The Names, by Florance Knapp

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with another review! 

I know, I wasn't expecting one this quickly either, but I have a book I want to talk about, and there's nothing else for it, but to put out another review! 

This one is about The Names, Florence Knapp's stunningly beautiful debut novel, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it! 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy it. 

Title: The Names

Author: Florence Knapp 

Genre: Fiction 

Status: Standalone

Release date: 6/5/2025

Pages: N/A (Listened to audiobook). 

Blurb: "The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register the birth of her son. Her husband, Gordon, respected in the community but a controlling presence at home, intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and name the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates....

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of their lives, shaped by Cora's last-minute choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities for autonomy and healing.

Through a prism of what-ifs, Florence Knapp invites us to consider the "one ... precious life" we are given. Full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and love's endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store."

My Thoughts

Trigger warnings: Violence, abuse, manipulation, mentions of sexual abuse, toxic relationship, alcoholism, child abuse, gaslighting, pandemic related-stress. 

These triggers are a pretty big part of the story, so please err on the side of caution when picking this up, if you have experienced any of these triggers, in any aspect. 

You need to understand the premise of the novel if you're going to follow this review. 

The Names starts in 1987, when mother Cora, takes her son to have his name registered. The name Gordon has been passed down through generations, and her husband Gordon, expects him to be named the same. Her thought: what if he turns out like her abusive husband? 

From that point onwards, he may be named Bear, the name her daughter Maia chose; Julian, a name that means sky father, that she chose herself; or Gordon, of course. Each chapter jumps to the next name, and every three chapters, they move to a new time period, seven years later than the last. 

For a debut novel, The Names is exceptional. This novel pans decades, until Maia and her brother are adults, and although the story goes far beyond what Cora named him, it all stems out from that original chapter. The job her son chooses, to the relationships of those around him, even where he grows up. At certain points I had to pause the audiobook, just to take in how a chapter had ended, and trace it all back, to see how we got to this point. 

Honestly guys, this book had me hooked from start to finish. I found myself trying to find time to listen to this audiobook, finding jobs to do where I could listen to just one more chapter. I finished it in four days, so it wasn't hard. 

Like I said before, the marital abuse is a fairly large part of it- the whole reason Cora considers not naming her son Gordon is because she doesn't want her son to end up like her husband, so please consider that before picking this book up. 

Saying that, it isn't the whole story. The majority of this book is hopeful, with some beautiful moments, particularly between Cora's mother, Silbhe, Maia, Julian, and Cian. There are some really lovely moments between some of the characters, that make up much of the story. 

All in all, I very much doubt that I won't be putting this on my Favourite Books of 2026 list, even with 6.5 months to go. It was my first 5 star (new read) of 2026, and I think it'll be hard to beat. The Names was moving and honest, and if you have the stomach to read a novel of this magnitude, then I highly recommend it. 

Okay! Those are all of my thoughts on Florence Knapp's debut, The Names! I hope you enjoyed it, and I really hope I've convinced some of you to give it a go (despite the heavy material). 

One more thing: for everyone that has been on my blog, or even returned, in the last month or so, thankyou so much! The views have been exploding recently, and I cannot thank you guys enough! 

That is all I have for you all today, so I hope you have a good day, and I'll see you all soon! (Feel free to comment below, by the way.) 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Favourite Audiobooks (Version 3)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with a (pretty much) recycled idea, but one worth going back to! 

If you've read the title you know what it is, and that I've done it twice before. 

But, the last time was back in 2023, and since I've listened to a fair few more since then (I'm on 80 at the moment), I figured it was worth a reboot! 

It would be interesting to see what some of your favourites are, so please comment down below, because I'm always open to trying some new reads! 

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy! 

1. Becoming, by Michelle Obama

It stood the test of time! I listened to this audiobook 6 1/2 years ago, and still it remains one of my favourite audiobooks. 

Now, the novel has everything you could hope for in a memoir; it has the personal story, from childhood to professional career, where she grew up, her lessons as a child, and her family- what her neighbourhood was like. Then it had her working towards her degree, her time as a lawyer, and meeting her future husband, who would go on to be the president of the united states. 

My favourite part will always be her childhood, hearing about where she grew up, and her family, and when she was learning to play piano. The fact that she narrates the audiobook is what sold it for me- you can actually hear the warmth and sincerity with which she describes that time in her life, and that is what has made this audiobook stand the test of time for me. 

2. Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

What can I say? An audiobook with a large cast, each playing one character. This is a book comprised of a series of interviews, sometimes conflicting with others. It's layers upon layers upon layers of this band, Daisy Jones and the Six, which is a made up band inspired by 1970s rock culture (Fleetwood Mac in particular). It's funny, heartfelt, raw and a huge rollercoaster from start to finish. Probably the most cleverly comprised audiobook to date, in my opinion. 

3. Salem's Lot, by Stephen King

I still get shivers when I think of how creepy this audiobook was. There's nothing like hearing the voice of Dracula whisper against your ear. So well performed, it actually feels as if you're in the story yourself, trying to fight dracula and not wind up dead. 100%, the realest and creepiest story I've ever read, in my life. And I've read It. 

Genuinely, I would consider this to be one of my favourite Stephen King books, because of this audiobook. 

4. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, by Matthew Perry 

Rawest book of the lot. This one does not shy away from the hard subjects. Of course it doesn't! Look who wrote it! 

I had this audiobook ready for the right time, for a while I think. 

I listened to it a short time after he passed. But it's important to note that I was always going to read it. 

It was just as amazing, and heartfelt, and real as I suspected it might be. 

I'm not going to say you have to read it, because it deals with some extremely heavy subject matters. But if you can handle it, and you're a fan of his- then you need to pick this up. 

Truly moving, piognant and honest. You won't regret reading this if you haven't. 

5. The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2), by R.J. Kuang

Although I was chipping and changing from the audiobook and the physical book with this, I know that I preferred the audiobook for this. 

In The Dragon Republic, the world gets a lot more vast, the characters get a lot more dimensional- they've graduated from the academy, and the world is about to end- or at least, the stakes a lot lot higher in this one. Reading the physical book just wasn't as gripping as the audiobook was, which is why it's on the list of favourite audiobooks. 

There's nothing like hearing the emotion in the voices of the characters you've grown to love so much, when they're preparing to kill someone. Unforgettable. 

6. George Orwell's 1984, by George Orwell 

Fucking hell, was this an experience. I think I finished this in one day. 

For anyone that doesn't know this, George Orwell's 1984 is an Audible Original, based off of the famous novel. It's recorded by Andrew Garfield as Winston, Cynthia Erivo as Julia, Andrew Scott as O'Brien, and Tom Hardy as Big Brother. I don't have the words to tell you how phenomenally this was drafted. You hear the screams of the prisoners ringing in your head days after you finish this. 

I don't have any critiques on this piece at all. The recording is perfect- so much anguish, so much intensity- I wish I could listen to this without having experienced it before again, so it's fresh in my brain again. It's basically a play, unfolding before your eyes, without the visuality. 

Highly, highly, highly recommend this. 

7. The Women, by Kristin Hannah 

And finally, the instant favourite. Just the book in general. Not the audiobook. 

Whether I read the physical book, or the audiobook, I was always going to love this, and it was always going to make my favourites list for the year. The audiobook just enabled me to read it quicker is all. 

The Women is the first Kristin Hannah book I have picked up, and so far, have yet to pick up any more. But I can guarantee, more of them will be read soon enough. The Nightingale, The Four Winds, The Great Alone, Firefly Lane. I plan on reading them all. And all that has stemmed from one book. 

I can't wait to read them all. 

Okay! Those are my current favourite audiobooks! I hope you enjoyed reading about my favourites, and I'm really happy to see some variety in my favourites! 

 

I have a question: if you have a variety of audiobooks under your belt, do you find that you have a genre that you gravitate towards, or do you find yourself trying new types of reads? I'm genuinely curious, so let me know in the comments! 

Okay, that is all that I have for you guys today, so I'll see you all soon- hopefully with an update on that story that I've forgotten about! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening, wherever you are. 

-Abi xxxxx

Skulduggery Pleasant: Month 2

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my 2nd update on how my Skulduggery Pleasant re-read is going! 

I'll be honest. Not as pleasant a start as Month 1, but I have made a good amount of progress within the last week, so hopefully I can keep that momentum going in May! 

I hope you enjoy reading about the progress I've made! 

5. Mortal Coil 

Pages: 572

Reading days: 20th March- 31st March 

Considering this was in the high 500s, I was pretty happy with how quickly I progressed with this. A lot happens at the end of this, that pushes the story along, and it will always be one of my favourites in the series. Reading this book through for the first time, I felt like it had one of the biggest shock twists so far. I still feel like that today, several years later. Even a couple of books down, the characters are still reeling from the repercussions that Mortal Coil presents. 

6. Death Bringer

Pages: 603

Reading days: 1st April- 7th April 

I sure flew through this one! 603 pages, 7 days! 

A very minor character/ quartet of characters become centre stage in this one, not to mention the mysterious Darquesse is a bit more centre too. As you can see, there's a Death Bringer, brought forward by none other than the Necromancers, whose meant to stop the passage of life and death, and bring about a new existence. So there's a new potential Death Bringer, Melancholia. She's the new threat for Valkyrie and Skulduggery, because they're trying to stop her. It's basically a whole load of chaos, a lot of deaths, a lot of last minute saves. It's bedlam basically. 

Personally, after Mortal Coil, this feels like a bit of a drop. I committed to this early because I wanted to get to the next book, Kingdom of the Wicked, and although a lot does happen a lot, I usually get to a point in this one where I want it to be over. That did happen, but I still enjoyed it enough to give it a five stars. 

7. Kingdom of the Wicked

Pages: 607

Reading days: 9th April- 28th April 

Truly, I don't know what happened here. In Kingdom of the Wicked, a whole bunch of mortals develop magic. A sorcerer, who has been in a magically induced coma for a couple of decades, gifts these mortals magic in their dreams, and then they start running riot. Aside from that, Valkyrie gets shunted to a different dimension, where the world's most violent murderer is still alive. I usually really enjoy this book. But for some reason I never found the time to sit down and have a long haul of reading. 

I finished it, that's the main thing. And the fact that I'm now behind on my Goodreads goal may well be the motivation I need to catch up. 

Which brings me to my current read. 

7.5. Tanith Low in the Maleficent Seven 

Pages: 288 

Reading days: 29th April- now. 

Currently on page 112.

I started this yesterday (I will be reading the extras, of course. This is the re-read to end all re-reads after all.) The fact that I started it yesterday, got 30 pages in, and then read to page 112 today? I'm definitely trying to make up for lost time by speed reading through this. 

Funny enough, I've only read this the once, that I can recall, and I don't remember liking it all that much. But this read through? I'm loving every page. It's basically a race between the good guys and bad guys to retrieve the god-killer weapons before Darquesse attempts to destroy most of the world. What's better than that? Oh yeah, one of my favourite characters of all time is the protagonist- Tanith Low. 

Overall 

Total page count from 23/03- 30/04: 1857

Average page count a day: 48 pages a day, rounded up. Not bad. 

Same as last month, I am still really enjoying this read through of Skulduggery Pleasant. Next book is Last Stand of Dead Men, which is pretty self explanatory. 

Okay! That is everything I have for you all today! I hope you enjoyed reading about my progress, and feel free to comment below, literally anything! 

See you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx