Minnie's Fiction Addiction

👀 First impressions:
The premise caught my eye immediately, an elderly woman forming a bond with a highly intelligent octopus at a small-town aquarium? I was intrigued. I expected something charming and offbeat, but I wasn’t prepared for just how emotionally layered this story would be.

✅ What I Liked:
Tova is the heart of this novel. Her quiet resilience and deeply human grief were portrayed with such empathy. I was completely invested in her story from the start. And then there’s Marcellus, the scene-stealing octopus with a sharp mind and a sharper wit. His perspective added warmth, humour, and a dose of unexpected wisdom.

I also appreciated the slow-burn pacing and how the lives of Tova, Marcellus, and Cameron gradually intertwined. The themes of loneliness, chosen family, and the slow rebuilding of hope felt authentic and well-earned. The Pacific Northwest setting, with its salty air and quiet melancholy, was a lovely backdrop.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
Cameron took a while to grow on me. His early chapters felt a bit repetitive, and while his character arc ultimately paid off, it slowed the pacing in parts. Some of the plot developments were a touch predictable, especially if you’re an experienced reader of character-driven fiction.

Also, while Marcellus was delightful, I found myself wishing for even more from his point of view—his chapters were so strong that I craved just a bit more of his insight.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
It’s perfect for readers who enjoy emotionally rich stories about unlikely friendships and second chances. If you liked The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot or A Man Called Ove, you’ll likely find something to love here. The blend of whimsy and melancholy makes it an ideal pick for a thoughtful, feel-good read.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a quiet novel with a big heart. While a few pacing issues held it back from being a five-star read for me, it’s still a beautifully told story about grief, healing, and the surprising ways we connect. with each other, and with the world around us.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★★ – Tender, quirky, and unexpectedly moving

👀 First impressions:
From the moment I saw the cover of Mexican Gothic, I was intrigued. A woman in a vintage dress, clutching roses and secrets, it promised mystery and atmosphere, and it absolutely delivered. Set in 1950s Mexico, this book immediately stood out as something fresh in the gothic horror genre.

✅ What I Liked:
The setting is a star in its own right. High Place, the decaying mansion nestled in the misty Mexican mountains, practically breathes, with its mouldering walls, locked doors, and sinister family. Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a masterful job of blending gothic tropes with Mexican folklore, creating something both familiar and strikingly new.
Noemí, the socialite-turned-sleuth, is a compelling protagonist intelligent, fashionable, defiant and a breath of fresh air in a genre often dominated by passive heroines. The tension builds steadily, and the horror, when it arrives, is visceral, grotesque, and genuinely surprising.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
The pacing in the first half is slow. While it effectively builds unease, it took a while before the true horror elements kicked in. Some readers might find the dialogue occasionally stilted or the final reveal a little over-the-top, but if you’re into classic gothic weirdness, it works.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you’re a fan of gothic horror and want something outside the traditional English manor setting, Mexican Gothic will haunt your imagination in the best way. It’s ideal for fans of Rebecca, The Haunting of Hill House, or The Silent Companions, but with a distinctly feminist and Latin American flavour.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Mexican Gothic is the kind of book that lingers, in your mind and under your skin. It’s a slow burn, but the payoff is dark, disturbing, and delightfully weird. A perfect blend of creepy atmosphere, social commentary, and otherworldly horror.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★★ – An intoxicatingly eerie gothic horror that twists tradition into something thrillingly fresh.

👀 First impressions:
With all the hype around this book, I went in expecting a twisty psychological thriller that would knock me sideways. The concept is undeniably intriguing, a famous painter shoots her husband and never speaks again, and a psychotherapist becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth. It’s the kind of premise that practically begs to be binge-read.

✅ What I Liked:
The initial setup is genuinely compelling. Alicia Berenson is a fascinating figure, and her silence creates a palpable tension throughout. The snippets from her diary add an extra layer of mystery, and Michaelides does a great job of keeping you turning the pages. The final twist is unexpected and clever, definitely a jaw-dropper for many readers.

I also appreciated the sleek, cinematic quality of the writing. It feels very much like reading a screenplay, which makes sense given the author’s background.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
While the twist is good, the rest of the book didn’t quite live up to it. The characters felt flat, especially Theo, whose narration lacked depth and emotional resonance. Much of the middle dragged, with repetitive therapy scenes that didn’t seem to move the plot forward.

Additionally, the twist, while clever, relied heavily on a reveal that felt a little forced and dependent on withholding too much from the reader. It made me question how reliable the structure had been all along, in a way that felt more like a trick than a payoff.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you’re a fan of fast-paced thrillers with an unreliable narrator and a big twist, The Silent Patient will scratch that itch. It’s a quick, entertaining read that’s easy to devour in one or two sittings, especially if you’re in the mood for something cinematic and dramatic.

💭 Final Thoughts:
The Silent Patient is a decent thriller with a killer hook and a memorable twist, but it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. While I see why it has such broad appeal, I found myself wanting more complexity and psychological depth from both the characters and the plot.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★ – A gripping premise that doesn’t quite deliver on its promise

👀 First impressions:
I went into Giovanni’s Room knowing it was a classic, but I wasn’t prepared for how deeply it would cut. The spare beauty of the cover and Baldwin’s reputation led me to expect something introspective and bold, but this short novel far exceeded those expectations. From the first page, the prose shimmered with emotional precision and quiet tragedy.

✅ What I Liked:
James Baldwin’s writing is simply masterful. Every line feels like it’s been chiseled into place with aching care. The story, set in 1950s Paris, follows David, an American man grappling with his identity, desire, and the consequences of fear. His relationship with Giovanni, a tender, intense, and ultimately doomed romance, is portrayed with such clarity and compassion that it feels timeless and immediate.

Baldwin doesn’t just explore sexuality, he exposes shame, internalized homophobia, cultural expectations, and the loneliness of living a life untrue to oneself. And yet, there is such grace in the storytelling. Baldwin writes with empathy, even when his characters are at their most flawed. The atmosphere, Parisian bars, dusty rooms, train stations and cafés—enhances the sense of dislocation and longing.

For a novel published in 1956, Giovanni’s Room is staggeringly bold in its honesty. Baldwin strips away pretence and speaks directly to the heart of identity, love, and loss.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
Nothing. This book is a near-perfect work of literature. It’s heartbreaking, but in the most necessary way. It doesn’t offer comfort, it offers truth

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
Because it’s one of the most important and beautiful books ever written about love, identity, and the cost of denial. Whether you’re drawn to LGBTQ+ classics, literary fiction, or character-driven novels that will stay with you forever, Giovanni’s Room is essential reading.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Giovanni’s Room isn’t just a story. it’s a wound, a confession, and a mirror. It’s a novel that lingers long after you’ve finished it, asking difficult questions and refusing easy answers. James Baldwin’s genius lies in his ability to say so much with such economy of language. It opened my heart, then quietly shattered it.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★★★ – Devastating, exquisite, and decades ahead of its time.

👀 First impressions:
The title alone, Cultish, had me hooked. As someone fascinated by language, psychology, and the thin line between self-help and manipulation, I was eager to dive into Amanda Montell’s exploration of how words can be used to recruit, convert, and control. I expected a sociolinguistic deep-dive with a pop-culture twist, and that’s exactly what I got.

✅ What I Liked:
Montell’s voice is both intelligent and accessible, a hard balance to strike in nonfiction. She doesn’t just talk about Jonestown or Heaven’s Gate (though they’re here); she draws compelling parallels between those infamous cults and everyday institutions like SoulCycle, MLMs, and Instagram wellness influencers. Her thesis, that cultish language isn’t confined to fringe groups, is as thought-provoking as it is unsettling.

The best part? Her focus on language. From “thought-terminating clichés” to jargon that builds in-group loyalty, Montell gives readers the tools to recognise when they’re being linguistically manipulated. You’ll never hear phrases like “live your truth” or “manifest your destiny” the same way again.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
While the book is sharp and well-researched, the structure occasionally felt a little scattered. Some chapters leaned more heavily into anecdote than analysis, and I occasionally wished for a deeper dive into the more cult-adjacent mainstream phenomena (like political rhetoric or fandoms). Also, while Montell is very good at exposing the tools of persuasion, she doesn’t always give clear answers on how to resist them, though maybe that ambiguity is part of the point.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you’ve ever listened to a wellness podcast, watched a documentary on cults, or been weirded out by how intense a spin class instructor can be, this is for you. It’s an eye-opener for anyone interested in language, psychology, true crime, or the strange grey areas between community and control.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Cultish is insightful, funny, and deeply unnerving in the best way. Amanda Montell doesn’t just dissect the language of cults, she forces us to question how that same language seeps into everyday life. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to highlight, annotate, and talk about at dinner parties (but not in a culty way, promise).

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★★ – Mind control never sounded so fascinating

👀 First impressions:
Exploits caught my eye with its promise of classical adventure and dark humour. The idea of an ancient Greek tragic actor conscripted into war felt like a mash-up of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead meets 300, and I was very much here for it. From the outset, Lennon’s irreverent tone and modern flair brought the ancient world crashing vividly to life.

✅ What I Liked:
The voice. Oh, the voice. Charmides, the narrator, is the very definition of a reluctant hero, vain, self-deprecating, and oddly loveable. Lennon’s wit is razor-sharp, and the dialogue between Charmides and his friend-cum-frenemy Thersites practically crackles with tension, comedy, and layered history. I loved how theatre and performance were woven throughout the story, elevating what could have been a straightforward war tale into a thoughtful exploration of masculinity, identity, and legacy.

The pacing never dragged, even when the characters were trudging through war camps or arguing about the ethics of tragedy. The anachronistic humour felt intentional and added to the surreal theatricality of the whole thing.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
Occasionally, the modern turns of phrase felt a bit too jarring, it pulled me out of the ancient setting just enough to remind me that this was very much a retelling, not an immersive historical. While that won’t bother everyone, it might not be for purists who prefer their classical fiction straight-faced and scholarly.

Also, while I appreciated the philosophical undertones, there were moments when the book teetered on the edge of being too clever for its own good, though thankfully, it never quite fell off that ledge.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you liked The Song of Achilles but wish it had more sarcasm, or if you’re a fan of irreverent historical fiction like Kaikeyi or A Thousand Ships, this is your next read. It’s witty, weird, and surprisingly moving, with just enough blood and theatre to keep you turning pages.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Lennon has pulled off something genuinely unique with Exploits: a classical bromance full of heart, hubris, and hilarity. It feels both timeless and completely modern. While it might not be everyone’s cup of hemlock, for those willing to embrace the absurd and the tragic in equal measure, this is a triumph.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★★ – A brilliantly bold bromance in a toga