Blurb: ‘Welcome to the Hope Street Hotel – where you check in married, and check out single.’

Two years ago Chloe Townsend was dumped at the altar and had to leave behind everything that mattered to her. Even now she’s finding it hard to move forward. That is until she lands an incredible job, running a brand new boutique hotel. Suddenly she’s starting to put her life back together, and, apart from the fact that her hard-to-please new boss is breathing down her neck, things are looking good.

But what goes on in the Hope Street Hotel is a far cry from anything she’s ever dealt with before. This is a pioneering ‘divorce hotel’ designed to make every aspect of breaking up efficient and pain-free. In one single weekend, Chloe’s team promises to take care of everything – legal, technical, emotional – and guests check out carefree and single.

No one is better qualified than Chloe to understand what couples need when their relationship is at breaking point, but she soon finds herself having to tackle the heartbreak she’s tried to bury. In particular three couples need her help – Jo and Dave, Lucy and Andrew, and Kirk and Dawn – and the opening weekend is full of revelation, trouble, memories happy and sad, facts that need facing, and some very big surprises.

It’s time to move on. And it soon becomes clear that some endings are, in fact, very exciting new beginnings...

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


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Blurb: How do you learn to love again?

His rich and charmed life feels a million miles from her own. However, there's more to Ciaran than the superficial world that surrounds him, and he too is wrestling with his own ghosts. Will Holly find the missing ingredient that allows her to live again and embrace an unknown and unexpected tomorrow?

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

Review: This is a very sweet read. Not only because of all the cakes (yes! I love cakes, especially designer cakes) but also because Ciaran Argyl is the cutest and sweetest guy ever. I really liked him, he was charming, generous, tactful... a true gentleman! After a difficult past, he is trying to be a better man and this is very noble. I loved every scene with him and how he tried to help Holly every way he could.

Our female lead here is Holly who after losing her husband is focused on her business Cake. She and her partner Jesse create the most amazing cakes and it is through a cake that she meets Ciaran and his crazy family. His father was a real character, I found him really rude at the begining but after a while I started warming to him. I also like Jesse, he plays a big role at the begining but then he takes a role more in the background, which was a shame.

Holly's loss makes some of the scenes of this book quite emotional. Her life is kind of grey after losing Charlie and I had the feeling that she was a bit lost. But then Ciaran arrives and brings colour back to her life (quite literally in fact, but I'm going to leave it here, you'll find out when you read it). I enjoyed reading this book and seeing Holly find new meaning to life. I’ll definitely be keeping one eye out for another Anouska Knight book.

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Blurb: Lucy. I don’t even know how to start this letter. 

Something happened. Something terrible . . .

Lucy was always sure of one thing – her future with husband and soulmate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes.

When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted. Then a woman arrives with a shocking secret that will force Lucy to make the hardest decision of her life. 

As compelling and powerful as Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty, PIECES OF YOU is a heart-rending, haunting and ultimately life-affirming novel about a love tested to its limits.

Review: A couple of warnings before you start reading this book. First, don't read the blurb, I think it gives away a bit too much of the story so trust me, just grab the book and read it, it won't leave you indifferent, that is for sure. Second, have tissues in hand, this is one of those heart-breaking reads that will have you sobbing in a not very nice way. And third, don't read it in public, because of all the sobbing.

I am not going to tell you what the story is about, you will find out by yourself by let me say that it handles some difficult issues like fertility problems or depression. But it also talks about trust, failure and love. It takes a perfect couple, the real deal, envied by all their friends, and make them fight obstacle after obstacle to prove their love. It is a bittersweet, heart-wrenching story that will make you think a lot and wonder what you would do, which I am still debating with myself. 

One of the things I enjoyed the most was that it is told from different points of views: Lucy's, the female main character, Nell's, Lucy's sister in love, and Patricia's, Lucy's mother in love. This allows a wide view of the story and makes you connect with the characters in a deeper way. Also, I love when you are reading a book and then, you read something that makes perfect sense with the title and you think, that is a very clever title. And this happens here, you realize this story couldn't have had a more appropiate title. 

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Today is my first review for the #NetGalleyMonth, the fantastic event organised by chicksthatread.com. So first of all I would like to thank the publishers, Avon (HarperCollins) for sending me a copy of the book via Net Galley. 

Title: The Atlas of Us

Author: Tracy Buchanan

Published: July 31st 2014 by Avon (HarperCollins)

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: How far would you go for the one you love the most?

When Louise Fenton flies to Thailand to find her mother, Nora, after the Boxing Day tsunami, she fears the worst when the only trace she can find is her mother’s distinctive bag. In the bag is a beautifully crafted atlas owned by travel journalist Claire Shreve, with her notes and mementos slipped in-between the pages. The journal tells the story of Claire’s struggle to find her place in the world following a life-altering revelation, and a tumultuous love affair.

Louise treks across Thailand's scarred landscape, exploring Claire’s atlas to try to make sense of the connection between this woman and the mother she is so desperate to find.

As devastated people are beginning to put their lives back together, Louise uncovers the secrets that nearly destroyed Claire and the man she loved – the same secrets her mother has been guarding all these years …

THE ATLAS OF US will take you on a moving and enthralling journey across the globe, and into the most intimate spaces in a relationship. And it will find its way into your heart.

Review: I was very intrigued by the blurb of this book and by the beautiful cover. When I started reading it, I could sense that it was going to be an epic story and I was not wrong. Tracy Buchanan writes an impressive debut novel, that captures you from page one and takes you around the world in a gripping journey packed with adventures, secrets, struggles, devastation but also courage and love. 

The Atlas of Us is a layered novel set in many different parts of the world and in different periods of time that tells the story of two different women Claire and Louise. Claire is a journalist that after coming to terms with the fact that she is infertile starts reconsidering her life, her job, her mariage... then it's when she meets Milo, a sometimes dark character that has had a troubled life in an even more troubled family. But they somehow click. Claire is a fascinating character to read about: stronger than she seems, with a huge heart, we accompany her on her journey not only around the world but through her life, with its up and downs. And Milo is one of the most intriguing men I have read about, he had an aura of mistery surrounding him, with all his secrets, his changes in personality but with so much love to give. It was really interesting getting to know him better, I think I hated and loved him in equal parts though. 

As for Louise, she is in Thailand after the tsunami looking for her stranged mother. But then she finds the body of a woman with the bag and passport of her mother but with an Atlas and necklace belonging to Claire. She doesn't know who this Claire is and what connects her to her mother, but trully believing that her mother is still alive she starts her own journey around the devastated country to try to locate her. Little by little, she unfolds the secrets surrounding her mother and Claire and what brought them together. 

As I said, Tracy creates an utterly gripping story that will suck you and will have you turning page after page wanting to know more about the lifes of these women. I especially loved Tracy's way of describing, not only all the places this journey took us to but also her way of describing people, how you could see their soul through her writing. Some of the secondary character were a treat to read about, from the haunted Holly to the lovely Filipe. I loved this book, it was raw but beautiful and it merged the two stories perfectly. I totally recommend it. 

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These are the titles I would like to read and review during September. I still have a couple more books in my shelves so if I have time, I might read more book and who knows maybe get my percentage to 100%! Too optimistic maybe? Well, we'll see! 

I'll be back soon with reviews but in the meanwhile you can check which other blogs are taking part in the #NetGalleyMonth here: http://www.chicksthatread.com/netgalley-month.html

And don't forget to enter the fantastic giveaway that Tay have prepared with the help of multiple authors: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway