The Missing Family by Tim Weaver (David Raker #13) [BOOK REVIEW]

September 28, 2024September 28, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

I absolutely devoured “The Missing Family” by Tim Weaver

About The Book:

Pages: 545

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

One family…
On a beautiful summer’s day, at a remote lake in the middle of Dartmoor, three members of the Fowler family take a dinghy out onto the water, leaving mother Sarah at the shore.

Less than sixty seconds later, she checks to see where they are.
The boat is drifting in the middle of the lake. It’s empty.

Sarah’s family have completely vanished.

One killer…
At the Skyline Casino in London, the security team have just made a headline-grabbing they’ve spotted and detained a man suspected of murdering a high roller.

After locking him in one of their holding cells, the team station themselves outside and wait for the police. But when the cops arrive, they find something impossible.

The killer is no longer inside the cell.

Two detectives…

David Raker is an expert at solving missing persons puzzles – but these mysteries are unlike anything he’s ever seen.

As he digs into the Fowler’s, his long-time ally – ex-detective, Colm Healy – tries to get to the bottom of what happened at the casino.

But the men are in danger. Because, buried in the shadows of both cases, is a deadly secret that was never meant to come out…

My Thoughts:

“But if those tethers did exist, if they bound us to people in our lives that would eventually matter, and through those relationships we could find endings and perhaps a measure of peace for those who were hurting, I wanted to believe in them.”

David Raker is an expert at solving missing people cases. He is summoned to have a look into the disappearance of three members of the Fowler family, in the middle of a lake in Dartmoor.

At the same time, at the Skyline Casino in London, the security team detained a man suspected of murdering a high roller. When the police come to the cell, the strangest thing happens, the killer is no longer inside the cell.

I absolutely devoured this book. It was written at a very fast pace and I couldn’t stop reading, whilst thinking about all possible theories. There are a lot of stories happening at the same time, and in the end, they will all tie together and wrap the story up.

Although I enjoyed all the stories and it really did come together well, it felt a bit unrealistic. There is no way so many of those events were a pure coincidence and happened like that. And even if the events somehow happened, there is no chance that David Raker is the one involved with all of them at once.

Apart from that, I really have no complaints. The book is part of the David Raker series, in fact, the 13th book in the series. I had no clue it was part of a series, so I can say with absolute certainty that it can be read as standalone and in any order. This is quite often with detective book series. They all feature the same main character, it’s only the story and case that differ. I would warmly recommend this book. It was mysterious, entertaining and had me guessing until the very end.

About The Author:

Tim Weaver is the Sunday Times Top 3 bestselling author of the David Raker missing persons series, the standalone thriller, Missing Pieces, and the novella collection, The Shadow at the Door. His novels have been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club three times, and his work has been nominated for a National Book Award and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is currently developing an original TV drama with the team behind Line of Duty. A former journalist and magazine editor, he lives near Bath with his wife and daughter.

Author Website

The Tasting Menu by Stuart MacBride [BOOK REVIEW]

September 10, 2024September 10, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

I don’t recommend reading “The Tasting Menu” on an empty stomach!

About The Book:

Pages: 127

Genre: Short Story, Horror, Crime, Fiction, Thriller

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Format I read it in: E-book

Rating: ★★★

In this short tale from Stuart MacBride, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dead of Winter and the Logan McRae series, sometimes a meal ends with unjust deserts…

Three friends go on a foodie road trip to the Scottish Highlands and Islands to celebrate their pending retirement, expecting stunning scenery, great food, fine wines, and a chance to reminisce about the good old days. When they somehow secure a reservation at a remote and extremely exclusive restaurant set on a private island in Loch Broom, they know they’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience.

The question is: what is on the menu? Because all is not as it seems. One of the three friends is a killer, one is a liar, and one will do whatever it takes to survive…

My Thoughts:

Firstly, a huge thank you to the team at Riot Communications, for sending me an e-copy of “The Tasting Menu”. I don’t usually read e-books (I prefer flipping pages and annotating), but I made an exception on this occasion.

The book is short and packed with action and I read it in one sitting. We follow a group of older friends that are celebrating retirement, and they stay at this ultra posh and expensive restaurant set on a private island.

Very shortly after their arrival and their first meal, things turn sour (pun was likely intended). There is non-stop action after that in a short span. The book itself had many twists and unexpected moments.

The issue is that the book is and stays an appetiser.

There is no full course meal to follow or a desert. It was too short to my liking. And because of this, I felt like there was little to no time to get to know the characters. And when a character was betrayed, or murdered, I felt nothing. I couldn’t get a moment of shock or surprise because I didn’t get invested. This is the only reason the book gets a lower rating.

I did, however, very much enjoy the food references. Every chapter was structured as a menu, and we got various different meals and wine recommendations.

“Smoked Frog’s Legs served in a gilded White-Chocolate-&-powdered-Lobster ball, with a Lobster-&-Tarragon velouté”
–
Hirsch Vineyards Hirsch Estate Chardonnay, 2020

I am not sure if I would recommend the book, unfortunately. Perhaps, if you are interested in a short mystery and if you are a foodie. It’s a good book to pick up if you are bored late in the night and want something quick and easy to read. If the synopsis seems intriguing to you, please do pick this book up. You never know, you might end up loving it and I hope that you do!

About The Author:

Stuart MacBride is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. He’s also published standalones, novellas, and short stories, as well as a slightly twisted children’s picture book for slightly twisted children. Stuart lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses, and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.

Author Website

Book Review · Books

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

August 31, 2024August 31, 2024 innah962 Comments

Oh, Colleen Hoover! You only went and did it again with “It Ends With Us”. Took my heart, squeezed it gently, and then proceeded to shatter it into a thousand pieces. And I love you for it!

About The Book:

Pages: 386

Genre: Romance, YA, Young Adult

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up – she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

My Thoughts:

“It Ends With Us” is not a light-hearted romance novel. It’s a dark romance tale, with a domestic abuse theme, but it’s ultimately a story about a woman breaking the cycle and being free.

Lily is a floral designer and a survivor of domestic abuse. During her childhood, her father was abusive and her mother never left. Now, she falls in love with Ryle, and after a few blissful months, discovers that Ryle has a dark side to him. The story follows Lily dealing with everything and reuniting with her old love, Atlas, who will help her get free and break the cycle.

During the first half of the book, we read a few chapters of young Lily and Atlas and understand their story better. He was homeless and Lily helped him during the difficult period. He was also aware of the abuse Lily suffered from her father.

“He pulls back to look down at me and when he sees my tears, he brings his hands up to my cheeks. “In the future… if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again… fall in love with me.”

The story is raw, emotional and feels very real. We saw a beautiful love story between Lily and Atlas, until time and circumstances, and Lily’s father pulled them apart. We were also part a beautiful love story between Lily and Ryle, before he started showing his true colours and all the reg flags. It’s very well shown how quickly a situation can escalate, and see Lily’s fears, doubts and dilemmas. It’s very easy for her to take the blame and think she caused it all, but the reality is very different!

“Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen.”

I was always team Atlas, but I was warming up to Ryle in the beginning before everything kicked off. That’s how good Colleen’s writing is. I will need to grab the second book, “It Starts With Us” soon and find out how the story continues. I cannot help but recommend this book, because for all the sadness it brings, it also brings happiness, healing and one woman standing up to abuse and breaking the cycle.

“You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”

Side note: Yes, I did see the movie. No, it didn’t do justice to the book. Yes, I will see a sequel if it comes, but I doubt it, with all the drama surrounding it. 🙂

About The Author:

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

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Author Website

Book Review · Books

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

August 22, 2024August 22, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

“I Wish You Would” was the perfect teenage love angst romance with a friends to lovers trope, that I didn’t know I needed.

About The Book:

Pages: 273

Genre: Romance, YA, Young Adult

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

In this drama-filled love story, private confessions are scattered on the beach during a senior class overnight and explosive secrets threaten to tear everyone apart, including best friends (or maybe more?), Natalia and Ethan.

It’s Senior Sunrise, the epic overnight at the beach that kicks off senior year. But for Natalia and Ethan, it’s the first time seeing each other after what happened at junior prom―when they almost crossed the line from best friends to something more and ruined everything. After ghosting each other all summer, Natalia is desperate to pretend she doesn’t care and Ethan is desperate to fix his mistake.

When the senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves―what they wish they would do this year if they were braver―Natalia pours her heart out. So does Ethan. So does everyone in their entire class. But in Natalia’s panicked attempt to retrieve her heartfelt confession, the wind scatters seven of the notes across the beach. Now, Ethan and Natalia are forced to work together to find the lost letters before any secrets are revealed―especially their own.

Seven private confessions. Seven time bombs loose for anyone to find. And one last chance before the sun rises for these two to fall in love.

“Fame is proof that the people are gullible.”

My Thoughts:

Firstly, I have to admit, the cover was what made me start the book. I had other books I started reading and I immediately dropped them to make room for this one. And I am glad I did, because I devoured it in days! There is so much tension from the very start from both sides. I loved the double POV, so we knew how both Ethan and Natalia felt. But there were so many times where I shouted at the book: “Will you two just bloody talk to each other!” 🙂

“I try not to stare at her, but it’s an effort. The moody sky brings out the dark blue of her eyes, and the wind keeps lifting the tumble of her long hair away from her face. I realise with a significant gut drop that I could look at her forever and never get bored.”

The other part that really annoyed me was when Natalia would believe everything Claire says…

“Thank you for helping me understand that no matter how good the education, some people are doomed to be ignorant. You’re such a lost cause, I bet your parents change the subject when their friends ask about you.”

I really liked the idea of the ritual for kicking off senior year. Pouring your heart out into a piece of paper and letting it go. The whole message of the book was bravery, and it made me think of what I would do if I was braver.

“I don’t want to be the kind of person who has to live up to everyone else’s opinions of me. Who even are you, then, if you’re constantly giving pieces of yourself away.”

Very short and sweet, it was a lovely novel to read. It has a great potential to be made into a movie, and I hope to one day see it on the big screen, and take credit for the idea. (just kidding) 🙂

“Akira Kurosawa was the first director to use slow motion as a turning point in his movie Seven Samurai. Somehow, he figured out before anyone else that there are moments in life when time slows down just long enough for you to realise that nothing will be the same once it speeds up again.”

It gave me a Nicholas Sparks vibe from “The Last Song”. I would definitely recommend it if you are a teen/YA romance fan, and especially if you are a fan of the “friends to lovers” trope.

About The Author:

Eva Des Lauriers is a California girl who became a diehard romantic when she married her best friend, the boy she sat next to in eleventh grade Calculus. She holds both an MSW and BA in Psychology. As a clinical social worker, she had the privilege of working with the vibrant and complicated teens for whom she now writes. When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering through the redwoods, staring at the sea, or pretending she’s in a music video. She lives with her husband, their two children, and her collection of kissing books in Northern California.

Author Website

Book Review · Books

The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim [BOOK REVIEW]

August 3, 2024August 3, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

The Eyes Are The Best Part was quite an intriguing read. It only took me a few days to finish it, and I strangely enjoyed it.

About The Book:

Pages: 274

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Publisher: Brazen Books

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★

We meet the two sisters, Ji-Won and Ji-Hyun, as well as their mother, Umma. Their father just left them for another woman, and Umma is struggling emotionally. Ji-Won and Ji-Hyun, although they have different personalities, get along very well. Their Umma is having a hard time after her husband left, and the sisters, especially Ji-Won, are trying to be supportive and look after her, despite them both also losing their dad. Their Umma wants things to change for the better, which explains her eating fish eyes every day, as they are supposed to bring good luck.

Then Umma meets a man and everything changes. She’s happier, and when the girls finally meet him, it turns out he’s a walking and talking red flag. The way he treats Umma and talks to the girls, his fixation with Asian culture, him refusing to pronounce their names and calling the girls JW and JH, because it’s easier, and a few other things I will leave out here.

My Thoughts:

Ji-Won starts to have a fixation with his blue eyes and this is where the book starts to get interesting. Every chapter from now on was intriguing and fast-paced, and I was eager to see what unusual thing Ji-Won will do next to soothe her hunger and fixation.

I also liked the moments during her life at school, her meeting the new friends and also us learning about her previous friend group. Ji-Won’s behaviour with her old friends is sinister. She doesn’t like being left out, and will do bad things to break the group apart. She also doesn’t feel emotion or remorse and accountability. It all adds depth to her character. I have to say, interestingly enough, I feel Geoffrey shares some similar personality traits. The problematic ones. It was interesting to see their dynamic and to see Ji-Won not like these things about him, when she is sometimes doing the same thing, but maybe without realising.

I didn’t quite enjoy the ending, and it is probably the reason why the review ends with only 3 stars. I won’t reveal anything, because anything I say will spoil it for people that haven’t read the book, but I think the book should not have gone in that direction in the end, even if temporary. ling like this book could have been so much more, but just was not it for me. A shame, but on to the next…

About The Author:

Monika is a second-generation Korean American living in Los Angeles’s Koreatown. She learned about eating fish eyes and other Korean superstitions from her mother, who immigrated to California from Seoul in 1985.

Author Website

Tag: fiction

The Missing Family by Tim Weaver (David Raker #13) [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Tasting Menu by Stuart MacBride [BOOK REVIEW]

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The issue is that the book is and stays an appetiser.

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It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

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I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim [BOOK REVIEW]

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The issue is that the book is and stays an appetiser.

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