Mini Reviews: The Memory Wood, In Five Years & Fleabag: The Scriptures

The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd

I love discovering thrillers that I become completely invested in. I’ve mentioned before that there are so many crime/mystery/thriller novels that I often become overwhelmed and don’t know which one to pick up. The Memory Wood is a book I worked on for Caboodle, so the publisher kindly sent me a copy. I raced through it and, at the beginning of the year, it was a book that I was recommending to everyone.

The Memory Wood‘s narration switches between 12-year-old Elijah, 13-year-old Elissa, and a police officer, Mairead. Elijah doesn’t have any friends, so he’s thrilled when he meets Elissa and they start chatting. But it’s not that simple. He discovered Elissa deep in the woods, where she’s locked up after being abducted during a chess tournament – and it’s not the first time a girl’s ended up there. The Memory Wood is a clever, eerie and gripping thriller. As the abductor’s behaviour more erratic and unpredictable, it’s vital that Elijah helps Elissa to escape – but he seems to want her to stay – and thus ensues a game of deception and betrayal. The Memory Thriller is one to pick up if you want a dark, twisty story full of surprises!

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

I’m really enjoy adult contemporary novels lately. In Five Years promised to be ‘a love story, but not a love story you’re expecting’ – I’m a big fan of ‘expect the unexpected’ in novels! It’s one of those stories with a magical realism twist that just works. Dannie is a lawyer living in New York City, and her life is completely perfect. She has the perfect boyfriend, perfect career, perfect friends. But one night she wakes up in a different apartment, engaged to a different man. It’s five years into the future. The next day, she’s determined to write off the experience as an odd dream – until she walks down the street and spots the very same man.

In Five Years follows Dannie as she navigates this new world, knowing that in another life, she was in love with someone else. What should she do? As someone who’s always had her life planned out, it leaves her stunned. In Five Years is a heartfelt, emotional story that’s perfect to cosy up with, like a cute Netflix rom-com. I recommended it to my housemate, who never reads, and she raced through it – it’s perfect for readers and non-readers alike.

Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

I was very, very late to Fleabag. I hate the name. I really do. It sounds… sort of disgusting and ridiculous? I know that’s not a very adult analysis, but that’s why I didn’t watch it. Thankfully, I decided to give it a go one day and instantly fell in love. I’m actually quite happy that I came to it late, because it meant I could race through all the episodes in one go. And when I ran out, I asked for Fleabag: The Scriptures for Christmas.

Fleabag: The Scriptures allowed me to experience the TV show all over again. (I think we’ll also get to see the play on Amazon Prime soon?). From the ‘hot priest’ to Olivia Coleman’s character, The Godmother (and I discovered that the role was written especially for her), to characters that only appear a few times but make a lasting impression. Although the script didn’t make me laugh out loud as much as the show did (partially because it was funny, partially because it was shocking), I enjoyed re-experiencing it.

Where’s Claire?

#gifted: In Five Years and The Memory Wood were obtained for free in exchange for an honest review.

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