Dzikuska reads

Title: The Twelve dates of Christmas Author: Jenny Bayliss My rating: 4 stars Description: Kate Turner is happily single – a bit  too  happily, in fact. Since returning to her hometown of Blexford, a sleepy village where everybody knows each other, and between catching up with her oldest friends Laura and Matt, a flourishing career as a fabric designer, and taking care of her beloved dad, love hasn’t really had a look in. But Kate does love Christmas. So when Laura insists she signs up to the Twelve Dates of Christmas, a brand new dating app service, she doesn’t need too much persuading. Twelve perfect festive dates with the area’s most eligible men – who could say no? Amongst the twinkling lights and over hot chocolates and glasses of red wine, romance is easy to find. But with each date, Kate learns more about the men, and even more about herself. As the big day approaches, Kate’s left wondering – is it really the season for true love, or will this Christmas be t...

Title: What my sister knew Author: Nina Laurin My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Description: "...currently wanted by the police. If you know anything about the suspect's whereabouts, please call..." I look up at the TV screen, and my twin brother's face is splashed across it, life-size. It's a shock that makes my breath catch. This is my brother as an adult, my brother who I last saw fifteen years ago after the fire that killed our parents, covered in soot, clutching a lighter in his hand, his knuckles stark white against the dirt and ash. Everyone always said he'd grow up to be a heartbreaker. But his face has gone gaunt instead. The stubble on his cheeks and chin is patchy, and his eyes look dull and dark. My first thought is that it's not him. Not my beautiful brother, the golden boy who everyone loved. Yet, deep down, I've always known this would eventually happen. What did you do this time, Eli? What the hell did you do? My opinion: I've rated...

  I don’t usually listen to audiobooks but I really enjoyed this one.  The story is just hilarious. I’ve been listening to this for a couple of sleepless nights and was bursting out laughing every few minutes. My husband kicked me out of the bedroom 🤣 The night on the sofa was really worth it though!  FREE EBOOK!   To celebrate back to school for the kids and Road Trip now being available on audio, the lovely authors, Laura Barnard and Andie M Long, have set the ebook to FREE for a limited time only.  Check out the synopsis below. After the end of a car crash relationship can Katy find true love? Catching her sister in bed with her fiancé, school teacher Katy Cornish enlists playboy colleague Felix Montague to help her save face. What she doesn’t bargain on is them both losing their jobs in the process.  With money running out, Katy must endure the rude and arrogant Felix while they embark on a road trip around the country in hopes of securing a new job. B...

  Title: Unfollow me Author: Charlotte Duckworth My rating: Description: You Can't Stop Watching Her. Violet Young is a hugely popular journalist-turned-mummy-vlogger, with three young children, a successful husband and a million subscribers on YouTube who tune in daily to watch her everyday life unfold. Until the day she's no longer there. But one day she disappears from the online world - her entire social media presence deleted overnight, with no explanation. Has she simply decided that baring her life to all online is no longer a good idea, or has something more sinister happened to her? But do you really know who Violet is? Told from the perspectives of her most avid fans, obsessed with finding out the truth, their search quickly reveals a web of lies, betrayal, and shocking consequences... My opinion: Unfollow me by Charlotte Duckworth is a story of social media obsession. When Violet Young, a succesful mummy-vlogger suddenly dissapears from her online...

  Title: Girl Author: Kenya Hunt My rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Black women have never been more visible or more publicly celebrated. But for every new milestone, every magazine cover, every box office record smashed, every new face elected to public office, the reality of everyday life for black women remains a complex, conflicted, contradiction-laden experience. Girl  both illuminates our current cultural moment and transcends it. Hunt captures the zeitgeist while also creating a timeless celebration of womanhood, of blackness, and the possibilities they both contain. She blends the popular and the personal, the frivolous and the momentous in a collection that truly reflects what it is to be living and thriving as a black woman today. My opinion: First of all, thanks to NetGalley for a privilage of reviewing the ARC. It was a pleasure and I really enjoyed it. Kenya Hunt is a fashion director of Elle, she's a Black American woman living in London. Her book “Girl” i...

  Title: Stolen children Author: Michael Wood My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Some cases won’t die. A young boy walks into a police station in France. He claims to be Carl Meagan – a missing child from Sheffield whose name is still whispered as a warning to kids who stay out after dark.   Some children won’t be found. On her way home from the supermarket, nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanishes without trace. Her family is overcome with shock and DCI Matilda Darke can’t help but focus on memories of the Carl Meagan case that almost ruined her career.   Some killers won’t be stopped. As Matilda investigates, she peels back the layers of grief and sadness that surround Keeley’s family. Until she is left with an unimaginable choice: betray those closest to her or let a violent killer walk free… My opinion: One child is found, one child is missing. Keeley disappears on her way from the supermarket. Soon the kidnapper calls demanding a ransom. Girl's family is shaken with grief a...

  Title: The choice Author: Alex Lake My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: A kidnap… Matt Westbrook only turned his back for a moment. But when he looks around, his car – with his three young children inside – has vanished. A ransom… Panicked, Matt assumes a car thief has got more than he bargained for, but then he starts to receive text messages:  This is a kidnap. If you want to see your children again, you will exchange them for your wife. A choice… Matt and his wife Annabelle are horrified. They can’t involve the police, or their children will be killed. Which means they have to choose: Annabelle, or their children. Either option is unthinkable. But one is inevitable. And they have only hours to make their decision… My opinion: A car disappears with three young children inside. At first Matt thinks he's being pranked by one of his friends. Then he gets a text message from the kidnapper asking for a ransom. Surprisingly they don't demand money but Anabelle, Matt's w...

  Title: Mother loves me Author: Abby Davies My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: The creepiest debut thriller you will read this year! One little girl. Mirabelle’s mother loves her. She’s her ‘little doll’. Mother dresses her, paints her face, and plaits her hair. But as Mirabelle grows, the dresses no longer fit quite as well, the face paint no longer looks quite so pretty. And Mother isn’t happy. Two little girls. On Mirabelle’s 13th birthday, Mother arrives home with a present – a new sister, 5-year-old Clarabelle, who Mother has rescued from the outside world. But Mother only needs one. As it dawns on Mirabelle that there is a new ‘little doll’ in her house, she also realizes that her life isn’t what she thought it was. And that dolls often end up on the scrap heap… My opinion: “Mother loves me” is often described as the creepiest debut and guess what? It's as creepy as it gets. Mirabelle mother loves her. Paints her face, dresses her in pretty dresses, make sure she looks fl...

  Title: Confessions on 7:45 Author: Lisa Unger My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets… Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again. But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears. My opinion: Would you tell the person you just met on the train your darkest secrets? Selena did. She confessed to the stranger that she suspects her husband sleeping with a nanny. Then the nanny goes missing. This is just the beginning of the twisted story. The spiral of secrets have started. Wow! What a bo...

  Tytuł: Horyzont Autor: Jakub Małecki Moja ocena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Opis książki: Czasami prawda rozciąga się daleko za horyzont. Jałowe lata bez wschodów i zachodów słońca. Wspomnienia jak burza piaskowa, jak skrzypienie desek w starym domu. Smugi przeszłości płytko pod skórą. Gry komputerowe i bułgarski rap. Maniek i Zuza mieszkają po sąsiedzku na warszawskim Mokotowie. On, były saper, próbuje spisać wspomnienia z misji w Afganistanie, mając nadzieję wreszcie stamtąd wrócić. Ona, dziecko pokolenia Y, uczy się żyć na własny rachunek i mimowolnie zatraca się w rodzinnej tajemnicy. Choć z pozoru nic ich nie łączy, ciążą ku sobie, niezdolni i niechętni do pielęgnowania więzi z otoczeniem. Nowa książka Jakuba Małeckiego to zaskakująca opowieść o tęsknocie, przyjaźni i odwadze. O konfrontacji z zadrą – własną i cudzą. O próbach znalezienia właściwej wersji siebie Moja opinia: Były saper, który nie może się odnaleźć po powrocie do Polski z Afganistanu i młoda dziewczyna zaczyna...

  Title: Taken Author: Lisa Stone My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Description: A gripping new thriller from internationally bestselling author Lisa Stone Have you seen Leila? 8-year-old Leila Smith has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to. On the Hawthorn Estate, where she lives, she often stays out after dark to avoid going home. But what Leila doesn’t know is that someone has been watching her in the playground. One day, she disappears without a trace… The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever? My opinion: Leila is an 8 years old girl who's being neglected by her alcoholic and drug addict mother Kelsey. Her 4 siblings live with foster families, yet mother doesn't bother to take proper care of her remaining child. The only thing she cares about is her addiction. To fuel her habits she works as a prostitute and entertain her clients at h...

Title: Homecoming Author: Luan Goldie My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Description: For years  Yvonne  has tried to keep her demons buried and focus on moving forward. But her guilt is always with her and weighs heavily on her heart. Kiama  has had to grow up without a mother, and while there is so much he remembers about her, there is still plenty he doesn't know. And there's only one person who can fill in the gaps. Lewis  wants nothing more than to keep Kiama, his son, safe, but the thought of Kiama dredging up the past worries Lewis deeply. And Lewis doesn’t know if he’s ready to let the only woman he's ever loved back into his life. When Kiama seeks Yvonne out and asks her to come with him to Kenya, the place that holds the answers to his questions, she knows she can't refuse. And this one act sets in motion an unravelling of the past that no one is ready for. Moving between London and Kenya, and spanning almost two decades,  Homecoming  is a profound and moving story...

Title: The life we almost had Author: Amelia Henley My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: This is not a typical love story, but it’s our love story. Anna wasn’t looking for love when Adam swept her off her feet but there was no denying their connection, and she believed they would be together forever. Years later, cracks have appeared in their relationship. Anna is questioning whether their love can really be eternal when a cruel twist of fate delivers a crushing blow, and Anna and Adam are completely lost to one another. Now, Anna needs Adam more than ever, but the way back to him has life-changing consequences. Is a second chance at first love really worth the sacrifice? Anna needs to decide and time is running out… My opinion: Not typical love story, that's for sure. When I found out who Amelia Henley is I knew it's going to be an extraordinary story. The beginning is very predictable, heartbroken Anna falls in love with a handsome man who saves her fro...

Tytuł: Dżozef Autor: Jakub Małecki Moja ocena: Opis książki: Dresiarz Grzegorz, biznesmen Kurz, stary Maruda i ten Czwarty. Doborowe towarzystwo w jednej sali szpitalnej. Ich historia byłaby jednak zupełnie inna, gdyby nie włączył się w nią jeszcze ktoś: Joseph Conrad. Jego obecność zmienia tutaj wszystko. Grzesiek Bednar zostaje napadnięty na warszawskiej Pradze i trafia do szpitala ze złamanym nosem. Tu poznaje trzech mężczyzn, z którymi wyruszy do swoistego jądra ciemności: pięćdziesięcioletniego biznesmena, wiecznego malkontenta oraz Czwartego – wielbiciela prozy Josepha Conrada. To właśnie ten czwarty, Stanisław Baryłczak, stanie się przyczyną kłopotów. Majacząc, skłania Grzegorza do spisania swojej „ostatniej powieści”. Opowiada o małym Stasiu powołującym do życia kozła z drewna, który staje się jego towarzyszem i przekleństwem. Opowieść Czwartego z każdym dniem jest bardziej mroczna, a przestrzeń, w której przebywają mężczyźni, zaczyna się kurczyć. Sale znika...

Title: The death of Vivek Oji Author: Akwaeke Emezi My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: One afternoon, in a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son’s body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men.  (from goodreads.com) My opinion: “ The death of Vivek Oji” is a bitter-sweet story of a young man who's trying to find out who he really is. Vivek wants to understand his sexuality, he's struggling with a gender identity. He's overwhelmed by his emot...

Title: I can't sleep Author: J.E. Rowney My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: “ I can’t sleep. Not since June 16th, 2018. Not since what happened…” Traumatised by the events of her past, exhausted by insomnia, Becky Braithwaite believes that a new start will help her to recover. She leaves home to fulfil her brother’s dreams, and honour the life he never had… but she soon finds that escaping from the past is not as easy as she imagined. Is her fatigued mind playing tricks on her, or is danger really lurking in the shadows? This unputdownable psychological thriller will keep you turning the pages to find out the truth. My opinion: I was lucky enough to get this book as an advanced reader copy. This is my honest review. Becky can't sleep. She's being haunted by the ghosts of the past. She's a broken girl, doesn't matter how much she tries, she can't fit in. After the tragic events Becky tries to start afresh. To fulfil her brother's ...

Title: Cock & Bull Author: Laura Barnard:  My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Description: Who knew that owning a pub would come with so many extras? When Phoebe and Ella Bellerose left England behind to run the Irish pub they’d inherited, it sounded like a great adventure… until they saw for themselves what a wreck they’d been left. With no experience, a severe lack of money, and a rival pub owner threatening to ruin them, the two girls aren’t convinced they can actually make this work. Not  until they meet Clooney Breen, who just so happens to be packed with charm, charisma, and barman skills that could help them all survive. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s the son of Cock & Bull’s biggest rival, and he’s desperate to help Ella and Phoebe teach his father a lesson. But can mysterious Clooney, with his obvious secrets and desire to be their saviour, really be trusted? Or are they being played by this handsome lothario who seems too good to be true? Their problem...

🌸Title: The Perfect Life 🌸Author: Valerie Keogh 🌸My rating:⭐⭐⭐ 🌸Description: Molly Chatwell has a beautiful house, a handsome husband, two children and a job she likes. It all seems so perfect but when her two children leave for university, she realises her life has become dull and empty. When her husband refuses to go away with her, Molly decides to go alone. But what should have been a relaxing break turns into a nightmare. Back at home in London, Molly tries to put it all behind her but when the police arrive at her door and tell her that a body has been found with connections to her, Molly realises that her perfect life is under threat… 🌸My opinion: This was my first book by Valerie Keogh. The first half of the book was dragging, I was tempted to put it away. I took instant dislike to the main character, Molly. She seems to make one bad choice after another. She notices that her husband, whom she claims to love so much looks troubled and behaves in a str...