Doe's Den

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Short AF Book Review | One Day

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "One Day" by David Nicholls. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"15th July 1988

Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.

So where will they be on this day next year?

And the year after that?

And every year that follows?"

So the reason I wanted to read "One day" is obviously because of the TV series they have put out on Netflix based on the book and I'm very much a read the book before watching the show/movie kind of girl. Some parts of me are really glad that I read this book because I also found out there's a movie version with my favourite actress (Anne Hathaway) in it. However the majority of me wishes that I had DNFd this book 50 pages in and just got straight into the tv show. In all honesty, if it wasn't for how sarcastic and funny Emma was, I would have 100% done that. This book doesn't necessarily have a bad premise about it, it follows the story of Dexter and Emma on the same day of the year every year from 1988 to 2007. It does a really good job at filling us in on what we've missed between those days and how much these characters lives have changed within the span of almost 20 years. It was just, unfortunately, a bit monotonous and boring. I have no doubt in my mind that the movie and the tv show are both going to be incredible when I watch them, I just don't feel like the story was given to us in the correct media. The times where the book were exciting or heart breaking were few and far between and I feel like that is because we're using up most of the time in the chapters to describe what has happened within the last year even if what had happened wasn't always particularly important or exciting. I also feel like there were moments where we were meant to feel empathy for specific characters but because of the way it was laid out we barely got any time to know them. I love a good contemporary romance, it's just this one wasn't for me.

My Favourite Character:

Emma: Listen, I know Emma can be hot - headed and sarcastic and she made so many mistakes. But I genuinely loved her. If it wasn't for her I would not have carried on with the book. I genuinely feel like she had the most character growth within the book.

My Least Favourite Character:

Dexter: Okay, so Dexter does end up maturing and has a little bit of character development, but I hated him so much in the book. He was such an arsehole throughout and I found it very difficult to read through his sections at times.

I gave this book a 2/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

What I Read Last Week | 1st April - 7th April

Hi friends, so today we're going to be getting into what I read last week and how much of the book I read each day! This will include the Goodreads synopsis (which can sometimes contain spoilers) and my overall rating if I've finished them during the week!

Where The World Turns Wild | Nicola Penfold

"Juniper Greene lives in a walled city from which nature has been banished, following the outbreak of a deadly man - made disease many years earlier. While most people seem content to live in such a cage, she and her little brother bear have always known about their resistance to the disease, and dream of escaping into the wild. To the one place humans have survived outside of cities. To where their mother is.

When scientists discover that the siblings provide the key to fighting the disease, the pair must flee for their lives. As they cross the barren Buffer Zone and journey into the unknown, Juniper and Bear can only guess at the dangers that lie ahead. Nature can be cruel as well as kind... Will they ever find the home they've been searching for?"

Monday: 0 pages

Tuesday: 40 pages - finished

My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars

Good Girl, Bad Blood | Holly Jackson

"Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true - crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth - year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?"

Wednesday: 0 pages

Thursday: 92 pages

Friday: 0 pages

Saturday: 323 pages - finished

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars

If Only I Had Told Her | Laura Nowlin

"If only I'd told her that I loved her years ago, then I wouldn't be here now.

Finn has always loved Autumn. She's not just the girl next door or his mother's best friend's daughter, she is his everything. But she's not his girlfriend. That's Sylvie, and Finn would never hurt her, so there's no way Autumn could know how he truly feels.

Jack, Finn's best friend, isn't so sure. He's seen Finn and Autumn together. How could she not know? And how is he supposed to support and protect Finn when heartache seems inevitable?

Autumn surrounds herself with books and wants to write her own destiny - but one doesn't always get a new chapter and fate can be cruel to those in love.

Told through three different perspectives, If Only I Had Told Her is a love story brimming with truth, tragedy, and unexpected bonds that heal us."

Sunday: 50 pages

And that is everything that I ended up reading last week! Have you read any of these books? How quickly did you get through them? What are your thoughts and feelings about them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Friday, April 5, 2024

Short AF Book Review | Tokyo Ueno Station

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Tokyo Ueno Station" by Yu Miri. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Emperor, Kazu's life is tied by a series of coincidences to Japan's Imperial family and to one particular spot in Tokyo; the park near Ueno Station - the same place his unquiet spirit now haunts in death. It is here that Kazu's life in Tokyo began, as a labourer in the run up to the 1964 Olympics, and later where he ended his days, living in the park's vast homeless 'villager', traumatised by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and enraged by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics.

Akutagawa - award - winning author Yu Miri uses her outsider's perspective as a Zainichi (Korean - Japanese) writer to craft a novel of utmost importance to this moment, a powerful rebuke to the Imperial system and a sensitive, deeply felt depiction of the lives of Japan's most venerable people."

How I read this book: Physical Copy

Please check the trigger warnings before reading this book.

So the reason I wanted to read "Tokyo Ueno Station" is because this was the book club that I'm in second read! I genuinely didn't know what I was getting into with this novel but I am glad that it was suggested. This book is mostly heart breaking and I was not expecting to be as hurt as I was. I found it to be very poetic and it gave me a lot of insight into Japan's history as well as the way that homeless people are treated within the country. I definitely felt like I learned a lot more about Japan than I ever have before. With that being said, throughout some of the book I didn't actually know what was going on with the main character and found it to be a little boring and over descriptive at times, this didn't make me put the book down, but I really needed someone to tell me what's going on in a simple way for my brain to understand. I would definitely say if you're going to read this book make sure that you read the authors afterword also to fully grasp what actually has happened in the book. This book is very short (the actual story is only 168 pages) which makes for an easy read, the only thing I wish it did have though was chapters so I could stop and take a breather. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a short, sad contemporary to read but I would also note that this book is not for everyone.

I don't have any favourite/least favourite characters within this book.

I gave this book a 3/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Short AF Book Review | If He Had Been With Me

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "If He Had Been With Me" by Laura Nowlin. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!

"If he had been with me everything would have been different...

I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know - the cause of the argument - is crucial.

So let me tell you..."

There are some triggering topics in this book, so please be advised to read up on the trigger warnings before reading this book

So the reason I wanted to read "If He Had Been With Me" was because I'd seen this title floating around booktok for a while now and my friend gave me a waterstones giftcard for my birthday so I bought it with that. So many people told me this book was sad and that I should emotionally prepare myself for what was going to happen. Nothing could've prepared me for the feelings I went through with this book. "If He Had Been With Me" was so beautifully written but it also hits some very hard topics throughout. The one thing I will say about this book is that I do think it is just a little too dark to be put under the YA genre (which is what it is under), but still reads like a YA read with how juvenile the characters can be at times. Some of the book was repetitive and took a little while to get through however I still found myself enjoying it and understood why it had to be that way in order for us to get emotionally attached to the characters. I was expecting throughout the whole book what was going to happen as it tells us in the first few pages, but it still did not fail to break my heart. I would recommend this to anyone who would like to read a sad contemporary novel but once again would advise reading the triggers in case you wouldn't be in a good head space for this book. I also wouldn't recommend this to the younger YA audience because once again, the themes are just a little to dark.

My favourite characters:

- Autumn: So Autumn is our main character and I know we're supposed to love her but I didn't realise just how much my teenage self would relate to her. I'm so glad we got to read the story through her perspective and I just loved the growth that she had throughout the book.

- Finny: Finny is honestly such a sweetheart and I loved every single scene that he was in. He was always kind to Autumn (even if sometimes she didn't deserve it) and I found myself getting so attached to him

My least favourite characters:

- Jamie: Firstly I just want to say, girls if you ever meet a boy like Jamie, RUN! Jamie was such a shitty character throughout the book and the author made him so easy to dislike. I actually wish there was less of him in the book than what we got.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Monday, April 1, 2024

April Releases I'm Excited For

Hi friends! It's a new month so you know what that means! New book releases! I'm going to be showing you the books that I'm excited for that are coming out in April! If I've read the ARC I'll also be leaving my Goodreads rating for them! I will be including the Goodreads synopsis (and sometimes this can contain spoilers, so please be aware whilst reading!)

11th April

When The Wild Calls | Nicola Penfold

YA | Dystopian

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Storygraph Average Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

"Having escaped their city. Juniper Green and her brother Bear have settled in Ennerdale with their dad and his family. Every day the wild introduced them to new wonder, but Juniper can't stop worrying about her grandmother and best friend left behind. When she hears news that disease has entered the city, she's determined to bring her loved ones to safety.

Trapped in a city riddled with disease and run by a ruthless leader. Etienne longs for the Wild. With the guards becoming more aggressive to counteract the growing rebellion, Etienne's prepared to fight for his freedom. But will he be able to protect himself and keep those around him safe until Juniper returns from the wild?

The compelling and thought - provoking sequel to the much - loved WHERE THE WORLD TURNS WILD, this ecological adventure is perfect for fans of THE LAST BEAR, RUNNING ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD and THE LAST WILD."

25th April

Homebody | Theo Parish

Graphic Novels | YA | LGBT

My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Stars

Goodreads Average Rating: 4.61/5 Stars

"In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with organic journal - like interludes. Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality - and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term 'nonbinary,' which finally struck a chord. 'Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear... like someone just turned on a light?' A whole spectrum of people will be drawn to Theo's storytelling, from trans or questioning teens and adults, to folks who devoured Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe or The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson, to any people looking to dive a little deeper into the way that gender can shape identity. Throughout the book, Theo's crystal - clear voice reminds the reader that it's okay not to know, it's okay to change your mind, and it's okay to take your time finding your way home. 'We are all just trying to find a place to call our own. We are all deserving of comfort and safety, a place to call home."

Funny Story | Emily Henry

Romance | Contemporary

Goodreads Average Rating: 4.53 Stars

"A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He was really good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children's librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra's ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic - with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of hear break love ballads - Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose co-workers know so little about her they have a running bet that she's either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it's all just for show, of course, because there's no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex - fiancé's new fiancé's ex... right?"

And those are all the books I'm excited for to be released this month! What books are you excited for to come out? Were any of these on your list? If you read any of these what did you think of them? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

March Reading Round Up

Hi friends! It's the first of the month so you know what that means! Time to go through our reading round up! I'm going to be sharing with you the books that I read in the month of March and what I rated them and why! There will be the Goodreads synopsis in this (and sometimes it can contain spoilers, so please be aware whilst reading!) as well as the Goodreads average rating. If you want to see the full review for the book I will leave the hyperlink of the post in the name of the book (if I have one!). I read 7 books in March so let's get into them!

ARC | The Potting Shed Murder | Paula Sutton

"Welcome to the sleepy village of Pudding Corner, a quintessentially English haven of golden cornfields, winding cobbled lanes... and murder.

Daphne Brewster has left London behind and is settling into her family's new life in rural Norfolk, planting broad beans in raised beds and vintage hunting for their farmhouse.

But when the local headmaster is found dead in his potting shed, amongst his allotment cabbages, the village is ablaze: Who would kill beloved Mr Papplewick, pillar of the community? Daphne soon comes to realise perhaps the countryside isn't so idyllic after all...

When the headmaster's widow points her finger at Minnerva, Daphne's new friend, Daphne vows to clear her name. Sneaking into the crime scene and chasing down rumours gets her into hot water with the local inspector - until she comes across a faded photograph that unearths a secret buried for forty years...

They say nothing bad ever happens in close - knit Pudding Corner, but Daphne is close to the truth - dangerously close...

There's death amongst the dahlias... A truly unputdownable whodunnit by Paula Sutton - otherwise known as Instagram's happiest influencer: Hill house vintage, the queen of cottagecore - an unforgettable new voice in cosy crime. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and Richard Coles."

My Rating: 3/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5 stars

Release Date: 4th April 2024

Overall I liked the mystery in this book and the plot twists, but the "cosy" parts of this book was a little dull for me. I would recommend this to anyone who loves cosy mystery I just don't think the genre is for me.

ARC | One Last Breath | Ginny Myers Sain

"The New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies delivers another supernatural thriller filled with murder, romance, and a decades long mystery that haunts a small Florida town.

The perfect blend of Natasha Preston, Krystal Sutherland, and Delia Owens, with a paranormal twist.

Mount Orange, Florida, is famous for two things.

The spectre of Bailey and Celeste's murders cast a permanent darkness over sunny Mount Orange. Tru has always lived in that shadow. Sometimes, it seems like she knows the long - dead Bailey, feels the dead girl in her bones. Now she's supposed to head to FSU in the fall with her boyfriend, but those unsolved murders - and the death of her own sister - invade her every thought. It's only in the shadowy deep, 100 feet below the surface of Hidden Glen Springs, that she can breathe.

When a strange girl named Rio rolls into town, hell - bent on figuring out who killed Bailey and Celeste, Tru can't resist entangling herself in the thrill of solving the decades old mystery any more than she can resist her familiar, aching attraction to Rio.

As the summer heat ignites, so does the spark between Tru and Rio... along with their other - worldly connection to Bailey and Celeste. But when someone begins stalking them, the girls become convinced the killer is back in town. And if they keep digging into the past, Tru and Rio know this time, it could be their blood that makes the springs run red,"

My Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 3.96/5 stars

I actually really loved this book! I ate this book up and would genuinely recommend this to anyone who wants a good YA paranormal mystery.

One Day | David Nicholls

"15th July 1988

Emma and Dexter meet on the night of graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.

So where will they be on this day next year?

And the year after that?

And every year that follows?"

My Rating: 2/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 3.83/5 stars

I'm not gonna lie friends, I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. Don't get me wrong, I thought the idea was really good it was just the wrong media to put it in. I much preferred the TV series they made based on the book.

The Cruel Prince | Holly Black

"Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardon is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High Kind.

To win a place at the court, she must defy him - and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself."

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5 stars

I read this for the book club that I'm in and absolutely loved this story. It had everything I could want from a YA fantasy and I can't wait to get stuck into the next books in the series!

Beautiful Redemption | Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

"Is death the end... or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secret, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes - even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series."

My rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 3.91/5 stars

I absolutely loved reading this series and the last book was no different. I'm so sad that Ethan and Lena's story is over but I saw there is a spin off for Ridley so I will definitely be picking that up as soon as I can!

ARC | When The Wild Calls | Nicola Penfold

(Unfortunately, this book is not on goodreads so the synopsis and average rating will come from storygraph/Netgalley)

Trapped in a city riddled with disease and run by a ruthless leader. Etienne longs for the Wild. With the guards becoming mor aggressive to counteract the growing rebellion, Etienne's prepared to fight for his freedom. But will he be able to protect himself and keep those around him safe until Juniper returns from the wild?

The compelling and thought - provoking sequel to the much loved WHERE THE WORLD TURNS WILD, this ecological adventure is perfect for fans of THE LAST BEAR, RUNNING ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD and THE LAST WILD"

My rating: 4/5 stars

Storygraph rating: 4.5/5 stars

Release Date: 11th April 2024

My dumbass read half of this book without realising it was a sequel (which I am currently reading the first book of as I'm typing this) and ended up finishing it and loving it. As much as I didn't have the whole story the author gave us just enough to understand exactly what was going on and I loved the adventure we went on with the characters through this book.

ARC | Homebody | Theo Parish

"In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with Organic journal - like interludes. Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality - and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term 'nonbinary,' which finally struck a chord 'Have you ever just had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear... like someone just turned on a light?' A whole spectrum of people will be drawn to Theo's storytelling, from trans or questioning teens and adults, to folks who devoured Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe or The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson, to any people looking to dive a little deeper into the way that gender can shape identity. Throughout the book, Theo's crystal - clear voice reminds the reader that it's okay not to know, it's okay to change your mind, and it's okay to take your time finding your way home. 'We are all just trying to find a place to call our own. We are all deserving of comfort and safety, a place to call home.'"

My rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.61/5 stars

Release date: 25th April 2024

I have never read a memoir in the form of a graphic novel before and I absolutely adored reading Theo's story. The art is amazing, their story is amazing. Chefs kiss.

And that is everything I read in the month of March! I can't wait to see what we dive into in April!

What did you read in March? What's on your TBR for April? What would you recommend for me to read in April? Let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!