Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife as she’s driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track.

Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

My Thoughts:

I have not read many of Alice’s books and I am not really sure why. This was such a good thriller. It is about Grady Green who is a struggling author, but when he calls his wife as she is driving home, little does he realise how his life is about to change dramatically. His wife has disappeared, but a year later Grady still wants to know what really happened to his wife, so when he changes his scenery to a tiny Scottish Island with hardly any people, why does he keep thinking he is seeing his wife. What is going on, is he really losing his mind? I found mesmerised by this story, if you think you can guess what the outcome will be think again. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about the possibilities and none of them were true. Alice’s way of writing makes you feel locked in and my jaw at the end was on the floor, I could not believe it.

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Meet Fran. This is her to-do list:

• buy milk
• get promoted
• book dentist
• swerve PTA meeting
• practice gratitude
• be a better friend
• stop crying in Morrisons
• rescue relationship
• organise life
• stop keeping secrets

Not on her to-do list? Being made redundant when she was expecting a promotion.

And when one tiny, impulsive decision leads Fran to tell a lie she can’t quite keep up with, suddenly everything starts to unravel.

But could rock bottom be a golden opportunity instead of a complete and utter disaster? With the help of her friends and family, Fran’s about to blow her life wide open…and start piecing it back together. Her way.

My Thoughts:

Another book where the blurb sounded really good, I needed a pick me up read that was going to lift my spirits and I thought this would but it really didn’t. It was such a slow read. It is all about Fran who tells one white lie and then it spirals all out of control, there were a few parts that were kind of funny but not as much as people had hyped about it being a great read. I would not pick up any of this authors books again.

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Margaret Smith is at the beach with her family, a rare day out unlike any other Margaret has ever known.
The Smith family have left the town where they live, work and go to school to visit a place where the sky is blue, the sand is white, and the sound of the sea surrounds them. An ordinary family discovering the joy of getting away for the first time.
Over the course of the coming decades, they will be transformed through their holiday experiences, each new destination a backdrop to their ever-changing family. Love stories begin and end, children become parents and then grandparents — and secrets are revealed.

My Thoughts:

This was a story about a family as they grow up through many years and generations. It was nice to travel through time with the family and see what each person gets up to on their holidays, but it was a very long drawn out book, not what I was expecting at all, very boring in parts and tedious. I don’t feel as though I would pick up another book by this author. I did stop reading it at one point but decided to go back and try and finish it. It was not a memorable read at all.

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Could a taste of love mend two broken hearts?

In the enchanting Northumberland village of Tilldale, Cath is flourishing. Amongst food with friends, evenings in a rickety hut by the sea and a blossoming romance with Will, she has built a life worth cherishing. But when heart-wrenching news threatens to upend their newfound happiness, Cath and Will must learn how to navigate the uncharted waters of love and family together.

With their supper club friends more determined than ever to bring joy back to their village, the community teams up to stage a vintage afternoon tea. As their journey of healing and hope begins, will tea and scones bring everyone together? And will Cath and Will learn to get by with a little help from their friends…

My Thoughts:

This is book three in the Second Chance Supper Club Series and even though you can read them as a standalone, I would strongly suggest you read them all in order. They were all such a delight to read. What more could you want, great friends, great company and delicious sounding food. I think the perfect combination. Tilldale sounds such a wonderful place and I love the descriptions Caroline has written in, it makes it sound so appealing, like I just want to pack up a bag and make my way there right away. I love how the supper club brings the community together and helps people that may not realise they need help. I just loved this book so much.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Shadows and Birdsong brings together poems that reflect on nature, memory, friendship, and the quiet passing of time. Moving through woodlands, graveyards and everyday rooms, K Morris writes about the moments that stay with us and the ones that slip away.

The collection touches on ageing, loss, companionship, and the small details that shape a life: birds calling in the trees, the steady tick of a clock, the feel of rain, the presence of shadows. Some poems remember those who are gone; others simply observe the world as it is, with its mix of beauty and impermanence.

My Thoughts:

Sometimes you just need to pull away from life and reading stories and concentrate on yourself and the nature and world around you and this is exactly what I needed. All you need is five minutes each day to sit and read one of these poems and reflect what the poem means. There is a mixture of poems and I find that flicking through and picking one at random helps immensely. I like the way Kevin the author brings each and every poem to life and captures each word beautifully. I personally liked should I shed a tear and umbrella but heart to heart I loved them all. Such a stunning collection of poems to breathe life into.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Dr Charly McKenna had the perfect life: a thriving dermatology practice, a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park, and a handsome husband who adored her.

Until the night a bullet tore through her skull…and stole everything.

Now Charly wakes in a rehabilitation hospital, unable to walk, speak, or remember her own name. All she knows is that someone tried to kill her―and they may still be out there. As fragments of memory surface, so do unsettling questions about the people around her, including the attentive man who keeps appearing at her bedside.

The truth of what happened that night lives somewhere inside her brain. And as Charly pieces together the jagged edges of her past, she begins to realise the most terrifying possibility: the person who wants her dead might be the one she once trusted most.

My Thoughts:

Wow another fantastic read from Freida, I don’t know how she keeps pulling these blinders out of the bag, when Dr Charly McKenna’s life changes dramatically, she never thought she would wake up and be in a rehabilitation hospital. Apparently someone shot her and this has left her unable to do life’s basic needs. But who tried to kill her? slowly she starts piecing things together but her brain is not what it used to be and there are hoops to jump through before she can think about getting there. It was a slow burner but in this respect that is what this story needed. It went with the theme and I think if anyone was going through similar it may give them courage to not give up. Charly was a strong independent woman and with grit and determination she knew she would get there eventually.

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Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.

To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.

But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick’s ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.

My Thoughts:

I had a bit of a reading lull so knew one of Freida’s books would pull me out of the lull and it certainly did, this one was about Quinn, she is on the run for a murder she committed. But as she gets further away, a really bad snowstorm blows her way, she must find shelter fast. Nick owns the Baxter Motel and when he sees Quinn wanting a room, he is more than happy to help. No one has stayed in the hotel for a very long time apart from one old lady who Quinn finds creepy. Things start feeling odd for Quinn as she is forced to stay a while longer but nothing is as it seems at this isolated motel. Will Quinn be able to escape her past? I liked the intensity that built up throughout the story, Frieda writes with such conviction and realness that is what I like about her books. They keep you on tenterhooks and you never know what to expect.

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Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and her followers are sick with envy. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What her followers don’t know won’t hurt them.

Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children―they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn’t her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.

My Thoughts:

This book had a lot of hype when it first came out, I don’t know what it is about trad wife stories but I have read a couple now and haven’t liked them at all. But with everyone talking about it, I knew I wanted to give it a go. I found the first half of the story addictive, I did not want to put it down, but then after half way I felt it got really silly and just boring. I think a lot of over hyped books are really not worth spending your time on and I felt this with this read. Bizarre.

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Can love blossom amongst the leaves?

When Skylar Shawe moves to Nightingale Square in the heart of Norwich, she’s hoping for a fresh start and the chance to connect with the father she never knew. A break from the chaos of real life seems like the perfect way to catch her breath…until she meets Erik, the brooding but wildly handsome neighbour with a past he’s still trying to come to terms with.

Once a rugby hero, Erik Svensson now faces life on unfamiliar terrain after suffering a career-ending injury. Unsure of the man he’s become, he’s determined to live a peaceful life while he finds himself again. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself drawn to the new girl in Nightingale Square.

My Thoughts:

Heidi is one of my go to authors, I don’t even need to read the blurb to know I will 100% enjoy this book and it did not disappoint at all. The main character is called Skylar and after finding her self jobless, moves in with her dad who lives in Nightingale Square. If you have read any of Heidi’s other books you know Nightingale Square features in some of them too. So you may recognise previous characters pop up from time to time. Skylar needs a break from what she went though in her old life but she wants to make the most of her new life and try and fit in with the new community. When she meets grumpy Erik little does she know how he may just be the answer. It was a joy to read, it felt warm and enticing and brimming full of hope and love. You can never go wrong with a Heidi Swain book.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Sometimes the key is letting go…

Melody has vowed never to fall in love again.

Al is a hopeless romantic.

So, when they quite literally bump into each other, there’s no reason sparks should fly. But the world seems a little upside down lately.

A few weeks ago, Al ordered the removal of all the lovers’ padlocks from one of Dublin’s beautiful bridges. Ever since then, couples across the world have started splitting up.

And as Melody begins investigating this mysterious wave of breakups for her podcast, it seems there might be a bigger story to tell.

Together, they decide to uncover what’s unravelling so many love stories. And, in the middle of solving everyone else’s heartbreak, can they unlock their own?

My Thoughts:

When two unlikely strangers Melody and Al cross paths, they don’t realise what it could entail for either of them. Melody has had her heart broken and enough is enough and Al wants to find love but can’t. When couples start splitting up around the world, Al knows it is because of him but how can he put it right? with the help of Melody, will they both be able to mend each other’s heart? it was a enjoyable read, people will find it relatable. I liked seeing how they both start opening up to each other and how it blossoms. It taught me sometimes letting go is the best way even if it hurts at the time, you know down the line it was the best thing to do. I found it quite a moving and uplifting story with a touch of Cecelia’s magic and charm that she adds to her stories.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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