Skip to main content

REVIEW: Odd Hours - Ania Bas



Genre: Contemporary | Literary Fiction | Adult Fiction

Release Date: 23rd June 2022

Publisher: Welbeck Publishing UK

Gosia Golab is stuck. Her parents have dramatically split up and might be leaving her sister homeless, her cheating ex is getting married and writing a self-help book that definitely seems to be referencing her a bit too much, her flatmates are unbearable, and she can barely afford to help her broke dad with the meagre wages from the 24-hour supermarket she works at. 

But at least at work she gets to see her true love, even though he doesn't quite seem to want to take it further than occasionally using her checkout. Gosia needs help to get out of the hole she's in … even if it's from a stupid book written by her stupid ex. 

First things first - this book is not happy or particularly enjoyable. Gosia is not a likeable character, she's a mean, vindictive, unlikeable and sometimes cringe-worthy person. This book is grey and dreary and bitter - and that's exactly why it was great. 

This unique social commentary is compellingly angry, reminding us that sometimes life just sucks, and people are not perfect by any means. Darkly funny, dry and painfully witty - it borders on satire while managing to stay somewhat grounded in reality.

The storytelling was undeniably compelling - told through book excerpts, social media posts, diaries, magazines all weaved in with the brilliantly fast-moving, quirky narrative to create a distinctly interesting reading experience. 

If you've ever felt angry at the world, you should definitely read this book. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: This Could Be Us by Clare McGowan

Genre: Fiction | Literary Fiction Release Date: Expected 1st June 2023 Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group | Corsair  Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she abandoned and reck...

REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+  Release Date: 19th October 2023 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love. The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family...

BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

  " This town has secrets that are best left alone." Author Hannah is a success, on paper at least. She's receiving critical acclaim and praise worldwide and her work is regarded as some of the best. She writes literature, not just books. But the reality is, outside of the literary circles nobody actually reads her work. But when she finally snaps at a book event and publicly criticises the genre fiction books that outsell hers, claiming they're easy and mindless she's challenged to write her own crime fiction novel in just thirty days by an author she loathes. Desperate not to lose to him, her editor arranges for her to spend a month in a quiet, cold village in Iceland hoping that the solitude will spark inspiration.  But instead of writing a murder story - she's in one . Just before she arrives, the body of a young man is pulled from the icy waters and her search for ideas soon becomes a search for a killer. And if she's not careful, she might end up the...