This life-affirming and hilarious novel is the perfect balm for the Insta-weary mind – get ready to shatter the illusion that is #LivingMyBestLife

'A fun, fresh debut that manages to be both quirky and deep as it portrays today's obsession with social media' MILLY JOHNSON

‘If you’re in need of frank and funny novel that is also a take-down of the rubbish social media can fill our heads (and our hearts) with, then Claire Frost’s debut is for you. Written with verve and a real sense of generosity for her characters, this is the perfect escapist read and antidote to our somewhat grim times' STYLIST

Title: Living My Best Life 

Author: Claire Frost

Published: September 5th 2019 by Simon & Schuster

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Blurb: Recently dumped by her boyfriend of ten years, Bell is struggling to move on with her life – and surrender the fleecy pyjamas she’s been living in since January. Haunted by #blessed on social media, she can’t help but compare her life to those she follows online, wondering where she is going wrong...

In the world of social media, Millie is the successful online influencer @mi_bestlife. But in real life she’s just a regular single mum trying to make ends meet, while fending off the younger competition and tenacious internet trolls. Her Instagram feed is far more #BestLie than #BestLife, and soon Millie begins to wish her life was more like her filters.

It isn’t until Bell and Millie’s paths cross that they begin to realise what they’re both missing. Can Millie prove to Bell that life online isn’t always what it appears to be? And in return, can Millie learn that she needs to start living for the moment and not for the likes? 

Review: Claire Frost's debut novel, Living My Best Life is a touching story about friendship, community and the role that social media play in nowadays' society. When we first meet the two main characters, Millie and Bell, they are both struggling, but in very different ways. 

Millie is a single mom trying to make a living being an Instagram influencer. In her pictures, her life is perfect, she follows the latest fashion trends, everything in her house matches and she feels #blessed. But her real life is a lot more chaotic, she can't afford the clothes she wears in her photos and her ex is like a grown-up child who keeps disappointed her and her son. Bell has just been bumped by her long term boyfriend and is not sure of what to do with her life anymore. Seeing all these #blessed people on social media isn't helping her self-love either. 

But by chance, Millie and Bell meet in their community centre and realize they could both use a good friend. I really enjoyed seeing their friendship blossom with mutual support. They both realised a few hard truth thanks to the other and their characters had an amazing development through the story. I also loved how they became involved in the community centre and how this sense of community also helped them greatly. 

This story is a great reminder about how important it is to love yourself, not to believe everything you see online and to have good supportive friends around you. I had a great time getting to know these characters and I found the concept of the story very refreshing and interesting. Definitely a great debut from Claire Frost!

Rating: 4 stars

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

Next stop, Cornwall! Hop on The Cornish Cream Tea Bus for a delicious, romantic adventure…

‘Captivating’ Heat Magazine 

‘Beautiful… heartwarming’ Zara Stoneley 

‘A wonderful ray of reading sunshine’ Heidi Swain

Title: The Cornish Cream Tea Bus 

Author: Cressida McLaughlin

Published: August 8th 2019 by HaperCollins

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Blurb: Baking fanatic, Charlie Quilter, is surprised when her late uncle bequeaths his vintage bus to her in his will. Keen to give the bus a new lease of life, Charlie thinks it will be the perfect mobile café for afternoon tea, and when her friend, Juliette, suggests Charlie comes to stay with her in the picturesque Cornish village of Porthgolow, she’s thrilled at the chance of a new start.

Charlie and her cute dog, Marmite, make new friends wherever their bus stops – except for the sexy but reclusive owner of the posh spa up on the hill, Daniel Harper, who isn’t very pleased that her bus is parked outside his lovely hotel.

Has Charlie’s Cornish dream developed a soggy bottom? Or can she convince Daniel that her bus could be the start of something wonderful for the little village – and for them?

Review: I absolutely loved this story. It is such a feel-good book set in the stunning setting of Cornwall. Just as her other books, The Cornish Cream Tea Bus was first released as a 4-part serialised enovel, so the whole story is divided in 4 parts with a little cliff-hanger at the end of each. This makes for a very entertaining read that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. It has quite a few surprises and it definitely made me chuckle more than once. 

I really enjoyed the characters too. It was a real treat to get to know the main character, Charlie. She really was a fighter and poured her heart into her new Cornish adventure. She was dealing with grief and it was not an easy path for her to find her place in the world again, but I think Cressida McLaughlin wrote a very touching and heart-felt story, in which Charlie really shone. 

The story also had a good dash of romance, with a love triangle going on, which kept me intrigued and very satisfied with the ending. But what really stole my heart were two things, the descriptions of the stunning Cornish coast and of the delicious food Charlie was preparing. Cornwall is on top of my places to visit next in the UK and when I do visit, I hope to find a charming cafe where to have some cream tea. It would be even better if the bus existed though! 🙂

The Cornish Cream Tea Bus is deliciously good. The small town community was a delight to read and I could picture their gatherings perfectly in my head. I would highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a touching, up-lifting and charming story!

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.

Today I am reviewing The Girl at the Window, a hauntingly beautiful story of love and hope, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Memory Book and The Summer of Impossible Things, Rowan Coleman.

Title: The Girl at the Window

Author: Rowan Coleman

Published: August 22nd 2019 by Ebury Press

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Blurb: A house full of history is bound to have secrets...

'Spine-tinglingly beautiful. Prepare to lose your heart' Lisa Jewell

Ponden Hall is a centuries-old house on the Yorkshire moors, a magical place full of stories. It's also where Trudy Heaton grew up. And where she ran away from...

Now, after the devastating loss of her husband, she is returning home with her young son, Will, who refuses to believe his father is dead.

While Trudy tries to do her best for her son, she must also attempt to build bridges with her eccentric mother. And then there is the Hall itself: fallen into disrepair but generations of lives and loves still echo in its shadows, sometimes even reaching out to the present...

Review: The Girl at the Window is very different from the other books I've read by Rowan Coleman. To start with, although the main story is set in present day, it has historical, paranormal, gothic and mystery elements intertwined in it. At first I was not sure it was going to pick my curiosity as I was bit confused but once I started finding out more about the characters and their story, especially the historical parts and how they related to the present one, I was hooked.

The atmosphere of the whole book was very eerie and even gave me goosebumps in some parts. I felt like the house of Ponden Hall was one more character, with its own feelings and secrets. I especially enjoyed how Rowan Coleman combined real historical facts with her fiction and with a bit of magic. The plot line definitely surprised me more than once and I had to stay up late a couple nights to find out how the story unfolded.

The multiple narratives worked very well, as we got the chance to get to know all the characters and their eras better. I cared and rooted for them. Although I didn't know much about Emily Brontë's life, since reading this story, I have been reading a lot more about the Brontë family and I am now looking forward to reading Rowan Coleman's new book, The Vanishing Bride (written under the name Bella Ellis), in which the Brontë sisters solve crimes together. 

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.