Review: Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk

Everyone loves a bridesmaid - except Maddie, who’s perpetually asked to be one.

Everyone loves a wedding - except Maddie’s best friend, who’s getting divorced.

And everyone loves the way Maddie’s so happy behind the scenes - except Maddie herself.

One best friend is in wedding countdown while the other heads for marriage meltdown. And as Maddie juggles her best chance at promotion in years with bridezilla texts and late-night counselling sessions, she starts to wonder – is it time to stop being the bridesmaid?

Review: a new Lindsey Kelk book is always a delight and this one was no exception. This book is fairly different from her other novels and yet still has that fabulous Lindsey Kelk sense of humour and charm about it-fans will not be disappointed. One of the things I like most about Lindsey Kelk's writing style is that she says what we're all thinking. I particularly like a line in the novel where she references look at someones baby scan by pointing out that you're looking at the inside of someones uterus! This storyline in particular is incredibly relevant to those of us who are at the age when all our friends are getting married. The endless cycle of hen parties and weddings and often, the bridesmaids dresses too (my most recent one was red like the one on the cover!)

Maddie is an interesting character. I loved reading about her over the course of this book because she seems to be fearless. She just goes for what she wants and doesn't care how she looks doing it, she has no shame and I think that's an ace way to be in life! Her friends on the other hand, i didn't have so much love for. Lauren seemed incredibly spoiled to me and like the kind of high maintenance friend we all try and phase out eventually. Sarah seemed a little bit more sensible and I liked her a little more but I did feel that she was trying to put a brave face on her divorce and that if she had've just let herself wallow for a bit then her emotions wouldn't have gotten the better of her at pivotal points during the wedding planning. 

Of course there are some male interests in this book-it couldn't be a Lindsey Kelk novel without a delicious guy or two to lust over and there are males a plenty in this novel. I kind of don't want to mention how many or who because I don't want to give anything away but there is a moment where Maddie is romanced to the hilt, proper old Hollywood style, and this was just a joy to read. This book had me laughing hysterically in points. I read the majority of this at an airport or on a plane which was a little embarrassing but totally worth the laughs because I just relate to Lindsey's humour so much! Even if you haven't read any other Kelk novels, you should pick this one up. Its relatable, romantic, funny and so so true to life. I loved the ending and its just a great read!












Review: 

Review! Popular: A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen

Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular? 

The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise—meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya’s journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.

Review: oh my goodness I learnt so much from this book! I didn't expect to learn anything for the book-I thought it looked like a fun read and loved the concept of someone taking a 1950s popularity guide and apply it to modern day teenage popularity but wow, this book was so much more than that! I learnt about what life is like in a modern day middle school, I learnt how teenagers cope with death of those younger and older than them, I learnt about what it is like to live on the US/Mexican border and I learnt what US teenagers really think about popularity...

I loved the way Maya decided to structure her experiment and then her subsequent book on the experiment, focusing on a different popularity tip each month. I thought some of her findings were absolutely hilarious! But at the same time, some of them had results which saddened me somewhat, and sometimes I really didn't want her to carry on. Obviously I knew that she would be carrying on, otherwise there wouldn't have been a book! I thought the way she ended the experiment was absolutely fabulous as well.

The voice of this author is so strong and so wonderfully familiar, I felt as if she were actually my friend and I became part of her family for the duration of the book, for someone to have a strong a voice as this at such a young age is something truly spectacular. I think I could have read this book if it we double or even table the length because it just captured me so much. I found it was an easy book to pick up where you left off and so good for me to read over a particularly busy weekend. This book has the makings of an amazing film and is a must read for anyone wonder what being popular is all about. It will reassure you of your self worth and give you hope that we are actually only human at the end of the day whilst entertaining you, making you laugh, possibly making you cry and making you think. A truly fabulous book and something which everyone should make their next read! 

Review: One Moment One Morning by Sarah Rayner

The Brighton to London line. The 07:44 train. Carriages packed with commuters. A woman applies her make-up. Another occupies her time observing the people around her. A husband and wife share an affectionate gesture. Further along, a woman flicks through a glossy magazine. Then, abruptly, everything changes: a man has a heart attack, and can't be resuscitated; the train is stopped, an ambulance called. For at least three passengers on the 07:44 on that particular morning, life will never be the same again. Lou witnesses the man's final moments. Anna and Lou share a cab when they realise the train is going nowhere fast. Anna is Karen's best friend. And Karen? Karen's husband is the man who dies. Telling the story of the week following that fateful train journey, One Moment, One Morning is a stunning novel about love and loss, about family and - above all - friendship. A stark reminder that, sometimes, one moment is all it takes, it also reminds us that somehow, and despite everything, life can and does go on.

Review: I got this book on audiobook after being sent a review copy of this authors latest book and wanted a bit of background from this author before I began her latest offering. Wow how have I never read anything by this author before? I loved this book and felt compelled to sit in my car after arriving home just so I could listen to the end of a chapter or disc of this book. I fell in love with the fast paced storyline, the characters with hidden depths and the lovely writing in this truly different novel. 

Although this book begins with a dealt hand deals with grief, hidden secrets and a certain amount of questionable life choices, it really is a heart warming story! As I have already mentioned, this book is extremely fast paced, meaning that you will find yourself compelled to keep tuning it's pages to find out what is going to happen next to each of these characters. It begins with a train journey and then a death and then spirals out from there. The three woman in particular who surround the death in the beginning of the book all have their own issues and problems in their own lives and yet are brought together in this situation and form a strong friendship, tested to its limits by each of their own life situations. 

I really genuinely loved all three of the women in this novel, something which I don't often say. They may have made some mistakes I their lives but the strength they exhibit in this book is truly admirable. I really liked lou, it has to be said. She is level headed and strong, she knows what to do in emergency situations and she selflessly helps Anna and Karen cope with their grief. Ann really comes into her own after the death of Kren's husband. She has a lot going on in her own life, her storyline in particular was extremely well written and made me feel very uncomfortable at times, but these desperate times cause her to question the choices she has made, and make some changes in her own life, all for the better, and all of which I championed. Karen is a pillar of strength for all. Coping with her children and her life when her husband has suddenly died is a massive thing and yet she does so with decency and decorum and still has the time for her friendship with Anna. 

The storyline is extremely well written and I loved the Brighton setting, I could cuter myself there! I loved the ending as well, it was everything I wanted and more. As I've mentioned, some of the parts of the book were hard to deal with and I shed a few tears, but overall this was uplifting and left me feeling satisfied after a very good read. I can't wait to read the next one now!