Getting Dirty – Rachael Stewart

Getting Dirty, in true Racheal Stewart style, is a sizzling romance that grips you from the outset. I loved the main characters socialite Coco and private investigator Ash. Their first meeting was so hot it should have come with a warning – the chemistry jumped off the page.

It wasn’t all about passion though, there was a deeper story at the core and I really enjoyed Coco’s complex family and her personal journey as well as Ash’s internal conflict of heart v work. I really bought into their stories and rooted for them. The ending was so perfect that I’d have cheered if I wasn’t sat in the hairdressers!

Genre: hot romance

Rating:5/5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Swing Time – Zadie Smith

Swing Time promised a fascinating story.

‘Two brown girls dream of being dancers – but only one, Tracy has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music and what constitutes a tribe or makes a person truly free.’

In reality, I think the book tried to do too much. Smith is obviously intelligent, and a keen observational commentator who is skilled in her craft, but there were so many key themes touched upon in the book that it never really felt like any were truly explored. The premise above, for instance, covered a relatively small part of the book, yet that storyline in itself could have been developed further.

Instead, the book spanned such a large time frame, focusing on certain events that failed to hold my interest. There was quite a bit of ‘telling’ vs ‘showing’ and sometimes the characters felt like vehicles devised to deliver pop culture references, pass judgement or opinion or make political references. These never felt to come from the character’s hearts, more the author.

Put simply, this book had all the ingredients to be amazing; culture, diversity and a promising storyline but for me, the storyline got lost and the characters didn’t pull me in.

Genre: Literary fiction

Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

The Flat Share – Beth O’Leary

4.5*

I’ve been dying to read The Flat Share since seeing so many glowing reviews on social media last year. The book grabbed my straight away; I love quirky Tiffy and Leon is a dream. There was plenty of humour and I loved reading the notes Leon and Tiffy left for each other.

The Flat Share is an uplifting romcom with a great storyline and interesting subplots giving it a bit more depth than you often find in the genre. I can’t wait to read Beth O’Leary’s next book.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I Owe You One – Sophie Kinsella

I Owe You One was a sweet and pleasant read with warm humour and some poignant moments. I liked heroine Fixie, although a little naive at times she did just want to do the best by her family and those around her (whether deserving or not). Some of the romance did feel a little rushed to me and some parts surrounding the family business did feel a little like they slowed the pace but overall it’s a light, entertaining read.

Genre: Chicklit

Rating: 3/5🌟

The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley

The Hunting Party tells the story of a group of friends who’ve come together in a remote part of Scotland for a few nights to celebrate NYE. Told from multiple perspectives with a time-lapse, the story of a missing party member unravels.

I found there was plenty to keep me interested: lots of secrets, the unique setting and the fact the missing person’s identity is kept a secret for the most part. However, the characters on the whole were unlikable, selfish with few redeeming features between them. Normally I do love to hate characters like this but in this case I found it hard to care who had gone missing or why. I think perhaps, for me, there was a little too much backstory at times pulling me out of the tension.

Overall, it’s a decent read that’s been well thrashes out but perhaps lacking a little in pace compared to similar books.

Trigger warning (the clue is in the title): Graphic scene depicting the killing of a deer.

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 3.5*

The Other People – CJ Tudor

After enjoying CJ Tudor’s first two books, I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of The Other People and pushed my TBR pile aside so I could get stuck in.
As with all Tudor’s books, there’s an element of mystery and the supernatural and with multiple characters, there’s plenty to get your teeth into.

The storyline and characters felt fresh and unique and there was enough momentum to keep me turning the pages. In addition, there are some wonderfully profound lines scattered throughout the book which I didn’t expect.

Another enjoyable CJ Tudor book.

Genre: Supernatural thriller

Rating: 4/5⭐️