An absolutely beautiful, heart-wrenching story of Australias first Japanese war bride.

In the aftermath of World War II 18 year old Australian soldier, Gordon Parker, is sent to Japan where he meets and falls in love with Nobuko Sakuramoto
- or "Cherry". But anti fraternisation laws keep them apart and even after their marriage in Japan and birth of 2 children, the White Australia policy prevents Gordon from being able to bring Cherry and his children home with him to Australia.

This was honestly such a beautifully written book. It was eye opening and heartbreaking as well as heartwarming and I highly recommend checking it out.

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

"I’d fall in love with you all over again. I’d break my heart all over again because loving you was one of the two greatest surprises of my life.”

If she wasnt before Liz Tomforde is officially an absolute auto buy for me now.

I have completely fallen in love with the entire Winy City series and Caught up might be my favourite yet!

The banter, the tension, the buildup THE SPICE. I loved it all. 🫠

“You flirting with me, Montgomery?” “Have been since we met. You gonna start flirting back?”

Tropes:
⚾️ Baseball romance
⚾️ Single Dad x Nanny
⚾️ Forced proximity
⚾️ Age gap
⚾️ One bed
⚾️ Found family

I could honestly read this book all over again immediately. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

You know those books that get so hyped up online that by the time you get to them they fall kind of flat? This was that book for me.

I enjoyed it- but I didn't love it. The vibes were amazing, very creepy/spooky gothic dark academia vibes. Honestly the setting was perfect.

My issue lies with the story itself. I am not a fan of "is it magic or mental illness?" storylines and thats basically the plot of this whole book. We are left wondering the entire book if the FMC is imagining things or if she is truly being haunted by the evil Fairy King. And personally for me all of that build up was wasted on an unsatisfying ending.

Obviously I know I am in the minority here as so many people absolutely rave about this book, but as I said it just fell kind of flat for me.

Wait and Hope by mightbewriting

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A murder mystery that kept me guessing the whole way.

Slowly working my way through popular booktok books and this one did not disappoint!

📌 Murder mystery
📌 Cold case/ Closed case
📌 Epistolary (contains reports, interviews etc)
📌 Pretty little liars vibes

We follow high school student Pippa as she investigates a 5 year old murder in her town - police think they know who did it, but Pippa thinks differently. She is joined in her investigation by Ravi, the older brother of the accused murderer, who is out to prove his brothers innocence.

This book had it all for me and kept me guessing the entire way. Cant wait to see where the series goes from here!

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melsbookspace's reviews 133 reviews

melsbookspace's reviews
133 reviews