276°
Posted 20 hours ago

The Returned: The New York Times bestselling debut from the author of Hell of a Book

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional depth, award-winning poet Jason Mott explores timeless questions of faith and morality, love and responsibility. A spellbinding and stunning debut, The Returned is an unforgettable story that marks the arrival of an important new voice in contemporary fiction. About Jason Mott

Tending to his grandfather’s beloved bee hives while preparing for a second stint in medical school, Trevor isn’t prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can’t ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she’s hiding.

New Bern, NC

If The Shining and Mean Girls had a baby, that baby would be The Return. Holy sh*t. You guys this book was truly one of the creepiest books I have read since Little Darlings. Nearly a week after reading this, I am still reeling. This book will forever leave a mark on my soul. What follows is a tale that explores themes of morality, grief and life after death as it tells the story of Lucille and Harold Hargreaves whose eight-year-old son Jacob turns up fifty years after his death, exactly as he was on the day he died. In the midst of a phenomenon that is happening the world over; neither of them can decide whether it’s a miracle or a second chance at family life and opinion is divided in the small town in which they live as to what should be done with the ‘returned’. I also loved the characters - they were so diverse and well-fleshed out. I really feel like I could have a conversation with any of them. Everything in the novel follows from this initial encounter: the Hargraves’ struggle to reintegrate their still-young son into their now old age; the government man’s attempts to reintegrate into society the mysteriously resurrected Americans (with a few foreigners who happen to return on US soil thrown in for good measure) in the face of a rising anti-returned from the dead coalition turned militia.

As she begins to physically decay before their very eyes, the friends have to come to grips with the fact that something is seriously wrong. Considering Julie's odd behavior and appearance, not to mention the smell, none of them want to broach the topic with her. It's hard to criticise a show that makes such an effort to do things differently, and I wouldn't dream of being harsh to this one. The plot is that of a teasingly slowly unravelling mystery, and I would say this can naturally be just a little frustrating at times. One or two scenes are perhaps a little tough to accept as the genuine reaction of the character. The creep factor here was on eleven and that was totally enjoyable. Plus, I always love a good “hens weekend” type of setting and watching the skeletons fall out of various closets. The dynamic of friend groups intrigues me and I don’t mind reading about people talking rather than nonstop action. Your mileage obviously may vary, but I think this would make for a great rainy-day read.After Julie has had some time to acclimate to being home, the women decide to gather for a reunion weekend at an up-and-coming boutique hotel in upstate New York. Tending to his grandfather's beloved bee hives while gearing up for a second stint in medical school, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . and yet, from their very first encounter, his connection with Natalie Masterson can't be ignored. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding. Overall, this first novel for me from Rachel Harrison instantly made me a fan. The only slight critique I had is that things seemed to slow down significantly around the half-way point when it focused exclusively on one character's past for a bit too long. Other than this, the writing style was very well paced, and the characters felt "alive" in a way that the readers can easily become attached to.

There’s absolutely NO way that someone could’ve taken her the friends all reason , “Julie wouldn’t have gone quietly. Julie would’ve screamed, thrashed around, bitten, scratched— gouged. Julie would’ve made things bloody. She wouldn’t have vanished without a trace. But she had.” The more you love someone . . . it's easier for them to hurt you . . . their love will inevitably fall short of your love." THE RETURN was a generally enjoyable, quirky, small-town story with grief, illness, bees, romance and that signature lament. It was pretty wholesome and it left a good feeling on completion. A Time of Silence: Civil War and the Culture of Repression in Franco’s Spain 1936 – 1945 – Michael Richards (CAMBRIDGE) And if this book can be published, I think I really should get down to it and write my book, because I'm pretty sure I'd make a better manuscript than this.I love Harrison's attention to detail--the clothing, hairstyles, setting...I get a strong sense of place and can visualize everything in a very movie-ready, cinematic way while I read. I haven't even touched on the ending and the differences in Julie--this is purposeful. I feel that to allude to anything more would potentially spoil the experience for others. This is a novel you simply need to experience first-hand. But Elise, who has a special relationship with Julie never believes she is dead. And she is right. Julie is found at her house’s porch, in same clothes she wore when she disappeared. She has no idea about her lost two years. Sometimes, in life, you’re confronted with an impossible decision, with no happy ending, no matter what you choose.” Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group to share this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. I wish I could enjoy it like the last thrillers I’ve read lately.

With thanks to Berkley Publishing and the author for sending a free copy in exchange for an honest review! The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory – Tom Buchanan (SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS) She was the only likable character in this novel. I think that was because the only character who wasn’t a selfish b*tch…At it's heart, this is really an examination of friendship, if you can believe that from a horror novel, but those friendship aspects tugged at my heartstrings a little bit. Twins Virginia and Tommy Matthews have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five, surviving a merciless foster care system by relying on each other. Twelve years later, the world begins to collapse around them as a deadly contagion steadily wipes out entire populations and a devastating world war rages on. When Tommy is drafted for the war, the twins are faced with a choice: stay and accept their fate of almost certain death, or run. Virginia and Tommy flee into the dark night. The three girls are now four again, and they decide reunite in a luxurious hotel but right away - Molly, Mae and especially Elise notice that things seem off. This story started out okay, but I have to admit that it really didn’t hold my attention well at all.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment