Under The Radar Books.

Tag: book review

  • Book Review: Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

    Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

    Synopsis.

    Leah is changed. Months earlier, she left for a routine expedition, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.

    The Review

    OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA by Julia Armfield I’ve read Julia Armfield before but did not connect with the material quite the same as I did with Our Wives Under The Sea. In this one, we’re following Leah and Miri in alternating povs. Leah and Miri are married and Leah has just returned from the sea on a voyage that lasts longer in duration than expected. When Leah returns all is not as it was with her and Miri sets out on an emotional journey of finding the parts of Leah that never came home. I found this book to be interesting in that I enjoyed it immensely but only in small pieces. Some of the visuals from Leah’s literal and figurative transformation will haunt me and I’ll think of the taste of salt water differently forever. However, as a whole, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Perhaps it was in how quiet its delivery was. Whispering where I wanted screams. Leaving things up for interpretation that I wanted declared. I recommend this to readers looking for a layered experience and those who are always seeking further meaning. This one is for you! Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook copy! OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA…⭐️⭐️⭐️  

    Screen Pairing

    Swiss Army Man Movie 1h 37min

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    For this title I recommend: Sunscript 2021 Rosé from Lodi, California

    Book Pairing

    If you liked this review…you might like: Sundial by Catriona Ward
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  • Book Review: Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier

    Things We Do In the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

    Synopsis.

    When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future. Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all. Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges. Things We Do in the Dark is a brilliant new thriller from Jennifer Hillier, the award-winning author of the breakout novels Little Secrets and Jar of Hearts. Paris Peralta is suspected of killing her celebrity husband, and her long-hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.

    The Review

    THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier I haven’t read a Jennifer Hillier book in a while and based on the ratings, I have been missing out. Her books are edgy and her characters are flawed but all of that is welcomed and status quo. So what makes her unique? In THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK we’re following Paris. Paris has just been found in a precarious position and we’re going to find out how she got there and of course, every truth about why will be revealed along the way. It’s part thriller, part mystery, equally entertaining, and heartfelt. When you read a Hillier book, you’ll care about the characters in the story. They are well built and multi-faceted. They don’t always do the “right” thing, showing fallibility, making them easy to align with and root for. I really enjoyed my time reading this one and I’m tempted to revisit her backlist while she’s working on her next book. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy! This one is out now! THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Screen Pairing

    Striptease Movie Drama 1996 155 minutes

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    For this title I recommend: La Arauca 2021 Dry Rosé from Maule Valley DO, Chile

    Book Pairing

    If you liked this review…you might like: Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski
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  • Book Review: Upgrade by Blake Crouch

    Upgrade by Blake Crouch

    Synopsis.

    At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

    But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

    The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

    Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

    Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

    And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

    Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.

    The Review

    Upgrade

    By Blake Crouch

    I really love Blake Crouch’s style of anxiety-inducing science fiction and his latest, UPGRADE is a fascinating sci-fi thriller that I think many readers will enjoy.

    In Upgrade, we’re following Logan who, on a mission with the GPA (Gene Protection Act) task force, becomes exposed to something.

    Upon healing, he finds himself not only recovering but surpassing his prior capabilities and being “upgraded”.

    I loved the entire concept of the gene task force and I felt the science fiction aspects were believable. The writing was crisp and exciting and all of the characters seemed to come to life.

    The story was held at a good pace and kept my attention throughout. I could see this book being adapted into a movie or tv show.

    Upgrade…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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