Blurb: In many ways my life has been rather like a record of the lost and found. Perhaps all lives are like that...

LONDON, 1986: Bequeathed an old portrait by her grandmother, Kate Darling begins to unpick the tapestry of her family’s secret history in a journey that takes her to Corsica, Paris and back to the heady days of the Roaring Twenties where it all began.

PARIS, 1939: Alice Eversley and Thomas Stafford meet once again in the City of Light. Tom is now a world-famous artist, Alice is much-changed too – bruised from the events of the last decade. Perhaps they can lose themselves in the love story that ignited by a moonlit lake all those years ago?

But sometimes there’s no place for happy endings – and there’s no hiding from the shadow of war...

Review: I love epic stories that go beyond generations, wars, distance, secrets and any other obstacle imaginable and The Book of Lost and Found is one of those, a brilliant one at that. As soon as I met the characters of this novel I wanted to know everything about them. We have an art student now working in a photo studio, an old painter who now lives isolated from the world in the island of Corsica, a tormented young man and an old woman who with too many regrets and secrets. And you might wonder how are they all linked? 

Well, it all starts when the young Kate Darling discovers an old photo of her supposed grandmother. She never knew about her as her mother was adopted and never met her own mother, but something about her makes Kate want to know who she was and what happened to her all those years back. From that moment we follow Kate in her journey of discovery, a journey full of missed chances, secrets, misfortunes and sorrows but also love, passion and bravery. I think Kate was not prepared to discover it all and neither was I, it completely swept off my feet and I found myself glued to the pages of this book wanting to know it all, at once.

The book alternates chapters from the past (thirties and forties mainly) and the present (the eighties), with different points of view. We learn about Kate's grandmother's story, a story I found fascinating. That woman went through hell and back and was still left standing. I found her bravery and purposefulness admirable and even if I didn't agree with all her choices, I completely respected them. I ended up being an unconditional fan of that woman. And as both past and present started entwining with each other, I found myself holding my breath. Could there be any better sign that you are enjoying a book so much that you completely lose yourself in it?

This beautifully written and deeply moving tale will capture your hearts from the first page and my warning is: be prepared for one of those colossal book hangovers after finishing it.

Rating: 

Blurb: One ordinary morning, Norah walked out of her house on Willoughby Street and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she walked away from only to find another woman in her place. Fay held Norah's family together after she disappeared, she shares a bed with Norah's husband and Norah's youngest daughter calls Fay 'Mummy'.

Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And why is she back? As each member of the family tries to find the answers they each need, they must also face up to the most pressing question of all - what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back? 

From the author of What Milo Saw, comes this powerful, emotional and perceptive novel about what it takes to hold a family together and what you're willing to sacrifice for the ones you love.

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: When I read Virginia Macgregor's first book, What Milo Saw, I fell completely in love with her simple but truthful writing and her quirky characters. I found that book really special, with the right balance between reality and tale. But with this one I think this balance has been lost a bit and what started like an interesting story full of potential turned out to be to unrealistic and even a bit absurd at the end. 

The novel has more or less the same structure as What Milo Saw, short chapters from different points of views. That is something I liked, this way you feel like you know better all the characters involved and understand their actions better. Plus, the author's style was once more, flawless and simple but full of emotions. My main problem with the story was I guess that I didn't get the main two characters, The Mother Who Stayed and The Mother Who Left. I couldn't really connect with them nor did I understand their motives. It's true that as the story unfolded and some truths were uncovered, it changed a bit my conception of these two women but there was something bothering me all the time, why would a mother abandon her family and then expect that coming back 6 years later would be seen as completely normal and everyone would be exactly the same? 

There were also some story lines surrounding this main one, like the older daughter running a twitter campaign to find her mother which I found quite interesting. Through her tweets we could easily see how she was feeling and I thing this sub plot was well handled. And then there was the younger daughter and her obsession with foxes, which I didn't really get. 

My favourite character in the story was the older daughter's boyfriend. He probably was the only one who understood the situation and was trying to help. He had his own little story and I found his little parts very engaging. 

All in all, The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells didn't work for me. I did enjoy it and found some parts very touching and especial. And as I said the writing was beautiful and made me want to keep reading but my problems with the main plot and their main characters were too much to ignore and at the end this novel didn't deliver as much as I had hoped. 

Rating: 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. And who doesn't love a good list?

This week's topic is about the books I am planning to read this spring. Spring is one of my favourite seasons because it feels a bit like everything wakes up and comes to life after the grey and cold winter and with books I have the same feeling. Plus, some of my most anticipated books of this year are coming out very soon! Well, let's see what's on my (never ending) tbr pile:

Thrillers:

The Missing by C.L. Taylor. Probably the book I am most excited about. This author's books are so addictive, so clever, so dark and creepy! I cannot wait to see what she has come up with next. Good news, I don't have to wait until publication next month, I've got a review copy! 

Follow Me Back by Nicci Cloke. I haven't read anything by this author but I found the blurb for this one very interesting. Social media play such a big role in our lives, especially in teenagers, so I'm curious to see what happens.

The Father by Anton Svensson. I've read some Nordic crime novels and thrillers and loved them so I hope The Father is up to my expectations. It's based on a true story and sounds very intriguing.

The Faithful Couple by A.D. Miller. Not a thriller per se but it's supposed to be a very tense narrative. I've heard great praise for this one, so looking forward to finding out for myself.

Everything Love Is by Claire King. This is probably the most beautiful proof I have ever received and the story sounds equally beautiful. It's not out until summer but I'm planning on picking it up very soon.

The Night That Changed Everything by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice. I adored their debut novel, The Best Thing That Never Happened to Me, and the early reviews for this one are raving about it so I couldn't resist requesting it on NetGalley and it's now on my kindle.

Somewhere Inside of Happy by Anna McPartlin. This book is going to completely break me, I knot it, but I am so looking forward to it!

The Wedding Date by Jennifer Joyce. Jennifer's books are always so much fun! This one sounds just up my street and I'm sure it'll bring many laughs.

Destination India by Katy Colins. I loved Katy's debut and I have been patiently awaiting the second installment in the series since then (it's been only a couple of months but it has felt forever). 

Non-fiction:

The Time in Between by Nancy Tucker. I am trying to read more varied reads and I've decided to add more non-fiction books to my pile. This one handles eating disorders and gives you an insight into Nancy Tucker's life, described as an unquiet mind – a Wasted for the 21st century.

So here they are, some of the books I'm planning on reading in the next few weeks! Have you read or are you planning to read any of these? 

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: 

Welcome to Bookish Recipes, a feature on the blog where I cook or bake a recipe from a book I have loved and share the result with you. This week's recipe is inspired by the book Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley. A real tale of friendship, love and family, Wickham Hall is a heart-warming novel that you cannot miss.

At the end of the book Cathy has included some fantastic recipes related to the story and when I saw the Banana Bread recipe I couldn't resist. I have to admit first that I hate bananas. So I had never been brave enough to try banana bread. But everyone assured me that it was delicious even if you didn't like bananas. So here's my first experience with banana bread: 

Blurb: Wickham Hall was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package.

Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…

Read my review