Tag: 5stars

contemporary · Bestsellers · Religion

The stranger in the lifeboat – Mitch Albom ★★★★★

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Blurb; Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, ten people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. “Thank the Lord we found you,” a passenger says. “I am the Lord,” the man whispers. So begins Mitch Albom’s most beguiling novel yet.

Albom has written of heaven in the celebrated number one bestsellers “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and “The First Phone Call from Heaven”. Now, for the first time in his fiction, he ponders what we would do if, after crying out for divine help, God actually appeared before us? A fast-paced, compelling novel that makes you ponder your deepest beliefs, “The Stranger in the Lifeboat suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where we least expect them.”

My Review; I randomly saw this book on Tiktok one day and the rest in history my first book by this author, and it may have changed my life. I have found a new favourite author and already ordered all the rest of his books through my local library. It is such a beautiful, heart-breaking, inspiring, and survival story that involves god. I was hooked! The story is told in two those on land and those at sea. Short chapters. Amazing read. Highly recommend. Devoured it. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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romance · chick-lit · Comedy

Stick a Cork in it – Rich Amooi ★★★★★

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Blurb; Ivy needs a miracle and a drink—not necessarily in that order. What she doesn’t need is Ted Jacobs, aka Mr. Know-it-All. She’s determined to save her struggling winery, but she can do it without the annoyingly handsome man’s help, thank you very much.

Ted wants to catch lightning in a bottle and create the world’s greatest wine, but he’s smart enough to know he can’t do it alone. When he heads to Napa Valley to keep his grandma from ending up in jail (don’t ask), he meets Ivy Dobbs, the world’s most stubborn woman. Fine, she’s beautiful and as intoxicating as his award-winning cabernet, but she stomps on his offer to collaborate.

Ted knows it’s risky to mix business with pleasure, but if Ivy would only listen, they might just be the toast of the town.

My Review; I have read a few by this author before, but a few weeks back I was going through a really tough time and Mel from Melanie’s Reads recommend me this one and boy was it just what I needed. This had me laughing out loud! An uplifting, laugh out loud funny story about two rivals who soon become lovers. Especially with both their grandma’s trying to set them up together. I loved it all. A feel-good read. Light read. Just what I needed. A well-deserved five stars from me. Highly recommend for a good time.

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Young adult · thriller · mystery · suspense · Detective

Let’s Play Murder – Kesia Lupo ★★★★★

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Blurb; Video games have never been more murderous.

Veronica wakes up trapped with four strangers in a sprawling manor house in a snow storm with a dead body, a mystery right out of an Agatha Christie novel. It feels so real – but it isn’t. This is VR and this is THE Game; a rumoured Easter Egg hidden in other VR games that draws you into a competition for a prize beyond your wildest dreams. And there’s no escaping the VR world until the Game is won.

But while Veronica and her fellow players are trying to figure out the puzzle, something is not right in the VR world. Blackouts, glitches, NPCs acting strange, and a mysterious figure haunting their footsteps. Then when a player dies, and also dies in real life, all hell breaks loose.

Without warning, the game Veronica thought she was playing gets overshadowed by a much darker, and much more real, mystery: who is killing us?’

It may not be a game Veronica wanted to play, but it’s one that she has to win – or die trying.

My Review; I devoured this book, gripping and thrilling. A must-read for young adult, gamer readers. Enter the world of this new virtual reality game where you can not escape until the game has finished or you die. Very similar to cluedo, it’s a murder mystery that needs solving, but with the game malfunctioning, real lives could be at stake here. Fellow players could be the enemy. Would you risk it all for a huge cash prize? A well thought of story and plot with a HUGE twist you will not expect. Jaw dropping. I enjoyed every page. This is a story that will be hard to forget. Has a map layout in the front of the game setting/house. A well-deserved five stars from me. Highly recommend.

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