Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 innah96Leave a comment

I am so excited to be part of this blog tour for “Strange Sally Diamond” by Liz Nugent. From the moment I read and loved “Our Little Cruelties”, I knew Liz Nugent is going to became an author I will often come back to. And Strange Sally Diamond was incredible!

Pages: 384

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format I read it in: Paperback / Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

“Put me out with the bins”, he said, regularly. “When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead, so I won’t know any different.”

When Sally Diamond’s dad passed away, she did exactly what he hold her to do. She put him out with the bins.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally’s life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

My Thoughts:

Now, I wish I could say that putting her dad out with the bins is the strangest thing Sally would do in this book, but it’s called “Strange Sally Diamond” for a reason. After her father’s passing and the letters he leaves her behind, Sally becomes the talk of the town. There are certain things being revealed about her early childhood that could explain why she has always been different. Also, there are some anonymous letters in the mail from someone that may know her. I dived into this book blind, and can only recommend that you do the same.

The book starts slow, with a small twist, and then before you know it, you’re swimming into the deep end of a very poignant, but disturbing story. I won’t reveal anything else in terms of the plot, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience. We have Sally’s point of view, from the day her father dies, until the present day. And we also have another person’s point of view, sharing their story from Sally’s early shildhood, also to the present day.

Reading both POVs was stressful and gripping.

I liked Sally – the way she accepted she was different and never changed who she was for anyone else. But also her willingness to keep working on herself and be the best version of herself. I loved the group of friends she had around her. They were always supportive and wanted what’s best for her, but never afraid to tell her the truth when it was needed. I also enjoyed the other POV, although it always had a darker, more sinister atmosphere. Despite all the evil, there were emotions of loneliness, sadness, fear and the need to be accepted and to belong that I sometimes felt for them.

With so many twists and turns, Liz Nugent managed to keep me on my toes yet again. And although I had my own theories and suspicions (I’m looking at you, Mark!), I was completely wrong and didn’t see anything coming until it was on my page. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a brilliant thriller with a lot of disturbing excitement. I liked the idea of the grey area between a gullable victim and an accomplice. And this is the kind of book that is about to raise a lot of moral dilemas and start conversations during a book club meeting. I warmly recommend it, with the advice to dive in blind. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills when you’re expecting them the least.

About The Author:

Liz Nugent is an award-winning, bestselling Irish crime writer.

Unravelling Oliver was published in 2014.

Lying in Wait was published in 2016.

Skin Deep was published in 2018.

Little Cruelties (Our Little Cruelties) was published in 2020.

Website: https://www.liznugent.com/

Book Review · Books

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher [BOOK REVIEW]

March 26, 2023March 26, 2023 innah96Leave a comment

How could I say no to another Colleen Hoover book, this time written together with Tarryn Fisher? Never Never! My review is below, and I’ve also included the first chapter of the book, if you want to give it a go.

I am so excited to be able to share an exclusive contect with you – the first chapter of Never Never! Dive into the romance and mystery of Charlie and Silas’s relationship, and tell me what you think 🙂 If you scroll down, you can read the full synopsis of Never Never, and here are the links for the First Chapter in Word and PDF formats.

First Chapter – Word Format | First Chapter – PDF Format

Pages: 358

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They’ve been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning… they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love… every memory has vanished. Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be… the more they question why they were ever together to begin with.

Forgetting is terrifying but remembering may be worse…

The Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us joins forces with the New York Times bestselling author of The Wives for a gripping, twisty, romantic mystery unlike any other.

My Thoughts:

I loved reading this book. I had the pleasure to read it alongside some amazing people and we shared our thoughts on Instagram and Discord. Reading it was easy. In fact, not reading more than the daily chapters was the real struggle. The book intrigued me so much and I couldn’t stop flipping the pages.

The initial mystery of Silas and Charlie’s memories turned into a big chase against the clock, with family, friends, tarot ladies and even the police getting involved. The ending was slightly underwhelming – it had its flaws, but I can’t help but admire it because it just kept me on the edge and I couldn’t stop reading it. I have been bored to death from so many books, that I now appreciate the page-turners way too much!

My favourite parts where the little moments when Charlie and Silas would get to know each other again through their letters, their rooms, their tattoos… There was something very intimate about seeing them read their own love letters for “the first time”. It was also an amazing experience to see them realise that they don’t actually like some of the things they pretended they did, and not to be afraid to show it this time around.

“I may not remember anything about her, but I would bet her smile was my favorite part of her”

In terms of the epilogue (and I won’t reveal too much), I actually liked what they showed. It’s almost as saying – this is not just our story, it happens to all soulmates in the world, and I thought that was cute.

About The Authors:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thriller.

Website: https://www.colleenhoover.com/

Tarryn Fisher is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of twelve novels. Born a sun hater, she currently makes her home in Seattle, Washington with her children, husband, and psychotic husky. Tarryn writes about villains.

Website: http://www.tarrynfisher.com/

Book Review · Books

Verity by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 innah96Leave a comment

I have finally made it! By reading Verity, I joined the club of people who read and enjoyed a Colleen Hoover book!

Pages: 321

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Publisher: Sphere

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Thoughts:

Just a side note, there isn’t any special reason why I waited this long to read a book by Colleen Hoover. I just didn’t have her books on my physical TBR and read the ones I did. I’m also not the type of person to jump on a bandwagon, so I wasn’t too bothered to pick up popular books if I didn’t already own them. Anyways, here we are, with me having read Verity! My colleague and good friend recommended it to me, and I had to give it a go. What an incredible book Verity ended up being! I finished it in two days and would have finished it in one sitting had I not had work and real life stuff too.

From the first chapter where Lowen’s story starts to the very last chapter that gives more questions than answers. This book was unpredictable. I loved the plot. I went in blind, and was so excited about Lowen’s deal. Then, once she moved into the house, I was excited to read about every little thing that was going on. Jeremy was an interesting character for me. I had a lot of admiration for him, for everything he went through, but then I also felt some sinister vibes off him. And then we have Verity. A woman who has a passive role in this book, but she is the main character. Despite not having a voice, she ends up being the loudest one.

The house has a weird vibe, from Verity’s writing office, to the nurses. Even the child is traumatised, bless him. And rightly so, as he’s been through so much! We then also have the romance that is starting to bloom between Jeremy and Lowen. And it’s so odd, because I was rooting for their love story, but his wife was still in that house. If anything, this shows how amazing Colleen’s writing is, especially when it comes to taboo topics or situations that don’t fit the normal mould of what’s morally acceptable.

Sinister, but amazing!

My favourite quote is the one below. As soon as I read it, it rang so true to me. And it reminded me of the first sentence of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. The same kind of reflection moment hit me, which I know made Verity that more special in my heart:

“Some families are lucky enough to never experience a single tragedy. But then there are those families that seem to have tragedies waiting on the back burner. What can go wrong, goes wrong. And then it gets worse.”

The whole character setup was a paradise for a psychology lover like me. I loved getting inside everyone’s head, trying to figure out what people are thinking and what they’ll do next. I also enjoyed the book within a book part incredibly much – the part where we read Verity’s diary. Verity is a book that will definitely keep you on your toes. A lot of clues and other people’s version of the same events are likely to make you trust no one. In the end, you will have to make your own conclusion on who to believe and who is telling the truth.

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book this much, and an ending that made me re-evaluate every opinion I had throughout the book. It’s the kind of book you want to talk about, so it’s no wonder it has become the sensation it is now. This is for sure just the start of my Colleen Hoover journey – what book should I be reading next? And for those of you who have read Verity – what do you believe more? The diary or the letter?