But I Smile Anyway…

The first month of school! I had plenty to keep me busy, so what time did I have for reading?

Well, I can tell you honestly that I started the month with NO ARCS on my list! That is a little less pressure since it is the beginning of the school year.

By the end… There were a couple or more, but no pressure to read… though I did! And I created my own little Series reading challenge, too, which I completed before the 10th September! (Fiona Leitch will be a guest on Book & a Brew with Ritu, soon, too!

15 books read, as well as being unwell, and battling schoo stuff, too… not bad, eh!

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An engaging story about two people who end up sharing a bed in a flat at different times, but they somehow build a friendship through post-it note messages until, eventually, they meet.
I enjoyed this story,and it dealt with some important issues around emotional abuse within relationships, as well as giving people a chance.
How the two POVs were written helped mould the readers’ understanding of the two main characters.

The Cornish Wedding Murder: Book 1 by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read this series for a while and finally started book one, The Cornish Wedding Murder, yesterday.
And what can I say?
I LOVED it!
Jodie (Nosey) Parker is an ex-police officer. She moves back to her old home town in Cornwall with her daughter, Daisy, after one too many close calls working in the London Met makes her give up for her daughter’s sake.
A relatively unassuming, risk-free job as a caterer takes a turn for the murderous. Jodie cannot stop her instincts and get involved in the investigation, not least because she knows the people involved.
Jodie battles with herself internally, as she knows she shouldn’t be getting involved, and outwardly, with the Detective Inspector assigned to the case, who also happens to be rather handsome and insists upon coming to different conclusions from her.
I loved meeting all the different characters and look forward to learning more as I read the rest of the series. (Yes, I enjoyed it so much that I already downloaded the rest!)
This cozy mystery has twists and turns, humour and that dash of romance to keep readers hooked.
Roll on, book 2!

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

I enjoyed the first book so much that I got straight on to the second and was glad I did.
Back in the world of Nosey Parker, aka Jodie, the ex-police officer turned caterer who can’t keep her nose out of local crimes and mysteries.
This time, as she innocently caters at a local event, she catches the eye of the celebrity guest at the (not) fete, artist Duncan Stovall.
But he is married. And his wife is there.
An altercation at the event, followed by the suspicious death of another of the event’s guests, means Jodie and her instincts are piqued.
She is joined by the crew we met in the first book, including her daughter, Daisy, and mother, as well as her best friend, Tony, and the rather dishy DCI, Nathan.
A whole host of will they/won’t they with more than one coupling and plenty of twists and turns as Jodie assists Nathan on another befuddling mystery.
I loved every minute of it, and I can’t wait to dive into the third one now!

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

I have loved the Nosey Parker Mystery series!
I read this in one day, on my birthday, and loved it!
We are with Jodie Parker, again, and this time, she ends up embroiled in an investigation on a movie set, where filming is taking place.
There are the twists of the actual mystery, as well as a romantic will-they/won’t-they situation, too.
Love, love love it!
I hopped straight onto Book 4!

A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that festive addition to the Nosey Parker series!
Jodie Parker is off to cater a special Christmas party for some children at a fancy stately home. A perfectly innocent event. There should be nothing untoward happening. She goes with her mother, daughter and friend, who have been roped in to help.
The weather takes a turn for the wintery worst, and they have to stay over, along with others who are stuck.
A little inconvenient, but nothing too bad.
Until they wake in the morning and find one of the guests dead… in a rather compromising situation.
It’s winter. They are snowed in. The Police are having trouble getting there. Who else will step in and begin investigations, though she really ought not to get involved?
Well, you know who it will be. Our Jodie, who can’t seem to shake the detective out of her!
I loved it. It’s another tale filled with twists and turns, giving you hints but not letting you figure out the true series of events until the end!
Fantastic!

A Cornish Recipe for Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful addition to the Nosey Parker series by Fiona Leitch!
I do love a bit of GBBO, and this time, we are taken to a similar style of reality baking competition, where, surprise, surprise, the lovely Jodie Parker has been selected as a contestant.
She is loved up with DCI Nathan Withers, the catering business is doing well, and she seems to have kept her nose out of any extra-curricular police work so far.
But you know that isn’t going to last that long!
There are a few characters on set, from some of her fellow contestants to the drag queen presenter of the show, and after noticing friction (she can’t help it. It’s in her blood…) one evening, she begins to put two and two together, when a body is discovered, connected to the production team.
Cogs begin whirring, and she ends up helping out her boyfriend and trying her hardest to juggle the requirements of the competition.
This was a great story, filled with the twists and turns I have come to expect in the Nosey Parker books, and the cast of characters feels like part of my own family now, so it is wonderful to revisit them all!
Great read!

A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe I have finished the series! (Or at least what is available to read! Thank goodness there is another one to get excited about next year…)
Our Nosey Parker, Jodie, is now officially a part of the Police force, albeit in an ad-hoc position, so she doesn’t feel so bad, sticking her nose into the investigations her now firm partner, DCI Nathan Withers, is involved in.
She’s still going strong with her catering business, which is going from strength to strength; however, in this book, we really feel her feeling the stretch of her time and capabilities: Police duty, work commitments, as well as being there for Daisy, her teenage daughter, her mother, and her dog, let alone keeping a relationship afloat.
The community are readying themselves for the annual mermaid festival, and as Jodie waddles around in a particularly unflattering siren mermaid costume, another murder is brought to their attention. Of course, being part of the official investigations eats away at her time for everything else in her life. Still, she tries to balance all the calls on her attention, helping to solve the mystery as well.
This book in the series felt a little more serious, given the dilemmas Jodie found herself in, but that didn’t detract from the read at all.
Another brilliantly thrilling story.

The Fk It! List by Melanie Cantor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this very much with an interesting storyline that kept you guessing, made you think you knew what would happen, and ended with a different but still pleasant note.
Daisy Settle is celebrating her 40th birthday at a huge party thrown by her partner. All is well in her life. Business is fantastic, she’s in a secure relationship, they have great financial prospects, and it’s finally time to start trying for that baby…
But apart from her business, a rather unpleasant surprise gift leaves her with none of the above.
She is a woman who has a dream: becoming a mother. And through her grief, she wades through her options after making a Fk It! list, and with the support of her friends and some of her family, she embarks upon a journey to become a solo parent.
IVF, anonymous sperm donors, trawling sites and clinics to find the right one… We are with her for it all.
Along with an interesting friendship that starts so negatively but ends up being something she will cherish forever.
Daisy is that midlife character we women of a certain age need to read about. Life doesn’t stop once you hit a certain number. Opportunities still come knocking, and dreams most definitely can still come true.
Loved it from start to finish! I only wish I didn’t have work as I read it because I could have read it quicker!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Releasing 1st February, 2024

The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book by fabulous author Milly Johnson.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to reinvent yourself, especially when things go wrong?
Polly Potter is not in the best place. Stuck in a job filled with misogynistic management, a relationship where she is not appreciated and feeling unfulfilled in general, she has a plan to get out.
Then something else happens. A twist of fate, which means she can live the life of Serena, who is essentially a character she was writing about in her creative writing group previously,
I shan’t go into too much detail, but I was rooting for Polly throughout, gasping in shock at a particular moment which became the catalyst for her change, and then rooting for Serena, too!
Romance? Yes, both failed and new chances.
There are plenty of obstacles to overcome and a great cast of characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

Releasing 20th March 2024

Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maya is about to get married. She’s not had the best of luck in life. She attributes every bit of misfortune to a curse she is convinced was put on her as a child.
She’s off to Pakistan, alone, to meet the rest of her family and fiance, who are already there, waiting for her arrival so they can start the celebrations.
What could go wrong? All she has to do is get there…
The thing is, no one can account for who you end up sitting next to. And who ever knows what the weather is going to do?
A fourteen-hour plane trip, followed by a planned seventeen-hour bus ride to her destination, takes nearly ten days, and she finds herself with an unlikely travel companion.
Throughout the book, we are invited to learn about Maya’s Laws of Love… She’s had things tough, and it feels like every turn of her life, especially in the romantic sense, is tainted. But no one knows what the future holds.
This was a fantastic Desi Fiction book, with characters from a Pakistani Muslim background and well-defined East/West cultural clashes. Wanting to fit in, but knowing there were certain things you couldn’t do or say as a Pakistani woman, albeit one brought up in Canada. Maya was torn throughout the book, but Khawaja portrayed her well as a young woman with dilemmas she needed to face.
As she mentions in the Author’s notes at the beginning of this book, the story is not halal… This equates to not a clean romance. There are some slightly risque scenes, but nothing that would hit a spice factor on the ratings. But this shows the consideration of Khawaja in her honesty. After all, a woman is a woman, and regardless of religion or culture, we all have base feelings and desires. This story embraces the dilemmas Maya has to work through. However, some readers of the Islamic persuasion would rather not read books with anything considered ‘haram’.
I loved reading this story. It is good to have characters and cultures I can relate to. I may not be Muslim, but I have grown up with close Muslim friends, and some South Asian traditions span most cultures regardless of religion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

Releasing 28th March, 2024

Mr Make Believe by Beezy Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This has been sitting on my Kindle for a while, and I finally decided to read it. It is a story of jaded relationships, feeling underappreciated, and dreaming of an alternative life, which isn’t always what it’s made to look like.
Marnie is a SAHM with a part-time reporting job. It’s a far cry from her pre-mummy day job as a full-time reporter. Right now, she is writing nothing of substance, and even that, she can’t seem to get right. And her husband is slowly slipping away. She’s put on weight, hasn’t got time to look after herself and feels like a pile of the proverbial. Then she finds out he’s been playing away…
The story ensues, with her making a stand in her own way, and what happens fulfils some fantasies, but, are fantasies always as good as we thought they’d be?
It was an easy read, but POVs did jump a bit, meaning I had to keep checking who I was reading about!

Take Me Home by Beth Moran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a woman at a crossroads in her life. Filled with her own grief, Sophie Potter has made a career of helping others clear the lives and memories of lost loved ones, but she can still not process her own loss.
A slightly different job arises, meaning a lovely place to stay and a chance to centre herself again, but she doesn’t expect to find all that she does when she arrives at Riverbend.
What a wonderful story, filled with sadness, love, friendship, and dogs!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 13th October, 2023

Snow Days With You by Leonie Mack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel like I have been on my little winter escape, reading this despite never having been a skier!
Luna is on a journey of discovery. After a mystery windfall, she is determined to find out why a stranger left her a large sum of money before spending it. She ends up in Chamonix, and her trip starts with drama as she runs out of petrol. A chance meeting with a gendarme who leaves his mark on her after that short encounter seems to pave the way for a trip willed with many revelations, including her learning many secrets about her mother and father and the fact that she can ski, given a chance!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 20th October, 2023

The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another heartwarming tale by Christmas feel-good story queen Sarah Morgan!
When three friends end up at a tine country inn for their usual summer book club week, in the run-up to Christmas, none of them are prepared for the revelations that hit them one after another. And the same goes for the owner, too.
Erica, Claudia and Anna have been friends for a long time, and though life commitments mean they can’t be together all the time, they always make time for their annual meet-up. This time it was delayed, and they ended up meeting at Christmas.
Erica is a successful career woman who has learned to live independently. She doesn’t need anyone to help her live. Her friends are there for her and are the people she chooses to let into her life.
Anna is happily married and a mother to two teens, who are almost ready for college. Empty nest syndrome is hitting hard.
Claudia is floundering after a terrible breakup. She’s the reason their summer meet ends up in the winter.
Hattie owns the Maple Sugar Inn. She runs it alone and looks after her young daughter, having been widowed a couple of years earlier.
Life has dealt all these women interesting hands, and they are all at a point where changes are afoot. What is beautifully done in this tale of friendship and support, as well as family, is how the story unfolds, bringing all four of these women together in an irreversible way.
Everyone deserves love, and love comes in many forms. I felt that throughout this book.
Lovely read!

Releasing 26th October, 2023

Review to follow in a future Book & a Brew with Ritu Post!

But it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !

Releasing 24th October, 2023

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

This year I have a full August off from school. The last few years, we have started back in the last week of August, so aside from trying to get words down, I hope I get a load of reading done, too!

Who am I kidding? Words? My own? They did not flow. I was caught up in an awful exhaustion. However, I did get to read plenty and so far, my arc list is empty, but I am sure that won’t be for long! (It wasn’t. I read a lot of arcs!)

I can try and get some of my actual TBR books read now!

End of month Update: I finished all my arcs! And I managed to read at least five books from my TBR pile and on my Kindle, so I think that is a win! Seventeen books, bringing my yearly total on Goodreads, so far, to 103 books read. I have read more, but some are betas which aren’t on Goodreads so far!

The Last Train Home by Elle Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I steamed through this one, I have to say!
I love a book that is set a little while back. Not enough to be deemed proper historical, but old enough for me to feel that nostalgia… more modern history, I guess.
The Last Train Home felt exactly like that.
Abbie and Tom meet, officially, on a train in 2005, and their introductory conversation goes from that to a disaster movie scene in what feels like seconds.
A derailment. A blackout. An unexpected hero. A lot of confused feelings.
Being two people involved in such a tragedy can bring them together like nothing else could.
But is it friendship, a mutual support acquaintance, or something else?
Set over seven years and told from the viewpoint of both Abbie and Tom, this was a beautifully heartrending story where, as a reader, I wanted to bang heads together but felt the internal pull of conflicting thoughts that both characters were feeling.
I loved the will-they/won’t-they element of the story, and a little further on, I was in love with Teddy! A cute little person is always a bonus to bring that ‘awww!’ element.
So many moments from the not-so-distant past are mentioned, including the London Bombings, the awful recession of 2008 (and ongoing) and how these events fractured people’s lives and brought others together.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, and Penguin, for an ARC.

Releasing 9th November, 2023

Swimming For Beginners: The emotional and uplifting new read of 2023 by Nicola Gill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a beautiful story.
A woman with her life planned, finds everything deraild by a young child.
After being present during a tragedy that has nothing to do with her, Loretta can’t stop thinking about that little girl. Even though she has never had any interest in children in her life.
This was a lovely tale about how sometimes we need a catalyst to find that human compassion side within.
There are hints of different ASD behaviours in both the MC and the child, which was interesting to read.
And the way Loretta’s connections with her colleagues, friends and loved ones, also evolves in a satisfying manner.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for an ARC.

Releasing 14th September, 2023

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three estranged half-sisters are brought together after the death of their father.
Each woman is a very different character from three different mothers, and after a relatively close childhood, spending idyllic summers together, they drifted apart.
But a few stipulations in their father’s will leaves them with little choice but to spend time together to complete certain tasks and try and get on.
Maggie is the oldest, the strong one, who seems to be left holding the fort all the time. She finds it hard to accept happiness.
Simone is in a good career and struggling with pregnancy issues, which strain her relationship with her wife.
Star is a lone spirit, drifting here and there but also trying to run away from a toxic ex.
They each have an opinion on each other’s predicaments, which aren’t always favourable.
I loved the curio shop that Augustus, the father in question, left for the girls, filled with amazing objects and fascinating tat.
Each woman has a romance to either start or allow to bloom, and we, as readers, see that.
A lovely easy wintery read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Releasing 9th November, 2023

Nobody Told Me by Kay Bratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know I love Kay Bratt’s Hart’s Ridge series, and I was privileged to receive an ARC before the publication date.
Again, we have Taylor Grey, the main character who runs throughout the series. She is the older sister and a cop in the small town of Hart’s Ridge. Each story concentrates on a specific crime that has been committed, and each book’s crime is based on something that has happened in reality.
This time it is about the disappearance and suspicious death of a young lad known to Taylor and her family, as well as her also investigating another assault that was committed against her a few years before.
The other person who Nobody Told Me concentrates on is the younger sister, Lucy. We were already introduced to her in a previous story and learned of one part of her past. However, another secret in her life is unearthed and stalker issues cause her great distress.
Together with her daily load of work and helping out at the family shelter, Taylor tries to assist her youngest sister but is filled with scepticism based on past experiences.
However, after a good few twists and turns, they come together and there are several great plot endings, as well as more to really get us ready for the next couple of books!
An engaging, fabulous read as always!

Released August 21st, 2023

Starlight at Snow Pine Lodge by Rachel Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Since the weather has made a bit of a downturn, it feels right to be reading Christmas-themed books in August, and I dived into Starlight at Snow Pine Lodge with high hopes.
Tania and Rose are staging an intervention for their close friend Clara.
Having faced a huge loss, Clara is floundering in life, and her friends think a week away at Tania’s family lodge for a spot of skiing and a Christmas that means she won’t be alone is the best thing for her.
Though both the other women are struggling with their own battles.
Tania is the daughter of an uber-famous Hollywood actor and half-sister to Lysander, a huge name in his own right in modelling. She’s spent her life in the spotlight, but never for what she wants to be known for. And this trip might be just what she needs, as she flees the paparazzi and rumours circulating about her.
Rose, on the face of it, seems to be the one who has everything together; however, she’s got her own secret turmoil. She invites one of her own friends to the trip, who brings a different spin to all their problems.
There is beautiful scenery, uninvited guests, sadness, happiness, romance and relationships; plenty to keep a reader busy!
An easy read, filled with lots of threads and points of view, so you have to keep on your toes to know who is thinking what.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC.

Releasing 26th September, 2023

Christmas At the Snow Covered Inn by Lucy Coleman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ria is an interior designer flying out to a snowy village in New Hampshire, USA, to complete a very important job.
Hayden is the man who employed her to help his parents update an old family business.
The inn in question is beautiful, set with a gorgeous wintery backdrop; however, it has lost its edge, which Lucy is set on finding again.
But she ends up not only helping to redecorate the inn but help with some family issues that have cropped up too.
Meanwhile, Hayden finds this trip back home eye-opening, and there appears to be something happening in his heart, as well…
A simple, festive love story with an inevitable happy ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for an ARC.

Releasing 12th October, 2023

Say You’ll Be My Jaan by Naina Kumar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meghna is at that age when her parents seem just to want her married and settled. She is already in a job of her choosing, which isn’t what her mother wanted.
Karthik has made a deal with his mother. She can introduce him to as many women as she wants for one year. He has no intention of getting married but this will placate her.
Somehow they get introduced and end up settling for an engagement of convenience, since he needs to show his mum he is willing, and she needs a date to an awkward wedding invitation.
But things never quite run to plan. Feelings and the heart have a funny way of making themselves known at the most inopportune moments too.
A fun read with a lovely happy ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC.

Releasing 18th January, 2024

Beer Fest: Epic friends-to-lovers romance by Lilo Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want a quick spicy romcom read, this is definitely one to jump on!
Fi is travelling to Germany to the Oktoberfest and to see her best friend, Max, as well as some of the other friends she made fifteen years ago when she was studying abroad.
She’s working for a promotion, but she feels stagnant in her love life.
Then when she sees Max, after four years, feelings she never expected rise to the surface.
The story sees the group of friends accept a challenge to do a series of silly activities and dares in a group, as well as in partners, and the knock-on effect of these things creates a fantastic build-up for a perfect friends-to-lovers story.
And yes, there is a bit of graphic naughtiness!
Many thanks to NetGalley and LM Books for an ARC.

Releasing September 1st, 2023

The Knowing by Emma Hinds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a stunning debut by Emma Hinds!
The Knowing is set in 19th-century New York, where a young slum-dwelling girl has a gift for card reading and communicating with ghosts. The voices that guide her steer her away from any dialogue with the spirit world, but circumstances keep bringing her to face them.
Flora is young but has seen a lot in her life already, including witnessing the person who cared for her and looked out for her as a child being abused and abducted. She ends up in the care of a tattooist who gives her affection for a while, protection, tattoos, and a roof over her head, but at a cost.
Then she meets Minnie, who turns her life upside down. She flees her home, then lives a life filled with worry that she will be found and ‘dealt with’ in an unpleasant manner, as well as the added concern about the man under whose roof she now resides.
Her inked body becomes a lure for people keen to watch the freak shows common at that time and the chance to hear from a ‘painted mystic’. Yet the spirits keep knocking at her door, despite her trying not to listen.
Events occur which push her and Minnie to a different destination in another country, where her nightmares follow.
I was intrigued by the characters, the story, and the twists and turns. I love a bit of supernatural!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square House for an ARC.

Releasing 18th January, 2024

The Catch by Amy Lea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melanie is an influencer who is losing her influence, so a chance trip to a small Canadian town to promote a new hotel is a bonus. However, dates get mixed up, and she ends up there early, at the height of the fishing season, with nowhere to stay. Luckily, there is one Air BnB booking.
But that is a bit of a let down too. The grumpy owner, fisherman Evan, is hellbent on getting her to leave until his cousin convinces him otherwise.
A reluctant boat trip to spot whales, a tragic accident, and Melanie finds herself with a fisherman fiance! (Pretend, of course…).
It is an enemy-to-lovers story, with a heap of family drama, some sizzling romance and a sprinkling of spice!
The Catch is #3 in the Influencers series, but you can read it as a stand alone.
An easy read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK – Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Penguin for an ARC.

Releasing February 13th, 2024

Join me in September for a special Book and a Brew with my dealer friend and writerly sister, Lucy Mitchell, where I share my review of this 5-star read!

Releasing 15th September, 2023

Shame Travels: A Family Lost, a Family Found by Jasvinder Sanghera
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read the first and it was horrifying, and I applaud Jaswinder Sanghera for coming out into the public with this story.
The second, again, highlighted the awfulness of these forced marriages, and honour crimes.
This, the third, felt a little repetitive in places.
I know it is her own story, however, there wasn’t much new in in, apart from the travelogue to India, and her amazement that Indians in India are more progressive than their NRI counterparts.
A sad story in many ways, but good to see she got some sort of closure.

The Faking Game by Portia MacIntosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve meant to read a Portia MacIntish book for ages, but life got away with me.
First, I didn’t know this was a follow-up story to characters introduced in a previous book, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. In fact, it’s made me want to get the first book so I can learn more!
Cara and Millsy are the perfect couple in everyone’s eyes. Only they’ve broken up but can’t tell anyone until a huge planned Christmas holiday is over.
It has a delightful cast of characters and a few annoying ones. But you need that. We all have those annoying people in our lives, don’t we?
Tally being one of them. I wanted Millsy to man up and tell her to disappear, but he never did!
I wish Millsy’s gran Iona had a bigger part, though. Even from the few scenes she was in, you could feel the power she would hold over things. A true character.
You could feel the romantic tension between both characters throughout the book. There were a few moments where I thought Cara would find her true love somewhere else but that wouldn’t be second-chance romance, would it?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Releasing 5th October, 2023

Ninja School Mum by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read a good few of the more recent releases by Lizzie Chantree and finally got around to reading one of her earliest novels, Ninja School Mum.
Skye is a widowed mother in the run, so it seems, from something dark. She has skills that she needs to hide, but they become more and more apparent as she navigates her son being bullied by a child in his school.
Another carer is facing similar problems, and slowly, they forge a friendship that is the start of more for the children.
Skye’s landlord is a single father and seems pretty unapproachable. However, somehow, their paths cross in a more personal way, sparking a romance that Skye never thought she would be ready for.
Then we have some big twists and turns as secrets are unveiled and old faces come out of the shadows.
I enjoyed the unravelling of mysteries in this story and read it quickly!

The Woman Who Felt Invisible by Lizzie Chantree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another twist and turn-filled tale by Lizzie Chantree.
This story is about a woman of a certain age who feels as if she is beyond that age where anyone notices her. Olivia works a rubbish job in a large firm, replenishing stationery around the office, and no one notices her.
However, just because she looks and acts the way she does doesn’t mean people should dismiss her.
Over the story, we find out why Olivia feels so downtrodden, and slowly, the secrets she is hiding and her skills are revealed.
She has a best friend, Darius, who is like a brother to her, but he has different feelings for her.
Connie, her boss’s wife, becomes a good friend, too, as she leans on Olivia for help.
And then there is Gabe, in the police, trying to solve a crime and getting involved emotionally with someone he shouldn’t.
Some so many twists and turns are brought out into the open at the end; I wasn’t expecting them at all! There were lots, but they were all tied together brilliantly!

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Abuse
It Ends With Us is one of those books that has been hyped up and talked about all over the internet.
BookTok was crazy over it; the #CoHo fans were crazy for it.
So, only when it was on offer I bought it. And it has sat on my TBR shelf for a while until I had time to reach for it. It was my first Colleen Hoover book.
The story is sadly beautiful.
Lily comes from an abusive household. She’s witnessed things. And seen them brushed under the carpet.
Then she meets Atlas, a homeless young man, who somehow becomes her closest friend and more until he has to leave her life.
Fast forward a few years, and she lives happily in Boston.
She meets Ryle under strange circumstances, and through twists of fate, their lives intertwine until the inevitable happens.
As Lily begins to live her dreams, opening up a business with the help of a new, good friend, she can’t help but revisit things that happened when she was younger, and a set of journals she used to keep gives the readers the voice of the younger Lily.
I’m not going into it too deep, but there is a time when the past and present meet, and it isn’t always pretty.
Domestic abuse is a heavy part of this story, and then I read the acknowledgements at the end. (after I finished the book. Don’t read them before; it will ruin the story. Unless you don’t like surprises.)
It’s a poignant story that was possibly quite painful yet cathartic to write.
Three very damaged souls portray an echoing sentiment from the book. There aren’t bad people, just those who make bad decisions sometimes to the detriment of their loved ones.
Was it the best book I have ever read? Not quite. Does it deserve the hype heaped upon it? I’m not sure.
However, if you like emotional YA fiction, I am sure you would enjoy it.
I read it in a day. I didn’t want to leave the story. And I got It Starts With Us to read after. So I was invested enough. A very good read.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this straight after finishing It Ends With Us, and I am glad I did, as it capped the story off in a positive way.
A more lighthearted conclusion to a rollercoaster of a story focussing more on Atlas and Lily in a dual POV, and how they navigate life after Ryle and his behaviour towards his now ex-wife, Lily, with a small child in tow.
I enjoyed it.

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

Can you believe we have hit the second half of the year? I have no clue what I will be reading or how much, given it is the end of term, but let’s go! I have definitely slowed down in my weekly reading, though. I am finding myself so tired at the moment, and maybe it’s end of term-itis… or that perimenopause thing, but I don’t like it, because it makes me lose precious time reading!

Well, eleven books isn’t too shabby, is it? And there are some stonkers in there, too! And, three make my Christmas in July complete, too!

More Confessions of a Forty-Something Fk Up: The WTF AM I DOING NOW follow up to the runaway bestseller by Alexandra Potter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After thoroughly enjoying Confessions of a 40-Year-Old F*Up, I was thrilled to hear there was a sequel.
picking up around 18 months after the end of the first book, we are reintroduced to Nell, who seems to be settling into life better than she was before,
She is engaged to Edward, they are living together, and she has her trusted friendships, as well as her new best friend, Cricket, the octagenarian who she met in the first book.
The thing is, no matter how settled you think you are, life always has alternative plans, and Nell’s life is no different.
From that late urge to want motherhood to dealing with the beginnings of Perimenopause, friendships becoming fragile as everyone is dealing with their own issues and realising you might not actually have it all together, despite being closer to 50 than before.
I loved getting back in touch with Nell and her life, and though our situations are different, there was still plenty I could relate to, as a woman of a similar age.
And I just LOVE Cricket! Her character develops in a brilliant way, too, showing us that age should never be a factor that writes you off.
Fantastic sequel!¨C11CMany thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for an ARC.

Releasing 17th August 2023

The Gingerbread Christmas Village: A totally uplifting and romantic seasonal read by Kiley Dunbar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Lovely Kiley will be with me around release date for a Book and a Brew, again, so I will save my review until them, but it is a wonderful book!

Releasing 31st August, 2023

How (Not) To Have an Arranged Marriage by Amir Khan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been looking forward to diving into this since I saw it on several social media channels, and having read the blurb, it felt like a story right up my alley.
And I was not mistaken.
A fantastic story rooted in Pakistani British culture.
Yousef is the golden boy. Born to Pakistani-born parents, he has been brought up to live a certain way and schooled to study a certain career in order to have the best chances in life afforded by his parents.
Dilemmas strike when he is finally independent and at university, meeting different folk from other backgrounds. But he doesn’t expect romance to be a factor in his study of Medicine.
Meanwhile, his sister is feeling the pain of being a daughter and a bit of a burden on her family.
Both are of marriageable age and that is when plenty of problems can arise…
I don’t want to go into this too much, but I can definitely say I loved this book.
There was the multi-generational POV which, as a British Asian myself, I can see as being key to those from different backgrounds needing, so they can understand the dilemmas faced by British-born Asians and understand a little about the familial pressures put upon us as well.
I could relate to so many situations, despite not being from a Muslim background. There are some embarrassments that are universally Asian, not just belonging to a certain religious background.
The fear of what others will say, competing with the other families, parents wanting the best for their children, despite not really knowing what might be best for them, illicit relationships, falling in love after marriage, and the dreaded falling for someone outside of your cultural background… So much to take in, and so well written.
It was entertaining, educational and relatable.
Can’t wait for more fiction from the Dr.!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Releasing 7th September, 2023

Better Left Unsaid by Tufayel Ahmed
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Now, you know me. I love a book centred around culture, and especially those books with Desi culture at its roots, so reading the blurb for Tufayel Ahmed’s Better Left Unsaid made me hit that ‘request’ button.
Three siblings, British Bangladeshi Muslims, and the fallout in their lives after losing both parents and suffering further upset after one of their own is targetted by a hate crime against women wearing a hijab.
Imran, Sumaya and Majid are brothers and sisters; however, all three have very different outlooks on life.
Imran, being the eldest, feels a sense of responsibility for his family since his parents died.
Sumaya broke the shackles of familial expectations and moved to a different country.
Majid is the youngest, seemingly unaffected by life and his family’s woes because he is so much younger.
The thing is, nothing is ever that simple.
Imran is in danger of losing his wife and job and already losing hold of the family left in his care.
Sumaya has been handed secrets and a huge promise to fulfil by her mother on her deathbed.
Majid – well, in many ways, he’s the only one living life as he should.
There is a lot to unpack in this novel. Cultural expectations, that ‘what will others say’ mentality that is embedded in the fabric of Asian society, gender-related expectations, the inability to just talk and be honest with one another…
I have to say I did not like Imran. But I am glad he had a change of heart by the end of the book.
Sumaya has her own difficulties, and yet, she does overcome them in a roundabout way.
I just feel that Majid needed more of a starring role. We don’t really get to know much about him until much later in the book, and considering I felt he was the catalyst for the shift in thinking, I wish we had learned more about him.
There is plenty of lamenting about being the one who had to look after parents and younger siblings by the older two, but there are so many other issues that could have held more importance.
Hidden sexualities, hate crimes, racism in workplaces.
It was a good read, though I feel there could have been a little more depth.
Many thanks to NetGAlley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.

Releasing 5th September, 2023

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved The Keeper of Stories, so was so excited to read this second book by Sally Page,
The Book of Beginnings is a story of friendship tied up in grief and hidden histories.
Jo, who the story centres around, finds herself in London, looking after a quaint shop owned by her unwell uncle. As she settles into her temporary job, she meets fascinating people, neighbouring business owners, and interesting customers, some of whom become trusted and treasured friends.
There were so many layers to this story, including a little love story or two that tugged at the heartstrings.
A great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

Releasing 28th September, 2023

Baby Does A Runner: The debut novel from Anita Rani by Anita Rani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love any book with British Asian characters at the helm, so Anita Rani’s offering appealed straight away.
Baby Does A Runner is a brilliant story about Baby, or Simran; a British-born Sikh woman who is single, in her 30s and struggling a bit with not getting the same opportunities in life as her male counterparts at work, and with the loss of her father.
A secret revealed during a trip home sparks the interest in a fact-finding mission back to the motherland, though it is labelled as a bit of an Eat. Pray, Love type trip.
Baby learns so much about her own feelings as an Indian abroad, as well as one whose family lost so much during the partition. The reason for her trip bears fruit she wasn’t expecting in many forms, with truths being exposed, as well as the possibility of a little romance along the way.
So many things dealt with here, but Anita has joined the wave of authors, bringing the voice of British-Asians to the literary front, giving us characters and situations we can relate to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC.

Released 20th July, 2023

Match Me If You Can by Sandy Barker

It’s so exclusive that I don’t even have a cover, but the wonderful Sandy will be joining me near publication date for another Book & A Brew so I will share more details there!

Witch You Weren’t Here by Emma Jackson

Another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ one I will be Book and Brewing with in October!

Love Me Do by Lindsey Kelk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gotta love a Lynsey Kelk! Who doesn’t?
Phoebe Chapman is another typical hapless character Kelk has brought to us, filled with the woes of a life that isn’t going anywhere, a failed romance, and a job that used to ignite passion, but is now just bringing feelings of… meh.
She goes on holiday to visit her hight-flying sister in Hollywood Hills, is left to her own devices for a few days as her sister has to work, and ends up getting an eyeful from a possible pervert next-door neighbour, who turns out to be much the opposite, as well as rather hot!
Then the whirlwind that is Bel arrives, forging an instant friendship and declaring her undying love for the abovementioned neighbour.
Oh, talking of neighbours, Myrna Moore. She’s a reclusive octagenarian ‘faded’ film star who is a total character and a half, bringing all manner of different joys into Phoebe’s previously sheltered life!
But that other neighbour… Ren. Now he is hot in oh, so many ways. Physically attractive but also a genuinely nice guy. Caring, sympathetic, and not fake.
What a great match he would be for Bel.
Unless someone else finds themselves falling for someone they shouldn’t.
I won’t give anything more away, but it is a fantastic read. Definitely one for the beach hols, this summer!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, UK for an ARC

Released 20th July, 2023

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful story! Josie Silver, you made me shed an emotional tear or two at the end!
The story centres around Iris, a woman who has fled an abusive relationship in the UK, to New York, where she hopes to rekindle memories of her late mother and her time as a singer in a band there in her youth,
She finds a surrogate family in the guise of Bobby and his partner when she takes a job in his noodle restaurant and ends up with a little home for herself just above her workplace.
She finds it hard to get out and about, the emotional scars from her previous relationship proving too deep to heal quickly, even though there are thousands of miles between them.
A visit out and about in New York with Bobby sparks a moment of recognition when she spots a familiar door that is the catalyst for so much. The possibility of new friendships and maybe even love, but it all ends up built on a couple of lies that grow bigger daily in her mind.
Geo is a kind-hearted man, still mourning the loss of his wife seven years ago. He is navigating another loss in the form of his uncle’s memory. Santo is the only one with the secret family recipe for the vanilla gelato that is sold in Belottis, their age-old family gelateria, which is renowned for this very ice cream.
Iris could solve his dilemma, but not without recounting a tragic story from many years ago, that could fracture a solid family.
Somehow she becomes involved in helping Geo try to recreate the recipe and inadvertently becomes involved in his family and with him, too.
I don’t really want to go into too much, because I really need you to go and read this beautiful story, which ends with such heart. I wasn’t joking when I said I cried at the end!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK – Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Penguin, for an ARC.

Releasing 12th October, 2023

This Christmas: The most romantic love story since The Holiday by Emma Heatherington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two souls suffering their own losses, craving moments alone and thrown together in a random situation. What could happen?
Rose can’t celebrate Christmas anymore. Not after a tragedy that left her alone and full of blame on Christmas Eve. All she wants is a few days on her own to reset, with no one expecting her to be all festive.
Off she heads to an extra special cottage in the middle of nowhere.
Charlie is in turmoil. After losing his daughter to another country, with her mum and new stepdad, Christmas has lost its sparkle… He needs to get away to wallow in his own misery.
A break suggested by his good friend in a secluded cottage in the back of beyond is arranged.
But the real tragedy is the fact that they are double booked into the same idyllic, isolated cottage. In the snow, where there is only one bedroom and no way for one of them to leave…
A recipe for disaster?
Both have their faithful pups with them, Max and George, who immediately become best canine buds. But the same can’t be said of their human companions, who fight to stay as disconnected as possible.
This is a classic case of forced proximity, as Rose and Charlie learn snippets about the other and, in tiny ways, begin to change, but are those snippets enough?
I read it all in a day. Loved the story and the little twists that really had you guessing what was really going on in Rose and Charlie’s personal lives back home.
Christmas is a time for love; this book showed it in spades.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House, UK, Cornerstone for an ARC.

Releasing 26th October, 2023

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