But I Smile Anyway…

How is it already the end of June? That is half of 2026 done!

So… it’s been another busy one at school. The build-up to the end of term is always huge. We have the prep of the new classes for next year, and for the Early Years side, which starts a lot earlier than the rest of the school, as we have to accept applications to school, as well as nursery, then there is form filling, and working out classes, who will be where, which staff will be where… and report writing. I managed to do the lion’s share of report writing in the half term, but there has been plenty of other preparation to keep me busy!

And… another BIG thing. My (Not So) Lil Man turned 21! Like, seriously? How does that happen so fast? He is, with God’s blessing, a happy, healthy soul, with a good job, and (for the most part!) a sensible lad, and we couldn’t be more proud of him!

Plus… Lil Princess finished her A-level exams and had her final ever prom! So, now it is the wait for results, and a time for her to decide what to do with her life. She is hoping to sign up for an apprenticeship next week, and has started her driving lessons… my baby is growing up!

We have also had a few losses again within family and friends, and there were at least 2 funerals that the family needed to attend, which also made life a little delicate, as memories arose from our big loss from last year…

I have been trying to push my book babies, but honestly, with all the above happening, it hasn’t been that easy.

Oh, and how can I forget the HEATWAVE! Honestly, sitting in a classroom with 20/30 irate 3-4-year-olds is not fun! We have sweltered, and I just found out there are a few more days like that coming next month… God help me!

So I read and listened as best I could.

Just a Girl by Becky Monson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this instalment in the Just a series by Becky Monson, revisiting old friends (characters) and getting to know some acquaintances (other characters) much better!
This focuses on Quinn, a plus-size TV Anchor who doesn’t feel she deserves to be loved for who she is because of how she looks. It doesn’t help that her mother is always trying to ‘help’ with constant reminders of how she could lose weight, as well as rather nasty emails from a viewer.
Then she meets Brit Henry, who seems to like her… until they find out they will be working together, and he is her new boss… And she hasn’t told him a rather embarrassing work-related secret!
Lots of angst and fun, as well as feeling.

The Last to Know by Laura Jane Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed all of Laura Jane Williams’ previous books, so to read this was a no-brainer.
A little different to some of her previous stories, this one focuses on two very different women. CJ, who lives in Lisbon and is a single mother, is living with a cousin and his husband, managing an apartment complex and Ash, who has come away from life in the UK, with possible heartbreak and a need for a reset. She is staying at the complex, and the two clash horribly, then seem to go for the same guy.
But you can feel the chemistry crackling somewhere else. Previously, having any feelings for another woman had not even been given the time of day. Now, something else is happening for them both.
I loved Ash’s line about not loving men or women, but loving people.
A story of finding out where true happiness is.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Cornerstone for an ARC.

All Expenses Paid by Zoe Rosi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some people really know how to write gritty, dark thrillers, and Zoe Rosi is 100% one of them!
It’s not a read or listen for the faint-hearted, I have to say.
All Expenses Paid takes a very extreme look at social media and the lives of some influencers.
Debbie is one of those influencers, pootling along with a decent follower count and an obsession with her likes and comment numbers, constantly comparing herself to others, including one of her good friends, Amelia.
An invitation for what looks like a gorgeous holiday in a distant, exotic location, with the opportunity for lots of content, and a chance to earn some good money, is too much for her to say no to, so she, along with Amelia, heads off to what she discovers is the much darker, more gruesome side of influencing and big money.
I found myself inwardly flinching as I listened to the story, and it really made me wonder… is there really stuff like this behind the content of some ‘influencers’, or is it just a very dark exaggeration for fiction’s sake? Either way, it was disturbing but, in a weird way, interesting.
Hats off to the author and the narrator, who kept me listening!

My Friend’s Husband by Rupa Mahadevan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Nine Dolls, last year, reading this was a simple decision for me.
Rupa Mahadevan writes brilliantly crafted domestic thrillers and creates nuanced, fragile, damaged characters with great skill.
The protagonist, Clara, is all the above. Damaged, hugely, through experiences, and fragile as a result.
Roshini is her lifeline, her buoy in a sea of negativity and misunderstanding. When Roshini disappears, Clara is thrown into a huge tailspin.
There were so many threads to this story, and the twists and turns to reach the conclusion were so well written, I was totally unaware of the ending until it was revealed!

Hungry Eyes by Dawn O’Porter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think a lot of us have an unconscious relationship with food. Some are minor. You eat to live. Sustenance, that is it.
Some of us have memories embedded deep within, relating to food, meals, and certain dishes. Memories that mould our relationship with grub.
Dawn O’Porter explores her own seesaw relationship with food, and how it affected her health, physically and mentally, and how it shaped so much of her life, even now, as she feels the most stable she has ever felt.
This was a raw memoir, peppered with some real emotion and seasoned with the best recipes, nostalgic, with modern twists, that I am sure most people would relate to.

The Cornish Honeymoon Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the series that really got me into UK cosy crime, and it is still keeping me as hooked as the first book!
The Nosy Parker in question is Jodie Parker, a past police officer, current caterer, wife to DI Nathan Withers, and somehow a murder sleuth!
Okay, so it’s not everywhere she goes, but somehow, once or twice a year, she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. So much so that the local police force, knowing her background and excellent deductive skills, has unofficially got her on their books!
And it appears that nowhere is sacred! Even her honeymoon.
It starts a bit unconventionally anyway, as Jodie’s mother and daughter, along with her dog, Germaine, accompany them. They are at the soft opening of a new sustainable luxury resort on one of the Cornish Isles, and though there are some questionable characters, everything is fine. Until it isn’t.
Find someone with a grudge or motive, or possibly several people, and some inclement weather, and you are in for a treat!
I love how there are comedic moments throughout, as well as the real feel of traditional whodunnits of the past, meaning that though there is murder, there is also lightness to it.
I really do enjoy these stories, and long may they continue!

Marry Me in Seahaven Bay by Nicola May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was swept right back into the world of Rita Jory and the community in Seahavem Bay with this second book in the series.
Rita is a woman of a certain age, a widow with two grown children and a fledgling business started after the death of her husband. The wellness retreat has been well received by the locals and those who have stayed, and Rita’s romance with the neighbour, who also has a bit of a complicated connection with her late husband, is blossoming.
In the first book, we hear so many secrets, and though most are accepted, there are still other little things coming out of the woodwork through book two.
First, an ex-wife appears, then Rita discovers something about herself…
All with the retreat needing to be used for a wedding, a new band of guests with their own issues, and an intruder who threatens to put the kibosh on the whole site and business!
So much going on!
I loved seeing what the original characters were up to, and I love Teo, Rita’s husband’s son from another relationship, who treats Rita like his own mother. Rita certainly goes through the wringer, again, losing another loved one, but gaining many more in the process
If you love stories with family at the heart, and a gorgeous village setting, then you won’t be disappointed!

Love Lindisfarne by Kimberley Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been eyeing up Kimberley Adams’s books for a while, and I got a chance to listen to the audiobook of Love Lindisfarne. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed at all!
The story of Ellie, jilted, not quite at the altar, in London, gets away, to the Isles in Northumberland, namely Lindisfarne, to lick her proverbial wounds in private, but also to help with some animals at a sanctuary there.
Life is at a different pace from what she is used to, and it is a world away from her usual work. Armed with her phone so she can stay in touch with her group of friends and family, and a woefully under-packed suitcase, she arrives dramatically, which signals exactly how the rest of her stay will go.
Ellie really finds herself through this story, and even though it is a bit cut off from the world, I fancy a trip to Lindisfarne, too!
She also makes some great new friends to add to her circle, a new four-legged pal, Nacho, and one or two romantic interests.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this, and Colleen Prendergast’s narration was 100% on point!
I know I will be adding the next lot of books to my ever-growing TBR!

The Echo of Lost Stories by Victoria Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a gorgeous dual-timeline story that had me hooked from the off.
Set partly in Victorian London and modern-day London, the story centres around philanthropy and an interesting connection to a famous Victorian author and one of his most successful novels.
Isabelle, or Belle, keeps a set of journals about her life in the 1800s, as well as a recount of a rather otherworldly event she experienced, and then buries her writing somewhere so it won’t be found easily…
Nearly 200 years later, Emily, a history lecturer, is given access to the newly unearthed journals in a crumbling old house in Cheapside, and the discovery sends her on an emotional journey of her own.
There is so much to unpick here, from second chances to personal transformations, as well as bringing to the forefront the importance of certain historical places and their origins.
I don’t want to rehash the story, but I will say that this is one of my favourite Victoria Scott books!

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office by Amman Brar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I requested this book even before reading the synopsis because the name Mr Sidhu jumped out at me. Sidhu being my mother’s maiden name, and the lead that it would be a Sikh at the forefront of the story had me requesting before anything else.
I was somewhat aware of the Horizon scandal, but not in much detail, so I was intrigued to see how it played out in the story, too.
Mr Sidhu, Sukdev, or Dave/David to the British locals around his post office in Richmond, has worked hard his whole life to serve the community and provide for his family. He hails from rural Punjab, and, not having any interest in the usual Jatt-puna of working the ancestral land, he concentrates on his studies, and with the backing of his father, Sukhdev finally ends up in England, a place hailed as some kind of money-making heaven by many back home. Along with his wife, he built up his Richmond-based business while living in Hounslow, and when she passed, he continued at the shop as the Postmaster, with Rose at the shop till.
Mr Sidhu becomes caught up in the PO scandal when money begins to disappear from his accounts, recently upgraded to the new Post Office software. Here we see how his family react to what is happening, as well as how they need to find someone to blame.
Rose becomes an important presence in Mr Sidhu’s life when he thought he would have been sitting back, playing with the grandchildren he and his wife always thought their children, Meenu and Raju, would have provided, with a solid business to pass on to the next generation.
I loved how the softly, softly nature of Mr Sidhu mirrors many of the elders in our community. Always present, always supportive, but not interested in causing any trouble, even if they suffer difficulties.
I found Meenu very annoying. I wanted to shake her. Questioning her gentle father, unable to stand by him when he needed her and disappearing at a time he really needed her.
Raju’s character was also interesting. A product of two traditional individuals, who allowed both their children to find their own paths, Raju works as an actor, and I love that he doesn’t give up.
Rose is just lovely. David’s (Mr Sidhu) real support through a tough time is proof that there are people out there who look beyond colour and culture and see the goodness inside.
The story is gentle yet aggressive. A journey to satisfaction, marked by delays and setbacks, and the special delivery of minor racism. This was a brilliant read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ, Juniper, for an ARC.

Has Anyone Seen My Husband? by Kathleen Whyman
My rating 5 of 5 stars

Oh my, I had sooo many thoughts and predictions as I read/listened to this, and I wasn’t far wrong, but also I wasn’t right either!
Marie is married to Scott, and they have a gorgeous little girl. Scott also has children from a previous marriage, but Marie has yet to meet her stepchildren, and create a blended family that she thinks would be great for her own daughter, who has no siblings. Only Scott has the ex-wife from h*ll, determined to place a wedge into their chances of happiness and constantly placing demands on his time.
Marie is hoping that they can start trying for baby #2, so her own little one has a sibling at least.
Marie is also a wedding dress designer, and has plenty of brides-to-be dramas of her own to sort out along with home life, as well as finding out the dishy GP she has taken a bit of a secret fancy to, is one of her client’s brothers, and chance means they keep on meeting.
All this along with her French mother and aunt who like to cause their own mischief, as well as a cousin who is firmly on her side, but has her own opinions.
I was fully ensconced in Marie’s life, rooting for her, cheering her along, and maybe, just maybe, gently encouraging her to explore ‘things’ with that dishy GP!
A fab book, a great listen and a brilliant story!

The Wedding Jinx by Becky Monson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mila is a jinx. Well, she’s convinced herself she is a jinx with weddings, having messed up the seven weddings she’s been in the wedding party for.
Convincing her best friend that she cannot be a part of her wedding party is the big thing here. Mila doesn’t want to ruin her BFF’s special day.
And also, she cannot be around Grayson, her boss. Because, well, she seems to have a boss thing, too.
Lots of tension, close proximity, and chemistry bubbling over, as well as plenty of giggles!
I had fun reading/listening to this one!

I am on the blog tour for this gorgeous read in mid-July, so keep your eyes peeled for the review!

13 books read this month! Lucky for some! Which one caught your eye?