But I Smile Anyway…

And so it begins, doesn’t it? A new year means a new Goodreads challenge and lots of lovely books to read.

One thing I know for sure is that I am not making any big promises.

I won’t say no arcs because I know myself. I won’t say only my TBR books because I know that won’t happen!

I’ll just enjoy the stories that come to me, and let you know what I think!

So, I read 13 books – unlucky for some, but not for me! Lots of lovely stories. Some to be released, some from my TBR, and lots for blog tours! (I went a bit mad saying yes to things before Christmas!)

A February Blog Tour Review

A February Blog Tour and Book and a Brew appearance!

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read Seven Summers last year, and knew Paige Toon was one of those authors who would hook me with pretty much whatever she wrote.
What If I Never Get Over You absolutely hooked me, reeling me in so much that I read the whole book in a day!
Set in three parts, the story is told by Ellie. We start a few years previously, where she is nearing the end of what should have been an adventure of a lifetime, inter-railling around Europe. Only circumstances are much sadder than she expected. As she gets ready to finish the trip, and plod into the family business, continuing to bow to the demands of her parents, she meets Ash, a young Welsh guy, who has the free soul she years to have, too. And he’s hot.
Fighting attraction is always tough, especially in these circumstances, but they forge a connection through shared situations and mutual attraction.
Only plans don’t always work out.
After losing touch, the second part shows Elli happy in her new life. She’s not totally forgotten Ash, having taken some of his life advice, and is forging ahead with her dream job as a gardener. Ash comes bounding back into her life unexpectedly, causing turmoil and even more attraction.
The third part jumps ahead again, drawing the story to a rocky, but ultimately heartwarming conclusion.
Oh goodness, I loved this, so much!
The book explores many themes, including grief, dealing with parental expectations, conforming to societal norms, and not feeling good enough.
Was the conclusion a surprise? Not really, but that’s not a bad thing. There are many rocky moments before we reach that point of satisfaction!
A very good read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House, Cornerstone for an ARC.

Publishing 10th April, 2025

My Heart Sings Your Song by Saz Vora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a beautiful romance laced with Gujerati culture, set in 1980s Britain, specifically the Midlands.
Reena is from a simple Gujerati family and attends Warwick University. Her father is unhappy that she is leaving home, but she has hopes and dreams.
She literally bumps into Nikesh, a rich boy from a London-based Gujerati family, and though there are sparks, she tries to ignore them because nothing can come of their union.
However, Nikesh never relents in his efforts. So we follow the next few years of their tumultuous relationship as they overcome certain social taboos, meet each other’s families, and face difficulties laced with spice from their cultural backgrounds while living the life of Western-brought-up young people.
Nikesh and Reena have their own familial burdens to carry, as well as the cultural expectations and these provide the barriers they have to overcome to be together.
This book caught my attention from the off, as I am a Midlands girl, myself, and British Asian, so there are many parallels I could identify with. I am a little younger than the MCs, but I could understand the pull of independence and university life, that covert relationship status, and the disapproval of certain family members.
I recognised and loved reading about specific locations, such as Leicester, certain roads and shops, and even Warwick University, which I visited as a schoolgirl on various trips.
Reading about Nikesh’s aunt, and her obsession with astrology, following her Guru blindly, felt very accurate. There are still folk who allow their lives to be governed by the words of soothsayers, and this is not always for the better.
A wonderfully written story with huge elements that were relatable and many topics covered would speak to readers of a particular demographic and educate those from others.

Where Have We Come by Saz Vora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I began to read this book straight after the first in the series, My Heart Sings Your Song, to follow the journey of Reena and Nikesh, a British Gujerati couple who, against many odds, have come together in marriage and are now at the next stage of their relationship, becoming parents.
Whereas the first book was a romance with cultural threads, this story is much more hard-hitting, as it has a tragic theme.
There is a love story within, but it is not lighthearted.
Reena and Nikesh are blessed with a beautiful son, Amar, but it becomes apparent that Amar has enormous difficulties and a limited lifespan.
As the story develops, we see how the support of family and friends can help a couple through tough times and how these challenging times can affect the couple themselves.
Again, there is the cultural theme of astrology, and some families blindly follow the words of their Guru, hoping to reverse whatever ‘bad luck’ has befallen the family. However, there is also the stigma of what previous readings have shown and how that affects relationships.
There is sadness, but there is hope, and love does win, after all.
With the author threading her personal experiences of having a profoundly disabled child through the story, this is deeply emotional. And so many of these situations are relatable. Taboos surrounding infertility and loss, are still here, and echo the sentiments in this book, though the time of the story is decades before the present.

Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not quite sure where to place this book, if someone were to ask me to pinpoint a genre.
There are so many elements to it.
Yes, it’s a sapphic romance, but that’s not the entirety of it.
There is friendship, loss and grief, discovery and some pretty tough cultural topics raised throughout.
Jade and Nia are two-thirds of a friendship group. Three years previously, the third friend, Michal, died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. There were things left undone and unsaid at the time, and misunderstandings, along with grief, meant their friendship fractured.
With the help of letters written by Michal before she died, the two friends, along with Jonah, Jade’s twin brother and boyfriend of Michal, embark upon a painful but ultimately eye-opening road trip that had been planned by the three friends way before.
They explore their Jewish heritage and learn disturbing facts about their ancestor’s history, facts that were never taught in school.
Because of their mixed heritage backgrounds, they encounter other barriers.
And then, there is the elephant in the room. Unspoken feelings that have not been discussed.
It was an education, an emotional ride and a good read all in one.

Anyone But Him by Ronali Collings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Ronali Collings’s first book, so I was eager to read this second offering, and it did not disappoint.
Ingrid is a woman in her 40s, trapped in a loveless marriage with an absent husband, a young daughter and a mother with very high expectations. She works hard to keep her family in the manner they are accustomed to until her husband reappears, having had the ultimate midlife crisis, and asks for a divorce.
The story follows Ingrid, who is shell-shocked by the request. However, as she processes what her new life will look like, she discovers more about her character and realises she needs to change, not just in her personal life but also in her work life.
And some of those changes aren’t looked upon favourably by certain members of her family and community.
It is a journey of change and development for more than one throughout.
And there is romance. It is an age-gap romance, and seeing as how much of a nasty character her husband is, Jacob is the knight in shining armour. He’s hot, caring, considerate, hot, and good with her daughter and family. Did I mention hot?!
Idealistic? Maybe. But then again, why do we read stories? For the happy ending, and I definitely felt the feel-good factor once I finished this.
Releasing 11th February, 2025

Blog tour review in Feb for this one!

The Love Intervention by Caroline Khoury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not a love triangle, but a love SQUARE in this one!
Laila is a clinical scientist, and she has been working hard to secure a promotion at work, putting in the hours, as well as looking after her mother, who suffered a fall and is incapacitated.
Things take a downturn at work at the same time as her two closest friends decide to stage a Love Intervention for their friend, knowing that relationships are very low on her priority list.
Laila finds herself on a trip to the US and beyond, under the guise of work, to meet three men from her past, to see if they might just be her one, but things are never that simple, are they?
I did enjoy the story, though not sure that planning to meet and possibly hook up with three different men, knowing there may be emotions attached, was the best play, however I know which of the three was my favourite from the off, and Laila definitely has fun as she meets each one, with a bit of sizzle and spice (And sometimes a lot!) included.
There are different factors in Laila’s past, including her estranged father and her mother, who won’t talk openly about many things, given her background, that also come up during the trip, just to add some more seasoning to an already spicy story!
An easy, fun read.
Many thanks to Canelo Books for an ARC.

Releasing 13th February, 2025

Another Feb Blog Tour for this one!

The Mountains Between Us by Imogen Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a brilliantly written story. I loved it!
The Mountain Between Us is a story set in the gold rush era around San Francisco and California in the 1800s.
Grace Randolph and her husband, James, have just travelled far, to get to her brother’s home in Oregon hoping to settle when news comes of gold being found.
Eager to be among the first, James plans to leave to join the Argonauts already there, and Grace accompanies him, begrudgingly leaving her brothers to be with her husband.
The tale details the hardships they face along the way, the successes they savour and the tragedies.
They forge new friendships ,and unfortunately make new enemies, as well as welcoming faces of old.
During one period of hardship, Grace is left alone, with another woman and her family, as the menfolk go to find more gold to support their families, and James is captured.
It is not the story of just one woman’s bravery, but of several, in their own way, forging a path that rescues the captured men, and begins to create justice in a lawless society.
Grace is a tough woman, who I admired.
Ling Mei, a Chinese immigrant, brings her own calm and knowledge to their story.
And I did love Cora, one of a pair of French sisters, originally brought over as courtesans to work in a saloon, but who show their own strength of character as they build their own business.
I read this pretty quickly, eager to know how it ended, and I’m mighty glad that there is already a book detailing how James and Grace met, which I was unaware of.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC.

Releasing 18th February, 2025

Blog tour post coming in Feb!

Blog Tour post coming in March for full review!

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!