Bria Lou Reviews

 I write this every time I do one of these posts, but I can't believe how fast this year is going! It's almost August, and after that it's basically the preparation for Christmas. But before all of that, let me look back at my June posts! The Woman in the Window | Film Review - I found this film entertaining, but overall it wasn't that great. Still, the book is on my Reading List and I can't wait to see if I like it more than the film. Solos | TV Show Review -  This is an Amazon Original Series that I watched on a whim because the episodes were short, and because I like the actors involved. Some episodes I loved, but most were just okay. At the time of writing my review, I thought the show would really stick with me, but with almost two months of hindsight, it didn't. Review #86: You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes - This is a review of the third book of a trilogy. I re-read my review the other day and wondered if I had been harsh in giving the book 1 star, but ag...

  I've been reading some really interesting books lately, which re-ignited my love of reading.  However, after finishing a book that wasn't that great, then picking up a book that I was actually excited for, reading a page, and deciding that it wasn't for me yet, I decided to halt my reading list. And by halt, what I mean is that I went through my piles of books, found about 5 that I used to love when I was young, and put them at the top of the list. Not only are they shorter than most of the ones on my current list, but they are familiar enough to be comforting, but not enough to be boring. This is strange for me because I never really re-read books.  I used to when I was younger, but now, between writing reviews, and trying to read as much as possible so that I can buy all the new books coming out, re-reading old books, particularly childhood favourites, never really makes sense. But I've uploaded a book review fairly recently, and I have another two written, so I dec...

  I had never heard of this movie before seeing it on Amazon Prime, which surprised me because I'm a fan of the actors involved. It was only after watching the trailer that I actually understood what the film was about, and as soon as I saw the trailer, I wanted to watch it. When married couple Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and Matthew's (Casey Affleck) lives change forever, their friend Dane (Jason Segel) puts his life on hold to move into their home. I liked this film a lot. It is exactly what the trailer says it is, and I liked that about it. There is great chemistry between all three of the leads, but particularly Nicole and Matthew. They are a really believable couple. The film goes back and forth in time, showing a variety of different points in all three of these character's lives, without getting confusing. It works really well. This is such a real story - everything about the film is rooted in reality. Not only does this make sense because it's a true story, but it a...

 I watched this on a whim via Sky Cinema. The premise was interesting enough, and I like both of the main actors, so I had nothing to lose. After watching it for a little while I decided to review it, because I definitely hadn't heard enough about it as I should have. Detective Jack Radcliffe (David Oyelowo) is devastated when his brother, sister-in-law and niece are killed in a murder-suicide. However, after receiving a call from his niece, Ashley (Storm Reid), that is seemingly coming from the past, Jack and Ashley work together to stop the murder before it happens. This film was so much better than I expected.  The concept is great. It was like an episode of the Twilight Zone, which I loved. When the phrase 'mind-bending' is used in the description of a film, it's usually code for 'confusing', and while this does become confusing in places, overall the concept is thought-out well enough that it is easy to understand. I really enjoyed watching these characters...

I'm a huge fan of T.M. Logan. So much so that I pre-ordered this book based on my love for the three of his that I've already read. I loved the premise, but had no idea where it could go.  When a stranger on a train asks for a favour, Ellen thinks nothing of holding a baby for a busy mother trying to make a phone call. But when that mother exits the train at the next stop, leaving her baby behind, Ellen discovers that the baby in her arms holds the key to a crime. A crime that Ellen is now involved in. This book had a complete 180 U-turn for me. For the first 50 pages, I didn't think I'd like it at all, but I kept reading to find out what would happen next. But for the last 250 pages, I was enthralled and couldn't put it down.      Even in the beginning when I was unsure about the book, I knew that I would keep reading because I absolutely love Logan's writing style. It is the reason why I have loved all the books of his that I've read. Even if I didn't ...

This film came out on Netflix a couple of weeks ago and I was instantly intrigued. Not only is the premise something that I don't see often, but it also seemed completely different to any other Kevin Hart movies I've seen. After the sudden death of his wife, Matt (Kevin Hart) has to bring up his new-born daughter as a single parent. I really liked this film. It was somehow exactly what I expected, and better than I expected, at the same time. For a start, you know there is going to be humour in a Kevin Hart film, so that's not a surprise. But the humour was done so well, and mixed so well with the drama, that it really enhanced the film. As I've said, I liked the idea of the premise because I don't see it that often. Of course there are other films about single fathers raising children, but the ones that I've seen usually use that as a backdrop to tell a wider story. This one was only about Matt and his daughter, Maddy (Melody Hurd), and I loved that.         Ma...

  I've been thinking about finishing and not finishing books for a while, and decided last week to write something about it. I used to feel guilty about not finishing books. So much so that I would always put them down with the page dog-eared, with the intention to go back to them as soon as I was in the mood again. But that time would never come, and not finishing them would be more of an accident than an intention. But in the last year or so, my feelings on this have changed. One of the reasons that I've been going through a slump with reading is because I haven't enjoyed what I've been reading. I've picked up books because they're popular and have rave reviews, and so I feel like I have to finish them so I can understand what everyone else sees in the book. So I've started not finishing books. Putting them down, putting them away, with no intention of picking them up again - at least until I'm so far away from the book that I can't remember why I ...