REVIEW: The Garden of Memories by Amanda James

The Garden of Memories by Amanda James

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Read: 20th July 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 20th June 2024

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

People are like flowers. If you give them the right environment in which to grow, they bloom.

With nothing but time on her hands, retired nurse Rose Lanyon finds herself drawn to the garden that had once been her husband’s pride and joy.

It may have started as a means of honouring her husband’s memory, but her little Cornish garden soon becomes so much more – a place where the lost and lonely can find solace, the forgotten can be remembered, and second chances take bloom. Because, as long as new life is growing, there will always be hope and new memories to make…

MY THOUGHTS:

This book is difficult for me to describe. It's a story about friendship, community and self discovery centred around a garden that becomes the centrepiece for this tale...and one of many memories. It is a beautiful story that's happy, sad and bittersweet. But most of all, it is feel-good.

Rose Lanyon prepares for her last day at work - a job she has held for the past 30 years as a nurse in the local GP practice. But now Rose is retiring and losing her identity as a nurse to become...what, exactly?

Her first day of freedom, so to speak, has her pondering her new found freedom and questioning what she's to do with the rest of her life. The old hippy woman down the road dressed in loud garish outfits may well pass judgement on her as she sees Rose pottering uselessly about hr garden, knowing full well she knows nothing about gardening. This was her late husband Glen's domain. 

And just like that, a seed is planted...

Before long, Rose has befriended the hippy woman, Flora, from down the road. And discovers she has a sad story of her own, and her own memories to share. Soon one friend becomes three then four and it isn't long before Rose's seed of an idea begins to bloom as her garden of memories flourishes under the tender loving care of all who visit.

And everyone who does visit comes away feeling rvitalised, refreshed and renewed. The garden has a calming effect, bringing a sense of calm and peace in an otherwise busy world. And together in their garden of memories, Rose finds new purpose and new friendships...and together they bloom. Just like her garden of memories.

I really didn't know what to write about this book. I enjoyed it but I admit I did struggle with it a little too. Maybe because it is not my usual genre and maybe my reading slump isn't helping. But I did enjoy it and found myself wishing I was in that very garden amidst the scents and fragrances and vibrant colours. Especially the honeysuckle...I miss honeysuckle. I loved it in our garden as a child.

A delightful read about the therapeutic power of nature.

I would like to thank #AmandaJames, #Netgalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #TheGardenOfMemories in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Amanda James has written since she was a child, and as an eight-year-old, she asked her parents for a typewriter for Christmas. She never imagined her words would ever be published. Then in 2010, after many twists and turns, the dream of becoming a writer came true when she had her first short story published. She left teaching in 2013 to pursue her dream full-time.

Originally from Sheffield, Amanda now lives in Cornwall and is inspired every day by the wild and beautiful coastline near her home. She has many suspense novels set there, but her last few books have been uplifting in nature with a twist of magic. She loves writing feel-good reads and has decided the world needs more joy in it right now, and her plan is to write many more novels in that genre.  Amanda can usually be found playing on the beach with her family, or walking the cliff paths planning her next book.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher

Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher

Genre: Women's fiction, Contemporary fiction, Family drama

Read: 9th January 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 5th August 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Could you take in your best friend’s child, even if it risked destroying your own family?

Jo had thought that her life – and her heart – was full. With a busy job, a husband and a teenage daughter who is going off the rails, keeping her life running smoothly had already felt hard enough.

But now Jo sits at the funeral of her best friend Ginny, crushed by the loss of a friendship that had endured for thirty years: from college and their first days at work through to settling down and raising their own children.

Against her husband’s wishes, Jo has made a life-changing decision: to take in Ginny’s teenage son Victor and raise him as her own. Despite her misgivings, Jo feels she had no choice: Ginny was a single parent and Victor had no other family who could take care of him.

But Victor’s arrival is about to break open the fragile cracks that were already forming on the surface of Jo’s family life and in her small rural community… and expose a secret that has remained hidden for many years, with devastating consequences.

From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before, Another Woman’s Child is an unputdownable and heartbreaking read about the secrets we keep from our families, and the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

MY REVIEW:

I had a whole barrage of thoughts to on this book as I ploughed through it but now that I have come to review it they all seem to escape me. On the whole, I am in two minds about the book as I am not a slow paced type of reader and as the story played out for pretty much the entire first half, it pretty much read more like the joys of parenting obnoxious moody teenagers...not to mention the gossip mongering and narrow-mindedness of so-called friends who were quick to judge another parent's child whilst defending the honour and accomplishments of their own. 

The story begins with Ginny ruminating over the choice she has made, the secret she must keep whilst leaving readers wondering what is so massive that she, who processes everything by telling everyone, kept schtum on this...whatever "this" was. It is clear that Ginny is faced with coming clean in the face of death...and yet she chose not to. Why? We had yet to find out.

Jo and Ginny had been best friends for nearly thirty years so when Ginny lay on her deathbed succumbing to the cancer that was flooding her body, she pleaded with Jo to take in her seventeen year old son Victor. Jo never gave the option much thought but had thought it best to run it by hubby Patrick before making the decision. But dealing with the throes of teenage angst in the form of their own sixteen year old daughter Phoebe, they were both reluctant to take on another woman's child and therefore adding to their troubles.

However, as Ginny neared the end and she upped the ante in begging, Jo felt she couldn't say no to her best friend. After all, Victor had no one else but his ailing grandfather who was in no fit state to care for him. And so, she said yes. Patrick was far from pleased and begrudgingly travelled the three hours or so to Cardiff from their little village Sussex to bring Victor home with them. Relations were strained from the beginning as each tiptoed around the other in trying to accommodate the grieving young man. Phoebe was far from impressed with having to share her attention which manifested itself in even worse behaviour that had played out before this. 

And so there were parties, drunken nights out, a car accident fuelled by smoking weed, shoplifting and generally acting out. As if that wasn't enough, now that drugs appeared to be in the picture, the finger was firmly pointed in Victor's direction. After all, nothing like this had ever happened in sleepy Snedhurst until a black teenage boy came to live in their midst. Now it's all drug-fuelled orgies and whispers in dark alleys with the sleight of hand exchange for weed and goodness knows what else. I mean, who'd have thought these innocent girls would be snorting coke on the best silver until "he" turned up corrupt them?

So Jo not only had to grieve for her best friend in private, for fear of upsetting Victor in his own grief, but she had to contend with the obnoxious teenage angst and outbursts from a somewhat out of control Phoebe who obviously thought the world revolved around her as well as the neighbourhood gossips who believed that Victor had come to their village with the express intention of corrupting their virtuous teenage community. People who she had thought were her friends turned on her as quick as the whispers that flowed through the village.

And just when she thought things could get any worse, she is hit with a bombshell secret she never saw coming which thus sent her spiralling into an abyss of guilt and blame. How could she not have known? How could she not have seen this coming? And how could the people she loved the most in this world betray her in the worst possible way?

While thoughtful and compelling, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD is very slow to start. However, I wanted to know what the big secret was and how everything was going to pan out. Of course, I couldn't wait to see hypocritical Faye get her comeuppance when the tables are turned and she sees her own daughter for who she really is instead of keeping the blinkers in place preventing her from doing so whilst systematically shifting the blame solely onto Phoebe and then Victor. The other parents play little part in comparison to Faye who was meant to be Jo's best friend in the village.

To be honest, I struggled with the first half, I really did. I found everyone thoroughly annoying except for Jasmine, the mother who didn't get quite so much spotlight as evil Faye, and who always had a crocodile of colourful children following in her wake, and of course the strong silent resilience of Victor who had lost his mother so young and was trying to navigate a new life, a new school and a new family all at the same time in the midst of the quagmire. And yet, he was far wiser beyond his years.

I didn't really warm to Jo and was aghast at the way she allowed Phoebe to talk to her. If I'd have spoken to my parents like that I would have been grounded till I was 70! The complete and utter disrespect she shows her mother is mind-boggling. I know we've all been teenagers and have had to navigate hormones and adolescence, but I don't remember ever being so disrespectful as she is. And Jo just let her walk all over her, citing that pushing her will only escalate the issue. Had Phoebe been taught to respect boundaries when she was younger then she would have been less likely to be so disrespectful now. But hey, what do I know? I did , however, find Faye a little too quick to lay all the blame at Phoebe's feet and criticise Jo for her parenting skills in that passive aggressive way that sounds like she's joking but she's really not.

And yet despite all the angst, disrespect and prejudice in the slowish start, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD picked up its pace in the second half as secrets and truths were were slowly revealed. I had worked out the "big secret" as I pieced the little clues together that had been peppered throughout and was left in tears by the end. Not in a sad way but a happy way. I was actually laughing through my tears, particularly at Jo's mum's impromptu speech in her oh-so-diplomatic way...lol

A reasonably good read, ANOTHER WOMAN'S CHILD will delight fans of contemporary women's  fiction who enjoy the slow pace through an emotional journey that is thoughtful and compelling.

I would like to thank #KerryFisher, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #AnotherWomansChild in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kerry Fisher was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent many years living in Spain, Italy and France. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. 

Other than reading and writing, Kerry loves cooking, entertaining, wine and friends. Though she admits to be being not very groomed and a bit messy.

She now lives in Surrey with her very tolerant husband, with an intermittent empty nest as her two young adult children come and go.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer

My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer

Genre: Women's fiction, Contemporary fiction, Family drama

Read: 5th January 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 29th July 2020

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Nobody talks about my mother. Absolutely nobody. I have no idea what she was like. I’d always thought they kept quiet about her because they were sad. But what if it was because they were guilty?

I watch them at the school gates, all the mothers with their daughters. I see the hugs and all those thoughtful little adjustments to scarves and ponytails. How their love seems to overflow, they have so much of it to give.

And then I walk home to my aunt’s cold house, where there are a hundred rules for me to follow and only a single photograph of my mother to look at.

She is never spoken about in this house. They tell me that it will be easier if I don’t think about her.

It is strange though, isn’t it? That I know nothing about my own mother?

But they don’t know about the diary I’ve found up in the loft. Maybe they even forgot it was there. It doesn’t matter anymore if they won’t tell me anything. Because within these pages is what I’ve waited fourteen years to find out. And maybe some things I wish I could forget.

All I wanted was to bring our family closer together, but could what I find tear us apart instead?

A heartbreaking and powerful novel about family secrets and how we live with decisions we never thought we would have to make. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Kate Hewitt and Amanda Prowse.

MY REVIEW:

As soon as I read the premise for MY MOTHER'S CHOICE, I was immediately intrigued. Anything that involves a secret diary elicits an expectation of some big reveals that will either shock or pull at the heartstrings. And even better, it is written in a dual timeline format (my favourite kind) with the secrets of the past unfolding through the said diary, whilst the present struggles to make sense of the past.

Dani is 14 and lives with her Aunt Carrie, her mother's sister, in the house in which the sisters grew up in the town of Kettlebridge. She sees her father every once in a while but more often than not, he's just someone who turns up sometimes with a gift or a few words of chastisement, usually at her aunt's beckoning.

But this is not a normal family. They are not demonstrative, emotive even remotely likeable. They just barely function. And Dani prefers to spend her time alone in her room building a fictional city with fictional people in SIMS. Most of the time her aunt generally doesn't know what to do with her. And that suits Dani just fine.

But no one talks about her mother. Not ever. All she was told was that she died when Dani was four years old.

Dani is not stupid. She knows there are things her aunt and her father aren't telling her. And now she is older she has questions. Why is her father so distant? Why is her aunt so aloof, cold even? And why does no one ever talk about her mother?

All Dani has of her mother is a photo of the two of them taken shortly before she died. She looked so happy and carefree as they traipsed through a canopy of cherry blossoms with an exuberant four year old Dani clasping her hand. her mother looks back over her shoulder with a shadow of a smile while only the back of Dani is visible. What was she happy about that day? What made her look back and smile at the photographer, presumably her dad? Particularly when the child in the photo was so intent on her destination? Or maybe it was the adventure she was wrapped up in?

Why is this the only photo she has of her mother? Surely, if she was as loved by both her dad and her aunt there are bound to be more photos? But not one exists on display in her aunt's home and there are definitely none in her father's cottage either. It's like they had both wiped away her memory, leaving only one photo for Dani. Why?

So when Dani begins voicing her thoughts to her friend Josie, her friend plants the seed that grows into an idea that maybe there is something of her mother hidden away. And the only place it could be is in the loft where aunt Carrie stores the things she doesn't want to think about. So with Josie's help, Dani climbs into the loft and searches for something...anything...that could shed any light on the mystery that is her mother. She comes across a notebook in an unfamiliar hand in an all but empty trunk and a quick peruse reveals it to be her mother's.

Armed with her mother's diary, Dani embarks on a journey into the past that she begins to read in the cover of darkness and learns a secret no one ever wanted her to know. Can she trust her aunt and her father again?

A story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her mother's death and this long hidden secret, it's no surprise that it all ended up in a tragedy that no one could have foreseen. Least of all Dani. But her search for answers lead her to a shocking truth she wasn't expecting. And suddenly, Dani doesn't know how she can ever trust or forgive her aunt or father again.

One confession...that's all it took to change the course of Dani's life. And then it's the secrecy that came with it; the fact nobody told you; kept it hidden; made you believe something else entirely. 

A story about love,  betrayal, secrets, regrets and forgiveness, MY MOTHER'S CHOICE is an emotional read but it didn't have me reaching for the tissues, despite the heartbreak. I think because Dani was such a capable and independent character for her age I sometimes felt I couldn't connect with her. Her aunt and father were even less relatable, given their distance and aloofness. And her mother, Laura, almost seemed like something surreal. A mysterious presence just out of reach (not in a paranormal way); more like an ideal rather than a memory or a reality.

I did enjoy this book but I didn't love it. I felt there was something missing that it too felt a little out of reach. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there even if it's not. My least favourite part of the book was the ending. I felt like all that effort and for what? The hospital scene I expected something a little more left of field rather than what actually happened. It felt as if a connection had been missed that should have been made which would have made it more heartfelt and me possibly reaching for the tissues. As it were, it didn't. But I still enjoyed it...just not as much as I could have maybe.

Still a good read for fans of women's contemporary fiction that weave emotional tales such as Kerry Fisher and Amanda Prowse.

I would like to thank #AliMercer, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyMothersChoice in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ali decided she wanted to be a writer early on and wrote her first novel when she was at primary school. She did an English degree and spent her early twenties working in various jobs in journalism, including as a reporter for the showbusiness newspaper The Stage. She started writing fiction in earnest after getting married, moving out of London to the Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon and starting a family. She has two children, a daughter and a son who is autistic and was diagnosed when he was four years old.

Ali is fascinated by families, their myths and secrets, and the forces that hold them together, split them up and (sometimes) bring them back together again. She always travels with tissues and a book and has been known to cry over a good story, but is also a big fan of the hopeful ending.

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REVIEW: Mum's the Word by Lorraine Turnbull

Mum's the Word by Lorraine Turnbull

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction, General fiction

Read: 2nd September 2021

Goodreads

Amazon -UK

Amazon - US

Published: 22nd April 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

When Ann-Marie Ross murders her abusive husband and feeds him to the pigs, she thinks she's got away with murder and secured the future of her Scottish cider farm. But she soon finds herself having to keep more than one deadly secret to protect those closest to her.

As four women embrace their new-found independence, Ann-Marie is tormented by the threat of discovery.

A darkly comic tale of murder, friendship and Love.

MY REVIEW:

I am so glad I came across this book! It's not my usual genre...in fact I'm not really sure what genre to place it under as it has a little bit of everything in it - a little contemporary, a little of women's fiction and even a little bit of crime. But it's such a fun tale and a tangled web of a different kind. There is humour and wit and even a bit of romance. I loved it! I dare you not to pick up this book and enjoy it!

The story opens quite frankly and shockingly with Ann-Marie and her best friend Elaine carrying out the perfect murder of Ann-Marie's bullying husband Billy aka Bull. From there on in, this dark comedy of sorts takes the reader on a somewhat hilarious journey in which four women bond over love, life and death. Bull is barely cold when Ann-Marie begins making plans for the family farm in which the pigs that feasted on dear hubby are out and her apple orchards and cider making are back in. She soon takes on a couple of staff to do the heavy lifting in the form of Roddy and Duncan who help her with the harvesting, fruit pressing and hay baling. Ann-Marie's big plans also include a taproom and a shop for visitors to sample and purchase their cider and various cuts of meat.

But along the way, Ann-Marie must first go through the motions of a funeral, the dispersing of Bull's ashes and the Fatal Accident Inquiry into his death since it occurred at his place of work. Along the way she attracts the attention of her family's solicitor, Jim Muir, who is on hand to help her through what is essentially a difficult time. Jim has a soft spot for Ann-Marie but she's not keen on another relationship...not when she's finally shot of Bull after thirty years of hellish marriage.

Ann-Marie's mother Isa, who has been recovering from a small stroke, is suspicious. All those whispers between her daughter and Elaine, and then there was the racket in the pig pen the day of Bull's demise, not to mention Ann-Marie's almost skittish behaviour. Of course, Isa couldn't stand Bull and is glad to see the back of him. But then Ann-Marie's daughter Lynda begins to make a fuss over her father's demise, urged on by his brother Bobby and sister Liz.

Meanwhile, Elaine must keep schtum about Bull's "accident" in the pig pen but soon discovers she has bigger problems at hand. Her own husband Malky has something of an eye for the ladies, preferably the youner kind, and after enjoying what she thought was their second honeymoon discovers Malky has given her a gift of a different kind. Humiliated and angered, Elaine plays along with Malky's romantic gestures and a trip to Cornwall before confronting him with the truth. But Elaine isn't prepared for the motive behind Malky's intentions...until it's too late.

However, with the help of Roddy and Duncan...and several puppies...Anne-Marie gets the farm in order, her life on track and as things start to turn around for her and her new extended family, she can't help but look back over how far she has come in such a short time. The farm is back in the hands of herself and her mother, and is being run the way it was intended, attracting tourists and visitors from far and wide. Each women endures some hardships along the way, but come out the other side all the better for it and smelling like apples...instead of pigshit!

Interwoven with humour and wit, MUM'S THE WORD is an entertaining and amusing tale that combines enough love, friendship, cider and puppies to keep the general mood light and enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed MUM'S THE WORD and I encourage you to grab the book and immerse yourself into this delightful story set in a semi-rural area around about Paisley in Scotland. It's a lark! I dare you not to pick this book up and enjoy it!!

I would like to thank #LorraineTurnbull, #FatSheepPress and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #MumsTheWord in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lorraine Turnbull was born and lived in Glasgow until 2015 when she moved her family to a run-down bungalow on an acre of land with an Agricultural Occupancy Condition on it in Cornwall. She began smallholding from scratch, retrained as a horticultural tutor and also worked as a Skills Co-ordinator for The Rural Business School. In 2014 she won Best Individual in the Cornwall Sustainability Awards.

After removing the Agricultural Occupancy Condition on her home she relocated to a smallholding in France where she continues to make cider, writes books and learns French.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Dublin Girls by Cathy Mansell

The Dublin Girls by Cathy Mansell

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Post-war, Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction

Read: 21st August 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 23rd July 2020

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In 1950s Dublin, life is hard and jobs are like gold dust.

Nineteen-year-old Nell Flynn is training to be a nurse and planning to marry her boyfriend, Liam Connor, when her mother dies, leaving her younger sisters destitute. To save them from the workhouse, Nell returns to the family home - a mere two rooms at the top of a condemned tenement.

Nell finds work at a biscuit factory and, at first, they scrape through each week. But then eight-year-old Róisín, delicate from birth, is admitted to hospital with rheumatic fever and fifteen-year-old Kate, rebellious, headstrong and resentful of Nell taking her mother's place, runs away.

When Liam finds work in London, Nell stays to struggle on alone - her unwavering devotion to her sisters stronger even than her love for him. She's determined that one day the Dublin girls will be reunited and only then will she be free to follow her heart.

Dramatic, emotional and romantic, if you love Lorna Cook, Tracy Rees and Jenny Ashcroft, you'll love this gripping and heartrending novel from Cathy Mansell, author of A Place to Belong.

MY REVIEW:

Another new-to-me author, Cathy Mansell brings us a dramatic and emotional tale of family drama in post-war Dublin. With a touch of Catherine Cookson and Lorna Cook, THE DUBLIN GIRLS begins in 1950 as three sisters struggle to find their place in the world.

Nineteen year old Nell Flynn had her whole life set out before her. In her second year of training to be a nurse, she was planning to marry her sweetheart Liam Connor and begin a new life in England. But then her mother tragically dies leaving herself and her two younger siblings orphans. Nell realises at once that her priorities have changed as she gives up her training and her dreams of life with Liam in order to get to care for her two younger sisters. Liam has offered more than once to take care of them but Nell knows that her sisters are her responsibility. She gets a job at the biscuit factory, which she hates, but it pays far better than a trainee nurse and she has now has rent to pay and three mouths to feed in the dirty rundown tenement flat they live in on the eighth floor.

Life in Ireland post-war is difficult. Jobs are scarce and the country is struggling to find its feet after the war. But Nell must do what she can to care for her sisters and keep them from the workhouse. Her work in the biscuit factory isn't much but it keeps a roof over their heads, food on the table and coal for the fire. She is soon promoted to the labelling section of the factory, which sure beats washing hundreds of tins that are returned to the factory every day. But it seems her efforts aren't good enough for her middle sister who has dreams above her station in life.

Kate is 15 years old and has dreams of her own. Just because Nell gave up her dreams doesn't mean that she should give up hers. She wants to get out of the grotty tenement in which they live and into a nice house with running water and indoor plumbing. If only her mam didn't die before they could be rehoused. But she had and now they were stuck in this horrible cold and draughty two room flat with Nell bossing her about like she had the right. She wasn't her mam and Kate could do what she liked.

So when Father John calls at the flat and insists that it's high time that Kate begin pulling her weight and helping her sister by taking up her mam's job of working at the presbytery for an hour after school each day, Kate is horrified. She doesn't want to be a cleaner! She has bigger dreams than that! Her mam wanted her to get an education and qualifications to ensure a proper job. But Catholic guilt leads her to the church the following day where she meets Michael Flannigan, who has taken on the job as a clerk, and falls instantly in love. 

Suddenly Kate has no problem working at the church presbytery...not if it means seeing Michael. But it's when she starts slipping out with a lie on her lips as to her intentions, Nell begins to despair of her sister at the times she could really do with her help. With stars in her eyes and dreams in her heart, Kate continues to lie to her sister about her whereabouts all the while resenting her elder sister's new authoritative role in her life. Refusing to pull her weight, Kate continues to selfishly pursue her own independence keeping most of her much-needed wages for frivolities such as nylons, lipsticks and shoes. Meanwhile Nell struggles to put food on the table and coal in the scuttle while Kate chases foolish dreams.

And then there is Róisín who is 8 years old and has always been a frail child since birth, predicted to not live beyond five years. The little girl is obviously ill but with hardly enough money to pay for food and rent, there is little left over to pay for a doctor. The cold and uncaring nuns at the convent school, which each of the girls had attended, insist that Nell sees her sister get sufficient sleep at night to ensure she doesn't keep falling asleep in class which provides much distraction to the rest of the students. Angered, Nell knows that Róisín gets more than enough sleep and is concerned that something may be wrong with her sister. When she takes her to the free dispensary one Saturday morning, after hours of queuing and waiting, the doctor examines her briefly and insists that there is nothing wrong with the child and to stop wasting his time.

Then one day Róisín is unable to get out of bed, complaining that her legs hurt. Nell rushes downstairs and asks their only remaining neighbour left in the tenement Amy Kinch to help take Róisín to the doctor. They place her in a pram and walk the long distance to the doctor who Amy knows will be kind, sympathetic and take the time to get to the bottom of what is wrong with Róisín. The doctor is immediately concerned and has Nell take her straight to the fever hospital, where it is later confirmed that Róisín has rheumatic fever. Róisín stays at the hospital for many months - over Christmas and into the new year - as she received treatment and begins her recovery.

Meanwhile, Nell continues to struggle while Kate selfishly pursues her own independent life that she cannot possibly sustain. Packing her suitcase one day while Nell is at work, Kate leaves the tenement and her old life behind in search of something greater believing it is what she is entitled to. When Nell discovers her sister has gone she is beside herself with worry. She has given up her own dreams, her own life, to care for her sisters and everything is falling apart. Kate has gone and Róisín is ill in hospital and her dreams of a life with Liam have drifted further away as she pursues a job in London. And now, as the only remaining tenants in the building as Amy and her family of 10 children have been rehoused in a new estate, Nell is truly alone.

A heart-rendering story, THE DUBLIN GIRLS is an engaging read from beginning to end about three sisters who all have different challenges to face. Each has their own personality and dreams they wanted to achieve. Nell was responsible in giving up her dreams to care for her sisters. Kate was rebellious, selfish and often rude and made the worst possible choices. Róisín was a young frail child who still believes in Santa and dreams of a happy life with her sisters. Liam continues to pursue Nell, refusing to give up their dreams of a life together. Desperately saving money from his job in England so Nell and her sisters can join him for a better life, he has the best intentions in taking on the responsibility and caring for them all. But will Nell allow him to do so? And will Kate return to the fold?

Warm-hearted and heartbreaking at the same time, THE DUBLIN GIRLS evokes a multitude of emotions as the sisters journey their way through loves, loss, fear, hardship, heartbreak and poverty...and in Kate's case, a plethora of bad decisions. This coming of age tale highlights Nell's perseverance, her courage and her loyalty to her sisters and the promise of eventually following her dreams.

A simply delightful and easy read...even if I wanted to throttle Kate into seeing sense...THE DUBLIN GIRLS is a sad story with a happy ending. Perfect for fans of historical and contemporary fiction, as well as fans of Catherine Cookson, Tracy Rees, Kathleen McGurl and Lorna Cook.

I would like to thank #CathyMansell, #Netgalley and #Headline for an ARC of #TheDublinGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Cathy Mansell was born in Ireland and, although she now lives in Leicester, her Irish heritage plays a significant role in her fiction. Hailing from a family of writers, she says it was inevitable that she too would become one.

Her great aunt was a story teller and a poet who emigrated to the Bronx. Her father wrote plays. Other influences have been the various writing groups she belongs to; Leicester Writers' Club, Just Write group, the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is president to Lutterworth Writers' Group.

Cathy writes Sagas set in various parts of Ireland, she also writes romantic suspense fiction set in 50s/60s Her reviewers compare her to the late Maeve Binchy and Catherine Cookson.

Having lived her childhood in Ireland, her books have that touch of authenticity. They depict the lifystyle and hardship of Irish families in those days, with the passion and emotion of her charachers who are wound up in intricate plots.

Cathy's debut novel, Shadow Across the Liffey, was a finalist at the R.N.A's Joan Hessayan national award in May, 2013. 

Cathy's latest books, A PLACE TO BELONG and THE DUBLIN GIRLS published with Headline Publishing Group are available in paperback and all are availible in library large print in UK and Ireland . Available on Amazon in e-Book, audio, paperback, large print

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REVIEW: The Woman on the Beach by Julia Roberts

The Woman on the Beach by Julia Roberts

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction, Chick Lit

Read: 15th August 2021

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Published: 19th August 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I was so sure I saw Sophie on the beach that day. But it couldn’t be her. Sophie’s dead…

Ever since we swore to be best friends at school, Sophie was there for me. When she married my brother, she became family. We shared everything.

At least I thought we did.

After she died, I was devastated. Everyone else has moved on, but I can’t. She was so quiet, those last few months. I’m sure there is something I don’t know…

Now I’m standing on the beach we visited when we were younger, and there’s a woman with long blond hair a few metres away, playing with a dog in the sunshine. She turns, and I see Sophie.

Heart racing, I run after her, but before I can reach her she’s vanished, leaving only footprints in the sand.

It can’t be Sophie… Can it? And do I want to know, if the answer will destroy everything?

A gripping emotional page-turner about the ways we lie to ourselves and how love and hope can heal us. Fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Susan Lewis will absolutely love The Woman on the Beach.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Julia Robert's beautiful family drama THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH.

This is a story about family and friendship. Love and loss. Happiness and heartbreak. And above all, memories. It's a story that begins in one vein and ends up totally different in another. Having read the author's previous book "My Mother's Secret" I knew it would be a hard one to top as that one was just totally brilliant...but THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH is an enjoyable read in another way.

Three women - Liv, Sophie and Grace - have been best friends since their first day in senior school all those years ago. Upon graduating, the friends decide to take a gap year and travel before settling down at university. While Liv and Sophie both aced their exams, Grace hadn't and so she stayed behind to resit them and then join her friends on their travels in Mexico in January time to celebrate Sophie's birthday. But something happens on that trip that changes their course of their lives, and their friendship, forever.

Spain 2014: A woman sits in the airport lounge awaiting her flight to Guatamela, her hands shaking, when the TV screens surrounding them come to life, reporting the tragic news of a deadly train crash that the lives of all by two people. The woman tries to block it out. But the fragmented snippets invade her memory...falling...the silence...the explosion. The woman smiles beside her and asks her if she's alright to which she replies that she's a bit nervous of flying. But as she closes her eyes all she can hear is the sound of screaming metal and the silence before the explosion. Her hand shakes as she hovers over the button of the email she's about to send that will change everything. Now there is no going back.

Mexico 2018: Still reeling from her husband Jamie's unexpected revelation, Liv lays on the sun drenched beach in Tulum just outside her beachfront cabin ruminating over how their marriage has come to this. She knows she has not been the easiest to get along with in the past three years but it hasn't been plain sailing for her either these past three years. First there was her miscarriage then the tragic death of Sophie in Spain to Grace disappearing off the face of the earth and, more recently, the sudden death of her father to cancer...all of which Liv hasn't had a chance to grieve for any of it. So when Jamie suggested this trial separation Liv was devastated. Jamie's her soul mate and she can't imagine life without him. So to give herself some breathing space and time to think things over, Liv decides to go back to the place where she and her two best friends visited in their gap year but vowed they would never return for a week's reprieve.

Now as she enjoys the quiet almost secluded beach she drifts off to sleep and is suddenly awoken by a dog barking. She follows the sound to a bouncy gold retriever running along the pier and welcoming his owners as they return to the beach from their swim. Something about the woman strikes a cord with Liv as she watches them return to their pile of clothing on the sand and tossing them on over their wet bathers. 

And then she sees it...the woman's arm...and it stirs a memory. Sophie. She calls her name...the name of her best friend who died three and a half years ago. And with those words she is sure she sees the woman freeze momentarily...or did she? Eager to catch up to the couple, Liv reaches around to hastily tie her bikini top but when she turns back...they have gone.

Was the woman on the beach Sophie or did she just imagine it? But how can that be since Sophie is dead? It would have been Sophie's birthday just a couple of days ago. What with that, her unresolved grief and her recent troubles with Jamie, it could well just be a case of her conjuring up the memory of Sophie as she has been at the forefront of her mind for the past three years. Without further regard, Liv pushes all thoughts of the woman on the beach from her mind and returns to England and hopefully back into the loving arms of her husband.

But Liv has only been home a week when an unexpected letter arrives throwing caution to the wind and everything she thought she knew is is now under question. The only way to uncover the truth is to return to where it all began...when the three friends were at their happiest before life took a tragic turn and changed them all forever. Before Liv married Jamie and Sophie married Tom, Liv's brother, and Grace moved to Spain. Before the train crash that claimed Sophie's life and caused Grace to disappear in a cloud of grief and guilt at surviving. Before university, when life was good and they were young and carefree. Before everything changed.

But is Liv prepared for what she is about to uncover? And will any of their lives ever be the same again when she does?

The premise for THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH is definitely intriguing and upon starting the book it wasn't long before I figured out the line along which it was heading. But that was only the beginning. What ensues is a far deeper tale of the joys and heartbreaks of these three friends and how things went tragically wrong. 

The story moves along at a steady pace throughout with easily spaced chapters that weren't long and drawn out. The narratives alternate between Liv, Grace and Sophie mostly between 2014 and 2018 with some leading up the former and latter days. We go to see the respective husbands in Jamie and Tom respectively through Liv and Sophie's eyes whilst life with Luis through Grace's. I didn't like Tom and his behaviour I don't think was adequately explained in the end and didn't sit right with me. I do, however, love Jamie and Luis who were the kindest, most forgiving and compassionate. But my favourite character by far was Vince...and I'm so glad that he got his happy ever after above all!

Julia Roberts has an engaging writing style that easily pulls the reader in unlike others in the same genre. Contemporary women's fiction is not really my thing but there are but a handful of authors who easily capture my attention and hold it throughout and Ms Roberts is one of them. THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH is definitely an addictive page-turner with several twists to be savoured along the way and everything being tied up at the end...though not in the way I had expected or would have actually preferred. The original angle was my preferred choice as for me that was far more believable.

Overall, THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH is an emotional and heartbreaking read perfect for lovers of contemporary fiction or chick lit. And though it's not a patch on "My Mother's Secret", it is still worth a read.

I would like to thank #JuliaRoberts, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWomanOnTheBeach in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in Nottingham, Julia Roberts travelled the world working as a professional dancer, singer and TV presenter. She has also produced and presented features for Sky Sports - she has a passion for football, particularly her team, Crystal Palace - as well as corporate videos and live presentations.

Julia has been writing and self-publishing her fiction since 2015 but has now signed a three book deal with Bookouture, under the name J G Roberts, for a detective/crime/thriller series centred around DCI Rachel Hart. The first book in the series, Little Girl Missing, will publish on June 14th 2019, with book 2 in the series in October 2019 and book 3 in April 2020, keeping her very busy as she also prepares for a beach wedding to her partner of forty-one years, Chris, in August.

Having survived paralytic polio as a baby, Julia is an ambassador for British Polio and the Rotary International 'End Polio Now' campaign, and has donated from book sales to both charities, as well as the blood cancer charity, Bloodwise.

 

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REVIEW: The Marriage Mender by Linda Green

The Marriage Mender by Linda Green

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Family drama, Domestic drama

Read: 25th July 2021

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Published: 22nd July 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The only relationship she can't save is her own . . .

Alison is a marriage counsellor. Her job is to help couples who fear they have reached the end of the line. But the trouble with spending your time sorting out other people's problems is that you tend to take your eye off your own. Even when her husband's ex Lydia arrives on the doorstep demanding to see her son, Alison thinks she can handle it. 

But what Alison doesn't realise is that Lydia is the one person who has the ability to destroy their perfect family. And sometimes the cracks can run so deep that even a marriage mender can't repair them . . .

MY REVIEW:

My first thought upon finishing this book was "WOW!" and then it went something like "where has Linda Green been all my life?" Seriously though, this is not my usual genre and when I do read contemporary fiction I tend to be rather picky about them. But this? This was something else entirely. It's a feel-good family drama with love and laughter, sadness and heartbreaks and yet it was still something so much more than that. I can't even begin to put my finger on it...but whatever it was, I loved it. And I loved this book!

The story opens with an initial therapy session to which Alison and husband Chris have come to help them identify the issues they have been facing and how to address them. Which is kind of ironic since Alison is a relationship counsellor herself, and she cannot help but see the irony here or the utter ridiculousness of their situation. Their 9 year old daughter Matilda called her the "marriage mender" as she helps keeps people's mummies and daddies together when they are rowing about stuff a lot. And here she is seeking her own marriage-mender. 

But what has lead her and Chris to this point? Well, where do they start? Chris was the first to speak. It all began on Josh's 16th birthday...

It began like any other day, except that Matilda was bursting with excitement waiting at the breakfast table for her big brother Josh to make an appearance so they could shower him with their gifts. He was ecstatic with the guitar Chris and Ali had bought him and the amp to accompany it closely followed by the black on black clothes Matilda had lovingly chosen for him at Oxfam. And later that day, their gran was coming over and together they would enjoy a birthday tea together completed with an enormous chocolate cake that Ali had made. But something happened between those two events that set the wheels in motion to bring change into their happy contended lives.

Although Alison isn't Josh's biological mum, she has loved and nurtured him for ten years as if he had been. She met single dad Chris when Josh was just six years old, his mother having walked out and left him when he was just six months old. Chris had returned home from work to little Josh screaming in his cot in a sodden nappy with his mother, along with her belongings, gone. And then one day, Chris walked into a library with Josh where Alison was telling the gathered children a story. After that, they were regular fixtures at storytime until Josh invited Alison to his birthday party...and the rest is history. Or is it?

The knock on the door was surprising. Alison wasn't expecting anyone just yet with Josh over at Tom's and Chris having gone for a walk and Barbara wouldn't be arriving till Chris collected her. But as soon as Alison opened the door she knew exactly who it was standing in front of her. Lydia. After sixteen years since walking out on them without a word, she was back. The fact that it was Josh's birthday was hardly a coincidence for with her was a gift for the son she abandoned. Little did Alison know that with Lydia's return would be wreaking ball driven right into the heart of their happy family.

So why has Lydia returned after all these years? Why now? She wants to see Josh and the young man he is becoming but surely she had to know that her sudden reappearance after sixteen years without a word would throw his life into turmoil? He's a teenager and is not equipped to deal with such a disruption to his life, particularly with his exams approaching. But she had a special gift she had always meant to give him should she ever seen him again...and in that moment when he unwrapped it, Alison knew that Josh was going to give his mother a chance - he was that sort of person. But with that chance came broken promises, impromptu visits, drunken insults and broken hearts. And in the middle was Alison, trying to do the right thing for everyone...to keep her family together and keep everyone happy.

Soon cracks began to appear. And the sniping started. And then after one too many drunken outbursts and attacks on their family, Lydia threw a grenade into the mix with explosive consequences that no one could have foreseen. And in a blink of an eye, Josh was gone. And in the aftermath, blame was assigned as tears fell and life began to fall apart.

Then when Barbara revealed a secret that she was never to reveal, Alison knew then that her family needed help. And so she and Chris sought relationship counselling to help find a way through the rubble and back to each other.

But nothing prepared either of them for what was about to come...

I absolutely loved THE MARRIAGE MENDER, almost reading it in one sitting if not for the extremely late hour and needing sleep. That said, upon waking this morning I went straight back to it and didn't stop until the last tear-jerking page. Completely absorbing from the first page, THE MARRIAGE MENDER is a delightful and emotional read that is sure to tug at your heartstrings.

Ali was a wonderful character and I connected with her from the beginning, caring for her deeply as well as her beautiful family. Even Matilda I found to be endearing, and I am not one to be enchanted by children, but she had an uncanny knack of the most uncomfortable questions but she is rather intelligent beyond her years. Her relationship with her half-brother Josh is an endearing one to read. Chris is a wonderful father and husband although he could be annoyingly silent when you just wanted to shake him into sharing what was deeply troubling him and why. He was incredibly hurt by Lydia so his wanting to protect Josh from his train wreck of a mother is completely understandable. Barbara is Chris' mother and is the stoic matriarch with enough love and understanding to envelop the family in. Until secrets are revealed to put everyone and everything they knew to the test. But it was Josh who my heart went out to the most, having his world turned upside down and is so utterly confused by the new revelations in his life. His struggles were heartbreaking to read as is the final extreme decision he made.

The issues addressed in THE MARRIAGE MENDER cover abandonment, domestic violence, alcoholism, adoption, runaways, teenage pregnancy and depression which may be a trigger for some but each is approached and explored sensitively. 

Overall, THE MARRIAGE MENDER is a wonderful emotional read that is compelling from beginning to end that even when I turned that final page I wasn't ready to let go of the characters and their stories. This is my first read by Linda Green and, if this book is anything to go by, it won't be my last.

A well-written family drama that is perfect for fans of Nicole Trope, Kerry Fisher, Amanda Prowse and Julia Roberts.

I would like to thank #LindaGreen, #Netgalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #TheMarriageMender in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Linda Green is the bestselling author of ten novels, which have sold more than 1.4 million copies in the UK, with foreign rights sold in 15 territories. Her latest novel, One Moment, was a Radio 2 Book Club pick, and her previous novel, The Last Thing She Told Me was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection.

She wrote her first novella at the age of nine, but unfortunately, the pony-based time-travel thriller genre never took off. She wrote her first novel twenty years later and persevered through 102 rejections from agents, before getting her first book deal. Linda is also an award-winning journalist who has written for The Guardian and The Big Issue, and a creative writing tutor, working with students aged from eight to eighty-four.

Linda retains a keen interest in news, current affairs and politics. She has appeared on Newsnight, Radio 5 Live, Radio Four's Woman's Hour and BBC News. She particularly enjoyed taking former PM David Cameron to task on Leadership Question Time in 2015.

In a previous life, Linda enjoyed travelling and has trekked through the Bornean jungle to see wild orangutans, travelled to the edge of the Arctic Circle to watch polar bears, and as far south as Tierra del Fuego to photograph penguins. 

She lives in West Yorkshire with her husband, teenage son and two rescue guinea pigs.

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EXTRACT: His Other Woman by Louise Voss

His Other Woman by Louise Voss

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's Fiction, Family drama

Read: 1st July 2021

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Published: 2nd July 2021

DESCRIPTION:

What would you do if the love of your life forgot you… and met someone else?

I waved my husband goodbye at the airport, and he vanished without a trace. I sat awake, night after night, looking at photos of our family. I knew he would never leave us.

And then I found him.

Now he lives with the younger, beautiful woman he thinks he loves. And he doesn’t even recognise me.

Who will he choose? Can I forgive him? And will I ever be able to look into his eyes without thinking of his other woman?

From the bestselling author Louise Voss comes a heartbreakingly emotional story about family and forgiveness, that will make you cry and hold on tight to the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Nicole Trope, Kerry Fisher and The Silent Daughter.

EXTRACT:

Alanda 

April 

Despite the early flight, the kids had all stayed over so they could come and see their dad off at Gatwick. They were bleary-eyed and hungover in the back of the people carrier, after way too much wine at the leaving dinner Alanda had cooked the night before. Now they clustered around him, yawning, as Liam transferred a few travel toiletries into a clear plastic bag ready for the security inspections. 

Alanda was rooting through the smaller of Liam’s two backpacks, the light foldable one he was using as hand luggage: ‘Oh Liam! You can’t take that through.’ She pulled out a bottle of Diet Coke and handed it to Becky. 

‘Brilliant. Thanks!’ she said, guffawing, as she screwed off the cap. It fizzed loudly and spewed brown liquid for a moment before she got her mouth around the top. 

‘Oops,’ said Liam. ‘Forgot you have to buy your drinks on the other side. That’s how long it’s been since I last flew. Amateur mistake.’ 

‘Anything else in there you can’t take through? Happy to relieve you of any expensive aftershave,’ Jake asked hopefully, as Alanda continued to search.  

‘Nice try, son. Even if I had brought expensive aftershave, you wouldn’t get to keep it. I’m only going for three weeks, not three years.’ 

‘Did you see that YouTube video of the man farting in the x-ray machine? You know, the one you have to stand like this in?’ 

Becky assumed a stance, legs apart and arms held up at right angles. ‘It’s so funny, it comes out in this little white cloud on the video.’ 

Liam laughed. Since childhood, Becky had always found anything fart-related utterly hilarious, particularly on the occasions when it concerned her twin brother. Alanda and Liam privately found it endearingly amusing. 

‘I’ll make sure I don’t embarrass myself,’ he said, hugging her, as Heather rolled her eyes. 

‘Gosh, I’m going to miss you all,’ he added, gazing at his family. Heather started twisting her engagement ring round her finger and looking anxious. 

‘Dad,’ she began, but Liam already knew what she was going to say. 

‘Of course I’ll be back in time! Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away from walking you up the aisle.’ 

Still holding Becky with one arm, Liam put his other one around his youngest daughter’s plump shoulder. She didn’t look mollified though. 

To be honest, Alanda thought, she didn’t blame Heather for being worried. She would never admit it to the kids but she had butterflies flapping blindly in her belly at the thought of Liam being away for this long. It wasn’t panic – she was a grown, independent woman. Worrying about surviving for a few weeks without her other half; how pathetic would that be? But she did feel concerned. 

Whilst they’d never been apart for anything like as long as this, it wasn’t herself she was concerned for; it was Liam. The fact that they had both acknowledged the need for him to get away and have some time on his own was a worrying indication of his current state of mind.  

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Over her twenty-year writing career, Louise Voss has published books via pretty much every publishing model there is, from deals with major traditional publishing houses (Transworld and HarperCollins), to digital (Thomas & Mercer and Bookouture) and self-publishing. In 2011, she and co-author Mark Edwards were the first UK indie-published authors to hit the No.1 spot on Amazon UK.

Louise has written thirteen novels in total, seven solo and six co-written, across psychological thrillers, police procedurals and contemporary fiction. 


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