Summer is around the corner and we've had some really nice weather lately in Munich, so I've been really looking forward to reading some summery and holiday reads. Luckily for me, May is coming packed with amazing books! Here are the ones I am most excited about:

Riya and Abby are:

Best friends.

Complete opposites.

Living on different continents.

Currently mad at each other.

About to travel around Europe. 

Riya moved to Berlin, Germany, with her family for junior year, while Abby stayed behind in their small California town. They thought it would be easy to keep up their friendship, it's only a year and they've been best friends since preschool. But instead, they ended up fighting and not being there for the other. So Riya proposes an epic adventure to fix their friendship. Two weeks, six countries, unimaginable fun. But two small catches:

Today is my stop in the Blog Tour for The Fear and I'm over the moon to welcome author CL Taylor to the blog for a Q&A. Her psychological thrillers are always a highlight of my bookish year and The Fear is no exception, gripping, tense and so unexpected!

Hi and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi Alba, thanks for inviting me to visit your blog. I’m C.L. Taylor, otherwise known as Cally, and I’m the author of five psychological thrillers and one young adult thriller (all of them published by HarperCollins). I live in Bristol with my partner and our six year old son. 

Can you now tell us a bit about your new book, The Fear?

The Fear is about three women whose lives are changed forever as a result of meeting one man, karate teacher Mike Hughes. When Lou Wandsworth, the girl he ran away to France with when she was just fourteen, returns to her home town to clear her late father’s house, the three women’s lives intersect, and more than one of them are in danger.

Reviews seem to agree that The Fear is your best book yet. What do you think makes this story so special and shocking?

I am absolutely thrilled that reviewers think The Fear is my best book yet. The Fear is slightly different from my other books (where women find themselves in strange or dangerous situations) because Lou actively goes after Mike, to confront him for what he did to her when she was fourteen. She’d the strongest, most pro-active female character I’ve written so far, although she’s also quite vulnerable. I also write from the point of view of Wendy and Chloe, the other women in the book and I think what makes the book quite powerful is that each of their stories are gripping and unusual and, when they all meet for the first time…well, that would be telling. 

Characters in your stories are always complex and feel very real. How do you research your characters? Do you talk to experts, go to places where they go too, base them on real people?

Thank you, that’s a huge compliment. When I start writing my books I normally know what each character wants (their goal), what their flaw is and what they fear. I spend a lot of time thinking about their past. What happened before the stories starts that made them the way they are? We’re all the result of our childhood and the relationships we’ve had since, whether we like it or not and I spend a lot of time thinking about my character’s pasts. They evolve as I write them and I am always surprised by the person they become. I had no idea when I started writing The Fear, for example, that Wendy would turn out to have such a twisted sense of humour! 

Which character do you hold closer to your heart? And which is the one most similar to you?

My all-time favourite character is Wendy. She was an absolute delight to write. I literally never knew quite what she was going to say or do next and I smiled a lot when I wrote her scenes. All of my main characters are a little bit like me in some way but the character most like me is probably Claire Wilkinson from The Missing. She’s a mother, a people pleaser and she puts her family’s happiness before her own. She’s also a little bit of a control freak, like me.

How do you feel coming back to the adult psychological thrillers after your latest YA release? Do you write both genres in the same way or do you take different approaches?

I’m very lucky in that I get to alternate between adult psychological thrillers and YA thrillers. My adult thrillers are much more emotionally taxing as I tackle much darker themes so I almost need to brace myself emotionally before I start writing one. I go to much darker places in my head. My YA thrillers are about three quarters of the length of the adult books and, whilst I still work as hard to plot and research them, I can have more fun whilst writing the action scenes and I really enjoying tapping into the fears and preoccupations of my teenaged self. 

And finally, can we expect another book from you soon? Do you have any more YA stories in the pipeline? 

This year is another busy one for me as I’m currently writing my sixth psychological thriller for adults. Then, almost as soon as I’ve completed my edits etc, I need to start writing my second YA thriller. I recently spoke to my YA editor and she signed off on my idea. It’ll be quite different from The Treatment and I can’t wait to start writing it. 

About the Book:

Title: The Fear

Author: CL Taylor

Published: March 22nd by Avon

Amazon | Amazon UK

I recently read several YA books I have had on my tbr pile for a while, so I decided to share short reviews of them. Mainly because I loved them and I wanted to shout a bit about them, even if I am really late to the party.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (April 2015)

Blurb: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review: with the movie just around the corner, I finally picked this book. My first thought is: why didn't I pick it before? It's cute, it's fun, it's fresh, it's original and it's important. I enjoyed it immensely and I cannot wait now for the movie to come out. Plus, the sequel Leah on the Offbeat is out next month. 5 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinsters Club #1) by Holly Bourne (August 2015)

Blurb: All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

Review: I had heard all kind of amazing things about Holly Bourne and I had been following her on social media for a couple years, so I was expecting to be blown away by this story, I mean, I remember all the hype about this one when it first came up. And I was indeed blown away. Holly Bourne paints a really clear picture of what suffering a mental illness feels like (for the person suffering and for the people around them) and the way she added feminism to the story was so clever. I enjoyed every single thing about this book. A very important read that I wish I could have read when I was a teen myself. 5 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

How Hard Can Love Be? (The Spinsters Club #2) by Holly Bourne (August 2015)

Blurb: Amber, Evie and Lottie: three girls facing down tough issues with the combined powers of friendship, feminism and cheesy snacks. Both hilarious and heart-rending, this is Amber’s story of how painful – and exhilarating – love can be, following on from Evie’s story in Am I Normal Yet?

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.

Review: As soon as I finish Evie's story, I jumped into Amber's. Although it is quite different from the first book in the series, How Hard Can Love Be is equally amazing. The three friends are still going strong with her Spinsters club and I love all her feminism discussions, but in this one Amber spends her summer in an American camp, trying to reconnect with her mother and also trying to figure out love. A very fun, cute and clever read. I now need to get the last one in the trilogy. I cannot wait for Lottie's story. 5 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys #1) by Jenny Han (April 2014)

Blurb: What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once? 

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Review: when I first joined Instagram, this book was everywhere but since then, two more books of the series have been released, so it was time for me to catch up. And I am so glad that I did. I loved main character Lara Jean, she was like a ray of sunshine and I loved that she preferred her crafts and baking over going out and getting drunk (I could see a bit of myself here). Plus, all the talking about cake was mouth-watering. I had to bake cookies myself and eat them while reading. A very cute contemporary YA that stole my heart a little bit. 5 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys #2) by Jenny Han (May 2015)

Blurb: Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Review: After finishing To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I really wanted to see how Lara Jean and Peter's story would continue. I have to say that it did not enjoy this book as much as the first but it was still a very entertaining and cute read. It's true that I think Lara Jean didn't make the best choices, but she is a teen after all, I probably would have done the same at that age. On another note, you can really see a development in her character and the cake mentions are everywhere again. So all in all, I had a great time reading it. I am now really curious about the third book but afraid at the same time that it is not going to go the way I want it to go. But planning on reading it really soon. 4 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

Mirror, Mirror by Cara Delevigne and Rowan Coleman (October 2017)

Blurb: Friend. Lover. Victim. Traitor.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Sixteen-year-old friends Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi are misfits; still figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Life isn't perfect, but music brings them together, and they are excited about what the future holds for their band, Mirror, Mirror. That is until Naomi vanishes before being pulled unconscious out of the river.

She's left fighting for her life in a coma. The police claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but her friends aren't convinced. Will Naomi ever wake up? What - or perhaps who - led her to that hospital bed? And how did Red, the self-styled protector of the group, fail to spot the warning signs?

While Rose turns to wild partying and Leo is shrouded by black moods, Red sets out to uncover the truth. It's a journey that will cause Red's world to crack, exposing the group's darkest secrets. Nothing will ever be the same again, because once a mirror is shattered, it can't be fixed.

Review: I definitely did not enjoy this one as much I thought I would. I am actually a huge fan of Rowan Coleman so I picked this book for this reason, as I don't know Cara Delevigne that much. Also, the premise sounded very intriguing and I couldn't resist a signed copy when I was in Edinburgh last year. The story is interesting enough and it had me intrigued with the mystery/thriller plot but I am not sure I liked the characters and a couple of the plot twists. It was also a bit slow in the middle, although the last few chapters picked up the pace considerably. 3 stars.

Amazon | Amazon UK

Today I'm delighted to welcome author duo Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel, who write under the pseudonym AJ MacKenzie and have just published their latest novel, The Body in the Boat.

Hi Marilyn and Morgen and welcome. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourselves?

We’re both from Canada, though we’ve lived in Britain for over 30 years, and we’ve been married for…[counting on fingers] 38 years this year. We met while we were at university in Canada, and discovered among other things that we both love writing. The rest, as they say, is history (and we both have more than one degree in history .

When not writing, we do various things. Marilyn makes the occasional foray into the world of academic medieval history, is a trustee of a multi-academy trust and also sings with an acapella group called The Briars (look them up on Facebook – they are great 😉). Morgen writes really dull non-fiction books about business and lectures occasionally at business schools in Britain, France and Slovenia. We’re both very fond of many different types of music, we travel whenever we can, often to places where we would like to set novels (which often are places with warm weather and good food – strange coincidence, that). We’ve also written some non-fiction history together, and have a book on the Battle of Poitiers coming out later this year.

I'm very curious to know more about how your writing process goes. Is it easy to work together? 

It is easy to work together, perhaps surprisingly so! It helps that we know each other well and know how each others’ writing minds work. At the beginning of a project we spend a lot of time talking and thinking and trying things out, sometimes at home, sometimes walking on Dartmoor or on the beaches in North Cornwall. Fresh air is very good for the creative processes! We bounce ideas off each other, pick up each others’ trains of thought and then sort of weave ideas together. We also sometimes work separately and email ideas to each other even though work in adjacent offices. We are also often working on more than one project at a time.

After that, we sit down to write. There’s no set formula, we don’t write alternative chapters or anything like that. Who writes what depends on a) who has the time to do it, and b) who feels strongly about a particular scene or chapter and wants to grab it. Sometimes one of us is particularly good at writing in the voice of a certain character, while the other is drawn to write the descriptions of extreme cold. 

Once we have a first draft together, one of us then runs a rule over it and makes sure it all fits together and has a single voice and tone. Then comes a process of picky editing, where we both sit down with the manuscript and read it aloud to each other, looking for flaws and hopefully catching most of them.

The process is never the same twice. Each book evolves in a slightly different way. That’s one of the things that makes it all so fascinating, and fun.

How do you research the period for your novels? Do you think that in historical fiction, the time period and setting is as important as the story itself?

Time and setting are very important, of course, but they can’t be allowed to dominate. The story is the most important thing, and too much period detail can easily swamp a good story. 

That said, however, the Romney Marsh landscape was one of the inspirations for the Hardcastle and Chaytor mysteries. The thought of setting something in that bleak, isolated place was immensely appealing, so we looked around for a set of stories that would suit it. Places with extreme landscape often breed a particular type of ‘enclosed’ community which always an interesting thing to write about. We already knew the Marsh fairly well, and knew a little about the time period as well, but we did some more background research to help us find some realistic stories. Walking through the Marsh even today bring its uniqueness into strong focus.

After that, we did a lot of the research as we went along. The planning and writing process kept throwing up things we needed to know about, but thanks to the miracle of the Internet, it is much easier to find them. Need to know what a revenue cutter looked like, or what date the Battle of Camperdown was fought, or what the price of gold was in the 1790s? The information is only a few mouse clicks away. We waited until the questions arose, and then went looking for the answers. There are also many excellent contemporary diaries and letters that help to colour the language and setting; we use these as well as the electronic resources. Follow visits to particular places are a great thing too, especially if you can visit at the correct season. We discovered on one visit that a house that we wanted in a specific spot in Hythe actually exsited and was perfect for our purposes.

Tell us a bit more about The Body in the Boat. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

The first idea came out of the background research we mentioned earlier. One thing which kept popping up in historical timelines was the Restriction Act, a government measure that heavily restricted the trade in gold and also introduced small denomination paper banknotes, £1 and £2 for the first time. We read a little about the reaction to this, and the financial crisis in the country generally, and started thinking about possibilities. What opportunities did the Restriction Act open up for smugglers and other criminals? What might people have done to get around the law? And then, once they were in danger of getting caught, to what lengths might they go to protect themselves? Combine gold, greed, desperation and some ruthless and dangerous criminals, and out of the mix a story begins to emerge. We felt that a story about corruption in financial circles would also have a resonance with our readers 😉 

For readers who are new to the series, what do you think make these books special?

Goodness, that’s a tough question. It’s hard for us to say what makes the books special because we are so close to them, but we think – hope? – that people read them for a combination of interesting plots, fascinating characters, the wild beautiful landscape and the sense of atmosphere, of time and place. We want to make readers feel like they are actually there, living through events along with the characters, experiencing the late eighteenth century and the dangers and tensions of that perilous time. If we have done that, even for a few people, then we will be very happy!

Finally, what are you working on now? Do you plan to continue working together?

Absolutely! We’re working on several projects at the moment, another historical novel set in 1905 about anarchists, and based partly on real events – one section takes place during the mutiny on the battleship Potemkin – and also a modern-day mystery novel set in Brittany. This is another case of the landscape inspiring the story; we love Brittany, and the idea of setting a book or a series there has always appealed. We have a good heroine for the story, too, a young Englishwoman whom we really like. She’s a real one-off, there’s no one quite like her out there in fiction, and we’re really excited about taking this project forward.

About the Book:

Title: The Body in the Boat: A Hardcastle and Chaytor Mystery

Author: AJ MacKenzie

Published: April 5th 2018 by Zaffre

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The first time I ever went to the cinema was to see the Disney movie Aladdin. I must have been 4 or 5 years old and I still remember sitting in those huge seats staring at that enormous screen, I loved every minute of it. After that, I must have re-watched the movie a hundred times, at least. It really was a magical story for me and I used to pretend I owned my own flying carpet. So when we got tickets for Aladdin the musical, I was a bit nervous. What if it is not as good as I remember? What if it is not magical? What if they don't have a flying carpet?

Well... I needn't have worried! What an amazing show! The stage is stunning and what they do with it... I can only describe it as magic. You feel like you are in Agrabah yourself, following Aladdin and his gang in the colorful market and streets. And how they created the cave where Aladdin finds the magic lamp was just stunning. This show is really impressive visually! Even better than other big shows like The Lion King.

Then, we have the songs. I was completely transfixed during some of the most famous ones and 5-year-old me would have been over the moon seeing the genie come to life! Now, let's talk about the flying carpet. I don't know how they did it but that carpet was actually flying. What a moment.

See more photos on https://aladdinthemusical.co.uk

For the actors, all my praise goes to Trevor Dion Nicholas, who plays the genie. He is definitely the star of the show and his sassy performance, smooth moves and incredible voice were mesmerizing. What a showman! I also liked a lot the performances of Aladdin and his three loyal friends. These are not in the movie but were a great addition to the story, creating mayhem when needed. 

The only thing missing from this play adaptation were the two pets. Abu, Aladdin's kleptomaniac monkey, was one of my favorite characters but it's sadly not present in this show. But as I said, they give Aladdin a gang of friends so it's not too bad. And then, there's Lago, Jafar's sarcastic parrot. In this version, he is an actual person, which was quite a good compromise as he was just as annoying and talkative as the parrot. 

I was completely blown away with Wendy Walker's debut, All Is Not Forgotten, a couple of years ago, so I was very curious to discover her new story, Emma in the Night. Here are my thoughts on it:

Title: Emma in the Night

Author: Wendy Walker

Published: February 8th 2018 by HQ Stories

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Blurb: Two sisters go missing. Only one returns.

Getting people to believe you is easy.

If you tell them what they want to hear.

When my sister and I disappeared three years ago, they found Emma’s car at the beach. Some people believed she had gone there to find a party or meet a friend who never showed. They believed that she’d gone for a swim. They believed that she’d drowned. Maybe by accident. Maybe a suicide.

Everyone believed Emma was dead.

As for me, well – now I’m back to tell our story.

You’ll have to see if you believe it.

Review: If I learned anything from Wendy Walker's debut novel, All Is Not Forgotten, it was not to trust the narrator, so when I first started reading about Emma's story, told by her younger sister Cass, I was doubting everything she was saying and trying to find holes in her narrative. 

I was not the only one doing that though. FBI Forensic Psychologist Dr Abigail Winter, who was assigned to the case when the sisters first disappeared, was also keeping a very close eye on Cass and her story. Some of the chapters were actually told from her point of view, so I found it really interesting to read how a professional psychologist was following the young girl's story. 

But this story was not only about Cass and Emma's disappearance. It delved into the girls' past and their family, especially into their mother. We soon discovered that she was not the loving mother she wanted people to believe but a narcissist. I found the information about this disorder really interesting, and the descriptions of how it affected the family dynamics were shockingly detailed. 

Although this story didn't hold my attention as mush as I would have liked, as I found the pace to be a bit too slow and not that surprising at times, it did deliver a very interesting and shocking story that made me want to continue reading until I unravelled it all. 

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

I am delighted today to share my review for a very special story, Charlie and Me by Mark Lowery. This is my first book by this author and it was such a great surprise. I'll definitely be looking for more books by him.

Title: Charlie and Me: 421 Miles From Home

Author: Mark Lowery

Published: January 11th 2018 by Piccadilly Press

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Blurb: Thirteen-year-old Martin and his younger brother Charlie are on a very special journey. They're going to be travelling 421 miles all the way from Preston to the very tip of Cornwall. By train, bus and taxi, they are determined to get there in the end; and they're hoping to catch a glimpse of the dolphin that regularly visits the harbour there. But is that the only reason they are going? 

It's a journey that's full of challenges and surprises. Martin adores his brother Charlie but he's not like ordinary kids. He's one in a million. He was born far too early, and ought to have died. And cheeky, irrepressible, utterly unique Charlie is always keeping Martin on his toes - especially on this crazy trip they are now on. Martin is doing his best to be a good big brother, but it's hard when there's something so huge coming once they get to Cornwall... 

An unforgettable novel that is by turns funny and heartbreaking.

Review: Charlie & Me is such a beautiful and sweet story. I absolutely loved it. When I first saw the colourful cover, I thought this would be a fun summer story. And in part, I was right, it is a very funny story, but it is so much more. It deals with more serious issues in a very tender way and I might have cried (I did) a few times (a lot).

Charlie is such a special character, he is always coming up with silly ideas and getting him and his brother Martin in trouble. But you can tell that Martin loves him and is ready to do whatever necessary to make him happy. The relationship between the two brothers is definitely a highlight of this story. I loved how close they were but also how they fought too and drove each other crazy. 

Something I thought worked really well, was that between characters you had lined pages with Martin's poems. He writes poems when he is stressed and doesn't know how to deal with a situation, so getting to read those poems really helped me to get to know him and understand how he is feeling.

This is definitely a great story for young readers but I am sure this story will steal you heart, no matter how old you are at all. 

Rating: 5 stars

Today I am over the moon to share with you my review for Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson. This is the fourth installment in the series, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite series ever. And this story is a real treat:

Title: Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café (Comfort Food Café #4)

Author: Debbie Johnson

Published: March 8th 2018 by HarperCollins

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Blurb: Perched on a windswept cliff on the stunning Dorset coast at what feels like the edge of the world, the café and its warm-hearted community are a haven for lost souls who happen to wander by with a heavy heart and a story to tell.

Serving up the most delicious cream teas; beautifully baked breads, and carefully crafted cupcakes, there’s nothing a cup of tea and a delicious treat won’t fix. For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.

Review: I love the Comfort Food Café. I've completely fallen in love with this series, its characters and of course, the cosy setting. I am so glad that Willow, who has been a secondary character in all other stories, gets the spotlight in this one. Like the other three, this book can be perfectly read as a stand-alone as it has its own independent story, but I would highly recommend reading all the books, as each one of them is a real treat.

Willow works part-time at the café but also runs her own cleaning business, although this gives her enough flexibility to care for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimers, she doesn't have time to have any kind of social live. A new arrival though makes her question if she really is coping with everything going on as well as she thought.

The relationship between Willow and her mother is portrayed in a very special way. Debbie Johnson paints a very clear picture of what it entails to care for a loved one that more often than not forgets who you are, with all its ups and downs. And as you get to know Willow better, you soon realise what a strong woman she is. 

But she is not alone at all, once again, the tight knitted community of Budbury is always there, ready to help and comfort with tones of delicious food. This means we get to catch up with some old favourites and see how they are doing, which I enjoyed immensely. 

I think that Debbie Johnson gets even better with every new book she releases and Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café might be my new favourite of hers. A beautiful and touching story that will steal many hearts, perfect escapism. 

Rating: 5 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

When I first heard one of my favourite authors, Jane Costello, was releasing a new book under a brand new name, I was really curious to find out more about this novel. I was lucky enough to get a very early copy and I soon discovered what a special story this was. Here are my thoughts: 

Title: You Me Everything

Author: Catherine Isaac

Published: April 19th 2018 by Simon & Schuster

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Blurb: You and me, we have history.

We have a child together.

We have kept secrets from each other for far too long.

This summer, in the beautiful hills of the Dordogne, it is time for everything to change.

You Me Everything is a heartfelt and unforgettable story about the lengths we are prepared to go to for those we love. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, this is novel you will never forget. Rights have sold in over twenty-two countries internationally and a film is in progress with Lionsgate. 

Review: You Me Everything promises to make you both laugh and cry that is exactly what I did while reading it. What a gorgeous story this is. I loved the plot, I loved the characters and I loved the setting. Well, I loved everything. 

The story is about single mum Jess and her ten-year-old son William and their summer in France, where William's father lives. Jess thinks it's time for William to get to know his father but the man himself seems to have many other priorities in his life.

What started like quite a simple story soon developed into an amazing one with plenty of surprises, secrets and unexpected twists. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and their back stories and I'm already missing them terribly. I felt like they all grew up during that summer and I grew up a bit with them. 

But this story is not only about a kid reconnecting with his father, it is about so much more. About love, about family, about friendship, about life... It reminds you how frail life is and how important it is to cherish both the little things and the big ones too. 

I could keep going on and on about how beautiful and amazing and heart-wrenching and up-lifting this story is but I'm gonna stop now and let you discover it for yourself. Let me tell you one last thing though, I'm quite sure I've already found a firm contender to book of the year. And I am already looking forward to what Catherine Isaac has in store for us next.

Rating: 5 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Juliet Ashton weaves a story of love, friendship and community that will move you to laughter and to tears. Think Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of the joy of Jill Mansell added for good measure.

Title: The Sunday Lunch Club

Author: Juliet Ashton

Published: April 19th 2018 by Simon & Schuster 

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Blurb: The first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is… don't make any afternoon plans.

Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family and friends get together for lunch. They talk, they laugh, they bicker, they eat too much. Sometimes the important stuff is left unsaid, other times it's said in the wrong way. 

Sitting between her ex-husband and her new lover, Anna is coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy at the age of forty. Also at the table are her ageing grandmother, her promiscuous sister, her flamboyantly gay brother and a memory too terrible to contemplate.

Until, that is, a letter arrives from the person Anna scarred all those years ago. Can Anna reconcile her painful past with her uncertain future?

Review: The Sunday Lunch Club is an extraordinary novel about ordinary people. It tells the story of four siblings and their families. They all meet every few Sundays to eat, catch up, talk, discuss, argue about everything but also, to help each other with their issues. And as you join them in every meal, you start discovering more about them, their past, their insecurities and worries and their joys. It's easy to get engrossed in their lives and forget about yours for a few hours.

The story flows at a steady pace and although it focuses more in the eldest sister, Anna, you get to know all the characters quite well. My favorite was probably Josh, the youngest one, because even if he doesn't attend all the meals, his story is quite a special one and I might have shade a tear or two reading about him. 

The Sunday Lunch Club has the perfect balance between tough moments and joyful ones. The Piper family is big, noisy and spirited but also generous and caring. I really loved when a new loved one or a friend joined the Sunday Lunch Club and everyone was welcoming but teasing too. Plus, it was fun to see the impression they made in the new-comer. 

But what made this story stand out were the characters. They all were complex and felt real. Plus, they definitely developed greatly during the course of the story. 

The Sunday Lunch Club is a touching and up-lifting story that will warm many hearts. A real treat that will surprise you, with both laughs and tears guaranteed! 

Rating: 4 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.