The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

Description

The instant Sunday Times Bestseller from the author of The Flatshare

'Read this! Absolutely loved it!' Christina Lauren

'This book is perfect' Rosie Walsh

'Beth is quite rightly earning her title as "Queen of Uplit"' Prima

Addie and her sister are on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, who she hasn't seen since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. And with four hundred miles to go, they can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship . . .

Will they make it to the wedding? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

Review

This book was not what I was expecting based on the two previous books I have read by this author. Nearly a DNF.

After a car collision on the way to a friend's wedding with her sister, Addie finds herself face to face with her ex Dylan. They are all on the way to the same wedding in Scotland, so of course with one car out of action they offer Dylan and his best mate Marcus a lift. Not to forget they also have a passenger called Roger that cadged a lift to wedding but none of them knows.

Whilst on the course of the journey there are flashbacks to when Addie and Dylan met and became an item. They are told from the perspective of both Addie and Dylan, and to be honest I was glad when they were over and the book concentrated on the present day. I just couldn't get interested in this story.

At about 40% I began to wonder if I really wanted to invest anymore time in this book. I didn't care for any of the characters and was beginning to skim read. Some comedic moments from the journey and a lorry driver called Kevin did cheer me up a little. Then we find out what actually happened when Addie and Dylan split up, and the whole book changed for me. 

I needed to read on and find out what would happen with Dylan and Addie and why exactly Roger was going to the wedding. I actually warmed to Dylan and Addie by this time and begun to understand the other characters a little more.

I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars, mainly due to the drawn out first half of the book. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Happiest Ever After - Milly Johnson

 

Description

What if you could write your own perfect storyline...?

The heartwarming, feelgood novel from the much-loved Sunday Times bestselling author, Milly Johnson

Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job as a business consultant, turning around businesses that were on their uppers – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can recreate herself as a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the fictional Sabrina Anderson.

But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

That’s how Polly finds herself as Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the charming son of her new landlady Marielle, it has potential, if only a rival restaurant is stopped from moving in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to live.

But what if her new life could give her her happiest ever after…?

Review

A wonderful read, the pages just flew by.

Polly Potter is not happy in her home life and she certainly is no longer happy at work. As a business consultant she still has great ideas that work, but all the credit is taken from her, and the new boss loves to ask Polly to put the kettle on too!

With a great plot device of Polly becoming her alter ego Sabrina from a book she is writing, she gets a second chance at life. Although even in her new life things go against her.  I was willing everyone to see through what was happening to Sabrina. Bringing her business acumen to her new life was a great touch and so interesting to read. But will Sabrina win out or will Polly's old life come calling for her?

I loved the characters in this book, getting to know them was wonderful. I should say I loved all the nice characters, certainly not Jeremy and some of the other unsavoury people Sabrina meets. With Milly's humorous touch to the proceedings and interspersed with snippets from the Daily Trumpet this was a joy to read. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book will be published on 15 February 2024.

Fourteen Days - Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston

 

Description

A BBC, Financial Times and Cosmopolitan What to Read in 2024 pick

Set in a New York apartment building, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbours has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice - from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng.

One week into lockdown, the tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours.

A dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.

Includes writing from: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capo Crucet, Pat Cummings, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, DeShawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer

Review

I came to read Margaret Atwood, but really I never knew which author I was reading, and I loved it.


This is about a group of New Yorkers during the Covid pandemic of 2020. Each night they meet on the roof top to share stories to pass the time, and begin to really know their neighbours.


This isn't a collection of short stories. There are no chapters as such, just the date of each of the 14 days in the title. Each day those on the roof just begin to share whatever they want to say. Some of them are tales, some are experiences, and they differ in length. Brilliantly written by everyone, I really felt I was there each evening. A few of the voices I loved more than others, but the ones (in the minority) I didn't care for I just scan read. It could have been the subject matter or the character, not everyone was for me.


I thought that was it, nothing more to say. However, unexpectedly at the end there was a twist - which I never saw coming, but it did explain some of my doubts. I read through this like a novel, but you could pick it up as and when you felt like it. There are a lot of characters and sometimes I felt like they had a slightly different voice, but I just went with it. I didn't get too hung up on which author wrote what. At the end of the book there are credits to each of the authors, explaining which of them wrote which tale.


I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 6 February 2024.

The Mystery Guest - Nita Prose

 

Description

*The sparkling new novel from the award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of The Maid*

‘Witty, joyful and utterly unique’ A J FINN
‘Captivates from page one’ JANICE HALLETT
‘A flawless and brilliant read’ LIZ NUGENT
_________________________________________________________________

A new mess.
A new mystery.
Molly the maid returns . . .

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.

But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .

Review

When I read The Maid by the same author, the ending was so neatly tied up that I never expected to see a sequel. It's been a delight to read about Molly the maid once more.

It seems Molly has matured a lot since the last book, and whilst she still is a little unworldly wise, her reasoning seems spot on. She's even hiring a new maid, but will her character assessment of the new maid be found to be lacking?

I was intrigued to know how Molly knew the famous mystery writer who has since died in her hotel. An unfortunate coincidence based on the death in the last book, and one which the police are keen to pick up on. I fear for Molly but she took it all in her stride and even became a sleuth herself. The book goes to "before" to show us Molly's early life, which is when she met the writer. What a great insight it was, not only into her character but that of her beloved and wise Gran. 

It's always a worry that a sequel will not do justice to the original, but this is even better in my opinion.

I just loved reading this book. If you enjoyed the first book, then I think you will also enjoy this one too. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. The book is published on 18 January 2024. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Secrets Between Us - Laura Madeleine

 

Description

A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war.

‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House

High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.

Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains.

Review

This is a dual timeline novel set in 1943 and 1993. I found that I was getting into the story in 1943 and then pulled to 1993, where not so much seemed to be happening. The character Annie in the 90s was a little boring to me. There was so much more action and vigour in the 1943 characters.

The second world war timeline was different than anything I have read about this period before. It certainly opened my eyes to a world in a small village in France I was not aware of. Although not totally historic the author did base the writing on a real village.

I thought that the first half of this book dragged a little. But once the two timelines met I found it much more intriguing and couldn't put it down. This resulted in a satisfying ending which has had me replaying parts of the book to make sense of it all.

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

The Vintage Village Bake Off - Judy Leigh

 

Description

Now in his seventies, Robert Parkin is stunned to find himself the unlikely sex symbol of the village gardening club.

Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert’s Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence.

Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones – ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea – Devon or Cornwall? It’s time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition.

Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse to bring them to Millbrook. And as the siblings relish each other’s company, and Robert relishes being at the heart of his community, a summer of scones may just light the way to long-lasting happiness for them all.

Review

I admit the title of this book and the author just had me wanting to read it. So I spent a good few pages wondering when the Bake Off was going to begin. I even began to think I had picked up the wrong book.

Once I settled into the story I was fine and put the Bake Off idea out of my head. Whilst this might on the surface appear to be a gentle tale there were a couple of characters who made my blood boil. Just as I was beginning to think all was well in the village there was a little incidence and I was brought back down to earth.

I loved the descriptions of the baking and the recipes - you might want to have eaten before reading! The characters were charming in the main and some even grew a backbone after decades of put downs. Eventually we got to the bake off and the deciding factor of who does have the best cream tea - Devon or Cornwall?

A delightful fun and witty read. I'm giving it four out of five stars.

My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 4 December 2023.

What Might Have Been - Holly Miller

 

Description

One split-second decision.
Two different love stories.

Lucy's life is at a crossroads. She's just walked out of her unrewarding job and has no idea about her next step: use her savings to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, or move to London to try and revive her career? It almost seems like fate that on that same night she meets Caleb, a stranger in a bar, and runs into Max, the one-time love of her life.

Should Lucy stay in the seaside town she grew up in, and in doing so, get to know Caleb better? Or should she go to London and reconnect with Max again after he broke her heart a decade ago? It's just one decision - but sometimes one decision can change the course of your whole life . . .

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN is a sweeping and unforgettable novel for anyone who has ever believed in destiny and soulmates - or paused to wonder what your life might look like if you'd made a different choice.

Review

If you've seen the film Sliding Doors or read the Two Lives of Lydia Bird, then you will be familiar with the concept of this book.

The premise of this story is that Lucy has two life choices. Should she reunite with an ex and go away or stick with the new guy she just met in the pub and stay put? The book follows what her life would be like depending on her choice. It has a dual time line with the header STAY or GO so you know which time line you are reading.

I did have moments in this book where I got confused which timeline I was in. Not due to the writing, but just with my own memory, having put the book down in between chapters. I read on and clues to past events put me right again. Towards the middle of the book I felt the progression of the story slowed down and whilst it was interesting to read the same events in the different timelines it also felt a little repetitive.

The last third of the book was for me where the stories came together, and it was very poignant. I'm glad I read to the end, I really wanted to know what would become of Lucy, Max and Caleb, just a little quicker than it took. Although this is a romcom there are potential triggers for readers.

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