BOOK REVIEW HIS OTHER LIFE BY BETH THOMAS

The story of a couple with seemingly perfect lives…and the secrets they hide behind closed doors.

Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jo Jo Moyes.

He was hiding a terrible secret . . .

Grace’s new husband Adam seems like the perfect package. Good looking, great job, completely charming – almost too good to be true . . .

So when Adam suddenly disappears from Grace’s life, she is left bewildered and heartbroken. And with a lot of unanswered questions.

As she tries desperately to find him, Grace opens a Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies – and starts to learn that Adam wasn’t so perfect after all.

What shameful secrets was her husband hiding? Is Grace in danger? And can she survive the truth? However terrible it may be . . .

Thank you avon books for this fantastic prize I won .

I had heard lots of good things about this book so was really chuffed to win a copy.

The cover is stunning and the whole Pandora’s box them is really enticing .

I was hooked pretty much straight away with this book and I did not predict what happened .

I did start suspecting every one I must admit and I was adamant the book was going to go in one direction …

I found myself getting annoyed at  Grace for being so gullible in her marriage on the basis of he was the dream guy but then ive been single way too long and am a unromantic cycnic! lol

You just want to know what’s going on and where her husband has gone which makes for addictive page turning reading .

A great read that will keep you guessing.

BOOK REVIEW THE YEAR OF THE RAT BY CLARE FURNISS

‘Beautifully written with a dry sense of humour’ Stylist ‘A painful and touching debut’ Sunday Express ‘Amazing’ Company Pearl’s baby sister is The Rat. She’s the reason Pearl’s mum died, the reason everything changed forever, and Pearl can’t forgive her for that .Because losing her mum is the hardest thing that has happened to Pearl and no one, not her dad, her interfering granny, her best friend – and especially not her new little sister – can break down the barriers she’s putting up. But what if Pearl’s mum isn’t completely gone? What if, somehow, she’s still here? The world may tip at any moment, Pearl knows that now. The trick is finding something to hold on to…

I have just finished this in the bath and I don’t think I can o justice with words in this review as when my daughter asked if it was good I made some odd  sounds lol.I then left it on her bed and said you must read this!

I had heard lots of good things about this book but it will exceed any expectations you may or may not have .

I whizzed through over 2 days even with the kids off and you find due to its lay out its so hard to put down .

Clare’s writing and characters will capture your heart instantly and you will laugh and cry and marvel at this amazing book .

Such a easy enjoyable read but it deals with heavy subjects that I could relate to and you can feel Pearls emotions on each page .

Grief is a huge emotion and makes us think and do weird things and this book will show that and  a whole lot more.

A story of family friendship love loss and written with such sensitivity .

BOOK REVIEW HAUS FRAU BY JILL ALEXANDER ESSBAUM

Haunting and elegant, Hausfrau is the exceptional debut novel from the prize-winning American poet, Jill Alexander Essbaum.

Anna was a good wife, mostly . . .

Anna Benz lives in comfort and affluence with her husband and three young children in Dietlikon, a picture-perfect suburb of Zurich. Anna, an American expat, has chosen this life far from home; but, despite its tranquility and order, inside she is falling apart.

Feeling adrift and unable to connect with her husband or his family; with the fellow expatriates who try to befriend her; or even, increasingly, her own thoughts and emotions, Anna attempts to assert her agency in the only way that makes sense to her: by engaging in short-lived butintense sexual affairs.

But adultery, too, has its own morality, and when Anna finds herself crossing a line, she will set off a terrible chain of events that ends in unspeakable tragedy. As her life crashes down around her, Anna must then discover where one must go when there is no going back . . .

Firstly thank you to sam for sending me a copy to review.

Ive gone to review this a few times and struggled .

I didn’t love this book but didn’t hate and it did leave a effect on me so to me that says a book has power.

This is a intense read and there were certain times I could relate to Anna as she is feeling trapped and frustrated but on the whole she irritated me and she come across very selfish . I didn’t gel with the book and its very bleak .

However there are quotes and sentences that did touch me especially where she was seeing a  therapist .

It is certainly well written but lacked a great storyline for me personally buy I can see others will really enjoy.

There are some steamy parts …maybe there needed more ??

Published 26 march

BOOK REVIEW FRAGMENTS BY SARAH FOOT

How do you know right from wrong when your certainties about life are slipping through your fingers?

Phillip Snowe is a genius of the advertising world but what he can no longer do is sell himself to himself. Struggling to find meaning, he quits his career ‘to give something back.’

Julia, his wife, a brilliant and beautiful lawyer, fights her own demons, but with her intelligence and hard work, she believes she can keep them at bay. And so far she has.

Into their lives comes Laura Cusack, a single mother torn between the demands of her young daughters and her own unfulfilled passions.

Whose needs should you put first? Your family’s? Your neighbour’s? A complete stranger’s? Or your own? And once you have made that choice, how do you live with yourself?

Spanning three generations, this compassionate and surprising story – touching profoundly upon love, art, religion and the search for fulfilment – grips from first to last as it explores the moral and emotional complexities of modern life.

Firstly thank you to Quercus for sending me a copy .I haven’t read this author before so its always a delight to try something new .

For some reason this took a long time to read ,long for me anyway whether it was because I was busy or just wasn’t pulling me in enough im not sure .

I did feel the storyline  could have been shorter as at times I knew what was going to happen and thinking come on happen.

However this is a beautifully written book with a variety of complex characters all with their own issues .

I could relate to single mum Laura  and her emotions but I could also relate to  Julia who is the complete opposite.

Julia was a strong independent woman with a grey childhood which had impacted the decisions she made in life but underneath that cold exterior she wanted to be loved .

Ultimately this is a story of love and loss and realising what’s important in life because it is short .

And there was one line quite early in the book that struck a chord and I always take comfort and pleasure when a book does that .

A thought provoking read

BOOK REVIEW THE LIFE INTENDED BY KRISTEN HARMEL

After her husband’s sudden death over ten years ago, Kate Westhoven never expected to be lucky enough to find another love of her life. But now she’s planning her second walk down the aisle to a perfectly nice man. So why isn’t she more excited?

At first, Kate blames her pre-wedding jitters on stress. But when she starts seeing Patrick, her late husband, in her dreams, she begins to wonder if she’s really ready to move on. Is Patrick trying to tell her something about his death and is there a chance his nighttime visits could be more than just wishful thinking?

Thank you to Quercus for  sending me a copy to review .I received this whilst I was in my sick bed so was even more appreciated.

I hadn’t heard of this author before so I wasn’t sure what I was expecting which is refreshing.

I finished it the early hours of this morning and it is just a brilliant beautiful  heart wrenching book.

Great storyline and characters each bringing something important to the book .

The premise of the book is about what ifs and whats meant to be and how  kate manages o discover here true potential and path in life .

It just blew me away and couldn’t put it down, original concept and addictive writing that captured me instantly .

It makes you think about life,love and destiny .  A very clever book 🙂

Published 12th march

BOOK REVIEW HOW I LOST YOU BY JENNY BLACKHURST

 A brilliant debut psychological crime novel, for fans of THE WICKED GIRLS.

They told her she killed her son. She served her time. But what if they lied?

I have no memory of what happened but I was told I killed my son. And you believe what your loved ones, your doctor and the police tell you, don’t you?

My name is Emma Cartwright. Three years ago I was Susan Webster, and I murdered my twelve-week-old son Dylan. I was sent to Oakdale Psychiatric Institute for my crime, and four weeks ago I was released early on parole with a new identity, address and a chance to rebuild my tattered life.

This morning, I received an envelope addressed to Susan Webster. Inside it was a photograph of a toddler called Dylan. Now I am questioning everything I believe because if I have no memory of the event, how can I truly believe he’s dead?

If there was the smallest chance your son was alive, what would you do to get him back?

Thank you to Georgina for sending me a review copy .

Im worried I wont do this mesmerising book justice so I will say firstly you NEED to read this book ,ive already read a fair amount of psychological thrillers this year as it seems 2015 is THE year for them .I love them and the intensity they make you feel when you have no idea where the story is going .

This book is incredibly clever and original and you will not see the events coming that do .

I  couldn’t put it down even reading when the adverts were  on and I finished it this afternoon as I was waiting for an appointment . Several times the kids were getting ignored as I was so hooked on the writing .

This will exceed any expectations and ideas you have of this subject or genre of book .It will blow your mind and can see it doing very well.

I felt anxious and paranoid turning the pages eager to read more but not wanting to finish it any quicker .

A fantastic gripping dark read ticking all the boxes that a psychological thriller should do .

BOOK REVIEW THE SECRETS SISTERS KEEP BY SINEAD MORIARITY

Sinead Moriarty’s delicious tenth novel, The Secrets Sisters Keep, is the story of three sisters, three life-altering problems and one eternal truth: nobody knows you quite like a sister!

Sinead’s writing mixes the worldly wit of Jane Green with the down-to-earth warmth and insight of Marian Keyes and will remind people just how important their sisters – and their friends-who-are-like-sisters – are to them.

The Devlin sisters rely on each other – but some things are just too painful to share, even when your sisters are your best friends …

Mum-of-four Julie thought that if her family had more money, life would be easier. But now that they’ve inherited a fortune, her problems are only starting.

Lawyer Louise is used to having life go exactly as she wants it to. So accepting that she cannot control everything in her world is beyond her.

And former model Sophie can just about cope with getting older – that’s until her ex-husband finds a younger model.

All three women think that some battles are best fought alone. Maybe they need to think  again…

I Love her books so much ,and each one ive read has been finished within a day and this was no exception.

The cover is striking too.

She creates great characters that each bring their own ingredients to the story.There were funny moments  and emotional ones .

As many will know my son Lincoln has autism and I picked up straight away some tell tale signs in one of the characters and it was dealt with very well and very realistic. My favourite characters were Julie and her best friend who had me in stitches !

A great book that focuses on how we can all have different lives but all have problems and all need support and love .

BOOK REVIEW THE A-Z OF YOU AND ME BY JAMES HANNAH

A striking literary debut of love and mortality perfect for fans of quirky, heart-wrenching fiction like Nathan Filer, David Nicholls and Rachel Joyce.

Ivo fell for her.

He fell for a girl he can’t get back.

Now he’s hoping for something.

While he waits he plays a game:

He chooses a body part and tells us its link to the past he threw away.

He tells us the story of how she found him, and how he lost her.

But he doesn’t have long.

And he still has one thing left to do

I didn’t know I was getting this or who has sent me it so thank you to those at doubleday for sending me a copy to review.

This is sensitively written about love loss and dying and its a original concept .

I thought Ivo  sounded much younger than a man in his forties and maybe that’ was the desired effect as he was reliving his years and youth in his bed . We discover bits about him through him going through the alphabet and some parts hold more relevance than others .

Its a interesting read but didn’t grab me as much as others . However a clever debut book .

published 12th march 2015

FEBRUARY BOOK WRAP UP .

Im a bit delayed but my brain is still not back to is normal capacity …and that’s another blog post lol for now im going to share the books I read in February

1. The ice twins by S.K Tremayne .purchased

2.Love rosie By cecila Ahern book been on shelf for a while

3.Before you die By Samanth Hayes purchased

4.Etta and Otto and Russell and James By emma hooper I won this

5.The curvy girls club by Michele Gorman library book review https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/book-review-the-curvy-girls-club-by-michele-gorman/

6.The dish by stella newman sent by headline to review  https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/book-review-the-dish-by-stella-newman/

7.second life b sj Watson purchased and reviewed https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/book-review-second-life-by-sj-watson/

8.Lobsters by lucy ivison and tom ellen library book and reviewed https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/book-review-lobsters-by-lucy-ivison-and-tom-ellen/

9.All the bright places by Jennifer niven purchased

10.I let you go by clare mackintosh sent by little brown books to review which will follow

11.Seven days by eve ainsworth purchased and reviewed https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/book-review-seven-days-by-eve-ainsworth/

12.the versions of us by laura Barnett sent by orion books and review to follow

13.The life intended by Kristen harmel sent by quercus and review to follow

BOOK REVIEW THE CROOKED HOUSE BY CHRISTOBEL KENT

One fateful night. One unthinkable family tragedy. One survivor. This is Alison’s story.

Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and Apple Tree Yard, this stunning psychological thriller follows one woman’s search for the truth about her family history.

Alison is as close to anonymous as she can get: with no ties and a backroom job, hers is a life lived under the radar. But once Alison was someone else: once she was Esme, a teenager whose bedroom sat at the top of a remote house on a bleak estuary. A girl whose family, if not happy, exactly, was no unhappier than anyone else’s – or so she thought.

Then one night violence was unleashed in the crooked house, in a nightmare that only Alison survived and from which she’s been running ever since. Only when she falls for the charismatic Paul does Alison realise that to have any chance of happiness, she must return to her old life and face a closed community full of dark secrets.

As she seeks to uncover the truth of what happened that terrible night, Alison begins to question everything she thought she knew. Is there anyone she can trust?

Thank you to Kirsteen at Little brown for sending me a copy to review .

The cover immediately intrigued me its very eerie just like the concept .

For me this didn’t cut the grade against other psychological thrillers I have read this year as there have been such a high standard .

It was a great storyline and was very creepy and twisted or should I say crooked. You did get into Alisons mind and you could feel her panic and fears off the ages .

However I did find some parts predictable  so didn’t complety shock me .

A dark read but just not gripping enough for me .