Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield | Book Review

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Author & Title: Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

My rating: 4/5

Publication date: 3rd March 2022

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Blurb:

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. But It soon becomes clear that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Memories of what they had before – the jokes they shared, the films they watched, all the small things that made Leah hers – only remind Miri of what she stands to lose. Living in the same space but suddenly separate, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had might be gone.

Review:

I read this book simply because I'd heard a lot about it but I didn't know what to expect.

Miri and Leah are a married couple and we learn that Leah has recently returned from a deep-sea mission on a submersible for work. Whilst away, she and her two colleagues lost contact and were essentially missing under the water for five months.

Leah is now back home with Miri but it isn't the Leah that Miri is used to. Something happened. 

The novel is told from the points of view of Miri in present day and how Leah's return has changed her and how it is affecting her. She reminisces about their old life together. We also have Leah's point of view on the submersible.

This book is absolutely beautiful. The prose is stunning and you have the mix of magic realism (something that I didn't think I liked) and an emotive story. Leah and Miri's relationship was beautiful and you really felt for Miri due to the change in her wife since her return. It is moving, touching and sad. I loved it. 

My Rude Awakening by Edward Charles Featherstone | Blog Tour Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a proof copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Author & Title: My Rude Awakening by Edward Charles Featherstone 

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 3rd October 2024

Blurb:

The honest, explicit and extraordinary memoir of Edward Charles Featherstone—Englishman, Businessman, Polo Player and Combat Pilot—My Rude Awakening reveals an astonishing account of life lived with passion and intensity.

From the lush green Berkshire’s polo fields, through the ardours of military helicopter training, to the white heat of flying combat missions in the Middle East, Charles’s journey is a riveting tale of privilege, peril and profound personal transformation.

Raised amidst the traditions of English upper-class society, Charles’s life takes an unexpected turn when he embarks on a forbidden, intoxicating affair. This passionate relationship not only challenges societal norms but also ignites a deeply personal awakening that defines his transition into manhood.

Then as a combat helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, Charles faces the brutal realities of war and harrowing experiences that still live with him to this day.

Prepare to be shocked, captivated and inspired by the raw, unvarnished truth of this shy boy’s unforgettable journey of love, loss, and survival into adulthood.

Review:

I love reading memoirs and usually my favourite way to consume them is via audiobook, especially if they are read by the author. This is mostly because I find it brings them to life a bit and keeps my attention more. My Rude Awakening, however, was written like fiction so I was hooked from the start.

When I first heard about this memoir, I was intrigued by its description but also felt a little out of my comfort zone as it probably wouldn't have been something I'd pick up of my own accord, but that is the beauty of signing up to blog tours, it expands your horizons and introduces you to books that may surprise you.

My Rude Awakening follows Edward Charles Featherstone (a pseudonym, which I think adds to the intrigue) and his life coming from a wealthy family, playing polo, shooting, before going to the RAF as a helicopter pilot. I really enjoyed hearing about these moments as it is so different from anything in my own life, a girl who grew up in Belfast in the 90s, which is what I love about memoirs. I did originally wonder why the nom de plume, but as the story progresses and you see the explicit honesty on the paper, it becomes clear why you maybe wouldn't want people in your real life to know this much about your personal life.

I especially enjoyed the chapters about Charles's grandfather and it became clear how much of an influence he was and the comparison between his grandfather his friend James when they met in the RAF. Special mention to Osric too because I am always here for animals.

The real crux of the story however, is Charles's relationship with a much older woman, the mother of one of his friends, and his sexual awakening in a way at the age of 20 and how he then goes from boy to man. I am not a prude and read a lot of books where the subject matter can be explicit or morally grey, and nothing really shocks me. There were occasions throughout My Rude Awakening where my eyes did widen a bit. 

What I want from a memoir is for it to be raw and honest but also for the author to reflect on themselves and I think that's what we get here. 

•••

A massive thank you for Midas PR & Edward Charles Featherstone for having me on the blog tour and for the beautiful gifted hamper. You can find information about the other bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna | Book Review

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Author & Title: Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna 

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 14th May 2024

Publisher: HarperCollins

Blurb:

Kathleen Hanna’s rallying cry to feminists echoed far and wide through the punk scene of the 1980s, ’90s, and beyond. Her band, Bikini Kill, embodies this iconic time, and today their gutsy, radical lyrics of anthems like ‘Rebel Girl’ and ‘Double Dare Ya’ are more powerful than ever. But where did this transformative voice come from?

In Rebel Girl, Hanna’s raw and insightful new memoir, she takes us from her tumultuous childhood home, to her formative college years in Olympia, Washington, and on to her first years on tour, fighting hard for gigs and for her band. As Hanna makes blindingly clear, being in a ‘girl band’, especially a punk girl band, in those years was not a simple or a safe prospect. Male violence and antagonism threatened at every turn, and surviving as a singer who was a lightening rod for controversy took limitless amounts of determination.

But the relationships she developed during those years buoyed her – including with her bandmates Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Billy Karren; her friendship with Kurt Cobain; and her introduction to Joan Jett – and they were a testament to how the true punk world nurtured and cared for its own.

Hanna opens up about falling in love with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and her debilitating battle with Lyme disease, and she brings us behind the scenes of her later bands, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. She also writes candidly about the Riot Grrrl movement and its decline, documenting with love its grassroots origins but critiquing its later exclusivity.

In an uncut voice all her own, Hanna reveals the darkest, hardest times along with the most joyful – and how it all fuelled her revolutionary art, from the 1980s to today.

Review:

I have always been a fan of Kathleen Hanna's (I think Deceptacon by Le Tigre was my most played song when I was fourteen years old) so I was excited to hear she had released a memoir.

If you aren't familiar with Kathleen Hanna, she is the frontwoman of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. She is known for being a pioneer of the feminist punk Riot Grrrl movement. I listened to this book on audio, narrated by Hanna herself, as it is always my favourite way to read memoirs.

Hanna writes about her childhood with her father, sister and mother, right through to forming and performing with her bands, falling in love with husband Adam (Horowitz, of Beastie Boys) and her diagnosis of Lyme disease. 

I knew about Kathleen Hanna's life on surface level but in this book she delves deep into her life and shares some raw things. She writes about rape, violence against women, miscarriage, troubles she faced from male concert-goers due to how she performed and standing up for what she believed in.

You can tell that she went through a lot of self-reflection whilst writing this book. It is very honest. A great memoir.

The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a copy of this book to take part in a readalong with Tandem Collective. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Author & Title: The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim

My rating: 4/5

Publication date: 11th July 2024

Publisher: Brazen Books 

Blurb:

Ji-won's life is in disarray. Her father's affair has ripped her family to shreds, leaving her to piece their crappy lives back together.

So, when her mother's obnoxious new white boyfriend enters the scene, bragging about his flawed knowledge of Korean culture and ogling Asian waitresses in restaurants, Ji-won's hold over her emotions strains. As he gawks at her and her sister around their claustrophobic apartment, Ji-won becomes more and more obsessed with his brilliant blue eyeballs.

As her fixation and rage grow, Ji-won decides that she must do the one thing that will save her family... and also curb her cravings.

Review:

This is such an interesting read and not for the squeamish. Especially if you don't like eyeballs. I don't think I'll be able to eat a cherry tomato ever again! 

Eighteen-year-old Korean-American Ji-won lives with her fifteen-year-old sister Ji-hyun and mother Umma. Their lives are changed when their father leaves them. During a family meal, the girls are disgusted when Umma eats a fish eye, claiming that it will bring the luck that she feels like she desperately needs.

Umma meets a white man named George at the Korean supermarket that she works in and the two embark on a relationship. This coincides with the Ji-won finally trying a fish eye but it leaves her with an insatiable hunger, but only for blue eyes. Like George's.

This book is very murder-y with plenty of gory scenes. I tend not to get very squeamish but something about the eyeball eating descriptions made me feel a bit ill! There is a running theme throughout the book focused on patriarchy and racial fetishisation. I really enjoyed this one! 

False Confidence by Sophie Snow | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received an eBook copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Author & Title: False Confidence by Sophie Snow

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 13th August 2024

Blurb:

From fake orgasms to fake nonchalance, Jasmine Cannon has spent so long playing pretend she has everyone convinced she’s the fun, chaotic friend without a care in the world. Everyone except her best friend’s new stepson, Liam Michaelson, that is.

Liam has wanted Jazz since the second he laid eyes on her, but when she agrees to be his fake date for his ex’s wedding, he doesn’t expect to fall into bed with her. Again. Not that he remembers much of the drunken hookup they’ve never talked about…

When Liam discovers Jazz hasn’t had an orgasm in a decade, he’s determined to be the one to get her there. But Jazz isn’t as carefree as she pretends, and working through her orgasm-block causes her perfectly crafted facade to crack.

After years of faking it, Jazz has finally found someone she wants to be real with—now she just has to learn how.

Review:

When I read Legally Binding, the first in the Spicy in Seattle series, I loved Maggie and Cal so much that I thought they would be hard to top. We met Jazz, Maggie's best friend, and Liam, Cal's son, in that book but I didn't expect to fall in love with them as much as I did. I would definitely advise reading Legally Binding before False Confidence.

The spice hits right from the prologue when the two have a one night stand following Cal and Maggie's wedding. Fast forward and Liam has been invited to his ex-girlfriend's wedding (to his ex-best friend who she cheated with) and in order to save face, Maggie recommends that he brings Jazz as his date, unaware of their night together. Jazz and Liam then enter into a mini fake dating scenario that turns into a spicy pact. Sophie Snow writes serious topics that pack and punch and the development of feelings very well. Jazz has her struggles but how she overcomes them with the help of Liam, her best friend Maggie and on her own is beautifully done.

There is a realistic friendship between Maggie and Jazz. Their arguments and Jazz's worries about Maggie's new married life and where she fits in feels very real. I enjoyed her personal development throughout the entirety of the novel. I loved hearing about Maggie's dynamic with her family in book one so I was pleased to have similar for Jazz.

Now for Liam. Can someone conjure him up in real life please? Sophie Snow is a character queen and I thought Cal was swoonworthy? It's in the Michaelson genes I guess. I said it for The Rule Of Three and Legally Binding and I will say it for False Confidence - those spicy scenes are top notch.

10/10. Perfection with a little bow on top. Bring on the next one!