Review: My Name Is Not Isla

My Name Is Not Isla by Eliza Freed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you get a book you’re mildly interested in but do not pick it up straight away. Then, when you return to the book, you’ve completely forgotten the details. Such is what happened with My Name Is Not Isla. I was interested by the synopsis, but not crazy so. I opted to read other books first, and then when I came back to it I could not remember what kind of story I was to be given. Thus, I went in blind.

Having now read the book and gone back to look at the synopsis, I can honestly say the book is so much more than the synopsis had me believing. I can understand why I was interested but not crazy so. The synopsis left me intrigued, yet it failed to highlight the amazing story contained within the pages of this book. In other words, this story was so much more than it appears to be.

A lot of stories dealing with fame are rather light and fluffy reads. There’s always plenty of drama, but unless it’s a hardboiled thriller we miss out of the gritty details. This story gives those details. It was much darker than I anticipated the story to be. It is not the level of dark you see in the aforementioned hardboiled thrillers, but it was much darker than most romances that deal with fame. In all honesty, this story was much closer to being a romantic suspense novel than it seems. The first couple of chapters I expected a drama filled fame read, but then the details started coming in – details that were much darker than anticipated – and I was truly gripped.

I loved the surprise of this read being darker than anticipated. It was exactly what I wanted to break up the large number of lighter reads I have been working through recently. Usually I need a lighter read to break through all my darker reads, yet my advance read books as of late have been on the fluffier side of things. This book worked to remind me why I favour the darker reads. Light and fluffy is good for a while, but these deeper reads certainly pull me in much deeper.

This story is very much one that pulls you in deep, once it has a hold on you it is impossible to put down. The storyline grips you, leaving you curious as to how everything will come together. The characters are wonderful, as you quickly come to love them. The romance is great, playing out in a fashion that will leave you experiencing all kinds of emotions. Everything comes together so well with this one, the story being truly addictive.

Honestly, I had so much fun with this one. I’m annoyed I waited a while before diving in, as it was such a fun read. I’ll certainly be looking to read more of the author’s work in the future, as this one has certainly left a mark.

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