I am absolutely made up to be a part of the blog tour for this book!
Susan Lewis has been a favourite author of mine for many years, and to be asked to be a part of the promotion for her newest release was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up!
Let me tell you a little bit about the book first.
Home Truths
22nd August 2019
The emotional new novel from the Sunday Timesbest selling author Susan Lewis
Angie
Watts had the perfect ordinary family. A new home. A beloved husband. Three
adored children.
But
Angie’s happy life is shattered when her son Liam falls in with the wrong
crowd. And when her son’s bad choices lead to the murder of her husband, it’s
up to Angie to hold what’s left of her family together.
How far would you go to keep your
family safe?
Her son
is missing. Her daughter is looking for help in dangerous places. And Angie is
fighting just to keep a roof over their heads.
But Angie is a mother. And a mother does anything to protect her children – even when the world is falling apart.
My thoughts?
I have read a lot of Susan Lewis’s earlier books and was so pleased to be given a chance to read Home Truths as I have always loved her gritty yet realistic storytelling. And I was definitely not disappointed. We follow the story of Angie Watts, a woman who is thrust into the life of a widowed mother of two after the tragic murder of her beloved husband. The loss of her husband is heightened by the subsequent disappearance of her eldest son who has been swallowed up by gang culture and drugs. Spiralling into debt, Angie is faced with hard decisions, whether to feed her family or to pay those who are biting at her ankles for their money. Losing her home, the home her husband had lovingly created for their family, is the last straw. Until a saviour, or several saviours, enter her life, and help her rebuild her home and life. It sounds like a total fairytale, but it really isn’t. This story deals with gang culture, drug addiction, homelessness, mental health issues, grooming of young girls for sex work and loss. I was gripped. And I can admit to sitting on my sofa reading, and having to message a book group I am a member of, to say how that moment when you feel your lips turn up slightly, at the prospect of all the downs turning to ups, in a book your reading is my #perfectreadingmoment. And there were tears in my eyes at moments, of both sadness, but of happiness too. A must read!
Come and get to know Susan Lewis
Susan Lewis *
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime, including her most recent novel the Sunday Times bestseller One Minute Later. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s.
Susan has had quite the career. At 18 years old she got a job at HTV in Bristol and then four years later moved to London to work for Thames. She worked as a secretary in news and current affairs before training as a production assistant working on light entertainment and drama. Susan has lived in Hollywood, where she was neighbours with George Clooney, and the South of France, before moving to her current home in Gloucestershire which she shares with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
Another month, another selection of books to share with you! And I just got in by the skin of my teeth! I literally just finished the last book, and wanted to include it on my monthly round up!
The Million Pieces of Neena Gill is a story following the journey of a young girl who is suffering from the loss of her brother ten months previously. The tragedy, where her brother went missing, affects the whole family in damaging ways, but the effect this incident had on Neena slowly unravels as the story is told. A tale woven with the heartache of mental illness, as Neena suffers from psychosis, and all the trauma that comes with it. It was interesting with the added cultural twist of Neea coming from a Pakistani Christian family too. Initially, I found it a little hard to get into, but as the story wound on, I became more and more engrossed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Erica James is one of those authors who never disappoints. I have read a few of her books in the past and they never fail to disappoint. Swallowtail Summer is no different. A twisting tale of friendship, and how closeness can become too close: how the links of a friendship chain can become knotted and difficult to smooth over again. There were a lot of characters to get to grips with, but essentially each point of view was necessary to forward the story. Three best friends; Alastair, Danny and Simon: having lived most of their lives with each other by their side, and the beautiful Norfolk Linston End property as the backdrop to many of their memories. Three women; Orla, Frankie and Sorrel, brought together as the spouses of three very close friends. Three children: Jenna, Rachel and Callum, firm friends because of their parents. What happens when one of this trio of triumvirates dies suddenly? Everyone’s lives are changed irrevocably. Solid relationships begin to unravel. Secrets start to creep out of the woodwork. And a new character arrives on the horizon, hoping to fill the gap left by death… or maybe wanting to tear the whole gang apart…
I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing. When I am whispering to myself about a character, willing he or she to do something or disappear, I am sure that is a sign of a good book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
A very interesting premise to the book, and a short, quick read.
However, it was very rushed, and in my opinion, could have been made a little longer, to actually develop some of these strong women characters withing the three generations explored within it.
And I was left a little confused at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
What we have here is a collection of texts, messages, emails ad journal entries, following the story of Crystal and her relationships with her mum, boyfriend and sister. Added to the mix is the discovery of a possible perfect boyfriend for her mother – who happens to be an android.
This was a lighthearted read which I was able to get into straight away and finish relatively quickly.
Though the story may not be plausible (though, who knows in the future?) it was well written, engaged me and I enjoyed slipping into Boople world!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Galbadia Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have to be honest, Psychological thrillers aren’t usually my thing, and I did take a little time to get in to the story, but once I was in there, I was IN there!
A tale of two dysfunctional families with ties to each other that become tighter, as they try to loosen them.
Can I liken this a little to Romeo and Juliet?
Possibly.
Two children who have grown up together. Two teenagers who feel the beginnings of affection for each others. Two families with issues. One gun. One shot. Many lives changed as a result.
What does this book cover? Alcoholism. Depression. Mental health. Attempted murder. Forbidden love. Fractures relationships between parents and their child.
It was pretty intense.
Two rookie cops end up partnered together, and though it’s not so much a friendship, their connection runs deeper, as they become neighbours. This story follows the twists and turns of their families relationships with one another, especially after a huge tragedy.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin and Michael Joseph for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a delightful read! Meet Ruth. An unemployed, newly homeless musician with an additional bit of baggage, apart from her violin and luggage… an unplanned pregnancy! Ruth is torn between roughing it and traipsing, cap in hand to her religious parents, who cannot accept her unmarried pregnant state, on top of the fact that she followed her heart to make music her career. She is shipped off to her eccentric twin uncles who live on a farm and proceeds to settle into a quiet life… until the Virgin Mary is discovered on the side of a hen house! The fun that followed this discovery, alongside trying to track down the father of her baby, making friends with the pole dancing daughter of the harridan housekeeper, learning to love the animals, and discovering new family, kept me reading from cover to cover. Do I recommend? Well, yes. Yes, I do! A great book for any time of the year, not just a summer page-turner!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out August 9th
I really enjoyed reading this book, and was quickly able to see where this kind of meditation could become a part of my routine as a teacher, and how it may have benefitted my own children had they been younger. The meditation stories are magical, and can transport a child to another world, not only exercising their mind in a meditative way, but engaging their imaginations so they can become creative storytellers in their own rights! I would definitely recommend this book, and the ideas behind it to teachers as well as parents, for a guide to start your children on the path to mindfulness and to give you a chance to create your own meditation stories! Many thanks to NetGalley, BHC Press and author Shelley Wilson for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out August 22nd
Meet Lil, a teacher in a private school, just out of a long term relationship, and trying to get back into the swing of dating, especially since her ex is already firmly entrenched in a new coupling. She braves the world of modern dating, by using an app, Kindling, which introduces her to her first new date. What she doesn’t count on is an unreliable pill, and after a wonderful evening and night spent together, he disappears, and she finds herself pregnant.
What follows is a funny tale of deciding whether this one night stand deserves to know she is expecting and the reactions of all those who are involved in her life.
How to tell the prim headteacher at her employment that she is expecting a baby out of wedlock? How to explain her predicament to her mother, who had been a single mother herself, and had tried her hardest to make sure her daughter never ended up in the same boat? How to contact the person who helped her get into this mess, especially since he was up a mountain in Pakistan?
I loved the characters, from her feisty best friend, Jess to Max, the mountain climbing father-to-be, along with all the others too.
Definitely worth a read, you won’t be disappointed!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out August 22nd
I have read a lot of Susan Lewis’s earlier books and was so pleased to be given a chance to read Home Truths as I have always loved her gritty yet realistic storytelling. And I was definitely not disappointed. We follow the story of Angie Watts, a woman who is thrust into the life of a widowed mother of two after the tragic murder of her beloved husband. The loss of her husband is heightened by the subsequent disappearance of her eldest son who has been swallowed up by gang culture and drugs. Spiralling into debt, Angie is faced with hard decisions, whether to feed her family or to pay those who are biting at her ankles for their money. Losing her home, the home her husband had lovingly created for their family, is the last straw. Until a saviour, or several saviours, enter her life, and help her rebuild her home and life. It sounds like a total fairytale, but it really isn’t. This story deals with gang culture, drug addiction, homelessness, mental health issues, grooming of young girls for sex work and loss. I was gripped. And I can admit to sitting on my sofa reading, and having to message a book group I am a member of, to say how that moment when you feel your lips turn up slightly, at the prospect of all the downs turning to ups, in a book your reading is my #perfectreadingmoment. And there were tears in my eyes at moments, of both sadness, but of happiness too. A must read! Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out August 22nd
I was lucky enough to win the full set of Tess Thompson’s Blue Mountain series from the My Book Tribe group and it has taken me a while to get started on reading them.
That said, I started this book in the afternoon, and it is not even the kid’s bedtime yet and I just finished Blue Midnight, the first book.
Tess Thompson has created characters that grab ahold of your thoughts and heart, leaving you wanting only the best for them.
Blythe met Finn at a festival 13 years previously and spent a blissful 3 days with him. Yet she was promised to another, and due to get married the next month. Fast forward to now, when her husband, Martin. is now her ex and due to get remarried, and Blythe has to leave the family home for a smaller, more affordable place for her and her two daughters. While packing, she finds a small piece of paper with Finn’s number, given to her with the reassurance that she could call him at any time.
Will she call it? Does fate have a strange way of bringing things about full circle?
You’ll have to read it to find out!
As for me, I am looking forward to diving straight into book #2, Blue Moon!
Giving huge thanks to Tess Thompson, the author, for gifting me the Blue Mountain series in a competition! I was eager to read Book 2 after finishing the first, and I wasn’t disappointed. After learning about Blythe in the first of the series, we follow Bliss Hayward, her sister. A hard-working career woman with no time in her life for anything other than her work, and her sister and nieces. That’s what happens when your mother is a drug-taking hippie who has no real interest in you, and your father leaves, marries another unsuitable woman, and then goes and dies in a car accident, leaving your older sister to try and make up for all the gaps in your life. Bliss loses her job, and ends up at her sister’s place for Thanksgiving, and ends up with a lot to be thankful for, but not before her own fair share of heartache, mystery and romance. There is definitely something about the Hayward sisters and the Lanigan brothers! I can’t wait to dive into book #3!
Yet another chance to thank the author Tess Thompson for choosing me to win a complete set of the Blue Mountain series of books. I have devoured them all in the last few days! Blue Ink continues the story of the Lanigan boys, and this time, it centres on Ardan, the quieter of the brothers, and now the carer of his nearly blind mother. Enter Charlotte, former PA to Bliss, who also happens to be Arden’s brother Ciaran’s wife. An aspiring writer, struggling to get her feet off the ground after the release of her first book, she is the first person Bliss thinks of when a companion is required for Mrs Lanigan. Love, at first sight, is what happens, but the road to true love is never easy, and this third part in the series shows exactly that. Throw an old connection into the mix, with a baby to boot, and things get a little more interesting. But that’s not the only spice to stir things up. There’s a family mystery that needs solving too. I really enjoyed the whole book and was totally enamoured of the relationship between Charlotte and her elderly charge, Mrs Lanigan. Another great read. Yes, I do recommend!
Good ole’ Jim Webster! And here is a little story for your perusal.
Be careful what you pretend to be. I would like to say that when I heard what Garamie was planning, I knew it wasn’t going to end well. Unfortunately I must confess that at the time I thought he had come up with an excellent strategy given his obvious limitations. Garamie wanted to be a savant. He wanted to be looked up to and respected for his knowledge. Unfortunately he didn’t want to dedicate a lifetime to study, so he could reap the benefits of his status as a well-respected scholar in his old age. He wanted the benefits now. I could see the source of his confusion. Garamie was quite well off. He’d been through the University here in Port Naain, but like many students he appeared to have left more muddled and less accomplished than when he arrived. What university had taught him was that the road to proper scholarship is hard. Have you heard the comment, “The easiest way to be recognised as a savant is to ensure your field of expertise is so tedious that nobody will ever question you about it?” Garamie took this one stage further. He decided that he would make his field of expertise so terrible that nobody would ever raise the subject. Thus, after brief thought, he proclaimed himself a necromancer. Traditionally necromancers shun people, daylight, and soap. Garamie was the exception to the rule, in that he merely wanted the fame, or perhaps more properly, the notoriety. He had no interest in truly studying necromancy. So where most necromancers have no social life, Garamie became the socially acceptable face of necromancy and was invited to all sorts of parties and social events. When out and about, he could dissemble adequately when it came to discussing his dark art. If somebody asked him anything, Garamie would bluff. He could mix into his conversation mumbled phrases from long dead languages, most of which he made up on the spot. He found it harder to convince people he was a genuine necromancer when they visited him at home and discovered that he had none of the impedimenta of the trade. It seems that to be accepted as a necromancer, or as any sort of mage, you need a workroom. You need the paraphernalia. Young ladies, fascinated by him, expected to see the tools of his trade when they visited his abode. Obviously they weren’t looking for cadavers in the bedroom, (although one or two of his rather more ‘specialist’ lady-friends gave the impression that this was the sort of thing they rather anticipated.) As I said, he had money. This was a positive disadvantage. If he’d had no money he could have done wonders for very little. After all, if I want the skull of a hanged man, I merely ask Mutt and he’ll return later demanding twenty-five dregs for a perfectly reasonable skull. Indeed it may even come from a man who was hanged. (In Port Naain the chances are at least reasonable.) I certainly would not seek out one of the Exulted Purveyors of the Imperishable Wisdom. Admittedly they would guarantee that the skull came from a hanged man, even if they had to bring forward the hanging for your convenience. But on the other hand they’d expect me to pay an alar for it. It’s the same with cadavers really. I remember the time Lancet and I found a chap who’d passed out with drink. Lancet painted the fellow’s face so he looked like a corpse, and we sold his clothes to pay for a cheap shroud. To be fair, that is common enough, the dead man doesn’t need his clothes any more, and the money left over after buying the shroud traditionally goes to paying for a round of drinks for his friends. We then carried the corpse along Ropewalk on an improvised stretcher. I might have mentioned that it costs one silver vintenar to book your place on the corpse boat. When the boat is full they sail out to the west and drop the weighted bodies overboard for their last rest. It’s considered a charitable gesture to give a vintenar so that a poor man can make that last journey, and as Lancet and I tearfully solicited money for the poor deceased we were carrying, we did quite well. Then somebody offered to buy the body off us. I’m not sure why, it wasn’t as if it was a particularly good body. The owner hadn’t been taking any real care of it. But Lancet had got our potential buyer up to twenty vintenars. They’d shaken on the deal and the happy purchaser was about to give Lancet the money when the ‘corpse’ groaned. I said, probably too quickly, “It’s just the air escaping.” Unfortunately at this point the ‘corpse’ tried to sit up. At least one of the bystanders screamed, Lancet and I dropped the stretcher and ran in one direction, whilst the putative purchaser ran in the other. The ‘corpse’ staggered forlornly down Ropewalk, struggling to walk in a shroud. Alas, Garamie was spared this education by his wealth. He merely ordered his bits and pieces from the Exulted Purveyors of the Imperishable Wisdom. Of course you have to ask why they sold him the material. It’s obvious to anybody who talked to him that he wasn’t a serious student of the dark arts. Perhaps it was merely a case of him being a free-spending incompetent who differed little from their usual run of customers? I once saw Garamie’s ‘workroom’. I found myself roped in because I’d been passing as a courier’s wagon arrived. At the same point the heavens opened and Garamie, spotting me, asked if I’d give a hand helping them to unload. Apparently there was a risk that three bags of ‘grave dust’ might turn into several buckets full of ‘grave mud.’ Garamie had chosen a modest downstairs room as his workroom. It was naturally poorly illuminated, a small north window providing entirely inadequate light. He proceeded to fill it with clutter. Several crudely built tables were piled high with skulls, candles, battered tomes one assumed were of eldritch lore, and any number of strange crystals. I confess I looked at the books. Let us be honest with ourselves here, how could I, a poet and a man of letters, not look at the books? Let us be equally honest, those I examined were likewise split between recipes collected by cooks and housekeepers of a previous century, the account books of large estate, the latest entry at least two centuries previous, and a selection of those history books one only ever finds in school libraries. I am willing to admit they were fascinating, I have a weakness for history books that are so old that the history they cover was virtually current affairs for the writer. But still, unless necromancy has changed direction in recent years I wouldn’t have regarded them as particularly macabre. Still Garamie must have picked up some more specialist literature. He acquired habit of dropping esoteric phrases into conversation. I was in the Misanthropes on one occasion when he said something and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. On other occasions people claim that when he spoke the candle flames flickered out or the room grew strangely colder. I still hold that he hadn’t any idea what he was doing. I do know that he was in the habit of jotting ‘interesting’ phrases in a pocket book. He showed me it once. It looked like a collection of nonsense phrases but should he wish to impress the sort of girl who likes ‘bad’ boys, he’d drop one or two into his conversation. We’re not sure exactly what happened to him. The woman who ‘did’ for him went in one morning to discover he wasn’t about and that the workroom door was locked. She tidied up a bit and decided that there was a strange smell. At that point she thought to send for the watch. They broke into the workroom to find the walls liberally decorated with Garamie. His pocket book was open on one of the tables but was so liberally daubed with blood that it was illegible. His death was registered as ‘suicide by means of unthinking stupidity.’
And now we’d better hear from Jim Webster.
So here I am again with another blog tour. I’ve released two collections of short stories from Tallis and if you’ve enjoyed the one you just read, you’ll almost certainly enjoy these. So what have Tallis and I got for you?
Well first there’s ‘Tallis Steelyard. A guide for writers, and other stories.’ The book that all writers who want to know how to promote and sell their books will have to read. Sit at the feet of the master as Tallis passes on the techniques which he has tried and perfected over the years. As well as this you’ll have music and decorum, lessons in the importance of getting home under your own steam, and brass knuckles for a lady. How can you resist, all this for a mere 99p. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tallis-Steelyard-guide-writers-stories-ebook/dp/B07 TRXJH8C/
Then we have, ‘Tallis Steelyard. Gentlemen behaving badly, and other stories.’ Now is your chance to see Port Naain by starlight and meet ladies of wit and discernment. There are Philosophical societies, amateur dramatics, the modern woman, revenge, and the advantages of a good education. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tallis-Steelyard-Gentlemen-behaving-stories-ebook/d p/B07TRYZV6C/
So come on, treat yourself, because you’re worth it.
And it is nearing the end of June… that means half the year has already flown by. I have spent it within a whirlwind of books, and this month, I can add the following to my read collection!
My rating: 5 of 5 star Welcome to the small village of Pendruggan, where the newcomer is Angela, the new vicar, with her husband, Richard, and daughter, Faith. It’s never easy to fit into an already established community, especially when you have some rather comfortable boots to fill. But That is exactly what Angela does: with her caring ways and modern ideas, she creates her own imprint among the villagers. A story that was very easy to settle into, with romance, laughter, tragedy and celebration. This was the first Fern Britton boon I have read and I will certainly be reading more.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
Another lovely read by author Bella Osborne. We follow the stories of Anna, a newly single woman who feels like she can never find the right man, and is hiding a few of her own secrets, and Sophie, her married friend, who is pregnant and suffering her own worries. After moving into a place of her own, Anna begins to settle into her life for one, peppered with adventures with Sophie and her family in the wildflower park that they live near. The story is seasoned with not one, not two, but three prospective love interests for Anna, and a few twists and turns that were definitely unexpected! And Sophie? I could relate to her, as a working, married mother, not sure whether this was the life she had agreed upon, instead, questioning her decisions to settle with the situation she has found herself in. An easy read, with romance, a bit of mystery and some great laughs too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars My first Falguni Kothari book, and I finished it in a day – what do you think, I think?
Quite an intense book that explores friendship, love, longing and loss.
Imagine facing the worst thing you can – the possible death of the one you love the most – your spouse.
Then throw in his request for you to have his baby, before he dies.
Add in the best friend, who actually makes up a trio of souls who have shared a journey for the best part of their life, together.
A sprinkle of hope from the husband, that his wife and best friend be each other’s comfort when he finally dies, spices up the agenda.
Especially as there is history… A lot of history between this unlikely three, in various ways – some funny, some tragic, some, rather naughty.
The story is set in the US but the three main characters are all from the Indian subcontinent, and all from different backgrounds too, one being Muslim, one Hindu and one Parsi.
The author gives a good picture of the difference in the three cultures, that many western minds may not be aware of.
Do you believe in aliens? What if something inexplicable happens in life, and quite possibly, the only explanation is extraterrestrial? Emma is seventeen and in love with a cancer patient who is in a coma. Something strange happens one night, and she gets her love back, but with a difference. Follow the story of Emma, her boyfriend Lucas, and his inner spirit, Scout, as they endeavour to get Scout back where he came from. Such an engaging story, in a genre I wouldn’t usually read.
And that little line at the end – ” Tell Emma I am sending her less than three.”
If you believe in destiny, then this book is filled with it.
And… who knew the London Underground could be so romantic!
Nadia is a feisty, successful 20-something Londoner, going about her life, ricochetting between bad relationships, wondering when her time will come. She loves sensitive men, who aren’t scared to show their emotions. Daniel is a sensitive, successful 20-something Londoner, recovering from the shock of his father’s death, looking for someone to share life, and reality TV with. He loves feisty women, who are clumsy with their coffee.
But how will their paths ever cross?
Cue the Underground and Missing Connections.
Daniel sees Nadia and just knows there is something about her. But, how to approach?
Using a series of messages in the local commuters newspaper, these two slowly get sucked into a will they/won’t they situation.
We can see they are perfect for each other. Their friends can sense they are perfect for each other. Why can’t they just meet and see if they hit it off?
With a series of twists and turns, we see the story of Nadia and Daniel develop, and I can say, hand on heart, that I finished this book with a gooey smile on my face!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have heard many good things about this book so was very excited to read it. I did find it a little disjointed and hard to get into at the end and found myself wondering what was going on, but the speed of the story and my wanting to read it as fast as I could, kicked in at around the halfway point, as I was eager to know what happened. A story that was sad, funny, happy, full of fear and hope, all at once! We follow two brothers through some very troubling times in their lives, and who have an ex-con as their mentor, even after he passed away, guiding them through some tough situations. I cannot adequately describe this book, in a way that gives it the credit it deserves. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Published 5th July
Instructions For Falling In Love Again by Lucy Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are days when you really need a good Rom Com to fall into. A book that will make you forget the world around you as you immerse yourself in its fictitious one. Well, that was me as I fell into Author Lucy Mitchell’s debut novel, Instructions For Falling In Love Again. I found myself living alongside Pippa Browning, a recently widowed mother of three, who is just starting to get her life into some semblance of normality, after losing her beloved husband to cancer three years previously. Being a single mother is never easy, and dealing with a teen bunny boiler in practice, and two children who know how to wreak havoc at just the right (or wrong) time, who are all dealing with the grief of losing their father, has her at her nerves end. Pippa is lucky to have her two best friends, Mel and Emma, by her side, and the support of her sister Helen. And she also has a book. A notebook filled with wisdom that was left for her, written by her late husband, giving her clear instructions for how to get on with her life without him, by falling in love again. With the wrong guy. Mikey Stenton – International playboy and all-round tart! I was hooked. I loved the characters of Pippa and her family, including her interfering mother, who wants the best for her daughter, but by her own standards, not her daughter. I loved feisty Daisy, the teenage crazy girl who knows how to back her crushes into corners. I loved Libby, the middle child with a talent for football, and a penchant for small furry animals. I loved Billy, the youngest member of the Browning family, who was a typical little boy, always getting into arguments with his sister, and never brushing his hair. Pippa’s friends are wonderfully supportive, quirky characters, who only want the best for their dear friend. And I adored Mikey Stenton, the true tart with a heart – who goes from bed-hopping to school dropping… I shan’t say too much more, because I don’t want to give too much away. Oh, and Pippa wasn’t the only one left with a notebook… But seriously, there were some fantastic twists and turns, and I found myself in fits of giggles, in tears and in that “Aaaaawwwww!” moment too. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! What a great debut novel. Lucy, I am waiting for more from you now! Many thanks to Lucy for an advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars The blurb of this book sounded intriguing. A girl who keeps on dying, yet finds herself alive in different versions of her life. It took me a while to get into the story, but I was intrigued to find out what was happening, and why. Not my favourite read, but not the worst. Many thanks to NetGalley, and HQ Publishing for an ARC of this book.
Finally, after many years of writing, and imagining, burying ideas in her garden, writing more, digging them up and querying, submitting, battling with writers block and angst, our girl, Lucy Mitchell, has finally gone and done it!
Lucy Mitchell – Author Extrordinaire
She has her debut novel out on Sunday 30th June, and I was honoured to be asked to read an advanced copy of her book, Instructions for Falling In Love Again, ahead of official release day.
Isn’t the cover beautiful?
Now, let me start by handing you the official blurb…
What would you do if your late husband left you a list of instructions on how to fall in love with someone else? Pippa Browning is faced with this exact dilemma, three years after the death of her husband, Dan. Buried at the bottom of a drawer are a collection of notebooks full of Dan’s advice on how to live without him. Pippa’s notebook is red and contains his instructions on how to fall in love again. But Dan doesn’t just want Pippa to fall in love with anyone – Dan’s crazy suggestion is that Pippa should date his handsome friend, Mikey Stenton, a known thrill-seeking ladies’ man. Reluctant to follow Dan’s advice, Pippa enters the world of dating. She embarks on a humorous journey of self-discovery, with the help of her children and two best friends. It isn’t long before Pippa is finding it hard to ignore Dan’s instructions and Mikey Stenton. Is Mikey really the man that everyone thinks him to be? Or was Dan right, and Mikey’s simply been misunderstood? An uplifting and heart-warming story about bereavement, friendship and finding love, the second time around.
And here is my review… totally ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!
Instructions for Falling In Love Again There are days when you really need a good Rom Com to fall into. A book that will make you forget the world around you as you immerse yourself in its fictitious one. Well, that was me as I fell into Author Lucy Mitchell’s debut novel, Instructions For Falling In Love Again. I found myself living alongside Pippa Browning, a recently widowed mother of three, who is just starting to get her life into some semblance of normality, after losing her beloved husband to cancer three years previously. Being a single mother is never easy, and dealing with a teen bunny boiler in practice, and two children who know how to wreak havoc at just the right (or wrong) time, who are all dealing with the grief of losing their father, has her at her nerves end. Pippa is lucky to have her two best friends, Mel and Emma, by her side, and the support of her sister Helen. And she also has a book. A notebook filled with wisdom that was left for her, written by her late husband, giving her clear instructions for how to get on with her life without him, by falling in love again. With the wrong guy. Mikey Stenton – International playboy and all-round tart! I was hooked. I loved the characters of Pippa and her family, including her interfering mother, who wants the best for her daughter, but by her own standards, not her daughter. I loved feisty Daisy, the teenage crazy girl who knows how to back her crushes into corners. I loved Libby, the middle child with a talent for football, and a penchant for small furry animals. I loved Billy, the youngest member of the Browning family, who was a typical little boy, always getting into arguments with his sister, and never brushing his hair. Pippa’s friends are wonderfully supportive, quirky characters, who only want the best for their dear friend. And I adored Mikey Stenton, the true tart with a heart – who goes from bed-hopping to school dropping… I shan’t say too much more, because I don’t want to give too much away. Oh, and Pippa wasn’t the only one left with a notebook… But seriously, there were some fantastic twists and turns, and I found myself in fits of giggles, in tears and in that “Aaaaawwwww!” moment too. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! What a great debut novel. Lucy, I am waiting for more from you!
Here is a little more about Lucy:
I live in South Wales with my husband, my two teenage daughters, a giant labrador and a gang of unruly cats. I am the author of the award winning blog, BlondeWriteMore and I was a Featured Romance Author on Wattpad. When I am not working or writing, I can be found listening to audiobooks in a muddy field with my dog or sat outside my local pub in the sunshine enjoying a glass of wine.
Now, you know you want to be reading this beauty, so go and pre-order your copy here!
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