JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton

Amsterdam in the year 1705. Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the theatre, Walter, the love of her life, awaits her, but at home in the house on the Herengracht, winter has set in – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother Marin died, the secrets from the past begin to overwhelm the present.

Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight. And indeed, the ball does set things spinning: new figures enter their life, promising new futures. But their fates are still unclear, and when Nella feels a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she wonders if the miniaturist has returned for her . . .

Set in 18th century Amsterdam, Jessie Burton’s The House of Fortune is the companion novel to her internationally best-selling novel ‘The Miniaturist’. Taking place 18 years after the end of The Miniaturist, Nella has helped raise Otto and Marin’s daughter Thea without any reappearances of the miniaturist. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t far away.

Nella’s family are struggling financially — Otto has lost his job and Nella and Thea are keeping up appearances despite their savings drying up. Thea, unbeknownst to anyone else, is conducting an affair with a local painter who she hopes to marry — she rejects Nella’s suggestion of marrying into wealth to save the family from financial distress.

“Thea closes the front door and leans against it in the cold air, placing the golden dress on the step in order to rip apart the paper. When she sees what is lying inside, she lets out a gasp of delight. It seems impossible, but it’s true. Here is Walter, miniaturised to absolute perfection.”

Written in third person and moving between Nella and Thea’s perspectives, we once again experience that reserved, distant voice that Jessie Burton is known for. Despite being set one generation later, the events from the first book still loiter in this tale — the circumstances surrounding Thea’s birth, the identity of her mother and what she was like as a person, the death of Nella’s first husband, and of course, the miniaturist who plagued her marriage. When Thea begins receiving small miniatures delivered to the house, it propels her in a direction no one could foresee, quickening the pacing towards a tense finale.

Whilst I didn’t love this as much as the first book (I don’t feel that the magic and intrigue is as prevalent as this one),Thea takes the reins throughout the story and is quite the fascinating protagonist. The period setting of the book is, as always, elegant and enticing to read, and it is enjoyable to step back into these lives eight years later.

“There is a long silence. The four of them contemplate a future that has suddenly become yet more uncertain. It’s as if the ropes that were tethering the have been severed, and are snaking away, and Thea and her family are drifting into unknown waters with no sense of where they might go.”

Through Thea’s role and presence in society, we come to understand the inherent prejudice of a child born from an upper class, white mother and an African servant. Other people’s feelings towards Thea’s lineage can be felt bubbling under the surface, threatening to rise with each passing chapter. And because Thea feels she is left in the dark about her mother, and the circumstances leading up to her death, she rebels against the family’s expectations of her.

I know this is marketed as a companion novel and not a sequel, but I feel that prior knowledge of The Miniaturist is advised for this one – truthfully, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read the first book. There’s something so magical about the original story, which makes it all the more enticing to step back into this world for The House of Fortune. If you have read The Miniaturist, but it’s been some time and you can’t really remember what happened, I was the same and just did a quick Google search to refresh my memory.

“Jacob is impressed by the house, Nella can tell. Its flesh might be scanter these days, but the bones are strong. He cranes his head back to admire the trompe l’oeil on the ceiling. He stares at the grisailles on the wall with the same intensity he had focused upon Thea in Clara Sarragon’s antechamber.”

Recommended for fans of The Miniaturist, as well as sweeping, magical sagas set in 18th century Europe. There’s a beauty to this setting and these characters, brought to life with Jessie’s signature prose and dialogue. Readership skews female, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The House of Fortune
Jessie Burton
July 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger.

You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost.

That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake . . .
. . . and it is yesterday.

Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it.

Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don’t have a choice but to find them . . .

A highly original psychological thriller, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time starts with a murder and travels back in time to illustrate the circumstances that led to the violent death.

Up late one night, Jen witnesses her 18-year-old son Todd stab a man to death out the front of their home. There is no doubt that her son committed the crime, but there’s no indication that he feels remorse for the murder. And the victim? He seems to be a stranger to Jen and the family. So why did her son kill him?

When she wakes up the next day and discovers she’s now 24 hours in the past, it kickstarts a journey back through time to discover what led her son to kill a complete stranger, and hopefully, it might lead Jen to understand how the death can be prevented.

“Jen stands there, staring at it, at this betrayal in her hand. She hadn’t thought what she would do if she found something. She never thought she would. She holds the long, sinister black handle. The panic begins again, a tide of anxiety that goes out to sea but always, always returns.”

Written in third person and intricately plotted, Wrong Place, Wrong Time is an incredibly clever feat, and I genuinely think this is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. The premise feels original and unique, and I felt fully invested in the storyline. As Jen travels further into the past and events start to get quite complex, I still found it easy to keep track of characters, sequences, events and timelines. This shows how much meticulous planning has gone into this book.

Books that experiment with time travel can be hit-and-miss but readers will love this one. At its core, this is a story about a mother who will do anything to help her son and keep him out of harm. As soon as she starts travelling back in time, she infiltrates his world and comes to learn the people he surrounds himself with are not as authentic and trustworthy as they may initially seem.

“He folds his arms, his wedding ring catching the sunlight. He is looking closely at her, his eyes scanning her face. She is suddenly self-conscious under his gaze, as though he is about to uncover something awful, something deadly.”

Whilst we follow Jen for most of the novel, there are some chapters from the perspective of a young police officer. For a time I was wondering why his story was relevant to the overarching plot, but when the twist hits it really sideswipes you as the reader — what a fantastic plot device!

The only element of the book that I couldn’t quite love is the reasonings behind why Todd committed the murder in the first chapter. Even after we learn about the past, there does seem to be a slight disconnect between what Todd knew and why he felt the need to murder someone – did he try anything else before resorting to murder? It did feel a little extreme…

“She does nothing, so he brushes past, leaving her there, alone, in the mist, wondering what’s happening. Whether the future has continued on without her. If there’s another Jen somewhere. Asleep, or too shocked to function? In the world where Todd is probably currently remanded, arrested, charged, convicted. Alone.”

Fast-paced, high-stakes, and highly engrossing, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time is recommended for readers of crime, thriller and mystery. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Gillian McAllister
June 2022
Penguin Random House Book Publishers

Here for the Right Reasons by Jodi McAlister

When Cece James agrees to be cast as a ‘Juliet’ on the next season of the hit television show Marry Me, Juliet, it’s certainly not for the right reasons. She’s knee deep in debt and desperate for the associated paycheck. The last thing on her mind is the hunky ‘Romeo’ waiting for her at the end of the gravel driveway.

But Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor isn’t your usual fame-hungry TV star. An Olympic gold medallist with calloused hands, kind eyes and a propensity for panic attacks, it turns out he’s not here for the right reasons either. As spokesperson for a men’s mental health foundation, and the franchise’s first non-white male lead, Dylan’s got a charity to plug and something to prove.

When Cece gets eliminated on the first night, it seems like her and Dylan’s awkward first meeting will be their last conversation. But when the TV set is shut down unexpectedly, Cece and Dylan suddenly get a little more time together than they’d expected.

Will love bloom when the cameras stop rolling?

Heartwarming fiction for the romance fans, Jodi McAlister’s Here For the Right Reasons is commercial women’s fiction taking place on the film set of a Bachelor-style reality program. Our main character, Cece, is desperate for some easy money. But when she’s eliminated on the first night and then the mansion goes into COVID lockdown, she’s forced to come up with an alternate plan to keep her on camera and on the payroll.

Anyone who has watched The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, or even the drama series UnReal, will understand almost immediately the setup of this novel. A large cast of women are searching for love…on television. Cece struggles in front of the camera and so makes quite a fool of herself on the opening night. But she’s tenacious and motivated by money, and so she’s able to find an alternate solution for staying valuable during production.

“The crowds parted in a very dramatic, very unrealistic way (had they rehearsed that while I was in with Murray?), and Lily strutted towards me, a smirk curling her lips.”

This novel has a very commercial hook, drawing readers in almost immediately from the blurb alone. The setting is familiar and so it has a very clear, established readership. Overall, the story is fun, cute and light-hearted. It’s the kind of book you take on holiday or a plane – something you read when you just need something to pick you up, nothing too heavy.

Whilst the ending felt a little predictable, the journey along the way certainly didn’t feel that way. This was an entertaining read, bringing some really colourful and at times outlandish characters to the forefront of the story and building pace with each chapter.

My favourite character was Murray. He appears largely on the periphery, but he toggles being jaded and sceptical, stressed and exhausted. As such, he adds comic value during key moments of the book and holds a steady presence in the book.

“He wasn’t wrong. It was gorgeous. A long lawn stretched out before us, bracketed on either side by rows of tall, dark hedges, straight and green like a fairway on a gold course. Downhill from us, it rolled to the edge of a sparkling lake.”

I did feel like Cece’s character possessed a lack of agency in the story – most of the time, she was simply waiting around for her time with Dylan, and it meant those in-between scenes lulled quite a bit.

Additionally, I do think there was opportunity for some more interactions and bonding between her and the other eliminated girls. We really only got small glimpses of them (usually when they were angry and only discussing Dylan) that felt largely one-dimensional. What were these girls actually like? I genuinely felt that we got very little insight into their personalities.

“Our first friend spot was early the next morning. At the crack of dawn, a couple of the camera crew came in and installed the mounted cameras in the corners of the room. Close behind them was a soundie, who strung up some tiny little mics dangling from long strings attached to the ceiling.”

Fun, readable and full of heart, Jodi McAlister’s Here For the Right Reasons is recommended for romance and women’s fiction readers. Readership skews female, 20+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Here For The Right Reasons
Jodi McAlister
July 2022
Simon and Schuster Book Publishers

A Remarkable Woman by Jules Van Mil

Twenty-six-year-old Frenchwoman Avril Montdidier sails from Paris to Australia with a suitcase and a dream: to start her own fashion business.

1950s Melbourne is very different from the chic atelier of Dior where Avril once worked, but she is determined, courageous and resourceful.

When personal circumstances force her to flee Melbourne, she travels to a cattle station in southern Queensland to work as a governess. It is here Avril meets Tim: the eldest son of her benefactor and heir to Monaghan Station.

Avril must grapple with her twin desires – her love for Tim, who is set to marry someone else, and her yearning for independence.

Jules Van Mil’s A Remarkable Woman is a sweeping saga set in the wake of World War II, as a young woman escapes tragedy in Paris for the cattle stations of Queensland, and eventually settles within the fashion industry of 1950s Melbourne.

A mix between commercial woman’s fiction and historical fiction, A Remarkable Woman is an uplifting tale of one woman’s perseverance amidst a suite of tragic circumstances. Set in a time when women were seen as second class to men, Avril is determined to succeed, even if it takes longer than she’d hoped. She’s determined, headstrong and a very patient woman — she knows to put her own dreams first, even if that takes sacrifice.

“At the back of the stables, Avril found Guy and they sprinted, hand in hand, down the row of poplar trees. They climbed a wooden fence next to a field of sunflowers and made their way to the grassy bank of the river. As they sat and watched the ducks swim by, they talked about the coming summer.”

Fans of historical fiction will fall in love with the setting, characters and the storyline. A Remarkable Woman traverses quite a long period of time, which is refreshing to read in this genre. Jules shows us how hard it can be for a woman in this time period to achieve their dreams, and how many side steps they must take before getting back on track. I think it’s important to have historical stories where someone’s success develops in a realistic time frame, when considering the era they’re living in.

Setting is one of the strengths of this novel, as Jules captures the chic Parisian location in the opening chapters of the book, and then the vast, open and sometimes unforgiving Australian landscape for the rest of the story. Other strengths in the novel are characterisation, dialogue, pacing and the dynamic between Avril and those she is closest to.

“It had been less than a week but Avril had missed the banter they shared on the ship, as well as their more serious discussions about the careers they hoped to have. They had seen how war had destroyed opportunities for young people in their homeland, and had vowed to make the most of their new lives.”

As a big fan of historical fiction, I adored Avril’s story and her journey throughout the book. I loved that the relationship wasn’t the forefront of the story, and that ultimately, this is a story about a woman following her passions and her dreams to carve a career for herself. She doesn’t let doubts consume her, and she doesn’t let heartache — which she frequently experiences — delay her success. Ultimately, Avril is an independent woman who doesn’t want to have to rely on anyone to solidify her position in society.

“At the station, the last whistle for her train was blowing as Avril raced along the platform and wrenched open the door of the first-class carriage, scrambling in. A porter appeared and motioned for her ticket.”

Charming, wholesome and recommended for readers of historical fiction, romance and women’s fiction, A Remarkable Woman will sweep up readers and keep them engaged until the very end. Readership skews female, 30+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Remarkable Woman
Jules Van Mil
July 2022
Pan Macmillan Book Publishers

The Bay by Allie Reynolds

Kenna arrives in Sydney to surprise her best friend. But Mikki and her fiancé Jack are about to head away on a trip, so Kenna finds herself tagging along for the ride. Sorrow Bay is beautiful, wild and dangerous. A remote surfing spot with waves to die for, cut off from the rest of the world. Here Kenna meets a mysterious group of people who will do anything to keep their paradise a secret.

Sky, Ryan, Clemente and Victor have come to disappear from life. But what did they leave behind? As Kenna gets drawn into their world, she sees the extremes they are prepared to go to for the next thrill. And everyone seems to be hiding something. What is her best friend involved in and can she get her away? Because one thing is becoming rapidly clear about The Bay: nobody ever leaves.

Allie Reynolds’ second psychological thriller The Bay is largely set within the confines of a secluded Sydney beach, centred around a group of friends who will do anything to keep the location a secret. The Bay is another adrenalin-charged read for fans of thrillers.

Kenna heads to Australia to surprise her best friend Mikki, who is about to marry a man she barely knows. Kenna’s true intentions for visiting are to convince Mikki to end the relationship, but before she’s able to do that she’s caught up in a surfing and camping holiday that Mikki and her fiancé already had planned with their friends. Suddenly, Kenna is without a phone and sharing a beach with Mikki’s mysterious and arguably suspicious group of surfing friends.

“He’s all over her. I’m not convinced there really are any mosquitoes. I think it’s just an excuse to touch her. I glance at Mikki, embarrassed on her behalf, but she doesn’t react. Almost as if he does this a lot.”

Allie always keeps the group of suspects contained within a secluded environment – with Shiver, it was the ‘reunion’ in the French Alps, and here in The Bay, it’s the unknown beach. The group is always a well-maintained number of people, not too large that you start to confuse characters with each other, and not so small that you can easily guess who the culprit is.

As the characters in The Bay start being killed off, the pool of suspects gets smaller and smaller. And yet, at no point did I feel like I knew who the killer was. Each character has the potential to be responsible – they’ve all got a killer instinct, quick reflexes, and a past they wish to hide.

“The shortboarder pulls alongside the longboarder, gesturing angrily. Behind them, the bodyboarder darts about as though intending to cut up the middle. The wave shuts down, sending them flying in a tangle of limbs, boards and foam. I hold my breath until all three heads surface.”

Dispersed throughout the book are flashbacks from the course of Mikki and Kenna’s friendship, which shows just how long they’ve known each other and what they’ve overcome together. Kenna, once an avid surfer, is still reeling from the drowning accident that killed her boyfriend, and this surfing trip with Mikki might be what she needs to overcome her trauma with the ocean. If only she could trust the people around her…

Most of the book is written from Kenna’s perspective, with a few chapters from the other characters and the occasional italicised chapter from the killer’s perspective. There’s something about Allie’s writing that is incredibly compulsive – dialogue is a real strength and does a lot of the groundwork for establishing the dynamic between the characters. We learn a lot about how the characters deal with their trauma by how they talk about it with others, which explains why the group are a little slow to figure out there’s someone willing to kill off other people to keep their beach a secret.

“The hairs on Jack’s thigh rub my ankle. This guy has no sense of personal space. Clemente looks over at us, his expression dark. Then I notice Sky and Ryan watching me too.”

Fans of Allie’s first novel Shiver will be pleased with this follow up. Another compulsive, unique psychological thriller, and this time with an authentic Australian setting. Readership skews 20+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Bay
Allie Reynolds
June 2022
Hachette Book Publishers Australia