The Quality Street Girls - Penny Thorpe

Description

At sixteen years old, Irene ‘Reenie’ Calder is leaving school with little in the way of qualifications. She is delighted to land a seasonal job at Mackintosh’s Quality Street factory. Reenie feels like a kid let loose in a sweet shop, but trouble seems to follow her around and it isn’t long before she falls foul of the strict rules.


Diana Moore runs the Toffee Penny line and has worked hard to secure her position. Beautiful and smart, the other girls in the factory are in awe of her, but Diana has a dark secret which if exposed, could cost her not only her job at the factory but her reputation as well.


When a terrible accident puts supply of Quality Street at risk, Reenie has a chance to prove herself. The shops are full of Quality Street lovers who have saved up all year for their must-have Christmas treat. Reenie and Diana know that everything rests on them, if they are to give everyone a Christmas to remember…

Review

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the wonderful end papers. It really reminded me of the long ago Quality Street tins and not the ones today. The writing style unfortunately didn't grab me, but once I got to know the characters I was drawn in. Especially Renee who wanted to do so much good but didn't always get it right.

It certainly captures the naivety of a different time with the girls not being very worldly and plenty of misunderstandings afoot.

The book was written by the archivist from Mackintosh. I didn't discover this until the end of the book and actually her notes were so interesting that she could have just written a book without the story. This explains the well written social aspects of the book and for those alone it was worth reading for me.

Not particularly Christmassy you could read it at any time of the year.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Description

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story – translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot – explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

For fans of The Guest Cat and If Cats Disappeared from the World, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a touching story about second chances and how we find and lose the ones we love.

Review

I love time travel books and books set in Japan, so for me this is a match made in heaven. I must say first though, that if you are a time travel fan, this is translated from Japanese. Meaning it is written in a very different way to most books of this genre and is not a western way of looking at the subject. 

For me this approach made the book all the better and I just loved it's whimsical approach to time travel. The whole book is set in a cafe with a the same characters at different times of their lives and how if they sit in a particular seat they can travel back in time. There are rules to the time travel such as they can only stay in the seat in the cafe once they have travelled back in time and they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold. Unlike most time travel theories in this explanation you cannot alter the future.

A thought provoking read covering delicate subjects such as dementia and bereavement. I loved the gentleness and calmness of the book. A perfect read for any time of year but a good one to unwind with.

I'm giving this book five out of five stars and my thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

Everything is Figureoutable - Marie Forleo

Description

The New York Times #1 Bestseller

'Millions of young women look to Marie Forleo as their inspiration for empowerment and achievement' Oprah Winfrey

'This book delivers a knockout punch to whatever is holding you back' Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

Do you ever have trouble finishing what you start? Do amazing ideas come to you all the time but after the initial excitement wanes you struggle to follow through? If you're creative and ambitious, the answer is likely yes.

The problem isn't you. It's not that you're not hardworking, intelligent or deserving, but that you haven't yet installed the one key belief that will change everything: Everything is figureoutable.

Whether you want to leave a dead-end job, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, or just find two free hours in your day, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more positively and help you break down any dream into manageable steps.

Inside you'll learn:

- How to deal with criticism and imposter syndrome
- Why it's crucial that you strive for progress not perfection
- How to bounce back from failure
- How to overcome a lack of time and money

You'll also hear triumphant stories of everyday people using the everything is figureoutable philosophy to transform their life. Everything is figureoutable is more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a practical, actionable discipline. And it's about to make you unstoppable!

Review

Over the years I have read a lot of motivational and self help books. This one was not for me. There was a lot I already knew, but I didn't really like the style of the book. The book has a lot about how the author personally dealt with things in their own life. I have never heard of the author but gather she is very well known and certainly in the USA. Maybe if you know of her and are inspired by her as it seems many are, this is the book for you.

One of the things the author urges you to do is free up two hours a day and she's heard all of the excuses why you can't too. I have to say that when I studied I managed to fit in so many things and yet when I ended study each time that "extra" time magically disappeared. So a lot of what she said in this section did ring true for me and also the amount of time spent on social media, the internet etc. One piece of advice she gives is to leave emails for a few days before checking them. Personally if I left mine that long I would not be able to face my inbox. 

There are an awful lot of quotes in the book but there are also stories of real people that are inspirational. My take away from the book is this "Fact - use what helps, leave the rest" which is just what I am going to do. 

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Neighbours - Nicola Gill

Description

Meet Ginny, 34, and Cassie, 55. Neighbours, and (very) unlikely friends.

Some women have it all. Others are thirty-four and rent a tiny flat alone because they recently found their long-term boyfriend in bed with their boss. Ginny Taylor is certain her life can’t get any worse. But then she meets her downstairs neighbour…
 
Cassie Frost was once a beloved actress, but after a recent mishap she desperately needs a new publicist. And Ginny is a publicist who desperately needs a job – but can she be persuaded to work for the prickly woman who lives below her floorboards?
 
Ginny and Cassie are two very different women, but they have more in common than they’d care to imagine (or admit). And when their worlds collide, they realise that bad neighbours could become good friends…

Review

After a bit of a slow start to this book it turned out to be a great read.  I'm sure there will be comparisons with Bridget Jones and the narration by Ginny gives it a feel of that.  But it has a little more to it than an average chick lit book.The characters explore so many life issues within the pages, with some humour thrown in at times and great one liners.

One of the things I didn't like about the writing style was the author explaining what was happening without the preamble. It would work great visually but in a book I had to keep re reading parts, thinking I had missed something. So Ginny gets some notebooks - she's admiring them, where did they come from? Next paragraph describes her getting the notebooks from the person she was just talking to.

The book is more about Ginny and Cassie's friendship than the romances and I found this a refreshing change. There are some dark times in the book, which without spoilers is difficult to convey. Once I got to know Ginny and Cassie I found the book hard to put down and read about 3/4 of it in one sitting as I really wanted to find out what was to become of them both. 

I'm giving this book four out of five stars.

The Neighbours is released on 6 February 2020. My thanks to Netgalley

Notting Hill in the Snow - Jules Wake

Description

Escape to Notting Hill this Christmas…

From the bestselling author of Covent Garden in the Snow, this is the most romantic and charming book you’ll read this Christmas…

A Notting Hill nativity… what could go wrong?

Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!) but this year she's been asked to stretch her musical talents to organising Notting Hill's local nativity.

Nate Williams isn't looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he's forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola.

With the sparks between them hotter than the chestnuts roasting in Portobello market, Nate and Viola can't deny their feelings. And as the snow starts to fall over London, they find themselves trapped together in more ways than one…

This is a gorgeously heartwarming and uplifting Christmas romance, perfect for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Isabelle Broom or any Hugh Grant romcom… From Four Weddings and a Funeral to Notting Hill!

Review

What a dilemma I was in with this book I loved it so much I wanted to read it non stop - but I also never wanted it to end!

I had previously read Covent Garden in the Snow, which I loved too and didn't realise that this book would also include the same Opera company and some of the people from the first book. So it was great to be back there again. It is a totally standalone book though.

All the characters are so lovely and down to earth (well two aren't that nice!) especially Grace. I really felt for her at times and loved the scenes with her and Viola which had beautiful warmth and compassion, whilst ringing so true to life. Although the blurb talks about the romance between Viola and Nate, there is also such a lovely relationship between Grace and Viola that is really the star of the book.

I adored the writing and what I enjoyed the most is the scene setting. For instance when they go to the coffee shop we get told it has Ercol chairs, that although from different periods create a cohesive look - and boom!, I was right there. It's that kind of attention to detail that makes you feel like you are really looking through a frosty window at all that is going on inside this fabulous read.

Take some time to read this delightful book and escape for a while. I'm giving this book 5 out of  5 stars.

My thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC to review. I notice that it is only 99p for the kindle version on Amazon at the moment. 

Vampire State - Alexander Charalambides

Description

Rowena’s country is gone, squashed under a tide of tanks, bombs and Pale, immortal soldiers. But when her father returns from war as a hero, she discovers a new meaning of fear. Join and Die. >Become one of them, take on the gray skin and yellow eyes of the Pale, and live forever in Sanguinia. With the the clock ticking on her family’s decision, Rowena’s forced into close quarters with Vincenzo, the handsome son of a powerful man and trendy social revolutionary, and then ambushed by Luka, a handsome, heavily armed criminal. Both want to recruit her for their causes, and Rowena, attracted to both, fears being discarded on serving her purpose. Can Rowena hold on to her family, her individuality, and even her life in Sanguinia, the city without a sun, or will the darkness of the world’s oldest empire, and the immortal Emperor Dominus, swallow her whole?

Review

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this one really hooked me and I'm glad it did. Having read a few of Alexander's other books I felt confident if anyone could pull this off it would be him.

At first I felt a little at sea. A new strange world, strange names, what was happening? But hey, that's just how the heroine of the book Rowena was feeling too. I stuck with it and I was rewarded pretty quickly with a great story, set in a whole new world. Written with great imagination, I could see this being a TV series. 

As with Alex's other books, this is a fast paced read and his action dialogue is really good. I felt like I was really there, and I got a little nervous a few times at what was going to happen next. I could see similarities in some of what happened with the rise and fall of organisations in our own past and also with the abolition of slavery. That facet of the book was very thought provoking for me.

If all this wasn't enough there is also a romance aspect to the book, with Rowena having to choose between two very different suitors.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author for a copy of the book for review.

If I Never Met You - Mhairi McFarlane

Description

If faking love is this easy… how do you know when it’s real?

The brand new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance
(They set the rules via email)

Everyone can see they’re head over heels
(They staged the photos)

This must be true love
(They’re faking it)

When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together.

So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet…

But this fauxmance is about to get complicated. You can’t break your heart in a fake relationship – can you?

Review

I couldn't wait to get started with this the latest book from Mhairi McFarlane. I love her writing and I think this is maybe her best novel yet.

To begin with I had forgotten how fast paced the dialogue in her books can be. I think she is the only writer who can actually record what it's like to have whole conversations with your friends, whilst also recording your own thought process. It's so close to real life that I ached to be away from the book.

Yes it's a romcom. But if you've never read a book by Mhairi before, don't leave your brain behind as you pick up this book, because you are going to need it. Great use of language as always and a few words I had to look up!

Laurie is the main character in the book and she gets dumped in a "it's not you, it's me" scenario which was so very realistic. She and her former partner are both lawyers at the same law firm and so as you can imagine this gets more than a little awkward going forward. Except that another lawyer in the firm called Jamie has a great idea to make her ex jealous. They have a fauxmance, and to make it  appear legit they do what anyone would do, they put it all on Facebook and IG.

The male characters had me so incensed through most of this book. From her ex, to her Father and most of her male colleagues. I wish I could say it only happens in books, but sadly, I feel Mhairi has got it pegged down to a T. While at the same time it had some great strong female characters who I could really relate to.

I am really going to miss this book as I got to know the characters so well and looked forward to finding out what was going to happen next. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

If I Never Met You is out on 1 January 2020 My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me exclusive early access to this brilliant book.