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My favorite 2025 reads! 💛

My reading goal was 40 books and I finished the year at 44. My reading goal is never the thing that drives me to pick up a book everyday, it‘s my absolute obsession with reading. It‘s the peace it gives me after a stressful day, the ability to lose myself in another place or person and leave my worries behind. There is nothing else that fills my cup in this way. Here‘s to more, great reads in 2026! 💫

#12BooksOf2025 - day 4 April

While not an easy read due to the subject of domestic abuse, this novel was so compelling. Couldn't put it down as I was rooting for the character to make it out of her situation.

Rhona has always said the dawn chorus is a way for birds to tell each other they have survived the night. Ciara has no notion if this is true or not, but she can‘t help liking the idea. The joyous flutter of song is a flag wave. I‘m still here. I made it through ðŸ�¦â€�🔥

Love you, love you, love you. Nothing quiet about this love. Boisterous, shouty, exuberant love ��

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking, intense, and emotional read.
At different parts I want to shake Ciara, make her see her situation but that's easy for me to say as a person outside looking in.

The truth is that this book showcases a woman who for years has been belittled, worn down, isolated, and gaslight to believe the lies, take them for truth while trying to hold on to pieces of herself.

Absolutely would read another book by this author.

I loved this. It took me many years to recognize that I was in an abusive relationship—my first. Reading this took me back. I questioned myself: my entire view of things was off kilter due to shame, guilt, brainwashing…just like the woman in this book. The repetition of the relationship here was so real: leave, is it my fault?, come back. I was concerned for the children in this book caught in the middle. I loved the Irish setting. All the stars.

Found myself putting this one down and forgetting about it. I‘m taking it as my brain can‘t handle this story right now.

Can‘t deal with the pressure of so many people waiting for this at the library, so I‘m starting it now 😅

#WondrousWednesday

1) For many this book was nothing new but I recognized that voice in Ciara‘s head and became of that I couldn‘t help but root for her.
2) Meet Cute Diary - way too YA for me; Night & Day - short stories, my nemesis; I also DNF‘d Hester but I might try again. I think it was not the right time for it.

Want to play? @TieDyeDude @WildAlaskaBibliophile @PageShifter

@Eggs

Something I never say- I wish this had been a novella. I think it would have had a greater impact on me. In the beginning I felt as if I was suffocating on my anxiety for Ciara but then it carried on and on and felt more and more typical. I feel terrible saying it because it is an important topic but I felt like I have read many versions of this tale before and this didn‘t add anything new.

A book about abuse, both emotional & sexual, that reads as a thriller

Ciara packs up her & her children‘s stuff & leave her abusive husband with nowhere to go. From then on, I just expected her husband to show up

The book looks at the hopeless housing situation in Dublin & how little society is prepared to help women leaving their abusers

I had to stop reading at times because it got too intense & to think that this is the life of so many women

#wpf25 Book 13

This was one of those books that leaves you breathless - that you don‘t want to look away from, but you really want to run away from. I never look at the end of a book, but had to in this case, just to know.

It was rather similar to Manguso‘s Liars, both in subject matter and the way it made me feel, and there was a bit more heart in this one.

For me, certainly in the top half of the (slightly disappointing) longlist.

I just saw in the blurb this is favorably compared to Keegan & Donoghue? That‘s marketing for you. 😑

The writing is accessible & the characters are believable to the point you want to shake the MC. However the kids were an annoying distraction in audio version. Toddler voices, unless they are real, aren‘t cute.

It‘s not a deep read and doesn‘t have penetrating or lyrical prose. Satisfactory for entertainment purposes. I‘d give it 3â­�ï¸�

Ciara tried to escape from her emotional abusive husband, with her small kids in tow. That‘s about it. Unpopular opinion but I found it a bit repetitive. I never really felt drawn into the story but that may be caused by the audiobook, in which the children‘s voices were extremely annoying (and not just when the kids were annoying themselves!). Definitely not my favorite on the #WP25.

Dizzyingly claustrophobic story of a young mother trying to leave an emotionally abusive partner. (Pictured: the ice cream shop in Skerries the MCs visit in the opening scene)

Book 8 #WP25
Phew that was good. Love a book where I can catch myself shouting at the characters.
This is a tense book. Ciara (pronounced K-ear-a which, glad I listened to this I wouldn't have in my brain) has left her abusive husband but it is a struggle, so many people probably do not see him as abusive but her fear is palpable on the page.
Great writing, and really eye opening about the housing crisis in Ireland
4.25/5

#WeeklyFavorite

Will definitely be in my top books of the year and easily could be the best of the year. The audio was fantastic.

@Read4life

I went in having seen great reviews but was initially a bit disappointed. It is no doubt an important subject (emotional abuse, family homelessness) yet as a novel at first it didn‘t feel like a fresh take sufficient to be nominated for a literary prize. However this poor judgement is all mine as by halfway through I was completely hooked, unable to look away. It is so tense and claustrophobic, so simply told yet heartbreaking.

WOW, WOW, WOW!

This could very well be my favorite book of the year. I felt everything Ciara felt as she leaves her emotionally abusive husband, all the second guessing, anxiety and struggle to find her way. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This why I love the Women‘s Prize. Can I just award it the prize now? It‘s that good. Read it!

I see why this is up for the #womensfictionprize. Beautifully written, propulsive, and claustrophobic. I could not put it down
4 🌟