I'm annoyed with this book! It started off strong. The writing is very dense, very technical and VERY descriptive. If you want to read 1 entire chapter that describes a woman peeing in a bucket- this is your book. I kept read and reading and reading....hoping this book would go somewhere good and it never did. Sadly disappointed in this one. Not one magical element to it.

POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

I just finished "The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock" last night. It was very descriptive, and I enjoyed that, but I found that I had to look up more than a few terms that were from the era. This made reading pretty slow in some parts.

I think that there was a lot of character development, which I typically really enjoy, but I don't think the characters were "wrapped up" well. Polly, for instance. There was this really intense storyline involving her and Simeon, and it went NOWHERE. It was a really big scene when he went out of his way to make sure she had the information for people who could help her if she chose it, and that storyline is never really concluded well enough for me. All we get in the end of Polly's story is a little hint that she's still alive even after some of the reckless behaviors she's had to take up for money.

I really enjoyed learning more of Angelica's backstory, but it seemed in the end that her primary existence (at least in the overall of this novel) was to succeed in throwing a party. I can appreciate how far she had come in simplifying her life and truly showing examples of her love for her husband, family, and marriage...but the party wasn't exactly a stretch for her character. She was a party girl by profession for a decade!

I thoroughly enjoyed that backstabbing Mrs. Frost, however! She did live up to her name...that frosty meanie!

Overall, I did LIKE the novel. I can't say that I LOVED it. I think it was a very long book, and it would have maybe benefitted from a little more editing of certain storylines, and further explorations of others.

I found this book a fun, entertaining read. It was like "Heathers" meets "Devil Wears Prada" meets "Ingrid Goes West". This book is not meant to be taken extremely seriously. As the author is someone who worked in the fashion industry for a while, its intention seems to be to poke fun at that high stakes world, while narrating through the eyes of a very psychotic girl. All of the characters are narcissistic, vaguely insane, and darkly comedic. Just because none of them were likable doesn't mean I didn't enjoy their antics -it sorta reminded me of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" in that way

This is my first BOTM club pick- so I am excited to dive in. So far so good. The writing is "dense" for lack of a better word. Very descriptive. So if you enjoy novels and descriptive prose you will enjoy the tone of this book. I'm only a few Chapters in and I am enjoying the characters so far. The mermaid is NOT a live, red haired, singing mermaid....it's the bones of a little creepy mermaid creature. So if you are looking for a fantasy, this is not that book. I'll review more further in....

Such a great book. So much more than I expected. I couldn't put it down and stayed up late to finish it. I felt my heart beating faster and faster and I just needed to know what would happen next. I was immediately able to relate to Charlotte as a loving mom who wonders what more there is to her life. She takes a risk without realizing the danger. She and the girls take off on a grand adventure. This story would make a great movie. Enjoyed the historical aspects.

I'm normally not into thrillers but this one left me at the edge of my seat, I simply could not put it down and from the guilt that she felt, I just knew that Lisa/Charlotte could not have killed Daniel.

This book is so bad, I can’t stop reading it. It’s like a train wreck.

I read 'Behind Her Eyes' and loved every minute of it ... up until the last 10 pages. It was so unrealistic and the body swapping plot simply ruined the book for me. I was skeptical to get this one, but the reviews online looked positive. I find that the market is saturated with thrillers yet most of them are predictable or feel unoriginal. I'm hoping this one is different!

After reading Circe I then followed up by reading Madeline Miller's book the Song of Achilles (which was absolutely fantastic btw) so I definitely recognize the story of Briseis and Patroclus mentioned in the synopsis for The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Since it's by a different author though I'm worried that it might not match up with Miller's backstory or will be confusing with the two stories mixing, but being different or clashing. Is anyone else worried about this?

Loved "Circe" and when I saw Barker's book, I was intrigued. I was also curious about "The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock" so will be eyeing the reviews! Added an extra from previous books - "The Philosophers Flight"- as it looks like a fun read!

Add on for September! Going to be a busy month reading!

Just ordered it for my September box! Can not wait!