Review of 'Such A Fun Age' by Kiley Reid

 

This has been on my TBR ever since it was released and I'm so glad I finally read it. I'd only heard the main point of the plot as being about a woman who babysits another family's child and thought it wouldn't really be for me, but it turned out to be a very thought-provoking read that kept me up at night trying to creep another chapter in before I feel asleep.

Emira's a 25 year old Black woman working as a babysitter for Alix Chamberlain, a white woman who's made her riches through inspiring other women. When she takes Alix's daughter Briar to a supermarket late at night as part of her job, Emira's stopped by a security guard and accused of kidnapping her. A white bystander videos the entire exchange, and offers to put it out there so Emira can show the world what happened. 

This book is something that I tore through, but has sat with me and I think will continue to sit with me for a long time now. It challenges and discusses the idea of the 'white saviour' in our modern world in nuanced and distinct ways throughout the book. Racial stereotypes are challenged, and microaggressions are shown in a very clear way. It also covers fetishization, interracial relationships, intersections of class and race, and Black female friendships. 

This is a book I'm so glad to have read, and is definitely an important read. I gave it 5 stars and I'd recommend it if you're a fan of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, or fiction about relationships like Diana Evans' Ordinary People and Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie.

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Review of 'Lady Audley's Secret' by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

 

I haven't had much luck with 2020 reads so far, but this seems to be the start of things turning around. It's my first 5 star read of the year and was exactly what I needed. Victorian fiction is always a little slow going, but it makes it feel like a comfort read for me: I get wrapped up in the scenery and the slight actions by characters that end up leading to big parts of the plot. 

Lady Audley's Secret is a Victorian scandal novel. Lady Audley's a young governess who marries a rich man, but keeps a big secret from him. When Robert Audley, a nephew, and his friend George Talboys visit the family, they threaten to uncover everything Lady Audley's hiding.

It's hard to talk about any of the plot without massive spoilers, but I think it's now one of my favourite books from the era. Lady Audley's secret becomes quite obvious very early on in the novel, but the writing is still tense and Braddon weaves additional secrets and mysteries throughout the rest of the book. Lady Audley challenges the notion of the angel in the house, so prevalent in Gothic fiction at the time, by being this beautiful woman initially introduced as a wife, who turns out to be guilty of a host of crimes. The writing had me constantly wanting to read 'just one more chapter' and I'm intrigued to try some more of Braddon's works. 

I gave this 5 stars because I was completely hooked on the story from pretty much the start right up to the end. It kept me guessing as the book progressed, and I would recommend it for fans of Victorian fiction and the Brontes', Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins.

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Review of 'The Volunteers' by Raymond Williams

 

I've put off writing this for a while because if I'm entirely honest I just didn't truly understand the book throughout. I lost track of exactly what was going on in parts, and really wish I'd read more about what the book was about before starting so that I had a better idea of the background of the author and plot.

The Volunteers is about an ex-radical turned journalist who investigates the shooting of a Welsh politician. The thrilling journey to discovering what happened leads Lewis Redfern to rethink his career and what he thought he knew about radical groups.

There were parts of the book I really enjoyed. It started off well, keeping my attention with the strike and shooting at the start, but as Redfern's investigation stretched on and got more and more complex I started to struggle to stay interested.

I gave this 2 stars, and would only really recommend if you're interested in reading hard left literature. 

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Review of 'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig

 

This was my most anticipated release of 2020 and I was SO excited to read it. I'd read a whole bunch of glowing reviews, heard that Dolly Parton had it on her bedside table, and the premise of the book sounded like the most wonderful plot. However, once I started reading, things almost immediately turned out to not be what I expected.

This post (and the book itself) comes with a big trigger warning for suicide.

When Nora Seed's cat died, its the final straw for her. Feeling as though she can't go on anymore, Nora makes the decision to end her life. She wakes up in a library, where her old school librarian explains to her that she's somewhere between life and death. Nora is given a book of all the regrets in her life, and Mrs Elm explains that each book on the infinite shelves of the Midnight Library offers her the ability to step into a different life where she changes something she regrets.

*Spoilers from here*

Every review or tweet or mention of the book I'd seen never stated that the main character ends up in the library because of attempted suicide, rather than a death she hasn't chosen, and it changed the whole vibe of the book for me. I'm not sure if it's my current mindset, but I found the book increasingly miserable as it went on. The idea that none of the potential lives she could have had would make her happy is just desperately sad for me? I loved seeing all the different lives and found that fantasy aspect of the book great, but the plot was so predictable that I figured it out by the fourth or fifth life she tried.

The idea that the only life that was 'right' for Nora or could possibly make her happy was the one that she wanted to end made me unbearably sad. I don't know if it's because I hope there are lives in which I've made different choices that have made me even slightly happier, but every life she entered that was yet again miserable just made the book sadder and sadder.

This was the most disappointing book I've read in a while because it had been so hyped up, but I gave it 3 stars as I enjoyed seeing the different lives Nora could have led.

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Review of 'Girl Online' by Zoe Sugg

 

I bought this a few years ago (before I knew it had been ghost written) and it's sat on my shelf ever since because I found out shortly after that Zoe hadn't written this alone and I was disappointed it wasn't something that was made clear. Even having looked all through the book now it really wasn't clear at all, other than one small acknowledgement at the end. 

Girl Online is about a teen called Penny who has started a blog. She's kept the whole thing a secret, apart from telling her best friend Elliot. Her parents run a wedding planning business and when they get the opportunity to fly to New York to plan a British themed wedding, Penny realises she's going to have to face one of her biggest fears: flying. When Penny starts to talk about her anxieties online, her blog starts to take off in ways she didn't expect. And when she meets handsome mysterious boy Noah in New York, things seem to just be getting better and better.

I found this really hard to get in to. It's teen fiction, but was so cliched that I struggled to deal with the plot. A lot of inspiration was clearly taken from Zoe's life, which is fair enough, but the writing and content felt maybe a little more middle grade-esque than teen. I also wasn't a massive fan of the age gap of Penny being 15 and Noah 18 in the book, which totally put me off the romance. I don't think this aspirational romance Zoe's written should have this, or is the right message to send about adult men wanting relationships with children. 

I gradually warmed a little to the plot, and I think would have quite enjoyed it when I was 12/13 or younger. I gave this 2 stars.

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