Just One More Thing

by Dom Haslam

She knew any journey to recovery would take months, even years, if ever, but seeing him grovelling for mercy brought to mind not just the failure of this one man, but all the weaknesses of mankind. 'No one is beyond forgiveness, ' she said.



The partner we no longer trust, the boss we fear, the family member we cannot tolerate. Stories exploring the psychological effect of modern life: a pregnant mother becomes convinced her husband is having an affair and will stop at nothing to get to the truth; a married man is drawn inexorably towards temptation, despite knowing it could cost him his family; a quiet man absorbs increasing pressure and stress, with devastating consequences.



Ordinary people count the cost of 'just one more thing'.

256 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2021

About the author

In between his day job, bringing up three children, being run off his feet by a crazy cocker spaniel, listening to Mozart's D minor piano concerto, perfecting the art of homemade pizzas and studying Ordnance Survey maps of the Yorkshire Moors, Dom likes to write.

Dom lives in the fantastic town of Ilkley in Yorkshire, having arrived there via Bedford, Nottingham and London.

Dom has written two books, So Long, Marianne, a romantic fiction, and Just One More Thing, a book of short stories about greed, obsession and fear.

More information at
https://www.domhaslambooks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/domhaslambo...

Reviews

[Sengagh Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very different for me to review. It is comprised of 11 short stories that average at only 20 pages each.
Each story covers its own unique storyline that highlights a variety of issues relevant to so many people, and that ultimately push them over the edge.
What I enjoyed about this book was reading the individual storylines and wondering where it was heading. Some of them I really enjoyed and so was disappointed when they ended so quickly. There were definitely a few I felt I could have read a whole book about.
What I also enjoyed was the fact that this book was great to just pick up whenever you had a spare 5 minutes as each story was short and you didn’t get drawn into a storyline that lasted the entire length of the book.
It’s hard for me to highly rate books of this nature as I don’t get the same emotions I get when reading a full story. However, this book highlights many contemporary issues which I found very refreshing, and was so easy to read.
I would definitely recommend for anyone wanting something easy but thought-provoking.

[Bookswithacuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who works in mental health, I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book. Admittedly, I’m not usually a short story fan, mainly because I tend to struggle to connect with, or be moved by, the storylines. I usually need the gripping hook of a thriller to suck me in glue me to the pages. However this book was packed with 11 literary “pressure cookers”, which demonstrated the consequences when an ordinary person is simply pushed to their limit, and struggles to cope with “that” final straw.

This was such an original book. I really liked all 11 stories, each moving me in its own way, with a few evoking stronger emotional reactions than others, such as Universal Sufferage, Virulence, Little Reed, and The Fairer Sex. Dom has managed to create real and relatable characters through clever writing and characterisation, and the use of real life events, such as the pandemic, Brexit, and work pressures. Some stories ended just right, others I would have been delighted to see go on for longer.

This was an easy book to dip in and out of, given the shortness of the chapters. All in all, a really good snapshot of the emotional strains ordinary people in society can find themselves facing, and how just one more thing can be the final stressor that can bring a person’s life crashing down in mere seconds, or certainly change the course of direction indefinitely. I would happily recommend this book to all.

Thank you to Dom, and LoveBooksTours for the gifted copy. My review is voluntary and all thoughts are my own.

[Hannah Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this collection of short stories! As you all may know I have quite a little collection of short story books, loving how each one gives you a snippet of the authors imagination and experiences. This one did not disappoint at all! Every story within this collection held up a mirror to our society and our attitudes in modern day Britain - especially when it comes to Brexit, views on immigration, charity work, misogyny, and toxic work culture.

Every story is filled with a lot of emotion and tension, and all of our characters are filled to the brim with their feelings that any second now I feared they were going to either have a heart attack or explode. But I liked that. I liked that the author showed real life characters, with real feelings, about real situations. And we all have a tendency to explode at any time.

I have rated Just One More Thing a total of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this, especially if you’re into stories that are a reflection of modern day life and the troubles and issues that come with it!

[Bookshortie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of unique short stories which explores the lives of several ordinary people, the situations they find themselves in and the consequences of their actions when an action is taken too far.

There were definitely a few stories that stuck with me. Treehouse was a little sinister. Seeing is deceiving was interesting and went in a direction I wasn’t expecting. Universal suffrage was a very realistic perspective of one person’s view of Brexit and what happens when you take a view too far. Revenge porn was the perfect story to highlight when a plan for revenge is taken to its extreme.
Many happy returns captured a strained family relationship involving prejudice, racism and Brexit, but highlights when the use of twitter to share your opinion turns quickly into trolling. The story that my thoughts are still conflicted about is Virulence which is a pandemic story which shows the strain that living through a pandemic can have on a family and relationships. This was definitely a little shocking to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every story because they were distinctive. They were different to the one before it and the one after it. What I liked about each story was that some of them really made me think and did leave a lasting impression on me. In some cases I wished that the story was longer so I could find out what happened to the characters next. In some instances I did think were the actions spiteful, on purpose or just misguided.

Essentially this is a collection of short stories about human behaviour and actions and explores when situations are taken too far and the consequences of this.

I received a gifted copy for an honest review.

[Anni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories...... My only negative is that I wanted some of them to last longer so I could find out what happens next! Some of them I really could not put down whereas others I found were not to my satisfaction. Some of the characters made me so mad and thats the sign of a really great book where you are drawn in so completely that you feel you actually know the people and the drama they've been through leaves you pondering it afterwards. I lapped this up quickly on three sittings and I found the writing style to be easily picked up each time. Being short stories it was good as you didn't have to think about what had happened when you picked it up again.

All in all this was a surprising read which I really enjoyed, especially on the occasions when karma won out!

[Christina Lockyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, from the blurb I was not expecting a compilation of short stories. In fact, had I known in advance I may of naively bypassed it...bare with me on this while I explain; Short stories have never really appealed to me, usually it takes a good 50 pages for me to warm to characters and plot. I therefore assumed I would not gain any gratification from a short story. How wrong I was. In fact, this book has completely changed my view of short stories and I have already made a start researching more. This format has worked so well in the last week where I am time poor, reading in the car waiting to pick up my son, quick story before bed, even a little story with coffee before I get up in the morning. I could easily have this type of book alongside my current novel just for those moments when you only have a moment of time to pass.

I enjoyed all 11 of the stories in Dom’s book, in fact a lot of them I didn’t want to end! The Tree House definitely needs further exploration I absolutely loved it! You are thrown into the story and yet can visualise the characters immediately, clever writing indeed especially for those of you who like me do not enjoy a slow burn.

I did feel the very political and covid story a little too close to home for my own preference, but the other stories were excellent and that is why I have rated this book 4 stars.

[Daisy Hollands · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iam a huge fan of short story collections in general and this one is no exception to that. There are many benefits to reading short stories over full length novels – no danger of losing interest before the final chapter, for a start.

The only downside to this collection in particular is that not all stories contained within have a definite ending, which is frustrating if you are invested in what you are reading and want to see more from the characters. The stories all stop, but a few of them are left hanging, so the reader can make their own mind up about what might have happened next. They aren’t all like that – some of them have a very definite conclusion. It’s a good mix of the two.

I got very strong Roald Dahl vibes from this book. From the very first story onwards, I was put in mind of Tales of the Unexpected – they are re-showing the old shows on TV at the moment. If they were looking to make new episodes, there would be a fair few possibilities in this Just One More Thing. A contemporary book, making mention of Brexit, and Covid -19 so bang up to date.

This was such great book, I loved it – because the stories were short, I raced through each one and was disappointed when I got to the very end – I know this is a book I will read many times over.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well written, interesting collection of short stories.
I dont often enjoy short stories, I feel like they can be really rushed or utter tripe but none of these tales fit into these categories. There were a couple of them that I felt Dom could easily expand into full length if he so desired but these were all fully explored and rounded off perfectly without missing anything out.
Some pretty dark tales at points, others exploring mental health issues and family stresses and how modern life affects us in various aspects of our world.
Each story was of similar length and I found them very easy to read through and dip in and out of around another book. Thanks for the copy Dom in exchange for an honest review. I would recommend!

[nicola mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of short stories, which are all based around a variety of subjects. This book of stories reflect these tough times that everyone faces. I simply cannot pick just one story from all of these stories that I liked more than the others. They all have something different that stood out to me, the author has done a great job on this book.

[Rhianydd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is a lovely book with challenging stories such as family drama with loads of plots and twists. I loved the characters were amazing the writing style was cleverly done and well research. The stories were well written. I was surprised at the endings such a great book you enjoy.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivated by these Intriguing and uncertain short stories. I could relate to them but sometimes wished I didn't. Other times it's comforting...I never really knew which direction the stories were taking. But they travel and unravel. Great book. I missed a train stop while reading this book...

[Ruth Choppen · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to @lovebookstours and
@domhaslambooks for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful collection
of short stories. This is not my usual type of book and I am so glad that being
part of the tour has given me the chance to diversify my reading. I will almost
certainly be reading some of the other work by the author.

The stories in the book cover a
number of topics and the detrimental psychological effects of longing for “Just
One More Thing”. This is discussed in various topics such as politics, a global
pandemic and an emotional context among other. I felt that the topics covered
in the stories were very plausible in relation to modern life. The stories are concise
but extremely enjoyable, the characters and plots of the stories drew me in as
a reader and I was sad to see the end of the separate stories.

I really enjoyed this book and
found myself reading it over a short space of time as I could not put it down. The
writing style and character development was wonderful and the plot of each story
was well researched and enjoyable.

[Masa M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review - “Just One More Thing” by Dom Haslam

Thoughts: Before starting the book, I didn’t realize it was a collection of short stories (11) and was unsure how I felt when the first one finished as I enjoyed it and wanted to know more.

Throughout the book were introduced to 11 different life stories with many of them being relevant to recent events / movements which have happened over the last few years. With some of the stories, I found them thought provoking, interesting and simply fascinating as they would make me question things. However, some unfortunately didn’t leave the same impact on me.

Overall, I enjoyed reading “Just One More Thing” and thank you ovebookstours for gifting me this book.