Author: Schizanthus Nerd

The Seal Garden – Nicholas Read

Photography – Ian McAllister

This is the second of the My Great Bear Rainforest series that I’ve read. Having previously fallen in love with A Bear’s Life I looked forward to reading The Seal Garden. Once again Ian McAllister’s photography is gorgeous! I noted (and appreciated) in the fine print at the beginning of the book that there has been no digital manipulation of the images.

Although this book is nonfiction the conversational tone and story about a storm and what the animals do to protect themselves during it pull the reader in. I liked the link between this book and A Bear’s Life, where we’re told how the animals of the forest will be taking cover during the storm before the seal garden is introduced. The story of the protection that the seal garden provides seals and other smaller animals from predators such as orcas gives readers an interesting overview into the lives of these beautiful mammals.

This book is for readers from 5 to 8 years and both the writing style and content are appropriate for this age group. When the orcas came on the scene I was personally dreading a scene out of a David Attenborough documentary (you know the type I’m referring to) but am pleased to report that no seals are harmed in the narrative or photographs in this book. Phew! 😅

In some photos you get the impression that the seals know all about cameras and are hamming it up for the photographer. In others I just about melted as I gazed into their huge, dark eyes. 😍 I don’t have a favourite photo of the seals because they’re just so darn loveable.

I do, however, have a favourite orca photo. It shows two orcas, one with its head above water. The composition and lighting are perfect. The movement of the orcas is evident through the ripples in the water and the fine spray in the air above them. It’s a truly stunning photo.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When storms roar and orcas are on the prowl, it’s the seal gardens of the Great Bear Sea that provide safety and shelter to sea lions, otters, a variety of seals and other sea mammals. Ian McAllister’s glorious photographs reveal the beauty and mystery of this rarely seen place of refuge. This is the third title in the My Great Bear Rainforest series, following Wolf Island and A Bear’s Life. 

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Far Out Fairy Tales: Jak and the Magic Nano-Beans – Carl Bowen

Illustrations – Omar Lozano

Now, this is fuel for my Far Out Fairy Tales obsession. Jak, a girl in this version with a very funky hairdo, has been told by her internet obsessed mother (well, her avatar anyway) that she has to sell her best friend Cow, a robot, for parts to the scrap man. The scrap man makes a deal with Jak to save Cow and possibly even the planet, but it means a trip to the space station at the top of the elevator to Cloud Kingdom to find some magic nano-beans.

Jak and Cow actually have personalities!! Naturally Jak’s mother’s avatar looks nothing like her and she calls at the most inconvenient times, which was part of the humour of the story for me. There’s a monstrosity of a space octopus type creature that stands in for the giant in the original fairy tale.

The most fun of all was the use of the word scrap, which will never be the same after you read this graphic novel. My favourite was “Holy Scrap!”, although “What the scrap?!” also deserves a mention.

The illustrations were just as fun as the story, with Jak’s personality coming alive with her expressions. The different colours used for the locations helped set the tone for each part of the story.

This story had a bit of everything I look for in a graphic novel – characters with personalities, adventure, humour, danger and some good ol’ quirky bits. There weren’t any boring sections in the story and I followed along without having to reread sections to work out what I missed. I’d happily reread this one!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Jak and her robotic servant, Cow, are in a pickle; Mom wants Jak to sell Cow for scrap, but Cow and Jak have become best friends. So instead of selling the rusty old robot for spare change, Jak strikes a bargain with the scrap collector: if Jak and Cow can visit the Cloud Kingdom via the Space Elevator and get hold of some magic nano-beans, Jak can keep Cow safe and sound. But what they find in space is anything but safe – and its sounds are far from soothing …

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Far Out Fairy Tales: Goldilocks and the Three Vampires – Laurie S. Sutton

Illustrations – C.S. Jennings

It was Snow White and the Seven Robots that started my Far Out Fairy Tales obsession. I’ve now got in my hot little hands all of the other graphic novels in this series that my library currently own (until I beg them to buy the rest). Because of my love of the Snow White retelling I was excited to see what strangeness and wonder Goldilocks would offer.

Comparing this book to the Snow White one I was disappointed. It’s still entertaining and I know I shouldn’t compare but I was glad I found Snow White first because I doubt Goldilocks and the Three Vampires would have ignited a new obsession.

The three vampires didn’t make me want to sink my teeth (sorry!) into the story as their personalities were about as dead as they were. Goldilocks was more interesting and thankfully she was smart but she was a bit too much of a know it all to make me warm to her. I kind of wanted to vampires, or at least the spiders, to triumph in the end.

The story itself was fun. Goldilocks is on an Indiana Jones style adventure with her very own flying arrow death trap to navigate along the way. Goldilocks is a crypt cracker and the National Museum has sent her to study a tomb rumoured to have treasures hidden by King Arthur inside. She has to use her smarts and some gymnastic ability to survive three death traps before stumbling upon the homes of three vampires.

I loved C.S. Jennings’ illustrations, particularly the various expressions of the vampires and the massive spiders.

The glossary and questions about the story are great extras at the end. The section at the end outlining the main differences between the original story and this Far Out version are very helpful. I hadn’t actually picked up on the three traps correlating to the original Goldilocks trying out the porridge, chairs and beds.

While there wasn’t anything specifically wrong with this graphic novel, with vampires 🧛‍♀️ 🧛‍♂️ 🧛‍♂️ , spiders 🕷 and an archaeological expedition, I was looking for a wow factor that I didn’t find.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Goldilocks is an explorer extraordinaire. Curious and fearless, Goldi searches the world for hidden artifacts and forgotten treasures of ancient civilisations. When her travels bring her to a creepy crypt, she discovers more than just dusty relics in the shadowy chambers … She’s stumbled into the home of one, two, THREE blood-sucking vampires! Can Goldi use her smarts to navigate the tomb’s tricky traps and defeat the vampire trio, or is this her last archeological adventure?

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Mysterious Monsters #1: Bigfoot – David Michael Slater

Illustrations – Mauro Sorghienti

I’d like to present this book with the coveted 🏆 I’m Excited About This New Series award for February 2018. 👏

The first in the Mysterious Monsters series, early reader chapter books for kids from 6 to 9 years, we’re introduced to the Mattigan family who live in Portland, Oregon, in the best Hide-and-Go-Seek house in the world.

While their father is in West Virginia to debunk the legend of the Mothman, siblings Maddie, Max and Theo get an unexpected visitor. They meet their Grandpa Joe for the first time and unlike their father, Grandpa Joe believes in monsters and brings his Mysterious Monster journal with him. Although their father has always maintained monsters aren’t real, it isn’t long before Grandpa Joe has convinced the Mattigan children to search the woods around their home for evidence of Bigfoot!

The Mattigan family are:

Father: Marcus, professional sceptic and star of “Monstrous Lies with Marcus Mattigan”. Appears to have a fairly advanced case of Dad humour.

Mother: Vanished two years ago… [cue The Twilight Zone theme]

Oldest Child: Maddie, 12 years old, likes being in charge of her two younger brothers and is adept at using both Eyeballing and Lecture Mode to keep her brothers in line.

Middle Child: Max, 10 years old, is frequently seen with his “spy-nocular” and adopting “the crouch”. Max loves maps and old books. His love of books obviously makes him my favourite character.

Youngest Child: Theo, 8 years old, loves watching Hansel and Gretel and doesn’t go anywhere without his sack of peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches.

This book has plenty of humour, adventure and mystery, and was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed David Michael Slater’s writing style and was surprised by how quickly I came to know and like these children. All of the characters have their own quirks and there aren’t any boring bits in the story.

The Mattigan family have a number of family and personal catchphrases which you’ll quickly become well acquainted with. My favourite catchphrase was Max’s variations of “If that’s your/his/my/our real name”, which made me smile each time I read it.

All of the catchphrases are used frequently and while they were amusing and cute in this book there is the potential for them to wander toward the ad nauseam end of the spectrum for adults after a couple of books if they continue to be used as much. However, adults aren’t the target audience so this point is basically irrelevant.

Mauro Sorghienti’s illustrations were jaw drop worthy. What a talented artist! I’d love to own a coloured copy of the illustration of the Mattigan mansion surrounded by the trees of Forest Park. There’s a mysterious and haunted quality to the building and I want to know when I can move in!

If this book is any indication of what’s to come this is going to be a super fun series. I need to go on some more adventures with this family ASAP and I look forward to telling you about them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Incorgnito Publishing Press imprint Corgi Bits and Smith Publicity for the opportunity to read this book.

In the second book we will be finding out if the truth really is out there. I want to believe! [cue The X Files theme] 👽

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The Mattigan kids don’t believe in things that go bump in the night. After all, their dad is famous for proving such things are impossible. But, when their long-lost Grandpa Joe shows up with his Mysterious Monsters journal, begging for help, the siblings find themselves drawn into a search for Bigfoot. 

Along the way, they’ll have to deal with meddling babysitters, suspicious psychics, a YouTube disaster, and their furious father. To solve this mystery, Maddie, Max, and Theo must rethink what’s possible – and make lots of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

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Shark Island – Donna McGough

Shark Island is an entertaining adventure story for readers from 9 to 12 years. With a shipwreck, shark infested waters, an island that may or may not be inhabited and the possibility of hidden treasure, there is plenty of action and potential danger in store for our characters.

We start this story on board a deep-sea fishing expedition off the Florida Keys coast. On board are best friends Charlie and Jake, Jake’s cousin Natalie, an old sea captain with an artificial leg that is rumoured to have resulted from a shark attack, and the ship’s Australian first mate, Nathan. Natalie’s personality reminds me a bit of Hermoine Granger.

I’m not sure whose responsibility it was to check the weather radar before they set off for the expedition that day but before too long they’re in the middle of a huge storm which results in a shipwreck. The three children and Nathan wind up together at Shark Island, where many before have tried and failed to find the rumoured ancient treasure that’s buried in shark guarded caves.

While there isn’t a focus on character development in Shark Island the reader is given sufficient detail to be able to picture each character. There’s enough information given so when decisions are made throughout the book they line up well with what the reader knows about that character’s personality or motivation. I would have liked for some off page action to have been described more but at only 96 pages there’s only so much detail you can go into.

I love the cover illustration of this book. You’re face to face with a shark who’s swimming towards you. In the background there’s a shark fin above the water scarily close to the fishing boat, which looks to be struggling against the power of the ocean in wild weather. Way in the background is just the hint of land.

Before you’ve opened this book you know it’s going to involve a perilous journey and for me the anticipation began as soon as I saw that image. I love shark stories. Rick Sanders has done a wonderful job capturing the tension with this illustration. I really liked the illustration of a shark’s tooth at the beginning of each chapter as well.

The text on Robin Krauss’ cover design stands out without overshadowing or covering up any of the main elements in the illustration. While the font for the author’s name is fairly bland and forgettable, the title font is appropriately rugged and weathered.

I thought the inclusion of the “Your Turn” questions at the end of most chapters was a clever way to pull the reader into the story and to make them think about what they’ve read. Besides ensuring the reader has comprehended the preceding chapter the questions also encourage creative thinking, asking the reader to consider what they would have done in a situation or what they think will happen next.

When I was in primary school some teachers would read portions of books to my class on specific days and tasks were then set based on what was happening in the story at the time. I can definitely see this book being used in classrooms. The questions at the end of chapters would be a perfect starting point for classroom discussions and the final chapter question is just begging to be used as a creative writing exercise.

I wasn’t a fan of the people indigenous to Shark Island being referred to as “savage natives”. Theirs is one scene I would have preferred to happen on page, if only to point out to the reader how wrong that preconception was, as the description made them appear helpful but somewhat cranky.

I would have liked to have known more of Nathan’s backstory and I would have liked some more shark scenes, but I say this as someone just slightly older than the target audience. I expect I would have been closer to 9 than 12 when I would have enjoyed this type of book the most.

For those it’s intended for there’s good dialogue between the characters, enough suspense and potential danger to be exciting but not too scary, and plenty of action to keep the plot moving along.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and thewordverve inc. for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A boating adventure turns wild! 

Three friends, pre-teens, embark on a deep-sea fishing excursion. Their weathered and wise captain has just one leg – thanks to a shark attack from long ago. Nate, the first mate, dreams of treasures not yet discovered. The kids just want to do some fishing. 

When an unexpected storm comes along, the boat loses course, and with the high waves and furious waters, the passengers and crew are tossed into the ocean to fight for their lives. 

New reality sets in. They are on a deserted island, surrounded by sharks. Hence, its name: SHARK ISLAND. 

Legend says there is a treasure there. And Nate will do anything to find it – including putting the youngsters in harm’s way. 

Will the kids survive the harrowing experience? Will they return home to their families? Will the captain be able to lead his mates to safety? 

And what about those natives?

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Squishy Taylor #1: Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters – Ailsa Wild

Illustrations – Ben Wood

Spoilers Ahead!

I’ve already read the first six books in the Squishy Taylor series but when the opportunity arose to revisit where her story began I jumped at the chance. It’s been almost two years (wow, that’s flown!) since I first discovered Squishy in my local library and I wanted to know if she was still as adorable as I remembered. Of course she was!

I love Squishy. I love her bonus sisters (twins Jessie and Vee). I love her baby brother. I love her Mum, her Dad and her bonus Mum. I love all of the extra people you meet as you explore Squishy’s world, even the cranky, mean ones. Squishy is one of my favourite book kids. She’s one of those people that you say, “You’ve got spunk, kid!” to, even though you can’t remember the last time you called someone ‘kid’ and you’ve never told one they have ‘spunk’ before.

This series is aimed at kids from 9 to 14 years but I would have probably read this when I was around 7 or 8. In the series Squishy is an adorable, energetic 11 year old, with her bonus sisters five months older and a grade higher at school. I also personally feel they tend to act younger than 11 but it’s not like I have a lot of kids in my life to compare them with.

I expect this series and especially the first book would helpful for readers who are new to blended families. I appreciate that the situation Squishy finds herself in is realistic. While she Skypes her Mum each day, she misses seeing her face to face. She’s having trouble adjusting to the new family that’s been moulded together when her Dad remarried. She feels ganged up against by her twin stepsisters. I absolutely adore the idea of having bonus people in your life; for example, bonus sisters instead of stepsisters. The concept of bonus puts such a positive spin on a difficult situation and Squishy’s attitude realignment is a pivotal scene in the first book.

Squishy and her bonus sisters get into trouble. At times they’re manipulative and make downright dodgy decisions to do mean things to people, but they’re kids. They bounce off one another and come up with schemes they’d never dare to try to pull off alone. Overall they’re sisters with big hearts who want to help people and love to solve mysteries in their neighbourhood.

Baby siblings rarely get named in children’s books these days for some reason and this was the book that made me notice it. In this series, I’ve only ever known Baby as Baby (so far). Perhaps he’ll get a name at some point.

Throughout the series I’ve really loved Ben Wood’s illustrations. The pictures have a fun energy about them and Squishy’s personality in particular shines through. You get the sense he really enjoys bringing this family to life and unlike a lot of children’s books I’ve read recently, Ben’s illustrations work with the feel of the book and what’s happening in the pictures lines up with what’s happening in the story. A few months ago I wouldn’t have commented on something that seems so trivial but after the amount of images I’ve seen recently that appear to have little to do with the details mentioned in the story, this has become a new selling point for me.

Squishy asks the all important question when making a decision in this book: “Which is more fun?”. A lot of adults could learn something from her.

Naturally because I’ve just reread the first book in the series I’ll need to reread the others as well before I read books 7 and 8 for the first time. 😃 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for reminding me how much I love Squishy.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Sita ‘Squishy’ Taylor is a cheeky, sneaky 11-year-old who lives with her dad and step-family in a very crowded apartment. Luckily for Squishy, their building is huge – and there’s always plenty of mysteries to investigate! Like …

Who’s that hiding in the basement?

Why does Squishy have to share everything with her new step-sisters?

Why is her next-door neighbour the crankiest man in the world?

Why are green jelly snakes the yummiest?

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Animal Babies – Charles Fuge

⚠️ WARNING! Cuteness Overload! ⚠️

Perhaps calling it in February is a tad early but I’m calling it anyway. That’s how confident I am. I’d like to officially present Animal Babies with the award for:

🏆 Favourite Board Book of the Year 2018 👏

If you have or know any children that are at or nearing the board book stage this needs to be on your radar. Charles Fuge has both written and illustrated this little gem. A sweet educational rhyme takes your child around the world with baby animals on land, ice, rivers and into the depths of the ocean.

Simply looking at the front cover illustration I could already feel it coming on and by the end I had one of the most serious cases of Melted Heart Syndrome ever. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that Charles Fuge’s baby animals are some of the best animal illustrations I’ve ever seen.

Each animal is detailed and gorgeous, from the cuddly baby bears up a tree to the cheeky meerkat babies hassling the bewildered cobra. Their expressions are varied and you can see that they all have their own personalities. Even the background and small foreground animals are captured beautifully.

My favourite is the hatching platypus that someone needs to replicate in plush toy form for kids me to cuddle.

I also need a framed print of the procession of adorable ducklings.

I don’t care that this is allegedly a “children’s book”. I will be buying a copy that Mum and I will wear out together and another for my doctors’ waiting room.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – MoonDance Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

With simple, rhyming text and lavish illustrations by Charles Fuge, this vibrant board book explores the lives of the cutest critters in the land: baby animals!

From baby bears who feel safest up a tree and baby penguins who nest on their daddy’s feet to baby koalas who hitch a ride on their mama’s back, each spread features unlikely pairs of baby animals playing and interacting. Ducks, chimps, elephants, rhinos, meerkats, whales, and even sea horses all make an appearance to bring delight children of all ages. 

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National Geographic Night Vision: Magical Photographs of Life After Dark – National Geographic Society

Wow! I’d expect nothing less from National Geographic, but still. Wow! This is a truly gorgeous collection of night photography, with short but poetic introductions to each chapter where the photographs are categorised under the headings of Energy, Harmony, Mystery and Wonder. I’d seen a fair few of these photos before but I found some new favourites, along with a few new favourites quotes from those scattered through the book.

I Can’t Decide Which Quote I Love Best So Here’s Both

“The only true voyage of discovery … would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.” – Marcel Proust

“The things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist.” – Ernest Hemingway

The Awards Ceremony

🏆 Take My Breath Away – A jet-black crow perches against the equally black sky, Switzerland. Photograph by Brigitte Blätter. (page 241)

🏆 Arty Quirky – The spires of Erfurt Cathedral are reflected in a puddle on a cobblestone street, Thuringia, Germany. Photograph by Henryk Sadura. (page 253)

🏆 The Truth is Out There – Lights of a train reflect off the falling snow and through an abandoned church in the late night hours before sunrise, Sorrento, British Columbia, Canada. Photograph by Kevin McElheran. (pages 274-275)

🏆 Bookish Aww – Two boys read a book by candlelight in the rocky cliffs of the Ethiopian Highlands, Tigray, Ethiopia. Photograph by Asher Svidensky. (page 359)

🏆 Abandoned Love – Subtle night lighting accentuates the remains of Abbey Church, a former Cistercian monastery, Galloway, Scotland. Photograph by Berthold Steinhilber. (page 234)

🏆 I Still Call Australia Home – A wave curls back into the dark ocean, New South Wales, Australia. Photograph by Ray Collins. (pages 66-67)

🏆 You Get a Trophy Too – All of the others.

While the ones I’ve pointed out were my absolute favourites there wasn’t a dud in the entire book. Love, love, love, love, love!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Celebrate the beauty of the world after dark – from starlit skies and glowing city streets to exquisite nocturnal creatures – with this magnificent new photography collection from National Geographic.

The world is a different place after dark, and this breathtaking book illuminates the mesmerizing realm of all things nocturnal, with more than 250 glorious images. Page after page of vivid photographs explore the many nuances of night vision – from the sea by moonlight to night markets in Laos to the face of a child lit up by a screen in a darkened room. The range of images in these pages is breathtaking: A smoky jazz club. Flowers that bloom only at night. Phosphorescent fish. Lions photographed with infrared cameras. The Eiffel Tower, all lit up. Faces around a campfire. A stadium lit by floodlights. Earth from space. Elegant, sexy, and a little mysterious, this richly illustrated book is a stunning pathway to some of the world’s most captivating sights.

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The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes – Mark Pett & Gary Rubinstein

Illustrations – Mark Pett

This book is just what both young and practiced perfectionists need. As a recovering perfectionist I know the struggle Beatrice goes through in this book, making sure everything is done just right. As a perfectionist she fears making mistakes and in living her ‘perfect’ life, she misses out on fun activities like ice-skating with her friends.

When the inevitable happens and Beatrice finally makes a mistake she learns that maybe making mistakes isn’t such a bad thing after all. After all, there’s less stress and more fun to be had when you learn to let go and remember you’re human like everyone else.

With a great message and engaging illustrations, I highly recommend this adorable picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once!) made a mistake …

Meet Beatrice Bottomwell: a nine-year-old girl who has never (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, Beatrice holds the record of perfection in her hometown, where she is known as The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes. Life for Beatrice is sailing along pretty smoothly until she does the unthinkable; she makes her first mistake. And in a very public way! 

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The Woman in the Window – A.J. Finn

By now you will no doubt have either read The Woman in the Window or have heard so much about it that a replay of the blurb will be redundant and highly irritating. For the minority who have been happily living in a bubble, the basics of this book are:

🤷🏻‍♀️ Unreliable main character
🍷 Alcoholism of the ‘why haven’t you died from alcohol poisoning yet?’ variety
💊 Pills, so many different types
💤 Alcohol and drug fuelled sleep
🔪 Murder mystery, AKA, the mystery of whether there was a murder
🚶🏽‍♀️ So 🚶🏻‍♂️ much 🏃🏿‍♀️ people 🕺🏽 watching 📷
📺 Oodles of black and white movie references.

I’m really conflicted about what to put in this review as I don’t want to wander too deep into spoiler territory. I’m also really confused about how I feel about this book, probably because there were so many elements that I simultaneously loved and hated. So, I think the way this is going to work is to outline my loves, my frustrations and then sum up with some random thoughts.

The Woohoo Bits

The Writing
With such beautiful sentences that I had to read to someone, I enjoyed the writing style and am keen to read the author’s next novel. Here are just some of my favourite visuals and lovely sentences as examples:

“now shame live-wires through my body.”

“It takes an ice age, the words thawing in my mouth before I can spit them out.”

“I feel as though I’m falling through my own mind.”

“My shadow stretches along the carpet, as though trying to detach itself from me.”

“My head was once a filing cabinet. Now it’s a flurry of papers, floating on a draft.”

In keeping with the bazillion movie references there is a cinematic quality about this book and I feel like it was written with a movie deal in mind. I am interested in seeing how the introspective nature of the main character translates to film. I’m sure I’ll watch the movie, if only to compare it to the book. I hope the movie Anna isn’t a stick figure as the book one is overweight.

The Exploration of Mental Health
I loved that there were multiple mental health conditions portrayed in this book and that they weren’t glossed over. It wasn’t implied that you can flick a magical switch and all of a sudden become the poster child for mental health overnight. The struggles were gritty and the judgemental attitudes towards those with mental health conditions were unfortunately realistic.

The Meh Moments

The Red Herrings
Are they truly red herrings if the reader can tell that’s what they are, or are they merely sunburnt?

The Predictability
It does take some of the thrill out of a thriller if you expect what happens in the thrill parts to happen before they happen. I’m one of those people that can’t even predict what they’re having for dinner that night yet I nailed most of the ‘surprises’ well before they happened, and that’s really kinda sad.

The Obvious [insert dramatic scene here] Moments
The internet just so happens to load slowly one time in the book [insert dramatic scene here]. It was a dark and stormy night [insert dramatic scene here as well].

All of the Black and White Movie References
… which just so happened to coincide with what’s happening in the story at the time. If you’re a black and white movie buff the multitude of references will have you reliving the described scenes in your mind as you read and you’ll most likely want to revisit some of your favourites after you finish reading.

If you’re like me you’re only vaguely familiar with a few of the titles in the main character’s personal movie library. Therefore you’re likely to have meaningful moments and possibly (I don’t know because I haven’t seen most of the movies) foreshadowing of things to come fly right over your head and you won’t even look up at the buzzing sound so you’ll miss them entirely.

The Many Moments Where the Characters are Just Clueless
Sorry, Anna, but there were so many times the answer was right in front of your face but you couldn’t see it for looking. I know you’ve killed a gazillion brain cells since you’ve been home bound but surely you can’t miss all of the clues.

Also, Dr Fielding, I’m assuming you’re the one writing the prescriptions here. Aren’t you just the teensiest bit suspicious about how many medications you’re prescribing and the quantity of each? These medications are scrutinised by physicians, now more than ever.

Where Unhelpful Stereotypes are Reinforced
There is so much media hype these days surrounding prescription medication addiction and the portrayal of the main character buys into all of the negative stereotypes. I’m not denying that there are people who abuse prescription medication and become addicted. There’s no doubt that this can and does happen.

What really angers me as someone with chronic pain is that the stereotypes and the media hype, while making it more difficult for people to abuse medications also makes it that much harder for someone who legitimately needs these to function to get them. I know a lot of legitimate pain patients and we’re not taking medication to get high. It helps us do things that most people take for granted, like not having to choose whether you’ll eat that day or have a shower.

Is Anyone Going to Pay Attention to the Needs of the Cat?
This made my blood boil! 🤬

The Random

I Expect This Book to be a Popular Book Club Selection
I’d say that you should play a drinking game with your book club buddies and take a drink each time the main character does, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t survive do let’s scrap that idea. Perhaps you could have a raffle where you guess how many times she has a drink and the person whose guess is closest to the real number wins a book store gift voucher or something else appropriately bookish.

The Unfulfilled Easter Egg Potential
There’s an email address listed in the book and I had hoped for a sneaky marketing Easter egg in the form of an automated reply relevant to what’s happening during that part of the book. Sadly my cool marketing idea has not been implemented. 😢 Just know that if I ever write a book, there will be Easter eggs.

In Summary

It confuses me no end how I can love the writing style, find sentences so beautiful I have to read them to someone, yet be bored at the same time. Because I accidentally figured out most of the ‘aha!’ moments they turned into ‘uh huh’ ones. To quote Anna:

“I feel as though I’m at a movie and the film is over and the lights are up and everyone’s filed out of the theater and I’m still sitting there, trying to work out what happened.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Anna Fox lives alone – a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times … and spying on her neighbours.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble – and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one – and nothing – is what it seems.

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