But I Smile Anyway…

December is done. 2021 is done… And that has been a fantastic year of ARC reading!

Well, you guys should be proud of me! I managed to get to the end of the NetGalley arcs, and even began to make a dent on the TBR book that have been languishing on my Kindle for an undisclosed amount of time!

And, I know I still have one day left of the year… but, I am cooking another Christmas dinner, tonight, and will be doing lots of bits and bobs tomorrow, so, I don’t think I will be fitting in any more full books of reading

M is for Mummy by Katy Cox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, this book resonated with me on so, so, SO many levels, I just can’t describe it!
M is for Mummy is a book about love – a Mother’s love.
Lucy is an exhausted mother of two boys aged 4 and under, Stan and Jack. Before that, she was, and still is, wife to Ed, a session musician, and prior to that, she was a cellist of the highest level.
Motherhood takes every ounce of her energy, so much so that it’s like she’s lost her own identity, and if it wasn’t for her close friends, Jen and Charlie, she’d give up even imagining a future of music, for herself.
On top of that, she is dealing with the likelihood that her older son might just be autistic. With certain habits and traits being displayed, she is more and more convinced that he is, but without a diagnosis, and little support from other directions, Lucy battles with the meltdowns and obsessions as best she can.

I loved this. As I said before, it resonated, so much. As a teacher of young children, I come into contact with children like Stan, increasingly, and the difficulties that parents have, of accepting that maybe, there is something else that might be making their child act in certain ways.

Lucy is a fantastic, though knackered mother, and I applauded her for recognising something within her child, and wanting to act upon it. I only wish I could suggest this as reading for certain parents who really don’t get ASD…

Many thanks to NetGalley and Corvus/Atlantic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Releasing 5th May 2022

It Could Never Happen Here by Eithne Shortall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oooh! So many good things about this book.
Yet again, I was drawn in by the fact that this was a book centred around a school, (teacher here!) and mysterious happenings concerning the pupils,
Glass Lake is a school that people clamour to get their children into and will fight tooth and nail to stay on the right side of those ‘Lakers’ who seem to rule the roost – power parents, rather than the principal.
However, something happens which sets off a chain of events, that somehow link back to another local tragedy…
A lot of mystery, and twists. I do love a good twist!
I don’t want to give anything away, but there are some big issues dealt with, within the covers of this book, regarding sexting, and keeping our children safe online.
It did get a little confusing when the chapters jumped from one timeline to another, and the points of views switched, sometimes, mid-chapter, which I had to really concentrate on, to know whose head I was in at the time, however, I was captivated and wanted to know what happened, and finished this book on a cold, windy Sunday, in pretty much one sitting!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic/Corvus books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Releasing on 3rd February, 2022

After the Rain by Lucy Dillon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tara Hunter is a councillor, in the midst of one of the hugest projects of her life. The village where she lives has suffered from the after-effects of life-changing, for some, flooding, and she has put her heart and soul into trying to help everyone affected to get back on their feet.
It’s a fact that after flooding, a lot of hidden rubbish comes to the surface of the water, and it appears that the same happens to Tara and her own hidden insecurities and feelings. Things she has managed to compartmentalise, forget about and move on from, from her childhood, come flooding back.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the rogue father who disappeared when she and her twin brother Toby were children also reappears, with a couple of his own secrets
Couple that with an intriguing new addition to the staff of the Wellness Centre she works for, David, and throw in some fantastic four-legged characters, and you have a captivating read.
I enjoyed this book, very much, and reading about Tara made me think a lot about my own well being. it is so easy to become the carer for all others, forsaking your own needs, especially if you feel they aren’t worthy of being acknowledged, or too painful to analyse.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Uk for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Releasing 17th March 2022

Single Bald Female by Laura Price
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll just start by saying I loved this book.
I was captivated from the moment I read the blurb, and was so glad to have been granted the chance to read an arc.
The C-Word. It’s a b!tch, isn’t it?
This book highlights so many issues with the suffering a cancer patient goes through, from the words they hate people using to describe their experience, to the changes they experience, but also, it looks at how cancer affects those around the patient, too.
Jess has it all. Great job, wonderful partner, lovely friends, and a doting dad.
Then she realises she has something else she hadn’t counted on.
Breast cancer.
From trying to hide her diagnosis from all but her closest colleagues and friends, to deciding to announce to the office,, andher Facebook family, we accompany Jess through her experience.
Should she harvest eggs?
Freeze an embryo?
Cut it or shave it?
Wig it or go au natural?
Soldier on or admit she’s floundering?
Jess’s life is turned upside down. But there are ways she can right it. They just don’t all seem to be the right decisions.
She meets Bel, a younger cancer patient, who teaches her the value of the life she has, and through Bel, she learns more about love, life and herself.
Again, I’ll say it. I loved it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 14th April, 2022

One Day I Shall Astonish the World by Nina Stibbe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a book about a woman, Susan, who works with, and ends up best friends with her employer’s daughter Norma.
We are privy to the way their relationship develops, from one of colleagues to best friends, then colleagues again, with less friendship.
The book is set over several decades, and details the changes in their lives, as their own relationship morphs, ending with the horror of COVID-19.
I want to have liked this more, but unfortunately for me, it was a hard read. I was unable to really get into the swing of the book and found there was not a proper story arc to it, a definite beginning, middle or end…

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC n exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 14th April, 2022

Love in the Time of the Monsoon by Malika Gandhi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting story, revolving around Pooja, and her group of friends, with some illicit love, abuse, rape, and the horrors of portion thrown in.
The story has some poignant parts within, but there was sometimes quite a bit of jumping around, meaning I wasn’t moving seamlessly with the story.
However, there was a lot of meaning within.

Playing for Love by Jeevani Charika
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m a huge fan of Indo Anglo fiction, and I’ve read a couple of other books by Jeevani Charika, so was over the moon to be able to read Playing For Love.
Sam (Samadhi) is trying her hardest to make a success of her new start-up business, Shanthi Bags, with no support from her family. Because she hasn’t told them. Instead, she’s ploughed her savings into a small office within The Nest, and hopes her crowdfunding campaign works.
Luke’s a nice bloke… Who happens to see the most beautiful woman ever, at his workplace, and hasn’t a clue how to approach her. He’s too shy. But, he can help her with her business, and then, maybe she’s fall in love…
Unlike his alter-ego, Blaze, YouTube gaming star, Brash, confident, and always that little bit aloof. (But no one knows that Blaze is Luke.)
Who happens to be someone Sam has watched on Youtube for many years, admires. Maybe even has a fangirl crush on…
Then something happens that throws Sam and Luke together, but not in the way they ever expected.
I devoured this easy read in a couple of hours in one sitting. A light-hearted fun read, with a little family background to tug at the heartstrings, and a sweet, bumbling Luke, who you really want to succeed in his attempts to woo Sam.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 11th February, 2022

No-One Ever Has Sex in the Suburbs by Tracy Bloom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I visited Katy and Ben’s chaotic life, and here we find them in the throes of early parenthood.
The stresses of that, along with the worry of past infidelities, makes for a gigglesome read.
Is Katy happy to be going back to work? How will Ben cope as a Stay At Home Dad? And when he struggles, who will he turn to?
Funny!
I can’t wait for the next one!

A Wayne in a Manger by Gervase Phinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely book filled with anecdotes about the funny things children do and say, centred around Christmas and the Nativity. It spoke volumes to me, especially as an Early Years Teacher!

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can’t believe I got to 46 years of age and hadn’t read this Children’s classic, but I was determined to remedy that.
Charlotte’s Web is a true tale of friendship and determination.
A bittersweet tale, which teaches so much about life within its pages.

No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back in the world of Katy and Ben, and Matthew and Alison, with a sprinkling of Duncan, Braindead and Ally, topped with a mother and her toyboy, a job offer, and a huge family Chrtistmas!
I always enjoy reading series, where you can immerse yourself in the characters and their stories, and this one is no different.
Katy and Ben are finally in their dream home, gearing up for their perfect first Christmas in it. But life has other ideas.
She’s still working, and now, so is Ben. After Millie, now 3-years-old, started pre-school, he ended up back in education, but now at her nursery. Crowned Master Elf, he has the pre-school nativity to supervise, and that is never without its fraught moments.
A client offers Katy something of a curveball of an opportunity, which she spends most of the book trying to figure out.
Matthew is like that bad smell that seems to never quite get the hint, and comes back on a regular basis. After some misunderstandings at his twins’s preschool, they are enrolled at the same one BEn works, which causes untold (funny) stress. Plus he’s a dad of three now, with a fourth on the way.
I love the side characters in this series, and Braindead gets a bit more of a starring role in this book, with him finding himself lovestruck!
Katy’s mother is hilarious, too, as she announces she has left her marriage, and taken up with a Spanish toyboy of her own, and that they are coming for Christmas!
A laugh out loud book, with so many unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings, coupled with the continuation of a fantastic story.

No-One Ever Has Sex at a Wedding by Tracy Bloom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another hilarious addition to the No-One Ever Has Sex series.
Katy and Matthew’s indiscretion manages to cloud the nuptials of Ben’s best friend Braindead, to Abby, causing a lack of bedroom action between newlyweds, and angst in Wedded Bliss Land, too.
To top it off, Katy’s Mum is getting married, and so is her best friend, Daniel, to her step-dad-to-be’s son!
Following?
Such a fun read!

No-One Ever Has Sex on Holiday by Tracy Bloom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The last in the No-One Ever Has Sex series and it was another great addition.
I wondered how the fallout from a one night stand could end up spanning five books, but, to be honest, it wasn’t really mentioned much in this one.
Instead, we have three of our fave couples from the last four books, Katy and Ben, Braindead and Ally, and Daniel and Gabriel, on a family holiday with their assorted offspring.
From the moment they set off on a budget flight, much to the disgust of Daniel, who is used to the finer things in life, and meet a hen party, to the time they finally see their sleeping arrangements, to the touchdown back home, after a week of craziness, you know you are in for a great laugh!

The Art of Spirit Capture by Geoff Le Pard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now, I have read a fair few of Geoff Le Pard’s books, and I’ve enjoyed them all, varied in their genres as they are.
The Art Of Spirit Capture has to be by far my favourite of all I have read, I have to admit!
It’s a long un, around 500 pages, but you really don’t realise, once you get into the story, and I definitely did. In fact, it was my Christmas reading, and I was thankful that the turkey and all its trimmings wasn’t something that had been left to me to cook, because I slept very little on Christmas Eve, engrossed as I was in the story!
Jason Hales (you will remember the name, after hearing Cyrus, one of the other characters insisting on always using Jason’s full name!) has been made redundant.
It’s not ideal. He’s already getting through a particularly upsetting break-up and juggling those emotions with ones related to his brother. Peter, who was in an unfortunate biking accident, and is now in an induced coma.
Then, he receives a call from a small village lawyer, telling him an old aunt of his, Heather, has passed on, leaving him and his brother as sole beneficiaries of her estate.
The story follows Jason as he ends up making a home for himself in the cottage he spent many a summer of his early childhood.
The locals are wary of him. He’s wary of everyone. Except for Lotte. She was a childhood friend, from his earlier mentioned summer visits. However, she has secrets. Secrets that seem to involve him and his brother and something his uncle Ben used to make.
Spirit Captures.
I can’t put too much more in this review, for fear of including spoilers, but suffice to say, it is a fantastic read, and there is a bit of paranormal there, along with romance, too, and a wonderful mystery unravelled as the story unfolds.
Fabulous read!

Donkey Boy and Other Stories by Mary Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary Smith has written some beautifully poignant shorts, here, drawing on her own life experiences of living in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and of course, Scotland.
From the horrifying story of Merunissa and her mother to the story of Odd Socks and a man residing in a care facility, and, of course, Ali the Donkey Boy, there is something there to touch all hearts.

Shamed: The Honour Killing That Shocked Britain – by the Sister Who Fought for Justice by Sarbjit Kaur Athwal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is terrifically hard to read, as a British Sikh woman.
Not because I don’t believe it, but I know, for a fact that there have been women, like Sarbjit, who have been cushioned from all things Western, in their life, here in the UK, despite being born and brought up here. They haven’t been awarded the freedom of their peers, citing culture and their community, and ‘honour’ as a reason.
I always count myself lucky to have been born into a family for whom doing the right thing was more important than the expected thing.
Sarbjit’s book details the horrific true story of one of the first honour killings that resulted in a conviction of the perpetrators – the victim’s mother-in-law and her husband. And all because she was not willing to toe the line they were throwing.
We learn of how Sarbjit was brought up to be ‘respectful’ of her elders and the community (read scared, not respectful) and how she could/should never go against them, for fear of shaming her family.
How her arranged marriage was foisted upon her, and how she suffered the pain of knowing what had happened to Surjit, the other daughter-in-law of the family, yet felt unable to do anything, paralysed with the fear of what may happen to her, her children, the family…
It’s stories like these that do build up your faith in the law, when you know there are individuals like DCI Clive who stood with her, and believed her, and in the end, managed to secure the conviction of the murderers.
Yes, I felt angry, almost annoyed, at why she didn’t step up, sooner, but then, deep down, I know of her confusion. How she was pulled in two very different directions, and how her own upbringing caused her to doubt what she should have done earlier.
A compelling true story, that just so, so sad.

Memoir of a Mad Woman by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trigger warnings for Abuse
Oh my goodness.
Short in length, but the punches packed in this novelette by Vega are felt long after you finish the book.
Emma is a girl who has ended up a number in the system, after losing both parents.
With no-one else to guide her and abuse at every turn, from physical to mental to sequel, it’s a disturbing read.
A lesson in what pushing someone too far can do…

TWO AND HALF MURDERS: A DETECTIVE CHACKO CRIME MYSTERY SERIES by Neel Anil Panicker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a story that had such wings, but the way it was presented meant it never took flight.
An intriguing way of telling a story, with the alphabetical chapters, but poor spelling and grammar kept popping out.
I think there could have been so much more detail to the story, thus warranting the reader to want to read more in a prospective series.
Unfortunately, it didn’t hit, for me.
P.S. I really do hate it when I feel like I can’t give a glowing review…

Fat Chance by Nick Spalding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have had this book sat on my Kindle for a long while, now, waiting to be read. I didn’t choose not to read it. It just ended up getting nudged down the list as I added to my huge list of books that I buy.
But, I am glad that I finally read it.
A funny yet poignant tale about a couple. Zoe and Greg, who, after twenty years of marriage, and that settled feeling together, meaning you lose interest in keeping the weight down, are both heavily overweight.
They kid themselves that they are happy. Well, they are, true love, that is. You don’t really see your loved one physically, because you love the person inside.
However, a friend at Zoe’s work, the local radio station, thinks it would be the best idea for them to both enter a couples weight loss competition, run by the station. Whichever couple loses the most amount of weight, collectively, wins a life-changing sum of money.
Neither of them is really interested, but for the sake of the prize, they give it a go, and along the way, they learn a lot about themselves and get themselves into some mischief, all in the name of losing weight.
I laughed out loud. I giggled. I related with so many of their struggles too.
All in all, a fantastically funny, but real book!

Christmas at the Restaurant by Pamela M. Kelley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet next episode into the lives of the three sisters, left a restaurant by their grandma in Nantucket.
The whole of Christmas feels magical in Nantucket, and it seems to be having a positive, and romantic, effect on everyone connected to the restaurant.
An easy, feel-good read.

Sarah by Teri Polen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book that has been languishing on my Kindle for the last few years.
I am so glad I decided to read this, today.
I have become a little more into horror and thrillers, recently, and this fit the bill, perfectly, not overly gory, but scary enough!
A ghost haunts the room of teenager Cain, and she’s out to get revenge, using him to help her.
Sarah was a young girl in her prime, who was killed by three boys from her school. She can’t rest until she has avenged her death. Cain ends up the perfect source of information and fuel for her to wreak her havoc.
But, he isn’t interested in being the accomplice to a ghost.
So she turns on him, too.
A quick, jumpy, thrilling read!

The Wedding Setup: A Short Story by Sonali Dev
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do love a Bollywood inspired story, and Sonali Dev is one of the Queens of the genre.
Ayesha is getting on in the eyes of her widowed mother. But, how can she leave her mum, alone?
Ever since the death of her older brother, Ayesha has been with her Amma, filling the gaps of both her father and brother.
And, anyway, she’s never going to find someone to replace the true love of her life.
Still, it doesn’t stop her mother from match-making. At her best friend’s wedding, Ayesha comes to realise exactly how meddling her mother can be… and not always in the way she would have thought.
A really fun, quick and easy read to bring a little Eastern spice into the cold nights!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 11th January, 2022

The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a lovely debut from author Ruby Basu, combining two of my favourite things: my Indian heritage, and Christmas!

Coming from a devout Hindu background, Sharmila’s family never celebrated, even though they lived in England. She fed her love of Christmas by watching Christmas Hallmark style movies.
Now, Sharmila has been gifted something she held as one of her biggest wishes: the chance to experience a real American small-town Christmas, but there are conditions attached.
Unaware that her gift is actually part of an inheritance claim, She flies to the US with her best friend Penny and embarks upon a truly magical festive adventure, but there are always going to be flies in the ointment.
Lucas and Zack are not impressed that their uncle has left their family home and controlling shares in the family business to a total stranger. They are going to try their best to overturn this.
But, you know the score. It’s a Christmas book. There has to be love, and obstacles, and lots of festive food, right?
It’s just the right balance of ‘will they/won’t they’ to create a fun, easy to read festive book!

P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy by D.G. Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A heartbreaking memoir, detailing the struggles author D.G. Kaye has with reconciling her thoughts and memories of their narcissistic mother, just before, and after she passes away.

Have Bags, Will Travel by D.G. Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another memoir from D.G Kaye, though this time it’s an amusing one with travel anecdotes, as well as some sound advice on packing practically, and how o, just maybe, get away with bringing back all that extra shopping!

So, how was this final month of 2021, and what has my total books read been this year?

Well, I may have just surpassed my monthly reading record, as I think that was 25 books, this month!

And the total for the year? Not counting all those picture books I read to the children at school daily…

I didn’t surpass my total from 2020, which was around 170, but 145 books read. That is a pretty respectable amount, I reckon!

2022 is already promising to be a year filled with many other literary high points, so I am going to aim to stay sensible on signing up for arcs, and faithfully try to get somewhere through this TBR list that I have… All my unread eBooks are on a list, and I feel lightheaded whenever I look, and there is another trolley in my reading nook, filled with the physical books that I have bought but not got to reading, too… Maybe, just maybe, I can make a dent in them, too!

What was your total books read count? And favourite book of the year?

How did it get to November, already? Now, I warn you, November is pretty much written off for me, in anything other than school, with Parents evenings, training, and the run-up to Christmas things happening in school… Will I ever finish that ARC list, and get some of my other books read?

Sunny by Sukh Ojla
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I requested this arc with much anticipation, as I have seen the author in her stand up comedy shows a few times, and she has always hit the nail on the head about being a young, British Asian, single woman.
The premise of Sunny, is a thirty-year-old British born Indian woman, struggling to fit in with the stereotypes of the East/West background she has grown up in.
Add to that, the pressures to feel like she should look a certain way, act a certain way, live her life a certain way.
But it’s the double life she struggles with and those pressures above? Doubled.
Sunny wants to be like those friends of hers, settling down with their partners of choice, finding that intimacy that you only have with your soulmate.
She also wants to keep her parents happy, and not overstep any mark that might bring disrespect to her family, or her parents in particular.
Cue trying out all the dating apps, kissing many frogs, but not finding her Prince Charming, then clambering back into her ‘home clothes’ and wiping her make-up off before getting home, to where she is living, again, with her parents. And going out with her friends, with that ’emergency kit’ forever with her, to mask any activity her parents would disapprove of.
At home, life is so much simpler, until Mama comes in, with her wanting Sunny to find a suitable boy, and settle down,
What follows is a story filled with so much laughter, as you relate to some of the situations that Sunny gets herself into, including hesitantly allowing her mum to get involved in her online dating, even letting her look at ‘Tindles’!
But there is more at the heart of this.
Sukh Ojla deals with much more than the funny side of bagging a man so you can have that Big, Fat Indian wedding. There are unspoken expectations about how a girl should look, what she should say, how she should behave, and how these weigh heavily on someone mentally and emotionally. She touches on mental health, and the hidden depths of depression that can hit someone who is loaded with the pressure of expectation from all sides.
Being a resident of Gravesend for the last twenty years, I can vouch for the authenticity of how my marital hometown has been described, from the local Indian sweet shop to the town centre, the gurdwara to the promenade!
Sunny is a fantastic character, in herself, but the cast around her are equally amazing. I love her Mama, who is that quintessential Indian Mummy (Gravo style) complete with the samosa making skills, and Yoga class friends who are forever gossiping. Her Dad is equally wonderful. Quiet, unassuming, but a pillar of strength, regardless.
Sunny manages to find some real pieces of work, on her hunt for Mr Right, but she also learns a lot about other friends she has, and the new ones she makes.
(There were times I wanted to slap certain ‘friends’ of hers!)
Most of all, she finds herself, and I absolutely loved the ending!
I can’t wait for another from this author!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 3rd March, 2022

Impossible by Sarah Lotz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that was a bit of a roller coaster of a read, wasn’t it?
Bee receives an email, unintended for her, and what is revealed through the course of her and the sender, Nick, is pretty impossible to believe.
I don’t want to add any spoilers, but this really is an ‘Impossible’ love story, and it sure takes you through the ringers!
I enjoyed reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 17th March, 2022

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, Amanda Prowse, you’ve done it again!
I was hooked on the story of Merrin from the moment I started reading. She was born and has lived in the same Cornish Fishing village of Port Charles, her whole life, and intends to spend the rest of it, there, too.
On the cusp of beginning the next chapter of her life, Merrin is convinced her life is headed in exactly the right direction.
Until the one thing she never expected to happen, happens. Filled with humiliation, Merrin flees her beloved hometown to forget her sorrows, but with a huge sense of regret at leaving her family behind.
Nothing can convince her to come back, not even the death of her grandma… Nothing, until her sister gets married.
Where do I start? Merrin is a beautiful character, full of hope, romance and life. It broke my heart to read how she crumbled, along with all her dreams, on that fateful day.
And feeling that she was never going to find anything close to the love she had felt at the time, the story grows, showing how she hardens her heart to feelings too intense, pushing away so many people who love her, romantically, and otherwise.
However, life does move in mysterious ways, and despite losses, she finds her perfect ending.
I loved Merrin’s best friend, Bella, a lot. What I wouldn’t give to have a Bella by my side!
A consuming read which I finished in a day.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 11th January, 2022

Em & Me by Beth Morrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so, although it took me a little time to read, (life, not the book’s fault!) I truly loved this new release by Beth Morrey.
Delphine Jones is a relatively young woman, in her late twenties, already with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Having been a teen-mum, reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and caring for her grief-stricken father, as well as looking after her twelve-year-old daughter, life hasn’t dealt her the best cards, but she’s trying to make the most of it.
She keeps things afloat with a waitressing job, and a long term cleaning gig for an old friend of her mother.
Thing is, there was always meant to be more to the life of Delphine Jones, or Fifi as her dad calls her.
This isn’t a romance, though there is so much love within the pages of this book.
I was immersed in the story of Delphine, as she slowly begins to bring back the unravelled threads of her former self, and starts to reach for the dreams she had all but given up on, in order to keep existing.
Fifi was a bright student with so much to look forward to until she fell pregnant at sixteen. Then all the confidence seemed to have been knocked out of her.
I loved how the different people around her built her up, in their own ways, so each part of her life starts to make sense.
Her ‘teacher’, Ros, who encourages her to study again.
Letty, her elderly French companion, who teaches her to take every opportunity while she can.
Dylan, who shows her she is not dead inside.
Sanjay (and Dylan, again) who brings music back into her life.
Her father, who finds his strength again, through her, then becomes her support.
Selassie and Abrihet, who taker her into their little restaurant, and treat her like their own daughter, giving her encouragement, and nourishment she didn’t know she needed.
And Em. Beautiful Em Jo, her daughter, who is her whole reason for living and being.
A story filled with soul and hope.

3rd February, 2022

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book!
I was hooked by the cover and the blurb definitely reeled me in – that’s what it’s supposed to do, and it did its job!
Janice is a cleaner, who, over the course of her ‘career’ has collected the stories of many of her clients. She is a firm believer that everyone has a story. Except her.
But, fate works in mysterious ways and meeting a couple of very different people, and a dog, through her job, and her daily travel, prove to her that everyone does indeed have a story, including her.
I was rooting form Janice from the off, especially after learning about her waste-of-space husband. Here’s a woman with a heart of gold, and so much to give to the people around her, yet he sees her as ‘just a cleaner’.
The added characters of Euan, and Mrs B (I LOVED her!) really gave the story a kick, and Decius the dog was an added bonus!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing 3rd February, 2022

Rereleasing Soon! Special post coming on 6th December!

So, not a total washout. I can say that I did get my arcs down to 1, but the list is back up to 5! I just can’t help myself! So, any that caught your eye? What have you been reading?

I can’t quite believe it’s the end of October, right now. We are in the midst of Autumn. The wintery nights are closing in on us. And it’s definitely colder. All the more reason to cuddle up with a book! Let’s see what I managed this month. I did aim to get through my NetGalley Arcs this month, so I was free to read the rest of the books I have sitting on my Kindle and bookshelves. There are four to read… As long as I don’t end up requesting any others that take my fancy! (Heads up… I did request a couple more!)

Walking On Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a beautiful story of friendship and coping, from a new to me, author, Giovanna Fletcher.
Reading about how three close friends, Mike, Zaza and Vicky respond to the loss of the fourth that made their quartet complete, Pia, was very emotional. A wife to one, and best friend to the other two, losing Pia shows just how differently grief shows itself in each person and their own relationships.
They embark upon a trek, as a memory to her, and alongside collecting new memories and blisters, they slowly trek through their own feelings and become a stronger unit between themselves.
I really enjoyed reading this.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 28th December, 2021

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After thoroughly enjoying One Day in December, I was eager to get into this soon to be released book by Josie Silver, and I have to say, I devoured it within a few sittings.
Cleo is an online journalist, with a column all about dating in the modern world, and aspiring novelist, whose editor has the bright idea to send her to a remote island, to marry herself, in a symbolic ceremony, as she turns thirty – still single.
Not 100% convinced, she arrives there, literally in the middle of nowhere, to find her less than idyllic lodge to be double-booked.
Mack is that disgruntled American, who has come to the back of beyond to find out more about his heritage; to document stories his grandmother told him, and for some thinking time. And he is also of the opinion that he is the rightful new resident of Otter Lodge for the next few months.
What follows is a sometimes funny, but wholly poignant tale of how they end up forced to live with each other in a studio style flat, and the quirky routines that they develop, including the “three things’ they disclose to each other regularly, and the chalk line. I won’t explain more. You need to read!
A colourful cast of characters support Cleo and Mack, as they navigate life in this unknown place – a place that might not be a tourist haunt, but which is filled with locals who really care.
What is more to say? Well, I read it and wanted to go and find myself, too, like Cleo! Where’s that remote island?
(Oh, and if you are an emotional reader, you might want to arm yourself with a tissue box!)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Publishing on 17th February, 2022

Not even a cover, yet, for this next one, but it’s called The Fake-up by Justin Myers.

The Fake Up by Justin Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve not read a Justin Myers book, yet, and the intrigue of an offer to read a book without even a cover, whet my appetite!
Flo and Dylan are in love. A simple, loving relationship, where they are scraping a living together, him as a wannabe actor, bartending at other times, and her, a singer in small pubs and clubs, recording songs for her YouTube channel or working in a shop to make ends meet.
Even though they are both at a similar stage in their respective dream careers, their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, with Dylan from the more working-class side, and Flo, or Floria, being from a more affluent background.
They’ve struggled to get their respective families and friends to accept their relationship for years, and the inevitable happens.
They split up.
Then the doors of fame seem to open up to them both simultaneously.
He lands a part in a popular soap. She finds that a song written during the aftermath of her break-up, uploaded in haste, ends up becoming a hit, made all the more popular by a famous YouTuber sharing it.
Amidst all the craziness, they both find themselves drawn together, under a veil of secrecy, having to keep a relationship that merely floundered, hidden.
What follows is the story of a year of fame, fake romances, fake hate, and a fake break-up… But how long can you fake it for?
A cast of colourful characters helped to keep the story flowing, from Max, Dylan’s gay best friend, to Jesse and Sonny, the famous brothers who helped catapult Flo, and her talent, into the stratosphere. You can’t forget Flo’s best friend, Estelle, and her insufferable partner Barnaby, looking down their noses at Dylan, constantly.
This is a quick, cute read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 7th April, 2022

Stepping Up by Sarah Turner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I felt like I needed this book, right now, to shine a light of positivity over some tough times.
Beth, our heroine, really ins one, though she doesn’t really know it; after all, she is known for being the quitter of the family and has been, pretty much her whole life.
Until a tragedy forces her to stop quitting. Emmy, Beth’s older sister, and her husband Doug are involved in a car accident that is fatal for one and leaves the other in a coma.
So we have Beth. A single woman who can’t commit to a job, or a relationship, suddenly thrust into the role of mother/aunt, looking after her teenage niece and toddler nephew. With a cranky old neighbour to contend with, a mother with extremely high expectations, yet with no hope that Beth will deliver, and a best friend who seems to be drifting away, at a time when she needs him more than ever.
I truly felt for Beth, who appears resigned to thinking she’ll never amount to anything. The change in her, over the course of the book, is heartwarming. I truly enjoyed her blossoming relationship with Ted, her little nephew. He’s a charming little character, coming to terms with a huge loss from his life, but not fully understanding it.
She has to contend with a teenage niece, Polly, who is hormonal, emotional and has so much she is holding in, away from everyone else. The way their connection develops and goes from breaking point to a true sense of connection is wonderful.
I loved Albert, the octogenarian neighbour, who appears to be some sort of gorgon, in Beth’s mind, yet is quite possibly the sweetest, lonely old man she has ever encountered. Again, her friendship with him is a joy to read about.
Then there is Jory. Beth’s best friend of over twenty years. A connection so strong, that ends up fraying, through a difficult time, as they both find it hard to talk about the crux of the matter.
The way the conclusion is reached is just perfect, and all I can say is that I loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley, and Random House UK for an arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 17th March, 2021

The Winter of Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Jenny Bayliss’s first book, s jumped at the chance to read The Winter Of Second Chances.
A middle-aged heroine – what’s not to like?
Annie Sharpe has it all. A successful restaurant, two lovely children in the forms of her grown-up twin sons and an adoring husband.
Scratch that.
A husband who is too busy adoring others, not her. And she catches him, in the act with his latest flavour of the month.
What’s a woman to do?
We follow Annie as she ups sticks, and removes herself from a toxic situation that has been simmering for a long while, and finds herself as the tenant and guardian for a small, glorified beach hut/kiosk/tea room called Saltwater Nook.
Here, Annie finds her feet, making what she expects to be temporary friends, and a little hobby to keep her busy as. she figures out her life.
But nothing is ever that simple.
I loved Annie. She was a straight-talking woman, who found her tongue, regarding her marriage a little later than in other aspects of her life. It tales quite a backbone to leave everything you have worked for, and start afresh.
The locals she encounters are just a joy, including her new book club friends, who become a little raucous, but with hilarious consequences. The owners of the two local pubs welcome her, and she even makes a tentative friend with the local homeless man, Albert.
And who can forget John? John, the nephew of her landlady, who seems hellbent on selling this little nook she is looking after. John, who has different layers. John, who becomes rather fanciable to a newly single woman,
Thoroughly enjoyed reading!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review,

Publishing on 11th November, 2021

Meet Me Under The Northern Lights by Emily Kerr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seems to me that books with Finnish connections are calling out to me, and all the more poignant, as that is where my sister in law is from, so I find myself imagining the places I am reading about…
Now, enough of my nostalgia!
Meet Me Under The Northern Lights is a fantastic book, that follows the downfall of Radio DJ Lucy Fairweather’s career when a clip of her questionable drunk dancing goes viral, but, more awful than the dancing, is the connotations that the awfully edited clip insinuates, as her character is put into question. Was she really flirting with that other presenter, who just happened to be the boyfriend of a celebrity?
Faced with the trolls that support #TeamSerenity, and back the hashtag #LooseLucy, and an endless stream of hate messages, culminating in a death threat delivered to her home, she ends up running off to the furthest ends of Finland, where her colleague’s brother-in-law lives.
Can I just say, I felt the cold as I read about her arrival at Wild Zone, the Arctic Circle Experience that her host Tommi, has just set up.
I’ve not been to Finland in the cold, but I have seen photos of my brother with his eyelashes frozen, just from a walk, so I know there was no exaggeration!
Lucy really does find herself, out in the cold sticks, not only figuring out a way to get out of the viral video hole, but digging deeper, and recognising why some of the issues that have plagued her, have come about.
And of course, there is romance. That gruff, blunt Finn, Tommi, does have a heart, but it takes him a while to demonstrate his feelings.
With a lovely supportive cast of characters, as well as the slime balls, Mike, and Jonny from the radio stations, the reader is taken on a fantastic Arctic journey. Oh, and how could I forget Gurta? Quite key to the story, and several misunderstandings, Gurta is a little star, in herself!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 3rd December, 2021

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Started it. Steamed through it. Loved it!
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn has written a true book of the times for those women, still single, and needing to learn how to embrace themselves before trying to please others by conforming to the stereotypes set for them.
Well, at least the stereotypes set by the aunties in the London Nigerian community, anyway.
I warmed to Yinka, the 31-year-old woman who had pretty much everything a girl could want: her own home, a great job, good friends. Well, everything except a boyfriend or ‘huzband’, much to the chagrin of her mother and aunties.
It’s not dissimilar to the thinking of many of the older generations in our Indian communities; that if you aren’t married, or spoken for, at least, by a certain age, that you will be left on the shelf.
My heart broke for her, as he tried to conform in a way that was not natural to her, leaving herself open to being hurt.
With a younger sister already married and expecting a baby, a cousin who was already settled with her huzband and three kids, and another getting ready for her big day, Yinka has big expectation shoes to fill, and she needs to do it fast.
She meets a range of characters along the way, and it just goes to show that sometimes, you aren’t looking hard enough in the right places.
Yinka’s Ghanian best friend Nana is awesome! A strong woman who has her own thoughts firmly in place. Her other two good friends from work bring about the perspective of people from outside the Nigerian or African community.
All in all, I loved it. Love story? Nah, more of a ‘self’ love story!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK – Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing on 31st March, 2022

The Betrayals: The stunning new fiction book from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller THE BINDING by Bridget Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Now, I have Bridget Collins’ debut The Binding, on my TBR shelf but have not read it yet. However, on the strong positive feedback of that, I downloaded this new release, The Betrayals, and opened it, high with anticipation.
Can I be totally frank, here?
I was confused. (Quite apt, because throughout the story, you find elements of confusion that cause chaos in the characters lives, too.)
Who was the Rat? Why was she important?
The Grand Jeu? What on earth was it? A game? A piece of music? a performance?
I had a mind to end the confusion, and just stop reading, after it took me a long while to reach around 12% of the book.
However, big HOWEVER, I am glad I carried on reading, as I finally became immersed in the story.
There is time-hopping, though it is never totally clear when this book is set.
But we go from the days of one of the main characters, Leo, was a student at Montverre, to the present (in the book) when he is an adult. The other character, Claire, or Magister Ludi, is another complex piece in the puzzle that is The Betrayals
There is romance, of a different kind, within the pages, too.
Would I read it again? I’m not sure, but it was an interesting premise, even though I still don’t know what the Grand Jeu is!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, not a total washout. I can say that I did get my arcs down to 1, but the list is back up to 3! I just can’t help myself! So, any that caught your eye? What have you been reading?