REVIEW: Always on My Mind by Carys Green

When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.

And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what if he can see hers? Will he discover what she's kept buried in her past?

Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?

Review:

A toxic, suffocating and obsessive tale about love when it takes over everything, showcasing the darker side of relationships that become possessive, controlling and dangerous in a world of advanced, terrifying technology.

I tell my partner everything, but not my every single thought. The idea of never having a single thought that is just mine e ever again sounds almost like death, like losing your sense of self. But here, the adverts show us a beautiful, useful tool to share your life someone- unless they turn it into a weapon, of course. As soon as we met Elijah, I’m scared. He’s clearly deeply in love with Anna, but acts like he owns her, like she’s a part of him, made from his rib and almost doesn’t hear her when she talks. But then Anna lets on she’s hiding something too …

Switching smoothly between our couples history, their current journey and media snippets about Unity, we build a magnificent, clear picture of the world the author creates, adding a new layer when we move between speaking and thinking. Mundane pictures become strange, concerning, reality becoming slightly distorted as things start to go horribly wrong to create an exciting but uncomfortable tension that builds every page.

I had such mixed feelings about the ending, I loved seeing Anna grow but the final reveals, the wrapping up for me almost felt like I desperately wished for something else to happen.

If you loved the universe in John Marrs' The Marriage Act or Helly Actons The Couple, you’re going to love this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Always On My Mind will be available from 27th February with Random House UK. I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for a review.
This title contains subjects that may be upsetting to readers including death, alcoholism, domestic abuse, fertility and miscarriage.

Comments

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...

On Bee's Bookshelf

Search This Blog