Review: I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Everyone has secrets. What if you can't remember yours? 

'How long have you been sitting out here?'
'I got here yesterday.'
'Where did you come from?'
'I have no idea.'

Lily has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night, she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. 

Alice finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement, she invites him into her home.

But who is he, and how can she trust a man who has lost his memory?

Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can't remember lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell's brilliant new novel.

Review: As the years have gone on, Lisa Jewell's writing has taken on a whole new form. This novel is really quite different from her previous novels, it reminded me a lot of The Truth about Melody Brown but with a male protagonist instead, I really enjoyed this very original novel!

This book is told from varying times and narratives, all woven together with Lisa Jewell's fabulous linguistic skill. The way this book is structured, it draws you in and makes you definitely utter that phrase 'one more chapter!' I think this was definitely my favourite aspect of this novel. I love a dual or multiple narrative, and because of the mystery aspect of this particular novel, you have to keep reading on to see what clues there are, as to the mystery man, in the next section of the book!

I didn't necessarily warm to the characters in this novel as much as I did to some of the other characters that Lisa has created. Lily's side of the story is definitely very interesting and definitely helps lead us to who the mystery man might be, but we don't learn an awful lot about her as a person, we don't need to, and so I think this is why I didn't warm to her. Alice is the classic mother hen and I really like the fact that she has to push her own boundaries in order to look closer to see not just a man who needs her help but someone she can help discover who he is! The man in question is definitely interesting and I loved finding out more and more about him and the story unravels. 

Another things about this book that I definitely did identify with was that one of the main families is from Harrogate and another is from Croydon, that's basically my marriage and so that was fun to read! Overall this was an incredibly engrossing book. I love Lisa Jewell as a writer and she has the power to hook me in and keep me turning pages until that book is done! I definitely recommend this book to Lisa Jewell fans, and if you are new to this author then you are definitely in for a treat!

To order your copy now, click here!

Blog Tour Guest Review: The New Beginnings Coffee Club by Samantha Tonge

It's our stop on the blog tour for The New Beginnings Coffee Club by Samantha Tonge, because what are better than coffee shops? Please see my review and buy links below and don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for even more content and reviews! Here's what it's all about:

Everyone deserves a second chance…don’t they?

Jenny Masters finds herself living the modern dream. Wife to a millionaire, living in a mansion and mother to Kardashian-obsessed ten-year-old April, there isn’t anything missing. Until, her whole world comes crashing down, forcing Jenny and April to leave behind their glittering life and start over with nothing.

With village gossip following her wherever she goes, she finds refuge and a job in the new coffee shop in town. As the days pass Jenny fears she doesn’t have what it takes to pick herself back up and give April the life she always wanted to. But with the help of enigmatic new boss Noah, and housemate Elle, Jenny realises it’s never too late to become the woman life really intended you to be!

Review: I haven't read many books by Samantha Tonge, and was delighted to have the chance to read and review this latest story. I wasn't sure what to expect from the title, but found a really gripping story of betrayal and, most of all, self discovery within its covers. 

The main characters in the story are Jenny Masters and her 10-year-old daughter, April. Jenny's dream-world existence with wealthy husband Zak suddenly comes to an end she had not foreseen, and she and April have to adjust to a new life style. Jenny is not used to having to find her own way in the world, but, incredibly, finds a new home and a job at the village coffee shop, the Coffee Club, working and living with owner Noah and friend Elle. Their new life teaches Jenny and April much about themselves and also about the kindness found in others. Many other village inhabitants also feature in the story, giving some added humour and also a reflection of the strong community spirit often found in village life. 

I really liked Jenny. She doesn't mess about feeling sorry for herself when disaster strikes. She just knuckles down and gets on with her life, putting her daughter's interests and happiness above all else while also making a path for herself. I greatly admired Noah for offering a home and a paid job to a person he barely knew. There was obviously more to him than was immediately apparent. It was really fascinating peeling back the layers of both Noah and Elle to uncover what was going on beneath the surface. 

I very much enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, and I found myself quite engrossed in the story, eager to discover what was going to be revealed. Indeed, it is the kind of story that could pull you in and make you lose track of time - perfect for a holiday read. 

To order your copy now, click here!

Review! The Accident by C L Taylor.

The person you trust most may only be telling you half the story …

Fast-paced, suspenseful, this is a book with more twists than a helter-skelter that will keep you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep and Gone Girl.

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

There is a lot that Sue doesn’t know about Charlotte’s life. But then there’s a lot that Charlotte doesn’t know about Sue’s …

Review: wow this is going to be a really hard review to write without giving anything away. Firstly I wasn't sure I was going to like this book because I had heard so much hype about it and also, it not usually my kind of book, I'm normally put off if the word thriller is used on the back! What a thriller this was too. It was a veritable roller later of emotions that had you turning each sage, eager to find out what had happened! The structure of the story is such that you can't not read on. It consists of present day followed by a flashback taken from the mothers diary. There are also some flashbacks in the present day section of the book, looking back just a few years to events that had happened between husband and wife, mother and daughter. 

The mother is the story is the main character, even though the person who has been hit by the bus is Charlotte, her daughter. I had a really mixed relationship with Sue, the mother. At first I was completely on her side and then with each flashback and look forwards I switched between sympathising for her, thinking she was deranged and completely rooting for someone to come and help her, solve all her problems. The same goes for Brian, Charlotte's dad. He is a politician and so I naturally didn't trust him but I really wanted him to be happy and successful, but also felt he was being unsupportive of his wife and family. I didn't like any of Charlotte's friends, I thought they were all very self-centred but this was a necessary character flaw to allow the story to develop and progress the way that it did! 

There is a very evil character in this story, I'm not sure I've ever had such hatred for a character. I think it's possibly because they remind me of someone I know, but that aside, they were a scheming psychopaths which is obvious right from the moment we meet them. The build up of all the evil things this character has done was one of the most exciting parts of the story, as is finding out about Charlotte and her character. She seems like the perfect straight-laced student but there is most certainly more to her than meets the eye, and reading about her mother searching through her various friends and acquaintances to find out what is highly entertaining. 

The events that unfold are just all so unbelievable and yet entirely believable based on what you already know about the characters and what's gone on before, it's honestly such a thrill to read. I'm not normally a fan of anything so mysterious but it was written in such a way that was just so compelling I was hooked and literally could not put the book down! There are a few bits which definitely made me wince, so horrible was the plight of a victim but overall it was just a really driven storyline. There was even a moment when I gasped 'oh my god!' Whilst reading in a busy airport so I definitely recommend this book to anyone-make it your next read!

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