Category: General Fiction

A Cottage By The Sea by Carole Matthews

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My Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Grace, Ella and Flick have been friends since College. When Ella invites them all to her cottage in South Wales for a week Grace jumps at the chance to spend some quality time with her friends. Sadly her husband Harry is less enthused and as they set off in his Bentley for their journey, Ella is pretty sure the week will be far from easy. As with every Carole Matthew’s book I read, she has a knack for ensuring the reader likes the characters. Thankfully this latest book is a perfect example of how good she really is. Grace is easy to warm to and you can’t help but feel sympathetic when Harry starts whingeing very early on because there is no phone signal.

In addition to Grace, we see her friend Ella who is the laid back one and their unpredictable and fickle friend Flick who seems to be the wild element of the friendship to their calm. Ella’s husband Art along with Flick’s handsome friend Noah, complete the six and from the early part of the book you just know the week is going to be unpredictable. I just fell in love with the descriptive Cwtch Cottage that Carole described and it made me want to immediately book up a beautiful cottage in the country for the summer!

This book is a rollercoaster of laughter, tears and friendship.

The real storyline is one that is basic, but sometimes works the best. It tells the story of the three women and we get to see each of them deal with their relationships with the men in their lives and their closest girlfriends. I was absolutely enthralled by this book and truly thought it was one of her best. I literally didn’t put it down and found myself just having to finish it because I needed to know what was going to happen to everybody.

It sounds ridiculous, but when you have an author you have read for so many years, I almost get frightened that one day I will pick up one of their new books and they will have just lost that spark that makes you love their books. In the case of Carole Matthews, her books are like wine, they most definitely improve with age and I for one will be pre-ordering the next one. It’s a sheer joy to read a book so wonderful from an author that has been writing for so long. This one is highly recommended!

CHRISTMAS AT THE CUPCAKE CAFÉ BY JENNY COLGAN

My Rating: 4/5

I hate to admit this but only picked up my very first Jenny Colgan book towards the end of last year (yes I know it’s ridiculous) but that book was The Cupcake Café. I devoured it and was thrilled when I realised there was a follow up book that had just been released. I eagerly picked up this one, Christmas at The Cupcake Café, and couldn’t wait to see where Issy was in her world.

For those that maybe haven’t read the first one, fear not this can still be read as a stand-alone. However, it was so much more enjoyable being able to go back and see how all the characters were getting on. Issy took the plunge in book one and started up her very own Cupcake Café. We now go back to the café to find Issy, along with her two workers Pearl and Caroline running the café in their usual no-nonsense way. Issy is in love with her boyfriend Austin who works at a local bank, and things seem to be going smoothly for her. That is until Austin is called away on business to New York.

The distance between them is the start of things going very wrong for Issy and pretty soon it seems that nothing is the same as before and she has no control over things. The one major difference between this book and the last although I still wanted to know about Issy, I was also really keen to see more of Pearl and Caroline. Although Issy is the main character, Jenny Colgan has done a stellar job of making the reader really engage with all the characters. Austin’s younger brother Darney, Issy’s mother, Doti the Postman, they all caught on with me and I just wanted to keep reading about all of them.

This book didn’t have nearly as much impact with me as the first (not sure why), but this certainly isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it. I really enjoyed it and as usual it took me only two days to read it. The one thing I love is that these characters are memorable; I would really love to see the return of not just Issy but the other characters too. The story itself was good, but like I said just didn’t have as much impact as the first. There is the addition of recipes all the way through the book which is a really nice touch, although it did make me quite hungry more often than not. Having finished it I am eagerly planning on getting stuck to other Jenny Colgan books. Another really good book!

Husband Missing by Polly Williams

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My Rating: 3/5

In this book by Polly Williams we meet Gina who has met and married Rex within a matter of months. When her husband goes missing on a holiday with friends her dream marriage starts to turn on its head. Rex’s brother Jake is instrumental in helping Gina to try and find Rex or some clue as to why he has gone missing. The initial part of the book really grabbed me and you are left with so many questions at the beginning of the story. As time progresses and we see Gina return to the UK, her life has to move on but she struggles with day to day things. As more about Rex’s past is revealed I began to find myself getting a little irritated with Gina as a character. Maybe this was just me but I felt that she was so weak and vulnerable I wanted to slap her!

Rex’s brother Jake on the other hand was a great character and I really liked him from early on. The story was certainly different and the writing was as in her other book brilliant. I just couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. When I finished the book I certainly enjoyed it, but the character Gina just irritated me so much that I began to dislike her and it just ruined it a little for me. This certainly isn’t my favourite Polly Williams book but I think it will be a favourite with many others. I will carry on reading Polly Williams as I have really enjoyed her other books, and maybe next time I will like the character more. There was slightly hurried feel to the end of this book too, which maybe lessened my enjoyment of it, but I still felt like it was a good read, just not a favourite of mine.

Lessons In Laughing Out Loud by Rowan Coleman

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My Rating: 4/5

Don’t ask me how but I had not got round to reading a book by Rowan Coleman. Yeah, yeah, I can hear people out there exclaiming “WHAT?”. I know, sometimes I ask my self that very same question. I decided enough was enough, and scrolled through the ridiculous amount of books I have on my Kindle to start reading Rowan Coleman’s book Lessons in Laughing Out Loud. It didn’t take me long to like the main character Willow. Her and her twin Holly are polar opposites and Willow works for a demon of a woman, has a failed marriage behind her and finds it hard to say no to people. From very early on it’s clear that Willow has something from her past that is holding her back and in the early part of the book she came across as a little weak, although also pretty endearing!

When Willow’s step-daughter turns up at her doorstep with a problem, Willow does no more than take her in along with a celebrity she happens to be babysitting on her bosses orders. Pretty soon Willow’s life gets very complicated. I was quite taken by the story and the relationships that we see crossing over. I was beginning to get itchy feet just over the halfway mark wanting to know more about Willow’s secret. However, as I read on I realised that Rowan Coleman had done a magic job of writing about a sensitive subject and revealing it at the perfect time in the book.

Although this was my first Rowan Coleman book, I don’t think it will be my last. There was only one element I thought spoiled it and that was the `magic’ shoes. Yes I know the theory behind it was all about how Willow felt herself, but it just grated on me a little bit. That aside I thought the writing, characters and story were really enjoyable and certainly hooked me in to wanting to read more of her stuff. It was a slightly different kind of writing to other favourite authors of mine, but by no means just as good. I’m looking forward to reading more of her stuff in the future.

Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 5/5

Meet Molly Hayes who lives in the dreamy village of Briarwood in the Cotswolds. She works drawing a cartoon strip for a paper and helps out at her friend’s café in the Village. Her love life is something of a shambles and she always making the wrong decisions. Meanwhile Dexter Yates is a handsome bachelor who is living the party lifestyle in London. Surrounded by women who fall at his feet and partying with his friends his life is just as it should be. Overnight, Dexter’s life changes when his sister dies tragically in an accident. When he discovers that his sister has left him as the sole guardian of her 8 month old daughter Delphi he has no idea where to start.

It took me a mere three chapters to fall in love with the calm but bad decision maker Molly. Easy to like, she is the sort of girl that you instantly warm to. I also loved the village she lived in and the characters that made it up. Dexter was also an easy to love character which makes a book so much more enjoyable. One of the more interesting themes to the book was the childcare aspect of it. A young, free and single man attempting to look after a young child, is both sad and at time hilarious. Jill Mansell has a way with words which is why she is still writing such successful books 20 years on. The writing flows easily and you are drawn into the story and see both characters progress. There are certainly some serious moments in the book, but along side that is balanced nicely with some characters that are so colourful they made me chuckle to see what they get up to. In addition to Molly and Dexter, the reader meets lots of other villagers that are drawn into the story in one way or another. Each person added another layer to the book and although my focus was firmly on Molly and Dexter, I loved the sideline stories going on in the background.

I have been reading Jill Mansell books since my teenage years and don’t get me wrong I haven’t thought every book was 5 stars, but I have never felt let down with one of her books. This newest release was a wonderful read that had me absorbed from start to finish. Many will say that the storyline is predictable, but to be honest if the story didn’t have the predictability and threw me a horrible curveball, maybe I wouldn’t like it as much 🙂 This was an absolutely wonderful read and I think that Jill Mansell’s fans will as usual be thrilled with it. As usual, I will be waiting patiently for her next book and would highly recommend this one!

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

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My Rating: 3/5

This debut novel was one I was really looking forward to as Amazon reviewers all seemed to be raving about it! With 244 Reviews and an overall score of 4.5/5 I was pretty sure that I would feel the same as the majority and love this book. Rachel and Ben are the main characters and are friends that share history. They both attended University together and formed a bond that seemed back then unbreakable. Fast forward ten years and things are very different. Rachel and Rhys have been together for years but as they near their agreed wedding, Rachel and Rhys split up. Add to the mix the re-appearance of Ben in Manchester and the story starts to warm up.

If I’m being 100% honest I struggled with the first few chapters and wondered whether I could get to grips with this character. Thankfully a few more chapters in I had started to warm to Rachel. The author manages to weave the past story into the current one seamlessly and it made it easy for the story to build layers which I liked. The one thing that is crystal clear is that Mhairi McFarlane has a brilliant sense of humour. Some of the lines that were in this book were very funny, but maybe because I wasn’t overly keen on Rachel, they lost their shine a little.

The story got a lot more interesting as the reader sees what has happened in the past and I certainly found it harder to put down, especially towards the end of the book. The ending was a little predictable but to be honest I can see why so many really enjoyed this book. I am putting my middle of the road attitude down to my difficulties with the characters. On the flip side of the coin, is Mhairi continues to write with this much humour and style it wont take her long to gain a following, and that will no doubt include me. Although I only gave it 3/5 I am actually really looking forward to the next novel and look forward to seeing what she can do the second time around!

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: One single mum

With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to . . .

One chaotic family

Jess’s gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she’ll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess’s teenage stepson, can’t fight the bullies alone. 

Sometimes Jess feels like they’re sinking . . .

One handsome stranger

Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it’s like to be lonely. And he wants to help . . .

One unexpected love story

The One Plus One is a captivating and unconventional romance from Jojo Moyes about two lost souls meeting in the most unlikely circumstances

My Review: I have to say that I started reading this one lunchtime and by the end of my hour, had managed to plough through the first quarter of the book. I also finished it that very night and was left feeling like Jojo Moyes seems to be an author I really should be reading more of! Jess was a character that I instantly liked, and as a single Mum struggling to make ends meets it was a familiar story. Her two kids Tanzie and her Stepson Nicky were also instantly likeable. We read a few chapters from each persons perspective which really helped you understand what they were going through.

Tanzie was such a sweetheart and as a maths genius, when Jess gets the opportunity to give her a head start she decides to take a chance. At this point Jess life seems to unravel pretty quickly and before she knows it she is in deep water. On the other side of the coin we meet Ed Nicholls whose own life seems to be falling apart and as he battles to sort his own issues out, he and Jess have a chance meeting.

What follows this chance meeting is a brilliant story about this unusual foursome and the journey they take (to say any more would spoil it). We see various plot lines covered such as bullying and I really liked the way it was dealt with in the story (genius), unemployment, romance, chaos, and most of all what real life is all about! We see the highs and lows for both Jess and Ed and we see two kids with their own issues deal with them in their own way. What I will tell you is that I loved all the characters, loved the storyline, loved the writing and was so gutted when I finished the book. It had everything a book should have and kept me reading to the very last page. An absolute joy to read and a book I would highly recommend!

Losing You by Susan Lewis

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My Rating: 5/5

I have read the majority of Susan Lewis’ books and there aren’t many that I don’t enjoy. She varies the topic but generally isn’t frightened of dealing with sensitive topics. This book is no different and I knew from the synopsis that this may well be a sad story. This story introduces us to Lauren Scott who is a bright and talented young girl with the world at her feet, and her mother Emma who is very close with her daughter. The beginning of the book is a bit of a slow burner as we learn about Emma and Lauren’s lives in more detail. It turns out that Lauren is musically talented and is a well behaved and thoughtful daughter. Susan Lewis writing style is very easy to get along with although I must say even I began to wonder when the story was going to start moving along at the early stage of the book.

Thankfully, as soon as the story slipped up a gear it engaged me right until the very end. On the other side of this story we meet Oliver Lomax and his brother and father, each of whom are struggling with various aspects of their life mainly brought about by Oliver’s mother who is an alcoholic. The story builds up to a point where both families are brought together following a tragic accident. At this point I don’t think I stopped reading until I was finished. Lauren initially seems like the perfect daughter and it was easy reading seeing how much Emma trusted her. However, before long the reader begins to realise that all is not as it seems. Oliver and his family are also very easy to read about and I couldn’t help feeling such empathy for a family that have to deal with the day to day troubles of alcoholism. Susan Lewis tackles this subject with startling clarity but also sensitivity.

The second half of the book was outstanding and was a real testament to why Susan Lewis is so successful. I am not a particularly emotional person but must say that I can see why some people will find this book to be a bit of a tear jerker. The events that go on I think are just a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of times this sort of thing happens in real life I would imagine. I think this was what made it such a compelling read. I certainly think Susan Lewis fans won’t be disappointed, but be warned please don’t give up on this book. Give it a chance, because once it gets going it’s a brilliant book!

A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson

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My Rating: 4/5

I have read a few of Milly’s books now and can honestly say I haven’t felt disappointed with any of them in any way. My favourite to date has been `Here Come The Girls’ but I’ve yet to read her earlier stuff. With the release of A Winter Flame I was actually pretty excited. Although I may favour one book over another all of her books have that wonderful feel good vibe about them.

A Winter Flame took me less than two chapters to get into and it becomes very apparent that Eve Beresford the main character is stuck in a rut. After losing her soldier fiancé on Christmas Day, she now avoids Christmas at all costs. She has managed to become successful with her events company and has a great career, but with nobody to share it with, and her inability to let go it seems she will never move on and be happy. When she is left a plot of land by her aunt, she fears that her aunt may have lost her marbles. There are plans in place for Eve to jointly run and own a Christmas theme park. It seems that her aunt has left the remaining half to a complete stranger, a man named Jacques Glace.

Never fear, the above paragraph will not ruin the story as this is all in the synopsis! I immediately loved Jacques and though he was a big bundle of joy. Eve however took me longer to warm to. With her mind being so suspicious and her issues surrounding trust, I felt like I had to work at getting to like her. However, as her aunts madcap scheme seems to start working I began to understand a little of why Eve was so shut off from everybody. The story gets right into the thick of Eve and Jacques as they try to construct the park as Eve’s aunt would have wanted. But between the stress of pulling it off, and Eve’s suspicions the plan is far from smooth.

The story was a little predictable, (although Milly Johnson had me going towards the end) but was exactly what I would have wanted anyway. One of the things I loved about this book is that we see the re-appearance of the characters that appeared in her last book White Wedding. Violet is the main character that we see, and Mac and Bel only briefly, but it was nice to get reacquainted. This book has come at the perfect time in the run up to Christmas and brings back a little of the Christmas magic. It still doesn’t top Here Comes The Girls for me, but was, as ever, a brilliant read for me. This was one that I could curl up and get lost in and truly enjoy. I can’t wait to read her others now.

Mum on The Run by Fiona Gibson

My Rating: 4/5

Having never read Fiona Gibson, but constantly seeing good reviews I opted to choose Mum on the Run for my first read. Laura Swan is a typical mother, and in true chick lit style we see the opening of the book showing us just how much she was dreading the kids school sports day. Sadly, it meant she would have to take part in the `Mum’s’ race, which she knew was not her thing. In the first few chapters I was chuckling away as Gibson describes how the other mothers will no doubt have been in training for this race, and will arrive impeccably dressed and no doubt make her look foolish.

I warmed to Laura straight away and found the first few chapters very amusing which made it so much easier to immerse yourself in the story. Laura’s husband Jed seemed to be a bit of a flake from the get-go and I didn’t particularly like him at first. The overall plot is one that has been used countless times in this genre but (unless the writing is terrible) never fails to win the readers over. I think it’s because the majority of us can empathise with at least one element of the story. Laura is your typical housewife who has married and had children. Maybe she has let things slide a little but when she sees the perfectly turned out, and beautiful French woman Celeste, talking to her husband it spurs her into action.

She decides to start running and join a weight loss class. She meets Danny at the weight loss class and straight away I loved his character. I also really liked Laura’s children in this book. They were written brilliantly and I found myself grinning at some of the remarks they made! The story was sadly a little predictable, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book. I really liked Gibson’s writing style and she is firmly on my `to read’ list now.

She has certainly used the tried and tested chick lit formula but has managed it with tongue in cheek humour and some great characters. Although this book wasn’t necessarily one of the best I have read this year it certainly made me smile. It took me just over a day to read and I think the majority of people that read this will like it for what it is!

I will certainly be looking out for new stuff by Fiona Gibson, and in the meantime will add her other books to my ridiculously long list of other books to read!