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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Readalong Support Debuts Tandem Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: Anna O by Matthew Blake

Published February 1st, 2024 by Harper Collins UK
Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Medical Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller,

Welcome to my review for Anna O, the phenomenal thriller that is set to be everywhere in 2024. Thank you to the Tandem Collective for arranging the readalong and offering me a place, and Harper Collins UK for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

ANNA O – THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME

‘Certain to be one of the year’s best thrillers’ LEE CHILD

‘Reads like a dream but unsettles like a nightmare’ A J FINN

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*The instant global phenomenon*

*Publishing in over 30 territories*

*The thriller that will wake up the nation*

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ANNA O HASN’T OPENED HER EYES FOR FOUR YEARS

Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.

For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.

As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.

Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.

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MY REVIEW:

“Anna O, Sleeping beauty, a figure of myth and reality.”

Anna O hasn’t opened her eyes since the night four years ago when her two best friends were found brutally murdered and she was discovered in a deep sleep. Anna is the only suspect but ever since the debate has raged: is she innocent or guilty? And was she sleeping or awake? Answers are needed and time is running out, so the Ministry of Justice charges Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist and expert in sleep, with the task of finally waking Anna from her long sleep in order to get them. If he succeeds, his part in the Anna O case will be a defining moment in his career, but will his theory finally wake the woman her detractors call Sleeping Beauty? After all, waking Anna O isn’t the end of the story but the beginning… 

WHAT. A. BOOK! Quite simply, Anna O is a masterpiece. Sleeping Beauty meets The Silent Patient, this astonishing debut left my jaw on the floor. Deliciously dark, atmospheric and unnerving, this has bestseller and blockbuster movie written all over it. From the moment I first heard about Anna O I knew it was a book I needed to read so I jumped at the chance to take part in a 100-strong readalong organised by the Tandem Collective. Before reading we were asked to vote if we thought Anna was sleeping or awake. I voted for sleeping, but would I be proven right? Or was Anna actually awake that night?

There’s always a danger with a much-hyped novel that you will be disappointed, but this one exceeded all my high hopes. Matthew Blake writes like a veteran of the genre and I am still in awe that this is a debut novel. He expertly intertwines masterful storytelling, compelling characters and vivid imagery to create this tour-de-force. He then adds references to real crimes, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Shakesphere, Hitchcock, and real conditions such as resignation syndrome that all add that feeling of authenticity, making it feel like you’re reading a true crime novel rather than a work of fiction. It is a Russian doll of a mystery; the many layers and multiple mysteries all hidden inside one another and then slowly revealed alongside the cleverly placed red herrings that held me in his thrall and kept me guessing. The multiple points of view and timelines in mixed media heightened the tension as Blake drops clues like breadcrumbs for us to follow. I HAD to know the truth and confess that I raced ahead of the reading schedule, but I was unprepared for a twist so shocking it threw me to the ground, stamped on me and left me for dead followed swiftly by that unforgettable finale. I’m still reeling.

Dealing with both the aftermath and build-up to a brutal crime, the book explores the ripple effect violent crimes have on not just those who knew the victims, but those who knew the person accused of the crime. A beautiful woman accused of a brutal crime and an enigma because she has been sleeping since that night, Anna is the epitome of a ‘femme fatale’ and leads perfectly into Blake’s examination of our prejudices and preconceptions about those who kill. He also examines our fascination with true crime, asking what it is that makes a murder capture the public’s imagination and attain infamy. Most unsettling of all, he shifts the fabric of our reality and turns our dreams into nightmares as he explores the things we don’t remember from while we are sleeping and the darker side of the human psyche. 

Suspenseful, twisty, cryptic and unputdownable, this phenomenal debut is destined to be THE thriller of 2024. A must-read for your TBR next year, pre-order this now to discover if Anna is innocent or guilty. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

After discovering that the average person spends thirty-three years of their life asleep, Matthew Blake felt the pull of a story. He began extensive research into sleep-related crimes and into the mystery illness known as resignation syndrome, research that sparked a thrilling question: if someone commits murder while sleepwalking, are they innocent or guilty? And so his novel Anna O was born.

Before writing fiction, Matthew worked as a researcher and speechwriter at the Palace of Westminster. He studied English at Durham University and Merton College, Oxford and now lives in London.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Readalong Tandem Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: The Favour by Nicci French

Published March 30th, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction

Welcome to my review of the brilliantly unpredicatable and twisty The Favour. Thank you to the Tandem Collective UK for the opportunity to take part in this readalong, and to The Likely Suspects and Simon and Schuster UK for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
BRINGING DANGER CLOSE TO HOME . . . DON’T MISS THE HEART-RACING NEW THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICCI FRENCH.

‘Excels at depicting an ordinary life swept away by horror’ Observer
‘Fantastic – a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense’ Lee Child
‘Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff: The Favour is classic Nicci French. I read it in one breathless sitting’ Erin Kelly
 
A good deed
Can turn deadly…
 
When Jude’s first love Liam turns up in her life after ten years of no contact, asking her for a favour, she just can’t say no. He will always be someone special to her.
But does she really know what she is getting herself into?

After she does the favour, Jude is contacted by the police. Liam has been found dead, and suddenly she is caught up in a murder investigation.
 
She realises this one decision could cost her everything – even her life…

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MY REVIEW:

“Suddenly, horribly, the confusion cleared and everything became sharply clear. Things slid into place, like a collection of blades, chains, cogs. Click click click, all the nasty parts locking together.” 

From the very first page The Favour had me in its thrall. Opening with narrator Jude telling the story of the car crash that changed her life when she was seventeen, it immediately holds your attention. It then jumps forward over a decade where we find Jude is now working as a doctor in a hospital and planning her wedding to her fiance, Nat. Then, one day her first love, Liam, turns up at her work out of the blue saying he wants her to do him a favour, though he’s vague about what this favour is. Caught up in her past memories and feelings of guilt and longing, Jude can’t say no. After agreeing to the favour Jude’s world is turned upside down and she finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. Can she prove her innocence?

Mysterious, tense, and forbidding, The Favour is an addictive thriller from veteran husband and wife writing team Nicci French. I’ve been a fan of their books for decades, though it’s been a few years since I last read one of them. I found that reading this was like coming back to old friends. The writing is sharp and suspenseful, the authors holding me in the palm of their hands as they wove their web of words around me. I was reading the book as part of a readalong with other bloggers organised by the Tandem Collective but found myself racing ahead as I was overtaken by a desperate need for answers. I couldn’t put the book down and loved the surprising twists and uncertainty that lingers throughout the book. I sped through it in just two sittings instead of the six days I was supposed to read it.

The book is filled with imperfect, unreliable and unlikeable characters who are compelling to read. You are never sure what to make of them which adds to the atmosphere of uneasy suspense. Narrator Jules is gullible, naive, and damaged by past trauma. She lurched from one stupid decision to another and I wanted to shake her most of the time. But over time I began to really feel for her. She truly didn’t know what she was getting into, and while I think she should have been smarter, you don’t expect someone to reappear in your life after a decade and get you mixed up in a murder investigation. As we unravelled the secrets of her past and the reasons for her decisions I found myself having greater empathy for her actions. The colourful background characters were also fun and frustrating to read and the story got curiouser and curiouser as time went on, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I read. 

The Favour is a brilliantly unpredictable and intriguing thriller that you don’t want to miss!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHORS:

Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in Suffolk. The couple have written over twenty bestselling psychological thrillers together, including the Frieda Klein series.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Readalong Tandem Readalong

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

Published: October 14th, 2021
Publisher: HQ
Genre: Thriller, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio

I read this book as part of a readalong organised by Tandem Collective UK. Thank you to them for the invitation to take part and be a VIP host, and to HQ for the gifted ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

THE MOST IMPORTANT NOVEL YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR

Not every story is black and white.

Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were children, and they thought their bond was unbreakable. It never mattered to them that Riley is black and Jen is white. And then Jen’s husband, a Philadelphia police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and everything changes in an instant.

This one act could destroy more than just Riley and Jen’s friendship. As their community takes sides, so must Jen and Riley, and for the first time in their lives the lifelong friends find themselves on opposing sides.

But can anyone win a fight like this?

We Are Not Like Them is about friendship and love. It’s about prejudice and betrayal. It’s about standing up for what you believe in, no matter the cost.

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MY REVIEW:

“When the bullets hit him, first his arm, then his stomach, it doesn’t feel like he’d always imagined it would. Because of course as a Black boy growing up in this neighbourhood, he’d imagined it.”

Wow. Just, wow. It’s been a few weeks since I read this phenomenal debut and I’m still thinking about it every day. I also still have no idea how to review it. The topic feels too big, too important to reduce to a review. But I will do my best. 

Lifelong friends Riley and Jen have never cared that one of them is Black and the other white. But after unarmed Black teenager Justin Dwyer is shot by two white police officers they find their friendship tested in ways they never imagined. They are both embroiled in the story and find themselves on opposing sides for the first time in their lives. Can their friendship withstand such a test? 

“At the end of the day, I’m afraid that Jen won’t get it. Maybe I’ve always been afraid.”

The story is narrated by Riley and Jen in alternating chapters, offering the reader an insight into how both women are affected in the aftermath of the shooting. Riley’s job as a news reporter and Jen’s position as the wife of one of the officers involved in the shooting immediately place them on opposing sides immediately. But then race becomes part of the discussion and adds more layers and nuance to this already complex story. 

I felt so conflicted reading this book. So many questions swam through my mind as I read and I found myself full of emotions I never expected. I didn’t know who to root for or where my allegiance should lay. I felt deeply sorry for both Jen and Riley, who are both great characters and saw both sides of their opposing arguments.  A big part of the problem between them is down to assumption and miscommunication, which left me feeling frustrated as so much of the pain they caused each other could have been avoided. I also had some sympathy for Kevin, who is clearly torn apart by what happened, though my ultimate sympathy lay with the young boy he shot and his devastated mother, who I would have liked to see more of in the book. 

“It kills me to think how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers and layers of history, “ancient history”, they say. But it’s not. It’s like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt off the home plate: it’s right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation. Like how Gigi kept her own awful secret, presumably to protect us from the ugly truth, and I’ve kept my own secrets, haunted by a similar shame.”

As a white woman I am aware I occupy a position of privilege and see the world through the lens of my own experiences. I love reading books like this one as they open my eyes to things that I might not have considered and help me to understand prejudice on a deeper level.  And that is part of the beauty of this book; whatever your race, gender or beliefs, there are things to learn from it. I was fortunate to read this as part of a readalong with other bloggers and during the chats about the book I enjoyed hearing their insights and views on the book as there were things some of them saw that I had missed or never considered. This enabled me to look at things from a perspective I’d otherwise never have had, something which I am grateful for. 

“He wants to tell them his name. If they know his name he’ll be less alone. Worse than the pain or even the fear is that he’s never felt so alone in his life.”

Bold, brave and thought-provoking, this made me feel ALL the feelings. It opens  as it means to go on, with a chapter that is so searing, raw and heartbreaking that I will never forget it. It is an unsettling but important read. A story about humanity, compassion, privilege, race and justice that reminds us not everything is black and white, and that the truth lies in the shades of grey. Exquisitely written with vivid characterisation, you can see the care that has been taken over every word on the page and I would love to have been a fly on the wall to see how the two authors co-wrote the book. 

A powerful, honest and heart-rending debut, We Are Not Like Them is a story that lingers long after closing that final page. A book that demands to be read and discussed. And one that I highly recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHORS:

Christine Pride is a writer, editor and 15-year publishing veteran. She has held editorial posts at various imprints, including Doubleday, Broadway, Crown, Hyperion, and, most recently, as a Senior Editor at Simon and Schuster. Christine has edited and published a range of bestselling books, with a special emphasis on inspirational stories and memoirs. We Are Not Like Them, written with Jo Piazza, is her first book. She lives in New York City. 

Jo Piazza is an award-winning reporter and editor who has written for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, New York Magazine, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle and Salon. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, Fox News, the BBC and MSNBC. Her novel, The Knockoff, with Lucy Sykes became an instant international bestseller and has been translated into more than seven languages.

Jo received a Masters in Journalism from Columbia, a Masters in Religious Studies from NYU and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed If Nuns Ruled the World and Celebrity Inc: How Famous People Make Money.

She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and their giant dog.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Bookshop.org*| Amazon| Google Books| Apple Books| Kobo
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊 Emma xxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Tandem Readalong

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Published: February 16th, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy

SYNOPSIS:

With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy – Stylist

Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined Court of Thorns and Roses series continues with the journey of Feyre’s fiery sister, Nesta

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly – proud, swift to anger and slow to forgive. And since the war – since being made High Fae against her will – she’s struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court.
The person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged warrior who is there at Nesta’s every turn. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. And when they are forced to train in battle together, sparks become flame.
As the threat of war casts its shadow over them once again, Nesta and Cassian must fight monsters from within and without if they are to stand a chance of halting the enemies of their court. But the ultimate risk will be searching for acceptance – and healing – in each other’s arms.

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MY REIVEW:

“Immortality was not a serene youth.
It was fire.”

ACOSF was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so I was thrilled when Tandem Collective UK offered me the chance to take part in a readalong of the book. At over 700 pages it is an intimidating tome, and I admit that I found the first third of the story quite slow and difficult to get into. But once things got going it was addictive, and I flew through the pages quickly; holding on for dear life as Maas took me on a high-octane and emotional thrillride. 

“So Nesta had become a wolf. Armed herself with invisible teeth and claws, and learned to strike faster, deeper, more lethally . Had relished it. But when the time came to put away the wolf, she’d found it had devoured her, too.”

ACOSF stands out from the other books in the series as it shifts from telling Feyre’s story to that of her fiery sister, Nesta. I was initially hesitant about this as I’ve enjoyed Feyre’s story and love her as a character, while Nesta wasn’t someone who lit up the pages and drew me in. But after reading it I can say I’m glad the author gave us the chance to get to know Nesta as there is so much more beneath the feisty and sullen mask. She has a story that needs to be told; one that addresses mental health, trauma and PTSD.  I liked how Maas explored these issues not only through Nesta’s story, but also through the stories of other characters. There is a lot of discussion about the issues throughout the book and it will be hard for some to read. But as someone who lives with these issues, I found it to be sensitively written and liked that Mass highlighted things like the importance of facing your pain, self care, opening up to others, and celebrating the tiny steps that are huge accomplishments in your recovery.

“Perhaps in voicing those truths, they’d given them wings. And sent them soaring into the open sky above.”

Though the familiar faces from Night Court do feature in the book, Nesta spends most of the story away from them and has isolated herself on an emotional level too. This led the way for the introduction of Gwyn and Emerie, two new characters who I loved. They have also been through trauma and through their shared experiences they develop a truly special friendship and camaraderie. Watching as that blossomed and the women slowly began to recognise their inner strength, was probably my favourite part of the book. 

“Your power is a song, and one I’ve waited a very, very long time to hear, Nesta.”

There is no talking about this book without discussing the steam factor. I’ve been shipping Nessian for a while and was hoping for them to finally get together, and we all know there have been some hot scenes between Feyre and Rhys, but I was not prepared for the level of sizzle in this book. It’s so steamy that I would find myself blushing and feeling almost embarrassed to be caught reading it – and I was at home! I did enjoy the hilarious discussions with fellow bookstagrammers that it led to though. Maas has certainly moved away from young readers with the raunchy scenes in this book. So be warned.

“When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds.”

Ms. Mass knows just how to keep the reader begging for more, ending the book with a heart-pounding finale that had me on the edge of my seat. It was an electrifying ending to a spectacular book and I can’t wait until the next installment. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Steam Rating:🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆

TW: Mental health, sexual assault, trauma 

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel,is available now.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Bookshop.org*| Amazon*| Google Books | Apple Books| Kobo
*These links are affiliate links

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Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for my gifted copy of the book and to Tandem Collective UK for the invitation to take part in the readalong.

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles. Until next time, Emma xxx

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Blog Tours Monthly Wrap Up

Monthly Wrap Up – May 2020

Collage 2020-05-30 17_33_28

Another month is done and I’m writing another wrap up. These seem to come around quicker each month. Does anyone else think the same?

May has been my best reading month in quite some time. I finished sixteen books and took part in fourteen blog tours. The quality of books has again been high with all books being four stars or above.

Here’s what I read in May:

  1. He Started It by Samantha Downing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  2. Who We Were by B. M. Carroll ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  3. The Happy Couple by Samantha Hayes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  4. The Secrets of Sunshine by Phaedra Patrick ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  5. One Mistake by Rona Halsall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  6. Dear Child by Romy Hausmann ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  7. What Lies Between Us by John Marrs ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  8. Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  9. Her Last Mistake (Detective Gina Harte Book 6) by Carla Kovach ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  10. Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  11. The Bride by Wendy Clarke ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  12. The Glass House by Eve Chase ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  13. His & Hers by Alice Feeney ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
  14. The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson⭐⭐⭐⭐
  15. Water’s Edge (Detective Megan Carpenter Book 2) by Gregg Olsen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  16. The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 You can read the reviews for all the books by clicking on the title except for The Ice Cream Girls and The Majesties. My reviews for those books will be posted in the coming week.

This month there were two books that stood out as favourites for me. They are very different books and I found it impossible to choose one over the over. Therefore, I have two books of the month: What Lies Between Us and Tsarina. What Lies Between Us is an outstanding thriller that was so twisted I can’t stop thinking about it. John Marrs really outdid himself with this book and I’m hoping it is turned into a series or film soon. Tsarina is the epic story of Catherine, Tsarina of All the Russias. Catherine’s story is one so crazy that you couldn’t make it up. The novel is beautifully written and I was utterly immersed in Catherine’s world while reading. I already had a fascination with the fall of the Tsars but this novel brought about a greater interest in the Tsars reign and Catherine and Peter’s stories in particular. I highly recommend both books.

Are any of these in your tbr? What is your favourite book you’ve read this month?

Next month I have a slightly more relaxed schedule of blog tours which I’m looking forward to as maybe I’ll get to do more free reading soon. I’m very excited about my buddy read of The Phone Box at the Edge of the World with Beth as it’s our first buddy read and the book is one of my most anticipated books of the year.

Thank you to all the tagged publishers for my gifted copies of these books.

Hope you are all staying safe and well,
Emma x