Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. On a whim I read The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong early & I did not regret it for a second. It was perfect for my mood: a ghostly, post-WWI setting, a murder mystery, an unconventional heroine who flies in the face of societal expectations. (She lives with an older man she isn’t related to! She was once in love with her female best friend! She was an ambulance driver in the war! She has had lovers, as in multiple!) Said heroine Ruby Vaughn is asked to deliver some books. On the journey she reconnects with her former best friend—whom she was once in love with & who broke her heart—& encounters a local witch—hopefully a future love interest!—rumors of a curse, & murder. With bisexual rep, a really great mystery, & a thrilling sense of atmosphere, this was really fun to read. I can’t wait to read the next book & I am hoping hoping HOPING there’s a future slow burn romance! 5⭐️. Out 12/05. Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
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Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.My heart . Before starting 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall I saw a few things that kind of set my expectations accordingly: (1) similar-ish in style to Boyfriend Material, (2) really good, (3) & Alexis Hall shared that this is grumpy & the sunshine if the sunshine is reckoning with trauma (or something like that. My apologies if I’ve twisted that in any way!). That’s all so true. This book is charming, it’s so funny, & I got Office vibes from the office scenes in the book & While You Were Sleeping vibes from any scenes featuring prickly boss Jonathan Forest’s family. So it’s very endearing, in short. As is protagonist Samwise “Sam” who kind of stumbles, kinda dives into a fake amnesia situation with his horrible boss Jonathan Forest in an effort to save his branch from being fired. But after he’s made to live with Jonathan for a while—he has to, given his presumed injuries—he realizes that Jonathan is grumpy but that’s not all of him & also grumpy is kind of attractive on him. I adored this book, these characters, this family. Watching Sam & Jonathan engage with others & seeing their very obvious discomfort & yearning & their wrestling with their insecurities is sad & heartwarming. The deception reconciliation feels a bit skimpy to me—but overall I just wanted these two leads to be together & for them to get back to the family unit they had made. Ahhhhh! Also I wanted two epilogues instead of one because my heart wanted more . Such a great book; I loved it; I hope the two of them are living the happiest of lives with their ugly cat in Croydon. 5⭐️. Out 10/17.CW: previous death of family members, including parents.
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