BOOKSIMO

Description It's never too late to grow old disgracefully... The life of 79-year-old pensioner Peggy Smart is as beige as the décor in her retirement village. Her week revolves around aqua aerobics and appointments with her doctor. The highlight of Peggy's day is watching her neighbour Brian head out for his morning swim. Peggy dreams of inviting the handsome widower - treasurer of the Residents' Committee and one of the few eligible men in the village - to an intimate dinner. But why would an educated man like Brian, a chartered accountant no less, look twice at Peggy? As a woman of a certain age, she fears she has become invisible, even to men in their eighties. But a chance encounter with an old school friend she hasn't seen in five decades - the glamorous fashionista Angie Valentine - sets Peggy on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Can she channel her 'inner Helen Mirren' and find love and friendship in her twilight years? Review ...

Description **THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER  DEAR AMY  ** No-one is who you think they are Sophia's parents lead quiet, unremarkable lives. At least that is what she's always believed. Everyone has secrets Until the day she arrives at her childhood home to find a house ringing with silence. Her mother is hanging from a tree. Her father is lying in a pool of his own blood, near to death. Especially those closest to you The police are convinced it is an attempted murder-suicide. But Sophia is sure that the woman who brought her up isn't a killer. As her father is too ill to talk it is up to Sophia to clear her mother's name. And to do this she needs to delve deep into her family's past - a past full of dark secrets she never suspected were there . . . What if your parents had been lying to you since the day you were born? Review I enjoyed the previous book by Helen "Dear Amy" so...

Description She wanted an adventure. She never imagined it would go this far. TWELVE CONTESTANTS When Zoo agrees to take part in a new reality TV show,  In The Dark , she knows that she will be tested to the limits of her endurance. Beating eleven competitors in a series of survival tasks deep in the forest will be the ultimate challenge before she returns home to start a family. A GAME WITH NO END As the contestants are overcome by hunger, injury and psychological breakdown, the mind games to which Zoo is subjected grow dark beyond belief. This isn't what she signed up for: the deserted towns and gruesome props. Is this a game with no end? alone and disoriented, Zoo must summon all her survival skills - and learn new ones as she goes . . . Review The idea of this book really appealed to me, however, I struggled to read it. It's only 350 pages but it's taken me far longer to read than a book of that length would normally take me.  Imagine all that happe...

Description When a bookshop patron commits suicide, it’s his favorite store clerk who must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this fiendishly clever debut novel. Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves. But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has inherited his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia? As...

Description HOW DO YOU SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support, and his friends talk about how his girlfriend Bea needs to move on, he can only listen. But Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger. As he goes over a series of clues from his past, Alex must use his remaining senses to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him, and try to protect those he loves, before they decide to let him go. A stunning edge-of-your-seat debut novel with an unforgettable narrator. Review This story is told by Alex who is in a coma. The first thing that struck me was how awful it must be to be sentient but no one knows that you are. I struggled with this to begin with as the writing was so good it felt so real and painful to read. What is clever about ...

I'm here today with a cover reveal! I loved Aimee's book The Little Gray Dress and am pleased to be able to share with you the release details for her new book. The Last Dance. About the book Can you truly forgive and forget? Ambri and Henry have been best friends forever. They’ve been through the highs and lows of life with each other by their sides. The worst? When Henry’s wife, and Ambri’s sister, died. Together, they can face it all. Until one night destroys everything. Two years after he stepped out of it Henry walks back into Ambri’s life and she’s more than a little shocked. But as old friends fall into even older habits they need to decide whether they can forget the past and embrace their future. Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult and Anna Bell. Pre-order link: Mybook.to/TheLastDance About the author Aimee Brown is a writer of romantic comedies set in Portland, Oregon, and an avid reader. She spends much o...

Description A friendship to die for. Louise is struggling to survive in New York; juggling a series of poorly paid jobs, renting a shabby flat, being cat-called by her creepy neighbour, she dreams of being a writer. And then one day she meets Lavinia. Lavinia who has everything – looks, money, clothes, friends, an amazing apartment…  Lavinia invites Louise into her charmed circle, takes her to the best parties, bars, the opera, shares her clothes, her coke, her Uber account. Louise knows that this can’t last for ever, but just how far is she prepared to go to have this life? Or rather, to have Lavinia’s lie? A Ripley story for the Instagram age set in contemporary New York; a world at once sophisticated and sordid, irresistible and irresponsible, unforgettable yet unattainable Review The two main characters are moneyed Lavinia and down at heel although smart and educated Louise. I didn't care for either of the characters as they are both so self absorbed each in...

Description Pushed to breaking point , Cara Burrows abandons her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford. Late at night,  exhausted and desperate , she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied - by  a man and a teenage girl . A simple mistake on the part of the hotel receptionist - but Cara's fear intensifies when she works out that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can't possibly have seen:  the most famous murder victim in the country , Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving  life sentences  for her murder. Cara doesn't know what to trust: everything she's read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her own eyes.  Did she really see Melody? And is she prepared to ask herself that question and answer it honestly if it means risking her own life? Review As I began to read this book I found I had no sympathy at all for Cara Burrows. Which wa...

Description Cass Claymore, a red headed, motorbike riding, ex-ballerina inherits a Detective Agency, and accidentally employs an ex-con dwarf and an octogenarian. Hired by a client who should know better, Cass has no leads, no clue and a complete inability to solve a case. Still a girl needs to eat and her highbred client’s offering good money. Join her as, with bungling incompetence, she follows a trail littered with missing antique teddies, hapless crooks, a misplaced Lord of the Realm and dead bodies. Will Cass, and Scotland, survive? I'm so pleased to be part of the book tour for this book. You can read about who else is on the tour and more about the author below. Together with a link to purchase the book. Review The description of the PI in this novel got my attention, as she's a motorbike riding ex ballerina - whose inherited a Detective agency. Great bring it on. As you will gather from this and the fact that she's employing an ex-con dwarf and ...

Description A darkly thrilling take on the fashion world,  #FashionVictim  is  Dexter  meets  The Devil Wears Prada . New York City fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything. Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend. But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead. ...

Description A time-travel murder mystery from a brilliantly original new voice. Perfect for readers of Naomi Alderman's  The Power  and Emily St John Mandel's  Station Eleven . 1967: Four female scientists invent a time-travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame: the pioneers who opened the world to new possibilities. But then one of them suffers a breakdown and puts the whole project in peril... 2017: Ruby knows her beloved Granny Bee was a pioneer, but they never talk about the past. Though time travel is now big business, Bee has never been part of it. Then they receive a message from the future – a newspaper clipping reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady... 2018: When Odette discovered the body she went into shock. Blood everywhere, bullet wounds, flesh. But when the inquest fails to answer any of her questions, Odette is frustrated. Who is this dead woman that haunts her dreams? And why is everyone determined to cover up her murder? Review...

Description A ruthless dictator, an ambitious driver and a race neither can afford to lose. Vittoria Tarno lives for the speed that only Hyper Q, Earth’s most intense racing sport, can give her, but Vittoria and her team, Goofé Troupé, have been banned from the major league. Determined to barge back into the spotlight, Vittoria jumps at the chance to be reinstated, but there’s one big catch: she has to accept the challenge of Admiral Suresh, the famously deranged dictator of distant, forbidding Mars. On Mars Formula Q isn’t bloodless as it is on Earth. With no support, no time to prepare and no hope of winning, Goofé Troupé are thrown into race after race against competitors determined to win the trophy, a giant metal pizza slice known as the Spearhead of Ares. When Vittoria breaks the speed record held by one of Mars’ great racing heroes, Goofé Troupé are soon racing for more than the honor of their home planet. With a new and dangerous opponent, a regime determined to bring them...

Description I am woman. Hear me roar. Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From  The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared  to  The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf  and  The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband , discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change. Witty, tender, surprising, these keenly observed tales speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar. Review I'm not usually one for short stories but these are great reads and you don't get to the end and feel like there should be more, or wondering what happened. Each one is a perfect little life lesson. ...

Description Silver Rainwater, a psychology graduate student on the verge of breaking through the glass ceiling and becoming the first in her family to graduate college, obtain a Ph.D., and gain access to the “American dream,” is running out of time. While struggling to complete her psychology mentor’s interactive dream catalog, embrace her complicated heritage, deal with her mother’s escalating addiction, and confront a past that haunts her relentlessly, Silver finds herself in the unique position to teach a rogue artificial intelligence the difference between right and wrong and how to make ethical decisions. The relationship starts after Silver experiences a catastrophic data crash that could end her graduate school career. She is invited by a Systematic Network Infiltration System (Sneeze) to play a secret online game at Access Universe where she begins to earn easy money completing simple life challenges. As Silver continues to play Sneeze’s game, she begins to lose sight of he...

Description In a cosy corner of Paris, a delicious little patisserie is just waiting to be discovered. And romance might just be on the menu… As the youngest of four, Nina Hadley has always had her big brothers telling her what to do. So, when she’s given the chance to move to Paris and help run a patisserie course, she can’t say  au revoir  quick enough! There’s just one problem: high-flying chef Sebastian Finlay is the owner of the patisserie. He’s also her brother Nick’s best friend – and the man she has secretly been in love with since forever. Amongst the mouth-wateringly delicious eclairs and delicate macarons, Nina’s culinary creations aren’t the only tempting thing she’s working with… Review Once I got this book for review it leapfrogged over many books on my TBR pile. Julie Caplin is I have to say now one of my favourite authors. This is the third book of hers I have read and it was just as wonderful as the previous two. It's a standalone book so you...

Description Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story. Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist. After all, life isn't a scene from the movies, is it? But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Laurie thinks she'll never see the boy from the bus again. But at their Christmas party a year later, her best friend Sarah introduces her to the new love of her life. Who is, of course, the boy from the bus. Determined to let him go, Laurie gets on with her life. But what if fate has other plans? Following Laurie, Sarah and Jack through ten years of love, heartbreak and friendship,  One Day in December  is a joyous, heart-warming and immensely moving love story that you'll want to escape into forever, for fans of  Jojo Moyes ,  Lucy Diamond  and  Nicholas Sparks .  ...

Description On a leafy suburban street in Dublin, beautiful, poised Stella Greene lives with her successful husband, Matt. The perfect couple in every way, Stella appears to have it all. Next door, at number 72 however, lives Rea Brady. Gruff, bad-tempered and rarely seen besides the twitching of her net curtains, rumour has it she’s lost it all…including her marbles if you believe the neighbourhood gossip. But appearances can be deceiving and when Stella and Rea’s worlds collide they realise they have much in common. Both are trapped in a prison of their own making. Has help been next door without them realising it? Review I haven't read any of the author's books before and was settling in for rather more of a cosy read than some of the dark stuff that the pages contained. To begin with I really wanted to read something else as it was a little too realistic in places to enjoy. There are three stories told  - Rea, Stella and Skye. I wasn't sure where th...

Description Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Nora Ephron ( When Harry Met Sally ,  Heartburn ,  Sleepless in Seattle ,  You've Got Mail ) turns her sharp wit on to her own life. *  Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from *If the shoe doesn't fit in the shoe store, it's never going to fit *When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you *Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five *The empty nest is underrated *If only one third of your clothes are mistakes, you're ahead of the game Review I love Nora Ephron films and thought that I should read this book - it's been on my tbr list for so many years. I guess I was putting it off in case it wasn't as good as the films - sometimes writers just aren't as funny. I'm pleased to say it did not disappoint me, I really liked this ...

Description Claire Wright likes to play other people.   A British drama student, in New York without a green card, Claire takes the only job she can get: working for a firm of divorce lawyers, posing as an easy pick-up in hotel bars to entrap straying husbands. When one of her targets becomes the subject of a murder investigation, the police ask Claire to use her acting skills to help lure their suspect into a confession. But right from the start, she has doubts about the part she's being asked to play. Is Patrick Fogler really a killer . . . Or the only decent husband she's ever met? And is there more to this set-up than she's being told? And that's when Claire realises she's playing the deadliest role of her life . . . Review I was attracted to reading this book as I loved the previous novel by J P Delaney, The Girl Before. It turns out that this book was actually his first book. However, he totally rewrote it, keeping just the overall premise of the ...

Description Meet private detective James Leipfold, computer whizzkid Maile O'Hara and good-natured cop Jack Cholmondeley in the first book of the Leipfold series. A car strikes in the middle of the night and a young actress lies dead in the road. The police force thinks it's an accident, but Maile and Leipfold aren't so sure. Putting their differences aside, and brought together by a shared love of crosswords and busting bad guys, Maile and Leipfold investigate. But not all is as it seems, as they soon find out to their peril. Review I've followed Dane Cobain through social media for some time and so when he quit his day job to become a full time writer I was intrigued what his books would be like. I've had this book on my personal tbr list for some time and am so glad I finally got around to reading it. It really was a cracking read. I loved the characters, especially Maile with her bang up to date internet sleuthing  skills. In fact the book was full ...

Description With nearly 60 per cent of us living in cities, the mega-city of Tokyo, through centuries of raze and rebuild, is surely the guiding light for how we can live together amicably in an ever-urbanising world.   Not only is Japan the mother of all metropolis’ but with two thirds of the country covered in forest, there is still much respect and celebration of the natural world, with people perfectly placed to make the most of the green space around them. From the art of making tea, to going for a hike, or celebrating imperfections, there are ceremonies the Japanese have been honing for centuries that thrive alongside modern traditions and practices of well-being.   From Miyazaki to mountains, sake to sparking joy, find your Zen and make time to learn about how to live Japanese. Whether it’s the cutting edge of film-making, revolutionizing the whisky market or competing with parents on lunchboxes, you’ll be all the better for some time spent with  How to Live J...