Cassie is adopted. She’s never felt like the odd one out in her family, but at seventeen she decides to find her birth mother. As she starts digging, she discovers her adoption was far more complicated than she could ever have imagined. And, in uncovering her history, Cassie learns of a terrible secret that her parents kept from her. A secret that will shatter relationships, expose the decisions of the past and lead everyone involved to question what really makes a family.Firstly thank you to Laura for sending me copy ,and apologies in the delay in reading. I loved this authors debut so was very excited to read this.Im adopted so already my attention was hooked. This captures the essence many adoptees feel of who am i and where do i come from?A insightful,beautifully written story about love,loss,secrets and family.An exploration of family dynamics and what happens when these start to shift.I highly recommend and look forward to whatever comes next.
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Monthly Archives: June 2020
BOOK REVIEW ALL IN HER HEAD BY NIKKI SMITH
Her life is a pack of lies. But what if she is the liar?
Alison is more alone than she’s ever been. She is convinced that her ex-husband Jack is following her. She is certain she recognises the strange woman who keeps approaching her at work.
She knows she has a good reason to be afraid. But she can’t remember why.
Then the mention of one name brings a whole lifetime of memories rushing back in.
Alison feels like she’s losing her mind . . . but it could just lead her to the truth.
I finally got round to reading this after seeing a lot of praise for it.This book is amazing and such a important subject Written in a way that makes even the reader feel fraught with anxiety.Whats really happening? Who is following alison and who is this woman who seems so adamant to talk to her.Loved the format and it really is unpredictable and exciting.Fast paced and beautufully descriptive .This is a book ill be recommending a lot..i cant wait to read more from her. What a fantastic debut!
BOOK REVIEW I AM NOT YOUR BABY MOTHER BY CANDICE BRATHWAITE
It’s about time we made motherhood more diverse…
When Candice fell pregnant and stepped into the motherhood playing field, she found her experience bore little resemblance to the glossy magazine photos of women in horizontal stripe tops and the pinned discussions on mumsnet about what pushchair to buy. Leafing through the piles of prenatal paraphernalia, she found herself wondering: “Where are all the black mothers?”.
Candice started blogging about motherhood in 2016 after making the simple but powerful observation that the way motherhood is portrayed in the British media is wholly unrepresentative of our society at large.
The result is this thought-provoking, urgent and inspirational guide to life as a black mother. It explores the various stages in between pregnancy and waving your child off at the gates of primary school, while facing hurdles such as white privilege, racial micro-aggression and unconscious bias at every point. Candice does so with her trademark sense of humour and refreshing straight-talking, and the result is a call-to-arms that will allow mums like her to take control, scrapping the parenting rulebook to mother their own way.
I was kindly gifted this by someone on twitter . And theres never been a more fitting time to read it.
This is a insightful beautiful real honest account of motherhood. But also about being a black woman.
I like to think im educated but we all need more education and awareness . Esp on a subject so important as race.
I know too well how difficult pregnancy and motherhood is and how it affected my mental health. To add another layer of race into that mix i can only begin to understand the challenges faced.
Everyone should read this if only to open their eyes. Powerful and raw .
BOOK REVIEW EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE BY DEBORAH BEE
There are two sides to every story.
But only one is the truth.A young woman turns up at a police station. She has been kept prisoner in her own home. Abused and tortured, her every move watched, her every thought controlled. Now she’s finally escaped.That’s what she says.But when the police arrive at the address she’s given them, her story doesn’t seem to add up. Her husband is missing, but his phone and wallet are still in the house.She says she’s the victim, but what if she’s not? What if the stories she’s telling aren’t her stories at all . . .Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. This is a new author for me .. and wow what a book.Ive been in this situation in terms of a abusive relationship so there were parts that were so close to home . Its written so accurately!This is a fantastic psychological thriller, i loved the characters and the storyline. Cleverly written and plotted to make you keep turning the page.This will get right under your skin and stay with you after you finish.Thought provoking and hard hittingPublished in paperback August and out now in ebook.
BOOK REVIEW THE SECRETARY BY ZOE LEA
When single mum Ruth has a brief fling with Rob, she’s mortified to discover that he lied to her. He lied to her, because he’s married. Worse still, he’s the husband of Janine, head of the PTA at the primary school where Ruth works as secretary, and when the truth of their fling is discovered, Ruth suddenly has a lot of enemies at the school gates.
Threatening texts begin to arrive, rumours abound and the staff room becomes hostile. But when it also starts to affect her son, a student at the school, Ruth realises you can do anything if you convince yourself it’s for the sake of your child.
Even murder.
Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. I raced through this! This is what you can describe as unputdownable. Completely had me addicted and wanting to know what was going to happen.Im a mum ,ive been in many school playgrounds to know what its like . This is written so relatable .Wicked, compelling and a riveting thriller.What happens when you get on the wrong side of a top mum?With twists and turns and a ending you wont see coming. A fantastic read and i cant wait to discover more from zoe .
BOOK REVIEW THE RUINED GIRL BY KATE SIMANTS
TWO BOYS LOVED HER.
BUT WHICH ONE KILLED HER?
On a dark night two years ago, teenagers Rob and Paige broke into a house. They beat and traumatised the occupants, then left, taking only a bracelet. No one knows why, not even Luke, Rob’s younger brother and Paige’s confidant. Paige disappeared after that night. And having spent her life in children’s homes and the foster system, no one cared enough to look for her.
Now Rob is out of prison, and probation officer Wren Reynolds has been tasked with his rehabilitation. But Wren has her own reasons for taking on Rob as a client. Convinced that Rob knows what happened to Paige, and hiding a lifetime of secrets from her heavily pregnant wife, Wren’s obsession with finding a missing girl may tear her family apart…
Firstly a big thank you to viper for approving my request to read on netgalley. Viper have released some amazing books especially as its in its early days.
This is a gritty read with a then and now alternate timelines.
Plotted well and intriguing storyline that is unpredictable and exciting.
We all have a past but these characters need to make peace with their past to move on.
Compelling and gripping.
Published 27th August
BOOK REVIEW TAKE MY HAND BY KERRY FISHER AND PAT SOWA
In this heartfelt, brave and honest account, Kerry Fisher and Pat Sowa share everything they’ve learnt from surviving the darkest of times. They shine a light on what it really feels like when your world shatters and how they found hope in the deepest despair.
Best friends since they met at university, Kerry and Pat had no idea that thirty years later, they’d need every ounce of their friendship to survive. In 2017, their worlds came crashing down when their teenage sons were both diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses within weeks of each other.
During the following rollercoaster months, Kerry and Pat regularly snatched time to message each other – often with black humour – providing a momentary refuge from their frightening realities. Together these two ordinary mums found a way to survive their extraordinary challenges and to navigate a new normal in an alien and isolating world. With raw honesty, they share the things they’ve learnt and what they wish they’d known – from how to tame raging mother guilt to restoring their natural optimism in the aftershock of tragedy.
In this profoundly moving book, Kerry and Pat take readers on a very personal exploration of the universal experiences of grief and loss, love and friendship that connect us all. Like a wise companion offering comfort, Take My Hand is a lifeline both to those overwhelmed by heartbreak and for friends and family who don’t know how to help. Most of all, it’s a powerful reminder that no matter how difficult life gets, you are not alone.
Firstly a huge thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. I had the pleasure of meeting Kerry right at start of my book blogging days so im always keen to read her books. I was intrigued to see this was a different genre and a different book altogether.
Wow this book is powerful,brave and full of emotion. It is a hard read as it doesnt shy away from the tough bits. I want to thank both Kerry and Pat for sharing their stories.
Both suffering but different.. and isnt that life? We all have our stories,our happy times and sad times.
I have experienced being in Pats shoes in terms of caring for a child who was desperately unhappy. Boy its a tough gig and one i will have in a book one day(she says) . I send my love to her as a mum. I can also relate in terms of being a carer and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it.
This is a beautiful book of courage,love,loss,family and friendships.
Published 28th May
BOOK REVIEW THE HOUSE GUEST BY MARK EDWARDS
A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare.
When British twenty-somethings Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to spend the summer housesitting in New York, they can’t say no. Young, in love and on the cusp of professional success, they feel as if luck is finally on their side.
So the moment that Eden turns up on the doorstep, drenched from a summer storm, it seems only right to share a bit of that good fortune. Beautiful and charismatic, Eden claims to be a friend of the homeowners, who told her she could stay whenever she was in New York.
They know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers—let alone invite them into your home—but after all, Eden’s only a stranger until they get to know her.
As suspicions creep in that Eden may not be who she claims to be, they begin to wonder if they’ve made a terrible mistake…
This is only the second book of Mark’s ive read, after seeing him at capital crime. I must get all.of his books.
This is a amazing read that gets right under your skin!
Twists and turns and completly went in a direction i was not expecting.
Chilling and captivating.
Thought provoking and nerve wracking. Incredibly written and cleverlt plotted with suspense and tension.
Highly recommend and i wish Mark every success with this release .
BOOK REVIEW THE BAD MOTHERS VIRUS BY SUZY K QUINN
Laughter is good for the immune system
Single mother, Juliette Duffy, is getting married. Again. And this time, she is determined to make it all the way down the aisle. But you never know what’s around the corner, do you?
Follow Juliette as she tries to plan a wedding that may never happen, cheers up a grandmother quarantined on a cruise ship and experiences self isolation hell with her dramatic ex-partner and his mother.
If you’re feeling gloomy and fed up, and looking for a REALLY good laugh and the ultimate feel-good book, download on Kindle Unlimited and laugh your way to better immunity.
A note from your author
I think we all need a bit of cheering up. There are so many real, human funny and heart-warming stories in the midst of this pandemic, and that’s what this book is about. But there’s a serious side to all this too, that hasn’t been forgotten.
THANK YOU EVERYONE who donates to healthcare heroes by reading this book. You are contributing to many good causes AND hopefully laughing and feeling good, even if things feel scary or uncertain.
We’ll get through this everyone!
Huge love,
Suzy xxx
Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review. Suzy is a fantastic author in each genre ive read of hers.
This is a excellent read to enjoy in these weird ,dare i say unprecedented times . Funny and relatable but also hits the matter dead on.
As well as humour there were emotional moments.Perfect escapism and a reminder that we are in this together.
Fantastic idea to write the book and donate the proceeds to a great cause.
A great addition to the series,suzy sure knows how to write about parenthood.
BLOG TOUR THE CURATOR BY M.W CRAVEN
It’s Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6
Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren’t even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?
And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn’t think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he’s dealing with someone far, far worse – a man who calls himself the Curator.
And nothing will ever be the same again . .
Firstly a big thank you to Beth for my copy to read and having me on the tour. This is one of the best series ive ever read and the workings of Mike’s mind is incredibly clever and dark!!
Poe and Tilly have a great relationship both in their work and as friends. With each book their friendship grows and dynamics change.
Due to loving these books i both wanted to race through and slowly read to savour.
This is gory and dark ,some parts are not for the faint hearted.
Twisty and addictive reading , its completely unpredictable.
A excellent thrilling read that makes you just want more..so write faster!
supermum ......... wheres my cape ??? 