On My Bookshelf | May 2022
May has been a pretty good book month. There has been some brilliant books, some interesting books, books that made me think and sadly also a few books that were just a little “meh”.
With 8 books read in total in May, here are the ones that are worth mentioning:
Tomorrow I Become A Woman by Aiwanose Odafer
Tomorrow I Become A Woman is nothing short of utterly brilliant.
Beautifully written, it follows Uju as she goes from an idealistic university student with high hopes and ambitions to a dutiful wife, stuck in a difficult marriage and weighed down by the societal and cultural expectations on her as a woman.
I found Uju’s reality to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking at different stages of her life and the fact that it is loosely based on the real stories of real woman is a real eye opener to me.
However, Uju’s strength every step of the way as she navigates friendships, politics and difficult familial relationships is inspiring and I was with her for every page.
Thus us Odafen’s debut novel and I can’t wait for more!!
Click the image for the full synopsis.
Good Husbands by Cate Ray – eARC
Thank you to Netgalley and Park Row Books for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of Good Husbands in exchange for feedback.
What would you do if you received a letter telling you that your husband raped a woman 20 years before? That’s what Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie need to decided when a letter lands on their doormat declaring exactly that.
The three woman – who couldn’t be less alike – start to form an alliance as they try and get to the bottom of what happened that Christmas so many years before.
Well written, with a great pace that keeps you reading page after page, I loved how different the women and their reactions are. And although the victim died a decade before, Ray does an incredible job of giving her a voice from beyond the grave and treating her story with respect.
Click the image for the full synopsis.
Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant
A Richard and Judy book club pick, Lie With Me follows Paul who has a very set idea of where he wants his life to be and does what needs to be done to achieve that goal. And if he tells a few lies along the way to get there? Well, that’s absolutely fine by him.
However, when he finds himself in the middle of a long standing holiday with friends, it is clear that he is also in the middle of some underlying tension. Unsure as to what is going on, he continues to manipulate the people around him to get what he wants. After a while though, it becomes clear that maybe he’s not the one doing the manipulating.
Overall, this was a good read but it was a bit of a miss for me. The story was strong but it lacked pace and had me skimming chapters. Added to the fact that Paul was just not a likeable character at all, and Lie With Me just couldn’t hold my attention.
Click the image for the full synopsis.
Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon
This was such a strange book. I loved the idea of it: Lucas didn’t hate his wife, but he did want her money which meant years of elaborate planning that included taking out a hit on her. However, when cards start appearing at his home and work it seems someone is on to him, but the question is who?
I expected an action packed thriller, but what I ended up with a kind of strange autobiography of a pretty cold killer. It was still good and very well written, but just not what I was expecting. Although it was pretty slow in the middle, the twist at the end was fabulous.
Click the image for the full synopsis.
She’s Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel
This was dark, intense and absolutely compelling. When Ylva doesn’t come home one night, her family is distraught but her husband Mike is also suspicious, wondering if Ylva is straying. Again. What they don’t know is the Ylva is actually just across the street, captive in the cellar watching her family through a screen.
There are some really uncomfortable moments within She’s Never Coming Back that you come to expect from a Swedish thriller but there is something about this book that draws you in and keeps you turning page after page.
Click the image for the full synopsis.
And that’s it! It’s been a really positive month reading wise and I’ve found some brilliant stories to get lost in during May. What about you? Is there anything you would recommend for my to read list?
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