March 2024 Mini Reviews | Part 2
Published: 4th March 2021 by Atom
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I have heard great things about Choi's works, that they are introspective, and portray relationships in very realistic ways, and this is exactly what I found with Yolk. The sibling dynamic between Jayne and June was eerily relatable - the power struggle between older and younger sister, the resentment held towards their different experiences being raised by the same parents, but the overall underlying knowledge that both of them would do anything for the other, and that this is the most important relationship they have. Their closeness grows and wanes in equal measure, and their dependence on one another goes from virtually nonexistent to literally life or death, which I thought really forced the cracks in their childhood, and more recent years as young adults, to be examined and reckoned with. I certainly didn't agree with their decisions at times, or their stubbornness and refusal to talk to one another, but that just made it all the more believable.
Just Like in the Movies by Heidi Rice
Published: 12th March 2021 by One More Chapter
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
A romance book about films just sounded perfect, and Just Like in the Movies was exactly what I needed! I loved the premise of trying to save a beloved independent cinema in London, and a romance forming around a classic movies season, as it interweaves two of my favourite things, and I thought it was done really well. I do always worry a bit with romances set in London in particular that landmarks and neighbourhoods are going to be referenced incessantly to appeal to international audiences who love to romanticise the city, but this wasn't the case at all, and didn't rub me the wrong way, which is a massive win. I wasn't the biggest fan of Ruby in the beginning, as she came across as quite ditsy, but I grew to really root for her success, both in love and in life, and I thought that she and Luke had really good chemistry.
Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
Published: 6th May 2021 by Atlantic Books
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
This book has been on my radar for a good few years now, so I'm happy I finally got around to reading it, as it was a very strong collection of short stories. As with most short story collections, I found some stories to be more personally enjoyable, and stronger in narrative tone, than others. The first story particularly gripped me, of the two girl best friends, and I do think that its slightly longer length helped the main characters to feel more concrete, as opposed to some of the later stories where I struggled to detach from one plotline without accidentally merging it into the next story sometimes. I did find that the storytelling lost a bit of its steam towards the end, and there wasn't enough of a uniqueness to differentiate them from the short stories that had come before, but overall I really enjoyed the tone of the tales, and will look out for more.
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
Published: 8th February 2024 by Cornerstone
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I have to say I was initially mostly drawn in by the stunning cover, as I hadn't heard of the book before, but since being sent an early copy of this I have seen nothing but glowing reviews for Greta & Valdin, and I can see why. The narrative voices of Greta and Valdin are equally brilliant - both so individual and emotionally raw, depicting their deepest insecurities and fears through a wry humour that is excellently shown to be inherited from their parents, and yet the two protagonists never merge into one another at any point. This book took me a while to read, and normally when this starts to happen I am very quick to give up on a book, but something kept me going until the end, and I'm very glad I did. It's a rare, but welcome feeling to be satisfied in having worked through a book as I did and being certain that it was worth doing so.
4 stars
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