I’m way to late to post my May & June reads but it was such a busy few month getting ready for our rebrand at work that I barely had any energy left to read or get this post together. Here’s what I did manage to work my way through:

1. The Let Them Theory – Mel Robbins (audiobook)

4 STARS:

I barely ever read non-fiction books but after seeing someone recommend this, I thought it might be an interesting read for me as I definitely struggle with some of the topics this book covers.

Although not all examples were relevant to me, others really hit home. It was a refreshing listen and although we’re often aware that we’re not alone in our struggles, it’s always comforting to hear from others going through or having experienced similar things. The Let Them Theory is a good reminder to start taking charge of your on happiness but it’s easier said than done. The phrase Let Them is in the forefront of my mind since reading this book and I try and live more by aiming to let go of things.

2. A Touch of Ruin (Hades & Persephone, #2) – St. Clair, Scarlett (audiobook)

3 STARS:

A little underwhelming if I’m honest. In book 2 of Hades & Persephone I just found myself getting irritated at Persephone. The tragedy involving her best friend took me by surprise admittedly, but her consequent behaviour just came across as whiney and immature. I believe she’s supposed to be in her early 20’s so I suppose a certain level of immaturity can still be expected, but her ‘I’ll do my own thing regardless of what other think’ attitude that disregards everyone around her just really irked me in this book.

3. Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover (book)

3.75 STARS:

Overall I really enjoyed Ugly Love, although not as much as Verity, my first Colleen Hoover read, which held more tension.

This book is written in present tense as well as through flashbacks and although I’m not always a big fan of long backflashes, the dual narratives worked well for me in Ugly Love. It made it a slow burn that kept feeding me little snippets to keep me hooked.

To me this book explores, love after tragedy and how we allow ourselves, or not, to move on as well as the irrational belief of having something with someone is better than nothing.

I know a lot of people look at the two protagonists and think of Miles as abusive and Tate as a woman with no self worth, and whilst they’re not completely wrong, I also find there’s more depth to these characters and their emotions and things are rarely black and white. Depending on ones own life experiences and character we will all relate differently to the protagonists and their behaviour.

4. Piglet – Hazell Lottie (kindle)

4.5 STARS:

What a book! Piglets story is that of someone seemingly lost in the motions and clawing to keep perfection contained the life they had so meticulously built up around themselves comes crashing down. Although Piglet was an uncomfortable read, it left an impact.

I wasn’t a fan of the protagonist or any of the characters for that matter. I found myself quick to negatively judge their actions and how they delt with the situations that arose. It was interesting though to experience this emotional reaction though and dig deeper into why this story was making me react.

The whole book is very much written through the eyes of Piglets appreciation for good food which is described so beautifully it makes you want to join her on a feast of culinary delights. Hazell brings a delightfully sensuous touch to the topics covered in Piglet and her sublime depictions almost distract from the darker undertone. There is a fine balance trying to be upheld and the lines between enjoyment, indulgence, comfort seeking and overindulgence start to blur.

At it’s core I feel that Piglet explores the notion of what is/brings happiness? Hazell tackles topics of self worth, family dynamics, feelings of belonging, money struggles, a clash of classes and upbringing, dream life vs reality and our vices for escapism, all the while probing us on of how we choose to cope with said issues. I feel like this could be love/hate read – but if you’ve read it, I’ love to know your thoughts.