How far would you go to right a wrong?

Nine months ago, Tess’s five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. The driver, Brady Becker, was sentenced to two years in prison. It didn’t make Tess’s pain go away.

Brady also has a daughter: A twelve-year-old named Eve who walks to Chandler Middle School every day. Tess knows this because she’s been watching Eve for the last three weeks. It isn’t fair that Brady’s daughter gets to live, while Tess’s daughter does not.

When Eve goes missing, all eyes turn to Tess, who doesn’t have an alibi. But Tess isn’t guilty.

Or so she believes.

My Thoughts:

I haven’t read any of Erik’s books before so didn’t know what to expect but I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading his other books now. I found the plot very engaging and also unpredictable, you never really knew as a reader where you were going to be taken next. Tess’s young daughter dies in a car accident, the driver has a young daughter too that Tessa has been watching for a few weeks, why? because it is not fair that her daughter died and the driver that killed her daughter, his daughter gets to live. When his daughter goes missing everyone points the finger at Tess, but was it her? I could never imagine how I would feel in Tess’s situation, it must be so hard for her, to write about experiencing a loss must be hard but it is written incredibly well with great descriptive writing. I liked how the story is set out with turns that I was never expecting. The ending was brilliant and well thought out. I now can’t wait to read more of Erik’s books.

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

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When you’ve loved and lost, how do you find the strength to let love in again?

Jemma thinks she’s found the love of her life. Scott is everything she ever dreamed of and she can’t wait to begin the next stage of their life together. But just as she is heading for her happy ever after, a shock revelation shatters Jemma’s life as she knows it. Left to pick up the pieces, Jemma’s friends and family rally round to help her find the courage to move on.

Sam think he has his future all worked out. A thriving career, lovely home and an amazing fiancée. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself alone, far from everyone he cares about. Did he do the right thing by running away and trying to rebuild the tatters of his life alone?

This is the story of Jemma and Sam. Two lost souls, desperately trying to find closure and happiness. When a chance meeting brings them together a friendship is formed, but the guards are up.

Will it finally be their turn for a happy ever after? Or will the secrets from their pasts prevent them from moving on?

My Thoughts:

As much as I have really enjoyed reading Jessica’s previous novels, this has to be my favourite by far. It is about two people drawn together through heartache. It is emotional but explores real life issues that has been written in a sensitive manner. Two extremely loving people called Jemma and Sam who are always doing stuff for others and put everyone before themselves experience utter heartbreak, I loved how the story develops, there are lots of turns that I never saw coming, I just didn’t want the story to end. I couldn’t and wouldn’t put this book down. Jemma is a tough and strong woman, her mum is incredibly brave to accept what she is going through, the parts where her doctor doesn’t seem to care reminded me of my own similar experiences that I have had, Sam seems a wonderful man who has really taken it hard what has happened to him, he has been through a lot and holding on to alot of things isn’t helping him. This is a story that is relatable and will stay with me for a long time. It is sad and I did cry quite a bit, it made me feel really emotional finishing it which I have never had with a book before. It makes me want to hug my loved ones tighter as you never know what is around the corner.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for sending me a copy.

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A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare.

When British twenty-somethings Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to spend the summer housesitting in New York, they can’t say no. Young, in love and on the cusp of professional success, they feel as if luck is finally on their side.

So the moment that Eden turns up on the doorstep, drenched from a summer storm, it seems only right to share a bit of that good fortune. Beautiful and charismatic, Eden claims to be a friend of the homeowners, who told her she could stay whenever she was in New York.

They know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers—let alone invite them into your home—but after all, Eden’s only a stranger until they get to know her.

As suspicions creep in that Eden may not be who she claims to be, they begin to wonder if they’ve made a terrible mistake…

My Thoughts:

I had never read a book by Mark Edwards before and wanted to give this one a go as I had heard great things about it. I found it a compelling and engaging read, I did find it a little slow in parts but the twists in it make up for it. Ruth and Adam are house sitting for a couple, everything is going well until one day a woman knocks on their door claiming to be the home owners friend who said she could stay at their house whenever she wanted. So they let her stay, let’s just say maybe she is not who she claims she is, and then things start going from bad to worse and will anybody’s life’s be the same again? My suspicion of Eden was there at the start, I did wonder who she might really be but didn’t guess it all. It just goes to show you that not everyone is who they say they are. A very interesting and unusual story that kept me gripped till the end.

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On paper, Merina Wilde has it all: a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect carousel of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart who thinks she’s a goddess. But Merry has a secret: the magic has stopped flowing from her fingers. Try as she might, she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life falls apart too. Alex tells her he wants something other than the future she’d always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry leaves London and escapes to the windswept Orkney Islands, locking herself away in a secluded clifftop cottage to try to heal her heart and rediscover her passion for writing. But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if only long enough to finish her book? Or is it time for her to give up the career she’s always adored and find something new to set her soul alight?

My Thoughts:

What a lovely book to curl up with and forget about the outside world. I have not read many of Holly’s books but I will certainly be from now on, it was just what I needed. Merry is the main character who goes away to write a book, she meets many interesting characters along the way but feels a fraud as she has only come away as she has writers block, not able to tell anyone she begins her journey by living in a clifftop cottage in the Orkney Islands. She hopes she can get some writing done being away from people but the locals are keen to get to know her maybe some more than others. The Orkney Islands are some where I have always wanted to go and haven’t read any books set there, it was the perfect winter warmer for me. It was pure escapism.

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

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Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want… except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim – heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop – she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.

Meanwhile Kim is demonised by the media as a ‘scummy mummy’, who deserved to lose Tonya and ought to have her other children taken too. Haunted by memories of her own childhood and refusing to play by the media’s rules, she begins to spiral, turning on those who love her.

Though they are worlds apart, Mummy and Kim have more in common than they could possibly imagine. But it is five-year-old Tonya who is caught in the middle…

CALL ME MUMMY. IT’LL BE BETTER IF YOU DO.

My Thoughts:

I was blown away with this powerful novel. I liked the way there were no chapters but the story was told by multiple people, it made me want to keep reading. There are a few sensitive issues that I think people could find relatable. I felt as though I could relate to it, and I know I am not alone. The book deals with post natal depression, IVF, mental health and physical health issues. Kim is the mother of Tonya who goes missing and Mummy is the other woman (Tonya calls her that), that sees Tonya and decides to take her. The book concentrates on Motherhood and Childlessness and is written superbly. A story that will stay with me for a long time and I couldn’t believe it was a debut, I look forward to see what Tina writes about next.

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

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Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers, jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more.

Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment and explanation.

History of a Drowning Boy – taken exclusively from these astonishing writings – uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood.

In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media.

Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is now being published with the latter’s permission.

Any autobiography presents the writer’s story from just one perspective: his own, and as such this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent foreword by criminologist Dr Mark Pettigrew offers some context to Nilsen’s words, and this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.

My Thoughts:

I watched the ITV drama that they did on Dennis Nilsen quite recently and found it fascinating but wanted to know more so was lucky enough to be asked to read and review the autobiography. It literally sent shivers down my spine but I just couldn’t put it down. Nilsen was a notorious killer and killed 12 men and tried to kill more, he was jailed in 1983 for life, here we learn about his time in prison where he served 35 years, it is a strange story as he admits to killing the men but what we don’t know or understand is why these particular men. There are parts about the murders that are gruesome but that is just how he did it, I feel as though this story needs to be told and it is one that has intrigued me for a very long time. I am glad I got the chance to read this book.

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

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Home can be the most dangerous place…

In a small London bedsit, a radio is playing. A small dining table is set for three, and curled up on the sofa is a body…
 
Jenn is the one who discovers the woman, along with the bailiffs. All indications suggest that the tenant – Sarah Jones – was pretty, charismatic and full of life.

So how is it possible that her body has lain undiscovered for ten whole months?

My Thoughts:

Wow this book left me utterly breathless, the speed in which I read it shocked me, I just wanted to find out what had happened. This is a very engaging story that left me shocked by the ending. It was an absolutely brilliant story line and the characters were all brilliant, it kept me guessing till the end and the ending made me say oh my god. I liked how it felt as though two stories were running alongside each other, Jenn’s story but also Sarah’s story. It was an intriguing tale that I just didn’t want to put down. I feel as though this book is going to be a major hit next year. It would make a good film.

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

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As seventeen-year-old Lenni is about to learn, it’s not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with.

Dodging the doctor’s orders on the terminal ward, she bumps into fellow patient Margot, a rebel-hearted eight-three-year-old. Their bond is instant as they realize that together they have lived an astonishing one hundred years.

To celebrate their shared century, they tell each other their life stories: of growing old and staying young, of giving joy, of receiving kindness, of losing love, of finding the person who is everything.

As their extraordinary friendship grows, it becomes vividly clear that life is not done with them yet.

My Thoughts:

I can assure you now, you will need a tissue or two to read this emotional but tender story about Lenni and Margot. I fell in love with Lenni and Margot and loved seeing their friendship develop, it was heartwarming to see. I really liked how the book is set out, we go from the past to the present where we find out more about their lives. This book really made me grateful for the life that I live and my family and friends. The ending really got me and I was glad to have a tissue. A beautiful tale of two friends who form an unbreakable friendship through tough times.

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

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They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.
 
I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.
And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.
 
Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. 
Let me explain…
 
Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s.  Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?

My Thoughts:

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did. It is a bit like the time traveller’s wife which I didn’t like, But this book has exceeded all my expectations and is a really good read. It is all about Faye, who has lost so much as a child, while longing for her childhood and her mother comes about, she jumps at the chance to revisit her past, I won’t say how but it is quite magical. What will she find out when she travels back in time, will there be lies, secrets or betrayals that she didn’t know about? It is a very unique storyline but one that works really well. The story really showed me that the past can really shape what happens in the future. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

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

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