General Fiction

#BookReview The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSidewaysLifeOfDennyVoss #HollyKennedy #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

categories: 10/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSidewaysLifeOfDennyVoss #HollyKennedy #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

Author: Holly Kennedy

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Apr. 8, 2025

Genres: General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 330

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 10/10

In this poignant and funny novel, a man who is defined by his limitations sets out to fight a murder charge—and discovers unexpected truths about himself, his family, and the world at large.

On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”

So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.

Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.

Review:

Memorable, sincere, and humorous!

The Sideways Life of Denny Voss is an intimate, thought-provoking novel that immerses you into the life of Denny Voss, a thirty-year-old man with intellectual difficulties who, through his genuine, innocent desire to always do the right thing, triggers an unravelling of family secrets when he ends up in jail after he’s found in possession of a murder weapon.

The prose is evocative and sincere. The characters are multi-layered, unique, and vulnerable. And the plot is a touching tale of life, love, friendship, desires, needs, dreams, goals, community, complex relationships, family drama, and secrets.

Overall, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss is a beautiful mix of hope, heart, and healing that is not only a lovely, funny, tender novel by Kennedy but one which I don’t think anyone could possibly read and not be completely absorbed and exceptionally moved.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

      

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Holly Kennedy

Holly was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. Today, she lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her family and their Newfoundland dog, Wallace.​​

She is the author of four novels and her books have been translated into multiple languages. When she’s not writing, you’ll typically find her reading, spending time with family, or (her not-so-secret obsession) watching true crime TV shows like Dateline

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BlogTour #BookReview At the Island’s Edge by C.I. Jerez @OverTheRiverPR @AmazonPub #AtTheIslandsEdge #CIJerez #lakeunion #OTRPR

categories: 9/10, Book Review, General Fiction
#BlogTour #BookReview At the Island’s Edge by C.I. Jerez @OverTheRiverPR @AmazonPub #AtTheIslandsEdge #CIJerez #lakeunion #OTRPR Title: At the Island's Edge

Author: C.I. Jerez

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Mar. 18, 2025

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 285

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing, OTRPR

Book Rating: 9/10

An Iraq War veteran returns to Puerto Rico to reconnect with—and confront—the past in a heart-wrenching novel about duty, motherhood, and the healing power of home.

As a combat medic, Lina LaSalle went to Iraq to save the lives of fellow soldiers. But when her convoy is attacked, she must set aside her identity as a healer and take a life herself.

Although she is honored as a hero when she returns to the US, Lina cannot find her footing. She is stricken with PTSD and unsure of how to support her young son, Teó, a little boy with Tourette’s. As her attempts to self-medicate become harder to hide, Lina realizes she must do the toughest thing ask for help.

She retreats to her parents’ house in Puerto Rico, where Teó thrives under her family’s care. Lina finds kinship, too—with a cousin whose dreams were also shattered by the war and with a handsome and caring veteran who sought refuge on the island and runs a neighborhood bar.

But amid the magic of the island are secrets and years of misunderstandings that could erode the very stability she’s fighting for. Hope lies on the horizon, but can she keep her gaze steady?

Review:

Sobering, uplifting, and atmospheric!

At the Island’s Edge is a heart-tugging, engrossing tale that takes you into the life of Lina LaSalle, a former combat medic who, after taking a life in Iraq to save her convoy from a suicide bomber, moves back home to Puerto Rico with her young son, only to find herself depending more and more on alcohol to cope with her PTSD.

The prose is vivid and rich. The characters are complex, flawed, and vulnerable. And the plot is a touching mix of tragedy, heartbreak, guilt, redemption, family, community, friendship, survival, hope, mental health, self-forgiveness, and the all-encompassing, unconditional love a parent has for their child.

Overall, At the Island’s Edge is an emotional, reflective, compelling tale by Jerez that is a heartrending reminder of the enduring psychological, physiological, and emotional devastation that is caused by war.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to OTRPR and Amazon Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About C.I. Jerez

C.I. Jerez is a proud Latina who was born in Miami. Her mother, a native New Yorker, blessed her with both Puerto Rican and Irish roots, while her father, a Cuban immigrant, inspired her to embrace the culture of the Caribbean. These multicultural influences, including growing up on the West Texas border in El Paso, have shaped her desire to bring Latina and Latino characters to life in her stories.

After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso, she commissioned as a signal officer in the US Army and rose to the rank of Major before transitioning out of the military. She holds an MBA from Webster University and a doctorate in international business from Liberty University. When not writing, she serves as cofounder and vice president for Ashire Technologies & Services Inc., a cybersecurity firm specializing in securing federal information systems. She lives in central Florida.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #EveryPreciousAndFragileThing #BarbaraDavis #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

categories: 10/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
#BookReview Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #EveryPreciousAndFragileThing #BarbaraDavis #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: Every Precious and Fragile Thing

Author: Barbara Davis

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Feb. 18, 2025

Genres: General Fiction, Historical Fiction

Pages: 431

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 10/10

A mother and daughter try desperately to reconcile just as a decades-old secret threatens to shatter their relationship forever in this powerful story from the bestselling author of The Echo of Old Books.

For social worker Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is a calling. But when one of her clients is tragically killed, she finds herself at a crossroads. Despite long-held resentments toward her distant mother, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast to contemplate her future. Instead, she’s confronted by her past, not only in the renewed tensions with her mother but in the unexpected appearance of a familiar face―and the wrenching losses that drove her away a decade ago.

Helen Ward’s home is filled with precious keepsakes from her patients, a testament to decades spent caring for the terminally ill. Her work has always come first, though, leaving little time to connect with her daughter. Over the years, the rift between them has become a chasm, so when Mallory appears unannounced, Helen sees it as an opportunity to repair their broken relationship.

But hidden among Helen’s mementos are the keys to her past…and a terrible secret that threatens to destroy the fragile new trust between them forever.

Review:

Absorbing, optimistic, and tender!

Every Precious and Fragile Thing is a heartfelt, engaging tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Mallory, a compassionate social worker who, after one of her clients is brutally murdered, heads home to regroup, repair the strained relationship she has with her mother, and decide what she really wants to do with her life, and Helen, a death doula who after helping numerous people pass peacefully into the next life, decides to take a break to focus on what’s truly important and finally share all her secrets from the past with her daughter.

The prose is sensitive and reflective. The characters are scarred, insecure, and secretive. And the plot is a compelling tale of life, loss, family, grief, friendship, self-discovery, trust, kindness, support, forgiveness, troubled pasts, taking chances, companionship, second-chance love, and the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships.

Overall, Every Precious and Fragile Thing is a moving, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Davis, complete with strong, endearing characters, a touching storyline, and an insightful look into the power of remorse and the unbreakable ties that bind us to those we love.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Barbara Davis

I’m a Jersey girl raised in the south, now living and writing in New England. Confused? Constantly. Happy? Deliriously! But then, living your dream will do that! After fifteen years of wearing heels and schlepping a briefcase as an executive in the jewelry industry, I traded in my pinstripes for a little peace of mind, and decided to follow my dream of becoming a women’s fiction author. And what a ride it’s been! Six books later, I’m still pinching myself, and I’m still as much in love with writing as I was the day I began this journey. Maybe it’s because I believe in miracles, in happy endings and new beginnings. Heaven knows I’ve had my share.

I’m blessed to be married to my best friend and soul mate, Tom, who I must say, sets the bar pretty high for my on-the-page heroes. We also have a lovely ginger cat named Simon, who is twenty years old, wretchedly spoiled, and doesn’t give a fig if I’m on deadline or not. When I’m not making up stories, you’re likely to find me reading, cooking, watching college football, (Go Gators!) or spreading a little sunshine over on Facebook, on The Sunshine Page.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

#BookReview The Favorites by Layne Fargo @PenguinRandomCA #TheFavorites #LayneFargo #PenguinReads

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, General Fiction
#BookReview The Favorites by Layne Fargo @PenguinRandomCA #TheFavorites #LayneFargo #PenguinReads Title: The Favorites

Author: Layne Fargo

Published by: Random House on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 448

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story” through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

Review:

Multilayered, dramatic, and gripping!

The Favorites is an absorbing, passionate tale that sweeps you away into the cutthroat world of figure skating and the unauthorized documentary of the tumultuous, intimate relationship and lives of Olympic figure skaters Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha ten years after their final skate.

The prose is intricate and raw. The characters are flawed, genuine, and well-developed. And the plot, using a mix of narration and interviews, intertwines and unravels seamlessly into an immersive tale about life, loss, love, family, manipulation, obsession, desire, dreams, betrayal, competition, gossip, glitz, glamour, fame, and ruthless ambition.

Overall, The Favorites is a seductive, scandalous, intoxicating tale by Fargo that I absolutely devoured. It had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish and will definitely hold a spot as one of my favourite reads of the year!

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Layne Fargo

Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women’s studies, and library science, so it’s only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She’s the author of psychological thrillers They Never Learn and Temper, as well as co-author on the bestselling Young Rich Widows series, and her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she’s definitely going to read before she dies.

Photo by Katharine Hannah Photography

Website | Instagram

#BookReview More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova @ScoutPressBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MoreOrLessMaddy #LisaGenova #SimonSchusterCA

categories: 10/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Noteworthy Book Releases, Women's Fiction
#BookReview More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova @ScoutPressBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MoreOrLessMaddy #LisaGenova #SimonSchusterCA Title: More or Less Maddy

Author: Lisa Genova

Published by: Scout Press on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling authorLisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.

Review:

Moving, memorable, and compelling!

More or Less Maddy is an intimate, thought-provoking novel that immerses you into the life of Maddy Banks, a bipolar young woman who is struggling to find purpose in her life while being dependent on medication, consistently disappointing those she loves, and feeling like a prisoner to a mind that never wants to rest.

The prose is evocative and sincere. The characters are multi-layered, vulnerable, and eccentric. And the plot is a touching tale of life, love, family, friendship, desires, needs, dreams, mania, suicide ideation, standup comedy, complex relationships, and mental health.

Overall, More or Less Maddy is an immersive, emotional, sensitive tale by Genova that does a remarkable job of reminding us of the lifelong struggles for those suffering from a mental health disorder to perform normal daily activities, forge true friendships, and experience love, while also highlighting just how easily the greatest of highs can quickly transition to devastating, tragic lows.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lisa Genova

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar–winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She is featured in the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg. Her TED talks on Alzheimer’s disease and memory have been viewed over eleven million times.

Photo by Greg Mentzer

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota @PenguinRandomCA #SunjeevSahota #TheSpoiledHeart #PenguinReads

categories: 8/10, Book Review, General Fiction
#BookReview The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota @PenguinRandomCA #SunjeevSahota #TheSpoiledHeart #PenguinReads Title: The Spoiled Heart

Author: Sunjeev Sahota

Published by: Knopf Canada on Apr. 16, 2024

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A brilliant and riveting story of ambition, love, family secrets, and unintended consequences, from “bold storyteller” (The New Yorker) and two-time Booker Prize nominee Sunjeev Sahota

Nayan Olak keeps seeing Helen Fletcher around town. She’s returned with her teenage son to live in the run-down house at the end of the lane, and—though she’s strangely guarded—Nayan can’t help but be drawn to her. He hasn’t risked love since losing his young family in a terrible accident twenty years earlier.

In the wake of the tragedy, Nayan’s labor union, long a cornerstone of his community, became the center of his life: a way for him to channel his energies into making the world a better—fairer, as he sees it—place. Now, he’s decided to mount a run for the leadership. But his campaign pits him against a newcomer, Megha, who quickly proves to be a more formidable challenger than he anticipated.

As Nayan’s differences with Megha spin out of control, complicating the ideals he’s always held dear, he grows closer to Helen—and unknowingly barrels toward long-held secrets about how their pasts might be connected. Suddenly, much more is threatened than his chances of winning.

In one sense a tragedy in the classic mold, tracing one man’s seemingly inexorable fall, The Spoiled Heart is also an explosively contemporary story of how a few words or a single action—to one person careless, to another, charged—can trigger a cascade of unimaginable consequences. A vivid and multi-layered exploration of the mysteries of the heart, how community is forged and broken, and the shattering impact of secrets and assumptions alike, it is a blazing achievement from one of Britain’s foremost living writers.

Review:

Nuanced, tragic, and compelling!

The Spoiled Heart is an intriguing, heart-tugging tale set in modern-day Britain that takes you into the life of Nayan Olak, a middle-aged man of Indian descent who is struggling with the continued grief of losing his mother and son in a fire years ago, the ongoing care of a father who he despises but also loves, a run for the union general secretary position that has turned into a fiery, mudslinging affair, and a blossoming romance with a white woman who has troubles and secrets of her own.

The prose is effortless and tender. The characters are multilayered, scarred, and vulnerable. And the plot is an absorbing tale of life, loss, love, reputation, familial dynamics, class division, race, societal prejudices, and tragedy.

Overall, The Spoiled Heart is a tense, captivating, sobering tale by Sahota that reminds us that families are complicated and messy, the choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and long-buried secrets somehow always find their way to the surface.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sunjeev Sahota

Sunjeev Sahota is the author of three novels: China Room, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the American Library Association's Carnegie Medal; The Year of the Runaways, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize, and was awarded a European Union Prize for Literature; and Ours are the Streets. In 2013, he was named one of Granta’s twenty Best of Young British Novelists of the decade. He lives in Sheffield, England, with his family.

Photo by GL Portrait / Alamy Stock Photo.

#BookReview Swift River by Essie Chambers @SimonSchusterCA #SwiftRiver #EssieChambers #SimonSchusterCA

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
#BookReview Swift River by Essie Chambers @SimonSchusterCA #SwiftRiver #EssieChambers #SimonSchusterCA Title: Swift River

Author: Essie J. Chambers

Published by: Simon & Schuster on Jun. 4, 2024

Genres: General Fiction, Historical Fiction

Pages: 304

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so that they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future?

A story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Review:

Raw, atmospheric, and insightful!

Swift River is a descriptive, moving novel that sweeps you away to New England in 1987 and into the life of biracial teen Diamond Newberry, the only young girl of colour in her whole small town who, after her father suddenly disappears in 1980, struggles to come to grips with her burgeoning weight and a constant sense of being adrift and disconnected due to a lack of relationship and any knowledge into her paternal ancestry.

The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, lonely, and adrift. And the plot is a heart-tugging, compelling tale of life, love, loss, family, friendship, poverty, prejudice, racism, community, courage, desperation, self-reflection, and coming of age.

Overall, Swift River is a rich, gritty, absorbing tale by Chambers that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be enthralled, emotional, and invested from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Essie J. Chambers

Essie Chambers earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. A former film and television executive, she was a producer on the documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel.

Photograph by Christine Jean Chambers.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin (translated by Hildegarde Serle) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ForgottenOnSunday #ValeriePerrin #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions

categories: 9/10, Book Review, General Fiction
#BookReview Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin (translated by Hildegarde Serle) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ForgottenOnSunday #ValeriePerrin #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions Title: Forgotten on Sunday

Author: Valérie Perrin

Published by: Europa Editions on Jun. 14, 2024

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 316

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

An unforgettable story about an unlikely friendship and about healing the wounds of a broken past from the million-copy bestselling author of Fresh Water for Flowers.

Justine is 21 years old and has lived with her grandparents and her cousin Jules since the death of her parents. As a nursing assistant at a retirement home, she spends much of her days listening to her residents’ stories. 

After bonding with Hélène, an almost 100-year-old resident, the two women slowly reveal their stories to one another. Whilst Justine helps Hélène to relive her memories of love and war, Hélène encourages Justine to confront the secrets of her own past, and the loss she keeps buried deep within. 

One day, a mysterious phone detailing a shocking revelation shakes the retirement home to its core. At once humorous and melancholic, Valérie Perrin’s novel depicts the consequences of undeclared love and, in her inimitable way, portrays once again how the past is never really past.

Review:

Captivating, melancholic, and sensitive!

Forgotten on Sunday is a heart-tugging, character-driven tale set in France during the 1930s, as well as present day, that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Justine, a young nursing aide who after being raised by her grandparents from an early age after the sudden loss of her parents, spends her days caring for the elderly and writing down all the stories they choose to share, and Hélène a ninety-six-year-old woman who as her life slowly comes to an end reveals a well-lived life that was bursting with passion, pain, tragedy, and war.

The prose is elegant and rich. The characters are troubled, sympathetic, and endearing. And the plot is a moving tale about life, love, loss, lies, emotion, betrayal, family, friendship, secrets, heartbreak, guilt, grief, hope, and regret.

Overall, Forgotten on Sunday is another immersive, touching, astute tale by Perrin that highlights once again her innate ability to delve into all the messy emotional and psychological entanglements that exist between family members, lovers, and friends, and proves why year after year her novels garner enormous amounts of high praise.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Valérie Perrin

Valérie Perrin was born in 1967 in Remiremont, in the Vosges Mountains, France. She grew up in Burgundy and settled in Paris in 1986. Her novel The Forgotten Sunday (2015) won the Booksellers Choice Award and the paperback edition has been long-selling best-seller since publication. Her English-language debut, Fresh Water for Flowers (Europa, 2020) won the Maison de la Presse Prize, the Paperback Readers Prize, and was named a 2020 ABA Indies Introduce and Indie Next List title. It has been translated into over thirty languages. Figaro Littéraire named Perrin one of the ten best-selling authors in France in 2019, and in Italy, Fresh Water for Flowers was the best selling book of 2020. Perrin now lives in Normandy.

Photo © Valentin Lauvergne

Goodreads

#BookReview A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi (translated by Hildegarde Serle) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #AGoodLife #VirginieGrimaldi #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Women's Fiction
#BookReview A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi (translated by Hildegarde Serle) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #AGoodLife #VirginieGrimaldi #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions Title: A Good Life

Author: Virginie Grimaldi

Published by: Europa Editions on Jun. 7, 2024

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Full of humor and compassion, a profound exploration of sisterhood, healing, and the ineffable beauty of life from France‘s most beloved contemporary novelist

Laughter, tears, the transformative power of love, unexpected revelations, and striking natural these are the ingredients that combine to make best-selling author Virginie Grimaldi’s American debut the feel-good read of 2024. Grimaldi is among France’s top ten contemporary authors and her uplifting, unputdownable literary novels have quickly garnered her millions of adoring fans. This, her American debut, is among her most delicately wrought and emotionally compelling novels to date. 

Emma and Agathe are sisters. They were thick as thieves when they were young but have always been as different as can be. Agathe, the younger sister, is disorderly, chaotic, and fiery. Five years older, Emma has always been the more mature sister, the defender, the protector, the worrier. Their relationship as adults is scarred by a tragedy that transformed their happy, ordinary childhoods into something much more complex and challenging. For a long time, Emma hasn’t wanted to be involved in Agathe’s life. But then they must return together to the Basque Country, to the house of their adored grandmother, to empty out her home and in the process to reconcile, to remember, and to pour out what is in their hearts. 

The story alternates between Agathe and Emma’s childhood and their present day, with everything in between, and readers see them as young girls, teenagers, young women, mothers, wives, partners, individuals, sisters. This is a story that encompasses whole lives, complex lives, women’s lives, asking all the while how the scars of the past can be healed and what, in the end, is a good life.

Review:

Tender, sincere, and memorable!

A Good Life is an intimate, poignant tale that sweeps you away to France and immerses you into the lives of two sisters, Emma and Agathe, as after being estranged for several years, they come together to clean out their late grandmother’s home and discover how to accept the things they cannot change, confront a past littered with tragedy and heartbreak, acknowledge and repair long-strained relationships, and ultimately learn to savour every moment.

The writing is effortless and polished. The characters are multi-layered, genuine, and scarred. And the plot, including all the subplots, skillfully intertwines and unravels into a delightfully touching tale about life, love, loss, guilt, grief, family drama, secrets, happiness, self-discovery, and sisterhood.

Overall, A Good Life is a beautiful mix of hope, heart, and healing that is not only a humorous, emotive, lovely novel by Virginie Grimaldi but one which I don’t think anyone could possibly read and not be completely absorbed and moved.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Virginie Grimaldi

Virginie Grimaldi was born in 1977 in Bordeaux, where she still lives. She is the author of nine novels and was the most read French writer for three consecutive years (in 2019, 2020, and 2021). Her novels have been bestsellers in Europe and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Photo Pascal Ito © Flammarion.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, General Fiction
#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Collected Regrets of Clover

Author: Mikki Brammer

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 21, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life?

From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.

Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story––and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as it turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.

Review:

Absorbing, heartfelt, and sweet!

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a heartwarming, compelling tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Clover Brooks, a death doula who after helping many people pass into the next life and compiling and reviewing a list of their regrets, finally discovers the importance of taking chances, embracing change, and finding contentment.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are complex, authentic, and supportive. And the plot is a delightful tale about life, loss, family, kindness, love, self-discovery, happiness, romance, grief, death, and moving on.

Overall, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a tender, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Brammer, complete with strong, endearing characters, a touching storyline, and an insightful look into remorse and the unbreakable ties that bind us to those we love.

 

This book is available in paperback now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

       

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Mikki Brammer

Mikki Brammer is an Australian journalist based in New York City, by way of France and Spain. She writes about design, architecture and art for publications such as Architectural Digest, Dwell and ELLE Decor. The Collected Regrets of Clover is her debut novel.

Photo Credit: Mark Wickens

Website | Goodreads | Instagram