Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Kate Thompson's latest book, The Allotment Girls, out now in ebook and paperback. I've read and loved all of Kate's previous books, so I was really excited to discover this new story. Here's what I thought:

Title: The Allotment Girls

Author: Kate Thompson

Published: March 22nd 2018 by Pan

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: During the Second World War, life in the iconic Bryant & May match factory is grimy and tough. Annie, Rose, Pearl and Millie carry on making matches for the British Army, with bombs raining down around them.

Inspired by the Dig for Victory campaign, Annie persuades the owners to start Bryant & May allotment in the factory grounds. With plenty of sweat and toil, the girls eventually carve out a corner of the yard into a green plot full of life and colour.

In the darkest of times, the girls find their allotment a tranquil, happy escape. Using pierced dustbin lids to sieve through the shrapnel and debris, they bring about a powerful change, not just in the factory, but their own lives.

As the war rages on, the garden becomes a place of community, friendship – and deceit. As the garden thrives and grows, so do the girls' secrets...

The Allotment Girls is an inspiring and heartwarming novel of wartime hardship, friendship and fortitude from Kate Thompson, author of the Secrets of the Sewing Bee.

Review: This is Kate Thompson's fourth book and having read and loved her previous three, I knew what to expect from her: a touching story, well researched with generous descriptions and historic details, and above all, full of heart. And The Allotment Girls had all these ingredients and more.

Set in the East End, in Bow to be exact, during WWII, The Allotment Girls tells the story of four friends. They all work tirelessly in a match factory and support each other and their community as much as they can. Actually, their friendship is one of the key elements of the story and one that I enjoyed immensely. These girls were really made of stronger stuff and their loyalty knew no boundaries. 

The other key element of the story was, of course, the allotments. Following the "Dig for Victory" campaign from the government, Annie convinced her friends and the company to create two allotments in the factory grounds. These allotments changed the life of these girls completely and I loved how both the girls and the gardens grew together and faced new challenges and obstacles. 

Each character had her own story and secrets, which made the story very interesting and with plenty of unexpected turns. I warmed especially to Millie, this fierce woman was such an inspiration, she was a fighter and was ready to go to any lengths for her loved ones. But I have to say that I liked reading about all of them, by the end of the book I felt like I was one more in the gang. 

I am always fascinated by Kate Thompson's stories, they open a window to our recent past and paint such a clear picture of how life was back then. The Allotment Girls is a very compelling story with a lot of heart. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

A quick update on my moving situation: I'm surrounded by boxes and I still haven't rescued my books! However, the Husband has promised me a bookshelf with a ladder (a ladder!) so I am surviving... just! Good news is March is going to be such a great bookish month! I've actually read quite a few of these new releases already and I can tell you that some brilliant books are coming our way:

Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley - March 1st

When Max Friedman's mother dies of cancer, instead of facing his loss, he imagines that her tumour has taken up residence in his brain. It's a terrible tenant - isolating him from family, distracting him in school, and taunton him mercilessly about his manhood. With the tumour in charge, Max implodes, slipping farther and farther away from reality.

Finally, Max is sent to the artsy, off-beat Baldwin School to regain his footing. He joins a group of theatre misfits in a steam-punk production of Hamlet where he becomes friends with Fish, a girl with pink hair and a troubled past, and The Monk, an edgy upperclassman who refuses to let go of the things he loves. For a while, Max almost feels happy. But his tumour is always lurking in the wings - until one night it knocks him down and Max is forced to face the truth, not just about the tumour, but about how hard it is to let go of the past. At turns lyrical, haunting, and triumphant, Ready to Fall is a story of grief, love, rebellion and starting fresh from acclaimed author Marcella Pixley. 

Why so excited: I've recently received a review copy of this book and I am very intrigued. It sounds like a very special story that will probably break my heart a little.

Order it now!

Flying Tips for Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrain - March 1st

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.

Why so excited: first, I love the cover. It's so colourful and cute. And second, I love the circus. And if that wasn't enough, this story has describes as witty and clever and I'm sure it will surprise me more than once. 

Order it now!

Almost Love by Louise O'neill - March 1st

When Sarah falls for Matthew, she falls hard.

So it doesn't matter that he's twenty years older. That he sees her only in secret. That, slowly but surely, she's sacrificing everything else in her life to be with him.

Sarah's friends are worried. Her father can't understand how she could allow herself to be used like this. And she's on the verge of losing her job.

But Sarah can't help it. She is addicted to being desired by Matthew.

And love is supposed to hurt.

Isn't it?

Why so excited: after two very important and powerful YA novels, Louise O'neill is releasing her first adult novel and the first reviews are saying it is honest, raw and bold. This will definitely jump to the top of my tbr pile.

Order it now!

The Key by Kathryn Hughes - March 1st

1956 

It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate County Lunatic Asylum. When she meets a young woman committed by her father, and a pioneering physician keen to try out the various 'cures' for mental illness, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change all their lives for ever...

2006

Sarah is drawn to the abandoned Ambergate Asylum. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who was admitted fifty years earlier. The shocking contents lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy, lost love and an old wrong that only she may have the power to put right...

It's time to discover what a million readers already know. No one grips your heart like Kathryn Hughes...

Why so excited: I've already read and reviewed this one and it is a very atmospheric, heartbreaking and intriguing read that will shock and surprise you. Check my full review here.

Order it now!

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton - March 8th

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...

Why so excited: I have a review copy of this and it's gonna be my next read. I am very intrigued by the sound of it and I've seen some smashing early reviews already. 

Order it now!

Bring Me Back by BA Paris - March 8th

The Disappearance

Twelve years ago Finn’s girlfriend disappeared.

The Suspicion

He told the police the truth about that night.

Just not quite the whole truth.

The Fear

Now Finn has moved on.

But his past won’t stay buried…

Why so excited: another one I've already read, and wow! It's a dark and twisted story that kept surprising me until the last page. Come back next week for my 5 stars review.

Order it now!

Sunshine at the Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson - March 8th

My name is Willow Longville. I live in a village called Budbury on the stunning Dorset coast with my mum Lynnie, who sometimes forgets who I am. I’m a waitress at the Comfort Food Café, which is really so much more than a café… it’s my home.

For Willow, the ramshackle café overlooking the beach, together with its warm-hearted community, offers friendship as a daily special and always has a hearty welcome on the menu. But when a handsome stranger blows in on a warm spring breeze, Willow soon realises that her quiet country life will be changed forever.

Why so excited: 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 characters in all other stories, gets the spotlight in this one! Definitely one of my most anticipated books this year.

Order it now!

Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley - March 22nd

Thirty-two-year-old Hetty Greengrass is the star around which the rest of her family orbits. Marriage, motherhood and helping Dan run Sunnybank Farm have certainly kept her hands full for the last twelve years. But when her daughter Poppy has to choose her inspiration for a school project and picks her aunt, not her mum, Hetty is left full of self-doubt.

Hetty’s always been generous with her time and until now, her biggest talent – baking deliciously moreish shortcrust pastry pies – has been limited to charity work and the village fete. But taking part in a competition run by Cumbria’s Finest to find the very best produce from the region might be just the thing to make her daughter proud... and reclaim something for herself.

Except that life isn’t as simple as producing the perfect pie. Changing the status quo isn’t easy – and with cracks appearing in her marriage and shocking secrets coming to light, Hetty must decide where her priorities really lie...

Why so excited: Well, Cathy Bramley is one of my favourite authors and her stories are like a ray of sunshine, so touching and up-lifting. This one sounds exactly like that and I cannot wait to discover it. 

Order it now!

The Fear by CL Taylor - March 22nd 

Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…

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…

Why so excited: If Cathy Bramley is my go-to author for feel-good stories, CL Taylor is my go-to for psychological thrillers. They are always SO good. And early reviews are saying that this is her best one yet. Who wouldn't be excited?

Order it now!

Last Letter Home by Rachel Gore - March 22nd

On holiday with friends, young historian Briony Andrews becomes fascinated with a wartime story of a ruined villa in the hills behind Naples. There is a family connection: her grandfather had been a British soldier during the Italian campaign of 1943 in that very area. Handed a bundle of letters that were found after the war, Briony sets off to trace the fate of their sender, Sarah Bailey.

In 1939, Sarah returns with her mother and sister from India, in mourning, to take up residence in the Norfolk village of Westbury. There she forms a firm friendship with Paul Hartmann, a young German who has found sanctuary in the local manor house, Westbury Hall. With the outbreak of war, conflicts of loyalty in Westbury deepen.

When, 70 years later, Briony begins to uncover Sarah and Paul’s story, she encounters resentments and secrets still tightly guarded. What happened long ago in the villa in the shadow of Vesuvius, she suspects, still has the power to give terrible pain…

Why so excited: I read this one a few weeks ago and I am still thinking about it. A very well-crafted dual-time story with love letters at its core. Who doesn't love a book with love letters?

Order it now!

The Allotment Girls by Kate Thompson - March 22nd

The Allotment Girls is an inspiring and heartwarming novel of wartime hardship, friendship and fortitude from Kate Thompson, author of the Secrets of the Sewing Bee.

During the Second World War, life in the iconic Bryant & May match factory is grimy and tough. Annie, Rose, Pearl and Millie carry on making matches for the British Army, with bombs raining down around them.

Inspired by the Dig for Victory campaign, Annie persuades the owners to start Bryant & May allotment in the factory grounds. With plenty of sweat and toil, the girls eventually carve out a corner of the yard into a green plot full of life and colour.

In the darkest of times, the girls find their allotment a tranquil, happy escape. Using pierced dustbin lids to sieve through the shrapnel and debris, they bring about a powerful change, not just in the factory, but their own lives.

As the war rages on, the garden becomes a place of community, friendship – and deceit. As the garden thrives and grows, so do the girls' secrets...

Why so excited: this is Kate Thompson's fourth book and after having read and loved the three previous ones, I am, of course, really looking forward to this one. I always love getting these glimpses of what living in the East End was like during WWII.

Order it now!

Tin Man by Sarah Winman - March 23rd

It begins with a painting won in a raffle: fifteen sunflowers, hung on the wall by a woman who believes that men and boys are capable of beautiful things.

And then there are two boys, Ellis and Michael, who are inseparable. And the boys become men, and then Annie walks into their lives, and it changes nothing and everything.

Tin Man sees Sarah Winman follow the acclaimed success of When God Was A Rabbit and A Year Of Marvellous Ways with a love letter to human kindness and friendship, loss and living.

Why so excited: Described as an exquisitely crafted tale of love and loss, Tin Man was first published last year as a hardback and the paperback is finally coming out this month. It looks and sounds stunning.

Order it now!

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Kate Thompson's latest book, The Wedding Girls, out next week March 9th. I read and loved both of Kate's previous books, so I was really excited to discover a new story by her. Here's what I thought:

Title: The Wedding Girls

Author: Kate Thompson

Published: March 9th by Pan

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: If a wedding marks the first day of the rest of your life, then the story starts with the dress.

It's 1936 and the streets of London's East End are grimy and brutal, but in one corner of Bethnal Green it is forever Hollywood...

Herbie Taylor's photography studio is nestled in the heart of bustling Green Street. Tomboy Stella and troubled Winnie work in Herbie's studio; their best friend and hopeless romantic Kitty works next door as an apprentice dressmaker. All life passes through the studio, wishing to capture that perfect moment in time.

Kitty works tirelessly to create magical bridal gowns, but with each stitch she wonders if she'll ever get a chance to wear a white dress. Stella and Winnie sprinkle a dusting of Hollywood glamour over happy newly-weds, but secretly dream of escaping the East End...

Community is strong on Green Street, but can it stand the ultimate test? As clouds of war brew on the horizon, danger looms over the East End. Will the Wedding Girls find their happy ever afters, before it's too late?

Review: This is Kate Thompson's third book and having read and loved her previous two, I knew what was waiting for me: a touching story, well researched with generous descriptions and historic details, and above all, full of heart. And Í'm glad to say that The Wedding Girls lived up to my expectations. This time, the author takes us to the East End a few year before WWII where three girls fight agains adversity with everything they've got.

Known as the wedding girls, Kitty, Winnie and Stella are a very close trio of friends who all work in the wedding business. Their only goal is to make this day as special as possible for the bride and groom but their own lives are not exactly rose tinted. Each of them has its own problems, especially with their families. For example, Kitty's father is not himself anymore, with an illness that is robbing him of everything. And Winnie's family is being threathen again by her violent father. So as we got to know these girl, I couldn't help but care and root for them. The three of them were really insteresting and complex characters that I loved getting to know.

While reading this story though, you soon realise that the East End and it close knitted community is a character on itself too. I could feel the camaredie in the community and how they all fought as one when circumstances required. Actually, with every book by Kate Thompson, I learn something new, about an era I didn't know as much. For example, The East End in 1936 was threaten by an increasing fascist movement that wanted to divide this welcoming and open community. And the author refelcted the tensions and difficulties perfectly.

Another bit that I found really interesting was that the author added some testimonies from the women  she met during her research. They lived in the East End during that time and their words really resonated with me and made me understand the story even better. I really thing Kate Thompson captured their experiences perfectly in the story

All in all, another winner by Kate Thompson. A book full of heart that reminds us how important it is to remember history in order to not make the same mistakes again, and how important friendship and working together is.

Rating: 4,5 stars

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

If a wedding marks the first day of the rest of your life, then the story starts with the dress.

It's 1936 and the streets of London's East End are grimy and brutal, but in one corner of Bethnal Green it is forever Hollywood...

Herbie Taylor's photography studio is nestled in the heart of bustling Green Street. Tomboy Stella and troubled Winnie work in Herbie's studio; their best friend and hopeless romantic Kitty works next door as an apprentice dressmaker. All life passes through the studio, wishing to capture that perfect moment in time.

Kitty works tirelessly to create magical bridal gowns, but with each stitch she wonders if she'll ever get a chance to wear a white dress. Stella and Winnie sprinkle a dusting of Hollywood glamour over happy newly-weds, but secretly dream of escaping the East End...

Community is strong on Green Street, but can it stand the ultimate test? As clouds of war brew on the horizon, danger looms over the East End. Will the Wedding Girls find their happy ever afters, before it's too late?

Why so excited: I have read and loved both of Kate Thompson's previous books and this one is shaping up to be a lovely read too. It's my current read and I'm really enjoying it.

Pre-order now! 

Mystery at Maplemead Castle by Kitty French - March 17th

Welcome to Chapelwick, a leafy English town in the hills of Shropshire, where chocolate pecan cookies come with a helping of sabotage.

Maplemead Castle is crawling with ghosts, and the new owners need them gone. When Melody Bittersweet and the Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency arrive on scene, they quickly identify the troublemakers swinging from the chandeliers… literally. 

A century ago, stunning trapeze artist Britannia Lovell plunged to her death, and has done every night since. But did she really just fall, or was there something more to her demise?

Forced to work with Leo Dark, her scoundrel ex, and infuriating, irresistible reporter Fletcher Gunn, Melody’s investigative powers are under strain (i.e. lost in a pink mist of lust and confusion). She needs her team on top form, but best friend Marina’s cake pipeline goes AWOL, assistant Artie’s distracted by a giant sausage roll, and the pug is scared witless by a lion.

Somewhere, hidden in the castle, is a heart-breaking secret, but what will it take to find it? And is there a chance it could set Britannia free, or is she doomed to repeat her last fateful act forever?

An utterly hilarious, gripping, spooktastic read for fans of HY Hanna, MC Beaton, Gina LaManna and Jana DeLeon.

Why so excited: 

Pre-order now!

The Returning Tide by Liz Fenwick - March 23rd

Two sisters and one betrayal that will carry across generations...

In wartime Cornwall, 1943, a story between two sisters begins - the story of Adele and Amelia, and the heart-breaking betrayal that will divide them forever. Decades later, the effects of one reckless act still echo - but how long will it be until their past returns?

The Returning Tide will sweep you away to the beautiful Cornish coast, full of secrets and mystery, and will be loved by fans of Kate Morton and Rachel Hore.

Why so excited: C. L. Taylor is my go-to writer for tense and addictive psychological thrillers and I cannot wait to start this one. If you haven't discovered her stories yet, you are really missing out. 

Pre-order now!

The Lemon Tree Cafe Part 1 - March 28th

This is Part One in a brand-new serial from bestselling author Cathy Bramley.

Rosie Featherstone loves her high-flying job at a social media firm. So what if she isn’t married and settled like her sister? A relationship would only get in the way of this workaholic’s hectic schedule! 

So when she unexpectedly finds herself at a loose end for a month, Rosie keeps busy by helping her Italian nonna serve espressos and biscotti at the Lemon Tree Café, a little slice of Italy nestled in the rolling hills of Derbyshire.

Worryingly though, the café’s fortunes seem to have taken a turn for the worse since Rosie last went home. But with Nonna blind to the truth and angry at the idea of anyone interfering, the two are soon at loggerheads. 

However, just when Rosie decides it’s time to head back to reality, an old acquaintance suddenly reappears, and the prospect of life at the Lemon Tree Café begins to seem more appetizing . . . 

The Lemon Tree Cafe is an irresistibly charming novel told in four parts – following the adventures of Rosie Featherstone in friendship, family and second chances. This is the first part.

Why so excited: I think you must know by now that I love Cathy Bramley's stories. So a new story by her is always highly anticipated. And how beautiful is that cover?

Pre-order now!

The next guest on my Historical Fiction Week is Kate Thompson, author of the fantastic Secrets of the Singer Girls (March, 2015) and Secrets of the Sewing Bee (March, 2016). I've had the pleasure of reading both and I highly recommend them. Today she stops by to talk about how she researched her novels, both set in the East End during WWII:

Hello Alba,

Firstly, thank-you for including me in your historical fiction week. There seems to be so much talk these days of the loss of community. The days where you could leave your door open, kids played out on the street and everyone in that street knew your name are alas, for the most part, long gone. 

However, when I look on your site, I am heartened to see another community springing into life, albeit it an on line one and I love that you encourage like-minded readers to come together and share their passion for books. 

Community is something I try to address constantly in my writing, and features heavily in both in Secrets of the Singer Girls, my debut novel for Pan Macmillan and the prequel, Secrets of the Sewing Bee, published in March. 

The books focus on the lives of East End seamstresses, whose work sewing Army and Navy uniforms in a Bethnal Green factory in wartime throws them headlong into some extraordinary situations. In order to research this fully, I spent many absorbing hours interviewing women who I came to call my ‘real life Singer Girls’. 

It all started with Kathy. Nudging 90 and still line-dancing, this sprightly octogenarian told me in detail about her fears on the first night of the Blitz and her raw anguish at seeing the destruction of her community at the hands of the Luftwaffe. After the moving interview I went to leave, but she called me back. 

‘I nearly forgot, love,’ she said. ‘I knitted you something.’ How sweet, I thought, as she took out something in soft white wool from her knitting bag, she’s knitted something for my baby son. On closer examination, it turned out to be not a pair of baby booties, but a willy-warmer! Kathy and her friend Vera took one look at my shocked face and fell about in raucous howls of laughter. 

​Kathy was a former seamstress, and told me all about the long lost world of the wartime rag trade. I listened rapt, as she filled my head with stories.

Today, the East End is unrecognisable from its former self, but during the war, the streets of Bethnal Green, Bow, Spitalfields, Stepney and Whitechapel were teeming with garment factories, all crowded with women working ‘in the rag’. The blistering poverty of those times was brutal. The Welfare State hadn’t been dreamt up and the streets were filled with the poor and hungry. Children walked about with bare feet or in shoes patched up with cardboard. But from great poverty springs ingenuity, and the Cockney rag-trade worker, was nothing if not resourceful. 

One has to admire the women who worked out how to fuse their sewing machines by holding the wheel and keeping their foot down on the treadle, craftily earning themselves an extra ten-minute break, or the lady who proudly told me that she didn’t regard herself as a proper machinist until she had accidentally impaled her finger on the sewing machine needle three times! 

These women, like every other machinist I spoke with, calmly worked their way through the raids of the Blitz until the bombs got too close for comfort and they were forced to seek shelter. The Luftwaffe weren’t going to stop their sewing machines from humming, if they could help it!

​From those first stories, Secrets of the Singer Girls was born. Secrets of the Sewing Bee is set two years earlier during the Blitz and my research took me to some fascinating places, not least Bethnal Green Underground, where a lady named Gladys, pointed to the exact spot on the platform where she slept nightly to shelter from the bombs. Hard to conceive with a steady stream of commuters rushing past, but that’s what’s wonderful about history isn’t it? It contains so many surprises.

Like the fact that the same underground station also had triple bunks for five thousand, a library, a theatre built over the tracks and even a crèche to enable mothers to work – all built 70 feet below ground! Setting a story in and amongst the camaraderie of a secret wartime village seemed so obvious once I knew of its existence.

​I find it fascinating how the war changed women’s lives in deeply profound ways. There is a perception that women were the gentler sex back then, tending to home and hearth, but on digging deeper I discovered a very different woman to the one presented to us though nostalgic dramas, stoically waiting for her husband to return home from the battlefields. 

My characters, in keeping with the women of Britain, behaved in extraordinary and uncharacteristic ways. Shocked out of their rhythms by fear, necessity and freedom, they indulged in affairs, took part in protests, lynch mobs, stormed from stifling jobs and took on exciting and dangerous new ones. 

As one woman told me whilst I was researching the book, “Women found their soul. It was the very best time to be alive”. This was confirmed by another lady who confessed: “I ought not to say this, but I found it exciting”. Another woman proudly told me she finally found freedom from her abusive husband, and got a job painting huge ships down the docks. Her eyes still sparkled at the memory. I’m not trying to diminish the fear and heartache experienced by so many, but highlight the ways in which women discovered what they were truly capable of.

Discovering that sense of freedom and the huge evolution it brought about in women's lives was very exciting.

​It is often the quiet voices of history, which are the most revealing. These women and their unassuming thoughts and feelings tell us so much about how difficult, but also how rewarding it was to be a woman in war-torn Britain.

Thank so much for such an interesting post Kate, I always find it fascinating to read about the role of women during the war and to discover how strong and brave these women were. 

​ 

Find out more about Kate Thompson and her books on: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateThompsonAuthor/

Twitter: @katethompson380

Webpage: www.katethompsonmedia.co.uk

About the book: 

Title: Secrets of the Sewing Bee

Author: Kate Thompson

Published: March 10th 2016 by Macmillan

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Orphan Flossy Brown arrives at Trout's garment factory in Bethnal Green amidst the uncertainty of the Second World War. In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past, all struggling to make ends meet. For the women of the East End, their battles are on the home front.

Flossy is quickly embraced by the colourful mix of characters working at Trout's, who have turned their sewing expertise to vital war work. They fast become the family that Flossy has always longed for. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, and infamous tea lady, gives her a particularly warm welcome and helps Flossy settle into wartime life.

Things aren't so easy for Peggy Piper, another new recruit at the factory. She's used to the high life working as a nippie in the West End, and is not best pleased to find herself bent over a sewing machine. But war has the ability to break down all sorts of class barriers and soon Peggy finds the generosity and spirit of her fellow workers difficult to resist.

Dolly sets up a sewing circle and the ladies at Trout's play their part in defending the frontline as they arm themselves with their needles and set about stitching their way to victory. But as the full force of the Blitz hits London, the sewing bee are forced to shelter in the underground tube stations on a nightly basis.

In such close quarters, can Dolly manage to contain the secret that binds them all? And how will Peggy and Flossy cope as their lives are shaped and moved by forces outside of their control?

"Secrets of the Sewing Bee is a touching story that will surprise you more than once. With complex characters, secrets, love, friendship and tears, it has it all. I cannot wait to see what Kate Thompson comes out with next."

Read my full review here

Blurb: Orphan Flossy Brown arrives at Trout's garment factory in Bethnal Green amidst the uncertainty of the Second World War. In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past, all struggling to make ends meet. For the women of the East End, their battles are on the home front.

Flossy is quickly embraced by the colourful mix of characters working at Trout's, who have turned their sewing expertise to vital war work. They fast become the family that Flossy has always longed for. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, and infamous tea lady, gives her a particularly warm welcome and helps Flossy settle into wartime life.

Things aren't so easy for Peggy Piper, another new recruit at the factory. She's used to the high life working as a nippie in the West End, and is not best pleased to find herself bent over a sewing machine. But war has the ability to break down all sorts of class barriers and soon Peggy finds the generosity and spirit of her fellow workers difficult to resist.

Dolly sets up a sewing circle and the ladies at Trout's play their part in defending the frontline as they arm themselves with their needles and set about stitching their way to victory. But as the full force of the Blitz hits London, the sewing bee are forced to shelter in the underground tube stations on a nightly basis.

In such close quarters, can Dolly manage to contain the secret that binds them all? And how will Peggy and Flossy cope as their lives are shaped and moved by forces outside of their control?

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

Review: Last year I had the pleasure of reading Kate Thompson's debut, Secret of the Singer Girls, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So I was over the moon to get a review copy of her new one. As soon as I started reading Secrets of the Sewing Bee, something sounded familiar and I soon realised that this story is set in the same textile factory as the previous book, Trout's. The difference is that The Sewing Bee takes place some years before, when the war is about to begin. This made me really glad, as I really enjoyed reading about some favourite characters from The Singer Girls and learning what they were up to before their own story. But the main characters for this one are completely new.

In Secrets of the Sewing Bee, we are introduced to two new recruits for the factory: fragile and shy Flossy and beautiful and proud Peggy. These girls couldn't be more different, they have had completely different upbringings, one being raised in an orphanage, the other in a healthy family, one ready to please, the other too cool to bother with work or making new friends. But soon war breaks out and willing or not they find themselves in the same boat with the whole Trout's family. And their friendship is one of the few things they can cling on. 

Something I love about Kate Thompson's stories is how you can tell the amount of research that she must have done for them. Her detailed descriptions of the buildings, the streets, the atmosphere and even the feelings of her characters make you feel part of the story. I always enjoy books that teach me something and with this one I learned so much, as we glimpse at the lives of those who lived through the horrific Blitz. Some made it and some didn't and the story reflects this and how everyone must have felt perfectly. 

Another bit that I found really interesting was that the author added some testimonies from the women  she interviewed during her research. They lived in the East End during that time and their words really resonated with me and made me understand the story even better. I really thing Kate Thompson captured their experiences perfectly in the story: that feeling of camaraderie, that almost joyous atmosphere they created in the underground stations where they had to hide from the bombs and also how brave and strong those women were. 

Secrets of the Sewing Bee is a touching story that will surprise you more than once. With complex characters, secrets, love, friendship and tears, it has it all. I cannot wait to see what Kate Thompson comes out with next. 

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This is Part One in a brand-new serial from bestselling author Cathy Bramley.

Verity Bloom hasn't been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago. 

But an opportunity to help a friend is about to land her right back in the heart of the kitchen! The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and has rather gone off the boil. It needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up . . .

But as Verity tries to balance stirring up publicity, keeping their top chef sweet and soothing her aching heart, will her move to Plumberry prove to be a sheer delight . . . or a recipe for disaster?

The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is an irresistibly charming novel told in four parts – following the adventures of Verity Bloom in love, friendship and cooking. This is the first part.

Why so excited: Cathy Bramley has become one of my favourite authors. I have loved everything she has written so far and I'm sure this one will be no different. The questions is, do I start reading the parts or do I wait until the whole book is out later this year?

Secrets of the Sewing Bee by Kate Thompson - March 10th

Orphan Flossy Brown arrives at Trout's garment factory in Bethnal Green amidst the uncertainty of the Second World War. In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past, all struggling to make ends meet. For the women of the East End, their battles are on the home front.

Flossy is quickly embraced by the colourful mix of characters working at Trout's, who have turned their sewing expertise to vital war work. They fast become the family that Flossy has always longed for. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, and infamous tea lady, gives her a particularly warm welcome and helps Flossy settle into wartime life.

Things aren't so easy for Peggy Piper, another new recruit at the factory. She's used to the high life working as a nippie in the West End, and is not best pleased to find herself bent over a sewing machine. But war has the ability to break down all sorts of class barriers and soon Peggy finds the generosity and spirit of her fellow workers difficult to resist.

Dolly sets up a sewing circle and the ladies at Trout's play their part in defending the frontline as they arm themselves with their needles and set about stitching their way to victory. But as the full force of the Blitz hits London, the sewing bee are forced to shelter in the underground tube stations on a nightly basis.

In such close quarters, can Dolly manage to contain the secret that binds them all? And how will Peggy and Flossy cope as their lives are shaped and moved by forces outside of their control?

Why so excited: Last year I read Kate Thompson's debut, Secrets of the Singer Girls, also set in London during the Second World War and I found it really interesting and beautifully written. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the author has come up with.

Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan - March 10th

Great friends. Amazing Apartment. An incredible job. Paige has ticked off every box on perfect New York life checklist. Until disaster strikes…

What if the person who broke your heart, is the only one who can help you find your future?

Great friends. Amazing Apartment. An incredible job. Paige has ticked off every box on perfect New York life checklist. Until disaster strikes and instead of shimming further up the career ladder, Paige is packing up her desk.

Her brother’s best friend Jake might be the only person who can help her put her life back together. He also happens to be the boy she spent her teen years pining after, and Paige is determined not repeat her past mistakes. But the more time she spends with Jake, the more Paige realises the one thing that was missing from her world all along. The perfect New York love story…

Why so excited: who doesn't love a story by Sarah Morgan? I have just finished reading this one and I adored it. 

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello - March 24th

'LEARN TO SALSA DANCE,' the card in the shop window read. 'Experience the red-hot vibes of Latin America right here in the Lake District. Beginners and singles welcome.' 

Lauren Scott lives in 'The most romantic place in Britain', but her love life is about as successful as her mountain climbing skills. The man she's obsessed over for two years has proposed to someone else - and her only solution is to save up for six months to go travelling, so she never has to set eyes on him again. 

But when her friends sign her up for a dance class - in the same historic hotel where her beloved dad worked and her most precious childhood memories were formed - Lauren makes a horrifying discovery. It's been sold to a faceless budget chain, which has depressing plans in store. Worse, the entrepreneur behind it all turns out to be among a group of guys her friend Cate roped in to join the very same salsa class they've signed up for.... 

Jane Costello's funniest book yet - a story of love, friendship and some serious hip action . . . Get in the mood to mambo!

Why so excited: Another of my favourite authors! I was lucky enough to receive a proof of this fantastic story and I can tell you that it's Jane's best for me. 

Destination India by Katy Colins - March 25th

Let yourself go…

Georgia Green is about to board a plane to India, alone – again. Things were supposed to be different this time, but Georgia backpacked solo to Thailand and survived, what could possibly go wrong?

Only she is about to find out that when in India the country calls the shots – not you.

The new favourite series for fans of The Curvy Girls Club, theShopaholic series and Eat, Pray, Love.

Join Georgia Green for her next big adventure in Bollywood!

Why so excited: I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Destination Thailand, so I am over the moon that the second book is out this month already. New author Katy Colins has such a fun and fresh style, I can't wait to discover India with her. 

Blurb: 1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival turns up at the gates of Trout's clothing factory in Bethnal Green with no idea what her new life might have in store. There to start work as a seamstress and struggling to get to grips with the noise, dirt and devastation of East London, Poppy can't help but miss the quiet countryside of home. But Poppy harbours a dark secret - one that wrenched her away from all she knew and from which she is still suffering...

And Poppy's not the only one with a secret. Each of her new friends at the factory is hiding something painful. Vera Shadwell, the forelady, has had a hard life with scars both visible and concealed; her sister Daisy has romantic notions that could get her in trouble; and Sal Fowler, a hardworking mother who worries about her two evacuated boys for good reason. Bound by ties of friendship, loyalty and family, the devastating events of the war will throw each of their lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.

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

Review: Secrets of the Singer Girls is the story of four girls working in a textile factory in the East End during WW2. You can tell that there's been a resourceful research behind this novel. And Kate Thompson's style is so descriptive and detailed, that you can actually picture yourself in the middle of the filthy half destroyed streets around Bethnal Green but also feel the closeness and camaraderie in the community, how everyone was ready to help and try to cope together during those hard times.

Each of the fours girls has her own story and secrets and as the story unfolds and their friendship grows, we discover their secrets but also their fears and dreams. It would be difficult for me to chose a favourite character between these four because I loved them all, Poppy was the sweetest country girl that ever landed in London. Always trying to please, it was a beautiful experience to see her grow so rapidly during the story. Sal was a force to be reckoned with, with her fiery red hair she was a joy to read. She really deserved more than life had reserved her. And the sisters Vera and Daisy were so different but so similar at the same time, strong women who wanted to be loved and have a better future. Daisy's epic romance was really unexpected and I couldn't help but root for them, even if their love was impossible from the start.

A great part of the story centers in the Bethnal Green tube disaster of 1943, where 173 people died trying to hide in the underground. It was hushed by the government for the sake of people's morale. It certainly broke my heart a little reading about it. People who had survived the blitz, rationing and poverty to die in such a sad way. So I'd like to thank Kate Thompson for sharing with us, I for example had not heard about this disaster, this bit of London's history. I'm sure it will leave no one indifferent.

Secrets of the Singer Girls is a brilliant and enthralling read that I highly recommend. Difficult to put down and beautifully written, you will care for these woman and this community like you were part of them too. 

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