The Back Up Plan - Elsie McArthur

Description

Giving up? Or moving on?

That’s the question for thirty-something Marsaili McKenzie. Ten years after fleeing her tiny coastal village for dreams of fame and fortune in the big city, she finds herself on the brink of an existential crisis. Far from being the star actress she once imagined, she’s still working as a barmaid in a Glasgow theatre while all around her, her friends and family are getting engaged, pregnant or promoted.

It’s all she can do to keep her head above water. But as a new year approaches, she resolves to give her acting dreams one last shot. That is, until a couple of unexpected distractions arrive on the scene.

Will Hunter is undeniably handsome, as well as being aloof, socially awkward, posh and in the middle of a nasty divorce. And to make things even more complicated, he’s also her new boss.

Local boy made good, soap star Euan Campbell, is the epitome of a charismatic leading man. His easy-going charm soon sweeps Marsaili off her feet, but is there more to him than meets the eye?

To top it all off, Marsaili finds herself inexplicably drawn back to the simple, rural life she used to loathe. Can she finally figure out which dreams are worth pursuing, and would it really be so bad to resort to her back up career after all?

Join Marsaili as she navigates the choppy seas of love, family, friendship and self-discovery. This heart-warming novel is full of romance, laughter and more than enough drama to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Review

I absolutely loved this book and the writing style. Set in Scotland you get both the City side with Glasgow and then when Marsaili (rhymes with Parsley!) goes home we get to experience the lovely rural side of Scotland. All places I've been (although Skye before the bridge!) and it brought it all back so vividly, as the writing was just wonderful. You also get some lovely Scottish dialect and sayings, some of which I had never encountered before.

The main character Marsaili is a little (well a lot) self effacing and that was the only trait I wished she could lose. Otherwise I felt she was a little bit of a soul sister for me. She said so many things I would say myself and she and all the characters just felt so true to life. Sometimes you can read a book and think "why would they do or say that" but I felt so in sync with Marsaili.

Marsaili wants to be an actor but she's been trying for an awfully long time and to fill in she works in a bar in a theatre. There single and fed up she manages to meet not one but two men who both fall for her. Will she end up with one of them or none at all? 

I can't praise the style of writing enough. Do you sometimes look into people's houses when the lights are on and they haven't yet closed the curtains? For me this book was just like that. The author took you in and you got a front row seat into their lives. I couldn't wait to get back to the book each time and I'm going to miss everyone. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. Elsie is an author who deserves more recognition when she can write so well. If you are looking for a nice comfortable read of an everyday story that could and probably has happened, then this is the book for you. 

My thanks to Elsie for a copy of this lovely book. At the moment it is free on Kindle unlimited and it's only 1.99 to buy on kindle too.

A Hogmanany Kiss - Elsie McArthur

 

Description

Marsaili and Will's happily ever after isn't turning out exactly like they planned...

Eighteen months after getting back together, and struggling to find a forever home in their small Highland community, they're still living in the upstairs bedroom of Marsaili's parents' croft. A chance to get away from it all for a romantic Christmas break is just what they need - Marsaili's brother is getting married, and they're going to spend two weeks in Edinburgh for the celebrations.

But when wedding mishaps, a flirtatious bridesmaid and past insecurities threaten to derail their plans, the idyllic festive getaway Marsaili and Will have been dreaming of could make them... or break them.

Reunite with all your favourite characters for a Christmas holiday they’ll never forget, in this fun, feel-good, festive sequel to The Back Up Plan

Review

Although this is a standalone novel, you would probably enjoy it more if you read The Back Up Plan first. The story begins with Marsaili in the pub with her teacher colleagues - wait a minute! Last time we met Marsaili in The Back Up Plan she was an aspiring actress, so immediately I could see things had moved on since the last book.

It was great to catch up with Marsaili and Will and find that they now live in the Highlands. Desperate for some time alone with each other they are delighted to be going to Edinburgh for a family Christmas wedding, and what a wedding it is. The festivities begin on Christmas Eve and span many days as this is a multicultural wedding. Even before the wedding itself there are some ups and downs for the couple and it's not all plain sailing for the rest of the family party either. 

I detested Sophie the bridesmaid from the first page she appeared on and didn't warm to her much from there on in. I was so hoping she wasn't going to ruin Christmas or the wedding for Marsaili. I'll leave you to read this delightful seasonal tale and find out for yourselves if she did. 

A lovely novella to snuggle down with and escape to Edinburgh, which was beautifully described, taking me back to my last visit there many years ago. 

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

If I Could Turn Back Time - Beth Harbison

Thirty-seven year old Ramie Phillips has led a very successful life. She made her fortune and now she hob nobs with the very rich and occasionally the semi-famous, and she enjoys luxuries she only dreamed of as a middle-class kid growing up in Potomac, Maryland. But despite it all, she can't ignore the fact that she isn't necessarily happy. In fact, lately Ramie has begun to feel more than a little empty. 

On a boat with friends off the Florida coast, she tries to fight her feelings of discontent with steel will and hard liquor. No one even notices as she gets up and goes to the diving board and dives off...

Suddenly Ramie is waking up, straining to understand a voice calling in the distance...It's her mother: "Wake up! You're going to be late for school again. I'm not writing a note this time..." 

Ramie finds herself back on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, with a second chance to see the people she's lost and change the choices she regrets. How did she get back here? Has she gone off the deep end? Is she really back in time? Above all, she'll have to answer the question that no one else can: What it is that she really wants from the past, and for her future?

One of the things I love to read is time travel novels - and I have read a lot. So I think of myself as a hard to please reader in this genre as mostly I've read it all before.

So I was pleasantly surprised when this book took a different tack with the whole time travel idea. Instead of Ramie waking up as her current self in another time, she wakes up as her teenage self. This also gives a different slant in that she can now see things through the eyes of an adult which maybe first time around her teenage eyes didn't pick up on.

One of the things that rang true for me was when Ramie has to go to school and she doesn't know what her timetable of classes is - this is a dream I have had a lot in the past! Luckily for her it is soon rectified and apart from some references to email and mobile phones she seems to get on fine in the past. Especially as she can remember the events - and can she change them?

Ramie also goes on a tour of her neighbourhood just so she can relive things that no longer exist in the present, such as restaurants etc. On a side note the British Film Institute have just released online films of everyday life. For me watching a trip through my home city on a tram in 1902 was the closet I will get to time travel. So I really identified with what Ramie was doing.

The book certainly had me thinking - what if and a different road travelled al a "Sliding Doors". There's a neat twist and as always I am saying no more for want of spoiling the plot.

The book is out on 28 July 2015 and my thanks go to Negalley and St Martins Press for supplying me with an advance e copy to review.

The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells - Virginia MacGregor

Description

One ordinary morning, Norah walked out of her house on Willoughby Street and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she walked away from only to find another woman in her place. Fay held Norah's family together after she disappeared, she shares a bed with Norah's husband and Norah's youngest daughter calls Fay 'Mummy'.

Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And why is she back? As each member of the family tries to find the answers they each need, they must also face up to the most pressing question of all - what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back?

From the author of What Milo Saw, comes this powerful, emotional and perceptive novel about what it takes to hold a family together and what you're willing to sacrifice for the ones you love.

Review

This is the second book by Virginia MacGregory I have reviewed - the first was What Milo Saw. The book is in the same style, in that it is told from the perspective of a child, and how insightful that perspective is.

Right at the beginning of the book when Norah (The Mother who left) turns up and Willa asks who she is - she gets told by her sister Ella "it's no one". Willa's classic inward response is "She doesn't care what Ella says the woman definitely doesn't look like a no one". For me that line sets the rest of the book up as Willa spends the book trying to find out who the "no one woman is" and like all children just keeps asking questions, as it just doesn't all add up in her world.

Although I enjoyed the book it did get a little drawn out. The weekend that the book is mainly set across made me feel like I was living it in real time, a little like the TV series 24! Especially when the same scene was played out from a different characters perspective. Also there is a constant reference to foxes - which I can understand from a child's perspective, but did get a little too unbelievable towards the end especially when the dog was brought into this somewhat magical existence.

I kept reading as I wanted to understand why someone would return after walking out on her children six years previously. I really felt for Fay as the "Mother who stayed" who looked like she was destined to lose the life she had built overnight. It did get me thinking about what would that be like?...........what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back?......

The plot line was helped by not only seeing the story through the eyes of Willa but also the grown ups. But then I got annoyed in equal measure with the characters of Norah and Fay as they both seemed to have no ability to stand up and fight for what they wanted. 

A good read overall and certainly a very different subject and perspective than I have read before.

I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars mainly because of the foxes! and it was a little drawn out in places.

My thanks go to Netgalley for a free e copy of this book to review.

The Silent Brother - Simon Van Der Velde

 

Synopsis

When his beloved little brother is stolen away, five-year-old Tommy Farrier is left alone with his alcoholic mam, his violent step-dad and his guilt. Too young to understand what has really happened, Tommy is sure of only one thing. He is to blame.

Tommy tries to be good, to live-up to his brother’s increasingly hazy memory, but trapped in a world of shame and degradation he grows up with just two options; poverty or crime. And crime pays. 

Or so he thinks. 

A teenage drug-dealer for the vicious Burns gang, Tommy’s life is headed for disaster, until, in the place he least expects, Tommy sees a familiar face… 

And then things get a whole lot worse.

Buy The Silent Brother at: 

Northodox Press 

Amazon  

Goodreads 

Review

Simon has woven a rich tapestry with gritty yet eloquent writing.

I found Tommy to be a likable character that I was rooting for throughout the book. He suffers some serious physical knocks which didn't make for comfortable reading, but then that is the style of the writing. One thing about Tommy is that when he gets knocked down he gets right back up again, even if I wished he would stay low.

We follow Tommy in his native North East reeling from the loss of his little brother. He blames himself for not protecting him from that final external grasp. Even as a young kid Tommy has the measure of his step dad and how to try to avoid the inevitable violence from him, but not so much from the bureaucracy of the outside world. 

Tommy has a brief respite from his harsh home life in the form of a girl he encounters whilst she is shoplifting. The portrayal of their friendship was so beautiful. Unfortunately this is cut short and ultimately brings him more trouble in later years.

As Tommy gets older and embarks on his life of crime things begin to look up for him.  With no one else to turn to he starts to find his own way in the world, albeit an illegal one. He encounters some very seedy characters who make his step Dad look like Homer Simpson. All the characters were very realistically written and I mainly wanted to never meet them or do them harm in some way.

There are scenes that chilled me and yet at times there is a gentle humour too and made me laugh out loud. A few times I thought I'd missed a page as the action moved on with my questions unanswered. They were answered in time with revelations that were so poignant they deserved to be dealt with this way. 

If you think you've read novels like this before, then just wait until you get to the end because there are a few twists that truly amazed me. I think this would make a brilliant film.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Simon for inviting me to review his book.

The Inspiration behind The Silent Brother 

Victims or Perpetrators? 

Working in the east end of Newcastle could be pretty dispiriting. Hard as we tried to make things better, there was always someone, plenty of someones, ready to tear it down. Drug and alcohol abuse was everywhere – as was anger and frustration, vented in seemingly pointless, and often vicious violence. Put in a new central heating system, they’d rip it out to sell the copper pipe. Give them double-glazing, they’d put a brick through it. During the riots of 1999, local people set fire to their neighbours’ homes. In the end, it was hard to avoid feeling that these people deserved what they got. They didn’t. There was a time, in living memory for some, when fully half the world’s shipping was built on the Tyne, and people would joke about the obvious foolishness of bringing coals to Newcastle. Not anymore. These days, when a major employer closes down special teams are brought into the area to help with retraining and attract new employers. But in Thatcher’s Britain, when the unions, heavy industry and even the north itself was the enemy – closing down the mines and the decline of the shipyards was an end in itself. A victory. Something like the victory in Iraq, with no plan beyond winning the ‘war’.

The effect on these communities was devastating. Generations of skilled workers lost their jobs. More than that, they lost their identity and their union, and often their families. How could they teach their children the meaning of a hard day’s work for a fair day’s pay? - in this new world of every man for himself. And why would their children listen to these old mens’ stories? - when both father and children were signing on at the same dole office. Abandoned and useless, these once proud men faded away. Worse still, their children grew up without hope or direction. The old order was gone, and there was nothing to replace it and nothing to do, except anaesthetize yourself from day to day, until the hopelessness got too much - and erupted into violence. Ambition meant getting a few quid together, enough to score a deal to get you through the emptiness, until next week’s giro. Dignity and community were replaced by crime and booze and drugs. We’re on the third generation now. For them, the glory days are something the history teacher drones on about. It has nothing to do with their lives. In a community with so little hope, overstretched social services and policing priorities elsewhere, it’s easy for the gangsters to take over – and anyway, no one likes a grass. Some, heroically, stay and fight for their community. But the truth is that most of the time, those who can, get out. This is the world our hero, Tommy grows up in. So if The Silent Brother is dark in places, it’s because my aim is to tell it how it is. To highlight the link between victim and perpetrator, and show you that often, they are one and the same. In writing this book, I asked myself – if I had grown up in this world, what, if I was brave enough, might I have done to survive? The Silent Brother is my answer.

About The Author 

Simon Van der Velde was born and educated in Newcastle upon Tyne where he trained and practiced as a lawyer. Writing, however, was always the real passion, and Simon has now left the legal profession in order to concentrate on his writing. Since completing a creative writing M.A. (with distinction) at University of Northumbria in 2011, Simon’s work has won and been short -listed for numerous awards including; The Yeovil Literary Prize, (twice), The Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal, The Wasafiri New Writing Prize, The Luke Bitmead Bursary, The Frome Short Story Prize, The Writers’ and Artists’ Short Story Prize, The Harry Bowling Prize, The Henshaw Press Short Story Competition and The National Association of Writers’ Groups Open Competition. Simon is the founder and chair of Gosforth Writers Group and author of the widely acclaimed, Amazon bestseller, Backstories, ‘the stand -out most original book of the year’ in 2021. His literary crime novel, The Silent Brother is published on 16th June, 2022 by Northodox Press. Simon is currently working on both Backstories II and his follow -up crime novel, Dogwood. Having travelled throughout Europe and South America, Simon now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with his wife, labradoodle and two tyrannical children.

Messing with Matilda - Cat Lavoie

Description

As a professional organizer in New York City, Matilda Hart wages war against chaos and clutter on a daily basis for her clients—and she vows to never let it invade her own well-ordered world.

But when her boyfriend decides to deviate from the path she’s been planning for them, Matilda's perfectly structured life begins to crumble. She reluctantly finds herself back in the tiny hometown she fled a lifetime ago—determined to lay low and avoid running into anyone she used to know. So why is she reconnecting with her former best friend and putting up with the bridezilla antics of Amber, her high school nemesis?

When Matilda is tasked with keeping the bride-to-be’s heartbroken ex away from the ceremony, she discovers she has history with the man who’s trying to sabotage the wedding. Matilda quickly realizes that teaming up with cute and quirky—but hopelessly devoted—Silas Flynn could be mutually beneficial. He needs help wooing the woman he considers the love of his life and Matilda can't pass up the chance to finally get back at the meanest of the mean girls by assisting Silas in his attempts to disrupt her wedding.

Will everything go according to plan for this mismatched pair? Or will working so closely together make uptight Matilda and laid-back Silas lose sight of their common goal?

One thing's for sure—things are about to get messy.

Review

This really is chick lit at it's best. I loved the fast paced narrative of this book. Cat Lavoie has a real knack of writing great dialogue with humour.

When we first meet Matilda she seems to have it all and is about to be proposed to - or so she hopes. But things rapidly change for her and her perfectly planned lifestyle spirals slowly out of her control.

It all happens in such a way that it was really easy to just go with the story line and get caught up in it along with Matilda. I read this book in just a couple of sittings as I really wanted to know how it would all pan out for Matilda.

It's a different take on romance with a bridezilla who was Matilda's high school bully thrown in for good measure and a lovesick ex who wants to recreate his past. I could see this being made into a film as it's such a great story.

My only tiny regret is that there weren't more references to Matilda carrying out her job as a professional organizer - as it was one of the reasons I was drawn to the book. However, I loved dipping into her life even when it became kind of crazy.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley and Karan & Co. Author Solutions for a copy of the book for review.

How Hard Can It Be? - Allison Pearon

Description

Kate Reddy is back! The follow-up to the international bestseller I Don’t Know How She Does It, the novel that defined modern life for women everywhere. This time she’s juggling teenagers, ageing parents and getting back into the workplace, and every page will have you laughing and thinking: It’s not just me.

Mail on Sunday’s Books of the Year

Kate Reddy is counting down the days until she is fifty, but not in a good way. Fifty, in Kate’s mind, equals invisibility. And with hormones that have her in shackles, teenage children who need her there but won’t talk to her and ailing parents who aren’t coping, Kate is in the middle of a sandwich that she isn’t even allowed to eat because of the calories.

She’s back at work after a big break at home, because somebody has to bring home the bacon now that her husband Rich has dropped out of the rat race to master the art of mindfulness. But just as Kate is finding a few tricks to get by in her new workplace, her old client and flame Jack reappears – complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

This is a coming of age story for turning fifty. It’s about so much more than a balancing act; it’s about finding out who you are and what you need to feel alive when you’ve got used to being your own last priority. And every page will leave you feeling that there’s a bit of Kate Reddy in all of us.

Review

I haven't read the novel that comes before this one, but I found this book stood on its own and their was no need to know any previous back story.

Kate the main character narrates the book and it is so funny - however, for me it was just a little too full on. Imagine being in someones head and hearing their every though at break neck speed. Don't get me wrong - it's laugh out loud funny and brilliantly observed writing, I just couldn't take too much of it at once. It's a little like going to see a stand up comedian - they are so funny you ache with laughter, but after an hour or so you really could do with a break. It's not them - it's you!

The story itself centres around Kate and her return to work after 7 years aged 49 and fast approaching 50. Except she can't admit to that age as she's found it puts her out of the job market. So instead she becomes 42 with hilarious inner turmoil, such as remembering her children must be younger than they are, who was in the charts when she was young and so on.

The parts of the book set in the office were brilliantly written and for me true to life in so many respects.Aalthough disheartening to read at times with the role of women still harder to earn in business than that of men. 

Just in case you think it sounds like Kate has no fun - she actually has a few great scenes where she gets even (I was cheering in one of them) and has time for a little romance too. That's when she's not deciphering what her teenage children are up to and trying to understand the world of #belfies! Also she has Roy - the librarian of her mind. Can he recall that name, place, event before she embarrasses herself even more?

I think you need to be of "an age" to enjoy this book. If you are, there are so many things you will totally relate to - perhaps a little bit too close to home for comfort sometimes.

I'm giving this book four out of five stars. My thanks go to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.

The Cream Tea Killer - Judy Leigh

 

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 delicacy, the clock starts ticking. Now the murderer knows Morwenna is on their trail, no one in her family is safe. She must get to the truth before the killer gets to her…

Review

I decided to review this book based on the other books by the author I had read and enjoyed. I didn't realise that this was a cosy mystery or that it is book #3 in a series.

I started off reading on the back foot, as it felt like there was something I should have known before I began. It wasn't until a few pages in that reference to the earlier mysteries was made. I read on and really it didn't make any difference to me. Other than I had no back story in my mind.

It was nice to read a mystery where the main character (Morwenna) is a mature lady and I think that works to her advantage in the investigations she undertakes. In this case a DJ she is friendly with, asks her to meet up later to discuss some goings on she thinks could be explosive if uncovered. The DJ never makes the meeting as her body is found washed up on the beach despite her being a very strong and experienced swimmer.

Morwenna is a librarian and also helps run her daughter's tea shop so she is a very busy lady. However, she still finds time to meddle in police investigations and do some investigating of her own. The police do their best to discourage her maverick detection but to no avail.

I enjoyed the book and the characters. It was a nice cosy read and going along at a nice pace until the last third of the book. Then it became very fast  with action and not at all cosy really, but a page turner for me. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.
This book will be published on 4 January 2025.

If Only I Could Tell You - Hannah Beckerman

Description

Audrey's family has fallen apart. Her two grown-up daughters, Jess and Lily, are estranged, and her two teenage granddaughters have never been allowed to meet. A secret that echoes back thirty years has splintered the family in two, but is also the one thing keeping them connected.

As tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago is about to surface. After years of secrets and silence, how can one broken family find their way back to each other?

Review

This is a beautifully written book with a secret that has been kept for over 30 years, but I found it to be a different secret to different people. 

I spent most of the book imagining what the secret could be. We are taken back in time to 30 years ago on several occasions and the day is replayed from a different characters view point. There is also a horrific incident back then which is played down in the book, but I found quite haunting apart from the actual secret. 

Not known for my patience, I did think at some points that the secret could just be revealed, and then when it was I was still impatient for the different characters to resolve their issues with one another. There are also some back stories from the other characters that aren't fully explored, maybe they could have been given more time in the book. Audrey herself is fighting her own battle and the fact that her daughters are estranged was so sad to me. However, she finds her own salvation in so many ways and some of the scenes with her grand daughters were so lovely to read.

Near the end of the book the novel is transported to New York and I feared that it was going to be tied up a little too nicely with a character from earlier in the book happening to be there too. Luckily it was not what I imagined and I can see that the author used the character as a bridge to the conclusion she wanted to reach.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks go to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC to review.

Way Back - Sara Cox

 

Description

'Full of Sara Cox's natural warmth and wit' PRIMA
'Relatable, observant and funny' WOMAN & HOME

Josie's life is fine. Absolutely, completely fine.

Nice husband, brilliant best friend, a gorgeous kid at uni. The big house of her dreams on its leafy London street is a lifetime away from the Lancashire farm of her childhood. So what if her mother is tricky, and James isn't in love with Josie any more, and maybe she's not in love with him either? It's great to have time to herself now Chloe's flown the nest . . . isn't it?

This is the life Josie never believed possible. The life she needed when her heart was breaking as a child, when her mum wasn't coping and Josie had to grow up too fast. So why this feeling, nibbling away at the edges of Josie's thoughts? The sense that she has lost something. That she has lost herself.

If Josie is to truly live, she must now take back the reins and confront her future. And to find her way ahead, she needs to go back - way back.

To the place where it all began . . .
_______

'A gorgeously written story of starting over, secrets, friendship... and going wild in the country' LUCY DIAMOND
'A warm and moving dive into childhood secrets' JO BRAND
'Gorgeous! Warm and funny and brimming with tenderness and heart' GRAHAM NORTON

Review

I loved Thrown, but struggled to get into this one as easily.

I could really hear Sara's voice coming through in this book. Possibly because I know she is the daughter of a farmer and often recounts tales on the radio. I think this also enabled her vivid descriptions of farm life throughout the book.

Josie is a 50 something and has split up with her husband, but what does she want out of life now she finally has the chance to find out. I certainly wasn't expecting what happened to Josie, and at times worried that she had bitten off far more than she could manage. 

I thought the first half of the book dragged a little for me. It contained a lot of descriptive writing and revisiting the past. I prefer narration so it could just be me. I never thought about not finishing it, but it didn't make me want to get back to it. The second part of the book was much more lively with a little twist, which I hadn't seen coming, as I thought I had it all sussed out.

Overall I enjoyed the book and the characters, which were well developed and had depth. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 26 March 2024.

Space Hopper - Helen Fisher

So happy to be on the blog tour for this brilliant book today.

Description

They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect. 

I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight. And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here. 

Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. Let me explain… 

Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother? 

For fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife comes an original and heartwarming story about bittersweet memories, how the past shapes the future, and a love so strong it makes you do things that are slightly bonkers.

Review

I love time travel books - I've read so many, and this is up there amongst the greatest plots of them all.

Faye finds a Space Hopper box from her childhood - it turns out it's a "time machine" and she can travel back to the 1970s - not only that but, she can see her Mum who died when she was young and who she never really got to know. 

Faye works at the RNIB and Louis who also works there is blind. Of course this is part of the plot device as you will discover, but it was also so well written and sensitive to the life of someone who cannot see. I loved how colours were described to him in terms of feelings. 

One of the things about this book is that it's written as if  Faye is actually talking to you, the reader. You get addressed directly by her and the style of the writing is just that of a chatty friend.  I really liked the feeling that we were in this together. Hence #JumpWithMe. It's not just light hearted though, there is some real world life advice within these pages and such tender writing.

I had mixed feelings about Faye travelling in time, what about the "butterfly effect"? and her life and family in the present day? Around half way the book took an almost mystery style plot and I finished the rest of the book in one sitting, totally absorbed in what was happening. 

The ending was so beautiful! I keep thinking about it now - it's just genius. One of those books that until you reach the end and reflect back, you just don't realise how good it was.

I'm giving a very solid 5 stars to this book. My thanks to Random Things tours for a copy of the book to review.

Author

Helen Fisher spent her early life in America, but grew up mainly in Suffolk where she now lives with her two children. She studied Psychology at Westminster University and Ergonomics at UCL and worked as a senior evaluator in research at RNIB. Space Hopper is her first novel.

Sweet Pursuits - Pauline Wiles

Description
After six blissful years with scientist boyfriend Owen, Bella Beecham was convinced he was about to pop the question she’d been longing to hear. Instead, he accepted a prestigious job in California and left England without a backwards glance. Now, Owen’s back in the village of Saffron Sweeting, and appears to be more eligible than ever. Bella’s determined that the man of her dreams won’t slip through her fingers again.

But her plans to tone up, trim down, and tempt Owen back into her life prove bittersweet. Although Bella’s talent for baking wins her new friends, her tasty treats have a disconcerting tendency to sabotage her own intentions. And as her increasingly bold attempts to recapture Owen’s heart stumble, Bella must question whether she’s chasing a guy who wants to be caught.

A British romantic comedy featuring both familiar characters and fresh faces, Sweet Pursuits explores how a young woman seeking her soulmate must first learn to love herself.

Review

Whilst the book can be read as a standalone it is one of the novels set in Saffron Sweeting. So as I had previously read both of those books "Saving Saffron Sweeting" and "Secrets in the Sky" I began to feel right at home, it felt like catching up with old friends as I recognised characters from previous books and also re visited the lovely Bakery.

When Bella realises that her man that got away (Owen) is returning to Saffron Sweeting she sets out to win him back with some hilarious consequences. I was really captivated when she tried some culinary magic  - but would it get served to the right person?

One of Bella's plans to win back Owen is to lose weight and she joins the couch to 5k programme. This aspect of the book I found quite motivational - especially at this time of year - her coach Leo gives some good advice and I found I was thinking about this when i wasn't reading the book. However all that good work was undone when I was introduced through the book to Mocha with Baileys, I tried it and wow it's good!

Pauline writes with great social observation and humour, so it really doesn't feel like reading a book, but just recognising people we all know or characteristics we identify with as they go about their daily lives.

A lovely gentle read. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pauline for an advance copy of the book to review.

Take Your Breath Away - Linwood Barclay

 

Description

It’s always the husband, isn’t it?

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom – he drank too much, was abandoned by his friends, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he had once called home.

Now, six years later, Andy has put his life back together. He’s sold the house he shared with Brie and moved away for a fresh start. When he hears his old house has been bulldozed and a new house built in its place, he’s not bothered. He’s settled with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.

But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, ‘Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?' And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman – who bears a striking resemblance to Brie – is gone. The police are notified and old questions – and dark suspicions – resurface.

Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers…

Review

Linwood is back on form. I read this book in one sitting, despite it's length, it was that good. 

I had fallen a little out of love with novels from this author after having read every single thing he wrote. But this novel is back where I first began with him, and a in style I love. He is able to take the extraordinary and weave it into everyday life and that's what I like. I cared about all the characters and was interested in all of them. 

With references to COVID and the decline of retail this book is of the now. It also has a great storyline. So many different threads to it that kept my interest throughout. Questions were popping into my head and I kept them on the back burner as the characters began to ask those same questions too. Then began the twists. 

Just who was this woman who had shown up? Was it the wife who disappeared 6 years ago?

I'll leave you to find out for yourself.

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

Time Travelling With A Hamster - Ross Welford

Description

A truly original debut novel from an extraordinarily talented new voice in children’s books. Laugh, cry and wonder at this race-against-time story of a boy who travels back to 1984 to prevent a go-kart accident, and save his father’s life…
“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.
The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn’t been for his ‘time machine’…”
When Al Chaudhury discovers his late dad’s time machine, he finds that going back to the 1980s requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, burglary.

Review

This is a young adult novel which I requested from Netgalley because I love time travel novels. I wasn't disappointed, it is probably one of the best time travel novels I have read (and I have read a lot). The book is very good at "explaining" time travel which isn't always the case in a novel of this genre. 

The book is narrated by 12 year old Al Chaudhury and I just loved his voice. He really tells it like it is, dealing with some very grown up problems; like how to go back in time and make sure his Dad doesn't die. Best of all he has a hamster called Alan Shearer! - genius.

Of course not everything goes smoothly and at one point in the book I was so sad as Al changed his timeline, and not in a good way. It was such an intriguing story line and I was really absorbed in it too. I'm not going to say it is an easy read because that doesn't give it the credit it deserves. It is enjoyable to read because it is so well written, not just for the YA but for anyone. It has some very thought provoking messages within the story.

I really loved when Al travelled back to 1984 and they had to rig up all the computers - a trip down memory lane for me. So funny how he also had to explain his smart phone away. I had my heart in my mouth at times, wondering what was going to happen to Al on his travels. 

This is a charming and delightful book, so enchanting. I'm giving this book five out of 5 stars and would love to read more by this author. In fact I enjoyed it so much I'd like to read it again.

My thanks go to netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Tales from the Cafe: 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 . . .

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes Tales from the Cafe, a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer.

Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Toshikazu Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:

The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift . . .

This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?

Review

This is a follow on from the first book Before The Coffee Gets Cold which I previously reviewed.

The premise of the book is exactly the same as the first book, but this time we get to meet new people who want to travel back in time. We also get to know more about some of the characters from the first book too.

There is someone who wants to go forward into the future this time - it's trickier as you have to know that the person has visited the cafe and know when they are going to visit in the future - you could miss them by seconds!

I did love this book but because they have to repeat the rules of the time travel it got a little monotonous and of course I could remember what they were from reading the first book. As this book is a little shorter than the last one, there are fewer words and a lot of them repeated. I guess this also serves the purpose of making it a standalone book.  Around half way through there was a story that I became more engaged with and I was hooked into the book once again.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Into the Water - Paula Hawkins

Description

In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.

Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind.

But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . .

Review

After The Girl on the Train I couldn't wait for this book, hoping it would be just as good. I know a lot of people who did not get on with The Girl on the Train, which I just couldn't understand. So, I began to read the latest book from Paula Hawkins "Into the Water" and I hated it!

I had my review in my head already - if you didn't like Girl on the Train then you definitely won't like this. At least TGOTT was set in amongst every day life. Whereas this began with what felt like The Crucible - references to others who had drowned in the pool decades ago across the centuries. People hearing voices and some being drawn to the pool - to drown.

I began to wonder whether I should just call it a day - too many characters each with their own chapters - a difficult time recognising who was narrating unless I referred back to the chapter heading - was it worth my time?

Then in part two of the book it turned into a regular detective novel. Why I wondered had there been a need for all the superstition about the pool and suchlike. It was at the end of the day a modern whodunnit. The characters began to be fleshed out and some secrets were outed - I was beginning to understand what was happening.

By the final part of the book I really wanted to know how this book was going to end. How did other happenings in the book fit into Nel drowning.  I got to a few pages before the end and all was made clear - a great ending. However - that was not the ending, characters began to have their own chapter again telling their tale. Wow! it was like a cannonball rushing at you - the real ending........

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars although when I began it was more like 3 out of 5! I marvel at how Paula Hawkins came up with this web of a novel. I ended up revisiting parts of the novel to read what I now realised were glaring clues to the initiated.

The Long Call - Ann Cleeves

 

Description

The Long Call is the captivating first novel in the Two Rivers series from Sunday Times best seller and creator of Vera and Shetland, Ann Cleeves.

In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too.

Now he's back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose.

A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew's new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

Finding the killer is Venn’s only focus and his team’s investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind and the deadly secrets that lurk there.

Review

This is the first Ann Cleeves book I have read/listened to. I know! - where have I been. This was chosen by my book group to read, and I thought I would give it a go. I'm so glad I did. I've read reviews from long time Ann Cleeves fans and they don't seem too happy with it though!

I listened to the audio and for me it was so well narrated with the different voices and dialects (all by one person) that it felt like I was listening to a play. It took me a while to get the characters straight in my head, but once I did I listened to it in two sittings, I just had to know what on earth was going on.

A body is found on the beach and the search is on to find out who he is and why did someone kill him? It turns out that he used to talk to a woman who has Down's syndrome on the bus, and she's realised he's the man who is dead - but is there a connection between them and The Woodyard - the day centre she and others attend? I really liked the three women's voices the author gave to the women with Downs Syndrome, it was really sensitively done too.

There are well written characters in this book and so many sub plots concerning Detective Venn, the village he was brought up in, the Brethen he abandoned and the fact that his partner manages The Woodyard. There is a strong female in Jen a fellow detective who Venn has views about, which we then see are far from the mark when we get to hear her voice.  

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Borrowbox and my local library for the audio to listen to.

The Source - Dr Tara Swart

Description

‘[Like] the self-help success The Secret, but cooler and more sciencey.’ - Evening Standard

Life-changing opportunities pass us by every day – now we can train our minds to seize them

Self-help books like The Secret promise that we can tap into the 'law of attraction' to control our destiny, simply by changing our thoughts. If we strip away the mystique, at the heart of this idea is a fundamental truth that is backed up by the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience: most of the things we want from life – health, happiness, wealth, love - are governed by our ability to think, feel and act; in other words, by our brain.

Dr Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and executive coach with a background in psychiatry, is convinced beyond all doubt of our ability to alter how our brains work - and transform our lives. In The Source, she draws on the latest cognitive science and her experience coaching highly successful people to reveal the secret to mastering our minds.

With a four-step plan to awaken the power of your brain, this unique guide to life combines science and spirituality in a way that is open-minded and practical. Discover how to:
- Challenge 'autopilot' thinking and rewire your brain's pathways to fulfil your potential
- Manifest the things you want by directing your energy towards your deepest values and ambitions
- Harness the power of visualisation to prime your brain to grab opportunities and take control of your future
- Attack life with confidence, dispel fear and avoid negative thinking

Unlock your potential today – you are just four steps away from building a new confident you.

Review

I admit that when I read a book blurb that says you are four steps away......... - then I expect to open the book and hit the ground running. Unfortunately that was not what happened in this book. I was good and read the intro blurb which I would usually skip, thinking I would be rewarded with "the goods" straightaway afterwards. 

What happened instead was I read a lot of background and a lot more and then some. It was ok, in fact a lot of it I was already aware of through other books I have read. For other readers this may not be so laborious as it felt to me. What was good was the science that was shown to back up what I already knew. I haven't read The Secret so can't comment on how the books compares with that as other reviewers have.

My favourite quote used in this book was this:- 

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can't read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn    AlvinToffler

Then I got to the action part and I discovered it involved writing a journal and that this was the only way to proceed. So, if you are not one for writing down your thoughts this may not be the book for you. I personally don't like journalling but carried on and took what I could from the book, in the main preparing an action board.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC to review.

The Lantern of Lost Memories - Sanaka Hiiragi

 

Description

One photograph, one treasured memory, one chance to go back . . .

In a cosy photography studio in the mountains between this world and the next, someone is waking up as if from a dream. A kind man will hand them a hot cup of tea and gently explain that, having reached the end of their life, they have one final task.

There is a stack of photos on their lap, one for every day of their life, and now they must choose the pictures that capture their most treasured memories, which will be placed in a beautiful lantern. Once completed, it will be set spinning, and their cherished moments will flash before their eyes, guiding them to another world.

But, like our most thumbed-over photographs, our favourite memories become faded with age, so each visitor to the studio has the chance to choose one day to return to and photograph afresh. Each has a treasured story to tell, from the old woman rebuilding a community in Tokyo after a disaster, to the flawed Yakuza man who remembers a time when he was kind, and a strong child who is fighting to survive.

Extraordinarily moving and wise, The Lantern of Lost Memories is a beautiful Japanese tale about the people that make us and the moments that change us.

Review

A beautifully written book. 

You know they say your life flashes before you when you die? Well in this book the concept is taken to mean a lantern which shows a photograph for every year of your life. The choosing of which photographs are in the lantern is down to the deceased. They meet with a special man in a photography studio while they pass between this world and the next. It is he who helps them navigate the selection of their photographs from a stack of photos, each one a day in their life.

Sometimes the memory they favour the most is not very vivid because it has been replayed by the deceased many times. The photography studio has an answer for this. They let you select a camera and take you back to the day of the memory to retake the photograph. We also get to go back with them, and this is how we learn about the life they have lived.

As you can imagine this is a story for those who like a little fantasy and are not hung up on facts. We meet three people in the book as they decide on their photographs for their lantern. Although this sounds very cosy it does also deal with some very real abuse issues. However they are dealt with sensitively and not too graphically.

There is a little twist toward the end of the book which I just loved. Maybe there will be a follow on book? Which would be very nice to have.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 22 August 2024.