Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown with Kathleen McGurl [BOOK REVIEW]

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023 innah96Leave a comment

Nineteen Steps is a beautiful and emotional story about a girl that navigates growing up, finding love and living through tragedy in the midst of World War II.

Synopsis:

It’s 1942, and London remains under constant threat of enemy attack as the second world war rages on. In the Bethnal Green neighborhood, Nellie Morris counts every day lucky that she emerges from the underground shelters unharmed, her loving family still surrounding her.

Three years into the war, she’s grateful to hold onto remnants of normalcy—her job as assisting the mayor and nights spent at the local pub with her best friend. But after a chance encounter with Ray, an American airman stationed nearby, Nellie becomes enchanted with the idea of a broader world.

Just when Nellie begins to embrace an exciting new life with Ray, a terrible incident occurs during an air raid one evening, and the consequences are catastrophic. As the truth about that night is revealed, Nellie’s world is torn apart. When it seems all hope is lost, Nellie finds that, against all odds, love and happiness can triumph.

Pages: 372

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Harper Collins , HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts:

The story is inspired by Millie Bobby Brown’s family history and based on true events about the Bethnal Green tragedy. In all honesty, I wasn’t aware of this tragedy, and it was quite insightful, albeit sad, to learn something new about what people went through during the war.

I also want to give credit to the amazing Kathleen McGurl for ghost writing this book and collaborating with Millie. I haven’t read any of her books yet, but I will definitely be checking them out.

Nineteen Steps follows the life of a young girl, Nellie Morris, who lives with her mum, dad, brother and sister. She works at the town hall, assisting the mayor, and dreams of someday travelling the world, once the war is done.

“But she wanted more from life than to marry the boy next door, the boy who’d said he’d never leave the East End. She wanted to travel, to see the world. When the war was over, she intended to do just that.”

She will very soon experience tragedy and try to continue living with a huge sadness and loss in her heart.

One scene in particular, where a running for a bus is involved, made me cry for hours. For personal reasons, I connected to this scene and it really touched and broke my heart. We get to see Nellie living her day-to-day life, in a very uncertain environment, dealing with things a young woman shouldn’t be dealing with. Her support network through this tragedy is incredible – her family, her friend Babs and of course, Billy, are an incredible help when she is at her lowest.

We get to see her fall in love, a beautiful romance starts, promising light at the end of the tunnel. Nellie’s first kiss and her thoughts are written so beautifully!

“It felt as though her whole soul was melting into his, as though time had stopped, the world was no longer turning, the war was a distant memory. If ever she had to pick a moment she’d want to last for eternity, she thought, this would be the one she’d choose.”

And then, when everything seems to be going okay, despite the terrible war, Nellie, her family and friends, and the people of Bethnal Green will experience a tragedy that will change their lives forever. Nineteen steps is an emotional rollercoaster. It’s a story full of emotions, from the beginning to the end. There is romance, but it’s not the main part of the book. There is sadness and grief, but it’s a story about looking forward. A story about coming-of-age and being brave when it seems impossible. A story where in times when you cannot be brave, there will be people ready to be brave for you. As a historical romance, it’s not the best in its genre, but it’s a story that will certainly touch a person’s heart.

I recommend it warmly, tissues included!

About The Authors:

Millie Bobby Brown is a British Emmy Award–winning actress. She has been featured in the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Nineteen Steps is her first book.

Kathleen McGurl lives in Bournemouth with her husband and cat. She has two grown-up sons who have now left home. She always wanted to write, and for many years was waiting until she had the time. Eventually she came to the bitter realisation that no one would pay her for a year off work to write a book, so she sat down and started to write one anyway. Since then she has sold dozens of short stories to women’s magazines and written three books for writers. These days she is concentrating on longer fiction and has published several dual timeline novels with CarinaUK and HQ. She works full time in the IT industry and when she’s not writing, she’s often out running, slowly.

Website: kathleenmcgurl.com

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

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 innah961 Comment

Take It Back is quite a powerful book for many reasons. It touched on some important topics, and delivered an educational message. However, that being said, it wasn’t the mysterious courtroom thriller I hoped it would be.

Pages: 384

Genre: Mystery, Courtroom Thriller

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

Synopsis:

Zara has left her career as a lawyer behind her, and now works as a rape counsellor. When one day, a 16-year-old girl tells her that four boys from her school sexually assaulted her, she cannot sit still and decides to help this girl get justice.

This trial gets a lot of traction from the police, media and the public very quickly. The girl has facial deformities and the boys are all Muslim. There are a lot of accusations thrown around, and a lot of stereotypes being called out, but very little evidence.

Zara finds herself in the middle of everything. Being a Muslim woman, she is now prosecuting four Muslim boys, which is enough to earn the scrutiny of her own family and her community. She only wants to seek justice and for her client to have a fair trial, but her community has already branded her as a traitor. The amount of mental and physical abuse she gets is outrageous! As the trial days keep rolling, everything is starting to escalate…

Thoughts:

The reason I picked this book up was because it has a courtroom setting, a trope I enjoy reading in thrillers. This one in particular, was a Goodreads recommendation when I specifically asked for a courtroom thriller. And in that aspect, the book didn’t really deliver. I expected more witness statements, more cross-examinations and more twists during the questioning of the witnesses. Also, I was underwhelmed by the ending. I didn’t pick sides and wanted to rely solely on the statements and evidence in the book and see if I can solve the mystery / case myself, but there weren’t too many clues thrown around. I feel like without any clues, the book was very biassed in trying to make us believe one side, only to then reveal something worse in the end, that we could never have predicted or unravelled ourselves.

Despite the ending being what it is, this book sends some very important messages, and that is what I will take away from it. No matter your religion, you should always try to do good in the world. On this Earth, there are good and bad people, regardless of their religion, upbringing, where they were born, what language they speak or who they hang out with. If one person does something bad, it doesn’t mean that their whole family is the same. Biases are real, and biases are dangerous. Don’t judge anyone before you have all the information and all sides of the story. Once you start acting with your bias, you can’t ever “Take It Back”. With that being said, I would definitely recommend it for the mystery lovers out there, but if you are looking for a courtroom thriller in particular, you may want to choose something different.

About The Author:

Kia Abdullah is a bestselling author and travel writer. Her novels include Take It Back, a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year, Truth Be Told which was shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award, and Next of Kin which was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award and won the Adult Fiction Diverse Book Award 2022. Her new novel, Those People Next Door, is out now.

Website: https://www.kiaabdullah.com/

Book Review · Books

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher [First Chapter]

February 7, 2023February 7, 2023 innah96Leave a comment

I have something new and exciting for you today! If you are a Colleen Hoover or a Tarryn Fisher fan, you will know that their tandem book “Never Never” is being published on the 28th February!

First Chapter – Word Format | First Chapter – PDF Format

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher [First Chapter]

Synopsis

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.

About The Authors:

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

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

Book Review · Books

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien [BOOK REVIEW]

January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 innah961 Comment

If you are looking to try a different take on mystery, All That’s Left Unsaid is a great book to start. It has the right amount of mystery and emotion to get you invested and keep you intrigued until the very end.

Pages: 400

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback, Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

Just let him go. These are the words Ky Tran will forever regret. The words she spoke when her parents called to ask if they should let her younger brother Denny out to celebrate his high school graduation with friends. That night, Denny–optimistic, guileless, brilliant Denny–is brutally murdered inside a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force, and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history.

Returning home to Cabramatta for the funeral, Ky learns that the police are stumped by Denny’s case: a dozen people were at Lucky 8 restaurant when Denny died, but each of the bystanders claim to have seen nothing.

Desperately hoping that understanding what happened might ease her suffocating guilt, Ky sets aside her grief and determines to track down the witnesses herself. With each encounter, she peels back another layer of the place that shaped her and Denny, exposing the seeds of violence that were planted well before that fateful celebration dinner: by colonialism, by the war in Vietnam, and by the choices they’ve all made to survive.

My Thoughts:

“You can’t be there for everyone. You can’t be everything to everyone. People will make their own choices, no matter what you do.”

My goodness, this book is beauty and heartbreak, brilliantly put together. It will hold a special place in my heart. All That’s Left Unsaid is quite close to me, not because Ky will lose a brother. I’ve never felt such loss and I hope to never feel it. But Ky speaks to me because of who she is and where she comes from. Being an immigrant myself, I could connect with Ky’s story in a way that I didn’t anticipate I would. I’ve read many books with this topic before, and didn’t quite click with a character in a way I clicked with Ky. The culture differences and the lost sense of belonging casts a shadow on every written page.

“When I’m away from Cabra, I feel like I’ve shed my own skin. But whenever I come back here, it’s like I didn’t shed anything at all. It’s like I’ve just flipped a switch, you know? And my old self was there all along.”

I devoured this book, because it entwined these motives into an interesting and emotional mystery. Ky is trying to find out who her brother has become in her absence from home. And why he is now suddenly dead. Everyone is keeping secrets and Ky is not sure who to trust.

“It wasn’t the punishment itself that Ky feared. It was the look. The look that said, I expected more from you. I’m disappointed in you. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I also enjoyed how her past friendship ends up having a role in her present life. The author can portray broken relationships in a very relatable way. Drug abuse and drug dealing are a main topic in this book and they often come up – so please be aware if this may trigger you whilst reading.

“Would an explanation of why something was not done in the past make you feel better? Because if it would change your life for the better and put happiness in your heart, pull up a chair and I will explain everything I have never done.”

About The Author:

Tracey Lien was born and raised in southwestern Sydney, Australia. She earned her MFA at the University of Kansas and was previously a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. All That’s Left Unsaid is her first novel.

Website: https://www.traceylien.com

Tag: hq stories

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown with Kathleen McGurl [BOOK REVIEW]

Synopsis:

Thoughts:

She will very soon experience tragedy and try to continue living with a huge sadness and loss in her heart.

I recommend it warmly, tissues included!

About The Authors:

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

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Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher [First Chapter]

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All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien [BOOK REVIEW]

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She will very soon experience tragedy and try to continue living with a huge sadness and loss in her heart.

I recommend it warmly, tissues included!

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