A Wrap Up: February 2017 - The Good

Hi, and thanks for stopping by.

So, this is a wrap up of the amazing books I read this month - I discovered some really incredible stories, worlds and writers this month and I'm excited to share them with you guys! Let's get started.

Alyssa b. sheinmel’s faceless

This book is the story of Maisie, a girl who gets caught in an electrical fire and becomes permanently disfigured. She goes on to have a face transplant (as well as many other procedures, skin grafts, therapy, physiotherapy etc.) and the story essentially follows her coming to terms with her new face, her new body, her new life and learning to live again. I thought this story was absolutely stunning. I loved Maisie, I thought she was strong and funny and sweet and very relatable. One of the things I loved the most was that the boyfriend and the best friend roles did not fall into the typical disloyal, bitchy stereotypes; they were both understandably devastated, too, but also loyal and brave. I couldn't recommend this story more, it was a 5 star read for me!!

Morgan matson’s amy and roger’s epic detour

This is the first Morgan Matson novel I've read, and I'm certainly excited to read many more because she has such a wonderful reputation within the YA world. This story was so fun to read; it was very summery, which I appreciated in freezing February. One of my favourite parts had to be the awesome American landscape - I've never visited the US, and I just loved reading about all of the different places. It majorly made me want to go on a road-trip there, too! I loved that the relationship between Amy and Roger took a long while to build up, and even that Roger was interested in somebody else for such a long while. It was so believable and real. Amy's memories of her father were heartbreaking in places, but so lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - another 5 star read for me.

Liane moriarty’s big little lies

I've had this book on my shelf for a really long time, after picking it up in a charity shop. I think I was avoiding it because I've been in this delightful YA bubble for probably a year now, and I didn't want to get back into Adult fiction, to be honest. I am so mad at myself for not reading it sooner because it was one of the best books I've read in so long! I think what I loved about it was that it had the thriller elements that I love, without being incredibly dark and twisted and uncomfortable to read, because, for me personally, that isn't appealing at all. The characters created by Liane are so hilariously funny, particularly Madeline, who I absolutely adored. Whilst she was my favourite character, some elements of Celeste's storylines were absolutely heartbreaking, and I really do mean that - I was physically cringing and hurting on her behalf. The "murder mystery" element worked fabulously well, I personally certainly didn't work out who the the killer nor the victim was, and the police interviews throughout were perfectly done. I would recommend this book to EVERYBODY, even if you usually only read YA - it was absolutely brilliant. An absolute, no doubt, EASY PEASY 5 stars. 

(P.S. THEY'RE MAKING A TV SHOW OUT OF THIS?! THE CAST IS DELIGHTFUL!)

Liane moriarty’s the husband’s secret

I bought a couple more of Liane's books after adoring Big Little Lies so much. This is a favourite of one of my best friend's and so I grabbed it the second I saw it! I wish, yet again, I'd listened to her sooner when she gushed about it, because it was pure brilliance yet again. Interestingly, the blurb only mentions Cecelia and her husband's story (her husband leaves her a mysterious letter only to be opened after his death, and when she opens it, her life changes forever), but two other women's stories are woven expertly into the frame, too. Liane writes these simple, heartbreaking moments that just absolutely slaughter me as a reader. She's so subtle and clever with her writing, I absolutely adore her characters. Also, the Australian setting is just really cool, I don't think I've ever read that before.

I also read The Problem with Forever this month, which was an incredible 5 star read, like the rest of these; I loved it so much, though, that I did an individual review of it here, so check that out if you haven't already! I also read two incredible poetry books this month; Amanda Lovelace's The Princess Saves Herself in this One and Rupi Kaur's gorgeous Milk and Honey. I have to admit, they're very similar in structure, physicality and some content, but both are excellent, the latter slightly more so (the final section, in particular the feminist pieces are beyond beautiful).

Thanks for reading!! What's the best book you read this month?

Till next week

Katie