Forgetting is terrifying. Remembering is worse…

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They’ve been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning… they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love… every memory has vanished.

Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be… the more they question why they were ever together to begin with.

Forgetting is terrifying, but remembering may be worse.

My Thoughts:

I thought this story sounded interesting, it is about Charlie and Silas who have been together since they were young. But one morning when they wake up they don’t know who each other is. Every memory has gone, but why and why them? We see them struggle to work out what is happening to them. But when doing this they find out stuff about themselves that they could never imagine. I found it hard to write a review for this book as I liked it but there were parts that confused me but once I had got to the end it all made more sense. I felt as though the story had not come to the best of endings, I felt as though things needed to be cleared up when they weren’t. I really have enjoyed most of Colleen’s books but this one I really did struggle with.

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Melanie Lange has disappeared.

Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.

The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?
#SaveMelanie
#HelpPeter

My Thoughts:

This is such a clever idea of a book, I have never read anything like it before and it really intrigued me about what was going to happen. The story is told very cleverly through interviews, transcripts and diary entries also you get the perspective of everyone involved which I really liked too. As the reader you have to work out who’s side you are on Melanie’s or Peters. Each chapter peels of a different layer and we start to see the story unfold. It is a dark and fast paced thriller done really well . I loved it.

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

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Tess Parker knows tragedy better than most.

After surviving the death of her daughter and kidnapping of her nephew, Tess is ready to return to normal life. But her troubled past has other plans, and when an old threat reemerges, Tess must seek the help of an unlikely ally to set things right.

No matter what the cost.

My Thoughts:

This is book three in the Harlow series and you can read it as a standalone but I would recommend reading the other two books first. Only because they are all absolutely brilliant reads and I would hate for anyone to miss out reading them. You also get a better perspective of Tess’s back story. Here we follow on her story and after a tragedy, Tess is trying to move on, but when her past is as bad as this one, things don’t always go to plan. Can she finally get her life back on track or will her damaged past come back to haunt her. If you are after a fantastic thriller that you will not want to put down this is the one for you. The ending was superb. I cannot wait to read more from Erik.

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

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Natural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she’s lost her way. A medical school dropout, she’s come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to spend his final days.

Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad’s illness, her mom’s judgment, and her younger brother’s recent stint in rehab, but she’s unprepared to find that her former best friend from high school is missing, with no one bothering to look for her. The police say they don’t spend much time looking for drug addicts. Emma’s dad is the only one convinced the young woman might still be alive, and Emma is hopeful he could be right. Someone should look for her, at least. Emma isn’t really trying to be a hero, but somehow she and her father bring about just the kind of miracle the town needs.

My Thoughts:

I have to say how much I love the cover of this book, it is so simple yet so eye catching. Emma’s father is dying and Emma has came back to the family home to look after him, but he has a mysterious thing going on in his brain that makes him hallucinate. It is difficult for Emma to see him this way but she knows she must do her best for what life he has left. When one of her friends from school goes missing, it is up to Emma and her dad work together to try and piece together what happened to her. It is like their last mission together. The story really affected me in a way I didn’t think it would. It was an emotional roller coaster through highs and lows. It was a thought provoking read.

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

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Set in a close-knit suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief.

Chuck Ayers used to look forward to nothing so much as his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat–that yearly taste of relaxation they’d become accustomed to after a lifetime of working and raising two children. Now, just months after Cat’s death, Chuck finds that he can’t let go of her belongings–her favorite towel, the sketchbooks in her desk drawer–as he struggles to pack for a trip he can’t imagine taking without her.

Ella Burke delivers morning newspapers and works at a bridal shop to fill her days while she anxiously awaits news–any piece of information–about her missing daughter. Ella adjusts to life in a new apartment and answers every call on her phone, hoping her daughter will reach out.

After the sudden death of her father, Kirsten Bonato set aside her veterinary school aspirations, finding comfort in the steady routine of working at an animal shelter. But as time passes, old dreams and new romantic interests begin to surface–and Kirsten finds herself at another crossroads.

My Thoughts:

There are three different people in this story and we follow their lives and how they cope with loss and grief. Chuck has lost his wife but he can never imagine taking another trip without her. Ella’s daughter is missing but adjusting to a new life she is finding hard. Kirsten has lost her father, she looks for signs in what he thinks she should do with her life. I find grief is such a personal thing, everyone deals with grief differently and even though each of these people are dealing with a loss, they are all slightly different in their approach on how to take that next step. I think the author has done a superb job of dealing with such sensitive issues and I hope anyone reading this book that is struggling with grief can take comfort that they are not alone. I love how the author interweaves the characters together. I felt as there was a little hope for all of them.

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

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The police ruled it as misadventure. A young woman falling from a bridge onto Janice Thomason’s car was not an act of suicide or murder, it’s just an accident. But for Janice, it feels like fate has thrown them together.

As a genealogist, Janice is used to tracking down clues – is even a little obsessive, one might say… The police know so little about the Jane Doe that fell on her car that she decides to start her own investigation into the victim and the people she knew. Surely someone must be to blame?

Sometimes the only way to uncover the truth is to lie… and for Janice, living a lie comes all too easily.

My Thoughts:

When Janice is involved in an horrible accident she doesn’t realise how much it will affect her life after. A young woman falls of a bridge onto her car. Janice is traumatised as you can imagine but then she wants to find out all about this young woman as the police don’t seem to have a clue about who she was. Janice goes to great lengths to find out who she was and her life before hand. It was a great read that kept me hooked but the obsession she had over the young woman creeped me out a little and some parts were a little uncomfortable for my liking. I kind of got her but then I didn’t. I felt very confused when I finished the book.

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

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The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

My Thoughts:

This story is about Merit and her family, they live in a unique set up and they are all an interesting mix of characters. Merit has a quirky collection of trophies that she collects, when she meets Sagan, he seems interesting but it is not an ideal situation with him. Merit cannot think about anything but him so decides to do something for herself. But her feelings for Sagan are strong. I really enjoyed this book, I would say Merit is an emotional character what she has dealt with and what she is going through must be hard. I like all the quirks that came along with this read, it does tackle difficult issues by Colleen has added her sensitivity to it and made it ok.

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Billie and Tom have just found out their father has died. Dislocated from each other and unable to talk about the trauma in their family’s past, Billie decides the best thing to do is get on a plane to her brother in Paris. Maybe there they can find a way to heal?
As their story veers between present bereavement and flashbacks to growing up, we see the siblings search for common ground and attempt to repair old wounds. Following the tracks of their grief, Billie and Tom find themselves – unexpectedly – lost in the catacombs of Paris, confronting both each other and their own demons.

My Thoughts:

What an incredible read, one that will stay with me forever. I couldn’t believe this was a debut novel, it certainly pulled at my heart strings and bought reality back to life. The story is about Tom and Billie, they have both had a bereavement in the family and seeing as they both are so far away from each other they decide to reconnect and hope that being together will help with the grief. We see the book flit back to them as children and them now as they attempt to get their lives back on track. This is a tender story about families and how you need them to cope through some of the worse possible times of your lives. This book has opened my eyes and made me realise to be grateful for who you have and what you have got.

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

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A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this fresh and original idea for a story, all about five women who attend a writing retreat with a famous writer hosting it. Each of them must complete an entire novel and the winner gets a fantastic prize, but is foul play at act? each of the women are caught up into something they never could ever imagine, when each of them die, the others are suspicious. It was a great read and kept me entertained, but I did guess what was going to happen and I guessed fairly early on. It was full of tension, suspicion and a great bunch of characters. I will be intrigued to see what Julia the author writes about in her next story.

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

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All murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules.

In the 1930s, Grant McAllister, a mathematics professor turned author, worked them out, hiding their secrets in a book of crime stories.

Then Grant disappeared.

Julia Hart has finally tracked him down. She wants to know what happened to him.

But she’s about to discover that a good mystery can be murder to solve . .

My Thoughts:

The story is set in Spain in the 1930’s and Henry and Megan have been invited over to Bunny’s Villa. Whilst Bunny is upstairs having a nap, but when he doesn’t return after a few hours, Henry and Megan go and find him. What they find shocks them both as they find Bunny has been murdered. They then point the finger at each other but who was it really? there are plenty of red herrings and twists. I found it a very unique detective book. There are multiple stories inside this book to discover, I felt as though there is a little bit for everyone.

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