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.

Get your copy here:

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.

Get your copy here:

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.

Get your copy here:

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.

Get your copy here:

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.

Get your copy here:

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.

Get your copy here:

When Richard walked out, Margo locked herself away, leaving her three daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, to run wild.

Years later, charismatic Margo entertains lovers and friends in her cottage on the Isle of Wight, refusing to ever speak of Richard and her painful past. But her silence is keeping each of the Garnett girls from finding true happiness.

Rachel is desperate to return to London, but is held hostage by responsibility for Sandcove, their beloved but crumbling family home.

Dreamy Imogen feels the pressure to marry her kind, considerate fiancé, even when life is taking an unexpected turn.

And wild, passionate Sasha, trapped between her fractured family and controlling husband, is weighed down by a secret that could shake the family to its core…

My Thoughts:

I loved this book, I felt as though I was so absorbed into the book nothing else around me mattered. It is a beautiful story which explores the understanding of a family, you will get swept away into this book. I love the way Georgina the author has written the description of the place the book is set in the Isle of Wight, it is a beautiful setting to set a book. I felt as though the characters were all interesting and I loved following them throughout the book. If this is a debut I cannot wait to see what Georgina brings to the table next time.

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

Get your copy here:

Danny is the definition of a man who ‘could do better’. He drinks more than he should, currently lives in his best friend’s garden shed – and he hasn’t spoken to his sister in 16 years.

But when Danny is the subject of a misleading newspaper article, claiming his lifestyle is actually quite enlightened, he suddenly finds himself in the limelight. Letters begin to flood in from strangers seeking his guidance.

Wolfie is the daughter of Danny’s estranged sister, Lou. She’s never met her uncle, but her mother is struggling. So when Wolfie sees Danny’s picture in the paper, she sets out to find him.

Within a week, Danny goes from being responsibility-free to a big brother, an uncle and an unwitting existential ‘guru’ to some very lost souls.

Can he become the man they all need him to be?

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of this book, how does the author write such a moving story but with added humour. It is a gentle and heartfelt story that will bring tears to your eyes but also will lift your spirit. Danny is a man who has given up on life, he drinks too much, doesn’t speak to his family and lives in his best friend’s shed. After the newspaper gets a whiff of his current situation they decide to publish an article about him. Then comes Wolfie who is Danny’s sister’s daughter, she sees the uncle that she has never met and sets out to find him. Can Danny cope with being an uncle and can he finally get his life back on track. This was such a lovely read and I am glad I have read it.

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

Get your copy here:

When 35-year-old Leni McKenzie is knocked off her bike, her family’s world is turned upside down.

Leni and her sister Alice were best friends as well as siblings. But did they know each other as well as Alice thought? In the hope of coming to terms with her grief, she tries to piece together Leni’s last weeks – but her discoveries only lead to more questions. And that’s before the surprise reappearance of someone from the past. Life is certainly getting very complicated …

Meanwhile, the rest of the family seem to be falling apart. Belinda, Alice’s mum, has developed an unhealthy obsession with a clairvoyant, and Tony, her dad, is stressed about becoming a father all over again, what with three failed marriages stacking up behind him.

As for Will, the youngest McKenzie, he’s in denial, having hopped onto a plane to Thailand days after the funeral. Secretly, he’s tormented by the part he played in Leni’s death … and the thing about secrets is, they always come out eventually …

My Thoughts:

I really love reading Lucy’s books, they are always real life situations and pure escapism which I love. I genuinely felt as though I was placed in the middle of the situation and felt as though I wanted to help the family come to terms with what happened. It can be relatable to some people and I hope it helps those people. I loved the way Lucy writes with such warmth and sympathy, and she also adds in a little humour that is such a comfort when you are reading a story like this. You won’t want to put this book down. It was beautiful.

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

Get your copy here:

It’s 1990. The Happy Mondays are in the charts, a 15-year-old called Kate Moss is on the cover of the Face magazine, and Julia Roberts wears thigh-boots for the poster for a new movie called Pretty Woman. 
 
February Kingdom is nineteen years old when she is knocked sideways by family tragedy. Then one evening in May she finds an escaped canary in her kitchen and it sparks a glimmer of hope in her. With the help of the bird called Yellow, Feb starts to feel her way out of her own private darkness, just as her aunt embarks on a passionate and all-consuming affair with a married American drama teacher.  

My Thoughts:

Before I start my review I have to say how much I loved the cover, it is very 90’s which is the era this book is set in. It is a story about February Kingdom who is a young woman, at such a tender age she is hit with a family tragedy, when all looks down she finds a yellow canary in her home. It must of escaped from someone’s home but it gives her hope. Yellow as she calls it, helps her to see the light at the end of the tunnel and helps her to come to terms with what has happened and how to move on. I was very young in the 90’s so I don’t remember much but I am sure people reading this book can reminisce about that era. It didn’t have me hooked like I would of thought it would of done. The story was ok.

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

Get your copy here: