Review: 2018 on Goodreads

2018 on Goodreads by Various
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

STATS
Books read: 130
Total pages: 47, 628
Average pages: 366
My average rating: 3.4 stars

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2018 (Excluding re-reads)
1. The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly Review Here
2. Graevale by Lynette Noni Review Here
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Review Here
4. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown Review Here
5. A Thousand Perfect Notes by CG Drews Review Here
6. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Review Here
7. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth Review Here

These books all scored the elusive 5 stars from me so GO READ NOW

2018 Re-reads
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling Review for Deathly Hallows Here (includes links to reviews for previous books in the series)
Three Musketeers Series by Alexandre Dumas Review for The Three Musketeers Here
Contest by Matthew Reilly Review Here

My most popular reviews

1. The Lost Man by Jane Harper: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3. The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4. Cedar Valley by Holly Throsby: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Worst books of the year
1 star:
Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell
French Kissing by Catherine Sanderson

2 stars:
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Path of the Lost by Beau Kondos
Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
The Island by MA Bennett
Harry Potter: The Prequel by JK Rowling
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

General Overview

My original reading challenge was 80 books, but when I was smashing through them I upped it to 100 and still managed to far exceed my goal, so pretty proud of that. Coincidentally, I watched a lot less TV this year!

I got easily distracted by new books this year, and was rarely reading fewer than four at a time. (I'm STILL slogging away with The Sword of Shannara, which has been on my bedside table for something like 2 years, now. I wonder if 2019 will be the year I finally finish it?!) Surprise surprise, it looks like I bought more books than I read. Sorry, TBR Pile.

Thanks to our brilliant Aussie Readers group, I scored a lot of ARCs, and I also signed on as a reviewer for Pan Macmillan so I've had a lot of fun reading new releases this year and am looking forward to some more sneak peeks next year! So grateful to have these opportunities, and have the publishers to thank for some pleasant surprises I otherwise probably wouldn't have read: Cedar Valley by Holly Throsby, The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton, The Lost Man by Jane Harper. I'm also so incredibly grateful to have had early access to books I knew I'd love: The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly and Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake. I've got a bit of a backlog of freebies atm so January will be a busy month for all of these brilliant new releases!

My personal challenge at the start of the year was to read 15 spiritual/self-development type books which I tragically failed, but I did manage 8 so pretty happy with that! I am a zen hen. I also had a fair crack at some group challenges and I'm pretty sure that's what I have to thank for the increase in books read this year!

My Reading Highlight of the Year was (re)reading my favourite book of all time, The Three Musketeers, IN FRANCE. What an incredible experience. I was able to wander the streets of Paris, sussing out where some of the action took place, and my trip to Belle Ile was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I have this series to thank for that. Absolute definition of a DREAM COME TRUE <3

I've made hundreds of Goodreads friends this year and it's been so fantastic interacting with fellow booklovers! I wish the newsfeed was more consistent with showing me everyone's updates but I promise I am perusing what I can! I've read some great books simply because I've read a great review that's put me onto it, so I'm forever grateful for how much reading inspiration my GR friends provide!

Overall, 2018 has been a fantastic reading year for me so I feel very lucky! Also very impressed that I only gave 2 1-star ratings - I must be getting soft!

THANK YOU 2018!!!

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Review: Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute but strange story that is probably more important to American readers than this ignorant Aussie.

I've heard the name Rip Van Winkle but knew nothing about the story, so this was an interesting experience for me. I loved the description of this old guy who is loved by everyone except his overbearing wife, and how he spends his idle days.

It must be said though: I'm not entirely sure this story would be nearly as entertaining without the illustrations. I read this version online and I'd be curious to see the pictures on the page. I'm pretty sure I'd be staring at them for a while. They're so detailed and, honestly, kinda creepy. But it really encourages the imagination, which I loved.

I don't understand the point/subtext of the story, that I'm certain has something to do with the independence of the USA, but on its own its an interesting, whimsical sort of story that's written well.

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Review: The Shunned House

The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Errrr ... yep okay this one is weird.

At first it just seemed like another eerie, atmospheric tale about a spooky old house, but then there was the conjecture about what was causing this house to be so evil and ... well, let's just say that it won me over in the end.

It took its time getting to the fun stuff, for a short story, but it was totally worth it in the end.

I don't feel like it's particularly groundbreaking, but it certainly ended on a unique note.

My first Lovecraft story, but certainly not my last!

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Review: Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bruh.

Clearly another book that is too clever for me.

Actually, it's probably more that I'm way too lazy to tease out all the symbolism.

I mean, the guy turns into a bug. Then instead of wondering how or why, he's stressing over how he's gonna get to work because he absolutely cannot lose his job.

Clever, oh so very clever.

I felt a lot of pity for this dude, not because he was suddenly a bug but because of how despairingly dull his work life seemed to be. So I guess that's some decent writing.

The way his family treated him, though ... I honestly can't be bothered to work out what exactly its trying to say about society.

I'm guessing it's not particularly uplifting, though. More of like a, 'life goes on' kind of message, I'm thinking.

Let's face it: this story is bizarre. It's completely random. This is the kind of book that English teachers will get a sick kick out of assigning. I feel sorry for anyone who has to read this against their will because it is, quite frankly, kind of a downer.

Not really my cup of tea, but the intellectuals will get a kick out of exploring all the meanings behind this ridiculous story.

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Review: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Look, you can't really read this book without comparing it to Harry Potter, but it does have its own merits so I'll try not to dwell too long on the similarities.

But first, here's the opening: our protagonist lives a miserable existence with a family that blames her for everything that goes wrong, and mistreats her because of things out of her control. Then, on her 11th birthday she's rescued by a large man who bursts in and spouts a whole bunch of nonsense -which he expects our protagonist to understand, even though she's standing there looking at him like an idiot - before whisking her away to a magical land where everyone instantly loves her.

Sounds familiar, right?

The mysterious, quirky, and overly friendly Hagrid Jupiter North is a kindly protector who takes Morrigan off to Nevermoor, gives her a place in his home, and then proceeds to go full Dumbledore disappear frequently and also not tell Morrigan anything about what she actually has to do. She loves him, but she's understandably frustrated that he refuses to tell her what he's up to, and the full extent of the mess he's gotten her into. But hey, she gets a free umbrella, so ... *shrugs*

The fantasy land created here was a lot to take in at first, but once you get used to the flood of magic in Nevermoor it's fun to just go with it. I'm always a fan of creative magical things so I was enamoured with the constantly changing bedroom, and the variety of talented characters. Plus, dragons. If you want me to forgive all of your ridiculous ripping off of other story lines, throw me dragons and I will happily sit back and allow you to proceed.

Give me a prankster dragon-rider and I might even be grinning.

I love Hawthorne. He's a lot of fun - young, reckless, carefree, and straight up. I was expecting Morrigan to make a few more friends her own age, but if all we get is Hawthorne, I'll still be happy. He's a good egg. Expecting more of Anah in the sequel, though.

Jupiter is also a really likeable character, even if he is a little too Dumbledore at times. He seems a little naive, and I hate that he's constantly keeping secrets, but overall I like that he's actually out and about doing important things. Plus him refereeing between Mog and Jack was adorable.

Jack is a great character, too, and I was 100% on his side when Morrigan was all, 'get out of my seat.' Because, RUDE. Girl, get some manners. My money is on a romance down the track, though. It'll bug me, but I'm preparing myself for it now.

Look, I kinda have the same problem with Morrigan that I had with Harry. They're both obnoxious, and expect the world to revolve around them. They snap at people and are rude and angsty and get cranky over stupid things. They are both all, 'oh dear, I don't want to be evil!' but then they mope about it and actually seem a bit proud of how hard life is for themselves? Cheer up, kids. Morrigan also wears black all the time which is a small thing but basically shouts, 'I hate anything fun' and that makes me a little sad. Just ... angsty characters depress me. Go have some fun pranking people with your friends, please. It's much more entertaining.

I like the uniqueness of the hotel and its cast of characters, so that was a great selling point. The actual world of Nevermoor is a little hard for me to picture so it was nice to have this downsized version to accommodate to, first. I'm still not entirely sure how the transport system works, tbh.

YES, there are some uncanny similarities between this book and HP, but it does manage to find it's own niche and create a colourful, unique world of new magic for the reader to discover. It IS middle grade, so the target audience is going to appreciate this a lot more than a jaded adult, so please take that into account. There are some fantastic characters that will steal your heart, and there is plenty of action to keep the pace rolling.

Overall, a pretty fantastic start to a new fantasy series that's bound to be a hit with both younger and older readers alike.

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Review: Renegades

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I AM HERE FOR THE SUPERHEROES AND ALSO THE VILLAINS BECAUSE I AM AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY READER.

Basically, heroes and villains causing chaos and wreaking havoc with chases and explosions and nifty gadgets will always have me lining up for a front row seat.

Admittedly, the start was a little slow. Nova needs her origin story so it took its time getting into the fun, reluctant teamwork stuff, but thankfully we get the view split between her and Adrian so that helped stave off boredom. Plus. Nova is pretty badass so I was digging that.

I did enjoy how hellbent on taking down the good guys Nova was - to start with. Eventually, that got a little tiresome, and I was so frustrated that, even though she was seeing this new side to them, she was still obsessed with revenge. She just shoved everybody into categories instead of taking them each on their own merits and that kinda blindness bugs me so much. She didn't quite develop as much as I hoped she would.

That being said, there are a lot of asshole characters in this book so I kinda can't blame her too much? But, duh, Ingrid is quite clearly psychotic so you really need to let that friendship go, girl.

Adrian was fun, because he was exactly what he should be for a wannabe hero. He likes to save people, but he also wants to make the world a better place. His blind faith kinda balances Nova's blind hatred so together they work really well. I'm expecting some serious angst in the next book from this pair, though. They have some conflicting personal issues that they really need to work through, I feel.

Support characters were fun and hooray for awesome weird unique super powers like bees and butterflies and poison. I mean, some of the origin stories were pretty terrible but hey, whatever. I'm happy to roll with it.

I feel like this book has a lot of political subtext about the need for heroes and society relying on other people to save it etc. so that was kind of fun but it's not necessary to overthink it. It just creates some interesting dynamics in the story, makes it very grey instead of black and white which was quite entertaining.

There's also great diversity with the characters, with some being rather easy to get attached to. I'm really looking forward to getting to know a bit more about these characters in the next one.

The pace is a little uneven, with some parts slower going than others, but overall this had enough action to keep me entertained. There are plenty of cliches and stereotypes but this book cleverly uses them against themselves to carve out a really unique story. I appreciated that.

Overall, it wasn't as hectic as I was hoping for but it was still a really fun action story with some great characters. Can't wait to read the next one!

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Review: Unsheltered

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well.

Barbara Kingsolver is clearly an intelligent lady.

Here's the thing, though.

I just don't have time for her philosophical ramblings and debates.

This was DULL and such a complete drainer to read.

We've got a split time line, which is becoming increasingly common, and here, quite honestly, it seems a little pointless. Thatcher is teaching science in 1871, and using Darwin's theories to fight the creationism that's so prevalent in the town. In 2016, Willa's life is crumbling around her, just like the house she's living in.

I'm gonna be honest. When I got over halfway through and there was still not a lot happening besides debates and ramblings on science and politics and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn't really give a crap about, I started to skim. I managed to finish off this book without losing much of the storyline, and I was doing some pretty heavy skimming. My point? NOTHING HAPPENS.

There are going to be a ton of people who love this book. It's extremely clever, and contains heated debates on all manner of topics, and it can get quite philosophical. To me, it was like that family relative that gets drunk at xmas and suddenly has to communicate all their ideas on every subject imaginable. It was too much. I love science, and I'm particularly fascinated by Darwin's work, but I was over 100 pages in before a brief mention of him reminded me that his name in the blurb is what had attracted me to this book in the first place. There was not enough Darwinism to save this for me.

This honestly felt more like a platform for the author to make a bunch of clever points that are important to her, and that's great and all but it just made for such an incredibly boring story.

This is another one of those books that's more about language and ideas than actual story. IE: not my jam. I want to give it an extra star for how much other people might love it, but to be honest it just wasted too much of my valuable reading time for me to feel generous towards it.

With thanks to A&U for my ARC



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Review: I Am a Soul Champion: How to Live a Spiritually Guided Life Through Manifestation, Intuition, Positivity, and Archangel Aromatherapy

I Am a Soul Champion: How to Live a Spiritually Guided Life Through Manifestation, Intuition, Positivity, and Archangel Aromatherapy by Rachael White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a bit of a tough one to rate!

I was lucky enough to meet the author at MBS Fest earlier this year (which is when I picked up the book) and she is such a lovely, open, passionate person. She believes 100% in her purpose and that is evident in the pages of this book.

I guess that's why I wanted to love this more than I did.

Rather than being a standalone book on how to make positive changes in your life, this is more of an accompaniment to the aromatherapy products the author produces. That's perfectly fine and there's a lot of helpful information in this book, but it's hard to not take it as an extra selling tool. I can understand the benefits of using the aromatherapy as prescribed, but I don't think its as essential as this book would have you believe.

So without me going into my own spiritual beliefs, let's see what worked for me and what didn't.

What worked:
-The science behind using aromatherapy
-The message of the power of the mind
-Explanations on the effects of energy
-The anecdotes and examples
-The explanations of which angels are linked to which attributes
-Handy guides for aromatherapy use, rituals, meditation etc.

What didn't work:
-The repetition
-The really, really long sentences
-The really, really long sentences being jam-packed with long words
-The notion that nothing will work for you properly unless you're using specific products
-When things got a little too personal - it made me uncomfortable

Overall, this is an interesting take on the power of the mind, with the addition of angel guidance, but it's going to be hard to swallow for the cynics and even believers may have a hard time following all the instructions. This is probably one I'll reference when I am looking for guidance for specific issues but as a general guide it's a rather narrow focus. There are definitely better books out there that can teach 'how to live a spiritually guided life' but if you're willing to fork out for the range of aromatherapy products on offer then this will be a really handy tool.

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Review: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The fun kinda dropped off here a bit so we're back to three stars. Sorry but apparently Scarlet and Wolf stole my heart in the last book so I'm offended that this book expects me to get over them so quick.

I do like how this series collects characters with each book, though the coupling is starting to grate. This time we've got Rapunzel Cress, who has been held captive in a satellite for most of her life, but she's been in contact with Cinder and the gang so her world is about to go topsy-turvy.

I was honestly expecting more of life on the satellite, but I guess that small a location would have made things a little boring. Instead, we get miles and miles of sand. I really hate desert settings. All anyone does is complain about the heat and the sand. YAWN.

Cress is obsessed with Thorne after researching his life on her lonely little satellite and he's, as yet, uncoupled, so naturally we get a lil romance in that direction. Was not feeling it. Sorry. Thorne just feels really old and ... experienced ... compared to naive Cress and that kinda weirded me out a little. I mean, I like that he was a comforting presence for her but I was honestly concerned about how vulnerable she was all the time . She was not my fave. I know all characters can't be badass like Scarlet but it hurt that she had to take a backseat in this one and let Cress take the wheel. Plus, Thorne was such a sassy, sneaky criminal type in the last one so to see him soften up this much hurts my heart a little. I need him to be stealing more, picking more locks, breaking and entering, etc. Just give me some small misdemeanors. DON'T YOU LOSE YOUR BAD BOY SOUL ON ME NOW.

Cinder, as the hero, gets a little more screen time and we're also seeing a little more of Kai (and dying inside waiting for that reunion) so I didn't mind that so much. As least Cinder is still a no-nonsense kinda gal. Plus Iko is fun. She has so much energy and enthusiasm and I appreciate that. I also appreciate her situational inappropriateness. She says exactly what she's thinking whenever she's thinking it. It's quite refreshing.

I'm starting to kinda not feel anything for the whole, 'evil queen trying to take over the world' business. Like, it was always talked about but not a lot happened there? I'm not hugely seeing the evil I guess. I mean, obviously I get WHY she's evil and what she's doing is evil but she doesn't actually get a lot of screen time to help us to hate her. She's a disappointingly generic kinda evil. Sybil is a little more savage but still not enough.

Overall, I feel like this book was a little step backwards in terms of pace and excitement. We've had all the world building, and the last book was action-packed and full of mystery-solving with some fantastic new, dynamic characters, and this one kinda slows down to talk about feelings. Even the fairytale angle was a little thin, here. I enjoyed it, but it was kinda bland compared to the last one.

I'm really looking forward to some serious action in the last book. I want explosions, destruction of property, Wolf and Scarlet going berserk together; guns, fire, telekinesis.

Snow White better bring her A-Game.

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Review: The Dazzling Heights

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you've read my bio, this series is the perfect example of lovable trash.

RICH KID DRAMA. It's so freaking cliche but I love it! It's my guilty pleasure because it's so bad it's good. That being said, I probably enjoyed the first book more. Way more drama.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for The Thousandth Floor, my review for which can be read here.

Book 2 begins with the same kind of dramatic opening we had with the first book, but here it just felt like there was no heart in it; like it was included for the gimmick. Was only slightly curious this time. Maybe it was just not as exciting as someone falling a thousand floors, I don't know. *shrugs*

All the characters we love to hate are reeling from the death of Eris, who they were all pretty sh*tty to in the last book. DON'T ACT LIKE YOU WERE A GOOD FRIEND, YO. I must say, though - I also missed Eris. She was such a fun, edgy character. She was kind of a terrible person so much fun drama. Her girlfriend was a nightmare though so thank god she's barely in this one. Eris gets plenty of mentions, but it's just not the same.

Then we've got new girl, Calliope, whose name sounds made up and actually is. Her and her mum are here to cause DRAMA so excuse me while I get some popcorn. I fully support their nefarious deeds. Much fun. This is the spoilt rich drama I came for. Plus, Callie has set her sights on Atlas, and I'm much more inclined to ship that relationship than Atlas and his sister.

I am still not cool with the sibling romance, FYI.

Atlas may have been adopted, but they were raised together. They grew up together as siblings, they live in the same house, they have the same parents, and they introduce one another as BROTHER AND SISTER. But they are also torn apart by the fact that they are deeply in love but no one will allow their relationship? GUYS. YOU'RE RELATED. OF COURSE THAT SH*T IS MESSED UP.

As much as I love Avery causing drama with her raging jealousy - such a contrast to her good-girl personality - it was not enough to make me okay with this. I cringe. I make disgusted faces. This relationship IS NOT COOL.

So excuse me if I don't shed a tear for Avery and Atlas and their tragically doomed relationship. I'm so done with these two.

I have all the time in the world for Leda, though. I didn't like her in the first book because she was such a psycho, but I really enjoyed her in this book because she was such a psycho XD She is the star of all the best drama so she makes things a lot of fun. So moody, so nasty, so savage. What a queen. Plus she knows everyone's secrets so she's the real star of the show.

Rylin was one of my favourite characters in the last book (even though she was an idiot) so I was a little disappointed that she didn't have as big a part. Her drama is so minimal and dull and I honestly just wanted her and Cord to get back together because he is the perfect man <3 But no, minimal partying for Good Girl Rylin. *sigh* She needs a Sandy-at-the-end-of-Grease transformation. Cord deserves some hot action. He's taken everything on the chin like a champ.

Then we've got our geek-who-is-not-a-geek-just-super-smart-with-computers Watt. Definitely still too chill to be a proper nerd. I loved the nastiness between him and Leda, though. That was good times. I want him to get involved with more people, though; branch out a bit into the friendship circle. His MIT drama was too cliche and boring.

It was nice to see that these kids to actually go to school occasionally, even if there still wasn't enough school drama for my liking. I love the parties that lead to drunken mistakes, but there could easily have been more. I mean, I love this series for how ridiculous the drama gets, and this book was pretty tame compared to the last one. I needed more scandal and regret.

Honestly, I can't relate to any of these characters so it's kinda fun to just sit back and watch their lives fall apart. Sadly, they all mostly kept themselves together in this one.

I'm really hoping for some top notch scandals in the next book, and much more drama. I want more random hookups and terrible choices and mistakes and dirty little secrets. I'm not here to mess around.

Average drama, but still highly addictive trash. No way am I walking away from this guilty little pleasure of a series.

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Review: Talon

Talon by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came here for dragons. Was not disappointed.

Summary: Ember and Dante are dragons disguised as humans. They are learning to act human by making friends with humans and doing fun human things, while doing secret dragon training on the side. Garret is a dragon-hunting human, whose latest mission involves pretending to be a normal human. He does this by making friends with humans and doing fun human things.

I liked these characters. Ember is so feisty and I loved that inner fire (haha) that made her so headstrong and determined to do things her own way. I liked that, even though she wasn't allowed to dragon-up, she still wasn't afraid to kick boys in the balls when they were jerks.

Garret was a little bit too mopey and rigid but I liked when he got sassy. That little glimpse of cheekiness was FUN. Plus - here's a new one for me - I liked that he had 'gunmetal eyes'?? Such a ridiculous thing but I was so very attached to this description. Not that I've ever seen anyone with grey eyes in my entire life. Is this actually a real thing?

Anyhoo. Their whole relationship is entirely predictable and full of inevitable drama, but I enjoyed it with lots of heavy sighs. They were just CUTE.

Dante ... oh, how he disappointed me. I wanted more of him, and I wanted him to be less straight-laced. I wanted to read about him having his own fun, and being an annoying older brother, and doing stupid things ... his part in this book was incredibly underwhelming. Overall, he turned out to be a pretty dull character.

You know who was fun though? RILEY/COBALT. Oh, hey, look - I'm keen on the bad boy again. *dramatic sigh* He was also not in it quite as much as I'd have liked, and I appreciated his edginess so he was less fun when his edges were softened, but he was fairly entertaining. I do wish he'd been a little more badass, though. More rebel, more fierce, more sassy. Oh well. I'll take what I can get.

I enjoyed the fun human things, and was surprised at myself enjoying all that bloody surfing. I mean, it's just surfing. I don't get it. But they were fun interactions so okay then! I liked the group of friends, too, though I never became particularly attached. Was secretly hoping at least one of them would turn out to be a dragon.

The book is divided into two main chunks, and the second part is where we get the most fun dragon action with teeth and claws and scales and, like I said, I came here for dragons. That amped things up and made it all much more fun and entertaining. The first part is mostly boy/girl drama, which is fun but less dragon-y. I liked the action, and there was much more to be had in the second part of the book, which gives me abundant hope for the next book.

Beyond the original idea of dragons shapeshifting into humans to fit in, there's nothing terribly unique in this book. It's very Romeo and Juliet with its forbidden romance, even if neither of our loved-up puppies realises; it's quite obvious that it's all a disaster waiting to happen. The characters are familiar enough, as are the events, and even the training. The rebelling against a structured society. The rebels who are actually the good guys. The oblivious friends. Not a lot that I haven't read before. But I still really enjoyed it, and I'm so glad there was still vicious dragon action because that was the 4th star for me. Without the dragon action, this is a pretty average, 3-star read.

It's not exactly a work of genius but it is a fun story with likable characters and plenty of drama. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. Hopefully there'll be even more dragons.


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Review: The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Musical - literally - and highly predictable, but still an enjoyable story.

Plot: Grace is in love with David. Things get complicated. Grace seeks solace in her instrument-making, and the company of a headstrong teenager and an elderly man. There is intermittent David-drama.

The drama level is pretty high here, and even though I basically predicted everything, it still caught my breath to actually read the way it all played out. It's lucky there are so few characters because they all have their own stories and we're given enough detail and time to get attached. I definitely got attached. Not so much to Grace, who annoyed me a lot, or David, who is a scumbag who calls Grace 'darling' and 'sweetie' and other equally eye-roll-worthy names waaaaaay too many times, but mostly to Fiery Nadia and Nice Guy Mr Williams. These two are the real MVPs.

So the story is sweet and dramatic; highly predictable but nevertheless enjoyable.

The writing is unique. I am on the fence. It's beautiful and elegant, and contains some really beautiful phrases, but it's also full of an insane amount of detail regarding music and instruments and honestly, it was pretty much lost on me. I appreciate the attempts to describe, but I basically had no clue what I was reading. Oh well.

I was also incredibly bothered by how many times the author used LITERALLY (hence my cheeky opening line) because it was overused and, in some cases, incorrect. This is one of my pet hates.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars for this one but I nudged it up thanks to my love of everything French and how this book catered to it. I loved reliving my own memories as the author described places I myself have been. Ah, such fond memories.

If you're looking for a sweet little contemporary with elegant language, attention to detail and cosy settings, this is the book for you. It's quite lovely, and I'd recommend for an easy, light-hearted page-turner.

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