My Thoughts: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
by Stuart Turton
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Publication Date: September 18th 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: 512
ISBN: 9781492657965
Genre: Adult Fiction | Mystery | Thriller
Source: Netgalley

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How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed—again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend—but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson and Agatha Christie. (Goodreads)

I totally admit that the first thing that drew me to The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was that bold, captivating book cover, as well as the intriguing book title. I was instantly curious! One of my goals for this year was to step out of the box and try reading new stuff, and I’m all about mystery novels at the moment, so this book sounded right up my alley. It was definitely worth the read!!

Imagine having seven days to solve a murder that has already happened, and each day you wake up in a new host’s body, where you have to figure out what exactly happened from each person’s perspective. It’s a vicious reoccurring cycle of events, and the only way you can finally get free is to solve the murder by the end of the last day, or the cycle starts over again. That, dear bookworms, is the mysterious, addictive story you get with The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Let me start by saying that I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before. The story was completely engrossing, and kept me guessing as I flew through the pages. It actually took me a while to catch on to the fact that there were different hosts in the story, but once I figured it out, I found it to be completely fascinating! Seeing the same story happen from so many different viewpoints, and for each person to be so completely different from one another, well... it was interesting! Also, the setting for the book was perfection, and fit the storyline perfectly. The storyline was full of twists and turns that totally kept me guessing as I flew through the pages. I didn’t know what to expect by the end of the book, but everything came together rather nicely, which made for a really great read!!

Overall; The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was just the thing I needed to read at the moment, and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read it! I will most definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Stuart Turton in the future, as I would absolutely love to read more of his work as well. If you like a mysterious read that keeps you guessing, do check out The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle!!

My Thoughts: Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman

Girl Out of Water
by Laura Silverman
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Publication Date: May 2nd 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781492646860
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Netgalley

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Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer. Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word.

Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I have to admit, I was really curious to start reading Girl Out of Water. I follow Laura Silverman on Twitter, and all her tweets about the book made me really interested to check it out. I'm glad I did. This book would be perfect to add to your Summer TBR list!

There were a lot of interesting characters in the story, including the main character, Anise, who wanted nothing more than to spend her summer hanging out with her friends and riding the waves. When all her plans changes, she takes them in stride, even when she totally doesn't want to, because.. family. They're everything, right? Anise has a pretty awesome family; her dad, aunt and cousins were all really great. She has some pretty great friends as well, both at home, and the new ones she meets along the way. And, of course, Lincoln is totally awesome as well.

The storyline for this contemporary novel was fun and very entertaining. (I am a sucker for contemporary novels, so this book was right up my alley. *wink*) While the book had a few serious moments in it, it was mainly a really light-hearted read. I loved the summer setting, and though it's not the summer Anise expected to have at the beach, Nebraska still sounds pretty cool. All the descriptions of Anise's home in California totally made me want to BE at the beach. It sounds like an awesome place to live. Laura did a great job with the descriptions.

Overall; Girl Out of Water was an interesting summer themed read, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to check it out! Definitely add this to your TBR if you're in the mood for a fun summer read.

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan
by Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date: December 1st, 2011
Publisher: SourceBooks
Pages: 281
ISBN: 9781402262272

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What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate. (Goodreads)

Being a fairly big football fan, I was really excited to get started on Catching Jordan. Although I was intrigued by the storyline, I wasn’t expecting to care about the characters as well. I am glad to say that I definitely did!

The main character in the story is Jordan Woods. Following in the footsteps of her NFL quarterback father, and college football quarterback brother, Jordan is the quarterback of her high school football team. Jordan is like no other girl in her school. All Jordan really wants is to play football at the college of her choose, and to have the approval of her father, who would like for her to stop playing football all together. But she’s determined to aim for her dreams, and I find that very admirable.

The relationship between Jordan and her dad are a bit strained in the beginning of the book, and I was gearing up to not like dear old dad. He did grow on me throughout the book, and I could definitely see his reasoning for wanting her to stop playing. I LOVE Jordan’s relationship with her brother Mike; he’s the brother I always wanted!

I really didn’t care too much for Jordan’s love interest in the story, Ty. He seemed a bit over-possessive, and controlling, and that was a bit of a turnoff for me. The characters that really stood out in the book for me were Jordan’s teammates; Carter, JJ, and Henry. I loved their friendships, and I love how they treated her with respect as well. They were all such great friends. With Henry, there were some times where I wanted to knock some sense into him, but I still found him to be a pretty awesome guy.

This book was a really well paced book, it definitely kept me interested. I loved the plot! A girl quarterback definitely drew my attention, and I loved reading all of the football jargon.

Overall, I found Catching Jordan to be an enjoyable read. I really look forward to reading more by this author!

Happy Reading!

Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still
(Magic Most Foul #1)
by Leanna Renee Hieber
Publication Date: November 8th 2011
Publisher: SourceBooks
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781402260520

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The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul. (Goodreads)

I have read many, many raving reviews for Darker Still, so I finally decided to give it a read. The synopsis likens the book to Pride and Prejudice, which just happens to be one of my favorite reads. So I was really glad to finally get started on the book.

The main character in the story is a seventeen year old girl named Natalie Stewart. I found Natalie to be a very interesting character. Not only is she strong willed and ambitious, she’s also mute. I think that just makes her character even stronger, and shows just how determined she can be. She was quick to put people in their placed when they thought she was slow, because of her disability. I love the point where she discovers that she can journey into the painting with Lord Denbury. Oh, Lord Debury… What a gentleman you are! He definitely reminds me a little of someone that would be in an Austen novel.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in the novel. Natalie’s dad and also Mrs. Northe, were both interesting to read about. I was curious about Crenfall and the painter as well, and was left with a few questions about them at the end of the book.

The plot of the story was really interesting. Imagine being trapped in a painting. Imagine having the ability to go through a painting. That’s definitely not something I’ve read about before. The book was a well paced, and was quite a quick read for me. I finished it in just a few hours time.

Overall, I found this book to be quite intriguing! I am so glad to discover it is going to be series read as well. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Natalie will take us next.

Happy Reading!