Yearly Projects « karenika

Review: The Soulmate

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sally Hepworth does not disappoint. She is the queen of domestic thrillers and families that look normal only to reveal deep dysfunction. This one is no exception. Gabe and Pippa have moved into a perfect house to complete their perfect family. The view is exceptional and also it happens to be a popular location for those who want to commit suicide. Gabe has become somewhat of a legend in his ability to convince people not to jump.

Until he doesn’t. That one time.

What looks like a suicide gone wrong, hides many more layers underneath.

The twists and turns are fun and unexpected in this one and I loved the way the story unraveled. If you’ve enjoyed Hapworth’s novels before, you will not want to miss this one.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: A Tidy Ending

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

The number of stories told by “unusual” or “quirky” women is increasing by the day. I don’t mind reading a few, but I mind when it’s the entire plot of a story. The main character here was interesting and had some deep thoughts but it was all trying to hard to be quirky imho.

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Review: The Eighth Life

The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a beast to get through. 40 hours on audio. It is the story of eight generations of a Georgian family, mostly the women. There’s a lot of background and foreground history starting from before WWI to almost present day. It’s hard to not get attached to these well-developed, flawed characters who endure so much misfortune. If historical fiction is your cup of tea, you will like getting lost in this world.

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Review: You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health

You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health by Ken Duckworth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don’t like to give poor ratings to books. Let alone books on the subject of mental health. Each book is a lot of sweat and effort from the writer and I don’t want to discourage or criticize something that is so much work. I also believe we need more books in the world around the issue of mental health. I am grateful that organizations like NAMI exist and I am grateful that they provide resources for people who are struggling. We need these resources so badly.

And yet this book was really hard to read. I felt like it didn’t follow a clear organized flow of information or arc. There were bits and pieces of stories interspersed with bits and pieces of information, creating a very disjointed book.

Also while the book is a good resource for raising awareness of NAMI and its services, I felt that the organization was mentioned too often in ways that felt like an ad vs natural explanations of where the organization could be helpful. It felt awkward and disruptive to the flow of the book that was already struggling so much.

I am grateful that NAMI exists and I am grateful that we can talk about mental health more openly, I wish this particular book was easier to follow.

with gratitude to edelweiss and Ingram for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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