The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel | Book Review

"Sometimes it’s a revelation, even to me, how much more comfortable I am with cruelty than with kindness."

I received a copy of this book from Jonathan Ball Publishing in exchange for an honest review. 

Amy Engel's writing is delectable - the story is extremely unsettling and makes you uncomfortable as you read but the writing and haunting plot creates an unputdownable masterpiece. 

Her work is like a culinary creation - something you shouldn't enjoy such as a cricket taco or a tarantula burger from Manchester's new Brazilian inspired restaurant, Favela, featuring a creepy crawly buffet menu. 

This book is just that. 

It's dirty and twisted, it's creepy and dark... crawling in disturbing secrets and it's by far the most unique tale I have ever come across. 

A murder mystery to the core with an underlying hint of romance that softens the edges of this fascinating 'who-dunnit' novel. 

How a book with such a stunning cover can conceal such a horrific, harrowing story is beyond me. 

The Roanoke Girls is about Lane, a young girl whose mother commits suicide.

Now parentless, Lane moves to Kansas to live with her mysterious grandparents and cousin, Allegra. 

Lane barely knows anything about her family besides that her mother had once run away from them and had vowed to never return. 

The wealthy Roanoke family is renowned for their array of beautiful young women, Lane and Allegra being no exception. 

However, there are dark, shocking secrets hidden behind the walls of The Roanoke house which lead Lane to flee from Kansas just as her mother once had. 

Many years later, Lane, a drifter with little to show in life, is lured back to the Roanoke's after receiving a phone call from her grandfather. Her cousin, Allegra, is missing... and she needs to help.

I loved the set of characters in this book from the doting grandfather to the introverted grandmother. The sexy tease Allegra and the strong-willed, empty hearted lost-cause, Lane. The hideous house-keeper Sharon, who lacks any form of culinary skills and the eerie groundsman, Charlie. 

It is a compelling book rich with stories of small-town life as it weaves effortlessly between the past and present tense. 

Although there is an excruciatingly grotesque element to this book, it is not graphic which makes it easier to stomach. It is mild and I am grateful for the mercifully subtle delivery (you'll understand why once you discover the twist which is revealed very early on).

It's the kind of book you feel awkward explaining to others and even giving it a high rating makes you feel like there could be something wrong with you. But I was so invested in this story! The only downfall I found was the ending. It is so easy to become engrossed with this story but the ending fell flat for me. I figured out who the murderer was pretty soon but even so, it would have been more riveting if delivered differently. Everything just fell together and slotted into place too quickly like the ending was rushed. I also felt the descriptions of certain body parts (boobs and butts....) could have been handled better.

Along with a number of my friends, I tore through this book and came to the conclusion that it hooks and reels you in - we were just the poor helpless fish that took the bait - and it was great.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty | Book Review

Pure, sinister, dark and riveting excellence! 

This is a book about a bunch of kindergarden mothers and the scandal in their lives! 

What I had originally thought was a thriller turned out to be so much more! While this book is a murder mystery it isn't 'scary; besides the scariness of reality. Each character has instability and a situation in their life that could happen to any one of us... the characters were so enjoyable and easy to relate to - they seemed like almost real people to me. 

This is a book that really keeps you guessing! Going into this book we know that someone has been murdered but we have no idea who the victim is nor do we know who the murderer is. This book was fascinating, the plot and format is so creatively done. I loved the interviews with the sideline characters at the beginning and ends of most of the chapters, discussing the events leading up to the incident. 

The writing was absolutely fantastic and so descriptive. The story was incredibly mysterious and unputdownable. Even Stephen King had fabulous things to say about Liane Moriarty's, Big Little Lies!

It covers many elements such as domestic violence, rape, bullying and the effects of social media. It makes us realise as a reader just how sickening and fake our online lives can possibly be and how we are all far too concerned about what others think of us. 

As serious as this book is, it throws humour in right where it is needed to give you a bit of a break from all of the motherly drama this book entails. The humour isn't overdone either. It is perfect. The entire book is perfect! PERFECTION.

Every character was so complex! I loved how we got to know each one and their back stories. 

I must admit that there were a few things I found quite predictable in this book but on the contrary there was so much that was so Unpredictable that it really didn't matter to me. 

There's a quote concerning the domestic violence featured in this book that I really want to share and briefly talk about:

"She wanted to let him know that at least one person here today understood all the mistakes he'd made along the way: the times he hit back, the times he stayed when he should have left, the times he gave her another chance, the times he deliberately antagonised her, the times he let his children see things they shouldn't see. She wanted to tell him she knew all the perfect little lies he'd told himself for all those years, because she'd told herself the same lies."

Unless you have personally been in an abusive relationship it really is so hard to understand. If your friends and family know you are in one and you don't just walk away, they judge you a lot of the time. They don't see how hard it can be to cut those ties. They don't see how there is still feelings involved.. feelings and fear and so much more that is so hard to explain but Moriarty did it perfectly. That aspect of this book REALLY hit a nerve with me. I related whole-heartedly and it was so very real and scary to understand Celeste's character as much as I did. 

This book was just... WOW. I loved it. Now for the mini series featuring Nicole Kidman, Reece Witherspoon and Laura Dern :)