Hello, hello! The first book review roundup of 2022 is here, and I have to say, there’s some great ones in here so strap yourselves in and prepare to find your next juicy read!
Forever Interrupted- Taylor Jenkins Reid
First we’ve got another one from the main woman herself, and an author you’ve definitely heard me ramble on about many times before if you’ve read a few of my other book reviews. I’m trying to work my way through her full catalog, and so far I’ve flown through every book of hers I’ve picked up. And this one my friends, was no different. I believe this was actually TJR’s debut too, which is proves to be pretty phenomenal. It’s a story that follows the journey of Elsie, a young 20-something living in Los Angeles, as she navigates life after the sudden death of her new husband, whom she eloped and married after a whirlwind romance. The book flicks between past, to emerge you in the intensity of their romance from the moment they met, and the present, plunging you into the depths of grief and sorrow. It was a really heartbreaking read that really makes you realise how important each day is, and if you’re anything like me, might make you have a little cry imagining your husband dying (and I’m not even married). Plus I read that this is being developed into a movie so be sure to give it a read before that comes out!
The Switch- Beth O’Leary
Next up we have another easy read from Beth O’Leary. I read The Flat Share a couple of years ago, which I really enjoyed, so I was pretty confident I’d be a fan of this one too when a friend of mine leant it to me. The Switch is the story of a grandmother and her granddaughter, who both find themselves needing a bit of a time out from their normal lives. They end up agreeing to swap homes for a few weeks in the hopes of finding some clarity, and so 20 something Leena leaves her flat share where she lives with her closest friends in London, and moves into her grandma’s house in the rural Yorkshire dales. And vice versa, seeing 70 something year old Eileen head down to the big smoke, opening her eyes to all things city living, including dating apps! This is another dual perspective novel, bouncing back and forth between Leena and Eileen’s goings-on. There’s some real family trauma rooted in this book which gave it some real depth, but the warm heart of it shines bright throughout. A real cosy heart warming read.
True Crime Story – Joseph Knox
Wow. This had me HOOKED. The format of this book is unlike anything I’ve ready before, first reason for that being that the author features himself within the story. Which confused me from the get-go if I’m honest and I had to google what the hell was going on, but alas, it is definitely all a fictional story. The book follows the disappearance of Zoey Nolan, a 19 year old student in Manchester in 2011. It is set around the Owens Park campus, which was crazy for me to re-immerse myself into, as I went to The University of Manchester and lived on the Owens Park campus in 2012, so all the geographical details and references to various pubs and bars around the area and in the city centre was pretty cool to read and remember for me, and it made imagining the scenes super vivid in my mind. But even if you didn’t go to uni in Manchester, this will definitely still draw you in. It follows a writer who is investigating Zoey’s disappearance years later, on a mission to write the next best-selling true crime book, and so she interviews Zoey’s family and flat mates to try and uncover the truth, and reveals some hella-weird and windy paths along the way. I couldn’t quite guess which was it was going to go at any second which I liked, it really keep me on my toes and excited to pick the book back up each night. And I’m a sucker for an interview style book, so if you like things written in a bit of a querky format then you’ll like this too.
And there we have my first book review of the year! If I’m going to hit my Goodreads target this year (there’s a first time for everything, hey?), then I better get cracking so I can have another post ready with my next round of books in a few weeks time. If any of these take your fancy be sure to have a nosy at my 2021 book highlights post here. And please please please let me know if you have nay recommendations based on these books, if your bookshelf is a similar vibe to mine then please share 🙂
K x
