Natasha

4.5 stars. Once again another magical, beautiful story from Tabitha Bird. It tugs at your heartstrings and makes you giggle. Full of love, longing, grief and hope - it really is a treat. My only (small) criticism is with the Emporium itself - it sometimes felt a little too twee and sickly sweet. But overall a magical insight into a families grief and coming to terms with their own guilt.

3.5 stars. Folklore meets thriller in this page turning new novel from Little Darlings author Melanie Golding. A child is abandoned on the seashore and is later claimed by her frantic mother who lost her. Only, it isn't her mother.

So begins the story of a loner, Ruby, who becomes entangled in the lives of her neighbours- Gregor, the charismatic charming man, Leonie - his adorable daughter and Constance - his mysterious, aloof and seemingly unhinged ex partner. But all is not as it seems ..... (da da da!!)

While this wasn't the most shocking thriller I've read, and sometimes the characters' choices made me want to throw the book across the room, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

I consider myself relatively hardcore when it comes to horror, I'm not usually squeamish and can handle a fair amount of gore and body horror. But at 35% I had to give up on this book - when someone (spoiler?) ate their own eyeball, and that wasn't even the worst of it believe me. This book is gruesome and grotesque and not at all for the faint of heart - if it sounds like something you can stomach go for it. I'm going to find a cosy little haunted house or serial killer book now

2.5 stars. This was a fast paced, run of the mill thriller. A fun time? Yes. Anything groundbreaking? No, but not all books have to be.

The premise appealed to me - the five sole survivors of an horrific and unexplained massacre return to their home town (the scene of the crime) when their lives are threatened in a mysterious letter. Here they have to face their grizzly past and try to unravel the threads that lead to their families' and friends sudden demise.

The plot set up was awesome, I was sucked right in. But unfortunately the execution and resolution of the plot left me feeling a little meh. I had to suspend my disbelief multiple times (and I'm pretty tolerant of unrealistic plot twists) and there were a few eye rolls here and there.

There were enough interesting twists to keep me going and I'm sure fans of Kiersten Modglin will enjoy this most recent addition to her substantial catalogue.

DNF @ 50%. There were many aspects for this book that were problematic for me. Firstly, it is hard to read - child abduction is never fun to think or read about, but I can usually stomach it, but this felt impersonal and removed from the victims. Secondly, the misogyny - i just can't deal with the way the main character “wooed” a secretary and the way she is represented is atrocious. Thirdly, I was just bored, and it felt like a chore to get through. Thank you, Next.

I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't care about the characters and I felt the writing was unimaginative and flat. There was no excitement, no beauty, it was just run-of-the-mill - he did this, and then that, and she laughed and then they walked along the river. Blah!

Maybe the size of the novel daunted me too. If it was 300 pages I may have soldiered on, but 500 pages of something I didn't find in the least bit entertaining was unbearable. Reading should not be a chore!

I only read 25% of the novel though, so it may get better later on (and to be fair, I was reading Gone Girl at the same time, and not much can compete with that in terms of intrigue).

Ok, so if you read the jacket blurb on this book it sounds like nothing much happens. I will try to sum it up without giving too much away.

Patrick turns his alcoholic father in to the police after he is involved in a hit and run, killing a young child. A few months on Patrick is still living in his father's house with his brother, Mike, and Mike's girlfriend Caro. He is by all accounts a loser and the town pariah due to his unfortunate family connection.

Then we meet Vera, a sheltered and naïve schoolgirl who is horribly bullied due to the sins of her family too (notice a pattern here?). She finds solace and comfort in a group of strange outcasts.

What connects them is Layla, Vera's Goth sister who takes an unhealthy interest in Patrick and basically stalks him.

The lives of all these characters start to intertwine dangerously and it all leads up to a very dark and thrilling climax.

The problem is that the book takes a little too long to get there. I was half way through and was still asking, “ok, so where is this going?” I think author may lose a few readers because of this. There seems to lack direction until the end. Having said that, the characters do pull you in and you want to find out what happens to them.

I don't think the title of the book does it justice either. After reading it I am still trying to figure out how ‘save yourself' comes into the plot. None of the characters ‘save themselves'; in the end they are all rather selfless and sacrificial.

A large focus in the book is bullying and the affects of trying to fit into a group. It made me really grateful that I was not in high school during the camera phone and social media era. I shudder to think that what happens in the book actually takes place in reality.

Another factor I found interesting was the cult-like mentality of the ‘Goth group'. Kelly Braffet offers us some fascinating and chilling insights into the nature of group peer pressure and abuse.

Though the beginning is slow paced, the last 100 pages had me hooked so I'd say it's worth a read.

This is a story about time. How a few seconds can alter lives forever.

Byron Hemming is concerned after his friend James tells him that two seconds are going to be added to time. He becomes convinced that this is unnatural and is sure to result in some disastrous consequences. He is not wrong. After he inadvertently causes an accident, his life begins to unravel.

This accident will forever alter the lives of an array of characters; Byron and James, Diana and Seymour (Byron's mother and father), and a little girl and her mother (Jeanie and Beverley) from the wrong side of the tracks.

In alternating chapters we are introduced to a middle-aged man named Jim who is battling both severe mental illness and the demons from his past. You sense that somehow these two stories are connected, and I was so sure I had it figured out until Part 3 when I realised all my expectations and assumptions were incorrect (in a good way).

This was a very good story, and yet I found it so uncomfortable to read. It was like waiting for a horrific accident you know is going to happen, but you don't know when or how. And there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Beverley was so manipulative and the most unsympathetic character I have met in a long time, despite her unfortunate social situation. I was really hoping her scheming would lead to her own undoing.

And poor James and Byron, despite their good intentions, their interference just made matters worse for everyone.

The looming catastrophe was shocking, but not in the way I expected, almost as if the entire story was a red herring. Part three felt a bit anti-climatic, but I liked the way it slowed down towards the end.

SPOILER: I really liked the way the alternating chapters stopped once Byron felt whole again. It was a clever and subtle literary device.

Rachel Joyce is clearly a gifted writer. As the novel progresses you can see Diana and Byron slowly unravelling and looking back I had to ask: could Diana's inaction and fear regarding Beverley and her manipulation have lead to her undoing?

Perfect poses some very interesting social questions regarding gender roles, class and ultimately mental health.