Louise

@lou_b_reads

📚 Book Lover and Reviewer📚 👩🏻👨🏼‍💼👧🏻👧🏻👦👦🐶🐶 Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 CR - The Bait Trap - Lynne Johnson 📚Goodreads 2024 Challenge 24/100
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🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Look at this amazing package that I received today from @penguinrandomhouse . I absolutely adored The Tea Ladies when I read it last year and was so excited to learn @amandahampsonauthor had brought them back to life for us all with her new book, The Cryptic Clue. 🕵️‍♀️ Penguin have sent me a copy along with The Penguin Book of Puzzles (great timing as I’m heading on holidays and have his will keep me entertained) and a gorgeous tea towel which will remind me of Hazel, Betty and Irene everytime I look at it. Thank you so much Penguin and Amanda 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 #thecrypticclue #thetealadies #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease
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1 day ago
Two for Tuesday - look at these stunning twins. I’m not sure if I’m getting Cleopatra vibes or Pulp Fiction vibes but I love this groovy looking woman just looking at her. Her name is Antonia and she sounds quite intriguing. I’m looking forward to meeting her properly when I read these two books by Juan Gomez-Jurado. The team @macmillanaus sent me a copy of Black Wolf but I just had to rush out and grab a copy of Red Queen to read first. 📕Red Queen 📓Black Wolf #redqueen #blackwolf #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease #twofortuesday
56 22
2 days ago
Book mail Monday! We have a little table inside of entrance and it sparks joy for me every time I come home to find something waiting for me. Today is walked in to find An Ideal Husband by Erica James with thanks to @harlequinaus and Sociopath - A Memoir by Patric Gagne with thanks to @macmillanaus Working in mental health, I am super keen to read this. It sounds so interesting and inspiring #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease
61 24
3 days ago
Don’t you just love being treated to fabulous books by your bookstagram buddies? Lovely @lindabalogh5077 hosted a giveaway with @panterapress for a copy of A Dance with Murder and I was lucky enough to own a copy. I loved seeing all the glowing reviews for this and @coffeeandpages2021 told me I should read the first book before diving into this one so she sent me a copy. I’ve heard so many good things about both of these and I look forward to reading them both soon. Thanks so much Linda, Lisa, @panterapress and @elizabethcolemanauthor #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer
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4 days ago
H̶o̶l̶l̶y̶ b̶y̶ S̶t̶e̶p̶h̶e̶n̶ K̶i̶n̶g̶ I read this thanks to @indoorgirl and her #gr15in15 challenge.  This book was the winner in the Goodreads Best Horror Choice Award. I had not read any of Stephen King’s other books featuring Holly Gibney but I am definitely keen to read more if this one is anything to go by.  I didn’t feel I was missing anything reading this as a stand alone though. Holly is investigating the disappearance of several missing persons after being contacted by the mother of a missing girl.  There are some truly gruesome moments and I can imagine this being made into a movie, one where you would be turning away from the screen in horror.  Human cannibalism and total gore had me squirming throughout but I was unable to put this one down. The setting amongst Covid times and the political aspect to this book  has proven to be a little unpopular amongst some Stephen King fans but I was not put off by this at all.  Thanks to the buddy readers @indoor.g1rl @bmichie31 @coffeeandpages2021 @sherrysbooknook @emiliesbookshelf and @melslittlereads #holly #stephenking #hollybook #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer 📚 Synopisis in comments
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8 days ago
𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒩𝒾𝓃𝒶? 𝒷𝓎 𝒟𝑒𝓇𝓋𝓁𝒶 𝑀𝒸𝒯𝒾𝑒𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓃 What a gripping read! I was hooked from the opening pages. We do find out what happened to Nina very early on in the book, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to turn those pages. I loved reading the background stories of both families, the police operation and the reaction of the community. I can see why people are asking if Dervla got inspiration from the 2021 case that gripped America and indeed the world, the Gabby Petito/ Brian Laundrie case. Thank you to @dervlamctiernan and @harpercollinsaustralia for gifting me a copy of this. It is definitely my favourite book of 2024 so far! If you do one thing this weekend, buy this book! 📚 Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home. WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? Nobody knows. Simon’s explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn’t add up. Nina’s parents push the police for answers, and Simon’s parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign. HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE? Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fuelled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina’s social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive ‘fans.’ HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH? Nina’s family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters - finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon’s wealthy, powerful family, Nina’s parents recognize that if playing by the rules won’t get them anywhere, it’s time to break them. #whathappenedtonina #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease
67 31
13 days ago
𝙰𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚅𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚊 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚗 This book had been SO hyped up so I jumped at the chance to join a readalong hosted by @the.brooke.library There are a lot of damaged characters in this book and an interesting storyline combined with the MANY glowing reviews had me super excited, but …….i didn’t love it 😬 Whilst I mostly liked the relationship that developed between Archer and Bree, I did think that the smut content came on a little too hard and fast for two characters with such troubled pasts. I think the story was great but the writing didn’t quite hit the mark for me. If it wasn’t for the steamy sex scenes it was almost YA like. I think it was just one of those books that was so hyped up that I expected a bit more. Thanks to my fellow buddy readers: @photographybug96 @readwithbec_ @bookishbec_xx @nattieg_reads @the.brooke.library @bookish.hayls @amz__reads @lulhamslibrary @thebluehaired_reader_ 📚 When two troubled souls collide in New York Times bestselling author Mia Sheridan’s emotional, heart-wrenching love story, can they break the silence of the past to find hope, happiness, and love? I wanted to lose myself in the small town of Pelion, Maine. To forget everything I had left behind. The sound of rain. The blood. The coldness of a gun against my skin. For six months, each breath has been a reminder that I survived — and my dad didn’t. I’m almost safe again. But the moment I meet Archer Hale, my entire world tilts on its axis . . . and never rights itself again. Until I trespass into his strange, silent, and isolated world, Archer communicates with no one. Yet in his whiskey-colored eyes, something intangible happens between us. There’s so much more to him than just his beauty, his presence, or the ways his hands communicate with me. On me. But this town is mired in secrets and betrayals, and Archer is the explosive center of it all. So much passion. And so much hurt. But it’s only in Archer’s silence that we might just find what we need to heal . . . and live
68 31
15 days ago
Two for Tuesday I received two copies of this newly released book by Cathy Kelly, Sisterhood. I love the cover of the finished product which is so much more of inviting than the arc. I’ve seen a couple people ask recently if you keep both arc copies and final copies of the same book. Do you? I don’t. I’ll be taking one of these along to our next Melbourne Booksta catch up so someone else can enjoy the read. #twofortuesday #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease
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16 days ago
Book mail Monday! Thanks to the lovely people at @picadorbooks @macmillanaus for sending me a copy of this one. No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton is a book I’m really looking forward to. Unfortunately, youth crime seems to be escalating in our beautiful city. I’m interested to see if this book can help me understand any of the senseless attacks that seem to be featured daily on our news. I have to admit it took me a minute to realise I was looking at the windows of commission flats on this cover. ❓Is this on your radar? 📚Synopsis: Five years after violence erupted between young migrants and local police in Melbourne’s inner west, a police-led trip to hike the Kokoda Trail seeks to rebuild trust. But fresh allegations of racial profiling have the community on a knife edge. For wannabe rapper Ali, pride is hard to come by in the commission towers, where friends fill the gaps left by a family secret. Classmate Tyler’s anger - at his broken home, and a world that denies his dreams - is close to ignition. With her life in disarray, young and idealistic teacher Anna defies a school system that’s failing her students. And Paul, a cop new to the beat, quickly realises it’ll take more than community policing to fix relations with local youth. #nochurchinthewild #jamesbradley #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease
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17 days ago
H O T S T A C K Day two of a three day heatwave today in Melbourne calls for a hot stack 🥵 It is nearly 8.30 pm and it is still 31 degrees. I left the house to go to Pilates this morning and ducked out to the supermarket to buy ice creams but other than that, I was camped under an air conditioner all day long. We’ve got more hot weather tomorrow for our Public Holiday and our Moomba Parade has been cancelled 🔥 H - High Heels and Low Blows by @jillbennettvalentine O - On the Savage Side by @authortiffanymcdaniel T - The Talented Mrs Greenway by @tea_cooper 🔥🥵 How do you cope with super hot days? #loubreads #books #bookstagram #booklover #book #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookish #read #booknerd #bookaddict #bookahloic #bookshelf #booklove #readersofinstagram #whatimreading #bookreviewer #newrelease #hotstack
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18 days ago
LAST NOW NEXT Last - Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan Now - Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson Next - The Bait Trap by Lynne Johnson One readalong down, one half way through. Then it is on to The Bait Trap which was gifted to me by @lynne_johnson_author I’m so looking forward to it as I’ve seen some really good reviews. How is your weekend going? It’s a long weekend here in Melbourne and we are in the middle of a heatwave. Perfect weather to stay inside under an air conditioning vent
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19 days ago
👠High Heels and Low Blows by Jill Valentine 👠 Im so excited to be kicking off day one on Jill Valentine’s High Heels and Low Blows Social Media Tour with thanks to Author - @jillbennettvalentine DMCPR Media - @dmcprmedia Publisher - @fairplaybooks @dmcprmedia I’m intrigued to learn more about the kind Bee, Lucy the binge drinking housewife and Rosie the former TV presenter. Be sure to follow all the accounts in the next slide over the duration of the tour to learn more about this one. I’ll be back with my review soon. 👠 Bee Bloom is a respected modern leader who wholeheartedly believes in kindness. So when a conniving new chairman arrives at the company where she is CEO, she has a fight on her hands.  Lucy Love, once a vivacious TV presenter, now finds herself a depressed, binge-drinking suburban wife. To make matters worse, her husband is facing accusations of harassment. Rosie Reid has earned a reputation as Sydney’s “fixer,” skilfully managing crises through her successful PR firm. However, she’s growing increasingly tired of covering up for her misbehaving clients. When their worlds intertwine, the trio forge a pact to support one another. But as their dilemmas intensify, there is one looming question: can they throw the knockout punch and bring down the scheming, controlling men in their lives? High Heels and Low Blows is Jill Valentine’s debut novel which also delves into themes of self-worth, identity, and friendship. With unforgettable characters, dramatic twists and sassy comedy, it is a story that is highly relatable to the modern woman and will leave you asking — which of these fabulous females do I admire the most?
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20 days ago