BOOK REVIEW: MISS BENSON'S BEETLE BY RACHEL JOYCE

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Miss Benson's Beetle
Author: Rachel Joyce
Published: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 416
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

The year in 1950, and Margery Benson has a moment of clarity, realising she's unhappy with her life, and decides to set off on an expedition of finding an undiscovered beetle on the other side of the world, something she's dreamed of her whole life. To help her, she recruits an assistant, who turns out to not quite be the companion Margery had in mind, and together they end up risking everything to fulfil their dreams. 

Review:

What an absolute gem of a book!

I adore a story about female friendship, and this one is one of my favorite that I've read. I obviously went into this book thinking I was going to like it, but was surprised by how much I ended up loving it; I really loved getting to know the characters, seeing their past and their development throughout the story, and I loved the adventure they went on together. The two women in this book make quite a pair, and it was a delight to get to know them and read about them.

The story is funny, but surprised me with its depth. I loved how we get these two characters who are so different, but balance each other out, and how despite their differences (and maybe even because of them), they become friends. Their relationship isn't perfect, and neither are they, but that's what makes it interesting to read about. I loved the setting of this as well, and really felt myself transported as we went along.

The book also took a turn towards the end that I was not expecting, one that left me teary eyed on the couch and wanting to have a good cry (but in a good way). Again, the story really surprised me by how much it pulled me in, how much it made me care and by how it all ended. I could've spend hundreds more pages with these characters, and it's definitely one of my favorite books I've read this year. 

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