JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

They went away as friends
They came back as suspects . . .

Jack and Rachel. Noah and Paige. Will and Ali. Five friends who’ve known each other for years. And Ali, Will’s new fiancée.

To celebrate the forthcoming wedding, all three couples are having a weekend get-away together in Portugal. It’s a chance to relax and get to know Ali a little better perhaps. A newcomer to their group, she seems perfectly nice and Will seems happy after years of bad choices. But Ali is hiding more than one secret . . .

By the end of the weekend there’ll be one dead body and five people with guilty consciences wondering if they really know each other so well after all. Because one of them has to be the killer…

Sandie Jones’ The Guilt Trip is a domestic thriller set during a weekend get-away in a Portuguese villa for a friend’s glamorous wedding. There are three sets of couples and a long list of secrets between them. By the end of the weekend, someone will be dead and someone will be responsible.

This has to be my favourite Sandie Jones novel so far. The plotting is neater, the mystery more hidden, and the events unfold in a much more realistic manner. The premise is simple yet effective, and the tension between the characters will entice any fan of thrillers.

“The bed is unmade, the sheets tangled, and their pillows still show the indentations of their heads. She lets out a relieved sigh. What the hell was she thinking? How had she allowed a fleeting image, one that she can’t even be sure she saw, to infiltrate her mind and bring about insecurities she never even knew she had?”

Written in third person, the novel centres around protagonist Rachel. No one knows about her short fling with best friend Noah two decades earlier, and it’s important the secret stays a secret. But her husband is acting shady, and no one really likes Will’s fiancé. She’s fleeting and secretive, and far too young for him. But over time, the group will come to learn first impressions aren’t always accurate and it can be the people you least expect who hold the greatest secrets.

Hints are dropped sporadically and carefully, so you’re never really sure what’s going to happen until the drama has unfolded. Chapters end on cliffhangers, encouraging you to keep going. The Guilt Trip is a great holiday or aeroplane read – something to devour in a short amount of time.

“Twenty years have passed, and Noah has no doubt developed a whole heap of idiosyncrasies that she knows nothing about, and enjoyed experiences with Paige that she’ll never have a window onto, yet, for some reason, she stills feels she knows him better than anyone else.”

Despite loving this book, there were a couple of gripes I had. Firstly, it was really hard to keep track of all the characters, even when I was well into the book. I kept getting Noah and Jack mixed up. And when we find out that Jack and Rachel have a son called Josh, I started getting Jack and Josh mixed up. I got backstories confused, and relationships confused. I had to pause a lot to remember who was who before continuing. I’d say it was about the halfway mark before I felt more confident with the character names.

Secondly, people looking for a murder mystery should be warned that the death mentioned in the blurb actually doesn’t happen until the final chapters, so most of the book is about the relationships between these five adults. It is a bit ‘soap opera’ and so won’t be suitable for all readers, but I really enjoyed it.

Thirdly, I found the characterisation of Paige to be a little inconsistent. No spoilers, but once you get to the end and look back, I found her actions and dialogue to be a bit hard to swallow. Was she meant to be a red herring? I found her a little confusing.

“She shakes herself down as the unfamiliar, and wholly unwelcome, thoughts wrap themselves around her psyche. She tells herself that this is merely a knee-jerk reaction to seeing Noah unconscious on the beach today.”

Addictive and entertaining, The Guilt Trip is recommended for readers of domestic thrillers. Readership skews female, 25+

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

The Guilt Trip
Sandie Jones
July 2021
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Eighth Wonder by Tania Farrelly

New York, 1897. The richest city in the world.

Beautiful, young and privileged, Rose Kingsbury Smith is expected to play by the strict rules of social etiquette, to forfeit all career aspirations and to marry a man of good means. But she has a quietly rebellious streak and is determined to make her own mark on Manhattan’s growing skyline. When the theft of a precious heirloom plunges the Kingsbury Smiths into financial ruin, Rose becomes her family’s most tradeable asset. She finds herself fighting for her independence and championing the ideal of equality for women everywhere.

Enigmatic Ethan Salt’s inglorious circus days are behind him. He lives a quiet life on Coney Island with his beloved elephant Daisy and is devoted to saving animals who’ve been brutalised by show business. As he struggles to raise funds for his menagerie, he fears he will never build the sanctuary of his dreams … until a chance encounter with a promising young architect changes his life forever.

Just when Rose is on the verge of seeing her persistence pay off, the ghosts of her past threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. In the face of heartbreaking prejudice and betrayal, she must learn to harness her greatest wonder within.

Historical fiction at its finest, Tania Farrelly’s debut novel The Eighth Wonder is a sweeping saga that will take readers all over New York and Coney Island in 1897, an incredibly progressive era for visionaries and creative individuals who dared to dream.

Written in third person, we meet the beautiful and wealthy Rose just as her family loses an expensive heirloom to a thief. Soon, they’re struggling to pay the bills and the stress placed on her family forces Rose’s mother to encourage a marriage – something Rose never wanted. It forces Rose to be look for success elsewhere, in an effort to save her family from destitution.

“Rose hovered for a moment, her mind reeling with the truth about Jack. For a moment she just stood there, rooted to the spot, feeling a strange mix of betrayal and hurt. She pressed her hand to her throat, as if it might smooth her breathing.”

The Eighth Wonder shines a light on women who exceeded expectations and followed their instincts. Rose is an intelligent visionary, desperate for more than a future as a wife and mother. She has to fight society’s expectations of her, as well as her own mother. Her father too sometimes doubts her, although there’s clearly a very strong relationship between the two that gives Rose strength and drive to pursue her passion for architecture.

Rose’s character development comes with acknowledging her elitism and privilege, and there’s a pretty striking scene where she ventures into another area of New York and is confronted with the harsh realities of how the other half live. Over time, she comes to realise there’s more to life than riches. It’s about staying true to yourself, and those you love.

“Once, he would have made a run for it. But now that he stood a full six foot four and a half inches in bare feet and had a face that invited second glances, he’d discovered the most effective way to escape any threat was to stay cool.”

Rose’s love of architecture was an interesting addition to the plot, and something I loved reading. Architecture would’ve been such a male-dominated industry in the late 1800s New York City, so watching Rose persevere through setbacks, more determined than ever, was heart-warming.

Animal welfare is another theme explored in the book, and as I understand it, inspired by true events. Reading about Jake and Ethan and their determination to limit abuse to animals was a touching element to the story.

Tania’s writing is stripped and sleek, it’s hard to accept this is a debut. This slots into the historical fiction genre effortlessly.

“For the first time ever, Rose doubted whether he would defend her. She wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole, especially on seeing Edith take her place by the mantel and swirl the brandy Rose had wrongly assumed was for her father.”

The Eighth Wonder is recommended for fans of historical fiction. Readership skews female, 30+

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

This review is featured by Twinkl in their blog about the latest must-read books. See more recommendations and get involved at Book Lovers’ Top Picks For Your 2021 TBR List.

The Eighth Wonder
Tania Farrelly
July 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

A hug in book form – the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive rethinks the self-help book.

Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.

The Comfort Book is a collection of little islands of hope. It gathers consolations and stories that give new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. Matt Haig’s mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin.

This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend, the comfort of a hug or just to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive.

The most powerful moment in life is when you decide not to be scared anymore.

Anyone who has read a Matt Haig book before will know what they’re in for with this one. The Comfort Book is a reassuring, uplifting collection of anecdotes, lessons, advice and reflections to help even the most secure of people feel loved and supported.

There’ll be something for every reader in this book. Some stories won’t resonate, but others will. Some advice won’t help, but there will be advice that will. There’ll be reflections you won’t be able to relate to, and then there’ll be reflections that you will. Sit back, put away your phone, and delve into this book. It’s exactly as the blurb describes — a warm hug, in book form.

“You don’t have to continually improve yourself to love yourself. Love is not something you only deserve if you reach a goal. The world is a world of pressure but don’t let it squeeze your self-compassion. You were born worthy of love and you remain worthy of love. Be kind to yourself.”

Like his previous works, this book isn’t very long, and there aren’t a lot of words on the pages. I breezed through this in one sitting, and then found prime placement on my shelf for this book to stand tall.

Each page offers a terse, brief pearl of wisdom, perhaps even a listicle. The Comfort Book allows for reflection and contemplation, and prompts the reader to think beyond the page and into the various aspects of their life. There are a couple of personal stories in here, but mostly this book feels very open-ended, allowing the reader to insert themselves to each scenario that they feel relation to.

“The sky isn’t more beautiful if you have perfect skin. Music doesn’t sound more interesting if you have a six-pack. Dogs aren’t better company if you’re famous. Pizza tastes good regardless of your job title. The best of life exists beyond the things we are encouraged to crave.”

Stylistically, there is no linear narrative to this book. You can read it in whichever order you would like, as slow as quick as you’d like. Each new page offers a new perspective or learning, so nothing carries over to the next page. This is a great read for people who aren’t seasoned readers, because it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming task to delve in. A beautiful book like this could be a great coffee table gift for a friend, family member or loved one.

“We grow through hard times. Growth is change. And when everything is easy, we have no reason to change. The most painful moments in life expand us. And when the pain leaves, space remains. Space we can fill with life itself.”

Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book should be embraced by all readers, not just those in need of reassurance. It’s a beautiful package and a very quick read, and deserves placement on a bookshelf for those difficult times when you really need a bit of guidance. Readership skews 25+

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

The Comfort Book
Matt Haig
July 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

Rabbits by Terry Miles

What happens in the game, stays in the game . . .

Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes fatal underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumours of money, CIA recruitment or even immortality. Or it might unlock the universe’s greatest secrets. But everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes – and the body count is rising. Since the game first started, ten iterations have taken place . . . and the eleventh round is about to begin.

K can’t get enough of the game and has been trying to find a way in for years. Then Alan Scarpio, reclusive billionaire and alleged Rabbits winner, shows up out of nowhere. And he charges K with a desperate mission. Something has gone badly wrong with the game and K needs to fix it – before Eleven starts – or the world will pay the price.

Five days later, Scarpio is declared missing. Two weeks after that Eleven begins, so K blows the deadline. And suddenly, the fate of the entire universe is at stake.

Terry Miles’ debut technothriller Rabbits is centred around an underground global game that is played largely in secret, but with dangerous consequences. The novel will appeal to reluctant male readers, particularly teenagers. It’s a high-stakes, high-tension story that progresses at breakneck speed.

If you dare play the game, you best keep it to yourself. Follow the clues, find the coincidences, and if you win the game you could acquire all that you desire — wealth, possessions and more. Written in first person POV from K’s perspective, we come to understand just how deep his obsession with Rabbits runs. His first interaction with the game resulted in the death of a childhood friend, and it almost killed him as well. When his parents die soon after, he processes his grief by burying his attention in the game.

“In 2016, we’d begun hearing rumours that the ninth iteration of the game had finally started, and I immediately became so obsessed with playing that I ignored every other aspect of my life and almost stopped sleeping completely.”

Terry’s writing is stripped back, allowing the dialogue and action to take focus for the story. Whilst this can sometimes feel a little dry and monotonous, I think it works for a novel like this. It’s all about the game — the progression. And whilst K seems like an unreliable narrator because of his obsession with the game, his uncontrollable blackouts and his memory lapses, it all adds to the intrigue surrounding the game.

Set in the United States, events progress in a linear fashion, and the entire novel actually takes place across a relatively short period of time. What readers will love most is K’s experience hunting clues alongside his girlfriend Chloe. It felt a bit like a treasure hunt, something that all readers will enjoy. If your partner or son or family member is a bit of a ‘sometimes’ reader and it’s hard to find books they’ll really love, this is something I’d recommend purchasing. It’s certainly a story I can envision on the big screen.

“I wondered why we couldn’t see this thing from Earth. How had we never discovered it? I tried to see the bottom, to figure out its geographic location, but I wasn’t able to see enough of the Earth’s surface to place the tower among the familiar shapes of the continents.”

Admittedly, the clues seem a little coincidental at times. And while the novel starts strong and maintains pace and tension, the final hundred pages speed up so much that I felt overwhelmed by the plot and not completely sure what happened. I’m still not sure if I completely understand how we got to the ending — it’s certainly a twisty and mind-bending resolution. And I think that’s intentional?

Readers will likely find themselves just going along for the ride. If you delve too much into the events of the storyline, and the plausibility of the events, you’ll just be left scratching your head. Because to be honest, after 400 pages, I’m not even sure how the game works? How does it start? How do you even know if you’re winning?

“I’d always imagined I was connected to the world of Rabbits somehow, but it was an ephemeral feeling, fleeting, always just out of reach. And yet something felt different his time — something that might finally justify the hours spent online searching for clues to a game that at times over the years I wasn’t sure actually existed.”

Complex but satisfying, Rabbits is recommended for fans of Ready Player One. Readership skews male 16+. Readers will love the pop culture references.

Side note – apparently this novel is based on a podcast by Terry Miles, which I had no prior knowledge of but I was still able to experience and follow the novel. So don’t feel discouraged if you’re not familiar with the podcast.

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

Rabbits
Terry Miles
June 2021
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over-especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control.
By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames.

But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Lifestyle of the rich and the famous! Taylor Jenkins Reid’s literary novel Malibu Rising explores one unforgettable night in the life of a wealthy, famous family, where everyone is forced to confront their mistakes and their secrets. Malibu Rising is a beautiful, delightful and enchanting novel, whisking readers away on an emotional journey through time.

Whilst the story moves back and forth between decades, the main storyline is that of the present — the four children of famous singer-songwriter Mick Riva are planning a Malibu party. The events of the book take place over 24 hours in 1983, where eldest daughter Nina is reeling from a failed marriage and cheating husband.

Sporadic chapters propel us back to 1956, where Nina’s mother, June, meets Mick. He’s not yet famous, and over the course the novel we follow their love story. Despite sharing an instant connection, he is not loyal nor is he a faithful husband. After a string of affairs and disappearances, and June’s descend into alcoholism, suddenly Nina must take on the role of caregiver for her three younger siblings. It’s a role she adopts for most of her adult life.

“Now here he was, nearly a year later, barricaded from his own house. But he’d known from the very moment he punched the mirror that this was looming. Maybe he’d known long before that, too. Maybe he’d always known he couldn’t escape himself.”

Taylor’s writing is inviting and emotional — we grow to love Nina and her siblings, we sympathise for them, we root for them. But June’s story is as tragic as Nina’s. She’s sweet-hearted and full of hope. She has dreams that exceed what her parents expect of her. She wants to do more than just take over her parents’ fish and chip shop — she wants to find love and have children and she wants to be blissfully happy. And when she meets Mick, she naively thinks he’ll give that to her.

Nina and her siblings have bonded over quite tragic of circumstances. Even betrayal is short-lived between them, because they’ve weathered worse during their childhoods. Taylor Jenkins Reid has crafted four young characters who have all been broken by the absence of their father — his rejection of them. Their mother did the best she could, but any success they possess is of their own doing, and they’ve spent their relatively short lives purely trying to survive, and I can imagine it’d be exhausting.

“Nina grew more and more anxious with every second. He could fall off, he could lose the board, he could break his leg or his hand or go under. Nina quietly calculated how she would save him, or what she would say if the owner showed up, how she could handle all of this if it went south.”

The novel centres around an infamous and raucous party, but it’s worth noting the party doesn’t really kick off until at least halfway through the novel. For most of the story, we’re in June’s timeline. By the time the party rolls around, the events of the evening seem a bit squished together in an unnatural, fast-paced scene.

Admittedly, the ending did feel a bit farfetched. Not the fire, which is teased in the prologue. But the confrontations between the siblings, and the resolution of Nina’s journey in the book. It all felt a little stretched and over the top, particularly in the dialogue — like a caricature of reality. In most scenes that feature Mick, present or past, his dialogue can border on cringeworthy.

“So Nina knew she couldn’t cancel a party like that. The Rivas might not be like most families, being just the four of them, but they had their traditions. And anyway, there was no good way to cancel a party that never had any invitations. People were coming, whether she wanted them there or not.”

Malibu Rising is recommended for readers of contemporary fiction, and romance. The novel moves between the 1950s-1980s, so those of you who love reading stories set during these decades will appreciate the setting. Readership skews female, 25+

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

Malibu Rising
Taylor Jenkins Reid
June 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers