My Review for The Man I Met on Holiday by Fiona Gibson

If you want a book to get you in the mood for warmer weather, then grab a copy of The Man I Met on Holiday by Fiona Gibson. Happy, lighthearted, funny and huggy. I guarantee it will leave you wanting to linger in the sunshine with a pina colada, with the sun on your back and the breeze blowing through your hair.

Lauren and James are two single people on holiday in Corsica. James is flying solo and Lauren might as well be, as her son is keeping to himself in his room! Inevitably, they bump into each other and away the story goes, as we discover whether romance can continue at home, away from the sunshine and frolics of Corsica.

Full of sun, fun and laughter, I really enjoyed reading The Man I Met on Holiday, curled up with a cup of tea as the snow fell down around me (not literally - I wasn’t sitting outside)!

Thank you to Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Man I Met on Holiday by Fiona Gibson.

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My Review for Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

“Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died”.

I was literally chairbound. From start to finish, I couldn’t put this book down. Sally Diamond was definitely strange with severe mental health problems, but who wouldn’t be with the start in life that she had? For me, she was a loveable character, and I just wanted to put my arm around her and look after her (not that she would have allowed that)! 

Set across different timelines and two countries, Ireland and New Zealand, Liz Nugent handles Sally’s mental health with sensitivity and although there is a comedic side to Sally, we see her issues handled with compassion.

Strange Sally Diamond span me through a spiral of emotions. I was horrified and relieved. I was joyous, and oh so sad, but ultimately, Sally reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant, and both characters will stay with me for a long time. Definitely an early contender for my book of 2023.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent was so, so good, but with so, so many triggers, definitely check these out before you decide whether it’s the book for you. It includes mental and sexual abuse, paedophilia and emotional control.

Thank you to Penguin General UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent.

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My Review for Letters to a Stranger by Sarah Mitchell

I wasn’t sure about this book when I began to read. Cassie and Noah (mother and son) are camped out in a caravan in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, and their reasons for being there become clear as you read. With dual timelines of 2020 and 1940, the entire book is made-up of letters and diary entries (1940) and letters, texts and emails (2020). By the middle of the second part of the book, (there are seven), I was well and truly hooked! 

Dive in and find out for yourselves just how all the characters link up. I can honestly say that it wasn’t until Ruby - a ninety-six-year-old woman - explains the achievements in her life - that I worked out how everything interlinked!

Sarah Mitchell is just so expressive in her writing and she has made me want to find out more about cloud formations and telling the weather from them (wouldn’t you just love to be having a drink with me in a pub)!!!

My favourite quote from the book is an old Maori proverb "Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows fall behind you".

Recommended for anyone who has a love of historical fiction, particularly that which is set in WWII. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Letters to a Stranger by Sarah Mitchell.

Book Description

England, 1940. Dearest Ruby, you must have heard the news by now. The very worst has happened. Our countries are at war. What can I do? How can I stop this nightmare from happening? One day soon we’ll be together again. I swear. I love you. E. x

Present day. Ruby Summers has lived an extraordinary life. Now, at ninety-six years old and living in a quiet countryside retirement home, Ruby may be an elderly lady, but her memory remains perfect.

She remembers the summer in rural Norfolk eighty years ago when she fell in love with Edmondo, and the stolen moments spent in the orchard dreaming of their future. But tears fill her green eyes when she also remembers the September morning they embraced as they listened to war being declared on the wireless. As her village turned against Edmondo and his Italian family, Ruby knew she would be forced to make an impossible choice – one that would lead to a betrayal her heart never recovered from, and an earth-shattering secret she has never shared…

But when lonely Ruby decides to take part in a letter-writing scheme for the elderly, and single mother Cassie replies, she realises this could be her chance. Her last chance. By revisiting her past, can she finally share the secret that has haunted her for all these years? And will her unexpected connection with Cassie unearth truths even Ruby never knew were hidden – or will it tear both their lives apart?

This totally gripping and irresistible story of wartime love and heartbreak will captivate readers who love Lorna Cook, Fiona Valpy and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Author Bio

Sarah Mitchell grew up in Norfolk and studied law at Cambridge University. She practised as a barrister in London for nearly 20 years before turning to writing. Sarah and her husband now live in beautiful North Norfolk with three almost-grown-up children, an extremely affectionate dog and a horse called Joey. Her debut novel, THE LOST LETTERS, was inspired by her parents' experiences in the Second World War and her desire to explore the heart-breaking impact of the war on women and children. By contrast, THE COUPLE is a dark psychological thriller that twins themes of right and wrong with the age-old complication of an all-consuming past love. Her third novel, THE ENGLISH GIRL is a story inspired by an incredible true love story, a beautiful, sweeping tale of hope, courage and heart-breaking choices. Now, her fourth novel, LETTERS TO A STRANGER, explores themes of love, betrayal and redemption, through the eyes of young Ruby Summers who is forced to make an impossible decision when Italy joins the Second World War and her village turns against the love of her life.

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My Review for A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone, read by Joy Nash & Sebastian York

This was so not what I was expecting. From the title and the cover, I was expecting a cutesy, warm, happy, Christmassy book. What I actually got was fun and laughs and a whole lot of raunchy sex! Not a bad thing, just not warm and cosy!

I listened to A Merry Little Meet Cute as an audiobook, read by Joy Nash & Sebastian York. The story was fun, Bee, a porn star who was trying to diversify into family-friendly movies alongside her co-star, Nolan, who used to be a pop star but is now trying to tame down his image. Of course, they are each other’s fans and of course, they fall in love along the way.

If you want something hilarious to read or listen to, then by all means, grab yourself a copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute, but is it something to buy your Great Aunt Ethel for her birthday? Probably not, unless you know she’s going to like a whole lot of sex, sex and…more sex!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review a copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.

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My Review for Promise Me by Jill Mansell, read by Katherine Press

Another Jill Mansell belter which had me laughing out loud from the first few pages. I think that as I listened to it as an audiobook with such a great narrator, Katherine Press, made it even more hilarious and if Edgar doesn’t make you laugh from the very beginning, then there is something wrong with you. It’ll definitely cheer you up if you’re having a bad day.

Lou loses her job and her home in Birmingham and begins a new life in the village of Foxwell in the Cotswolds as a carer for grumpy old Edgar. Her mission is to make him enjoy life more…but will she succeed and what shenanigans will they both get up to along the way?

Pick up this latest book by Jill Mansell and have some fun with Edgar, Lou, Remy, Sammy and Jess along the way. It’ll make you laugh and there may be some tears, but overall, you’ll have a great time in Foxwell!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review a copy of Promise Me by Jill Mansell.

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My Review for Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman

This book is number 38 in the Alex Delaware series and it’s only the first one I’ve read, despite me having a copy of a previous book sitting on my shelf! I’ve read it as a standalone and it was absolutely fine. However, I guess if you want more of the backstory to the characters, then you’d need to start at the beginning.

Alex is a psychologist and assists his police detective friend, Milo Sturgis, in solving cases, looking at them from a psychological point of view in order to help solve the crime. I found Unnatural History somewhat slow to begin with, but I guess that’s the case with many police procedurals, as the crime is discovered and the background built up. However, once I was through all of that, the pace picked up and I was fully invested in the characters Kellerman has in his story. I enjoyed reading about the homeless communities of Los Angeles and how their mental health can affect their daily lives. We also discover how someone who was once pretty well off can spiral downwards incredibly quickly and go from one life to another.

Definitely grab yourself a copy of Unnatural History if you enjoy a police procedural, but be warned, if this is your first Alex Delaware book, it probably will not be your last. You’ll have another 37 to buy!

Thank you to Century Publishing for a review copy of Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman.

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My Review for A Mother's Hope for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker

There are four books (so far) in the Cornish Girls series by Betty Walker and I’ve only read two! It absolutely doesn’t matter. You can read it as a standalone or as part of the series. I will definitely go back and read the other two, even if the characters will all be upside down and back to front!

A Mother’s Hope for the Cornish Girls is set during WWII and the story is told primarily by Sonya, Lily and Mary, each living and working in St Ives. Sonya is helping at the orphanage, Lily is now training to be a midwife and Mary is working as a nurse in the convalescent home for wounded soldiers. 

I devoured this book in two days, I just couldn’t put it down and I’ve just discovered there is a new book coming out in August so I can’t wait for that! It is beautifully written, with compassion and empathy. I read the last page and closed the book, feeling that I had just been enveloped in a great big hug!

Thank you to Avon Books for sending me a review copy of A Mother’s Hope for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker.

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