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I really want to reread this in a better state of mind because I really think I could absolutely love it!

But then she definitely had a mental breakdown in her writing and in real life when she was thinking there was a woman behind the wallpaper and wanting to set her free. It was interesting that in the end she almost became the woman behind the wallpaper wanting to be let out and creeping around. There was a great insight into the way she was mentally declining as she would change every time she came to write.

It is interesting as it was having a child which put her in this room but also the fact that she is being infantalised by her husband. I loved the writing style and the fact that the entire thing was supposed to be something the woman had written in secret away from her husband - it felt like she was almost better than he was made to believe by the fact she could do this.

It was really interesting seeing how her postnatal depression was reacted to by those around her, particularly her husband who seemed to believe that the solution was to keep her in one room looking at random wallpaper and she should just try and pull herself out of it. It was really interesting that was was placed in a children's room actually.

This was a short story I read as a part of my course. I honestly didn't have the best reading experience although that was nothing to do with the actual book, it was me feeling really rubbish while trying to get through it. I did actually enjoy it though and can definitely appreciate it as a piece of work. I loved the focus on the female protagonist.

I adored how they chose the quiet life over the city. It made me really appreciate the draw ins of living in a small village. Martha having her baby was also a great point in the story. It wasn't the best or most exciting thing I have ever read but felt like a warm blanket every time I would sit down to it. I was really in the story and with the characters and it was a great great time.

Beth O'Leary really managed it though. I am so so pleased that Eileen ended up with Arnold and Leena with Jackson. Why was I kind of shipping the older couple more?? I am also so glad that Leena made the right call and left Ethan, he really didn't deserve her. Bee moving up to live with Leena in Hamleigh was also great and definitely the right choice for them.

Leena starting a friendship with people like Arnold and Nicola and Eileen doing so with Fitz and Bee was so lovely. I also loved that they each had little projects to be working on and how the main focus of these was to bring people together. The entire things was so wholesome and lovely. That didn't take away from the profound focus on grief throughout though. It is such a skill to be able to balance both at once.

I wasn't expecting for it actually to not really be a romance but I didn't mind that at all. It was so lovely seeing the relationship between Leena and her gran and I found their switch so interesting. It was lovely to see how each of them eventually slotted into the different communities despite looking kind of out of place there (different environment, older/younger age demographic etc.)

This book was a sort of palette cleanser after quite a lot of more literary reads. Beth O'Leary really is just the best at bringing books perfect for that. It is so refreshing to read her writing because of how simple and easy it is to understand. It is just like having a chat with a friend, there is nothing overly flowerly which is really refreshing at times. I also love that it is set in the UK, it's so relatable.

Through them telling these stories to each other the audience are also drawn in to made feel like part of the group which is interesting. It wasn't the greatest play I have ever read but was definitely interesting and gave me things to think about around how a play should actually be told and structured.

I also didn't mind the final story about letting his love go. I liked the fact he felt he could be open to Valerie after she shared such a personal story of her own. It was interesting to consider how the audience are allowed to get to know each character more and more through each story as they become more personal.

That was a shocking revelation. Valerie's story was my favourite and really intriguing but also horrid. I liked that it was more realistic to begin with than the others and the way it turned supernatural (hearing her dead daughter on the phone) felt more like a lapse in her brain rather than actual weird magic which I wasn't as keen on in the others. It was horrid to think she had to go through that.

I wasn't particularly interested in it to begin with when the characters were just having mundane conversations and the dialect made it slightly difficult to follow the entire time. I did enjoy some of the stories that were told a lot more though. I found the one about a ghost telling a grave digger that the man whose grave was being dug (who was him) should actually buried in with a girl because he was a perve.

This was another short uni read. I don't read plays that often but tend to enjoy it when I do, it's a nice switch up. This once kind of surprised me because of how little actually changed throughout it in terms of setting and characters (they all just sat around in the pub and shared stories). I have never read a play that is formed through the characters just telling stories rather than acting them out.

I also found the focus on women feeling the need to please men in any way they can rather than speaking the truth really interesting. I feel like this was similar to 'Mrs Fox' I quite enjoyed reading it (wasn't long and was easy to get through) but it was a bit forgettable and slightly icks me out to think about afterwards for some reason.

I think the focus on imagination vs reality was really interesting. It made me think about how often the people/situations/things we imagine in our heads are never as good/never the same in real life. Towards when she had stopped talking to the man I kind of felt a little bad for him as he clearly still cared about her but then he started getting angry towards her at the end and I didn't anymore.

Initially he seemed to be really sweet (because that was the person she created in her head when they were messaging) and then when they actually met in person he rapidly became kind of weird and creepy and unlikeable. It was really made clear how much, as a reader, you are lead to follow the exact opinions of the narrator.

This was the first longer length read for uni this year (although still a short story) and I didn't really know what to expect going into it. I found it interesting how I was braced throughout for there to be a really sudden shift just because it was a short story. It also really interesting how rapidly my opinion of the man changed to follow the same opinion the woman had of him.

I felt like I finished this so quickly I am not yet ready to leave them behind!

I really hope they can eventually get together, that is if they are in any other books. I was not expecting James to find out about them but am pleased he did and Lizzie didn't shy away from it. He had cheated on her so many times, he really had it coming for him. I am so excited to continue on with the series although I am going to miss all the characters I will have to leave behind.

Sarah and Paul Stratton kind of fell out of the picture towards the end although I guess they really were more side characters in this than in the show. I just adore Freddie and Lizzie so much! Like I love them easily as much as Taggie and Rupert even though they are both cheating on their partners by being together. There is just so much yearning yet hesitation from both sides.

I can't believe Maude had an affair with Tony, I felt really bad for Declan as he really has a time of it being married to her. Her doing the play was really interesting though. I also kind of love that Patrick took it upon himself to move in with Cameron at the end because she really needed someone to take care of her I think. All of the dinner parties and things were such fun and I just adore Taggy so so much!

I love the focus on TV rather than horses in this one and the fight for the franchise is just so interesting. Of course there was a lot of sex and cheating as can be expected from Jilly's books, they are always a chaotic time! I am so so pleased that Rupert didn't stay with Cameron (although I didn't mind her, she was a boss and had had a hard time), and got engaged to Taggy instead. Oh how perfect that was.

The fact that I was familiar with most of these characters already made it so much better because it just felt like I was getting more episodes of the show. The fact that I listened to the audiobook definitely helped with that (Georgia Tennant’s narration is just fabulous, I wish she did the entire series she makes the characters really come to life).

I of course completely adored and ate this up. I loved the show and wanted to read this book so much when I watched it so was so thrilled to finally get to it after Riders. I was sad to leave some of the characters from Riders behind though - we did not get enough of Billy in this! Of course the addition of people like Taggy was perfect though.

Overall, there was so much drama which I adored and the siblings felt so real and I adored every one of them. I could definitely read more about them!

Mick Riva really was just the most awful person and it was so satisfying when Nina just completely went off on one at him. I am pleased they didn't just fix their relationship with him and have a happy ever after. It was also kind of ironic that he was the one who set fire to the house unintentionally as he kind of had done that to their entire lives up to that point.

I mean I didn't entirely keep up with who was who but all the drama was crazy. Casey showing up and thinking she might be their sibling was also insane and I loved the fact they welcomed her into their sibling group even before it was confirmed if she belonged there - they all knew that she needed connection as much as the rest of them after what she had been through.

When she was talking about wanting to break away from the person her family have always seen her as I felt so seen. I was slightly disappointed that she didn't end up coming out to any of her family but know this would come with time. The party was totally wild and it was really interesting how it switched between so many perspectives.