Review: A Five Letter Word for Love - Amy James - December 2024 As someone who still starts her morning with a hot cuppa and a cheeky round of Wordle (yes, even when the cat’s meowing and the toast is burning), I was instantly charmed by Amy James’ A Five Letter Word for Love. Add in the setting—Prince Edward Island, the very soil that gave us Anne of Green Gables—and I was sold before page one. This story felt like a warm cardigan on a chilly day. Emily, our heroine, is stuck in a job she doesn’t love—receptionist at a local auto shop—while dreaming of museum halls and curated exhibits. It reminded me so much of the TV show Shifting Gears with Kat Dennings, where Riley returns home and finds herself working in her dad’s garage, unsure of what she truly wants. Emily’s journey mirrors that same heart-tugging question: what if your dream isn’t out there, but right here? The spark in this tale comes from an unexpected place—Wordle. Emily and John, a quiet mechanic with a knack for puzz...

Review: Give Me Butterflies - Book #1 The Oaks Sisters - Jillian Meadows - July 2023 I had been holding out to read this book and was so excited as it had given me vibes of one of my favorite series by Erin Mallon - The Natural History Museum series. Give Me Butterflies is also set in a museum and we have Millie Oaks who is an Entomologist and Finn who is an Astronomer. The only difference between the two series is that Give Me Butterflies is a bit more serious and touches on a few edgier topics compared to the hilarious LOL moments that are sprinkled right through Erin Mallon's series. Besides that, these were very similar and I feel that reading Erin's work first actually in a way set me up to love Jillian Meadow's book just as much. In Give Me Butterflies, Millie is up for a promotion as director of Entomology but the thing is that the other person also up for the position happens to be her awful ex-boyfriend Kyle who is an arse and gaslit and mentally abused her. The t...

Review: Last One to Die - Cynthia Murphy - January 2021 Niamh pronounced Neve has just arrived in the UK for a change of scenery and a chance of a lifetime as she has been given a spot on an elite drama program for the summer season. Her life is about to get crazy and dangerous as girls around her are being murdered and the scary thing is that they look like her and they are ones she has befriended. One minute they are here and the next they are dead. Who is killing the young woman and will Niamh and her new friend Jess - the daughter of the local librarian be able to solve the crimes before either Niamh or Jess becomes the next victim? Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy is not just your usual YA thriller as the book takes a twist back into the past where we learn about a serial killer named Spring Heeled Jack, a factory worker, and a wealthy female Jane who looks like the spitting image of Niamh. Last One to Die was a good October aka Spooktober read as it moves from a thriller to a su...

Review: Hidden Gem - #Book 0 - The Diamond Trilogy  - Skye Warren - June 2020 I have to admit I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but I was sad to see it finish quickly though I knew going into the book, that it would be a quick read as it was only really there to set the premise of the book The Diamond in the Rough. In Hidden Gem, we meet Holly who comes from a family of travelers and history buffs. Her family including her sister London would rather be traipsing through the historical sites whereas Holly would prefer to stay indoors in museums and appreciate art or read about adventures. She is an introvert who loves books and is a bit of a geeky character. I loved Holly as I felt connected with her as she sounded similar to myself. In Hidden Gem, Holly meets Eli while staring at the Mona Lisa. She believes he likes her which in one way is still a shock as normally guys go for her sister London. The pair will share a fast but passionate whirlw...

Review: Flirtasaurus - Book #1 The Natural History Series - Erin Mallon - July 2020 I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as I expected a couple of laughs as the blurb and taglines sounded funny. What I didn't expect was to find myself hilariously laughing right through the whole book and reading out loud on more than one occasion to my partner - snippets from the book. I loved this book so much as the main characters were both a bit geeky, nerdy and awkward - a bit like myself and the book setting of a museum was amazing as one of my dream jobs is to work in a museum environment - a bit like Te Papa in Wellington would be amazing.  Our main characters even have quirky names as our female lead is Calliope and the male lead is Ralph whom for the first part of the book Calliope thinks his name is Alf. Flirtasaurus is not only about Calliope trying to land her dream job, but also we read as she tries to navigate through her life with new and old frien...