Other People's Lives by JE Rowney REVIEW

Other People’s Lives

by JE Rowney

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Synopsis

Listen carefully.

 
Watch closely.

 
Trust nobody.

 
“Let me ask you. Are you worried that someone is watching you, or are you worried that
you think someone is watching you?”
Sophie Portman has lost her husband, and she thinks she may be losing her mind.

 
She seeks the help of psychiatrist Andrew Thacker, but as she starts to open up, the truth begins to
unravel and nothing is quite as it seems.

 
Other People's Lives is a gripping psychological thriller from bestselling author JE Rowney.

 
"A heart-stopping twist. I never saw it coming." - advance reader review.

 
Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Peoples-Lives-J-Rowney-ebook/dp/B09GK9T7FZ/

 
US - https://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Lives-J-Rowney-ebook/dp/B09GK9T7FZ/

CAN -   https://www.amazon.ca/Other-Peoples-Lives-J-Rowney-ebook/dp/B09GK9T7FZ/

Review

Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources and the J.E. Rowney for having me on this blog tour and providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed enjoyed this book overall. The story was entertaining and held my attention. It's an easy read that can be read rather quickly. While I can't say I actually enjoyed the personalities of any of the characters I think they fit their roles in the book perfectly. They were the perfect amount of dislikeable for the situations that took place.

This was so cleverly done. At first I missed something very important and it wasn't until a conversation with someone else that I really understood what happened. Once I understood it was like an "oh wow" moment where everything just clicked.

There are subtle clues throughout the story that clearly give away this key part of the story but they are also so easy to miss. When you're reading this one pay attention to everything! I don't think that everyone is going to understand what happens here and for that reason I don't think this is for everybody. However, I do think those who get it, are going to really enjoy it.

Author Bio

J.E. Rowney spent several years in the cold Yorkshire hills, but now lives on the south coast of
England. She spent ten years working as a midwife before turning in her gloves to become an
author.

 
She has written ten novels, and also enjoys writing short stories. In 2020 she was the winner of the
Pen to Print Short Story award, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction, and, in 2021, the Fresher
Publishing Student Writing Award.

 
She spends lots of time writing in coffee shops, so if you see her, say hello.

 
Ms. Rowney says: "I always dreamed of being a writer, until I realised that I was. Then I started to
write."

 
You can find out more about JE Rowney on her website at jerowney.com (where you can download a free book!), or follow @jerowneywriter on social media.

 
Social Media Links
http://facebook.com/jerowneywriter
http://instagram.com/jerowneywriter
http://twitter.com/jerowneywriter

Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas REVIEW

 Wildseed Witch

by Marti Dumas

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Synopsis:

Hasani’s post-seventh-grade summer to-do list is pretty simple: get a bigger following for her makeup YouTube channel and figure out how to get her parents back together. What she does NOT expect is that an emotional outburst will spark a latent magical ability in her. Or that the magic will be strong enough to attract the attention of witches. Or that before she can say #BlackGirlMagic, she’ll be shipped off on a scholarship to a fancy finishing school for talented young ladies.

Les Belles Demoiselles is a literal charm school. Here, generations of young ladies from old-money witch families have learned to harness their magic, and alumnae grow to become some of the most powerful women across industries, including politicians, philanthropists, CEOs, entrepreneurs—and yes, even social media influencers. Needless to say, admission to the school is highly coveted, very exclusive . . . and Hasani sticks out like a weed in a rose bouquet.

While the other girls have always known they were destined to be witches, Hasani is a Wildseed––a stray witch from a family of non-witches, with no background knowledge, no way to control her magic, and a lot to catch up on. "Wildseed" may be an insult that the other girls throw at her, but Wildseeds are more powerful than they know. And Hasani will learn that there are ways to use magic and thrive that can never be taught in a classroom.

Expected Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Review:

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as magical middle grade is one of my favorite things to read. Unfortunately, this one just didn't click with me. I could not connect with Hesani at all. The story just didn't pull me in and make me care.

While this book clearly wasn't for me I do think others would enjoy it. I feel like when my daughter gets a little older this is exactly what she would want to read. There is strong YouTube representation here that I think kids of this social media age will appreciate and relate too. The story is simple and fun with a slight twist that will entertain young readers.

If you have a middle school aged girl, or even a little younger/older, who enjoys magic, nature or wants to be an influencer this is something I'd recommend picking up.

When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw REVIEW

 When You Call My Name

by Tucker Shaw

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Synopsis:

Film fanatic Adam is seventeen and being asked out on his first date—and the guy is cute. Heart racing, Adam accepts, quickly falling in love with Callum like the movies always promised.

Fashion-obsessed Ben is eighteen and has just left his home upstate after his mother discovers his hidden stash of gay magazines. When he comes to New York City, Ben’s sexuality begins to feel less like a secret and more like a badge of honor.

Then Callum disappears, leaving Adam heartbroken, and Ben finds out his new world is more closed-minded than he thought. When Adam finally tracks Callum down, he learns the guy he loves is very ill. And in a chance meeting near the hospital where Callum is being treated, Ben and Adam meet, forever changing each other’s lives. As both begin to open their eyes to the possibilities of queer love and life, they realize sometimes the only people who can help you are the people who can really see you—in all your messy glory.

A love letter to New York and the liberating power of queer friendship, When You Call My Name is a hopeful novel about the pivotal moments of our youth that break our hearts and the people who help us put them back together.

Expected Publication: May 3, 2022

Review:

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

There is something so bittersweet about a love that you can never hang on to. When Adam falls for Callum he really believes they have a long time left together. When things change, Adam is left brokenhearted and must figure out where his life will go from here. Ben moves out of his mother's house after she finds his stash of queer magazines. He has to figure out what his life looks like now as an openly gay teen. When Adam and Ben meet they might just find out what life and friendship really mean and what being fully seen really feels like.

At its core, this story was really sweet. There were a lot of relationships in here that are very well done. Ben and Gil's friendship was my favorite. The love these two have for each other is so apparent and easily gushes out of the pages. Victor and Jack are two side characters that I fell completely in love with. I would love a book that focuses on their remaining time together.

What I didn't enjoy about this book is the pacing. I felt like the story dragged in numerous places which took me out of the story a little bit. When I hit these lulls in the story I had to take a step away and catch a breather. Had they have not been there I feel like I would have binged the entire book.

While this isn't a book I would reach for again I do think it's still a worthwhile read. It provides a glimpse into the past of what young gay individuals experienced during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We see them losing their friends and loved ones, dealing with their own fears contracting the deadly virus, and learning how to love and hope in such a dangerous time.

Ask For Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli REVIEW

 Ask For Andrea

by Noelle W. Ihli

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Synopsis

James Carson has gotten away with murder three times.

The only thing that might stop him from killing again? The three women he murdered.

He hunted them online, masquerading as an eligible bachelor. Then he played the perfect gentleman, a thick layer of charm and a thousand-watt smile hiding the fact that his first dates end in shallow graves.

What James doesn’t know is that his three victims have found each other. And that they're coming for him.

Brecia, Meghan, and Skye might be dead, but they’re not gone. And they won’t rest until they find a way to keep him from killing again.

The haunt is on.

Expected Publication Date: April 15, 2022

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First of all, Ask For Andrea is so damn delicious and binge worthy! I literally read it from start to finish in less than a 12 hour period.

In Ask For Andrea we follow Brecia, Meghan, and Skye. Three women who have been murdered but aren't quite as gone as the online predator James Carson thought. When the spirits of these women find each other they become a force James never saw coming. With heartbreaking situations and ice cold justice, Ask For Andrea is the perfect story of revenge from beyond the grave.

Did I mention how freaking good this book was? I was pulled under the spell of this hypnotic story from very early on. I went through so many emotions from heartbreak during the girls deaths, to a dark thrill when the girls finally decide to take revenge. This book was just so effing good, putting it down was not an option.

Ask For Andrea is a dark and exciting experience that will captivate you completely and leave you breathless.