Member Reviews
An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.
I tried my best to really like this book and I just couldn't. I actually quit reading it for several months and just tried again and nope, I couldn't finish it. As hard as I tried, I just felt like I couldn't connect with the characters, and I was confused the entire time I was reading.
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I found some parts really confusing and disjointed. I also hard a hard time connecting with the characters.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book !!
This was a good mystery though it was a little on the dark side. And it kept me on the edge of my seat till the end.
'AN ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WITH A STUNNING FINAL TWIST.'
Okay... That did it for me and so I requested this book and I must say it didn't deliver what I was expecting. I thought it would be a book I would devour but it missed the mark a little.
The writing was a bit hit and miss as were the characters. the story was good but needed a bit of development. All in all it was alright but nothing special.
Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
The moment I see a book which is set in Cornwall I am instantly drawn and want to read, having been born and lived in there my whole life
I enjoyed this book
I loved the plot and the remote setting but I feel there could be more character development and shorted chapters.
I love any book that is set in Cornwall, it's one of my favourite places to visit.
I had high hopes for this, it’s right up my alley, but I found it all rather flat.
The characters were not well developed, most of them completely unlikable, and there were parts of the story that just felt so incredibly meh for me.
I had a hard time getting through this book - there were elements I really enjoyed, the element of mystery, the setting and the different time periods. However, I found it quite confusing to follow, and I never warmed to any of the characters. The ending was great so not all hope was lost. If you are a fan of choppy sentences then you may really enjoy this as the good story is there.
This was a well done creepy mystery with lots of surprises, compelling characters, and multiple storylines, perspectives, and timelines. It was well executed as there was so much going on with multiple narrators, two storylines happening at different times with one being narrated traditionally, but also through a diary. So really there were two storylines happening at THREE different times. While impressively done, it was also a lot going on and the overlaps felt like too much of a coincidence and unrealistic.
My main criticism is that some of the content was pretty intense, but these major issues felt like they were mostly glossed over for the resolution. The relationships between the characters also felt a little fake and overdone, but while reading you aren't sure if the characters are misunderstanding or imagining sinister happenings due to the atmosphere, so in a way that enhances the story. But it felt like it was too much and not realistic.
I found the book interesting, but confusing. Not much idea as to who. was speaking when. Or the connections. Or what was happening for a lot of the book. I stayed with it - as parts are very good - but the last two pages just added the full stops to the confusion.
It's okay... but... I had lots of buts... in the book. If it wasn't for the blurb about the book I don't think I'd have managed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.
This move, this new job at the architect's firm, it's the fresh start Livia desperately needs = if she's ever going to forget what happened three years ago.... Then one day, crammed into a drawer in her creaking old Fisherman's cottage, Livia finds a diary. She's utterly captivated by the unfolding story of infatuation, rejection and guilt, so similar to her own. But, just as the writer is about to confess a chilling secret, the diary stops, the rest of its pages torn out.
The first chapter is quite upsetting, it concerns a baby. We also have a dual timeline - the present day, 2022, told from Livia perspective, and the past, 2015, that's told from a young girl. I like when a book is set in Cornwall, it's one of my favourite places to visit, and I like that the location was remote. But the characters were a bit one dimensional and unlikeable. The story had so much potential, but unfortunately it fell a bit short. I did enjoy how the story ended.
I would like to thank #NetGakkey #JoffeBooks and the author #EleonorSamuel for my ARC of #ThecornishDiary in exchange for an honest review.
This book has so much potential!
Things I loved:
✔️eye-catching cover
✔️intriguing title
✔️intriguing synopsis
✔️remote setting
✔️secrets
Things I struggled with:
✔️short choppy sentences
✔️lack of dialogue attribution/POV cues
✔️undeveloped characters
✔️unclear story arc creating confusion
I was gifted this copy by Joffe Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Another story told by two people, please put who is talking at the start of the chapter. Makes life so much easier for the reader. Slightly confusing all round with an interesting ending. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.
I had trouble getting through this book, characters were flat, and plot took some time to get going. But for a beginning novel it’s not that bad! Just needs more development.
I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would do unfortunately as I found it hard to get into the storyline.
For me it wasn't a page turner, I wasn't keen on the characters and I found it to be a bit confusing.
Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for this ARC, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.
Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
The story starts out with an upsetting chapter concerning a baby. Then we go to 2 different timelines with the main protagonist in 2022 and an unknown girl in 2015.
I wasn't too keen on the protagonist, she seemed overly shy at first, constantly stuttering and turning red with burning cheeks and ears. It was a bit irritating. Also, the book felt overly long. The story was good overall, though, with a excellent ending.
At first I was very confused?! I was like is there two different characters?! I was a little lost then as I read on I realized yes there is two characters! Then I caught on, somewhat, the story went a but back and forth between these two characters but the main problem was it never said which character you had?! Like I the beginning of a chapter it could say past or now or anything to distinguish who I was reading about! So it would take me a few minutes to figure out what was going On?! Anyway it wasn't a bad read I did get the storyline in the end but I didn't like the way everyone was all lumped together, it definitely had me lost quite a bit! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!