Review: Mums Just Wanna Have Fun by Lucie Wheeler

Meet Nancy…

Single mum Nancy will do anything for her little boy. Jack’s autism makes life difficult at times, but she’s determined to ensure he lives the best life possible. So, when her best friend Harriet suggests a holiday to Ibiza, Nancy is torn: will Jack cope with the change in routine…will she?

And Harriet…

Workaholic mum Harriet convinces Nancy it’s the break they all need. A chance to have some fun with the kids, away from the stresses of normal life. And she’s determined to switch off her laptop, ignore her inbox, and just have fun with her kids for seven whole days…

Cocktails and kids’ club – what could go wrong?

Ibiza is beautiful, but Jack struggles with everything, Harriet refuses to put her laptop away, and Nancy begins to think she’s made a huge mistake. And then Nancy meets Cameron and his young son, Aiden and discovers that sometimes the best fun happens when you least expect it…

Can these two single-mum’s swap their mummy guilt for sunglasses and sangria?

Review: Wow! This book has it all, great characters, totally believable storyline and the full range of emotions! I got so much more than I was expecting to from this book. The story surrounds mums Harriet and Nancy and their children as they embark on a vacation that will mean more to them than they can imagine. Every part of the holiday and the stories that come from these mums could have happened to me or other women I know. I loved the fact that their lives are not straightforward and are not easy but they have been trying to keep going for the sake of their families and also to save face, I love that there is finally light shed on this happening!

As characters they are great to spend time with. As I said, they are so easy to relate to and identify with. Their children are also easy to identify with, they are typical children in that they are anything but typical and I could easily see aspects of all of their personalities in many of the children I have worked with over the years. I thought it was a great choice made by this author to include a child on the autistic spectrum on their and shine a light on the various intricacies and nuisances that become different when you have a child with an additional need such as this. There are aspects such as school and crowded places, bed time and the use of technology that are explored and I think that Lucie Wheeler did a great job on all of these aspects. 

There were some great comedy moments in this book, everyone knows that children know just what to say at just the right moment to make everything funny and this happens so many times in this book. This book also made me cry, more than once. Happy tears and tears alongside some of our lovely characters, just what I want from a book. I am not a mum but I know so many amazing mums who are doing a fabulous job and think they are messing it up and so I can see where a book like this would be amazing for them. I would love to put this book into the hands of so many of my friends and really recommend picking this one up now!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Year That Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly

Three women celebrate their birthdays . . . 30. 40. 50. But their milestone birthdays mark the start of a year that will change everything . . .

Ginger isn't spending her 30th the way she would have planned. Tonight might be the first night of the rest of her life - or a total disaster.

Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters break on the morning of her 40th birthday, she panics: forget labour, how is she going to be a mother?

Callie is celebrating her 50th at a big party in her Dublin home. Then a knock at the door mid-party turns her perfect life upside down . . .

Full of warmth and wisdom, this is a story about finding happiness on your own terms from international bestseller Cathy Kelly.

Review: This is such an original premise for a book. Three women all having milestone birthdays and not all of them quite living up to expectations. For me the strength of this book lies right here, things not living up to expectations. Cathy Kelly really sheds a lights on what being a woman at these milestone ages is actually like compared to what society deems it should be.

This book tackles some difficult issues as well and does so very well. It covers what happens when marriages end unexpectedly, the difficulty in having a baby and really delves deep into body image. I could relate to all of these characters even though I most identify with Ginger, and not just because I'm in my 30s too!

These characters are all unique but have a connection. We don't see them reveal that connection until much later on in the book. As I have mentioned above, I felt the most empathy with Ginger, she is a great character to read about and I would love to hear more from her in the future! Sam is also very easy to get along with and I can definitely see aspects of her in my girlfriends. I feel like Callie has the most thrown at her in this novel, she has a very difficult ride, even if on the surface it doesn't seem that way. 

Obviously this book has multiple narratives and I did struggle a little to identify where we were in each of the characters storylines when we picked back up with them again because each of their sections was quite long. Once I got back into each of their worlds though, I enjoyed going on this journey with them. I think this switching did slow down the pace of the book a little for me, even though I am normally a fan of a multiple narrative. Cathy Kelly's charm and wit shine through though and I say this is a plot which is unique and I'd love to see more of! 

To order your copy now, just click here!

Review: The Sunday Lunch Club by Juliet Ashton

The first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is … don't make any afternoon plans.
 
Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family and friends get together for lunch. They talk, they laugh, they bicker, they eat too much. Sometimes the important stuff is left unsaid, other times it's said in the wrong way. 
 
Sitting between her ex-husband and her new lover, Anna is coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy at the age of forty. Also at the table are her ageing grandmother, her promiscuous sister, her flamboyantly gay brother and a memory too terrible to contemplate.
 
Until, that is, a letter arrives from the person Anna scarred all those years ago. Can Anna reconcile her painful past with her uncertain future?

Review: Even just the synopsis of this book made me laugh and made me very very intrigued as to what was going to down inside the pages of this novel, so you can imagine that that reaction was increased a hundred fold once I began reading. I was drawn into this book and this family right from the word go and I didn't want the adventure to end-ever!

Anna is a fabulous main character to steer this ship and she really is the main sail of her family too. We get to know so much about her family as the book progresses, I feel like I am part of their family too. They seem to welcome everyone into the fold, not always with open arms, and so you as a reader are definitely welcomed in as well. We all have a little bit of Anna in us, she is so fiercely independent, partly through choice and partly through necessity, but that doesn't always mean that she is safe from hurt and safe from generally bad things happening to her. The way she grows and changes over the course of this book was pretty spectacular and was heart warming to the very end. 

Each Sunday lunch club is an event in itself where secrets are unearthed, revelations are made and bonds are broken and mended. Each of these lunches could be a soap opera in their own right. At the heart of these gatherings though, is that family value that runs all the way through this book. No matter who is there, where they are, what is eaten, someone always leaves feeling a little better about themselves and problems are dealt with as a group, despite what each member of the family might reveal to the others over the course of the lunch. 

There were some really funny moments in this book, Anna's 'situation' provides some humour amongst her family and it is impossible not to laugh at other people's reactions when they experience their first Sunday lunch as a friend or a lover as one of the family members in attendance. There are also some lovely moments of family rallying round each other as the book goes on, this was really great to see because four bother's and sisters and a hell of a lot of secrets doesn't always mean that will be the case. And there were of course moments that had me in tears because it would't be a Juliet Ashton Novel without emotions that are poles apart. I cried with sadness and joy though and because I really did feel like part of the family. 

This was a truly wonderful read. I barely felt able to put it down and I ended up finishing it during my own Sunday lunch time, not something I planned to do. The story is gripping, the characters endearing and I am sure that you, too, won't want it to end!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The House of Secrets by Sarra Manning

Every home has a story to tell . . .

An ordinary house on an ordinary street, built in 1936 and never lived in. Its rooms might be empty, but this house is full of secrets.

When Zoe and Win, raw and reeling from a recent tragedy, move into their new home it's meant to be a fresh start and a way to mend the holes in their relationship.

But pushed to the back of a cupboard is a suitcase that's been gathering dust for eighty years. Inside is a wedding dress, letters and a diary all belonging to a woman called Libby. And there's something else in the suitcase, something that echoes Zoe's own pain.

Zoe follows Libby's trail from Paris to Spain on the brink of Civil War to secret trysts in London, and as Libby finds the courage to live and love again, Zoe begins to let go of her own grief.

But when Libby's story takes a darker turn, Zoe becomes increasingly obsessed with discovering what really happened all those years ago. Because if Libby managed to get her happy ever after then maybe Zoe and Win can too . . .

Review: I had no idea what this was going to be about because I hadn't read the synopsis due to Sarra Manning being an auto buy author for me. I loved her last historical novel and so I knew I was probably going to like this one too. The premise behind this novel, two women who live nearly 100 years apart are linked somehow and Zoe finds sharing her pain and her difficulties with someone she has never met, someone who is long gone cathartic and healing. I don't want to say too much about the storyline because then you can go into it with a clear head as I did but I thought the whole thing was done really well. The issues covered had great comparison across the ages and yet both women's struggles were easy to relate to.

The structure of this novel is a dual narrative, we switch between LIbby's story and Zoe's story. Zoe and Win are struggling to cope with their issues and the fact that they have just moved into a fixer upper isn't helping. Both sides of the story are third person but Zoe's part is very much about moving on and moving upwards whereas Libby's story reveals slowly, building up and up. Sometimes we have things in Zoe's story that give us clues as to what kind of ending Libby is going to have and I thought the two were tied together really well. I listened to this on audiobook and there weren't different narrators for the two so it was slightly less easy to discern which storyline we were following but it was generally pretty straightforward to work it out. 

As I say, both of these women had stories one could relate to and it is safe to say that feeling don't change and wither over time. Zoe is obviously dealing with some grief and so we really do see her personality changing as she comes to terms with this more and more over the course of the book. There are moments where she suggests that she is beginning to feel more her old self and it was great to see her grow over the course of the book. Libby also grows as we get to know more and more about her. I think that she has to learn certain life lessons and that is sometimes hard to deal with but both of these women start out on the back foot and grow stronger and stronger as the novel progresses. 

There are some sad moments in this novel, some difficult moments but there were also some moments that made me laugh and moments that made me want to say 'go get 'em girl!' which was just a great balance. I had a little trouble with the dual narrative in the beginning, as I say I think this would be avoided by reading the paperback or ebook rather than the audio but the narration of the audio was great too so... I really enjoyed this read and it is safe to say that Sarra Manning is definitely still an auto buy author!

To order your copy now, click the link: UK or US

Review: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

With the Wife Project complete, Don settles into a new job and married life in New York. But it's not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it's time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style gets him into trouble. To make matters worse, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly the best model for marital happiness. As Don's life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable, he needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as practical expertise.

Review: Having loved The Rosie Project so much I was so so excited to begin this book. I dove into it straight away and then, I'm afraid I got a little bored... So, having reached the halfway pint I walked away from the novel. I left it for nearly a year and then read it in just about one go. I can't say that I enjoyed it lots more on the second attempt but I remembered why I love Professor Don Tilman so much! There were some fabulous funny moments in the novel, just like in the first book staring everyone's favourite Geek, some real laugh out loud blunders that don gets himself into so definitely be prepared to laugh! There are also some very real moments of how new parents having to cope with a rollercoater of emotions when they decided to make that jump towards parenthood and I think these were the moments I struggled with the most because I would be laughing and then I would be worried about what was going to happen in a very serious situation. 

Don is a lot more empathetic in this novel than in the previous book, his time living with Rosie obviously having taught him a lot. Rosie is just the same and I really like her in this book. Don's friends are very involved in this novel and I did have a little trouble keeping track of who was who, I'm not going to lie! Their involvement leads to a lot of hilarity though because Don is trying to do the right thing based on why they have told him and so he ends up in some compromising, unwise and sometimes illegal positions-funny though! 

I did feel at points in this book that Don's autistic nature was really misunderstood and this was very interesting because I think it is a great thing to raise awareness of the fact that autism is so generalised by people in society and yet can affect each person in a very very different way. I think it's great that a Don can bring about this awareness but I also really just wanted to know what he was going to do about Rosie and the baby. Overall I did struggle a bit with this novel but this will in no way deter me from picking up what Graeme Simsion has to offer in the future! 

To order your copy and see for yourself, click here!

Guest review: Celebrations in Burracombe by Lillian Harry

The latest book in the Burracombe series, Celebrations in Burracombedraws together many threads of life in the little Devonshire village where triumph and tragedy have always rubbed shoulders. It's the late 1950s and change is in the air. For the Napier family, up at the big house, the old ways are shifting. Hilary must discover if reaching out for a chance of happiness must mean breaking away from the life expected of her, while Patsy, their young housekeeper's help, is facing motherhood without her own family around her. Down the hill from the Napiers, villagers young and old are setting out on adventures—Stella and Felix begin married life, change comes to the village school and the Tozer family continue to find surprises in their midst. Warm, poignant and heartfelt, Celebrations in Burracombe serves up another delicious slice of country life.

This is the 9th book in the series about the little Devonshire village of Burracombe. As with all the others in the series, it is full of drama and excitement as we follow the lives of the families in the village. All of the usual characters are there, with a couple of additions. I have read all of the books in the series and look forward to each new one being published and to find out what develops for my favourite people.

I don't want to give away anything about the happenings in this book, but just to say that I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone. The writing is very strong as always, and I feel that I could walk around Burracombe and recognise the houses of the various inhabitants who feature in the series. It would be possible to read this book without having read the others in the series, as there is enough detail to fill in the past where necessary. However, I can imagine that having read this, you might well be tempted to go and catch up with what went on before.

Review: The Sw19 Club by Nicola May

What would you do if you were told you could never have children?

Faced with this news, Gracie Davies is at an all-time low. But with the support of some new Wimbledon friends, an unorthodox therapist, her hippy-chick sister Naomi and Czech call-girl Maya, she sets up The SW19 Club and begins her rocky journey to inner peace and happiness. Add in a passionate fling with handsome landscaper Ed, a fairytale encounter with a Hollywood filmstar and the persistence of her adulterous ex, life is anything but predictable… 

Review: aww, I love a Nicola May book, I've read all of her full-length novels now and picking up this latest one felt like being home. She has a fast-paced writing style that adds to the humour of her writing and the subjects she writes about are always relevant and apply to her readers. 

This book tackles the subject of miscarriage and infertility and I think that was a very brave subject to write about. I have several friends who are going through similar things to the stuff that Gracie goes through in the book and all of the content was factually correct and was dealt with in a sensitive style will just enoug to detail to please any reader. Although the subject matter is serious and is something which will pull on the emotions of most readers, the book is still a great read with plenty of other events going on and secondary storylines which are entertaining and keep the book flowing well. 

I liked Gracie as a character although she was somewhat indecisive and short tempered which occasionally annoyed me, but overall I was pleased with the ending that she got because I think that she got everything that she deserved, her relationship with her sister and her nephew is wonderful and I really enjoyed reading that part of the book, strong family relationships are so important when you are going through what Gracie was going through.  The men in the book are fairly hot and handsome, I'd didn't find myself warming to any one of them more than the others but they each had merits in their own right. There is something that one of the main male leads in the book experiences that is fairly full-on but again, this is dealt with in a sensitive way and is relevant to what people go through in real life. 

This book has short chapters and an epilogue, which I love! It meant that it was fast paced and indeed, I read this book in two sittings and found myself switching to read on my phone just so I could finish it off in bed without waking anybody up! It was entertaining, I felt like I knew Gracie and her family and I really enjoyed the endings that everybody got. Some serious issues are dealt with, real life is dealt with and it was just a well-rounded but entertaining read! 

Review: No-one has Sex in The Suburbs by Tracy Bloom

Ben and Katy haven't had sex since Ben found out about her one-night stand with her childhood sweetheart, Matthew. 

Not only that but the arrival of a new-born baby has blown their relationship apart like a hand grenade. 

Drastic measures are required, so they swap roles hoping that everyone will be happier... Only it’s not as easy as they thought. When a desperate Ben starts secretly accepting help to solve his childcare disasters – from Matthew’s wife – it could mean the end of everything. Can their relationship survive the lies and suspicions and will they ever have sex again?



Review: Just such a good book! I love Tracy Bloom's writing, if you've seen any of my other posts about her books/her, you'll know that she cracks me up, she entertains me and she always writes a good read! This book is no exception, I think it may have even got me out of a bit of an actual reading slump (not listening just reading) that's just how much I enjoyed it and its the fastest I've read a book in a while too!

I love the fact that we are revisiting old characters in this book, its a sequel and I love that. I found myself doing a bit of catching up as I went along so I think it would be really good to marathon these two books together. However, if you don't have time to do that (LIKE ME!) then Tracy does a good job of catching you up as you go along. Remember how sweet Ben and Katy were? Well they're still sweet and lovely in this novel and still doing the things you think about doing and saying but never actually do, which is always amazing to read! I love the real comedy characters in this book as well, Braindead is just amazing and had me in fits of laughter throughout and Daniel is just ace and cutting and camp and everything you want him to be!

In terms of plot in this book, you might think that its just all about babies and if you're not a fan of them you might not fancy it, but the babies in the book just provide pure comedy and so it is so worth every page. There are also issues about relationships and marriage after the baby and when you move to the suburbs (hence the title) and a good storyline about working mothers and the stigma surrounding that-which I loved! The funny bits really will have you laughing out loud at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places but it makes you feel so good!

This book is, once again, set in Leeds which is brilliant! It's always refreshing to read a book not set in London or Cornwall or a major US city these days and I like that I can recognise names and things in the city and that the characters all speak in my accent-yey! Honestly, this book is a great read and will definitely not leave you disappointed! It is funny, well-written and just thoroughly entertaining!

Review: A Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Rosie Hopkins, newly engaged, is looking forward to an exciting year in the little sweetshop she owns and runs. But when fate strikes Rosie and her boyfriend, Stephen, a terrible blow, threatening everything they hold dear, it's going to take all their strength and the support of their families and their Lipton friends to hold them together.

After all, don't they say it takes a village to raise a child? 

Review: wow-everything that could possibly happen in this novel did! Seriously, if you're looking for new drama every few pages this book has it all. I have to admit, it was a little too much drama for me in this case but I still enjoyed the novel overall. I wasn't a massive fan of the second book in this trilogy but I preserved and gave this one a go but I really think this serious would have been better remaining as just one book. Rosie Hopkins Sweetshop of Dreams was one of the my favourite novels but the subsequent sequels just didn't really do it for me and I'm not sure they really add anything to the whole Rosie Hopkins story...

The events in this book were all believable in themselves but altogether I'm not sure they could've happened to Rosie Hopkins. I love the storyline with Rosie and Stephen and their little family but the other events in this story really didn't grab me at all.  Rosie is a lovely character and I really admired her strength in the first novel but I felt in this novel she lost herself somewhat, bowing down to what others and Stephen wanted her to be. Stephen also goes back to being the sullen character that he began as in the first novel when he had come so far and I just felt that this was a shame for him! 

There is the issue in this novel of Rosie possibly having to move house and away from the village that has made her so happy and I think that this really took some of the magic out of the whole Rosie Hopkins story because this was the village that really changed her life. There were some real magical moments in the book, like Tina and her impending marriage and some bridges built with Stephen and his family, there are others that were truly lovely but I don't want to include any spoilers! 

Overall I wasn't overwhelmed by this novel but it was still an enjoyable read. It has a great catch-up section at the beginning that means even if you haven't read the other novels in the trilogy, you should be able to jump right into this one and it will work as a standalone, there is certainly enough going on that it could be a trilogy in its own right, I would definitely recommend giving the original novel a go first though if you get the chance! I enjoyed this book but it wasn't particularly Christmasy and it didn't live up the expectations that I have for a Jenny Colgan novel. This won't out me off other books by this author, but if another Rosie Hopkins sequel comes along, I won't be buying it. 

Review: The Making Of Us by Lisa Jewell

Lydia, Robyn and Dean don’t know each other – yet.

They live very different lives but each of them, independently, has always felt that something is missing.

What they don’t know is that a letter is about to arrive that will turn their lives upside down.

It is a letter containing a secret – one that will bind them together, and show them what love and family andfriendship really mean…

 

Review: I just love Lisa Jewell's writing. The way she phrases things, the comparisons she draws and the sentiments that she expresses through her writing are all just wonderful. I could list sentences I have enjoyed, phrases that have made me smile but that would be boring so I'll move on. I listened to this book on audiobook. I do have the lovely paperback with this very cover, not the other cover but i decided to go for the audiobook version as my eyes are very tired at the moment and I enjoy being read to! The audiobook was an excellent performance and so that really made this lovely writer's words come alive for me!

The premise behind this book is just wonderful and such a brave topic to cover,. This is another thing that this lovely author does so well, finds the topics that need exploring and explores them through her novels. I had never imagined children of donor parents actually finding each other and meeting up, discovering new brothers and sisters, such an original idea for a book and told in such a powerful way. Jewell is sensitive to what these children might be going through and really thinks about the ins and outs of the emotional roller coaster that they will all be riding throughout the novel. The ending is also well-written, not everything is wrapped up neatly and not everyone is happy but everyone feels they have moved forwards in some way and achieved something so the ending felt ultimately satisfying!

The Characters in this novel are real people and are a really nice mix. They could all be people you've met in your life, although I don't think I've ever come across someone who has become a millionaire through inventing odourless paint, but who knows-maybe someday! I think the character I liked most was Dean because he had the furthest journey to come through. He is real and he is measured but he was incredibly endearing and i found myself wanting to sit him down and tell him it was going to be OK. I liked the relationships between the main charaxcetrs and the minor characters and I really liked how Maggie brought everyone together. She was an understanding woman and someone i would love to meet in real life!

There are some sad moments in this book it is definitely an emotional read, although i didn't cry, but even if this is the first novel you've considered by this author, you should definitely give it a go. It is a book that makes you think, a book that teaches you something and a book that will leave you feeling satisfied and fulfilled. There are a few comedy moments but on the whole it is a thought-provoking serious read but one which is put across in a non-threatening way to make for a very enjoyable read. This writer's way with words is just a gift and so i would definitely recommend picking up this novel and giving it a go!

Review: Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlet Bailey

Tamsyn Thorne has not been back to her home town of Poldore for five long years.

But now her brother, Ruan, is about to get married and she has no excuses left.

Her plans to arrive in Cornwall looking chic and successful are dashed when a huge storm turns her from fashion goddess to a drowned rat. Worse, she ends up insulting the local hunky vicar – and then finds a tiny baby abandoned in his churchyard…

Review: so exciting to have a summer release from Scarlet Bailey this year. I don't know how the queen of Christmas managed to squeeze it in but she has done it again! This is an awesome story, completely addictive and something that everyone must read. One of the best things about this story is that it carries on from where we left Poldore in this authors latest Christmas work and so we get to catch up with old friends, in particular the loveable Buoy who saves the day constantly and of course, the lovely Alex who I'm sure you'll have fallen in love with if you've read the previous novel. If you are planning on reading Just For Christmas and haven't already, then you should read that first because this book will be full of spoilers. If you don't want to read Just For Christmas (although you should-it's awesome) then this works perfectly as a stand alone novel. If, like me, you've been excited about this novel since you read Just For Christmas, then you won't be disappointed by the turnout in this fab story! 

There is drama galore in this book. We have storms destroying towns, lost babies, but who is the mother? Wedding dresses that have to be created at the drop of a hat and warring siblings who may or may not make it up by the big day! And that's just in the first chapter! Honestly, if you're looking for a book with more twists and turns than the Monaco racetrack then you've found it here! At no point though, do you feel as if anything is unrealistic or simply sensationalist, all of the events in this book could have happened, and as you get deeper into the storyline, gasping at each page turn, you will be so absorbed in the story that of course you'll know that the vicar is going to have a whole cupboard full of dirty secrets that form a key to one of the plot twists! 

The characters in the novel are great. As well as the old favourites from the previous book we get to meet the sexy new vicar who is also a dab hand at changing nappies. Tamsyn who has just returned to Poldore from Paris and who has a complete personality transfer over the course of the book. The verger Catriona Merryweather (what an awesome name!) who has some serious secrets of her own and of course baby Mo who you will instantly fall in love with. These guys merge really well with the other characters in the novel and each play a major part in tying the whole story together. 

You honestly won't be able to put this book down, so keen will you be to find out what happens next. There is a storing message of friendship and family that runs throughout the novel and of course there is the wonderful setting in Poldore which will have you aching for the sea! You will gasp, you will laugh and you will find yourself willing two characters to hurry up and get it on already. A fab book for summer from the wonderful Scarlet Bailey! 

Review: The Three of Us by Cathy Woodman

The Three of Us is an exclusive short story introducing Zara, the village midwife whose story you can read in Follow Me Home, and bringing us up to date with what's happened to Tessa and Jack from The Village Vet

Tessa and Jack live at the animal sanctuary in Talyton St George. They had been friends for years, but it wasn't until Jack interrupted Tessa's wedding that she discovered his feelings for her were stronger than she ever knew.

Now, a year on, they could not be happier. And when Tessa discovers she's pregnant, it's as if all their dreams have come true.

But a scan shows that there are complications, and suddenly Tessa realises that Jack has always had doubts about having a baby. Supported throughout by Zara, the village midwife, Tessa and Jack have some tough decisions to make.

However, as the baby's birth draws closer, Tessa and Jack grow further apart. Will he feel differently when the baby is born? Or will having her wonderful child mean losing the man of her dreams?

Review: this was the first Cathy Woodman book I'd read because I thought it might give me a little taste of her writing, having been recommended her books in the past. I was so glad that I read this. Frustratingly I wasn't able to sit down and read it in one big chunk because life got in the way whenever I actually tried to sit down but I read it in three sittings, although I think it would be even more lovely in one. Seriously though, this author has packed so many feels into such a little novella, it's insane! 

I so enjoyed this storyline. Even though I didn't know any of the characters from previous or further novels I still managed to fall in love with them. The idea of people having a baby and everything not being exactly rosy, actual reality sets in, the fact that things go wrong, or people become unhappy I think is so realistic and needs to be written about (and not in an overly dramatic way). This had the feel of an awesome chick lit novel but is short enough to get through after work! I loved midwife Zara and so I really want to read the full novel that follows this so that I can get to know her a little bit more, she just seemed to down to earth but I'm sure she's got some secrets lurking in her past...

This was a really enjoyable book. The setting was fab because of all the animals and it was obviously a super fast read. As you can tell from the review, you don't have to have read any of this authors novels before to enjoy this although I'm sure if you're a fan of her writing and know the characters then some of the things in the story will have extra meaning for you. A lovely little treat of a novella! 

Review: Trouble by Non Pratt

In this dazzling debut novel, a pregnant teen learns the meaning of friendship—from the boy who pretends to be her baby’s father.

When the entire high school finds out that Hannah Shepard is pregnant via her ex-best friend, she has a full-on meltdown in her backyard. The one witness (besides the rest of the world): Aaron Tyler, a transfer student and the only boy who doesn’t seem to want to get into Hannah’s pants. Confused and scared, Hannah needs someone to be on her side. Wishing to make up for his own past mistakes, Aaron does the unthinkable and offers to pretend to be the father of Hannah’s unborn baby. Even more unbelievable, Hannah hears herself saying “yes.”

Told in alternating perspectives between Hannah and Aaron, Trouble is the story of two teenagers helping each other to move forward in the wake of tragedy and devastating choices. As you read about their year of loss, regret, and hope, you’ll remember your first, real best friend—and how they were like a first love.

Review: oh this book was so fast paced and easy to read it was truly a delight. I was recommended this book by so many people, and sometimes when that happens, you can end up disappointed but I really wasn't disappointed by this book. It has a little bit of everything, love, friendship, life lessons, mystery and humour, all wrapped up in just the right number of pages. The storyline isn't necessarily what you would expect from a teen pregnancy novel. The emphasis isn't totally on the pregnancy, or the taboo of being a fifteen year old with a baby bump, there is so much more to this novel and the storyline goes much deeper. Because of the mystery element of the storyline, I will avoid spoilers by saying any more. 

I actually thought Hannah was a really likeable character. To begin with I thought she was a bit of a 'popular girl' and so therefore I won't like her, but she bucks the trend, gains her own identity and I really admired her for that warming to her almost instantly then. Aaron was a firm favourite of mine right from the start. He was honourable and again, happy to be his own person. There is a mystery that surrounds both of these characters and we don't know just how sinister that mystery is, but despite that, I think I would forgive Aaron anything because he is just such a mature and likeable character. Normally the supporting characters in YA novels tend to grate on me a bit by being needy and whiney, but because these two main characters are so independent, they choose the kind of friends that I approve of and like, those who I would've chosen as my friends too! 

The ending of this novel is just fab. Things are wrapped up satisfactorily, yes, but so so much is still left open, leaving you with questions in your head, but enough resolution to be happy too. I think that the way it ended was one of my favourite things about this book. Too many books have predictable endings. Whilst we knew that eventually Hannah was going to give brith, so it is predictable in that way, there are so many things not fully tied up and resolved in a neat little package that this book can be called anything but predictable. Although this is a YA novel, I think it is definitely suited more at the upper age bracket of that genre, just because of the themes it covered. It felt like an adult book when I was reading it, but it was simply stunning for a debut novel, please tell me there's going to be more from this fab author! 

Review: Tempting Fate by Jane Green

When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt . . .

Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.

Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?

Review: I was quite excited to start this new novel by Jane Green, the blurb sounded great and, unsurprisingly, I was drawn in as soon as I began to read. Now I have a bit of a mixed relationship when it comes to Jane Green novels. She deals with some tough issues in her novels and she deals with them so well and so realistically, that I have been known in the past to really struggle to continue reading a book, or have had to overcome part of it to get to the end. This is no exception and I did find parts of this book making me cry, making me feel tense and reminding me of parts of my own life. This shows, however, just how well she writes. She can make things seem so real, and draw the reader in so much, that emotion and pain is evoked just through her words and her characters.

I really liked the main character, Gabby. She was a mom of two, she felt slightly guilty for not working, was struggling to get on with her elder teenage daughter and has to overcome an awful lot in this novel. But all of this meant that she came across as extremely real. You could genuinely picture her talking things through with herself, she could be that mum you see in the playground, the woman doing her Christmas shopping at the next till. I thought that she had integrity and courage and I really liked her. Her family are all gorgeous, even her slightly eccentric mother and I found myself liking all of them too. There appears in the book, a rift between her and her best friend Clare and I found myself disliking Clare immensely because of this, but again, all of this was very real and very believable. 

As I have already mentioned, this book deals with some tough issues. I don't want to give anything away so I won't go into it, but the storyline did have me shedding a few tears at various points along the way. There were also some genuinely heartwarming moments that made me go aww, and all of it seemed like it could have actually happened which was great! Gabby is an English woman who moved to the states and most of the story is set in Connecticut. I loved the setting and the descriptions of Main Street and of the various houses and other settings in the book were written beautifully so you could really picture yourself there.

Despite the book dealing with some tough issues it still kept a good pace. I read this novel in a couple of days and found it to be a real page turner, I wanted to know how Gabby was going to deal with the next issue she faced, and I did really enjoy it. If you are a fan of Jane Greens style and her other novels then this is very much in the same vein and you will not be disappointed. If you are looking for something overly sexual or something very lighthearted then you're probably best not to start with this novel. This is definitely one that should be enjoyed with a big cup of tea or coffee on a crisp autumn day and will definitely keep you warm against the British winter! 

If you fancy grabbing a copy of this for yourself, just click here 

And don't forget you can follow this author on Twitter @JaneGreen

Review! No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday by Tracy Bloom

Never has a late-night stand led to such chaos!

Childhood sweethearts Matthew and Katy agree they must never see each other ever again after they end up in bed together following a school re-union.

So all is forgotten...until eight months later when a shock meeting at an antenatal class forces them to confront the fact that Matthew could be the father of Katy's baby. Oblivious to the mayhem unfolding, Matthews highly strung wife frets over giving birth to twins and Katy's much younger boyfriend refuses to take fatherhood seriously.

Love and life are messy but Katy and Matthew take things to a whole new level as deep emotions begin to resurface and hormones run riot.

How will they navigate their way through this almighty pick-up?

Review: wow, what an unexpected gem! I downloaded this book after hearing some good things about it on twitter. I love the title, I think it's definitely something to get head turning in a bookshop or online, straight and to the point, so that, initially, was what attracted me to the book. But when I started reading I actually found it to be a real page turner! Right from the word go, we find out that our heroine Katy isn't exactly happy to be pregnant, and underneath it all, she isn't really looking forward to the prospect of motherhood, and the changes it will bring...

But the book is about so much more than that. We get to travel back in time to when Katy met Ben, back to school where she met Matthew, and where Matthew met his wife Alison. What follows is a twisted romp of a novel involving all four of them in ways you would never expect! It's so well written because I really felt like I was there with the characters, in the antenatal classes, at disaster out weddings and even on the labour ward! I also like that fact that it was set mainly in Leeds, I like a northern novel-but them I'm entirely biased! 

Katy was a fabulous character. A really strong female. And yet, as I said, she seems almost in denial about the baby coming and her complicated situation entirely! She has bought some of the baby stuff but it still sits in bags in the bedroom. Despite being strong, she does succumb to the hormones of pregnancy in some parts, there are some very funny moments when this happens! Her boyfriend Ben, who is 8 years younger than her, also seems in denial about the baby, he goes through a lot over the course of the story and becomes a much stronger person because of it. I started out disliking him but by the end of the book I was rooting for him all the way!

Initially I liked Matthew but the more I got to know him, find out about his relationship with Katy and his relationship with Allison, I really began to dislike him, he and Ben switched places by the end of the novel for me. I felt really sorry for Allison throughout the whole thing, and not just because she is expecting twins! I really hope that she has a happy ending. The fact that I felt worried for her by the end of the book shows how well written the whole thing was.

I think that this book would be a fabulous addition to anyone's summer reading list, add it to your kindle now. It's fast-laced and fun, but at the same time, very real. I think there is something in here for everyone, and will be looking forward to hearing much more from this author in the future!

You can follow this author on twitter @TracyBBloom

Or click here to buy this fabulous novel!

Top Ten Tuesday

                                        

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. 

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

What a great first top ten Tuesday for me! I get to share my top ten recommendations with you guys!

OK, I wanted to go for a mix of newer stuff that I've fallen for recently alongside stuff that has been a firm favourite of mine since I was younger...

If you haven't already read One Day then I can't recommend this more. It is a totally fabulous read but definitely one where you will have to have the tissues at the ready. The film doesn't do it any kind of justice, so if you're thinking-I've seen the film, I don't need to read the book-think again, and add it to your TBR list now!

I read my first Marian Keyes book when I was 18 and this was it. The first in the Walsh family series. I loved reading about Clare struggle with pregnancy and then into motherhood. This is still my favourite Marian Keyes read!

My next two recommendations are also baby related, and also the first books I read by these authors. Rowan Coleman's the baby group is again, my favourite of her novels. I read both of these books in the same week and both were devoured in one sitting. Milly Johnson's Yorkshire pudding club also has the added bonus of being set in Yorkshire (where I'm from) and so that added an extra element of familiarity for me. Both of these would be fabulous read for anyone whether they are a mother or not!

My next two recommendations feature my favourite setting for any book ever-New York. I love anything set in New York, movies and TV shows included. Miranda Dickinson's novel really is a true fairytale! I read it on a flight over to the states and the time just flew by because I was so completely engrossed in this novel! Lindsey Kelk's novel marks the first of her 'I Heart' series and introduces us to Angela Clark and her flight to New York after the discovery that her man had been cheating on her. This is yet another novel you will not want to put down and all in the 'I Heart' series are wonderfully quick reads.

I had to include a foody novel in here so I chose the wonderfully pink Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe. This book has it all, a great setting, a wonderfully strong heroine, a love story and of course delicious descriptions of yummy, scrummy cupcakes! As ever, the book does come with a warning in that it may wreck your diet, but believe me, this cosy novel is totally worth it. It is the first in Colgans 'food' novels (see my review of The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris) and in my opinion, this is the best, even though the others are all totally fab too!

I read this next novel at the end of last year and had to keep quiet about it for ages until it came out at the start of this year. This is another one that you absolutely have to read with a box of tissues (and preferably a cuddle) close to hand. It is so beautifully written. Having read Ali Harris's debut novel Miracle on Regent street and loved it, I was desperate to read this one, and it completely exceeded my expectations. It really does have it all and will appeal to most readers, not just chick lit fans!

 

My next recommendation was actually bought for my by my dad one Christmas. Again this was the first Sophie Kinsella novel I read and being a shopaholic myself, I knew straight away I would love it. It is actually full of humour as well as a strong economic message. I don't think i have laughed as much reading a book as when i first read Bridge Jones's Diary...

Of course therefore I have to finish with Bridget Jones's Diary-the original and best. If you haven't read this, even if you didn't enjoy the film, you should make time in your schedule for this one. I think this was one of the first full adult books that I read after progressing from 'teen fiction' as it was at the time, and it just ignited the flame in my love of reading once and for all. You will laugh, you will identify, you will be desperate to read the sequel. And with the third novel in the works at the moment, what better time for a recommendation than now?

All of these novels represent some of my favourite authors as well as my favourite reads and you really can't go wrong with any of these wonderful writers, whether you  have read novels by them before or not, these books are my Top Ten Tuesday Mose Recommended.