The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena

I was so excited to crack this book open,  I love crime, I love a thriller, I love to torture myself with books about missing children because it is my worst nightmare. But this book was not what I expected. 

Firstly because I didn't like or sympathize with the protagonists, May, the mother, was weak and pathetic, fumbling around trying to solve the mystery and missing so many important factors and Nico, the father, was selfish and sleazy. 

The story follows Nico and May as they attend a dinner party hosted by the most horrible people in the world, their next door neighbors. They leave baby Cora in bed at home, taking turns to check in on her, when they return home later, their front door is open and Cora has gone. 

This story-line will take you places you never imagined, its a real (sometimes mental) journey. It leaves you however, with one question. Who the hell does the title refer too? May and Nico or the worst neighbors ever next door?

3 stars for me, its a good formula, but not one of my favorite goes at it. 

Little Girl Gone - Alexandra Burt.

So when I googled this book it turns out it has also been published as "Remember Mia" which is slightly confusing however, this book immediately drew me in, because as a parent, there is no torture like a well fleshed out and terrifying tale of a child going missing. It is yet another book that is drawing Gone Girl comparisons, but does it live up to them? 

It follows Estelle, mother to Mia, whose marriage is falling apart and on top of that, she isn't blossoming into motherhood. Estelle wakes up in hospital and slowly she remembers that her daughter Mia is missing, as she journeys into her memory trying to unravel the mystery she remembers several basic details. Mia was missing before Estelle was injured, but instead of phoning the police, Estelle tried to find her alone. With everything else a blur and no trace of Mia anywhere, Estelle is sent to a memory specialist, to try and retrieve the truth, did she hurt Mia? Or did someone else?

Its a good story, one of the better "missing child" ones, but you really have to focus, Estelle's narrative is sloppy and confused and when she discovers the truth there is no feeling of satisfaction. 

Its a 4 out of 5 for me, gripping? yes. Gone Girl? no. 

Raylan - Elmore Leonard

If you haven't yet watched Justified, then you absolutely should. Its one of the best TV shows I have ever seen, a real masterpiece that spawned some truly brilliant characters. If you have then pick up this book (or even if you haven't) and read the story from the man who created Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder. Elmore Leonard, King of the Western novel and sadly, now deceased. 

This novel, written after show had begun to air, means the resurrection of the infamous Boyd Crowder, whom Leonard had killed off previously.

He has switched it up from the series and from his first Raylan work Fire in the Hole, drawing elements from both into a gritty, well fleshed out and fascinating story with a lot of elements weaving together, Raylan is as sassy as ever, Boyd as eloquent and dangerous and a band of supporting cast who are hilarious and compelling. 

I finished this within a night, maybe because I love the world of Raylan and Boyd, or equally as likely because Leonard is an incredibly strong writer. 

5 stars. If you haven't met Boyd Crowder on page or screen, then you are really missing out. 

Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healey

I'm going to preface this one by saying that this is the best book I have read this year and it was completely unexpected. It follows Maud, an elderly woman suffering from dementia, who forgets everything, she forgets what to buy at the shop, she forgets who her daughter is but she remembers some things, she remembers that her friend Elizabeth is missing and she remembers that her sister disappeared one day when she was younger.

The story that follows jumps between Maud's two narratives, the first is present day where Maud desperately tries to find her friend Elizabeth and leaves herself a stream of notes reminding her that she is missing. The second follows young Maud, as a teenager, with her parents and sister Sukey and the aftermath of Sukey's disappearance.

Its hard to put this book into a category or even a word, crime? heartbreak? haunting? It covers all the bases. I don't want to give anything away because it is so stunning upon first read. 

A truly beautiful yet sad debut from Emma Healey. Easily five stars. 

After You - Jojo Moyes

Much like Harry Potter, there are some stories that should just end on their original brilliance and Me Before You was, personally, i think, one of them. The image of Lou Clark strolling through Paris, just living was enough for me. I didn't need to know happened next, but Moyes wrote it so i read it, and depressingly i didn't love it anywhere near as much.

When we remeet Lou, she has traveled a bit and finally settled herself in London, distanced from her family, with no friends and a job in an airport bar she hates, she is back to the rut Will tried desperately to pull her from, however, she seems like a very different Lou, shes lost some of her sparkle and her warmth, it felt a little bit like a new character had stepped into an old story. 

When she falls off the balcony of her flat and meets Lily, the daughter Will didn't know he had, Lou is dragged back into the past and forced to visit ghosts she had left behind, like Wills (now divorced) parents. 

Basically everything is different, her own family seem to have completely changed (how old is Thom now?) Nathan pops in (via Email) Lily is a violent whirlwind that i was torn on whether I actually liked for at least half of the book,

I gave it a 2 and a half stars, I finished it quickly because i wanted to know if Lou would ever get her happily ever after, i liked some of the new characters, but i missed the old brilliance that the previous ones had lost, above all i think, it missed Will, a character hole Lily could never fill. 

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

This is one of those books that everybody is reading, everybody is talking about, everyone knows about. I didn't, at least not until i watched the film (huge no no for me there, usually, i read the book first!) however once i watched and loved the film i decided i absolutely wanted to read the book.
The book follows Lou Clark, your normal, everyday girl, with a fabulous wardrobe, a life that's not moving anywhere fast, a reliable boyfriend and within the first chapter, she has been sacked from her job of six years.
Desperate to find work in order to help her already stretched family, Lou takes on the role of carer/companion to Will Traynor, a young quadriplegic, with a dark sense of humor who does not want cheerful Lou around.

It's lovely, it is, until the end nothing "big" really happens, things are in the making yes, but there aren't any huge events, but there doesn't need to be, because as we follow Lou and Will you just fall more and more in love with the book itself. Lou is like sunshine, warm, funny, charming, grounded, completely relate-able, Will is deep, complex, some points an arsehole, some points incredibly charming, the supporting characters are all as well weaved and developed, in particular Treena, Lous big sister and Nathan, Wills other Carer.
It is heartbreakingly beautiful, sad but happy, a whirlwind of emotions played out on each page as it slowly burns to the end but one of the best "chick" novels without a doubt and easy to see why it was chosen to be adapted for a film.
I gave it 5 stars because i absolutely adored it from start to finish and intend to read more by Moyes in future!

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - Jack Thorne & JK Rowling

I love Harry Potter, i've read the books a million times, seen the films, brought the t shirts but i was a little on the fence about the idea of the play. I'm of the opinion that sometimes things should just be left alone in their original brilliance, but i bought it and gave it a go anyway.

Its been a while since i've read anything in the form of a script, which took about ten minutes to adjust too however because Harry Potter and his world are so well known and crafted, its easy to imagine the world around the characters without the description that a book would normally have. 

The story itself was interesting, nothing like the original books obviously, but the fact is that its taken a leap this time, instead of following Harry, Ron and Hermione we now follow Albus Potter and his sidekick and best-friend, Scorpious Malfoy, (very predictable).

My main and only gripe would probably be this, the Ron, Harry and Hermione (and even Draco) that we knew and loved have completely changed, Harry is angry and dark, he lacks compassion. Hermione has lost her spark and Ron has been dumbed down to his film counterpart, completely worthless. It is disappointing to read well loved and fleshed out characters so far removed from their original brilliance. 

That is my only criticism however, it is obvious it would never match the books and to be honest, i think its probably much better on stage, its difficult to gage a script, however it was nice to get another taste of the world of Potter, even if it wasn't necessarily needed. 

4 out of 5 stars for me, i didn't love it the same way i loved JK Rowling's original stories and i would much rather see a prequel. but its an interesting read and i didn't want to stop.