Yorkshire, 1979

Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.

Because of the murders.

Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?

So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.

But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.

What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

My Thoughts:

This book had a lot of hype when it first came out so I wanted to wait a while until I read it. It is set in Yorkshire in the 1900’s and the main character is Miv. Something bad is happening where Miv lives and her and her best friend are on a mission to find out the culprit. They start making a list of anything or anyone suspicious and hope that they can solve it before the police can. But the only problem is they start finding out things about the people around them that no one else knows. Should they stop now or carry on? it was an interesting story to follow along with, but I really didn’t get what all they hype was about. Yeah it was good but it did not wow me like I thought it would. It was a pick up and put down kind of read for me.

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A young man comes of age and crosses continents in search of an identity—and a cause—at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War in a thrilling, timely, and emotional historical saga.

New York City, 1929. Young Theo Sterling’s world begins to unravel as the Great Depression exerts its icy grip. He finds it hard to relate to his parents: His father, a Jewish self-made businessman, refuses to give up on the American dream, and his mother, a refugee from religious persecution in Mexico, holds fast to her Catholic faith. When disaster strikes the family, Theo must learn who he is. A charismatic school friend and a firebrand girl inspire him to believe he can fight Fascism and change the world, but each rebellion comes at a higher price, forcing Theo to question these ideologies too.

From New York’s Lower East Side to an English boarding school to an Andalusian village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Theo’s harrowing journey from boy to man is set against a backdrop of societies torn apart from within, teetering on the edge of a terrible war to which Theo is compulsively drawn like a moth to a flame.

My Thoughts:

This is not my usual kind of read but I wanted to give it a try as I am always open to new genres. It is set in 1929 in New York and we follow Theo, who is in the thick of the Spanish Civil War. He wants to fight and change the world but he cannot do it all by himself, he must prove his worth. It shows a journey of a boy becoming a man and some of the things he goes through and sees along the way are truly frightening. It was a very eye opening story that is powerful and captivating. I did find it quite heavy going but I am so glad I chose to read about such a strong and poignant story.

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

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Your forties just got fabulous…

Becca Burnside is going to make this the year she turns her forties around, and creates a life her 16-year-old self would be proud of… A smidgen of romance wouldn’t go amiss either.

And with a new job, and a blossoming friendship with handsome Conal, she’s off to a great start. Or at least, she was, until her youngest son dropped the mother of all bombshells: his girlfriend, who just happens to be the daughter of Becca’s best friend Niamh, is pregnant. Now Becca and Niamh find themselves not only facing the usual problems that come with being women of a certain age, they’re going to be grannies.

So when Becca’s new job invites them on a weekend retreat, it seems the perfect way to distract themselves from ‘the Situation’. But will wild water swimming and yoga be enough to help the women face the biggest challenge of their adult lives? And can their friendship survive the chaos of a new baby?

My Thoughts:

Becca is happy she is in a new job, seeing a really lovely man and wants to make her forties better than ever. When Becca’s youngest son reveals a shock piece of news how can Becca come to terms with it, thankfully her son’s girlfriends mum is Becca’s best mate so they both can through the next stages all together. On a weekend retreat they both need time away from the situation and to prepare for what is going to be happening very soon. It was a warm and funny read and comforting how the way best friends and family pull together in difficult situations. It is all about being open with the family to be able to plan forwards. This is book two in The Fabulous Forties Club series and I cannot wait to read book one now. I found it uplifting and such a fun book to read.

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

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Still reeling from the shock of her ex-fiancé leaving her at the altar, Willow Anderson flees to Martha’s Vineyard after almost a decade away, forcing her to confront everything she’d left behind.

Her father suffered from a horrible fall off a horse at their family farm, and Willow has to return to the scene of a traumatic accident from her youth. Just as she begins to navigate taking care of her father’s farm, her first love, Grayson Turner, walks back into her life. And he’s got a secret that could change everything.

My Thoughts:

This story is about Willow who has to get away from her old life, things had gone from bad to worse and she just needs to escape so she goes back to Martha’s vineyard where she has not been for a very long time. But the past comes back to haunt her, with her father needing her help more than ever can she take on the ability to look after him and the family farm by herself? it was a great paced story that fills you with comfort. I liked how the story flowed and the story itself was captivating and easy to follow along with. I liked Willow and I also liked seeing the connection between her and Grayson after not seeing each other for a long time. It was a great read. I look forward to Lindsay’s next book.

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

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The perfect husband. The perfect house. The perfect lie.

When waitress Olivia meets charming, wealthy Lachlan Gibson, it seems too good to be true. A fairytale wedding. A magnificent house in the beautiful town of Rosford. Freedom to pursue her passion for painting.

Everything she ever wanted.

But beneath the surface, something isn’t right. Lachlan has some strange rules for his new wife. There are unsettling accidents which don’t seem random. And disquieting whispers about what happened to Lachlan’s previous wife, now deceased.

Olivia begins to suspect that her dream man may have a sinister agenda, that her perfect new life might actually be a carefully designed cage.

But it’s so much worse than that. As Olivia digs deeper into her husband’s past and discovers the terrible secret he has been hiding, she finally understands she may lose everything – her freedom, her sanity, even her life.

My Thoughts:

Olivia’s life is stuck in a rut waitressing and trying to make ends meet but when she meets Lachlan are things about to change for the better for her. He is a wealthy man and likes to show Olivia, they move in together and get married. This is the life that Olivia always dreamed of until now when Lachlan starts acting strangely and making Olivia obey some weird rules he has for her. As Lachlan starts to drag Olivia down, will she be able to escape but what Olivia does not realise is things are about to get a lot worse. Overall I think it was a good story, I did feel in parts that it dragged a bit, but I was invested in the story as I wanted to know where it would lead. The characters really made this story come alive, especially Lachlan acting all lovely at the start and then showing his true colours later on. It made me feel on edge, suspicious and hope that Olivia would be ok. I could not believe the ending. It was a good read.

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

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A week-long spa break is just what Jess needs. She’s going to be there with her best friends, Stella and Em. And the spa is so high-end it has an ethos about cleansing the mind and soul.

The laughter, gourmet food and cocktails are what every twenty-something needs. And then there’s the beautiful man she spots in the pool on the first day. A perfect addition to her week.

Until Jess finds out that he’s someone from her past. Someone she really should have recognized. Someone she should not find attractive. And that’s when things start getting a little confusing…

My Thoughts:

This was my first book by Hannah and I cannot wait to read her previous books now. This one was about three best friends who go on a spa weekend. They all need the rest for one reason or another. I like how all three women are all real women with real life issues. I feel as though women will be able to relate to at least one of the women in the group. I liked all of the characters and found parts of the story so funny. It was an addictive read full of friendship, love and cheekiness. I loved it and it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

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

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Successful beauty entrepreneur Vivi Savidge is about to celebrate her fortieth birthday at the Palazzo Stellina, a historic former convent in the foothills of the Italian Alps.

Vivi’s little sister is flying in from Brisbane with her sixteen-year-old twins in tow. Her ex-colleague and his new husband are coming from Boston, and old university friend Caroline is driving from Turin. Every one of them is hiding a shameful secret.

Amid a suffocating heatwave, the holiday ignites an explosive cocktail of obsession, jealousy, and greed. Before the week is over, secrets will be exposed and the gathering will turn deadly, leaving one victim, a handful of suspects, and a murderer in their midst.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book about Vivi who goes to the Italian Alps to celebrate her big 40. Lots of her friends and family are flying in to celebrate with her and she cannot wait, expect nothing is as it seems and each one is hiding something. When things turn from bad to worse, who is to blame and why has one person ended up dead? it was a great story to follow along t, packed full of suspense and intrigue I was blind to who the killer was. The ending was spectacular. This is an author I need more of in my life. Brilliant writing.

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

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A lifelong friendship

Childhood friends Milly and Nicole had always been more like sisters so Milly never understood why Nicole dropped out of contact all those months ago. Milly buried that hurt and moved on with her life.

A call for help

Now, suddenly, Nicole is begging for Milly’s help. She needs somewhere private to hide, and the only safe place she can think of is Milly’s holiday home business in the Lake District. Milly knows she should tell Nicole no, but she can’t ignore the desperation in her old friend’s voice so, despite her misgivings, she agrees to let Nicole stay.

A summer to reconnect

Over a summer of tentative conversations, the two women begin to reconnect, and there’s a potential new romance for Milly too. But then the biggest bombshell of all lands and their delicate friendship is put to the test once more …

Can the friends come together in this time of need, or will this summer break their bond forever?

My Thoughts:

Sarah Morgan is one of my go to authors, I don’t even need to read the blurb to know how much I am going to enjoy it, and I do every time. Nicole and Milly were best friends growing up but as adults when there were things going on in Milly’s life that she needed support with, Nicole dropped off the face of the earth and Milly never heard from her again until now. Nicole needs Milly’s help now more than ever but is Milly willing to forgive and forget and why now? they both have the whole summer to find out about each other again but will their friendship be tested again? As soon as I started reading it, I started to feel relaxed and full of warmth, this is what Sarah’s books do to me, it was a great summer read set in the stunning Lake District which is one of my favourite places to go to on holiday. I liked seeing the connection between the two women evolve over time and to hear each of their stories. I just loved it.

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

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As kids, outcasts Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer, and Ernie were inseparable friends in the idyllic town of Maple Grove. Three left to pursue lofty dreams―and achieved them. Only Ernie never left. When he falls into a coma, his three amigos feel an urgent need to return home. Don’t they remember people lapsing into comas back then? And those people always awoke…didn’t they?

After two decades, not a lot has changed in Maple Grove, especially Ernie’s obnoxious, scary mother. But Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer begin to remember a hulking, murderous figure and weirdness piled on mystery that they were made to forget. As Ernie sinks deeper into darkness, something strange awaits any friend who tries to save him.

For Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer, time is running out to remember the terrors of the past in a perfect town where nothing is what it seems. For Maple Grove, it’s a chance to have the “four amigos,” as they once called themselves, back in its grasp.

My Thoughts:

Four young friends have the best childhood together, but as adults three left and one remained. When the one that they left behind falls into a coma, all three return, but something has happened and something is not right at all? should they have left? so many questions need answering and is the past going to come back and haunt them? This is my second book by Dean Koontz and I would love to read more of his books. It is a slow burner but there is a lot of detail to the story. It was interesting to read the past and the present aspect of the story, what really happened when they were kids and to how everything changes now they are adults. It was a good story to follow along with. I really enjoyed it.

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

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A brutal murder. A deadly secret. A killer who’s done this before . . .

DCI Rob Miller is called to a murder scene in the early hours of the morning. A young woman’s body has been discovered under Putney Bridge.

There are clear signs this was a brutal attack. The crime scene is especially unnerving for DCI Miller. It mirrors the victims of the Surrey Stalker — a sadistic predator Miller took down five years ago.

But the Surrey Stalker is dead.

This killer isn’t just copying the past — They know things only the original murderer could have known. They know police secrets and crime scene details that were withheld from the press.

With the media circling and a mole inside the force leaking information, Miller must untangle a deadly web of deception before the killer strikes again.

But as the body count rises and the noose tightens, one question haunts him:

Did he catch the wrong man all those years ago?

My Thoughts:

When a woman’s body is found under Putney Bridge, DCI Rob Miller is called into investigate. But for him it reminds him of a case he investigated years ago, it mirrors the one back then but the killer is dead so who did this? they need to find out before more woman die. I found it quite fast paced to begin with then it seemed to slow down. I liked the fact that I knew the area, that always peaks my interest in a book. The details of the places were spot on and the characters really worked well for the book. I would be intrigued to read another one of Biba’s books. I found this one did not hold my attention as much as I would of liked.

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

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