Title: Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square 

Author: Heidi Swain

Published: May 31st 2018 by Simon & Schuster

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: The heart-warming new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Milly Johnson and Cathy Bramley

Kate is on the run from her almost-divorced husband who is determined to have her back, and she has found the perfect place to hide... a little cottage on Nightingale Square in Norwich, far away from her old life in London. But the residents of Nightingale Square don't take no for an answer, and Kate soon finds herself pulled into a friendship with Lisa, her bossy but lovely new neighbour.

Within a matter of days Kate is landed with the job of campaigning the council to turn the green into a community garden, meanwhile all the residents of Nightingale Square are horrified to discover that the Victorian mansion house on the other side of the square has been bought by developers. But when all hope is lost, the arrival of a handsome stranger is sure to turn things around! 

Heidi Swain is the perfect summer read - you'll want to find your own green space, stretch out in the sun and dive into life at Nightingale Square.

Review: Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square is such a warm and up-lifting summer story! Definitely perfect to get lost during a few hours in the sun. 

We follow Kate from her busy life in London to Norfolk, where she is planning to hide from everyone and forget about her failed marriage. But as soon as she moves to Nightingale Square, she is in for a quite a surprise, the residents of the square are like a little family and are determined to include her in all their comings and going. From that moment, Heidi Swain keeps us in our toes, with several unexpected twits and surprises in store for these characters. 

I really enjoyed reading about the sense of community in the square and how they all came together to defend their square and their space. Kate couldn't have landed at a better place and it was a great pleasure to get to meet this bunch of lovely people.

I also loved that there was this mystery about the history of the square going on too. I especially enjoyed reading about how residents of the square had lived there in the past and how it was related to the present story-line. And it was also great to catch with The Cherry Tree Cafe characters, as Kate is actually related to them. 

All in all, a very entertaining and up-lifting story with fantastic characters and lots of gardening tips! 

Rating: 4 stars

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I have a new book review today for Karen Hamilton's debut The Perfect Girlfriend, a very gripping and addictive psychological thriller that will chill you to the bone. Here are my thoughts on the story.

Title: The Perfect Girlfriend

Author: Karen Hamilton

Published: March 22nd 2018 by Wildfire

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she'll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain... 

Review: Juliette is the perfect girlfriend: attentive, caring, generous and so in love. Slight problem, her boyfriend ended things with her a few months ago. Not that it bothers her so much... I think this quote from the book paints a pretty clear picture of her:

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, make them.

Just writing it, it is giving the me chills again. I was completely fascinated by this character and her dedication. I'll give her that, she takes the never give up motto to a whole new lever. Her whole life revolves around one goal: get Nate back. And you have no idea how far she is determine to go to to achieve it.

This story is dark and twisted but I absolutely loved it. I found it highly entertaining and the plot line kept surprising me. It's definitely like nothing I've read before, and I have read a lot of psychological thrillers lately. 

The setting is also very interesting. In her quest to win Nate back, Juliette has trained as a flight attendant in the same airline Nate works as a pilot, so we get to follow her around on her new international adventures. 

All in all, this is a very gripping and shocking story that kept me glued to its pages well into the night. The only think I didn't love was that at some point, everything spiraled a bit too out of control, but it did fit with the path the story was taking. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Today's new review is for a YA title: Flying Tips for Flightless Birds. This is Kelly McCaughrain's debut and is set in a circus school, I don't think I've read any stories sets in a Circus so I was really curious to find out more. Here are my thoughts:

Title: Flying Tips for Flightless Birds

Author: Cally MacCaughrain

Published: March 1st 2018 by Walker Books

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: From debut author Kelly McCaughrain comes a sweet and kooky romcom for fans of R. J. Palacio's Wonder, Sarah Crossan, and Susin Nielsen's We Are All Made of Molecules. Twins Finch and Birdie Franconi are stars of the flying trapeze. But when Birdie suffers a terrifying accident, Finch must team up with the geeky new kid, Hector Hazzard, to form an all-boys double act and save the family circus school. Together they learn to walk the high-wire of teen life and juggle the demands of friends, family, first love and facing up to who they are – all served up with a dash of circus-showbiz magic.

Review: Flying Tips for Flightless Birds is a sweet and quirky coming of age story set in a circus school in rural Wales. The main characters are twins Finch and Birdie Franconi, but the story is narrated only by Finch. He is a very complex and sometimes difficult to like character but he definitely steals the show.

Finch and Birdie are a team, both in stage and in real life. They don't have any other friends in high school and are often bullied by the "cool" kids. Finch doesn't seem to care, as long as they face them together. But then, two huge things happen: a new boy, Hector, joins their school and is determined to be their friend and Birdie suffers an accident. This means Finch has to face a new reality and he soon realizes that he might actually care, a lot.

I have to stay that the story was a bit slow at the beginning but after the first few characters, it picked up pace and I started having fun with these characters. Plus, at the beginning of each chapter, there is a blog post from Birdie talking about the circus school, their students, how it started and about circus history in general. I found those really interesting, not only because there were a lot of things I didn't know about the circus, but because they fitted with the story. It felt like Birdie was talking directly to Finch and helping him figure it all out.

I also enjoyed how the friendship between Hector and Finch developed. Hector was a very interesting character and I admired his dedication and optimism. Some of their scenes together were really special, and Hector's brighter personality complemented Finch's moody and sometimes darker one.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rosie Walsh has written four books under the pseudonym Lucy Robinson. The Man Who Didn't Call (or Ghosted in USA) is her first novel under her own name. Here is my review for this stunning story of love and grief:

Title: The Man Who Didn't Call 

Author: Rosie Walsh

Published: June 14th 2018 by Mantle 

Amazon | Amazon UK

What do you do when you finally discover you're right? That there is a reason -- and that reason is the one thing you didn't share with each other?

The truth.

Review: It's been a few days since I finished The Man Who Didn't Call and I am still thinking about it. In fact, I haven't been able to start a new book yet. This is how invested I became in this stunning story.

But let's start at the beginning, the story focuses on Sarah and Eddie. They have just spent a week together and have completely fallen in love with each other, they know there is something really special between them. But Eddie doesn't call. He doesn't respond to any messages, he is not online, he has disappeared. Sarah doesn't understand, she needs to know what happened to him. From here, we follow Sarah in this slightly crazy journey of trying to find out what happened.

Many times I thought I could guess how the story was going to pan out, and every single time I was wrong. I was shocked, surprised but above all, intrigued. I wanted to know what had happened and two nights in a row I went to sleep way too late. Sarah's story completely captured me and the more I knew about her, the more I rooted for her.

The cast of secondary characters was also spot on. Sarah's friends, both in the UK and US, were such interesting, supporting and complex characters on their own. They had their problems but were always there, ready to listen to Sarah and anchor her while she was losing her way. I also found fascinating Sarah's job and how she and her ex-husband had founded their charity.

Both Sarah's and Eddie's families played key roles in this story and added and even deeper dimension to it. Their struggles, their fears and their challenges felt completely real. I think Rosie Walsh painted a very clear picture of what it means to care for a loved one who is not well, how grief can affect your life and especially, what you are ready to go through for love.

A truly stunning story that I am planning to re-read very soon. It broke my heart but it also healed it. This story is going to be huge, and trust me, you don't want to miss it.

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favourite authors, C.L. Tayor about her latest psychological thriller The Fear (you can read it here) and today I am sharing my thoughts on this dark and compelling story:

Title: The Fear

Author: C.L. Taylor

Published: March 22nd 2018 by Avon

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.

Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.

But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…

The million copy Sunday Times bestseller returns with a taut, compelling psychological thriller that will have you glued to the edge of your seat. 

Review: after her fantastic YA debut, C. L. Taylor is back with a new clever and absorbing psychological thriller. In my opinion, she is one of the best authors in this genre and she did not disappoint at all with The Fear.

The Fear is slightly different than Taylor's previous books. I had the feeling that the pace was faster and the action was more intense. Also, in this story there was no woman being chased by her past or by an unknown evil but three women doing the chasing. As soon as I started reading, I couldn't stop and without realizing I was almost done. Time definitely flew by. 

The three women all had a very strong voice. Thanks to the story being narrated by the three of them, we really get to know them and understand what their motivations and fears are. You soon realize that they have more in common than you first thought and the scenes they were together were the most unexpected and interesting ones. 

The main theme of this story is a difficult one, with many uncomfortable scenes. But unfortunately, so is the reality with sexual predators. I think Taylor developed it in a very clever way and you wanted to keep reading as you never knew whether justice was going to be served.

Definitely a highly recommended read for fans of the genre, looking for something different and shocking. 

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.

I had the pleasure of hearing Paige Toon talk about this beautiful story (and get my copy signed) at the Spring Blogger Evening organized by Books and The City (have a look here). It sounded like a very special one and I was not wrong. I absolutely loved it:

Title: Five Years from Now

Author: Paige Toon

Published: May 17th 2018

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: ‘One day, maybe five years from now, you’ll look back and understand why this happened…’ 

Vian and Nell are thrown together at the age of five when Vian's mother and Nell's father fall in love. At first archenemies, the two children soon become the best of friends. But five years later, tragedy rips them apart, and 10-year-old Vian is sent to Australia to live with his real father.

Fast-forward five more years and Nell is still angry at her dad for not trying harder to keep Vian with them. When her father finances a Christmas trip for Evan to visit, Nell soon discovers that the boy she once knew is now a wholly different creature. Vian is now ‘Van’ – a wild and carefree teenager who surfs with dolphins and dives with sharks. Chemistry crackles between them, but once again, they’re separated.

For the next two decades, Nell and Van cross paths every five years, but fate and circumstance continuously intervene to keep them apart. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?

Review: What a beautiful story. In fact, is it just me or do Paige Toon's books keep getting better and better every time? She comes up with the most interesting and original premises and develops them in the most unexpected ways. In Five Years from Now, we meet Nell and Van when they are only 5 and then follow their lives by checking on them every five years.

I think that getting to know the main characters so young is a very rare treat and you somehow feel closer to them. You grow up with them, feel their pain and their joy and root for them even more. I was completely enthralled with their story and since finishing this book, I have been talking about them as if they were my own friends. 

As usual with Paige Toon's stories, the setting for this novel is also a very special one. I loved discovering both Cornwall and Australia and some of the experiences these characters describe sound amazing. Definitely two places to discover myself. 

Five Years From Now stole a bit of my heart and I have no doubt that it will be on my top books of the year. It made me both laugh and cry and as soon as I finished reading it, I was already missing these characters. Definitely a very special story that will capture your heart. 

Rating: 5 stars

Thanks Books and The City for the proof copy and to Paige Toon for signing it.

Today's review is for Relight My Fire by Joanna Bolouri. This is the author's fourth book and it goes back to the characters of her acclaimed debut, The List. Here are my thoughts on this naughty story:

Title: Relight My Fire

Author: Joanna Bolouri 

Published: by Quercus

                                      eBook: March 1st 2018

                                           Paperback: May 31st 2018

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Phoebe and Oliver are stuck in a rut.

With a five year old daughter and demanding jobs, it's not hard to see why the spark has gone.

Not one for giving up, Phoebe creates a sexy wishlist: a jar where they can ask the other for anything they've ever wanted in bed - or out of it.

But with distractions aplenty - such as, why do all her past lovers think now is a good time to make a reappearance? And, she may be wrong, but is Oli keeping something from her? - will they be able to relight the fire in the bedroom?

From mix tapes to 'sex jars', this is the naughtiest rom com you will ever read. From the bestselling author of The List.

Review: I really enjoyed Joanna Bolouri's previous books, her stories are always a bit bonkers but hilarious and they are the perfect antidote after a stressful week. Relight My Fire is no different in this sense, it made me laugh out loud several times and I completely forgot about my life for a while.

This story focuses on Phoebe and Oliver, who starred in Joanna Bolouri's debut The List and shared some crazy sexual adventures back then. Things are not that wild right now though, after a few years together and a daughter, they can't even remember the last time they had proper sexy sex. Not only that, they are distant with each other in their daily life. So Phoebe decides it's time for couple counseling. 

As you can imagine, the counseling is not your traditional kind, but quite a creative one, so our main characters embark in a few more sexual adventures. I have to say though that I didn't expected some of the secrets revealed during this process and the story kept my attention completely captured. There were also a couple more plot-lines to complement the main one, so you were never bored with the story and things kept happening. 

Relight My Fire is hilarious, rude and highly entertaining. It keeps up with the fun tone of The List but it can still be read as a stand alone. So why not check it out?

Rating: 4 stars

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