BOOKSIMO

Description ' From the very first page, Emma Van Straaten had me by the Hail Marys.  Obsessive, delusional, disastrous - but so intricately woven with heart, warmth and empathy. An impeccable debut from a rising talent ' ALICE SLATER 'An addictive deep-dive into the dark, throbbing heart of obsessive desire.  Baby Reindeer  meets  Convenience Store Woman '  KIRSTY LOGAN, author of  Now She Is Witch Alice has been cleaning Tom's flat every Wednesday for a year. With every smudge wiped from his coffee cup, every crease smoothed out in his bed, every multivitamin counted from the jar, Alice spirals deeper into infatuation. But as Alice prepares for the moment when they will finally meet face-to-face, she discovers that love might not be the cure she thought it was. . . This Immaculate Body  is a story of obsession, of the way women view the world and the ways that the world views them. As Alice frantically tries to cling to an imagined future with Tom, th...

  Description “A fresh and fun take on Barbie lore…clever and satisfying.” – Shelby Van Pelt, #1  New York Times  bestselling author of  Remarkably Bright Creatures She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by  USA Today  bestselling author Renée Rosen. When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other,  she  knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up. In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything. As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest o...

  Description Preorder the BRAND NEW instalment in the Morwenna Mutton Mystery series from USA Today bestseller Judy Leigh perfect for all fans of Richard Osman. Morwenna Mutton should be living the quiet life of a librarian and grandmother in Cornwall’s beautiful Seal Bay – if only dead bodies would stop turning up… After the excitement of her last investigation, amateur sleuth Morwenna is looking forward to things getting back to normal. When local DJ Irina asks to meet however, desperate to share information she has discovered regarding nefarious goings-on, Morwenna can’t resist. But Irina never arrives for their drink – instead her body is washed up on the beach, an apparent victim of an accidental drowning. At once keen wild bather Morwenna knows something is amiss as Irina was a strong swimmer who knew the local conditions well. What had Irina uncovered and who would want her dead? When the local news dubs Irina’s murderer The Cream Tea Killer in honour of Cornwall’s famous d...

  and why I haven't reviewed as many books this year

  Description An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us Clayton Stumper might be twenty-six years old, but he dresses like your grandpa and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution. When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton's life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. As Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve—and it's a secret that has the potential to change everything. Review I researched this book before buying it in case it was going to be too hard to solve the puzzles. I got my copy on kindle and ...

  Description A friend will help you move on. A  best  friend will help you move his body. Opal, Marina and Lilah are three strangers and have nothing in common. Well, except for the man who's been lying to all of them. And who they are now holding hostage in a basement. From the author of  Bad Men ,  Eat, Slay, Love  is a book about making friends, finding joy, and discovering the woman you really are . . . though, sometimes, becoming your best self involves committing abduction and murder. Review This is the second book by the author I have read and this time rather than a professional killer it has an unimagined killer.  Three woman are all involved with the same man, unbeknown to two of them. When the third one reaches out to alert the other two, they get together with a plan in mind to teach him a lesson. In teaching him a lesson they also form a sisterhood, and end up teaching each other a few life lessons too. With some dark humour it also cover...