A Secret Cornish Wish by Ali McNamara

A Secret Cornish Wish by Ali McNamara


Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 362

Publisher - Sphere

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

What if one summer could change your life?

For Frankie and her five best friends growing up on the glorious beaches of Cornwall's St Felix, life couldn't get any better. Late one night, the friends discover an old box washed up on the shores and they learn the tale of the St Felix mermaid who grants wishes to those who find her treasure. Even though they know it's just Cornish folkore, the friends decide to make a wish for what they each want out of life - most importantly, they want to always be together . . .

Over the course of the next few decades, as weddings, funerals, birthdays and more bring the friends back together, lost loves, broken promises and buried secrets just as quickly tear them apart. But when they reunite one last time in St Felix, will it be for good? And will their wishes finally be revealed?


My Review

A group of friends in the 80s, growing up in Cornwall, beaches, teenage dramas and legends of mermaids. Frankie is the main character, we open in 2024 & back in St Felix at the sea. Frankie immediately thinks back to her group of friends and what it was like growing up there, the time and distance apart and now being back home. Leading us nicely back to the past, 1989 & meeting the friends, Eddie, Claire, Suzy, Mandy and Frankie's crush and new boy to the school, Robert. We are introduced to the group dynamics, things that are important to young adults and finding potential treasure, making wishes and is there really such a thing as mermaids or is it just small town lore? We then cross to present day and the group are reunited, now middle aged adults brought back together by life events.

It is a story about friendship, love, wishes, mermaid lore, past and present with duo timeline, young adult themes and angsts. I LOVED the mermaid stuff, I actually wish there had been far more to be honest. The book is very much about Frankie and her younger years then returning back as an adult and everything coming full circle, relationships, coming of age, who they are and who they became and splashes of mermaid magic, 3.5/5.

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Slenderman by Kathleen Hale

Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 348

Publisher - Ebury Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The first full account of the Slenderman stabbing, a true crime narrative of mental illness, the American judicial system, the trials of adolescence, and the power of the internet

The Slenderman stabbing of May 31, 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wisconsin, shocked the local community and the world. The violence of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, two twelve-year-old girls who attempted to stab their classmate to death, was extreme, but what seemed even more frightening was that they had done so under the influence of a figure born by the internet: the so-called “Slenderman.” Yet the even more urgent aspect of the story, that the children involved were suffering from undiagnosed mental illness, was often overlooked in coverage of the case.

Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls tells that full story for the first time in deeply researched detail, using court transcripts, police reports, individual reporting, and exclusive interviews. Morgan and Anissa were bound together by their shared love of geeky television shows and animals, and their discovery of the user-uploaded scary stories on the Creepypasta website could have been nothing more than a brief phase. But Morgan was suffering from early-onset childhood schizophrenia. She believed that she had been seeing Slenderman for many years, and the only way to stop him from killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice: Morgan’s best friend Payton “Bella” Leutner, whom Morgan and Anissa planned to stab to death on the night of Morgan’s twelfth birthday. Bella survived the attack, but was deeply traumatized, while Morgan and Anissa were immediately remanded into jail, and the severity of their crime meant that they would be prosecuted as adults. There, as Morgan continued to suffer from worsening mental illness after being denied antipsychotics, her life became more and more surreal.

Slenderman is both a page-turning true crime story and a search for justice.


My Review

I watch a lot of true crime so I had heard of this case before but just the basics, two kids, pre teens had taken their friend and tried to kill her. It was a brutal crime made worse by the fact they were all kids and friends. This book is written by someone who lived in the small town before and a lot of the community wouldn't talk to outsiders although I am not sure how much more access/info this person had compared to others.

The book takes us to before the wean was born, her father and mothers meeting, her fathers mental health issues and then her being born. The issues she had and experienced and instead of her parents watching for the signs, getting her help and acknowledging what she was going through it was basically ignored so the wean suffered in silence and navigate what she was seeing and hearing. Her parents opted the route of not telling her about her fathers illness until she was sixteen which of course would be far too late.

The book goes through the history of the three kids, their families, upbringings, backgrounds and how they all met and interacted and the discovery of creepy pasta and the slender man. It then takes us through the lead up of the crime, the crime itself and what happened after until the girls are arrested and their incarceration and sentences. I still find it wild how things played out, charging them as adults, the one who carried out the physical attack was confirmed with a mental health condition yet still didn't get healthcare she desperately needed. They were more interested in making sure she knew and understood the law process (she was twelve and more accurately it was ensuring she parroted more than understood). The amount of red flags, missed opportunities and times my jaw dropped because of what I was reading, wild! I absolutely get that people want offenders to pay for their crimes especially when they are so horrific and violent but this wasn't someone pretending to be unwell and even when this was diagnosed and recognised she still had medication and treatment withheld. It is a wild one for sure, 4/5 for me for this.

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 564

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are.

France, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn't believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne's home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.


My Review

World War two, two sisters, very different people and very different experiences. France, Vianne the older sister is married, has a child and her husband has to leave to do his part. Isabelle is the younger sister, eighteen, rebellious, passionate and wants to play her part. Vianne is in the village where the Nazi soldiers are taking over and one has moved into her home. Both face their own dangers, struggles and do what they have to to survive this war.

Guys, ooft, the crimes committed we all known were beyond barbaric and this book tackles some of that by taking us through the atrocities people living in France experienced during the war. The two sisters live very different lives and their experiences differ greatly. Both experience danger, abuse, trauma and see how horrific humans can be first hand.

It is not an easy read, we all know the horrors committed during this time so please check your triggers and prepare. Not an easy read by any means and whilst these are fictional characters we know people did live, die and suffer through these barbaric times so it does hit you in the emotionals. 4/5 for me for this one and it is coming out as a movie too so we will absolutely be checking that out too!

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No Regret by Martina Cole and Jacqui Rose

No Regret: the gripping Sunday Times bestselling thriller from the iconic queen of crime by Martina Cole
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 404

Publisher - Headline

Source from Goodreads

Soho 1962.

When Rory Sheehan decides he wants Maggie Riley as his own, her fate is sealed.

Luca Romano knows all too well that what Rory wants, Rory gets. And the violence that erupts between their rival gangs is just the start of it.

Thomas Johnson owes Rory big time, and he must deny his feelings for Maggie to protect her. Faced with no alternative, Maggie throws herself on Rory's mercy, unaware of the brutality that she will face.

But Maggie Riley is a survivor. And the secret she's hiding could be her best weapon . . .


My Review

Oooft talk about dark! This is the third I think I have read of these two authors together. Maggie has it rough, her mother is a cold fish, her father is a drunk and abusive, her friendship with Thomas faces resistance because racism is high where they are. It is also set in the 1960s in England so it is brutal both in its attitudes to anyone not white English male. When Maggie attracts the eye of not just one but two very bad men she is essentially jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.

You know Cole's books always feature bad people, bad actions, the worst of humanity, drugs, selling people, murder, racism, abuse, sa, dv, ca, violence, drug addiction, prostitution honestly it is dark dark stuff and hardly a redeeming person in the whole thing.

Actions, consequences, death, betrayal, murder, you name it it is in it. Short chapters which we love, page turning because you want to see where it is going and if we are going to get retribution. 3.5/5 stars for me this time, I need a genre switch and something lighter because dear lord this was a dark yin, prepare yourselves!

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The Divorce by Frieda McFadden

The Divorce by Freida McFadden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Poisened Press Pen

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then―he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

In The Divorce, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a razor-sharp, subversive thriller where love curdles into vengeance, and survival becomes the most dangerous game of all.


My Review

Naomi and Jeremy are married, have a wee boy, Jeremy is the bread winner, Naomi gave up her career to raise their little one. When Jeremy pulls the rug right from under Naomi and turns their life upside down, a younger woman, pulling dirty tricks and Naomi has to face facts that Jeremy doesn't want her and if she doesn't accept that soon she could lose everything.

Oooft Jeremy is not a nice guy, blind sighting Naomi with divorce AND he has a new woman who of course is younger. He fights dirty and Naomi can't bring herself to believe it, it is just a phase, they belong together and noone, not some young slim beautiful woman is going to change that. As things get more desperate and Naomi starts to realise she needs to fight back things go from bad to worse to dangerous. How far would you go to save your marriage, your family especially when the walls are closing in and you have nothing.

Some really bad behaviour, bad people and very bad choices. Honestly I really hated Jeremy and Naomi I was like WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOOOOOOO. Short chapters which we love and I wanted to know where this was going because ooft. Unhinged, shocking, shady, some topics that may trigger folk, the author has put trigger warnings on her website so you can check that out prior to reading if that is something you need, 4/5 for me!

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Body Of Lies by Jo Callaghan

Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 448

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The brand-new thriller featuring DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock from the award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of In the Blink of an Eye .

Human suspicion. AI manipulation.
Who can you trust when truth has no meaning?

DCS Kat Frank returns to work at the Future Policing Unit after a tragic loss, only to find herself thrust into a new high-profile case. On the night of Halloween a local MP is found murdered, with a taunting message written in binary code that seems to target Kat Catch me if you can.

The victim’s anti-AI sentiments suggest a political motive, and as Kat investigates with her partner AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI detective – she finds herself once again battling her own prejudices about the technological future he represents. But when a cyberattack takes out the National Grid, Kat and Lock have to race against the clock to track down the hacker before thousands die.

Tangled in a web of suspicion and deception, Kat must choose who and what to believe when the truth seems to defy both instinct and logic.

Can she set aside her old doubts and put her faith in her AI partner one last time?
Or will this case send Lock down a path she just can’t follow – a path that will leave humanity behind for good?


My Review

Book four and the final book in the series, I am gutted, I wanted more! I often say you can pick up a book and just start reading but I would say to go and read the previous ones so you get the full story/impact/connection. I think from the previous book I was kinda looking a bit side eye at Lock, this book I was a bit all over the place.

A politician is found dead, publicly posed, well known for being against AI and keep in mind Kat has come around a fair bit to Lock but still has issues and reserves about AI. When a cyber attack hits and those in charge are held to ransom, realising just how heavily reliable we have become on technology and AI. Lives, thousands of innocent lives hang in the balance but the powers that be do not ever negotiate with terrorists do they?

This one had me suspicious and as Kat got more suspicious so did I but then I am totally murder she wrote with most crime fiction and side eye everyone lol. This one has threat to life especially featuring young/vulnerable in society, investigation of the murder of a outspoken MP plus the clock counting down quick to a shocking threat if demands aren't met. Gutted this is the last book but think the author done well to keep us interested for the four books and question AI use, grief, love, friendship, integrity, police work and family!

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Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam

Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 336

Publisher - Penguin books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A sparkling rom-com in which an unexpected reunion could lead to a career-ending catastrophe or a second-chance romance . . .

When Andie lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she’s ready to take the world of New York publishing by storm.

Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson—the same Jack who ruined her life at university. Whom she hasn’t spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but also incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.

To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man whom, if she were being totally honest, she’d like to hit with her car.

But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.



My Review

Andie is finally living her dream, she has just bagged a new job as a senior book publicist, things are looking up. However when her first big project is an extended book promotion and the author is non other than her scumbag ex Andie is in a quandary. She wants to success so bad, she is in a new country, this NEEDS to work. She is just going to be professional and do what needs done then move on. It is difficult to be professional and keep your feelings hidden when your ex hurt you so bad and you never got closure. Jack tries to speak to Andie but she shuts him down, she hasn't had anything from him in five years, she doesn't want it now. They will have a professional relationship for the sake of the tour and that is that but it never really is, is it?

Ugh Andie really ripped my knitting a lot in this. We know Jack did something bad, it ruined their relationship and had a lasting effect on her. It is referred to and hinted at throughout the book but we don't actually get to know what actually happened until the last maybe quarter of the book. We bounce back and fourth in time from present day to back then but still heehaw so I went from intrigued to annoyed to JUST TELL ME ALREADY!

Andie is also grieving her dad who passed after everything with Jack and despite the book because a romance it actually is more about her grief and the impact it has on her. We deal with her absolutely despising Jack and struggling to hide it and being pretty unprofessional a lot of the time, Jack lets it go because clearly he feels guilty for whatever it was that happened. So essentially it is unresolved feelings but forced proximity and we know how close hate can be to other emotions. Defo a slow burn and Andie is so prickly that her friendship and relationship with her mum (also grieving) and bestie is impacted. So many people don't deal with grief and this shows just how much it can eat into your life and have long lasting consequences.

I was wanting to find out how it all played out and sank into it easy enough, I didn't love the character Andie but was invested to see what the big secret was. Bless her wee mum, a very small side character but a wee scone, 3/5 for me this time. This is my first time reading this author, I would read her again.

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