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Review: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

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Frederick Fife is an amiable and generous man. However, at age 82 he has found himself completely alone and close to homelessness. His luck changes, however, when a case of mistaken identity leads him to assume the identity of Bernard Greer, a miserable and lonely old resident at a nursing home. Frederick suddenly finds himself making all kinds of friends at the nursing home, but the biggest challenge of all comes when Bernard's estranged daughter comes to visit ... This was an entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking story of a once lonely old man and his found family. Frederick is an entertaining character, full of life, friendliness and just a little bit of mischief as he tries to hold on to everything that is good at the nursing home. (Though it certainly has its faults, as the story arc involving Denise shows.) Running parallel to the story of Frederick is that of Hannah, who suffers the loss of her sister and then more as her father becomes abusive. I found that the novel rel...
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Review: Six Summers of Tash and Leopold by Danielle Binks

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Award winning children's author Danielle Binks has penned a thought provoking novel for children about two children and their neighbour who are all going through, well, rather a lot. Leo's life has been a bit rough of late. He's almost finished year six at the local primary school. He's been abandoned by his childhood best friend Tash in favour of the cool kids, his dad has gone away to the other side of Australia for a while to get help with his gambling addiction and now, Leo has won a scholarship to a fancy private school in Melbourne that he is not feeling so sure about. Meanwhile, Tash, who has survived an aggressive form of childhood cancer, has made a sudden reappearance in his life. She wants Leo's help in delivering a letter to their eccentric neighbour from the other side of the creek. As the letters keep appearing, Leo finds himself growing closer to Tash and discovering the grim reality of the letters and the many cruel games that a property developer is...
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Review: Vow of Eternal Night by Lily Crozier

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Australian author Lily Crozier's debut is a pleasing gothic romance and retelling of Beauty and the Beast ... but with vampires. Clara Wagner has grown up in a town plagued by poverty and a prince who appears to be using his people to satisfy his desire for blood. Now, Prince Raleigh has decided that it is time that he married and someone join him in the castle. And that someone just happens to be Clara. In spite of the fact that she is very much human and betrothed to a man she loves? Or is she? As Clara finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the castle and the life of Prince Raleigh she soon discovers that things are not what they seem and the real enemy may be someone else indeed ... Vow of Eternal Night was an enjoyable, satisfying read that ticks all the right boxes for a gothic romance. One thing I really appreciated was that Clara in her mid-twenties and had already had adult relationships, rather than being portrayed as a young fair virgin on the cusp of her coming-of...
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Review: Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh

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Picking up where Binding 13 left off, the second novel in the Boys of Tommen series starts on a dramatic note, with Shannon copping a near fatal beating from her abusive, alcoholic father. From there, the reader witnesses a rollercoaster ride of events, melodrama and even forbidden romance as Shannon's long-lost brother Darren swoops in to care for his injured sister and vows to do everything to keep Shannon and her boyfriend Johnny apart. Johnny has his own problems due to his rugby injuries and fears that his career may be in jeopardy. Meanwhile, no one knows where Shannon's dad is, but, of course, he will be back one last time to cause utter chaos and devastation ... This was a very dramatic read. The author clearly intended it to be a page turner, and to be fair, it really is in place. However, at 800 pages, it often felt overlong and many parts of the story, such as the number of times Shannon snuck off to see Johnny and the pair didn't really get up to all that much,...
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Review: Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch

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May is desperately searching for ... something. Her mother has passed away, her father disappeared years ago. May and her brother were taken in by Aunty, but her brother leaves following a domestic violence incident and May soon finds herself looking for him. And for her dad. However, as she journeys through Australia she soon learns what will give her a much needed sense of belonging. This was a difficult book for me to read, mostly because it left me feeling a deep mix of sadness and anger. Presented as a series of linked short stories, we meet May Gibson. The daughter of a Wiradjuri mother and an absent white father, something about May's life feels doomed yet filled with strange little moments of hope. Most of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped, as did May at times. However, where the novel truely stands out is through its look at what it means to belong, and a connection to people and country. Recommended.
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Review: Maisy Hayes Is Not For Sale by Allayne L Webster

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Adelaide author Allayne L Webster's latest novel is a moving coming-of-age tale about a teenage girl who is living in poverty. Things are not going well for Maisy Hayes, who turns fourteen in the early chapters of the novel. Her family, which includes her mum, older sister and younger half brother are doing it tough. Money is tight, their Housing Trust home is in a state of disrepair and older sister Luka has a serious heart problem and needs an operation. Then comes some surprising news. Maisy's dad, a wealthy lawyer who has all but abandoned his daughters, wants Maisy and Luka to stay with him in Melbourne during the school holidays. Luka is quick to realise that something is wrong with the whole set up, while the younger and more optimistic Maisy is about to learn some huge life lessons ... There were times when this novel absolutely broke my heart. The novel focuses on a number of issues,  including the daily realties of living in poverty in Australia, including a scene whe...
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Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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It is no secret that the Off Campus series is well, kind of a big deal. Not only are all five novels bestsellers, but the series has recently been developed into a series for Amazon Prime. But how does it stack up? Not too bad.  In a world where the market is absolutely saturated with contemporary romance novels featuring every theme, or trope, imaginable, the concept of a college romance featuring two opposites who dislike one another at first but soon fall for one another hardly feels original. But, somehow, the author manages to turn this into something that feels like the romance novel equivalent of a warm hug. Hannah is a talented musician just trying to make her way through college. Her past makes her wary of men and dating. Especially ones like Garrett, who are popular, a little arrogant and part of an elite sporting team. Meanwhile, for Garrett, ice hockey is everything. And he needs to keep his grades up if he wants to remain part of the team. And so, he swallows his pride...
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