Tag Archives: Book Review

Didn’t See That Coming By Rachel Hollis Book Review

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Rachel Hollis, Didn't see that coming, book, book review. Didn’t See That Coming could be the slogan for 2020 and this book is the essential read to help us all through it. Written with searing honesty, Rachel Hollis has wisdom in spades and she is here to share it. Rachel has suffered trauma and grief and now she has a blueprint to get through to the other end. Rachel Hollis is a truly inspirational person and if we all had her attitude and resilience the world would be a better place and we would all be much happier. Get your hands on a copy of Didn’t See That Coming and improve your life forever. 

In a departure from Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis offers her devoted followers and new readers an aspirational guide to seizing the difficult moments for the learning experiences that they are, and finding value in them.

When the pandemic hit, Rachel found herself in a place that is also familiar now—facing immense grief, fear, anxiety, and worry about the world around us. As a mother of four, motivational speaker, and CEO of a company she built from the ground up, she realised that in order to get through this challenging time, she needed to reframe how she was approaching everything. Having survived crisis and grief many times herself, she believed she might be able to share what she knew and what she’d done so that she could help others walk through this hard time too.

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING shares how to embrace the difficult moments in life for the learning experiences they are, and shows that a life well-lived is one of purpose – focused on the essentials.

 

Endless Skies By Jane Cable Book Review

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I have read all of Jane Cable’s books. I love them all but this one is my favourite. The character of Rachel is such a wonderful, complex, multi-dimensional character, written with such skill and grace that you have no choice but to love her. This is a modern love story set in sumptuous Lincoln. It has a clever historical twist that works beautifully.
Between the set and the characters; Endless Skies is an atmospheric novel with a story that draws you in and does not let go.

If you want to move forward, you have to deal with the past…

After yet another disastrous love affair – this time with her married boss – Rachel Ward has been forced to leave her long-term position in Southampton for a temporary role as an Archaeology Lecturer at Lincoln University.

Rachel has sworn off men and is determined to spend her time away clearing her head and sorting her life out.

But when one of her students begins flirting with her, it seems she could be about to make the same mistakes again…

She distracts herself by taking on some freelance work for local property developer, Jonathan Daubney.

He introduces her to an old Second World War RAF base. And from her very first visit something about it gives Rachel chills…

As Rachel makes new friends and delves into local history, she is also forced to confront her own troubled past.

Why is she unable to get into a healthy relationship? What’s stopping her from finding Mr Right?

And what are the echoes of the past trying to tell her…?

ENDLESS SKIES is thought-provoking contemporary women’s fiction novel with a heart-warming ending. It merges moving World War Two historical events with modern day drama to reveal a relatable love story.

The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley | Book Review

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The Life We Almost Had has the twist least likely to be guessed of any book I can think of. The book is clever and well done. Of course the book is a love story, but it is a unique one. The book is unbearably sad in places, yet it pulls you up. It keeps you guessing all of the way to the end. Highly recommended reading, this book is a triumph for Amelia Henley. 

Anna wasn’t looking for love when Adam swept her off her feet but there was no denying their connection, and she believed they would be together forever. Years later, cracks have appeared in their relationship. Anna is questioning whether their love can really be eternal when a cruel twist of fate delivers a crushing blow, and Anna and Adam are completely lost to one another. Now, Anna needs Adam more than ever, but the way back to him has life-changing consequences. Is a second chance at first love really worth the sacrifice? Anna needs to decide and time is running out…

A beautiful and emotional love story that asks, how far would you go for a second chance at first love? Perfect for fans of The Man Who Didn’t Call and Miss You.

Amelia Henley is a hopeless romantic who has a penchant for exploring the intricacies of relationships through writing heart-breaking, high-concept love stories. Amelia also writes psychological thrillers under her real name, Louise Jensen. As Louise Jensen she has sold over a million copies of her global number one bestsellers. Her stories have been translated into twenty-five languages and optioned for TV as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers list. Louise’s books have been nominated for multiple awards. The Life We Almost Had is the first story she’s written as Amelia Henley and she can’t wait to share it with readers.

Fair Warning By Michael Connoelly Book Review

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Michael Connoelly, Fair Warning

There is a reason Stephen King calls Michael Connelly ‘a master of the genre.’ Pacy and perfect, Fair Warning is another superb thriller that you will not be able to put down. The book resonates with our present truth. Jack McEvoy is a journalist who is accused of murder and he uses his own skills to uncover the truth. Michael Connelly was a police reporter for the Los Angeles Times and as he says himself he puts ‘the truth in my novels  and research then like a reporter in a story.’ You can tell 

Fair Warning is a must read for any lover of crime novels, and even for those who are not. Superb. 

Jack McEvoy is a reporter with a track record in finding killers. But he’s never been accused of being one himself.

Jack went on one date with Tina Portrero. The next thing he knows, the police are at his house telling Jack he’s a suspect in her murder.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Or maybe it’s because the method of her murder is so chilling that he can’t get it out of his head.

But as he uses his journalistic skills to open doors closed to the police, Jack walks a thin line between suspect and detective – between investigation and obsession – on the trail of a killer who knows his victims better than they know themselves…

Riveting, original and terrifying – this masterpiece from Michael Connelly is the best thriller you will read this summer.

Fair Warning By Michael Connoelly is available here.

The Operator by Gretchen Berg | Book Review

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The Operator, Gretchen Berg, book, book review, I read The Operator in awe. The relationship between the characters, the complexities of relationships, the jaw-dropping setting, this book is just perfect. Set in the 1950s in Wooster, Ohio, it follows switchboard operator Vivian Dalton who eavesdrops on the residents of the town. This comes back to bite her when she hears some gossip about her own life. 

This pieces of gossip sends Vivian on a path of discovery and the consequences come thick and fast. I loved so much about this book: the setting is done so well. Gretchen really knows her stuff. She writes so well from different people’s perspectives. This book is full of depth and luscious descriptions. It keeps you guessing. When you pick it up it is impossible to put it back down. 

It’s 1952. The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to eavesdrop on their neighbours’ conversations, and gossip about what they learn. Vivian Dalton is no different (despite her teenage daughter’s disapproval), and always longs to hear something scandalous. But on the night of December 15th, she wishes she hadn’t. The secret that’s shared by a stranger on the line threatens to rip the rug of Vivian’s life from under her.

Vivian may be mortified, but she’s not going to take this lying down. She wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be. But one secret tends to lead to another . . .

This moving, heart-felt and ultimately uplifting novel brilliantly weaves together an irresistible portrayal of a town buzzing with scandal, and an unforgettable story of marriage, motherhood and the unbreakable ties of family.

The Operator is available here.

 

Her Husband’s Mistake By Sheila O’Flanagan

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Her Husband's Mistake, Sheila O'FlanaganThere are few things more satisfying to me than reading a book with a layered, well-written female character. Of course, Sheila O’Flanagan is known for writing amazing characters but the pay off remains. Her Husband’s Mistake takes a tale as old as time- a cheating husband- and writes about it in a way that is both satisfying and complex.

Her Husband’s Mistake has more pages than the average book I read and I found myself able to really dive into the story. Women tend to give more of themselves to others and end up in the role of the carer. I found this book picks up on so much about being a woman, how hard it is and how you can lose your identity. It takes strength to find it again. I recommend this brilliant book to anyone who loves to read books about people finding their feet and flourishing.

Dave’s made a BIG mistake. What’s Roxy going to do about it? The riveting new novel from No. 1 bestselling author Sheila O’Flanagan. Perfect for readers of Marian Keyes and Catherine Alliott.

Roxy’s marriage has always been rock solid.

After twenty years, and with two carefree kids, she and Dave are still the perfect couple.

Until the day she comes home unexpectedly, and finds Dave in bed with their attractive, single neighbour.

Suddenly Roxy isn’t sure about anything – her past, the business she’s taken over from her dad, or what her family’s future might be. She’s spent so long caring about everyone else that she’s forgotten what she actually wants. But something has changed. And Roxy has a decision to make.

Whether it’s with Dave, or without him, it’s time for Roxy to start living for herself…

Her Husband’s Mistake is available here.

Bird Summons: Light, Lyrical Lockdown Reading

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I’m almost ashamed to say that I had never heard of the multi-award-winning author Leila Aboulela. Bird Summons – her fifth novel – can be described as both Scottish and Muslim fiction; and yet, as a Scottish Muslim who loves to read, she had not been on my radar at all.

What a treat I had in store.

Bird Summons hinges upon a simple enough premise. Three beautifully, realistically flawed Arab-Scottish women embark upon a journey – a pilgrimage, of sorts – to the remote Highlands, ostensibly to visit the grave of Lady Evelyn Cobbold: “the first British woman to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, to educate themselves about the history of Islam in Britain, to integrate better by following the example of those who were of this soil and of their faith”.

Ostensibly is a good word. Bird Summons is so much than first presents itself. What begins as a nuanced bildungsroman of three immigrant women spanning their forties, thirties and twenties – Salma, Moni and Iman – soon becomes something much more. Into this blend Aboulela seamlessly incorporates ancient folklore stemming from the storytelling traditions of Scotland, India and the Arab world, creating something altogether more enchanting and thoroughly unique. As the threads of the three friends’ lives began to unravel, it was this new thread of allegory and parable that heightened the intrigue for me.

Be prepared: what starts as a story pleasantly grounded in realism, becomes increasingly, thoroughly and enjoyably weird. And yet it never jars. Aboulela makes it easy to embrace the fantastical.

Bird Summons also reads as a sort of love letter to Scotland, and the Highlands in particular. Aboulela’s sympathetic descriptions of the physical landscape her characters traverse certainly evoked a nostalgic, somewhat patriotic twinge for my homeland.

Special thanks to my childhood best friend for gifting me this novel and introducing me to this ‘new’ canon of work. You always promised you’d take me to Stonehaven, and I consider this a promise fulfilled. When they all converged on Dunnottar castle, I thought of you.

Bird Summons, by Leila Aboulela, was published in 2019 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. It was a Guardian Best Book of 2019; shortlisted for the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year 2019; and longlisted for the Highland Book prize 2019.

Reviewed by Nadia Tariq

 

Stay Up with Hugo Best Book Review

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Some books are entertainment and some are a hard read. Stay Up with Hugo Best is a bit of both. It can be an uncomfortable,  read, but it is an important one. I feel like this is a real book which picks up on so much nuance. It is a rich tapestry of the complexities of the gender war.The relationship between men and women is complex, and the relationship between powerful men and younger women is complex and ripe for abuse.

Metoo has created a new world but it is not necessarily a better one. Abuse and inappropriate behaviour still happens. People make bad choices all of the time.Sometimes the people making the bad choices are woman. 

Stay Up with Hugo Best is a brave book and Erin Somers has taken her own path in writing it. It is a brilliant exploration of the entertainment industry and the powerful men within it. This book will resonate with many. A great read. 

The novel is an exploration of the power and influence in the entertainment industry in the #MeToo age and a meditation on desire, both realized and unrealized. Through these themes Somers has created in Stay Up with Hugo Best a wonderfully witty, wise and deliciously melancholy narrative.

Stay Up with Hugo Best charts the long weekend a late night talk show host and a young staffer spend together after the show’s cancellation. The weekend is tense, and uncomfortable and the characters so magnificently honest, as the two sardonic souls find themselves connecting.

When Somers finished a creative writing program in her late 20s, she did not know how to proceed. She was uselessly spinning her wheels. This seemed to her something a lot of her peers were going through too—the structures by which one builds a life seemed to have crumbled. ‘I thought this was an interesting time of life to explore, and an interesting predicament: how to succeed as a young woman in a creative field still dominated unfortunately by men. What compromises would I be willing to make if given the opportunity.’ From these initial reflections came her inspiration to write Stay Up with Hugo Best.

Stay Up With Hugo Best is available here.