July is here! How did this even happen? Oh well, this means that with the new month, new books are coming our way! I have the impression that this month doesn't have that many new releases (probably everyone is on holiday) but there are a few that have me really excited:

The Summer of Serendipity by Ali McNamara - July 13th

You'll find a warm welcome in the latest novel from Ali McNamara, bestselling author of The Little Flower Shop by the Sea and From Notting Hill with Love, Actually

One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there's a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it.

'The Welcome House' is a local legend. Its front door is always open for those in need of shelter, and there's always a plentiful supply of food in the cupboards for the hungry or poor. 

While Ren desperately tries to find the owner to see if she can negotiate a sale, she begins to delve deeper into the history and legends that surround the old house and the town. But for a woman who has always been focussed on her work, she's remarkably distracted by Finn, the attractive manager of the local hotel.

But will she ever discover the real truth behind the mysterious 'Welcome House'? Or will the house cast its magical spell over Ren and help her to find true happiness?

Why so excited: well, her Actually series is still one of my favorite series ever, so whenever Ali McNamara releases a new book, I'm always really curious. It sounds like a lovely story.

Order it now!

Coming Home to Cuckoo's Cottage by Heidi Swain - July 13th

From the bestelling author of Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market and The Cherry Tree Café comes a glorious summer treat of glamping, vintage tearooms and love ...

When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage.

Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so.

Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a gorgeous tearoom.

But before she can finally enjoy living with her legacy she must uncover who she can trust, and who to avoid. And with two men vying for her attention, will she also find love?

Why so excited: although I didn't read Heidi Swain's festive book last year, I did enjoy a lot her previous summer reads so I'm really looking forward to discovering Cuckoo Cottage and its lovely characters. 

Order it now!

Together by Julie Cohen - July 13th

Is this a great love story?

Or a story about great love?

You decide.

On a morning that seems just like any other, Robbie wakes in his bed, his wife Emily asleep beside him, as always. He rises and dresses, makes his coffee, feeds his dogs, just as he usually would. But then he leaves Emily a letter and does something that will break her heart. As the years go back all the way to 1962, Robbie's actions become clearer as we discover the story of a couple with a terrible secret - one they will do absolutely anything to protect.

Why so excited: Julie Cohen's stories are always really special and she always surprises me with unexpected twists and fascinating characters and this new book looks and sounds very promising.

Order it now!

A powerfully told story of the love between two brothers in the aftermath of a family tragedy

Griff and Dylan are driving into Manhattan with their parents when the worst happens. There is a terrible car accident and Dylan and Griff¹s parents are killed.

The boys are suddenly orphans with nowhere to go, until a kind aunt and uncle give them a new home in Wales. Now Dylan and Griff have everything they need ­ love, a happy home and a future. But Dylan is worried about Griff: whether he is OK, whether he is coping with his grief. He doesn¹t seem to want to speak about it or really acknowledge the loss of their parents.

But Dylan needs to be even braver than Griff, because there is something very important he needs to face up to before he can move on.

The heartbreaking new novel from award-winning author Hayley Long.

Why so excited: Quite surprisingly I have never read a book by Hayley Long, but given that this year I am enjoying YA immensely and that I have only heard great about this author, I have decided to read this one. Plus, how beautiful is the cover?

Chasing the Sun by Katy Colins - July 27th

Georgia Green is on the conveyor belt to happiness.

Live-in boyfriend, perfect career and great friends, it seems like Georgia is only a Tiffany box away from her happily ever after. But when she arrives in Australia for her best friend’s wedding and is faced with the bridezilla from hell, she starts to realise that she might not want the cookie-cutter ending she thought.

What was meant to be a trip full of sunny days at the beach and wedding planning over cocktails, has turned into another problem for her to fix – just like the ones she’d left behind. With hardly any time for her boyfriend, let alone herself, it feels like there is just too much to juggle. It might be time for Georgia to step off the conveyor belt to find the balance in life and see if she really can have it all…

Why so excited: remember Georgia Green? We followed her to Thailand, India and Chile in The Lonely Hearts Travel Club series and now she is taking us to Australia. Georgia is a character that I love and Katy Colins' fun and fresh style make this the perfect summer read. Who's coming to Australia with us?

Order it now! 

Today's review is for Falling, Julie Cohen's latest work. This book was originally titled The Day of Second Chances and I first got a limited edition signed proof in January. The publishers then announced that publication day was being pushed to July and the book would have a new image, so I decided to wait a bit to read it. The time has come now, the book is out and here's what I thought about it:

Title: Falling

Author: Julie Cohen

Published: July 28th 2016 by Transworld

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Can you imagine keeping a secret so devastating, you couldn’t even tell the people you love?

Honor’s secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for eighty years.

Jo’s secret could smash apart the ‘normal’ family life she’s fought so hard to build.

Lydia’s secret could bring her love - or the loss of everything that matters to her.

One summer’s day, grandmother, mother and daughter’s secrets will collide in a single dramatic moment.

Is it too late for second chances?

Review: Julie Cohen's books are always something special and Falling is no exception. It tells the story of three different women; a grandmother, a mother and a daughter who all lost someone very special almost ten years ago: a son, a husband, a father. Since then, life hasn't been easy and they've grown apart, keeping big secrets from each other. But things cannot go on like that any more. 

I really enjoyed getting to know these three characters and finding out about their secrets. Each of them had their own story with its challenges and difficulties, their own life and their own preoccupations so it was really interesting to read about how their worlds collided and the three of them had to share the same roof. With two little kids creating mayhem thrown into the mix, cohabitation was definitely not easy (but very entertaining for the reader).

I really don't want to give anything away about the plot because it's better if you find out for yourself how compelling this story is. It will surprise you, it will make you hold your breath and it will steal your heart. Julie Cohen handles serious day to day topics in her own thought provoking way. Always with tact, but making you think and reflect on how unfair life can be. 

If you haven't read anything by Julie Cohen yet, you're missing out. Her stories leave no one indifferent and her characters get in your head for a long time after finishing the book. If you are already a Julie Cohen fan, then pick this up immediately. Falling is probably her best book yet. 

Rating: 5 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Blurb: After years of watching her best friends Ben and Claire try for a baby, Romily has offered to give them the one thing that they want most.

Romily expects it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and she has no desire for any more children. But Romily isn't prepared for the overwhelming feelings that have taken hold of her and which threaten to ruin her friendship with Ben and Claire-and even destroy their marriage.

Now there are three friends, two mothers and only one baby, and an impossible decision to make...

Thought-provoking, heart-rending but ultimately uplifting, Julie Cohen's Dear Thing is a book you won't be able to put down, until you pass it on to your best friends.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Dear Thing was a difficult book to read and I think it's gonna be an even more difficult book to review. But let's start from the beginning, we've got Ben and Claire, married and in love. The only thing missing from their life is a baby. They've tried everything and all the methods available to conceive but nothing has worked. Claire is ready to give up but Ben is blindly obsessed. This brings us to the main plot line: Ben's best friend, a single mother called Romily, can't stand seeing him suffering so much any more and offers to carry their baby for them. She already has a daughter and doesn't want any more kids and her first pregnancy was quite easy so why not? First think you need to know, she has been completely in love with Ben for years. Second thing, she has this brilliant idea while drunk. So it's fair to say that neither her nor Ben really think this through before going on with it.

As you can imagine, soon complications and unexpected feelings start to appear. Nothing is as easy as any of them thought and there is no going back now... As I said, this book was difficult to read because I had so many mixed feeling with these characters and their actions. I really wanted to think that Romily had her best intention at heart when she offered to do such an incredible thing. But I couldn't stop being suspicious. Also, Ben was quite blind to the situation. I felt like he went with the flow and didn't really understand neither Romily nor his wife, Claire. And then there was Claire herself. I didn't like her at the beginning but I felt really bad for what she was going through. There was a moment there, that I was so confused with what I was feeling as the characters themselves.

But Julie Cohen, being the brilliant and talented author she is, slowly made me care for these characters and really understand them. Emotions were raw and the topic was delicate but she handled is with tact and sincerity. And I soon found myself really invested with their story, wanting to know more and what was going to happen at the end. Also, I am really happy with the ending that the author chose. It fit with the story and made me respect the characters even more. 

Also, I would like to mention a very special character in the novel, little Posie, Romily's daughter. She was the star of the story and in some occasions I think she had more wisdom than all the adults around her. Also, I found her point of view really interesting. With such a difficult and complicated situation, it was refreshing to see it through such innocent eyes. And she had her own story too, which I found really interesting.

All in all, Dear Thing is a beautiful but complicated story that will leave no one indifferent. You can agree or not with the character's actions but one thing for sure is that you will end up caring for them. With such a  brave and controversial topic, Dear Thing is well worth a read. 

Rating: 

New Year, New Books! I still can't believe the year is over but just seeing all the books that are coming, I'm getting more and more excited for the new year. Here are the ones out this month that I am most looking forward:

Blurb: We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime.

But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs – the wife who stands by him?

Jean Taylor’s life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she’d ever wanted: her Prince Charming. 

Until he became that man accused, that monster on the front page. Jean was married to a man everyone thought capable of unimaginable evil.

But now Glen is dead and she’s alone for the first time, free to tell her story on her own terms.

Jean Taylor is going to tell us what she knows.

Why so excited: I've already read this one and I can tell you, what a thriller! So tense and intriguing. Definitely one to check this month. 

Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem - January 14th

Blurb: A funny, bitter-sweet romantic dramedy set to an 80's soundtrack.

The problem with first love is that it never truly dies.

Libby London fell in love in with the 80s, came of age in the 90s, and now, in the 21st Century, she's completely falling apart... Her New York City fashion sensibility is more 'vintage tragedy' than 'retro babe' and might just be what's holding her back in all matters of life and love...

At least that's what her well-meaning friends think. They've staged a #80sIntervention in an effort to bring Libby bang up-to-date. But how do you move forward when the one you love holds you in the past? Between her dreaded birthday party, friend's madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her Pretty In Pink thrift shop, Libby's nearing the end of the rope... If her therapist isn't quick, it could be a literal one.

Why so excited: I absolutely adored Victoria's debut a couple of years ago and since she announced the title of her new novel, I have been patiently waiting for it and it's finally on my kindle! I can't wait to start it!

Our Song by Dani Atkins - January 16th

Blurb: This is the story of Ally and Charlotte, whose paths have intersected over the years though they've never really been close friends. Charlotte married Ally's ex and first true love, David. Fate is about to bring them together one last, dramatic time and change their lives forever.

Why so excited: I've been lucky enough to get a review copy of this one. I'm planning on starting it asap as the first reviews have been raving about it. 

The Lonely Hearts Travel Club - Destination Thailand by Katy Colins - January 21st

Why so excited: Katy is a fantastic travel blogger. I always enjoy her posts so when she announced her book deal with Carina UK I was over the moon. I'm sure her debut will be fantastic.

The Day of Second Chances by Julie Cohen - January 29th

Why so excited: I love Julie Cohen and it's been a while since I've read one of her books. I'm really glad to have a review copy of this one and I'm already looking forward to starting it. 

What are the books you are excited about this month?