Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan

 

Dear Amy the book I could not put down. I actuality sulked one day when I left it at home instead of bringing it to work to read in my lunch hour. 

I adored this book and was so happy to find out after reading it that Helen has in fact written another book which you know I will not rest until it is in my hands! 

Dear Amy is a heavy book, the subject matter is dense with darkness and Helen navigates through the darkness with care and respect for her subject matter.  From the first pages I was hooked. The story unravels at the perfect pace and much like our leading lady Margot you feel yourself falling into despair with her.  Margot is someone I fell in love with very quickly. The way she see's the world, the way she deals with the world around her and of course the things that start to happen and barrel down on her. She is a flawed woman, she is one us. 

The story as mentioned is not easy to read, I found my stomach turn a little in places but the care Helen takes is clear and makes me feel that I am in safe hands.  Helen I would say is a treasure and I am so pleased I took a punt at something new. 

The book does wrap the story up but not in a nice bow TA DA FINISHED! You come away knowing that yes, this is the real world. This is how it would end. I could imagine Hollywood if they made the story into a film making it all shiny and perfect and I for one am glad that it does not end that way. 

I would recommend this book highly! 

Charlotte Says by Alex Bell

Charlotte Says - Alex Bell 2017 RED EYE 

Following the death of her mother in a terrible fire, Jemima flees to the remote Isle of Skye, to take up a job at a school for girls. There she finds herself tormented by the mystery of what really happened that night. Then Jemima receives a box of Frozen Charlotte dolls from a mystery sender and she begins to remember  - The much-anticipated prequel to the bestselling FROZEN CHARLOTTE. 

I brought this from a charity shop after my delight at reading 'The Silent Companions'  I had not heard of it before nor had I read 'Frozen Charlotte' so of course maybe I needed to have read it to understand a lot about this book but it seemed to read well enough as a stand alone. 

Before starting this review I had a little google and noticed it had for the most part very good reviews so I feel I may be flogged for this review! Go gentle dear fans, it is one woman's opinion after all. 

The writing it self is easy to read, smooth and the addition I had the text was large and it didn't take too long to read however I did find myself waving a few times. It's just odd. 

I found that the story had way too many stories going on and it didn't feel that they jelled that well at all. I couldn't find a single thing that I liked about any of the characters including our main character Jemima. The author seemed to off people with little care, attention or love. I felt no sorrow for the deaths in the book. It felt rushed and clunky. There was little time to mourn and characters seemed to change who they were on the toss of a coin. 

While I did find it as explained about (hell I don't think I could write any better) I do think I like it to some degree otherwise I wouldn't have finished it. It was different and I admire Alex Bell, she clearly enjoys what she writes and others enjoy the books she gives the world. 

The book had a sample chapter of 'Frozen Charlotte' and I can say that no, that doesn't sound like my bag at all but I know it's been enjoyed by many so I'll leave that one alone. I wouldn't recommend this book and will be recycling it back to the charity shop soon.