Book Review · Books

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

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

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.

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

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:

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

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.

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

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

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Book Review · Books

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah [BOOK REVIEW]

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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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Eleven Lines to Somewhere by [BLOG TOUR]

Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd Blog Tour HQ Stories Book Review The First Time Lauren Pailing Died

I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd. Thank you to the team at HQ – for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well: 

Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd Blog Tour HQ Stories Book Review The First Time Lauren Pailing Died

Synopsis:

Everyone is searching for love. Sometimes we just take our own route to find it.

Ryan sees a young woman on the tube on his way to work, and he can’t stop looking at her. Attracted and intrigued, he’s set to find out more about this mysterious passenger that shares the tube with him. 

Sylvie keeps travelling the underground, unable to leave for reasons unknown to Ryan. He hasn’t been dating for ten years, when he was at university and the love of his life died.

But for some reason, he feels he needs to help Sylvie. In a world of missed opportunities and what-ifs, a connection has been made.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book I have read by Alyson Rudd, with the first one being The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. That book intrigued me, and when I saw Eleven Lines to Somewhere being published – I had to know and compare them. 

At the beginning, I was intrigued, knowing what the synopsis is. We meet Ryan and Sylvie (separately), and we get a small glimpse into their lives. In the beginning, Ryan’s story with his family and friends is more talked about. I liked getting to know Ryan, very slowly throughout the first half of the book. He is a very intriguing character himself, going through a personal time, as well as making very controversial decisions to get to know Sylvie better. 

I liked Sylvie’s story and her connection to the underground. It was very intriguing to me to read and understand how some moments in life can let us become something that we can’t help but be. That a certain experience can cause such a need for Sylvie to action. I loved the psychological aspect of her characterisation, and how the trauma was handled. 

Once Ryan and Sylvie got to know each other, the pace of the book changed, I felt. The pace was very slow, but the scenes moved very quickly in time.

Even though I loved Ryan and Sylvie as separate characters, I couldn’t love them as a couple.

I felt that there was chemistry and romance missing, and somehow their connection to each other was based on the need to help the other one with their own trauma. For me, that being a single reason to love someone makes me think a person is in such a relationship to only feel better about themselves. Look – I helped someone, I am a better person now. But that’s just my humble opinion. 

There were a lot of side characters that had their own storylines – which I really enjoyed. A lot of drama and twists happened with them, which was quite enjoyable to read. Some characters in the end were thrown into the story abruptly, almost as if for convenience to the story line. But it worked well in the end.

I really enjoyed this story. Still a 4 star, but I enjoyed it more than The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. If you love contemporary books with a lot of characters, this will be a very good pick for you!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |Amazon US |


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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar [BLOG TOUR]

Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar Blog Tour HQ book review books blog blogging diaryofdifference diary of difference

I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar. Thank you to the team at HQ – for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well: 

Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar Blog Tour HQ book review books blog blogging diaryofdifference diary of difference

Synopsis:

When Lily is hired as the new intern at Leadership magazine, where Katherine is editor-in-chief, her arrival threatens the very foundations of the self-serving little world that Katherine has built. But before long, she finds herself obsessively drawn to Lily, who seems to be a cruel reminder of the beauty and potential Katherine once had, things she senses Lily plans to use against her.

Is Katherine simply paranoid, jealous of Lily’s youth as she struggles with encroaching middle age? Is Lily just trying to get ahead in the cutthroat world of publishing? Or is there a more sinister motivation at play, fueled by the dark secrets they’re both hiding? As their rivalry deepens, a disturbing picture emerges of two women pitted against each other across a toxic generational divide–and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top.

My Thoughts:

Wow – what an experience this book was. I haven’t read a book this fucked-up (in the best possible way) since I read Anonymous Girl and The Silent Patient. Just wow. 

Okay, now that I have gathered my thoughts, let’s begin this review properly. 

Precious You is a very exciting book, looking from a psychological aspect. We witness the battle between a “Snowflake” and a Generation-X. The battle of two women; one trying to conquer the world, the other one trying to stay relevant. 

Both Katherine and Lily were very realistic characters. Both with opposing opinions on the world. And both with two completely different goals. Both fighting over power in every possible field that they share in common. But what I love the most is that I was able to understand both points of view. I found myself feeling for both of them, even though sometimes I couldn’t in my right mind understand their choices and their actions. 

But they both spoke to me.

Each in their different way, for a different thing. And this is something I haven’t encountered in a long time. To be able to connect with both the victim and the villain. Despite us not knowing which is which until the very end of the book.

The other aspect I loved was the cat and mouse game they were playing. I haven’t seen a book so upsetting and twisted in a very long time. And I really loved it. Some things those women did are properly twisted. Really fucked-up. But I enjoyed reading it. It took me to another world, another reality where dark and twisted was the new normal.  

It was interesting to witness such a vivid battle between two generations. The fear of new young people invading people’s space. The fight to get to the top, because of the people that have been at your workplace longer and have more knowledge. The wicked ways of how HR handled their issues. How your interns and your team can quickly turn on you if you stop delivering. It was interesting to read how the magazine worked as a company. I think the author did a great job at describing how one reality works.

I definitely recommend it – it is fast paced and very dark and twisty. If you love psychological thrillers, this one will be the right book for you!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |Amazon US |


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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Not My Daughter by Suzy K. Quinn [BLOG TOUR]

Not My Daughter by Suzy K Quinn HQ Blog Tour Book review blogger blogging diary of difference diary of difference

I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for Not My Daughter by Suzy K. Quinn. Thank you to the team at HQ, for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Have a look at the Blog Tour Banner below and check out the other bloggers.

Not My Daughter by Suzy K Quinn HQ Blog Tour Book review blogger blogging diary of difference diary of difference

About The Author:

Suzy K Quinn is a British fiction author, and writes in three different genres: psychological thriller, comedy and romance. She was first published by Hachette in 2010 with her debut novel Glass Geishas (now Night Girls), then self-published a romance series, the Ivy Lessons, which became an international bestseller and a #1 Kindle romance bestseller in the US and UK.

After her second daughter was born in 2013, she self-published the Bad Mother’s Diary series, which also went on to become a #1 Kindle romantic comedy bestseller. Suzy K Quinn’s novels have been translated into 7 languages and her books have sold over ¾ million copies worldwide.

She lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband Demi and two daughters, and travels to Mexico every year to write and study Mayan story telling. Suzy loves her family, friends and readers, but when pushed to add more to the list, she also loves travelling, food and alcohol.

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Synopsis:

Lorna has been trying to protect her daughter Liberty for sixteen years. There are dark secrets from her past about her father that Lorna wishes her daughter never finds out. Liberty’s father is a monster, and the best solution is to hide. Forever. 

But Liberty has other plans. One day, Liberty decides to find her father, no matter the cost. And Lorna can’t protect her if she doesn’t know where she went…

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Not My Daughter. It was a novel that kept me on my toes throughout the whole book and I was eager to know what happens in the end and who the true villain is. 

We begin the story in one way, where we have an idea of who the bad person is, and how Lorna is the protector. But once we start reading more, this story becomes more twisted, and we don’t know who to trust anymore. This is something I see in books quite often, but it is not usually as well-written. Suzy did an amazing job writing this part, and making us switch sides as she wanted us to. 

The ending was not predictable at all, although, it was a bit unrealistic. However, it really fit nicely with the whole story and I cannot be dissapointed. 

It is interesting to see how the mother-daughter relationship develops. But more so, how a relationship forms when a daughter wants to get to know her father, no matter what. You meet this person that you share genes with, and you want them to like you. You want them to accept you, like nothing happened. We could see this wish in Liberty as she meets her father – the need to be accepted as a daughter. 

I would recommend this book to everyone that loves mystery thrillers. It is a one of a kind, and a very well-written one too. 

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |Amazon US |


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