SLAGS by Emma Jane Unsworth

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When my husband saw this book on Amazon we both had a good laugh at the title and the cover. And I instantly knew that I had to check it out.

Sarah and Juliette are sisters who decide to go on a campervan road-trip across Scotland. After all, it's Juliette’s birthday and she's about to enter her 40s. The only problem is that they both packed too much baggage from their shared past...

Well, I devoured this book in 24 hours because it totally grabbed me. I had a hard time putting this down. I'm really not surprised because I love reading honest and raw stories about what some might call unlikeable women/girls written by women, but I call interesting and realistic.

The story unfolds in the POV of Sarah, during two separate timelines. Present day, while she's in her 40s. She's a workaholic who loves her job and her close friends, while engaging in a string of sexual conquests. The past focuses on 15-year-old Sarah. A teenager who isn't afraid to get involved in sexual relationships, but is secretly in love with her English teacher.

I enjoyed both timelines. The 90s part is full of nostalgia and the reality of what it's like to be a girl dreaming about love, while also falling into unsatisfying sexual situations. The other shows a grown woman who is content where she is in her life, surrounded by close friends and a job she enjoys, but has quite a few problems with her family. As well as serious issues with alcohol and drugs.

But at the heart of the story is the sisterly love and connection these two women have. I enjoyed how Sarah and Juliette's interactions unravelled the farther they went from home. How the distance, denial, secrets and so many unspoken words come out in the most unexpected ways. Drawing them closer, while also alienating them. The dynamics of their relationship is written really well. It's funny to see them connect with cigarettes, whisky, and 80s movie quotes.

Plus the conversations in this book are a lot of fun to read.

Yeah, I really enjoyed this!


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My Version of a Week Off...

How's it going?

Well, Friday's finally here and when my husband gets home, the long weekend begins. And then, next week, we have another long weekend, followed by a week off. Can't wait! But first we're going to enjoy the next three days. 😁

This week turned out to be a little heavy. Hubby started work earlier than usual so it kinda threw our sleeping out a bit. It's tiring, but we got through it.

Of course, it doesn't help that I spent two nights making more tweaks/additions to VampNovel1 & VampNovel2, when I was supposed to be taking a mental break. LOL. But you see, I wrote a new short story set in this world, and it takes place during these two books. So, while going through the timeline to make sure everything matched, I found something that I had to alter. Nothing big, but minor details that needed to be fixed.

That's one of the coolest things about writing these short stories, they're enhancing the two novels. Tightening threads that I might have missed because on the surface, they don't seem to be important.

Oh, and the best thing? Tonight, I finished the final read-thru of this particular story on my Paperwhite. So it's done!!

Final word count is: 4,861.

This is the longest one (set in this world) so far.

Also, that's my eleventh short story this year.

OMG. On Wednesday, I was walking in the rain and slipped on the wet pavement. Fell on my left knee and ripped my leggings, plus scraped the hell out of the skin underneath. Ugh. So now, I'm walking around with a big band-aid because the skin is screwed up. Not to mention that it's starting to scab so I can feel the tightening of the skin. Your knee isn't the best place to have a giant scab. 😫

So, I did manage to read one book and watch one movie. I read THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins and absolutely LOVED it! I can't believe this book didn't get more attention. Especially if you're a Mary Shelley fan, like me. And the movie I watched is, THE IDEA OF YOU, which I really enjoyed. It's faithful to the book, but also different. I think both are great!

This weekend I have no definite plans to write anything, but sometimes late at night when I'm checking out my phone... inspiration strikes and I end up starting something. 😅

I'll keep you posted.

Have an awesome day!!

THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last night, while looking through the books on my Paperwhite, this one caught my eye. I didn't know much about it, but I was instantly hooked.

Emily and Chess have been friends since they were kids, but life always gets in the way. So when Chess asks Emily to go on a trip to Italy, she jumps at the chance. Especially since they're going to the Villa Aestas in Orvieto. A place where a murder took place in the summer of 1974...

Wow. This is such a fantastic story. Or should I say, stories? I mean, there's the Emily and Chess story, but then there's also the Mari and Lara tale. Plus all the other cool additions. And I loved them both!

Emily is going through a hard time. Her husband cheated on her, then left and now thinks he deserves money for the cozy mystery series she's writing. And because of all of this, she's barely written a word. Chess is a successful self-help guru. So Emily hopes that spending a summer break in Italy sparks her imagination. But it's not the book she's contracted for that excites her, it's the true crime that happened in the Italian villa in 1974.

Mari and Lara are teenage stepsisters when they fall under the spell of the much-older, Pierce. He's a talented musician, magnetic, and although he's married, Mari knows they were meant to be together. Yet, when tragedy strikes he's not there for her, and the promised stardom never comes. Until the three spend a summer in Villa Rosato with a music idol and everything falls apart.

I REALLY enjoyed how the past and present stories unravel in a way that complement each other. I also love how Mari's life mirrors Mary Shelley.

Yeah, I couldn't put this down. It's a clever mystery, contains the right amount of twists, and is totally addictive.

And you know what? I want to read Lilith Rising! ☺️


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Hey!

How are you today? Can you believe May is almost over? Yikes.

For us, that means winter starts tomorrow. 😫

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the colder months and shorter days, but what can you do? As long as the overcast days are balanced out with sunny days, I'm cool. LOL.

I intended to take this week off but ended up making a few tweaks to the novels I've been working on. I also started reading Stephen King's latest novel, but put it aside after 122 pages. I don't know why but this story just didn't grab me. I usually love King books and especially Holly. She's a great character, but this book... I don't know.

Anyway, I put it aside.

So, today is Saturday and I finished writing the first draft of another short story on my phone. The word count is: 4,013. It's one of the shorties that have been buzzing inside my brain since I finished the revision of VampNovel2 and the secondary characters won't leave me alone. 😅

And that reminds me, these are the writing/reading things I did this month:

• Completed the full revision of VampNovel2 

• Updated VampNovel1 after changes made to VampNovel2 

• Completed 2 short stories

• Wrote the first draft of 1 short story 

• Read 2 books

I'm very happy with this list. Yay.

I mean, getting through three drafts of a 90k-word novel makes me very happy. That means that my 80s horrormance vampire duology is now complete. Of course, it turns out that I'm not actually done with this world, but finishing the two novels was one of my goals for this year.

What did you get up to this month? Did you achieve much during May?

Okay, that's about it for now. I just wanted to post an update about my week and month.

Have an awesome weekend!!