prettylittlewriter

 Synopsis
‘Two lives are about to be changed by one phone call...
When Davey misdials Hannah's number, at first they think nothing of it.
After all, Davey lives in Texas and Hannah lives in London.
But when Davey gets a job in London, their paths are sure to cross. As messaging turns to video calling, this feels like the start of something.
Weeks later, Hannah is waiting for Davey at the airport, but he never walks into Arrivals.
When Hannah finds out why, her world is turned on its head. And with their future so uncertain, each must pick up the pieces of their lives.

Will fate intervene once more to bring them together? Or will Davey always be the man that Hannah never met?’

This is such a unique romantic story that I absolutely loved throughout, and I was so invested in Davey and Hannah’s relationship from the start!

The main antagonistic storyline within this novel is quite a hard-hitting topic, and if you struggle with reading novels that surround life or death medical issues, then this may not be the book for you.

When things started to get in the way of Hannah and Davey’s romance, I was aching for things to hurry the hell up and let them be together; they were just so perfect for one another!

Hannah’s character was very relatable, I found parts of myself within her, which helped me empathise with her and the struggles she was going through throughout the book. Davey is the perfect book boyfriend, someone who you wish was a real person (or that men could at least learn from in real life!!) and I was really heartbroken for him when his life was turned upside down.

I also loved the side characters, Miranda, Paul and Joan specifically, were great additions and made me feel all warm and fuzzy that Hannah had such amazing friends and family around her.

I liked George at the beginning of the novel, when he and Hannah first started out, but then he soon starts to show his true colours (not caring about the things Hannah loves, judging her friends, judging her on what she eats!!).

The only thing I did not enjoy about this novel was the ending. It felt rushed and I really wanted a bigger and more in-depth resolution for Hannah and Davey, they'd certainly earned it!

Without saying anything else that may risk spoilers, I would definitely recommend this to any romcom lovers & I look forward to reading more books from Elle! 

4/5 stars

TRIGGER WARNING**

**This book contains some seriously fucked up situations, including rape of young teenage girls and the POV of a manipulative psychopath. If you may struggle with this kind of story, please do not read this book.

Thank you to Black Crow PR for allowing me to read and review and be part of the blog tour for this dark and cleverly sinister novel.

This book was a wild ride from start to finish. I really had no clue how it would pan out, and I went into it pretty blind n0t even reading the synopsis, so when we went into the mind of a sadistic and psychopathic rapist/killer, it really did shock me.

Although this novel was written by two people, you cannot tell, the story runs smoothly and coherently.  

We delve into the minds of a few characters, including Leslie, Dawn and Beau. Leslie is a strong and kind character, always trying to protect her sister Dawn, and knows her own mind when it comes to judging Beau and sticking with her own boyfriend even though her parents don’t approve.

Dawn was Beau’s puppet, a seemingly confident girl in every other aspect apart from when around Beau. Her character ARC was seriously impressive, and at the end of the novel, she becomes probably the bravest and strongest character of them all.

Moving on to Beau, the psychotic and incredibly entitled snob that every ‘high school’ seems to have (probably minus the psychotic though). He truly is probably the darkest and scariest character that I have ever read about; Weis & Astor have done an incredible job of creating a character that you cannot like in any way whatsoever; it doesn’t matter that his father is an arsehole and has probably suffered mental abuse, because whatever he may have experienced, does not justify any of his actions.

Most of the time his Father is telling him he cannot show his true side, and that he has a reputation to uphold (His father definitely knows most of what he has done before, especially involving the animals). His Mother is also not much help, seemingly an alcoholic, but this only occurred after an incident with Beau that scared her to drink.

Another part of the novel that I thought was incredibly well done was the paranormal side that included ‘The Woman in White’ and the rabid dogs that roamed the Abbey, a little bit of folklore which you’re not sure is real at the start, but as the novel comes to a close, you realise that it may be more believable than you think.

Without going into any further details in case of spoilers, if you enjoy delving into the mind of a psychopath, with some very dark and hard-hitting scenarios but with that YA-esque storyline to it, then this is the book for you (please note, this is not actually a YA book, this is 100% adult, with the storyline based in a school with teenagers at the forefront, which makes it have similarities to YA novels). 

As previously mentioned at the beginning, if topics such as rape or murder trigger you, do not read this book.

4/5 stars

‘In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman—and he’s playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.
Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer’s reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.’

This novel had me thrown completely. Chizmar has created such a believable and realistic story, convincing me as a reader, that this is indeed, a true crime story, and led me to googling it afterwards. Of course, this was definitely Chizmar’s intention for the novel, and it is incredibly well done. 

The novel starts with Chizmar giving us an in-depth look into his childhood; the games he used to play with his friends, his relationship with his parents, and many other little titbits. This initial section, although added to the ‘based on a true story’ effect of the book, I personally found it quite a slog to read as I felt that this level of detail just wasn’t necessary. I didn’t need to know that Richard used to thrown rocks at passing cars as entertainment, this actually made me dislike him slightly, and I almost gave up on the book during that chapter.

Once I got past that part of the novel, and the murders within the town started occurring, the story really opened up for me and I was gripped.

The murders were brutal, and the killer a mystery right up until the very end, with a twist that left me gawping at the book in my hands in disbelief. I really felt for the young girls that were murdered, and the family members left behind.

I’ve never seen a writer add themselves into a novel as a main character, never mind one that they have created as a true crime story, pictures and all. It’s incredibly unique and clever, and well worth a read for thriller/horror/true crime fans alike.

I won’t say anything else, except that if you’re a Stephen King fan, you will most likely enjoy this novel!

4/5 stars