I haven't done a book tag in a really, really long time and I stumbled across this one on BookTube and just had to do it!
So, we're almost at the end of 2020....
This tag is supposed to be done a little earlier in the year but, in my opinion, it's never too late to talk about books! So, let's give it a whirl!
Rating: 3.5 Stars Genre: Contemporary YA Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: ARC via NetGalley and UCLan Publishing When his dad moves out, Jamie tries to fill his shoes. He needs to become head of the household – right? With his mum dealing with the aftermath of toxic masculinity at its finest, and his little sister Bex struggling to understand what’s going on, Jamie has to navigate the choppy waters of what he thinks it means to be a man. Having learned that the best way to deal with feelings is to push them down as far as they’ll go, he finds help from an unlikely source. Drinking makes him feel invincible – Super Jim can take on anything – and anyone… But how long will it be before this particular well of wisdom runs dry? And what will it take for Jamie to realise that help was at hand all along? From the author of the Geekhood series, the first of which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award, comes Smashed by Andy Robb. Funny, touching, with a narrator readers’ will instantly love, Smashed is a rollercoaster exploration of young masculinity. The story would appeal to fans of Me Mam, Me Dad, Me and Noah Can’t Even. TW: domestic violence, emotional abuse, manipulation, blackmail, kidnapping, depression, teen alcoholism, sexism.
The main reason I was drawn to this book was that it was recommended to fans of Noah Can't Even, which I adored. It becomes very clear, very quickly, that this book centres around domestic violence. Jamie is struggling to cope after The Night Everything Went Weird when his mum got The Rainbow Eye and his dad started sleeping downstairs. He now finds himself as 'man' of the house, responsibilities stacking up as he has to mediate his mum and dad's relationship, take care of his younger sister and bear the 'Weight of Manhood'. I really liked Jamie at first, he's a compelling character, with an inner voice that draws you in and makes you hope everything will work out for the best. Just thinking of Bex saying those words is enough for the recently installed radiator in my throat to get hot and my eyes to blur with the sting of salty tears. But, there came a point where his inner voice stopped being an almost 16-year-old boy and instead took the tone of a grown man trying far too hard to be funny and falling completely short (to put it simply, the voice of the author overtook Jamie's voice, and it wasn't enjoyable). When he describes his English teacher's breasts as 'pendulous milk tanks' I almost threw up, threw the book, and stopped reading. The writing reeks of sexism, even though the supposed point is to make a stand against toxic masculinity. So, I was at the point where I felt convinced I wouldn’t finish this book. The choice of language, the toxic masculinity and the blatant sexism annoyed and disgusted me, but something was compelling about Jamie and his plight that almost forced me to keep reading. I blink twice, before smearing on the smile I rehearsed in the mirror. "Oh, you know me, Becky" I nod. "I'm fine." Jamie finds that the 'Weight of Manhood' becomes harder and harder to carry, but he's got no choice. His mum needs him, his little sister needs him, and he doesn't know how he feels about his dad. Add to this a girlfriend he feels is smothering him, Jamie needs an escape, and his mum's drinks cabinet is right there...ready for the taking. There were a few things in this book that made me cringe. If it hadn't been for the sexist language (I mean, for god's sake, he literally gives a girl the nickname 'nipples' at one point), the almost forgiveness for unforgivable acts and some really stupid decisions that would NEVER EVER HAPPEN. At no point would you EVER freely allow your young child to go off with a man that a.) hit you, b.) stole from you, c.) basically kidnapped your child, d.) has previously used said child to manipulate/blackmail you and the child in question. You'd literally call the police and keep the man as far away from your children as possible. The secondary characters do add a lot to the story. Jamie's best friend is a great character, and I'd actually love for him to have his own story. His girlfriend is sweet and his little sister is both adorable and heart-breaking as she struggles to understand what's happening at home. One thing I can say for Andy Robb is that he can write a villain with scary accuracy. I held my breath through the entirety of Chapter 30 and wanted nothing more than to see Jamie's dad behind bars. The pacing also is fantastic. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, watching with wide eyes as Jamie's life crashes and burns around him. Overall, Smashed is a heart-breaking journey of a young boy who spirals out of control as he attempts to deal with the aftermath of domestic violence and to come to terms with what it truly means to be a man. I can't deny that it was compelling, but I think that some language choices and messages left a lot to be desired. Rating: 4 Stars! Genre: LGBT Contemporary Romance Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: Bought It may be cold outside, but inside, the temperature is rising. When grad student Kevin Taggert goes home with his best friend for Thanksgiving, the last thing he expects is to drool over the guy’s dad. Forty-eight-year-old Drew Freeman would love a relationship, but he never expected to find it with his son’s best friend. When a last-minute change of plans leaves Drew and Kevin alone in a cabin the week before Christmas, the heat between them is too much to deny. Although they promise it’ll only last the week, every day that passes brings them closer together. When Christmas Day arrives—along with Drew’s son—can they salvage the relationship and the holiday? Looking for a super-sweet m/m Christmas romance? Cabin Fever is a best-friend's dad, age-gap, forced proximity, slow burn, perfect for fans of Anyta Sunday.
I will not drool over my best friend's dad... Packed full of wintery feels, this book is a is a sure-fire way to get you into the Christmas spirit. The wintery cabin, the long walks and early morning runs in the snow, the winter hot tub scene; it was all brilliant and really set the mood for the entire book. The book centres around Kevin, who's facing a Thanksgiving spent alone as his family is too far away. He's feeling sad and like his family are cutting him out of their lives, when his best friend Jason invites him to spend Thanksgiving with him and his dad. Kevin jumps at the chance for a family holiday but regrets his decision when he comes face to face with Drew, Jason's dad, who might just be the most handsome, kindest man Kevin has ever met. "Help yourself to anything in this house," Drew said with a smile. Including you? he wondered. Watching Kevin and Jason grow from perfect strangers to good friends and then fighting to keep their relationship in the friend-zone, for Jason's sake, was really sweet. This book is most definitely not insta-love, it's a long slow burn that will keep you turning pages, eager for more. I liked Kevin and Drew, who are a pretty perfect match, except for the odd moment where Kevin acts a bit childish. But together, they bring out the best in each other. Jason is my least favourite character as, for most of the book, he's a self-centred, petulant child, only seeming to mature at the very end of the book. He was necessary to the plot, but I grew to really hate him as a character. Kevin groaned. "You're going to make me work for it aren't you?" Something in Drew's eyes flared hot. "I might." The tension and chemistry in this book are fantastic, the constant will they/won't they back and forth built really well and kept me hooked through every single page. The only thing I didn't like about this book is how every character is introduced using their full name. It's a pet peeve of mine, but honestly, just beginning the book with, 'Kevin looked up from his phone...' is much better, in my opinion than, 'Kevin Taggert looked up from his phone', and then a couple of lines later, 'Jason Freeman plopped onto the couch next to him...' Unless there are several characters with the same first name, including surnames sometimes feels a bit informal and throws off the tone of the book. That being said, it didn't stop me from quickly shipping these characters and rooting for them every step of the way. So, if you're looking for a super sweet, sizzling slow burn this Christmas, I'd highly recommend Cabin Fever. Tic-Tac-Mistletoe
-- EXCERPT: Hamish’s POV A totally catastrophic, unmitigated disaster. What is a totally catastrophic, unmitigated disaster, you might ask? Let me break it down for you real quick. My life, my relationship, my job, my plans, my future, and this whole damn trip. So, basically me. Me. I am the totally catastrophic unmitigated disaster. Hamish Kenneally, thirty-one-year-old Australian, who quit his shitty job and sold his shitty apartment and left behind his shitty life in Sydney, packed his said-shitty life into two suitcases, and boarded a plane to spend Christmas with his sister in God-knows-where, Idaho, USA. Well, Christmas first. Then two years, at least, in America trying to unshitify his life. And if the trip to said God-knows-where, Idaho, was any indication of just how spectacularly extra-shitified my life was going to get, I should have turned around and stayed right where I was. Because if the flight from Sydney to LA was bad, which it was, then the second flight, LA to Spokane, made the first flight look like a joy ride. Because I didn’t get to Spokane, did I? Oh no, of course I didn’t. Because you see, Christmastime in America is in winter. Which is weird enough for this Australian. Christmas should be hot summer days at the beach, seafood and salads, beers and watching the bronzed surfers and drunk foreigners at Bondi. That is what Christmas should be. None of this “sorry folks; to avoid flying into a massive snow blizzard, we’re being diverted to Missoula, Montana” crap the captain of the plane said when we were halfway there. Like the screaming baby in the seat next to me, or the vomiting lady in the row in front of me weren’t bad enough. Like we had any choice about which direction we were flying into. I had no choice. I was now going to Montana. In a freaking blizzard, of all things. Ever been on a plane that flew into a snowstorm? There is zero joy in that kind of turbulence, believe me. It would also explain the screaming baby and the vomiting woman. And the man behind me saying Hail Mary’s . . . which you’d think might be comforting. But oh boy, is it ever not. Especially when he yelled the prayer every time we hit a particularly large pothole in the sky on the descent. Honestly, if this flight was a scene in a movie, you’d think it was too ridiculous to be real. After the plane landed—to which I would have clapped and cheered like everyone else if I wasn’t stuck in the brace position after trying to kiss my own arse goodbye—we were kicked off the plane without so much as a good luck in the wrong bloody state. So there I was, a clueless Aussie, after flying for twenty hellish-hours and now a few hundred kilometres from where I was supposed to be, trying to wrangle two overweight suitcases down the concourse, when one little wheel on my suitcase broke. Because of course it did. Frazzled and trying not to cry— Yes, cry. A thirty-one-year-old man can cry; shove your toxic masculinity in your cakehole and stop judging me. I was having a jetlag-fuelled shitastic day meltdown, trying to keep my shit together the best I could, and clearly not doing it very well. I was allowed a little saltwater leakage. Anyway, getting back to my story. I tried to call my sister. No signal. Because of course there’s not. So, taking a deep breath and willing myself not to spiral, I found my car rental kiosk. Finally, something is going right. “I have a car booked,” I said, trying to keep my now-broken suitcase upright with my foot while rifling through my backpack for my booking confirmation and driver’s licence. After dropping my passport and half the contents from my backpack all over the floor, then scrambling to collect it all while still trying to keep my suitcase upright, I handed everything over with a flourish of triumph. “Oh, that flight was the worst,” I said, sagging onto the counter. I was about to tell her all about my day from the ninth circle of hell when she looked up at me with that look. You know the one. The look of superficial appeasement before they cut you off at the knees. “I’m sorry, sir. But I don’t have a reservation under your name.” I stared at her. My brain short-circuited and the will to live left my body. It was an actual out-of-body experience, I’m sure of it. I could see myself staring at her, mouth gaping like I’d been lobotomised. Because of course they didn’t have my booking. Why would they? My rental car was waiting for me in Spokane. In Washington. Not in freaking Montana. “Oh,” I whispered, and my left eye twitched. “That’s nice.” I looked around the airport, at the line of annoyed people behind me. “Excellent. I’ve seen that movie where Tom Hanks lives in an airport. It wasn’t so bad. Could be worse. Could’ve been the one where he’s stuck on the island, I guess. Though I didn’t pack a volleyball, so that would’ve sucked.” She blinked and tap-tap-tapped away at her keyboard. “But sir, we’ve had a lot of cancelled flights today because of the weather. I can arrange a vehicle for you, if you’d like?” Oh, my sweet baby Jesus in a manger, why didn’t she lead with that?
GIVEAWAY! Note from Kayleigh @MyEndlessShelf:
How adorable does this sound?!?
I am so ready for this meet-cute, soppy and sweet Christmas rom-com! It definitely has a feel-good Hallmark movie vibe to it. Follow the links above to add it to your Goodreads TBR or check it out on Amazon and let me know what you think! Please note, the giveaway is international! Big thanks to Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours! |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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