Anxiety can feel like a huge obstacle to living the life you want – but it doesn’t have to be! Brimming with practical activities and inspiring words, The Anxiety Fix is a gentle and encouraging guide to help you flourish.

Working through the prompts and exercises in this journal will help you to understand your worries and take control of your anxiety. The activities in these pages will also help you to:
· Identify your anxiety triggers
· Develop your self-belief
· Learn coping strategies for stressful situations
· Discover self-care inspiration to nurture your well-being

Whether you have a dream you want to achieve or you’re seeking a calmer state of mind, this book will provide you with the tools to conquer your anxiety, boost your well-being and live a happier, more fulfilling life.

My Thoughts:

As someone who struggles with anxiety, I never would of imagined how a couple of books would help me to restore my calm and inner peace. As much as I love reading and find it peaceful there is always a niggle at the back of my mind, but with the help of some really useful books, these are really helping me to breathe and reset. It is really well set out and easy to understand. This book is set out more of a journal which I never would of thought that I would find helpful but I really do. There are different activities to do each day or whenever you need something to help you stay calm. It will help you take care of your anxiety, it has helped but I am looking forward to combatting day to day life with the help of the anxiety fix book at my fingertips.

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

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Do you ever feel as though the world’s conspiring against you? Like when it starts raining the moment you step outside, or when you narrowly miss out on that promotion at work – or when you check the news to discover everything has gone to sh*t. At times like these you need reassurance of your own strength and resilience, as well as a gentle reminder that there’s still plenty to be positive about.

Packed with helpful tips and kind words, this book will be your go-to guide to finding calm in an increasingly chaotic world. This valuable guide offers coping strategies for a range of anxieties big and small, from work-related worries to existential dread and concerns about the future of the planet.

Whatever’s causing you to feel anxious, How to Cope When Everything’s Gone to Sh*t is here to support you when life gets overwhelming. With the advice inside, you’ll start to feel more confident and ready to take on any challenges that might come your way.

My Thoughts:
I have always been an anxious person and when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. It is a really great book that is small enough to fit into a handbag, incase you need some reassurance when you are out and about. It has practical tips and tricks to help you stay calm in certain situations. I have felt overwhelmed many times and just having this book with me has been a comfort. It is a great book to help overcome anxiety and to put you on track for a better calmer life.

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

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Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of . . .

My Thoughts:

Looking after someone’s house is a big responsibility especially when you have to look after their daughter too. The story follows the housemaid and what she hears and sees. This family seem a little dysfunctional but at the end of the day it’s a job… right… Then things start to go from bad to worse, will there be an escape? I had heard a lot of hype around this book so didn’t want to read it then but now I am annoyed I waited so long as it was such a great read. It led me up the garden path and back again, I didn’t know who was telling the truth and I did not see the major twist coming either. I wanted to read it quickly to find out the ending but then I also wanted to saviour it as it was such a good read. And the best thing about this book is that there is a few more in this series and I cannot wait to read all of them.

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Two lovers caught at the crossroads of history
A daughter’s search for the truth
 
When Max, a Jewish architect, is sent to the Dachau concentration camp, it’s only his talent for making exquisite porcelain figurines so admired by the Nazis that stands between him and certain death. Avant-garde artist and Max’s partner, Bettina, has no idea where he’s been taken but, when she learns of his fate, she’s determined to rescue him whatever the cost.
 
A lifetime later, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, sets out to unravel the mystery of her identity. As she weaves together the fabric of her past, she discovers the terrible answers her mother wanted hidden forever.
 
A heart-breaking historical tale that explores how the power of art can shape our relationships, our society and our future.

My Thoughts:

Max has been sent to a Concentration Camp, his only talent is to make porcelain figurines. But the Nazis love them. Max’s partner Bettina does not know where her partner has ended up, but when she does find out, she is horrified and will do anything to get him his freedom back. Then the book jumps forwards many years later where Bettina’s daughter wants to find out about her family history and she cannot believe what her mother and father went through all those years ago. I find reading about this subject fascinating, I always find something I never knew. I liked reading both parts to the story, it seemed too work really well. It is a emotional read, which really pulls at the heartstrings but one that is well worth the read.

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

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Murder is never just a walk in the park . . .

When friends Louise and Irina find a dead body in the local park whilst walking their dogs, they are soon drawn into the mystery of who murdered local entrepreneur Phil Creasey.

Phil used to be a member of their dog walking community – nicknamed ‘the Pack’ – until the death of his cockapoo, and the Pack feel they owe it to Phil to investigate his death. But with Louise and Irina leading the charge, it isn’t long until they’re neck-deep in local gangs, stolen motorcycles and a disturbing string of poisonings. Have the Pack bitten off more than they can chew, or can they follow their noses and solve the crime?

My Thoughts:

When two friends go for a walk with their dogs, they would never expect to find a horrific discovery. They are determined to find out what happened to the person, when they join forces with a fellow dog walker Phil, they would of never realised how deep they would get into solving crimes. It was a great easy read with loveable characters including the dogs. It was a fun read and as the reader I felt as though I was part of the pack and trying the solve the crimes too. A murder mystery at it’s best and including some adorable dogs.

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

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First, there were my mother’s bones . . .

A young woman returns home to the small, claustrophobic town of Knife River. When Jess was thirteen, her mother went for a walk and did not return – now, fifteen years later, bones have been discovered in the woods nearby.

Jess’s sister has remained in their childhood home – her life, their home and the town itself seemingly frozen in time. As days turn into weeks, Jess’s understanding of the past, her sister, and herself becomes more and more complicated – and the list of suspects responsible for her mother’s terrible fate more and more ominous . . .

My Thoughts:

Jess has returned home to Knife River, but her memories of the place are not good ones. When Jess was younger, something terrible happened and now this has come back to haunt her. Jess has a sister and she has stayed in the family home all this time whereas Jess fled. What has been going on in her sisters life since she left, it is much more complicated than Jess realises. It is quite a long and slow story, and doesn’t really get going for ages. It is one that needs to have perseverance to it as the outcome was jaw dropping. It is a mystery with a twist and multi layered too. It is worth a read.

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

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One week in Cape Cod. The perfect family holiday. What could possibly go wrong…?

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their rustic beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, its quirky furniture and mismatched pots and pans greeted like old friends.

Now, sandwiched between her children who are adult enough to be fun but still young enough to need her, and her parents who are alive and healthy, Rocky wants to preserve this golden moment forever. This one precious week when everything is in balance; everything is in flux.

But every family has its secrets and hers is no exception.

With her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the perfectly balanced seesaw of Rocky’s life is tipping towards change…

My Thoughts:

When Rocky goes on holiday to Cape Cod with her family, its like returning to old friends as they go every year. It is always the same but it brings great memories for them all. Her children are now older and it feels a great time to be alive. But is life getting on top of her, she is not as young as she used to be. This is a raw and emotional read about a woman going through the stages of life and trying to be the best for everyone. There are sensitive issues dealt with through out the story and I really found those hard to read about as I am sure other women will too. There are a few funny parts to this book too that gives the reader a little warmth and I did feel as though I needed a break after certain parts of this book. It was hard going and tough to read.

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

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TWO COUPLES

Elena and Adam are housesitting in Wimbledon and are instantly seduced by their new upscale surroundings.

Sophia and Finn are their beautiful, enigmatic neighbours who invite them into their world.

ONE TWISTED GAME

When Sophia proposes a wicked game to Elena whereby they will swap partners in secret, it’s not long before Elena starts to experience a sexual awakening that blossoms into an illicit love affair.

But Sophia’s plans are far more complex and dangerous than Elena could ever have imagined…

WHO WILL SURVIVE?

My Thoughts:

When Elena and Adam start housesitting in a up scale market area, they think all their dreams have come true. When they meet Sophia and Finn things start to change dramatically. They will swap partners and hide it from everyone else. But is this a good idea as feelings start to change and emotions take over? but is there more to this than meets the eye. I liked the sound of this book, it was gripping and you could feel the tension between each page. It was the most unexpected book I have ever read with a dark and captivating game that they all played. The story has twists and they excited me, and the ending was brilliant.

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

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1656, Saint-Domingue. In the dark confines of a cell, a prisoner is waiting. Soon the hangman will call her name. Jacquotte Delahaye. A name which has struck fear into even the mightiest of empires. For Jacquotte is no ordinary prisoner: she is a pirate.

Fierce. Legendary. Deadly.

As the hangman prepares the noose, Jacquotte’s story is told, charting her humble origins from the island of Hispaniola to the deck of a fearsome pirate ship. There, against all odds, she swiftly rises through the ranks, travelling across the Caribbean, facing duels across land and sea, and savouring tender moments stolen in the night.

With the sun rising, can Jacquotte fight her way to freedom and find the woman she loves? Or will she die a legend?

My Thoughts:

The story is set in the 1650’s and features Jacquotte who has been trapped in a cell waiting for the person to call her to lead her to her death but what has she done wrong? She has been condemned a pirate but when her story is read out can she prove to everyone why she should stay alive. It was a bit different to the types of books I would normally read but I am trying to broaden my reading genres this year. I felt as though it was action packed from the get go and had some really great characters that really brought the story together. It was a read I was unsure if I would enjoy but I really did enjoy it. If you like an adventure packed full of pirates and a kick ass Jacquotte then this is the story for you.

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

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Eighty years on, D-Day The Oral History is a fresh and significant new history of arguably the most important day of the 20th Century.

On 6th June 1944, the Allied invasion began. For hours, wave after wave of soldiers, sailors, and airmen crossed the channel and stormed the Normandy coast, fighting to gain a foothold in Nazi-occupied Northwest Europe. It was the largest combined air and seaborne invasion ever, involving over 150,000 Allied troops on the ground, and its eventual success became a critical turning point in the war, spelling the beginning of the end for the Third Reich.

As the events of that day fade from living memory, it’s more important than ever to understand what it felt like to be there and to live through it, on both sides. In this definitive work, Garrett M. Graff, the bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11, compiles over 600 US, Canadian, UK, French and German voices to tell the full story of exactly how that historic day unfolded, in visceral detail – as well as the weeks and months leading up to it. From paratroopers to fighter pilots to nurses, generals, French villagers, German Defenders to Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, this is the most intimate re-telling of D-Day published to date.

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know much about D Day which is rather embarrassing, but now I feel as though I have a lot more knowledge and understanding. Garrett has written an impressive novel with people from the different countries voicing their opinions on what actually happened from their point of view. I found it fascinating and much more interesting whilst reading about each side. It is a huge book but the photos in the middle break it up. I always find history books with photos much more intimate and thought provoking. A great novel for a history buff or for someone who wants to learn more.

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

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