I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Eat Slay Love by Julie Mae Cohen. Thank you to Zaffre for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Marina is a divorced mother of three preschoolers.
Lilah is a shy and lonely librarian.
Opal is a broke post-menopausal fitness guru.
These three women have absolutely nothing in common – except for the charming, attractive man who’s been lying to all of them. Now that he’s tied up in a basement, they may just have something to bond over.
But how far is each willing to go to get revenge? As this shared secret brings them closer together, other, deadlier problems come crashing into their lives. Can they put their differences aside to save themselves – and each other?
Publication Date: 24th October
CW: death, murder, violence, sexism, misogyny, manipulation, gaslighting, overdose, coercive control, domestic abuse, body shaming, gore, violence, blood, injury
My Thoughts:
Eat Slay Love is a deliciously dark and compelling thriller that delivers brilliant characters and serrated plot twists that will keep you guessing.
I will say I went into this knowing very little beyond the cover, title and pitch I saw on social media. I would highly recommend doing the same, because you have one hell of a read in store.
This introduced me to Julie Mae Cohen’s style and it is excellent, full of heart and humour in equal measure. It has a darkly comic sense to it, which contrasts just how dark and intense some of the other scenes get. This is a book that delves into some tough topics and explores them with nuance and sensitively. Cohen walks a tightrope carefully between the comedy and the conflict. Everything here is built on manipulations and pretences, with games within games going on. It is layered and a damn fun ride to be on. Cohen rails against patriarchal power structures here, with these three complex female characters at the centre of the action: Marina, Liliah and Opal. They have been caught up in some dastardly schemes in the pursuit of their happily ever after. Each of them stands out and is hilarious & deeply relatable in their own ways.
Cohen’s writing is fantastic: slick, sharp and sensational. The way the plotlines converge is masterful and the little reveals build up a bigger picture that is astonishing once revealed in full. It is such a rich and detailed story that sadly speaks a lot of truth to the reality of women’s lives today. For me, the plotting and atmosphere were spot on with some devious twists and an ending that made me long for more. Right from the start, I was hooked and Cohen ensured I was totally consumed by this book until the very last page.
Eat Slay Love brought charming, if complicated, characters and a healthy dose of humour to a intricately plotted and intense thriller.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson. Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
My name is Ernest Cunningham. I’m not a detective. I just happen to have a knack for what makes mysteries – and murderers – tick. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any killers out there might be willing to take a break for the holidays. I was wrong.
So here I am, backstage at the Christmas show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. From the magician’s assistant to the hypnotist, my suspects are all professional tricksters. Masters in the art of misdirection.
My clues are even more of a mystery: A suspect covered in blood, with no memory of how it got there. A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens. And an advent calendar. Because, you know. It’s Christmas.
Solving the murder is the only gift I want this year. But can I catch a killer, and make it home for Christmas alive?
Publication Date: 24th October
CW: death, murder, blood, injury, gore, violence, addiction
My Thoughts:
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is the festive fun I have been waiting for. This continues the wickedly meta, darkly humoured crime series I have thoroughly enjoyed sinking my teeth into this year.
The Ernest Cunningham books have been absolute gems as I have picked them up this year. There is just such a sense of love and pastiche in them in equal measure towards classic mysteries. They play with conventions of the genre and the use of footnotes, foreshadowing and lines that break the fourth wall are superb. That zanier style makes them stand out in a crowded space. This Christmas themed novella was therefore a real treat.
It delivers a lot in a small space, with tightly compacted plots and the same meta humour of the rest of the series. Throughout, Ernest acknowledges the conventions of a holiday mystery and keeps us up to date with the countdown. The way Stevenson weaves the holiday into the murder is brilliant. It has plenty of snark and irony, but there is also a real sense of heart and festive cheer buried in there somewhere.
As always, the plot is tight, tense and terrific. We are presented with plenty of suspects and potential victims, with some clever misdirection and a wonderfully inventive way of revealing whodunnit and why. It is a very enjoyable and entertaining read. I also loved that it is still accessible for new readers coming into the series but there is a richer tapestry if you have read the previous two stories.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret may have a fixed setting but the story is timeless and could be (and should) be enjoyed all year round by everyone.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Phantom Hearts by Rosie Talbot and illustrated by Sarah Maxwell. Thank you to Rosie Watts at Scholastic UK for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sixteen-year-old Malia is popular, pretty and smart, but underneath her carefully crafted facade she’s struggling with anxiety. When a school bus crashes killing some of her fellow students, Malia is thrown into a further emotional spiral as she remembers the students; rebel and dropout Shepherd; volatile track star Russ; and brainy Emil.
When Malia meets Keezy, the cute daughter of the local mechanic, the two begin to question the motive for the crash. As Malia and Keezy start to uncover secrets, Malia starts to see ghosts wherever she goes. How will Malia find time to flirt with Keezy when pursued by restless spirits … what don’t the dead classmates want her to discover? And will Malia ever find the courage to tell Keezy how she feels?
Publication Date: 24th October
CW: death, grief, homophobia, murder, transphobia, deadnaming, car accident
My Thoughts:
Phantom Hearts was wonderful in every way. It is perfect reading for these darker nights, as the cold wind whistles and you want to cozy up with a good book and a hot drink. This is that good book you should be picking up.
The characterisation was great and I loved this ragtag bunch of unlikely friends brought together by the strangest and saddest of circumstances as they try to unravel this puzzle. For me, the supernatural element really enhanced the story. I have a fascination with ghosts as literary devices, bringing reverberations of the past to the present and often representing unresolved issues. Talbot does a great job of naturally fitting them into the landscape of this world. They are of course unexpected but the way their relationships with their family, friends and loved ones are depicted is gorgeous. At its core, this is a book about the choices we make and the ability to love fiercely and freely. With the focus on queer representation, that message hits a lot harder. In particular the final page of the book serves as a reminder to live life to the fullest extent that you can and to grab on to what makes you happy.
I adored the illustrations in this book. The way Talbot’s prose is woven in with Maxwell’s drawings is fantastic and I loved their collaboration. Each page is so detailed with plenty to go back and pore over. There are often subtle ways of moving the plot forward as well through these visual depictions. It feels balanced between the two mediums, making for a great graphic novel. The plot itself was enjoyable, with a real sense of stakes and deadly consequences at play. It tackles some dark themes with sensitivity and nuance. Most of all though, this book shines in its characterisation. Both Talbot and Maxwell excel in bringing these characters to life and making them leap off the page & straight into your heart.
Phantom Hearts is practically perfect in every way. I would highly recommend adding this to your shelf as soon as possible.
A Short Book Lover 
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