Vile Stars - Sera Milano

How can the things you love hurt so much?

 

17-year-old Luka isn’t looking for love. She’s trying to piece her life back together after a heartbreaking loss. But when she meets the gorgeous and charismatic Cosmo under a meteor shower at the Greenwich Observatory, it feels like destiny has played a hand. Surely theirs is a love written in the stars.

 

But Cosmo isn’t what he seems, using Luka's love for him to slowly take control of her life. As the pandemic starts to make headlines and lockdown sets in, she is trapped emotionally and physically in a coercive relationship. Luka’s friends and brother can see what’s happening, but struggle to reach her. Something will have to be sacrificed so Luka can set herself free – but what will be left of her when she does?

He tells me I’m the only one who can save him. But loving him is stealing the best of me.

 

What did I think?

Vile Stars is a YA novel but you don’t have to be a young adult to read it as my youth is long gone and I absolutely loved it.  

It’s written in the form of letters and a podcast with short paragraphs from different people’s perspectives.  It’s a very modern way to write and it gave the novel a depth I wasn’t expecting as it really feels as if the characters are talking to you.

It starts with a bang in chapter one and you just can’t get the haunting scene out of your mind.  So with the opening chapter in mind, you know how it’s going to end but you just can’t stop reading and hurtling at full speed towards that devastating conclusion.  Sera Milano has perfected the art of the hook as I was completely riveted from start to finish.

This is not a traditional love story; it’s dark and horrifying as Cosmo draws Luka into his web, gradually alienating her from her friends and family.  Luka’s friends never give up on her but Cosmo’s grip is firm and he chips away at Luka’s mind until she is a shadow of her former self.

The story is hard to read at times, although it’s never graphic, it’s more the level of mental abuse that Cosmo inflicts on Luka.  It’s frightening that people don’t see what is happening to them, as their partners are so crafty and conniving.  Cosmo is a vile character and if only one reader recognises their own mentally abusive and controlling partner in him, then Sera Milano’s work here is done.

Fresh, powerful and haunting, Vile Stars is a novel that will stay with me for a very long time.  I really can’t recommend it highly enough.

My rating:

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Now You See Her - Heidi Perks

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second. 

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable, tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.

Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface. 

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PUT THINGS RIGHT?

What did I think?

I was thrilled to see the release of Now You See Her by Heidi Perks, having previously read her outstanding debut, Beneath the Surface.  This book deals with every parent's nightmare: a missing child, only Heidi Perks takes it a step further with the child going missing whilst being looked after by a friend.  

Harriet is a bit of a loner and Charlotte is her only friend.  When Harriet goes on a course out of town she asks Charlotte to look after her daughter, Alice.  This isn't a problem for Charlotte as she plans to take Alice with her 3 children to the village fete.  As the children all run off to an inflatable ride, Charlotte checks Facebook on her phone.  OMG!!!  Why can't people leave their phone alone for 5 minutes?  It really annoys me how people are so dependent on their digital life when they have a real life passing them by.  Whist Charlotte is immersed in what her friends have had for lunch on Facebook, 4 children get on the ride but only 3 get off.  Where is Alice?

Charlotte's guilt is IMMENSE.  Especially when she has to admit to having her eye on her phone and not the children.  She doesn't even learn her lesson as she seems more concerned about what people think of her than what has happened to Alice.  It's no surprise that Harriet doesn't want to see Charlotte when she and her husband, Brian, are given the devastating news that Alice is missing.  Charlotte doesn't really know Brian as Charlotte is separated from her husband so they don't socialise as couples.  It's a while before you realise that all is not as it seems in Harriet and Brian's marriage.  Brian is a total control freak and plays with Harriet's mind even during the stress of Alice's disappearance.  He is a totally detestable, manipulative character and he really made my skin crawl.   

Fearing for Alice's safety, I felt as if I was acting as judge and jury with Charlotte standing in the dock.  I followed the breadcrumbs left by Heidi Perks and, with all of the facts laid before me, I attempted to untangle truth from lies but it's not a straight-cut guilty or innocent case.  There's so much going on and lots to uncover before we really find out what happened to Alice.

Now You See Her evoked such emotion in me (as you might have gathered from by Facebook rant).  From the mental abuse being dished out by detestable Brian to Charlotte's (and the whole world's) Facebook obsession, I felt my blood pressure rising with every page and that is testament to the mighty fine writing of Heidi Perks.  I am not surprised to learn that Now You See Her has been optioned for TV - it's an edge of your seat book and if it's half as good on the small screen, it will be brilliant.

Now You See Her is a twisty-turny psychological thriller that really stands out from the crowd in this very popular genre.  It's powerful, emotive, surprising and gripping - definitely one to pick up and discuss at book club or with friends.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Widow - Fiona Barton

We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime.

But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs – the wife who stands by him?

Jean Taylor’s life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she’d ever wanted: her Prince Charming. 

Until he became that man accused, that monster on the front page. Jean was married to a man everyone thought capable of unimaginable evil.

But now Glen is dead and she’s alone for the first time, free to tell her story on her own terms.

Jean Taylor is going to tell us what she knows.

What did I think?

This must be one of the most highly anticipated books of 2016 and I'm really grateful to Ben Willis from Transworld for sending me an early review copy.  The hype is totally correct; once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down - if I hadn't needed to sleep I would definitely have read it in one sitting!

I loved the layout of the book with each chapter being told from the perspective of the widow, the reporter, the detective, the mother or the husband.  It gave a brilliant investigative feel to the story and I felt like I was sitting on the jury myself.

I felt so sorry for Jean, she doesn't even realise that she is an abused wife.  Glen has taken all her self esteem and made sure that her whole world revolves around him.  Only he hasn't quite managed to take all of her dreams...she has a secret dream that she has hidden from him but that in turn becomes a piece of evidence in the case against Glen.

Whilst there are no massive shocks or surprises, this book had me clamouring for more as each chapter ended.  I felt like I was gathering evidence and trying to prove a cast-iron case against Glen.  The psychological effect Glen's mental abuse had on Jean was fascinating and made me wonder how many women like Jean are out there.  Some of her actions were quite shocking and completely unexpected, but it's almost like she had to keep her emotions bottled up with Glen and now she's free she's like a stick of unexploded dynamite.

I definitely recommend reading this book; it is written with such precision that it is not surprising to learn that Fiona Barton is an award winning reporter.  I feel like she stripped the case down to its bare bones and we were all present for the autopsy.  I think that is the magic of this book - the story is told from every single aspect so that no stone is left unturned as we uncover the truth about what really happened to little Bella and the effect that this devastating event had on all concerned.

I received this book from the publisher, Transworld, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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You Belong To Me - Samantha Hayes

The compelling new psychological suspense novel featuring DI Lorraine Fisher, from the author of Until You’re Mine and Before You Die. Perfect for fans of S J Watson and Sophie Hannah.

Fleeing the terrors of her former life, Isabel has left England, and at last is beginning to feel safe.

Then a letter shatters her world, and she returns home determined not to let fear rule her life any more.

But she's unable to shake off the feeling that someone who knows her better than she knows herself may be following her.

Watching. Waiting.

Ready to step back into her life and take control all over again.

What did I think?

This was a really good psychological thriller.  It was really creepy at times and I found that I was becoming suspicious of everyone, even the police.  I could feel the tension building with every page turn and when Felix was introduced my suspicious mind went into overdrive!

This was the first Samantha Hayes book I have read but it is the third containing the character DCI Lorraine Fisher.  I didn't feel like I needed to have read the two earlier books as I immediately liked Lorraine.  We are introduced to her as she is being treated for stress, which shows her as a normal person rather than a superwoman police officer.  I think she is a great character, a strong woman who lives and breathes each case she is given, to the point that she continues to work a case when she is supposed to be off work relaxing!

It's quite difficult to review this one without giving away any spoilers.  There are some nice twists in the book, some I did see coming and others I didn't, but even though I guessed some things I still enjoyed the book immensely.  The writing was excellent as I really couldn't put the book down, I didn't know what was real or who was crazy, and my interest was held from start to finish.  So much so that I'll definitely be looking to read more books by Samantha Hayes.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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