My 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge: March - April

Know My Name: The Survivor of the Stanford Sexual Assault Case Tells Her Story by Chanel Miller

She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral - viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words.

This was a difficult but beautifully and incredibly articulately written read.
It is hard not to read this with a dull ache in your stomach or a growing rage and disappointment at how the entire system is rigged against victims.
It took me considerably longer than it usually takes me to read a typical book, mostly because I had to do so in small doses. I felt exhausted and a whole range of emotions simply after reading this, so I can only imagine the toll that every one of these moments have on victims and the wider community of their family and friends. This book should be mandatory reading for any teenager, in line with educating boys instead of 'protecting' girls.

Olive by Emma Gannon

Independent. Adrift. Anxious. Loyal. Kind. Knows her own mind. Olive is many things and it’s ok that she’s still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations, there are choices to be made, boxes to tick and - sometimes - stereotypes to fulfil. And when her best friends’ lives start to branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they’ve always followed together, Olive starts to question her choices - because life according to Olive looks a little bit different.

The topic of women not wanting children, despite the overwhelming societal pressure, was one that I was incredibly interested in. But, sadly it was all pretty one dimensional. And in the end, I didn't care about any of Olive's three female friends, as they're all pretty terrible in their own way. None of these women are particularly likeable. The word selfish is thrown around quite a bit in this and that is the word I would best use to describe them. They are four rather self-absorbed, wealthy, white women. I did like how Olive's life resolved itself and showed that there are other life paths out there, even if she did end up in a family unit but without having given birth. However, a lot of it was quite fanciful.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier. Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they've totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

I was pleasantly surprised that this was somewhat of a departure from her first two books. The writing and subject matter felt a lot more sophisticated and the main character wasn't just quirky for the sake of being quirky. I will say, I wasn't particularly rooting for Addie and Dylan to get back together. Dylan did have some redeemable features but there were just too many things not to like about him. And a lot of their original relationship was a toxic one at that. I also really disliked Marcus. I did not get the impression that he had fully changed, given how he behaved the whole way through, both in the past and present. It was a nice escapist read and I have a feeling that this would be a great book to read on summer adventures, particularly road trips, as you might imagine.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Lucy has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She prides herself on being loved by everyone at work - except for imposing, impeccably attired Joshua. Trapped in a shared office, they've become entrenched in an addictive game of one-upmanship. There's the Staring Game, The Mirror Game, The HR Game. Lucy can't let Joshua beat her at anything - especially when a huge promotion is on offer. If Lucy wins, she'll be Joshua's boss. If she loses, she'll resign. So why is she questioning herself? Maybe she doesn't hate him. And just maybe, he doesn't hate her either. Or is this just another game?

I don't know the last time that I read a book within 24 hours but I quite literally could not stop reading. From the very first page I was hooked and it wasn't quite the typical enemies to lover story, which I really appreciated. Even though we get a steamy kiss in the elevator near the beginning, we have to wait quite a bit for them to finally get together and the longing and build up is well worth the wait. The sexy scenes were well written and I completely understand why so many people have raved about this book. Was it pretty predictable? Yes. But I enjoyed it all the same.

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

Eve, Justin, Susie and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever. And Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction. They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night? 

From the very first page I was hooked. And I loved how well formed the characters were. You think you know how this story is going to turn out, specifically between Eve and Ed. But to find yourself seeing everything in a new light, much like Eve does, is masterful, especially in what you might go into thinking will be a standard rom-com. Issues like death, grief, abuse, family fallouts, relationships and friendship are all handled well throughout.
And I really enjoyed seeing Fin's redemption (if you could even call it that, given what the real story was) and taking him in from Eve's perspective. Let's just say, I simply adored Last Night and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Trust Me by T.M. Logan

Ellen was just trying to help a stranger. That was how it started: giving a few minutes respite to a flustered young mother sitting opposite her on the train. A few minutes holding her baby while the mother makes an urgent call. Five minutes pass. Ten. The train pulls into a station and Ellen is stunned to see the mother hurrying away down the platform, without looking back. Leaving her baby behind. Ellen is about to raise the alarm when she discovers a note in the baby's bag: Please protect Mia. Don't trust the police. Don't trust anyone.

The concept of this was a really interesting and intriguing one and it immediately made me think, what would I do in the same circumstances. I did predict who 'The Ghost' was as soon as all the fingers were pointed in opposite directions. In a way, I wish the other suspects hadn't all been painted as the 'bad guys' quite as much as they had, as I thought to myself, I'm now 99% sure who is behind everything. But I did like the short snappy chapters and how they kept me wanting more, which is what made it a real page turner. That and the fact that I actually cared about what was going to happen to Mia and I was rooting for Ellen too.

The Invitation by A.M. Castle

Thirteen guests. One killer. No escape. On an island on the coast of Cornwall, cut off from the mainland by the tides for most of the day, thirteen old friends meet at Tregowan Castle for a weekend of revelry. By the next evening only twelve are still alive. Amongst them is a killer - but who? As a storm traps them on the island and past betrayals and grievances are revealed, nerves fray and friendships begin to fracture. But with no escape and no way of calling for help it’s only a matter of time before the killer strikes again. And when everyone is keeping secrets, anybody could be the next victim.

I completely understand why this has been compared to Lucy Foley's The Guest List (see my review here) but this didn't quite measure up. It does help to make it more of a mystery as to who the murderer could be as literally every single person on the island has a motive and reason to kill some of the others. But for that reason a lot of/the majority of the characters are pretty unlikeable. The reveal of the killer in the end also felt quite rushed and not fully explained like I thought it would be, given that there were many chapters from his perspective throughout.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

The text message arrives in the small hours of the morning: I need you. Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her. Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game, competing to convince people of outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of hiding the truth, something terrible has been found on the beach. The friends’ darkest secret is about to come to light.

This is the fourth book that I have read from Ruth Ware and sadly it was my least favourite. I struggled to keep reading this as it just felt so slow and drawn out. Everything moved at such an ambling pace and because of this the 'mystery' loses a lot of its momentum and lustre. I kept hoping that there would be an exciting or interesting twist or plot point, that never came. It is very well written, as all of Ruth Ware's books are but this really fell flat for me.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Between life and death there is a library and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices. Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?

The concept of The Midnight Library is a brilliant one. Think Sliding Doors but instead of one parallel life, there are quite literally infinite options. And the message is one that will have me recommending this book to many, many people for years to come. I've got a feeling that it will have you reflecting on your own life and your choices, regrets, future, etc. There is quite a bit of technical jargon and what you would probably consider the sci-fi elements, that feel a bit superfluous and even a tiny bit repetitive. But I could easily have read several more chapters on Nora's different lives.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance (They set the rules via email). Everyone can see they’re head over heels (They staged the photos). This must be true love (They’re faking it). When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together. So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet. But this fauxmance is about to get complicated. You can’t break your heart in a fake relationship - can you?

Was it predictable? Yes. Did it also take a considerable amount of time for the fauxmance to begin? Yes. It also felt quite long and drawn out and the pacing was a bit off in places. I would have loved if the conclusion didn't feel quite as rushed or even if there was a 'three months later...' chapter to really tie things up. And what happened in regards to taking their relationship to the next level felt just as rushed. But I did enjoy the read overall. It just wasn't quite up there with the likes of Last Night and even The Hating Game.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

2017: 19 year old Tallulah is going out on a date, leaving her baby with her mother, Kim. As late evening turns into night, which turns into early morning, she waits for her return. And waits. The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah's friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place. She never returns. 2019: Sophie is walking in the woods near the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started work as a head-teacher when she sees a note fixed to a tree; 'DIG HERE'.

This may be the first Lisa Jewell book that I've read but it certainly won't be the last. I liked that it wasn't blatantly obvious what had happened to Tallulah and Zach or who was the one/who were the ones leaving the clues in the current timeline. The ending was also pretty strong and didn't go down the totally unbelievable route than many books like this often do. As soon as what happened that night is finally revealed, the pacing really picks up and I found myself almost rushing through to see how everything would be resolved.

Publication date: 22nd July 2021

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.

I knew the obvious things about Michelle Obama. But all of this felt quite surface level. So I really enjoyed learning about her childhood, upbringing, academic pursuits, career journey and life as a mother and a wife, as well as a daughter, sister and friend. Michelle's words are incredibly inspiring throughout. Parts are moving, parts are motivating and encouraging. But it is all incredibly well written and honest. And I would definitely recommend that everyone reads this memoir, whether they're a big fan of US politics or not.