The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper Review

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

Hello book worms.
I hope you've all been having a lovely week and have something fun planned for the weekend. 
Just a quick update for you today, as some of you might remember, I got asked to review books for GeekTown a little while back, and my first review is now up! So head on over to the article, to read my thoughts on The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper. 
I also finished Lolito by Ben Brooks this week, and I'll be joint reviewing it soon with The Girl in the Moonlight. I won't give too much away about my thoughts just yet, but I will say that I finished it in two days, which is quite the record for me. 
Make sure you let me know what you've all been up to this week, and leave your blog URLs in the comments as I'm always looking for new blogs to read. 

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Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson Review

Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson

Who would you be if all of the memories you held dear suddenly vanished? You certainly wouldn’t be the person you are right now. SJ Watson explores that topic amongst others in Before I Go to Sleep.

This book was lent to me by my dear friend Sophie, who has recently set up her own book blog, there’s no posts just yet, but there soon will be, so check her out at Phie Alyce Reads. This book is one of her favourites, so naturally I was intrigued. 

Before I Go to Sleep is a psychological thriller that follows the story of Christine, who wakes up every morning with twenty years of her memory missing. It’s like an evil version of 50 First Dates - and I loved it! 

I read this book in less than a week because I just had to know what was going on. You only hear things from Christine’s perspective you’re constantly questioning who you can trust. 

I’d defiantly recommend this book if you like crime books or psychological thrillers. And for those local the West Midlands, SJ Watson comes from Stourbridge! If that isn’t a good enough reason to pick up this book than I don’t know what is. 

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Precious Thing by Colette McBeth Review

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth*

Precious Thing is the debut novel by former BBC news correspondent, Colette McBeth. It's a psychological thriller that explores the complexities of female friendships. 
The book focuses on Rachel and Clara who are old school friends. Anybody who's had a best friend can relate to their relationship. When they were younger they thought that nothing could tear them apart. But as they got older, they grew apart. Rachel is now a successful TV crime reporter, and when she is sent to cover a story of a woman's disappearance she has no idea that it's her oldest friend is the "star" of the case. 
This book got quite a few comparisons to Gone Girl, and I can see why. There are many twists and turns, and was unable to predict the ending. I had a "mind-blown" moment whilst reading the last chapter which I really enjoyed!
The language wasn't as well written in certain parts. There is also some grammatical errors which sometimes reduced my enjoyment of the book as rather than being wrapped up in the story, I was mentally editing sentence structure.
That being said, the plot was so gripping and the characters were well-rounded. Relationships were fully explored and I genuinely didn't suspect what happened in the end. I think you can tell that Precious Thing is Colette's first novel, however she has a great imagination and captures emotions so well that I can forgive the occasional language mistakes.
I'm looking forward to reading her next book as I see a lot of potential in her writing. 

*Thank you to BookBridgr for sending me this copy to review! 

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The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer Review

Firstly, I can't fully express how beautifully written this book was. I was left completely breathless by this book - which was slightly embarrassing as I finished this book on a cramped train on the way to work! I wanted to exclaim how great this book was, but had to keep my excitement under wraps. I usually grab a coffee with an old work friend on mine in the mornings, and the first thing I did when I saw her was thrust this book in her face! 
I've since done the same to my boyfriend now that my friend has finished reading it. The story follows 19-year old Matthew and his struggle with mental health. In the opening pages you discover that his older brother Simon, who had down-syndrome, died in front of Matthew when they were both children. 
The Shock of the Fall explores topics of mental health, tragedy and grief. You are introduced to his parents and his grandmother. It's interesting to gain an insight into each family member and their coping mechanisms. However, the story is told from Matthew's perspective alone, and can sometimes feel untrustworthy. 
A feature I loved about this book is that it often switched between fonts and word layouts. The book is written as if Matthew is typing up and sometimes he is not using a computer, but a type writer, sometimes he doodles on the pages. It gave the impression of reading someone's manuscript rather than a novel. Matthew often speaks to you directly, which made the book even more emotional.
Nathan Filer won the Costa Book Awards for The Shock of the Fall and I must say it was completely deserved. This book is so beautifully written and handles sensitive subjects incredibly well. There is also an interview with him in the back of the book which I really enjoyed reading - all books should have this included! 
I'm completely shocked that this is Nathan's first book and I'm really looking forward to reading more of his work in the future. I can't recommend The Shock of the Fall highly enough.

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How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan Review

 In the UK, February is the month of Valentine's Day and LGTB History Month, so what better way to celebrate both than to read a romantic LGTB book?! Although, I must admit, I didn't realise that most of the stories in this book had a running theme of sexuality and identity until I started reading it. But it was a happy coincidence. It also made me realise that I hadn't read many books with gay characters as protagonists, so that was something I really enjoyed.
This book is a book full of mini love stories. As the title suggests, the main theme is about how the different couples meet. Each story was completely different to the last, offering up different genders, sexualities and ethnicities. I've never read David Levithan's books before, but heard a lot of great things, and I must admit, he writes each character with authenticity. Despite what the cover would have you to believe, not every story is a happy romantic one. Some were about heartbreak, loss and unrequited love, but these stories were just as interesting to read as the happy ones.
One of my favourite stories is about a young couple that meet on an aeroplane. They're sitting next to each other and are reading the same book! I've always fantasied about making a friend that way. One of the main criticisms I have with this book, however, is that some stories seemed underdeveloped in comparisons to others. But after reading the prologue, I realised that some of these stories date back to when David was in secondary school. He used to write love stories for his friends as Valentine's day presents, and these are the stories that are featured in the book. It is obvious to see how his writing style has developed and improved over time.
Overall, this book is a very enjoyable read. I really liked all of the different characters and perspectives David offered up. However, some stories seemed underdeveloped, and sometimes it was hard to imagine characters fully until half way into the story as their gender was not addressed straight away. A very lovely read none-the-less, and if you're looking for a sweet collection of YA stories, then I'd recommend this one. 
Favourite Quotes:
"We'd said we'd keep in touch. But touch is not something you can do from a distance. Touch is not something you can keep as soon as it's gone, it's gone.  We should have said we'd keep in words, because they are all we can string between us - words on a telephone line, words appearing on a screen."
"The minute I knew I was in love was the minute when there was no question about it."
"You have to believe there are kisses and laughs and risks worth taking." 

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