and a friendship that’s more like a married couple… what’s not to like? Also, their banter was hilarious and had me laughing from the beginning to the very end—especially with the quote about the fork in the toaster! I am interested in seeing and exploring how their relationship changes in future books, and I hope they keep the same level of humour.

Ultimately, if you’re looking to start a new detective fiction series that has octogenarian shenanigans, hilarity, suspense, and thrill, then I cannot recommend this book enough!

Favourite quotes:

✨ ‘Plastic carrier bags floated around the traffic lights at the end of the Strand like predatory jellyfish.’

✨ ‘It was a violent place in which to discover a purpose. It was a good place to forge a friendship.’

✨ ‘The world will need sceptics after the war is over. Too many people are ready to believe anything they’re told.’

✨ ‘Throughout history, human nature remains unchanged. The world’s oldest questions are still being asked. Medea, Oedipus, we’re not adding anything that the Greeks didn’t already know.’

✨ ‘We’re the police, we don’t thump people.’

✨ ‘The city survived in fragments, as though it had been painted on glass and the glass had shattered.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

12/01/2024 Becks 4 Comments

Where do I even begin? There are so many thoughts and feelings I have about this book that trying to condense them into a post is very difficult. But, I shall start by saying: I urge every human being on the planet to read this.

Nora, the protagonist, has depression. And, feeling as though she has nothing else to live for, she chooses to take her own life. But, between life and death, there is a library. The Midnight Library – where every book is a chance to live another life that you could have lived, had you made different choices.

This book is not to be taken lightly. It covers deep, sensitive subjects. As per the synopsis, suicide and depression are two major themes, so do not expect to open this book and expect it to be a ‘light’ read. It’s an easy read, yes. But you must be in the right frame of mind to enter this book.

With sensitive subjects, as a reader, you can only hope that the author handles them sensitively. You do not want them to make light of these, brushing them off as though they are not genuine issues or pretending that they don’t affect as many people as they do throughout the world. While I don’t think they needed to be handled like they’re fragile, walking on eggshells or never overtly stating they are what they are, I do believe they need to be handled with care. Perhaps it’s because Matt Haig has been in Nora’s shoes, coming close to taking his own life more than once (something which he is very open about on his Instagram), but he approaches such issues beautifully and really puts life into perspective. Some things we think matter most, do not matter at all. And, some things we think matter least, are actually the most important.

I adored the concept of this book. It was so well written and thought out, and each chapter connects seamlessly to the one before. It is a book that will make you think and wonder, but it will also make you feel.

You may be hesitant to pick it up because you think it will be gut-wrenching and emotional. And yes, it is. But it’s also full of hope. I closed the book feeling more positive than I had done in a long time, and had the overwhelming feeling that I wanted to start living – truly living – because ultimately, that is what this book is about. Yes, it’s about depression and suicide, and all the other things in between. But more importantly, it’s about wanting, and choosing, to live.

✨ ‘It is easy to mourn the lives we aren’t living. Easy to wish we’d developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we’d worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga. It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn’t make and the work we didn’t do, the people we didn’t go and the people we didn’t marry and the children we didn’t have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out. But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy. We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.’

✨ ‘It is quite a revelation to discover that the place you wanted to escape to is the exact same place you escaped from. that the prison wasn’t the place, but the perspective.’

✨ ‘The only way to learn is to live.’

✨ ‘If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.’

✨ ‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices…. would you have done anything differe,t if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’

✨ ‘I don’t think your problem was stage fright. Or wedding fright. I think your problem was life fright.’

✨ “What do I do now?’ ‘You open the book and turn to the first page.’

✨ ‘Never underestimate the big importance of small things.’

✨ ‘Because a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.’

✨ ‘Three simple words containing the power and potential of a multiverse. I AM ALIVE.’

✨ ‘A person was like a city. You couldn’t let a few less desirable parts put you off the whole. There may be bits you don’t like, a few dodgy side streets and suburbs, but the good stuff makes it worthwhile.’

✨ ’We only need to be one person. We only need to feel one existence. We don’t have to do everything in order to be everything, because we are already infinite. While we are alive we always contain a future of multifarious possibility.’

✨ You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.’

✨ ’You’re overthinking it.’ “I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.’

✨ ’And that sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can’t have one without the other. Of course, they come in different degrees and quantities. But there is no life where you can be in a state of sheer happiness for ever. And imagining there is just breeds more unhappiness in the life you’re in.’

✨ ’Sometimes just to say your own truth out loud is enough to find others like you.’

✨ ‘Of course, we can’t visit every place or meet every person or do every job, yet most of what we’d feel in any life is still available. We don’t have to play every game to know what winning feels like. We don’t have to hear every piece of music in the world to understand music. We don’t have to have tried every variety of grape from every vineyard to know the pleasure of wine. Love and laughter and fear and pain are universal currencies. We just have to close our eyes and savour the taste of the drink in front of us and listen to the song as it plays. We are as completely and utterly alive as we are in any other life and have access to the same emotional spectrum.’

✨ ‘The thing that looks the most ordinary might end up being the thing that leads you to victory.’

✨ ‘It was interesting, she mused to herself, how life sometimes simply gave you a whole new perspective by waiting around long enough for you to see it.’

Book Review, Books and Literature

Book Review: This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

16/11/2023 Becks Leave a comment

This book… this book… I could rave about this book until the cows come home! I absolutely adored it.

I’ll admit that it took me a good few pages to get into, but once I completed the first chapter I was absolutely hooked – so much so that I read it in two days

I think there are some books that are just pure enjoyment, and if I could, I would bottle up the joy this book gave me and I would keep it forever. It had be laughing from start to finish and contains some of the best banter between two people that I have ever read – it was absolutely perfect and hilarious.

Minnie was such a well-rounded character. I definitely saw a lot of myself in her as she was constantly finding herself in awkward and uncomfortable situations, and I know exactly how that feels, as sometimes I am a walking, talking embarrassing moment waiting to happen! But, I thought that this just added to her quirkiness and loveability, and I only with that Minnie was a real person because I think I want to be her best friend.

When it comes to romance books I can be quite picky with the writing, as it’s very easy to over-explain, under-explain or simply make things ridiculously cheesy… but I needn’t have worried with this as the writing was so well done. The small details and breadcrumbs that Sophie Cousens leaves throughout are impeccable and I audibly gasped when the lightbulb moment happened in my brain regarding the brandy creme patisserie scenario! I did not see that coming whatsoever, and it was such an excellent twist! The romance was excellent, well thought out, and not cliche in the slightest.

I also love the fact that this story takes place in 2020, though an entirely different 2020 than the one all of us experienced. Somewhere in a parallel universe, where Covid never existed, Minnie and Quinn’s romance exists.

This was such a feed-good story from start to finish, and if you’re going to read anything over the festive season, then make it this.

—

Note: there is also apparently a film adaptation in the works for this book, so I am very excited to see what it’s like! I feel like the problem with adaptations is that what they bring to life on screen rarely looks like what I envisioned in my head, so I often find myself disappointed… but, I’m holding out hope that this film will be a good one – especially if it retains all of the wonderful humour and banter that makes this book so perfect!

Favourite lines:

✨ ‘If you lived in a city for long enough, Minnie thought, the streets and places where life happens fold inwards like paper, making space for new memories. Yet visiting old haunts and a long forgotten road was like stretching the concertina out again – the memories leap out, fresh as the day you folded them away.’

✨ ‘All you can hope for is to do more good than harm in this life.’

✨ Minnie let out an involuntary high-pitched noise. She clutched a hand over her mouth, turning the sound into a strangled sort of sneeze.’

✨ ‘No one’s too small to make a difference; just ask Greta Thunberg.’

✨ ‘Better to be hated for what you are, than loved for what you’re not.’
‘Profound,’ said Minnie. ‘Where did you read that – the back of a cereal packet?’

✨ ‘Life can’t just be about coupling up like yoghurts in a multi-pack.’

✨ ‘Don’t cry about something you wouldn’t cry about in five years time.’

✨ ‘Ah, Coco Nuts, we meet again. I see you have foiled my cunning plan to steal all the fruit in Fruitopolis.’

✨ ‘Be a good companion to yourself and you will never be lonely.’

✨ ‘She picked up a perfect red leaf from the ground, examining the intricate pattern of vessels mapping its thin surface. So beautiful, yet only created to last such a short time before its role on this planet was over, and it would decay into mulch. An unremarkable existence, and yet to look at it – how remarkable.’

✨ ‘Life is change – if nothing’s changing, you aren’t living.’

Book Review, Books and Literature, Reviews

Book Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

10/11/2023 Becks Leave a comment

Well, where do I begin?

Have you ever read a book and felt as though the author is looking deep into your soul; that it’s as if the author picked up your entire being and wrote it onto the page?

Everything that Abbi described about Nina in this book, I felt reflected in my own personality – from the way she relates to books, to her feelings about people… it was as if I was reading about myself.

In fact, Nina and this book stuck with so intensely even after I finished reading it that it ended up inspiring my instagram handle, @thebookishlifeofbecks.

When I read this quote for the first time, it hit deeply. Ironically, as someone who loves words and writing, I have always found it difficult to express exactly how I feel about my own company and the company of others… and yet, this sums it up perfectly. While I love and crave being around people, often I find it mentally exhausting. I adore having conversations and there are topics which I could talk about for hours, but it is true that I feel the most calm when I am alone – where I don’t have to do or say anything, and I can simple be.

Am I guilty of doing this too? Yes. Yes I am. I will write down lists of books that I have already read in my reading journal, simply because I love the thrill and satisfaction that comes with crossing them off!

But aside from characters, the story itself was actually pretty great too! I loved how Nina was forced out of her comfort zone and realises that she actually had a lot more in common with her new found family than she initially believes. It’s certainly a book that emphasises the metaphor of ‘never judging books by their covers,’ as there could be something wonderful that you’re missing out on.

One of my other favourite things about this story was Lydia’s passive aggressiveness. Usually I don’t like characters like Lydia as I tend to find them annoying and too offputting to warm to, but I thought the development of her relationship with Nina was absolutely wonderful, and how they both warm to one another as they get to know each other better; and, how they both come to understand that they are more alike than either of them would care to admit.

But if you know me, I’m a sucker for romance, especially realistic romantic stories, and this was most definitely that. It felt really organic and natural and wasn’t overly ridiculous or cheesy in the way that a lot of YA romances tend to be. I think that a lot of bookish introverts like Nina are wary about entering relationships with people that do not read a lot of books because they’re worried about a lack of intellectual conversation and that they’ll get bored with their partner because of this; or people like Tom are wary that those women who are self-proclaimed bookworms are potential insufferable arrogant know-it-alls (we’re not)… but actually, this book does a wonderful job of highlighting the peaceful harmony of the two together and the beauty in a book lover/non-book lover romance.

Though, ultimately the thing that I adore most about this book is that it’s essentially a love letter for the quiet, nerdy introverts who believe that will love will never come their way because they’re too awkward, weird, average, or socially dysfunctional to find it. (I feel like this often). Because as Nina will tell you, if you open your mind and your heart to every possibility, you might just find your happily ever after.

Favourite lines:

✨ ‘It is like all good independent bookstores should be, owned and staffed by people who love books, read them, think about them, and sell them to other people who feel the same way. There is reading hour for little kids. There are visiting authors. There are free bookmarks. It’s really a paradise on earth, if paradise for you smells of paper and paste.’

✨ ‘It also meant she thought of books as medication and sanctuary and the source of all good things. Nothing yet had proven her wrong.’

✨ ‘In solitude she set goals and made them, challenged herself, took up hobbies and dropped them, and if she periodically cleaned off her bulletin board and stuck up new goals and plans and dates and budgets and bought a new planner in the middle of the year and started over, so what?’

✨ ‘Some people take energy; some people give energy… Occasionally you ✨get lucky and find someone whose energy balances your own and brings you into neutral.’

✨ ‘Nina had looked around and realized she would never run out of things to read, and that certainty filled her with peace and satisfaction. It didn’t matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine.’

✨ ‘You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.’

✨ ‘If you’re not scared, you’re not brave.’

✨ ‘Being surrounded by books was the closest she’d ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary.’

✨ Mystery readers were everywhere, voracious, highly partisan and passionate. They were among the store’s best customers, and unfailingly polite. In private they embraced a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance and the use of arcane poisons and sneaky sleuthing, but in public they were charming and generous. Romance readers tended to be fun and have strong opinions. Nonfiction readers asked a lot of questions and were easily amused. It was the serious novel folks and poetry fans you had to watch out for.’

✨ ‘Tomorrow would be better. At the very least, tomorrow would be different.’

✨ ‘Biology is not destiny. And love is not proportionate to shared DNA.’

✨ ‘You do realise it isn’t mandatory to live your life online, right? For thousands of years we managed to be miserable or joyful in private.’

✨ ‘Nothing. The first thing you should always do is nothing.’

✨ ‘Coming out of a book was always painful.’

✨ ‘Life will throw you curveballs, but it’s rare you can do much more than duck.’

✨ ‘I have lots of favourite books because I have lots of moods and I have a favourite book for every mood.’

✨ ‘Nina knew the double whammy: the emotion itself and the frustration of not being able to out it into words. She’d read somewhere that if you can’t put language around an experience or feeling, it’s because from your earliest childhood, before speech, when everything was inexplicable and overwhelming.’

✨ ‘Life tends towards chaos, sadly. I thought I had my life all planned out nicely, and then… everything changed completely. It’s all very well to have a plan — it’s a good idea — but you have to be able to walk away from it if you need to.’

✨ ‘Do you know the best feeling in the world? It’s reading a book, loving every second of it, then turning to the front and discovering that the writer wrote fourteen zillion others.’

✨ ‘In public, Nina was a quiet, reserved potion; in private she was an all-singing, all-dancing cavalcade of light and emotion. Unless she was a quivering ball of anxiety, because that was also a frequently selected option.’

✨ ‘He wasn’t a poet, but whatever. She wasn’t a competitive skier. It didn’t matter what they weren’t; it only mattered who they were.’

✨ ‘Anxiety is what kept us alive, back in the day. It helps us know when things are wrong, when situations are dangerous or people mean us harm. It’s just sometimes it gets ahead of itself, right?’

✨ ‘That’s one positive thing about texting; you can pause and consider your options, whereas in face-to-face conversation, a silence of three minutes would be weird.’

✨ ‘Maybe there is no real thing for anyone. Maybe all of us change depending on where we are and who we’re with.”

✨ ‘How many people do we encounter every day who might be related to us, or simply people who might have become the best friends we ever had, or our second spouses, or the agents of our destruction, if only we spent more than seconds with them?’

✨ ‘If I walked inot my kitchen at night and flicked on the light and saw a penis lying on the ground, I would definitely scream and hit it with a broom. At the very least, I would climb on a chair until it rolled away.’

✨ ‘It takes a lot of energy to be with other people. It’s easier to be myself when there’s no one else there.’