BOOK REVIEW FIGHT LIKE A GIRL BY SHEENA KAMAL

It’s been a month since Trisha’s dad was killed, wandering out drunk in front of the car Trisha is driving, and her mother grabs the wheel. To try to avoid him? To try NOT to avoid him? Trisha doesn’t know exactly what happened that night, but she’s afraid it’s going to happen again …
Love and violence. In some families they’re bound up together, dysfunctional and poisonous, passed from generation to generation like eye colour or a quirk of smile. Eighteen-year-old Trisha’s trying to break the chain, channelling her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing, an unlikely sport for a slightly built girl of Indian descent. She’s the Canadian daughter of Trinidadian parents, whose own ancestors came over as indentured servants from India, replacing the Africans in the sugar fields after slavery was abolished. All that love and violence, identities warped and lost, passed on to her family, played out in every punch her father lands on her mother. Until the night he wanders out drunk in front of Trisha’s car, and everything changes for ever.

Firstly thank you to hot key books for my copy to review.

Ive read her adult books so was interesting to see her take on ya fiction.

It packs a lot in to a small book. Family drama, young love,school and identity.

Written really well that i imagine a young adult reading could relete to the main character.

Published 10th March

BOOK REVIEW THE BROKEN ONES BY REN RICHARDS

When her child was taken what did she really see? A bestselling true crime writer, Nell Way tells other people’s stories. But there is one story Nell won’t tell. Ten years ago and with a different name, she was a teenage mother with a four-year-old she found desperately hard to love. Then the little girl disappeared, and Nell has never shaken off the shadow of suspicion. As she begins to interview the subject of her next book – a woman convicted of murdering her twin sister – it becomes clear that someone has uncovered her true identity. And they know that Nell didn’t tell the truth about the day her daughter disappeared…

Firstly a huge thank you to Miranda at viper books for the copy to review. This was part of a goody bag full of proofs as viper is a exciting new imprint .

This was the first book i chose to read from my selection and boy it was a good choice.

What a amazing read! I was hooked instantly.

This spoke to the psychologist in me but also someone whos had a tough childhood.

Fast paced you will race through to discover the truth.or should that be truths..

Exploring complex dynamics of family and ones that dont quite fit the norm.

This ticked so many boxes for me.

Thrilling and exciting.

This makes me want to jump on the other viper books i have!

Published March 5th.

BOOK REVIEW IN FIVE YEARS BY REBECCA SERLE

Perfect for fans of Me Before You and One Day, this heart-breaking story of love, loss and life will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about destiny…
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan has been in possession of her meticulously crafted answer since she understood the question. On the day that she nails the most important job interview of her career and gets engaged to the perfect man, she’s well on her way to fulfilling her life goals.
That night Dannie falls asleep only to wake up in a different apartment with a different ring on her finger, and in the company of a very different man. The TV is on in the background, and she can just make out the date. It’s the same night – December 15th – but 2025, five years in the future.
It was just a dream, she tells herself when she wakes, but it felt so real… Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four and a half years later, when Dannie turns down a street and there, standing on the corner, is the man from her dream…

Firstly a huge thank you to Milly and the publishers for my beautifully wrapped copy to review. Theres a lot of buzz surrounding this book and its going to be huge .

I whizzed through this and loved every page.

This is original, fresh and a great story.

Packed with emotion this will be the love story on everybody’s bookshelves.

A unique and clever concept that is unpredictable .

Although this is a love story its also about the complexities and depth of friendships .

Published 10th March

BOOK REVIEW A FAMISHED HEART BY NICOLA WHITE

The Macnamara sisters hadn’t been seen for months before anyone noticed. It was Father Timoney who finally broke down the door, who saw what had become of them. Berenice was sitting in her armchair, surrounded by religious tracts. Rosaleen had crawled under her own bed, her face frozen in terror. Both had starved themselves to death.

Francesca Macnamara returns to Dublin after decades in the US, to find her family in ruins. Meanwhile, Detectives Vincent Swan and Gina Considine are convinced that there is more to the deaths than suicide. Because what little evidence there is, shows that someone was watching the sisters die.

Firstly again a big thank you to viper books. My goodness they publish good books!

This is another excellently written book.

Dark premise and incredibly chilling.

Mysterious and atmospheric. Set in the 1980s which was interesting as i was only a child then so this enabled me a new insight into that era. Add another layer of being set in a highly promient catholic area this was a fascinating read.

Who is telling the truth and what are the secrets of the dead?

I cant wait to read more in this series and from this author.

Published 27th February

BOOK REVIEW WOULD LIKE TO MEET BY RACHEL WINTERS

Product description

Long-suffering assistant Evie Summers will lose her job unless she can convince her film agency’s biggest and most difficult client, Ezra Chester, to finish the script for a Hollywood romcom. The catch? He hasn’t started writing it.

Suffering from ‘writer’s block,’ he will only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. Forget internet dating, Evie can only meet a man the way that Sally met Harry, or Hugh Grant meets anyone. Cue her entering into one ridiculous romcom scenario after another. But can life ever be like the movies?

Of course, real life is never that straightforward . . .

Firstly a big thank you to trapeze got my copy to review. I spent today reading this.

Fresh, fun and relatable.

Lots of humour and omg she didnt moments. Great charactars that will make you smile and feel comforted by their mistakes as thats real life!

Romantic and will make you swoon.

Loved it from start to finish. A fantastic debut, i wish her every success with this release.

Published 30th April in paperback .

BLOG TOUR 24 HR CAFE BY LIBBY PAGE

Welcome to the café that never sleeps.

Day and night, Stella’s Café opens its doors to the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It’s a place where everyone is always welcome, where life can wait at the door.

Meet Hannah and Mona: best friends, waitresses, dreamers. They love working at Stella’s – the different people they meet, the small kindnesses exchanged. But is it time to step outside and make their own way in life?

Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella’s Café, where one day might just be enough to change your life . . .

Firstly a big thank you to Tracey for my copy and having me on the tour.

Like many others i absolutly adored Libbys debut the lido so was very excited to read this.

It was the thing i needed to brighten up my miserable wet Wednesday.

Libby has again created extraordinary charactars from the ordinary and everyday. She writes about the beauty and fragility of what makes us human

Life affirming.

Original concept.

Storytelling at its best and i loved it so much.

Each customer has their own story to share and you will be sorry to say goodbye at the end.

Do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.

Published 23rd january

BOOK REVIEW THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT BY CLARE POOLEY

Six strangers with one universal thing in common: their lives aren’t always what they make them out to be.

What would happen if they told the truth instead?

Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels. So he begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing the truth about his life.

Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood cafe, Julian never expects Monica, the owner, to track him down after finding it. Or that she’ll be inspired to write down what she conceals behind her carefully constructed reality. Little do they realize that their small acts of honesty will impact all those who come into contact with the notebook, and change their lives completely . . .

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review. This is a proof thats   been getting a lot of attention on social media so i was very excited to read.
Even the proof cover is gorgeous so i can imagine how lovely the finished one will be.

This is going to be one of 2020s top books.
Uplifting and life affirming .

Fresh voice in fiction dealing with serious issues .

As humans its all our flaws,mistakes and pasts that make us unique. But do we always own these or do we hide them?
In a world of fake and pretenses can we ever really be authentic?

Join these charactars on a journey of soul searching and discovering what’s really important in life.

Thought provoking and beautifully written this is a amazing debut that i really enjoyed.  I wish her every success with this and look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Published 2nd April

BOOK REVIEW THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD BY JOSIE SILVER

What if you could live your great love story again?

Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’ve been together for almost a decade, and Lydia thinks their love is indestructible.

But she’s wrong. Because on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies in a tragic accident.

So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob ’til her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to live her life well. So, enlisting the help of his best friend and her sister Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world and starts to live – perhaps even to love – again.

Then something unbelievable happens, and Lydia gets another chance at her old life with Freddie. But what if there’s someone in her new life who wants her to stay?

Omg ive just finished this ..amazing beautiful book. Thank you so much to the publishers for my copy to review.

This is going to be loved and talked about everywhere.

Josie is a masterpiece at creating love stories wth a difference. I was quite late to the fanclub of her debut which exploded on the book scene. And for the record its amazing!

This is packed with emotion .

Heart warming and life affirming.

Courage and grief and how we move on when we want to stay still. Lydia is lost and this is how she finds herself again .

I absolutely loved these charactars and one in particular …but i wont give spoliers but just swoon alert!.

Published 5th March in paperback and out in ebook now.

BOOK REVIEW LITTLE WHITE LIES BY PHILIPPA EAST

he only looked away for a second…

Anne White only looked away for a second, but that’s all it took to lose sight of her young daughter.

But seven years later, Abigail is found.

And as Anne struggles to connect with her teenage daughter, she begins to question how much Abigail remembers about

Firstly a big thank you to hq for my copy which i got at their showcase event. I loved the sound of this from the 60 second round up from the author.

This is a amazing debut…i couldnt put it down so had a very long bath.

Its written in alternate narratives and tells the atory of when a missing girl returns home.

This surely is a good outcome right?

Well things just get more complex

This had me hooked and racing through to find the truth . Who and why took Abigail and why isnt she happy to be home ?

Chilling and compelling.

Loved it and looking forward to seeing what she writes next .

Published 6th February and wishing her every success with it.

BOOK REVIEW TRUTH HURTS BY REBECCA REID

Poppy has a secret.

It was a whirlwind romance. And when Drew, caught up in the moment, suggests that he and Poppy don’t tell each other anything about their past lives, that they live only for the here and now, for the future they are building together, Poppy jumps at the chance for a fresh start.

But it doesn’t take long for Poppy to see that this is a two-way deal. Drew is hiding something from her. And Poppy suddenly has no idea who the man she has married really is, what he is hiding from her or what he might be capable of.

Drew says he has nothing to hide. Drew is lying.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review.

Ive not read her debut but do follow Rebecca on twitter.

Secrets and lies.

New beginnings and fresh starts but can you ever really escape your past.

Twists and turns. Fast paced till the last page making it a enjoyable read.

Do we ever really know someone and can we trust they are telling the truth ?

Published 23rd January