Source: Penguin Random House

#BookReview Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune @CarleyFortune @PenguinRandomCA #MeetMeattheLake #CarleyFortune #PenguinReads #PenguinBookClub

#BookReview Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune @CarleyFortune @PenguinRandomCA #MeetMeattheLake #CarleyFortune #PenguinReads #PenguinBookClub Title: Meet Me at the Lake

Author: Carley Fortune

Published by: Viking on May 2, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort–something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.

She needs a plan–a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?


Review:

Absorbing, optimistic, and tender!

Meet Me at the Lake is an immersive, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of the sweet, hardworking Fern Brookbanks as she navigates the highs and lows of the unexpected death of her mother, the loss of her big city dreams, her new responsibilities that include running her family’s cash strapped cottage country resort, and the sudden reappearance of the one man, Will Baxter, who shattered her heart nine years ago.

The writing is sentimental and engaging. The characters are layered, troubled, and supportive. And the plot is a charming, nostalgic tale full of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, heartbreak, taking chances, growth, healing, revelations, light drama, selflessness, romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, Meet Me at the Lake is a romantic, feel-good, perfect summer read by Fortune with its idyllic setting, small-town charm, heartfelt storyline, endearing characters, and delightfully touching moments.

 

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 Carley Fortune

CARLEY FORTUNE is the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling au­thor of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake. She’s also an award-winning Canadian journalist who has worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.

Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani

#BookReview The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon @Clemence_Mcl @AAKnopf @PenguinRandomCA #TheQuietTenant #ClemenceMichallon #PenguinReads

#BookReview The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon @Clemence_Mcl @AAKnopf @PenguinRandomCA #TheQuietTenant #ClemenceMichallon #PenguinReads Title: The Quiet Tenant

Author: Clémence Michallon

Published by: Knopf Canada on Jun. 20, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 303

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 9/10

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about a serial killer narrated by those closest to him: His 13-year-old daughter, his girlfriend—and the one victim he has spared

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.

Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan’s crimes on the women in his life—and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.


Review:

Unsettling, unique, and intricate!

The Quiet Tenant is a skillfully plotted, sinister tale that takes you into the life of Aidan Taylor, a hardworking, handsome widower who appears to be an honest, loyal, single father in need of a little help, but behind that friendly smile lies a depraved secret and a dark impulse to confine, violate, and murder that only a few know about, most of whom are already dead, one of whom desperately needs to escape, and one of whom may just become his next victim.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, builds quickly, creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Overall, The Quiet Tenant is a fast-paced, unnerving, impressive debut by Michallon that does an exceptional job of eerily reminding us that even the most heinous of evil often live comfortably amongst us merely hidden behind masks of normality.

 

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 Clémence Michallon

CLÉMENCE MICHALLON was born and raised near Paris. She studied journalism at City University of London, received a master's in Journalism from Columbia University, and has written for The Independent since 2018. Her essays and features have covered true-crime, celebrity culture, and literature. She moved to New York City in 2014 and recently became a US citizen. She now divides her time between New York City and Rhinebeck, NY.

Photo by Gabrielle Malewski

#BookReview Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena @sharilapena @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #EveryoneHereisLying #ShariLapena #PenguinReads

#BookReview Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena @sharilapena @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #EveryoneHereisLying #ShariLapena #PenguinReads Title: Everyone Here is Lying

Author: Shari Lapena

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Jul. 25, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, eBook

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.


Review:

Unsettling, intricate, and tortuous! 

Everyone Here is Lying is a twisty, disturbing mystery that takes you into the lives of a handful of residents of the Stanhope community, including the Wooler family, as their worlds get turned upside down when one afternoon, nine-year-old Avery Wooler vanishes without a trace leaving some residents eager to help however they can, some pointing fingers at anyone they don’t get along with, and all of them scrambling to keep their darkest secrets hidden for good.

The writing is brisk and sharp. The characters are manipulative, secretive, and unlikeable. And the plot is an eerie, suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, secrets, surprises, lies, betrayal, familial drama, neurodiversity challenges, adultery, and suspicious personalities.

Overall, Everyone Here is Lying is another ominous, gripping, sophisticated tale by Lapena that kept me guessing from the very first page and ultimately left me chilled, satisfied, and curious to see what her devious mind could possibly come up with next.

 

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 Shari Lapena

Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of the thrillers The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, and Not a Happy Family, which have all been New York Times and The Sunday Times (London) bestsellers. Her books have been sold in forty territories around the world. She lives on a farm outside of Toronto. Everyone Here Is Lying is her seventh thriller.

Photo by Tristan Ostler

#BookReview Someday I’ll Find You by C. C. Humphreys @HumphreysCC @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #SomedayIllFindYou #CCHumphreys #PenguinReads

#BookReview Someday I’ll Find You by C. C. Humphreys @HumphreysCC @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #SomedayIllFindYou #CCHumphreys #PenguinReads Title: Someday I'll Find You

Author: C. C. Humphreys

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Jun. 6, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 408

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For readers of The Nightingale and Lilac Girls, a dazzling novel about Ilse, a spy, and Billy, a pilot, who fall in love but are wrenched apart during World War II, and must find their way back to each other–from bestselling author C.C. Humphreys.

When Billy Coke steps onto the streets of London one December evening in 1940, he has no idea he is stepping to his fate. As Hitler’s bombers come close to burning the city down, Billy meets the woman who will change the course of his life: Ilse Magnusson, a musician from Norway, but also something more–a spy in training.

Escaping the Blitz for three days, she and Billy drive, quarrel, conceal, reveal . . . and fall finally, fully, in love.

Now they must part, each to fight the war their own way. Billy, a Canadian Spitfire pilot, to duel with the Luftwaffe over North Africa and the Med. Ilse to return to her conquered country, ingratiate herself with the Nazi elite–which includes her beloved father–and send vital intelligence back to Britain.

They know that the odds of both of them surviving are poor. All they can hope is that the other does survive–and that someday they find each other again.

From decadent pre-war Berlin to the atrocity at Guernica, from dogfights over Sicily to an Oslo ground under the German jackboot, through small victories and bitter losses, this is the story of a man and a woman at war. A tale of causes and compromises, heroism and betrayal. Of choices made, with consequences unforeseen. And finally, how sometimes . . . love can give you a second chance.


Review:

Charged, touching, and intriguing!

Someday I’ll Find You is a rich, captivating tale that sweeps you away to the early 1940s and into the lives of Canadian Spitfire pilot Billy Coke and Norwegian musician turned spy Ilsa Magnusson who, after accidentally meeting during a bombing raid on the streets of London and subsequently spending three blissful days in the English countryside, spend the rest of the war thinking of each other, doing whatever they’re told do, and hoping beyond hope that one day when the guns are silent, and the battle is won that somewhere, somehow they will find their way back to into each other’s arms.

The prose is eloquent and fluid. The characters are resilient, brave, and endearing. And the plot is a tender tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, sacrifice, desperation, tragedy, friendship, espionage, romance, new beginnings, and the horrors and hardships of war.

Overall, Someday I’ll Find You is a heartfelt, sentimental, affecting read by Humphreys inspired by real familial events that does a lovely job of interweaving historical facts and compelling fiction into an insightful, heart-tugging tale that is atmospheric and highly absorbing.

 

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 C. C. Humphreys

CHRIS (C.C.) HUMPHREYS is a bestselling author, actor, audiobook narrator and playwright. Born in Toronto, raised in the UK, he has acted on stages all over the world in roles ranging from Hamlet to Jack Absolute to Clive Parnell on Coronation Street. He has an MFA from UBC and has written twenty-two novels of both historical fiction and fantasy including: The French Executioner, Chasing the Wind, The Jack Absolute Trilogy, Vlad, A Place Called Armageddon, Shakespeare’s Rebel, The Hunt of the Unicorn, One London Day and, most recently, Someday I’ll Find You. Plague won the 2015 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. He is published in more than ten languages. He lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

Photo by Jeff Vinnick, courtesy of Vancouver Public Library.

#BookReview The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly @marthahallkelly @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #TheGoldenDoves #MarthaHallKelly

#BookReview The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly @marthahallkelly @doubledayca @PenguinRandomCA #TheGoldenDoves #MarthaHallKelly Title: The Golden Doves

Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Apr. 18, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 528

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 9/10

Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—an extraordinary novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue are thrilled to be working in the French resistance, stealing so many Nazi secrets that they become known as the Golden Doves, renowned across France and hunted by the Gestapo. Their courage will cost them everything. When they are finally arrested and taken to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, along with their loved ones, a reclusive Nazi doctor does unspeakable things to Josie’s mother, a celebrated Jewish singer who joined her daughter in Paris when the world seemed bright. And Arlette’s son is stolen from her, never to be seen again.

A decade later the Doves fall headlong into a dangerous dual mission: Josie is working for U.S. Army intelligence and accepts an assignment to hunt down the infamous doctor, while a mysterious man tells Arlette he may have found her son. The Golden Doves embark on a quest across Europe and ultimately to French Guiana, discovering a web of terrible secrets, and must put themselves in grave danger to finally secure justice and protect the ones they love.

Martha Hall Kelly has garnered acclaim for her stunning combination of empathy and research into the stories of women throughout history and for exploring the terrors of Ravensbrück. With The Golden Doves, she has crafted an unforgettable story about the fates of Nazi fugitives in the wake of World War II—and the unsung females spies who risked it all to bring them to justice.


Review:

Compelling, intense, and atmospheric!

The Golden Doves is a charged, intriguing tale that takes you into the lives of Josie Anderson, an American Intelligence Officer, and Arlette LaRue, a French waitress, both former spies and Ravensbrück prisoners whose lives intersect and collide once again seven years post-WWII when the hunt for the illusive, evil Dr. Snow and the search for a missing, but cherished child find them both in the tropics of French Guiana hoping to heal their hearts, unravel the secrets from the past, and finally find some justice for it all.

The writing is eloquent and expressive. The characters are layered, dependable, and resourceful. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, loss, secrets, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, tragedy, survival, danger, friendship, espionage, and war.

Overall, The Golden Doves is an absorbing, heart-tugging, beautifully written tale by Kelly inspired by real-life events, Operation Paperclip, that does an exceptional job of reminding us of the enduring devastating consequences of war while highlighting her impressive research into an intelligence program that brought Nazis chemists, physicists and other specialists to America after WWII, allowing them to escape justice for their previous horrific crimes, in order to use their knowledge to benefit US government agencies while also subsequently preventing that knowledge from falling into Soviet hands.

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 Martha Hall Kelly

Martha Hall Kelly is the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, and Sunflower Sisters. With more than two million copies of her books sold and her books translated in fifty countries, she lives in Connecticut and New York City.

Photo by Jeffrey Mosier Photography.

#BookReview Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon @PaigeToonAuthor @PutnamBooks @penguinrandom #OnlyLoveCanHurtLikeThis #PaigeToon

#BookReview Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon @PaigeToonAuthor @PutnamBooks @penguinrandom #OnlyLoveCanHurtLikeThis #PaigeToon Title: Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Author: Paige Toon

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons on Apr. 25, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 10/10

In the spirit of Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?

An earth-shattering secret. A life-changing love story.

When Wren realizes her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.

On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But Wren doesn’t know that Anders is harboring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?


Review:

Addictive, pensive, and heart-wrenching!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an immersive, emotional, heartwarming tale that takes us into the life of the sweet, vulnerable Wren as she struggles to juggle a broken engagement, a strained relationship with a father she hardly sees, a newly budding friendship with a half-sister she always slightly resented, and a complicated relationship with a man who is stealing her heart piece by piece but who may unfortunately already be emotionally shackled to another.

The writing is sentimental and engaging. The characters are layered, supportive, and generous. And the plot is a touching tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, heartbreak, taking chances, growth, healing, revelations, tender moments, light drama, selflessness, romance, and new beginnings.

For the past few years, Paige Toon’s books have topped my must-read, favourites list, and even though I didn’t think it was possible to love her books any more than I already did, she proved me wrong once again. Only Love Can Hurt Like This made my heart smile, shatter, and then put it all back together again in 400 pages, and not only did I absolutely adore it, but it might just be, dare I say it, one of my all-time faves!

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons – Penguin Random House for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Paige Toon

Paige Toon grew up between England, Australia and America and has been writing books set in sun-drenched locations around the world since 2007. She has written fourteen women's fiction novels, a three-part spin-off series for young adults and a collection of short stories. Her novels have sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.

In Spring 2021, Paige and her publishing team launched ‘feel it all’ branding for her novels, which is inspired directly by her readers and what they have been telling her for years: that when they read a Paige Toon novel, they experience a myriad of emo>ons, from love, heartache and passion, to grief, happiness and hope. The message is simple: get lost in one of Paige’s stories and you really will feel it all.

#BookReview Find Her by Lisa Gardner @LisaGarnderBks @DuttonBooks

#BookReview Find Her by Lisa Gardner @LisaGarnderBks @DuttonBooks Title: Find Her

Author: Lisa Gardner

Series: Detective D.D. Warren #8

Published by: Dutton Books on Oct. 18, 2016

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 464

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Flora Dane is a victim.

Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.

Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless.

. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.


Review:

Thrilling, dark, and downright spine-chilling!

This is a gritty, police procedural that takes us on a hunt for a sadist and highlights the enduring psychological effects experienced by those who manage to survive.

The writing is fluid. The characterization is well done with the usual gang back including the stubborn, resilient, determined D. D. Warren whose greatest struggle is accepting and adhering to restricted duty when the clock is ticking and two women are missing. And the plot is an adrenaline-rushing mixture of disturbing violence, gruesome murder as well as some nice twists and turns that definitely keep you guessing.

Once again, Gardner has written a gripping, highly entertaining novel that showcases her exceptional ability to not only delve into the psychological and behavioural actions of the most depraved of society but also those of the victims who suffer by their hands.

 

This book is available now in Trade Paperback

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

                                           

 

 

Thank you to Dutton Books (Penguin Random House) for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lisa Gardner

New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure, cutting edge forensics and twisted plots into a streak of eleven bestselling suspense novels.

Lisa lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with her family, as well as two highly spoiled dogs and one extremely neurotic three-legged cat. Lisa graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in international relations.

#BookReview Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout @LizStrout @randomhouse

#BookReview Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout @LizStrout @randomhouse Title: Anything Is Possible

Author: Elizabeth Strout

Published by: Random House on Apr. 25, 2017

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 254

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout comes a brilliant latticework of fiction that recalls Olive Kitteridge in its richness, structure, and complexity. Written in tandem with My Name Is Lucy Barton and drawing on the small-town characters evoked there, these pages reverberate with the themes of love, loss, and hope that have drawn millions of readers to Strout’s work.

“As I was writing My Name Is Lucy Barton,” Strout says, “it came to me that all the characters Lucy and her mother talked about had their own stories—of course!—and so the unfolding of their lives became tremendously important to me.”

Here, among others, are the “Pretty Nicely Girls,” now adults: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband, the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. Tommy, the janitor at the local high school, has his faith tested in an encounter with an emotionally isolated man he has come to help; a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD discovers unexpected solace in the company of a lonely innkeeper; and Lucy Barton’s sister, Vicky, struggling with feelings of abandonment and jealousy, nonetheless comes to Lucy’s aid, ratifying the deepest bonds of family.

With the stylistic brilliance and subtle power that distinguish the work of this great writer, Elizabeth Strout has created another transcendent work of fiction, with characters who will live in readers’ imaginations long after the final page is turned.


Review:

Powerful, compelling and extremely thought-provoking!

In this latest novel by Strout she delves into the enduring emotional and psychological effects that socioeconomic differences, gossip and war has on some of the people we were introduced to in her previous novel “My Name is Lucy Barton” from the small town of Amgash, and highlights that every family has its struggles and life is never easy.

The characters are raw, troubled and vulnerable. The prose is sophisticated and smooth. And the plot is written in the form of nine linking stories that are full of familial drama, introspection, anger, shame, remorse, disappointment, abandonment, forgiveness, survival, support and love.

This is certainly a deeply moving novel that emphasizes just how much our childhood experiences shape us and reminds us of the importance to always believe that anything is truly possible!

 

This novel is due to be published on April 25, 2017.

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

                                          

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Random House, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout is the author of several novels, including: Abide with Me, a national bestseller and BookSense pick, and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England. In 2009 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book Olive Kitteridge. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker. She teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte.

#BookReview My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella @KinsellaSophie @randomhouse

#BookReview My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella @KinsellaSophie @randomhouse Title: My Not So Perfect Life

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Published by: Bantam Press on Feb. 7, 2017

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 448

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House, NetGalley

Book Rating: 7.5/10

Part love story, part workplace dramedy, part witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world, this is New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella’s most timely and sharply observed novel yet.

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. The final, demeaning straw comes when Demeter makes Katie dye her roots in the office. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she’s desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

Sophie Kinsella is celebrated for her vibrant, relatable characters and her great storytelling gifts. Now she returns with all of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her bestsellers to spin this fresh, modern story about presenting the perfect life when the reality is far from the image.


Review:

Humorous, amusing and heartwarming!

Departing slightly from her usual fanciful romantic comedies, in this latest novel Kinsella writes a story that is rich in character development and touches on the pitfalls of pretense, unrealistic perception, social media fallacies, and finding one’s true self all in a plot laced with humour, lightheartedness and a touch of romance.

The writing is crisp and witty. And the characters are a quirky, unique bunch that are likeable, flawed and genuine.

Overall, this is an enjoyable, thought-provoking story filled with cheeky banter and spirited hijinks that will definitely make you laugh and entertain you for hours.

 

This book is due to be published on February 7, 2017.

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

Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon CanadaIndigoKoboBook DepositoryB&N

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Random House, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is a writer and former financial journalist. She is the number one bestselling author of Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number and Wedding Night, the hugely popular Shopaholic novels and the Young Adult novel Finding Audrey. She lives in London with her husband and family. She is also the author of several bestselling novels under the name of Madeleine Wickham.

#BookReview Always by Sarah Jio @sarahjio

#BookReview Always by Sarah Jio @sarahjio Title: Always

Author: Sarah Jio

Published by: Ballantine Books on Feb. 7, 2017

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House, NetGalley

Book Rating: 7.5/10

A gripping novel about the kind of love that never lets go, and the heart’s capacity to remember, from the New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March

Enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with her fiancé, Ryan, at one of Seattle’s chicest restaurants, Kailey Crain can’t believe her good fortune: She has a great job as a journalist and is now engaged to a guy who is perfect in nearly every way. As she and Ryan leave the restaurant, Kailey spies a thin, bearded homeless man on the sidewalk. She approaches him to offer up her bag of leftovers, and is stunned when their eyes meet, then stricken to her very core: The man is the love of her life, Cade McAllister.

When Kailey met Cade ten years ago, their attraction was immediate and intense—everything connected and felt right. But it all ended suddenly, leaving Kailey devastated. Now the poor soul on the street is a faded version of her former beloved: His weathered and weary face is as handsome as Kailey remembers, but his mind has suffered in the intervening years. Over the next few weeks, Kailey helps Cade begin to piece his life together, something she initially keeps from Ryan. As she revisits her long-ago relationship, Kailey realizes that she must decide exactly what—and whom—she wants.

Alternating between the past and the present, Always is a beautifully unfolding exploration of a woman faced with an impossible choice, a woman who discovers what she’s willing to save and what she will sacrifice for true love.


Review:

Captivating, thought-provoking, and deeply moving!

Always is a poignant novel that delves into the emotional, physical and mental anguish suffered by those inflicted with brain trauma and touches on the hardships, prejudices and struggles experienced by those who find themselves homeless.

The prose is polished and precise. The characters are consumed, troubled and genuine. And the story which contains a subtle element of mystery is written in a back and forth, past/present style that gives a wonderful appreciation and depth to all the situations, personalities and relationships within it.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel about friendship, loss, jealousy, compassion, life and enduring love, but I have to say I still prefer Jio’s historical fiction novels, particularly “The Bungalow” which is still one of my all-time favourites.

 

 This novel is due to be published on February 7, 2017. 

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

Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon CanadaIndigoBook DepositoryKoboB&N

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Random House – Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarah Jio

Sarah Jio is the New York Times bestselling author of ALWAYS, published by Random House (Ballantine), as well as seven other novels from Penguin Books, including, THE VIOLETS OF MARCH, THE BUNGALOW, BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE LAST CAMELLIA, MORNING GLORY, GOODNIGHT JUNE, and THE LOOK OF LOVE. Sarah is also a journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, Glamour, O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, SELF, Real Simple, Fitness, Marie Claire, and many others. She has appeared as a commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition. Her novels are translated into more than 25 languages. Sarah lives in Seattle with her three young boys.

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