My Review for That Night at the Beach by Kate Hewitt

Everyone should judge a Kate Hewitt book for themselves. I don’t read reviews because many of them contain spoilers and I’d always much rather go into a book without knowing what happens. That Night at the Beach is no different. You’ll be drawn in so much more if you do not know what is coming next....and I guarantee, you probably won’t have a clue what is coming next.

Full of anger, emotions, and teenage (and adult) hormones. That Night at the Beach will send you on a whirlwind of your own emotions as you try to comprehend what Rose, Cara, Finn, Henry, Bella and Elspeth are dealing with. Both families have been friends for years, but something happens ‘That Night at the Beach’ that changes everything for everyone - forever.

If you love Kate Hewitt, then go out and buy yourself a copy of her latest book. If this is your first time reading one, why not start with this one?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of That Night at the Beach by Kate Hewitt.

Book Description

As mothers, we never dare to delve into our worst-nightmare scenarios. What if… we might murmur to each other, and then shake our heads, telling ourselves it’ll never happen to us if we’re just good enough mothers. Yet here we are. And the steady beep of the heart monitor is the only evidence the child in front of us is alive…

It’s Labor Day weekend, so of course we went to the beach. Like we do every year. For a barbecue picnic with my best friend Rose. It’s the perfect tradition—drinks, games, burgers, music, laughter. Together with our husbands, my two teenage sons and her two daughters, we all arrived as the sun was still shimmering over the water, the whole evening ahead of us.

But nothing goes to plan. Old secrets emerge, and tempers flare. And so we parents decide to leave the beach, telling the teenagers to enjoy themselves, reassuring them someone will be back to collect them in an hour or two.

But when I return a little while later, I know something is really wrong. Our teens are slurring their words, stumbling to the car. It’s clear they have been drinking and I’m shocked. I never expected our kids to behave this way. I’m bracing myself to have firm words with them in the morning, but the next day my concerns fade to nothing when seventeen-year-old Bella claims my son Finn assaulted her.

Finn insists he would never do that. And I so want to believe him. Because I brought my son upright. Because a mother would know, wouldn’t she?

What I don’t know is that the answer to what happened that night on the beach may be a matter of life and death for one of our beloved children…

An absolutely heartbreaking story about friendship, parenting and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Susan Lewis.

Author Bio

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.

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My Review for Will There be Wine by Whitney Cubbison

This is such an awesome debut novel and I’m chuffed that the author reached out to me and asked me if I would read and review a copy of Will There be Wine. It took me longer than it usually does to read a book, as I spent the first two weeks of January in Las Vegas. However, this meant I could enjoy Austen’s dating shenanigans for longer, and after an exhausting day wandering the strip, what better way to relax than to dive into a Paris rom-com!

Austen is a Texan, living in Paris and after separating from her husband, she is back on the dating scene, but she is finding that French men are very different from the Americans she is used to! 

Whitney Cubbison made me laugh out loud with the telling of her dating adventures of Austen and there were a couple of ‘hand over the mouth’ moments when I thought, ‘wow, you go for it girl’! 

Will There be Wine would make a great movie, and with every page turn I could imagine it playing out on the big screen.  I'm hoping a screenwriter will read the book and agree!

How successful will Bumble be for Austen? You need to go out and grab yourself a copy of this book as soon as you can and find out for yourself and travel alongside Austen’s friends as they fully support her on her dating journey!

Thank you so much to Whitney Cubbison for the opportunity to read and review a copy of her debut novel, Will There be Wine. I hope there is another offering in the pipeline because I’m sure it’ll be as good as the first.

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My Review for Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry

I’m pretty sure that Off the Deep End is my first Lucinda Berry read, however, it won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fast-paced and a real page-turner, it became pretty dark as the story progressed, but this made it even more thrilling for me.

It all began with two mothers, Amber and Jules, and two sons, Gabe and Isaac, but what happened, and how did it end? Told from the point of view of both mothers in alternating chapters, we discover very different versions of a similar story and many times I wanted to tell both of them to get a grip and start behaving like adults. I mean, do innocent people really need to hide stuff from the police? 

There are lots of plot twists and turns, some I was expecting and some, not so much so but each added to the overall enjoyment of the book. 

If you like a psychological thriller with hundreds of plot changes, then check out Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to listen to and review an ARC of Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry.

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My Review for The Man Without Shelter by Indrajit Garai

I was approached by the author’s assistant, who asked if I would like to read a copy of The Man Without Shelter. The synopsis sounded like something I would enjoy and so I agreed. 

Lucy and Arnault are the main characters. Lucy is a lawyer, with a promising future ahead of her and Arnault has recently been released from prison and is now living on the streets of Paris. Through various situations, their lives become linked and the story progresses.

Overall, The Man Without Shelter is a good book. I enjoyed both Lucy and Arnault’s stories and with Arnault in particular; the author described, in detail, how he progressed as he left prison and I enjoyed his story.

That being said, the book could definitely have done with a final edit. There were quite a few grammatical errors, and it appears that English isn’t the author’s first language. I’m not sure whether the book was written in English or whether it has been translated, however, for me, it didn’t flow as well as it could have done. I would suggest a re-edit to address these issues and the few storyline anomalies.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review a copy of The Man Without Shelter by Indrajit Garai.

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My Review for Happy State by Samantha Fitzgibbons

I can easily immerse myself into someone else’s dystopian world, so when Samantha Fitzgibbons reached out and asked me whether I would like to read her brand new, debut dystopian novel, Happy State, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Happy State is brilliantly written, and I loved it from beginning to end. It was incredibly dark throughout, and I often shuddered and wondering just what the UK would be like if democracy became a dictatorship. It just doesn’t bear thinking about. 

Rafella is our protagonist, and she has had to get used to having a curfew and being told what time she has to be home at night. Mobile phones are no longer allowed and nightclubs no longer exist. What I found difficult to comprehend was the plan to ‘remove’ people with any sort of mental illness from society. It was just horrifying.

Happy State ended on a massive cliffhanger and I hope Samantha Fitzgibbons is well on her way to writing the next one! 

I would definitely recommend Happy State to anyone who enjoys a dystopian story and I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review a copy of her book.

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My Review for You Can Become Someone: It's Your Life by Anita Onli

I really enjoyed this book. You Can Become Someone: It’s Your Life is a story of how Izzie grows into her life and finally works out just what she wants to do, albeit with a few mishaps and traumas along the way.

She needs to find out what job she really wants to do, what it is she actually wants from a relationship, and realise that friends are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. 

The story speeds through quickly and I think the author could make a full-length novel out of this if she wanted to, just by giving the reader more of a background to the characters and including them more in the story.

The book definitely needed a final edit as there were quite a few typos throughout and at one point, Harry became Henry! That being said, I would read another book by Anita Onli. She has a great future as an author in front of her if she wanted to go down that route.

Thank you to Anita Onli for the opportunity to read and review a copy of You Can Become Someone: It’s Your Life.

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My Review for Mayatte's Catharsis: A Feathered Serpent Reborn by Jack E. Mohr

From the beginning, I was drawn onto Naña’s island and into her world. An island that seems to be in the middle of an ocean and perhaps within a Bermuda triangle-type vortex. Naña and her fellow islanders hide from any visitors, and only show themselves when they feel safe. So, when survivors of a shipwreck land on the island, they initially seem to be on a deserted island.

We are soon thrown into a world of fighting monsters and characters fighting for their lives whilst trying to save each other.

I enjoyed this short novella, but I felt that it could have done with a final edit to iron out the few errors I found. I would also appreciate some world-building to understand more about what is happening and why. There is definitely scope for further, perhaps full-length books and I would like to see what the author comes up with next. 

Thank you to Jack E. Mohr for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Mayatte’s Catharsis.

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