Kiki’s Epeolatry

 We have all been there, seeing that one book that has been advertised everywhere. It’s been on the telly, on Twitter, Instagram and everywhere in between. So surely, this means that owning it means that we are part of the club? But somehow, no matter how hard we try, life seems to always get in front of our reading goals. Recently, I was on social media and it seemed to me that there was some sort of favouritism to specific books. This doesn't take away how important or brilliant pieces of work they are, but maybe they have become too overrated in a short time frame? What if the people that are reviewing these types of books have become a little too biased? After all, they have all become well read in those types of genres and have probably read all the tropes that come with it. However, I think that one of the reasons books are more on trend is Instagram (something which is a rabbit hole in itself and I'm not proud of falling into it so quickly). It seems like books are now g...

  SYNOPSIS When an unexpected windfall brings together strangers Shauna and Frankie, one woman is popping champagne corks - but the other just wants to cry. For her part, Shauna is pouring celebratory drinks. Since her heart was broken and her dreams shattered, she's been ready for a fresh start. Surely she deserves some good luck at last? But Frankie knows what can happen to families when money moves in and is allowed to take over. Fearing she'll lose the contented - if cash-strapped- life she has built with her husband and their two daughters, she wants to be in control this time. But as money rewrites their life stories and truths emerge among the treasure, both are forced to wonder if their good fortunes is just bad luck in disguise...

  SYNOPSIS Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it. The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other. Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta...

  SYNOPSIS Wounded and betrayed, after being dumped by her girlfriend, Ally makes off to her dad's in Sheffield with the one thing that might soothe the pain and force her ex to speak to her again: Emily's cat, Malcolm. Back home and forced into a 'date' by their parents, Ally and her first ever beard, Jeremy, come up with a ridiculous plan to win their exes back... to revenge-run a half marathon. Given neither of them can run, they enlist the support of athletic, not to mention beautiful, Jo. But will she have them running for the hills... or will their ridiculous plan pay off...?

  SYNOPSIS Paras, short for "Perestroika," is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and--she's a curious filly--wanders all the way to the City of Light.  She's dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn't afraid. Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city's lush green spaces, nourished by Frida's strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irresponsible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion. As the cold weather and Christmas near, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But ...

  SYNOPSIS Lizzie has just arrived in London, determined to make the best of her new life. Her mother may be keen that she should have a nice wedding in the country to a Suitable Man chosen by her. And Lizzie may be going to cookery school to help her become a Good Wife. But she definitely wants to have some fun first. It is 1963 and London is beginning to swing as Lizzie cuts her hair, buys a new dress with a fashionably short hemline, and moves in with two of her best friends, one of whom lives in a grand but rundown house in Belgravia which has plenty of room for a lodger. Soon Lizzie's life is so exciting that she has forgotten all about her mother's marriage plans for her. All she can think about is that the young man she is falling in love with appears to be engaged to someone else...

  SYNOPSIS Alice and Alfie are strangers. But they sleep next to each other every night. Alfie Mack has been in hospital for months recovering from an accident. A new face on the ward is about as exciting as life gets for him right now, so when someone moves into the bed next to him he's eager to make friends. But it quickly becomes clear that seeing his neighbour's face won't happen any time soon. Alice Gunnersley has been badly burned and can't even look at herself yet, let alone allow anyone else to see her. Keeping the curtain around her bed firmly closed, it doesn't stop Alfie trying to get to know her. And gradually, as he slowly brings Alice out of her shell, might there even be potential for more?

  SYNOPSIS When you're running late for school, then you find your usual train has turned into an old steam train, you know it's not going to be a normal day. What you don't expect is that it will be a 'take you back in time' sort of day. Jess, Nadia, Tomma and Ash find themselves spending the day at Hickley School one hundred yeats in the past. They are told stories of bombings, hunger, and fighting from fellow pupil, Martha, the only person willing to speak to them. After their time travel adventure, they work out the significance of the year, 1918, and plot to go back. They want to experience a significant moment in history and Jess wants to see Martha again. Not knowing why or how, Jess feels a connection to Martha, and an obligation towards her that she can't explain. Going back in time has its risks. Once you go back, there's no way of knowing if you'll be able to make it home.

  SYNOPSIS What happens when you so deeply believe something were told as a child that it becomes the driving force behind almost every thought, feeling and action for the rest of your life - until you decide to take complete control and change your life entirely? For decades, Carolyn Hobdey believed she was 'trouble' and if she wasn't 'nicer' she'd spend her days alone and unloved. All The Tw*ts I Met Along The Way tells Carolyn's tales of crappy boyfriends, sickening sexual encounters, manipulative men, love triangles, unsupportive and unsupported medical diagnoses... and that's just the first few pages. From porn-addicted boyfriends who go from fitties to owners of 'dad bods,' to car crashes and boob jobs. Marriage to a lover who became more like a brother (and who came out as gay after their 15 year relationship) and later a relationship with a man and his 'ready-made family' that exposes a damaging case of coercive control and narcis...

  SYNOPSIS Jamal's best friend, Q, doesn't know he's about to die... again. He also doesn't know that Jamal tried to save his life, rescuing him from drowning only to watch Q die later in the hospital. Even more complicated, Jamal and Q haven't been best friends in two years - not since Jamal's parents died in a car accident, leaving him and his sister to carry on without them. Grief swallowed Jamal whole, and he blamed Q for causing the accident. But what if Jamal could have a second chance? An impossible chance that would grant him the opportunity to say goodbye to his best friend? A new health-care technology allows Q to be reanimated - brought back to life like the old Q again. But there's a catch: Q will only reanimate for a short time before he dies... forever. Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but grief is hard to shake. And he can't tell Q why he's suddenly trying to be friends with him again. Because Q has no idea that he died...