Tag: hq stories

Book Review · Books

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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/

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

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/

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Book Review · Books

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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.

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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:

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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/

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Book Review · Books

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

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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!

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

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

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.

About The Authors:

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

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/

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

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/

Social Media:
| Wishlist | Ko-fi | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest |

Book Review · Books

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

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

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.

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

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:

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

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

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Book Review · Books

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher [BOOK REVIEW]

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With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher [BOOK REVIEW]

I am so thrilled to be joining the blog tour for “With This Kiss” by HQ Stories. If every time you kissed someone, you knew how they will die, would you have the courage to try and find love? “With This Kiss” by Carrie Hope Fletcher explores this in a sweet romantic fashion.

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher [BOOK REVIEW]


Pages: 400

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback, Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★/★★

Synopsis:

When their lips touch, will she seal his fate?

From the outside, Lorelai is an ordinary young woman with a normal life. She loves reading, she works at the local cinema and she adores living with her best friend. But she carries a painful burden, something she’s kept hidden for years; whenever she kisses someone on the lips, she sees how they are going to die. But she’s never known if she’s seeing what was always meant to be, or if her kiss is the thing that decides their destiny. And so, she hasn’t kissed anyone since she was sixteen.

Then she meets Grayson. Sweet, clever, funny Grayson. And for the first time in years she yearns for a man’s kiss. But she can’t… or can she? And if she does, should she try to intervene and change what she sees?

Spellbinding, magical and utterly original, With This Kiss is one love story you will never forget.

My Thoughts:

I chose to read “With This Kiss” by Carrie Hope Fletcher because the cover looked gorgeous, and it fit for my April Monthly TBR Prompt to pick a book with a beautiful cover. But it was actually the synopsis that really intrigued me to want to really read this book. I really like the idea of Lorelai’s ability to see people’s deaths when she kisses them. It was an idea that was well thought of and well developed throughout the book. I couldn’t help but think what would I do if I was in that situation.

Usually, when the main character is going through something in their life, I am able to relate to their thoughts and feelings. And I had my concerns that I won’t be able to with this book, because what Lorelai is going through is very fictional. However, I was wrong. I felt everything she was feeling. Through her story and experiences, I was able to understand why she makes the choices she does and it all makes sense. I also loved her friendship with Joanie. Joanie is a true gem and every person deserves a friend like her in their lives.

I really enjoyed how Lorelai and Grayson meet.

The book club scenes made me quite excited and I could instantly feel the geekiness from Grayson, that I adored! But there were too few of these scenes. I can’t help but feel that this book club was only introduced for Lorelai to meet Grayson, as well as for the author to introduce a trans couple. But where I felt the frustration was that neither the book club nor the trans couple were mentioned later on in the book. So I’m not quite sure what the author wanted to achieve with this. The other bit that was mentioned here was Lorelai’s passion about working on movie adaptations, which she briefly mentions twice of three times in the book, and nothing comes out of it.

Now let’s talk actual romance.

I loved their meeting and I was all up for the little teasing combined with geekiness. But then the couple slightly lost me, especially during the period when Lorelai wasn’t sure what to do, but also kept leading him on, promising to explain things and never did. I also refuse to believe someone would let two weeks pass by and not listen to their voicemails.

However, I still enjoyed the book a lot! It just wasn’t the romance I was hoping for. Instead, it was a beautiful journey of a woman that has unique abilities. Her struggles to find courage to be able to truly love someone. Her relationship with her family, who are able to offer much more that she was led to believe all her life. This book will make you feel all the feels – you will be rooting for Lorelai to go out there and fight for what she loves!

About The Author:

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher [BOOK REVIEW]

Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English actress, author and singer-songwriter.

Her debut book, All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully was published in May 2015. Her first fiction novel, On the Other Side was published in July 2016. Fletcher is well known for her YouTube channel where she shares videos about her life and her work as an actress and author.

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