Category: Romance

Categories
Fiction Romance

Table For One, Emma Gannon

Willow is a thirty-something-year-old woman who has everything worked out (well at least to society’s standards). She has the partner, the career and the house. However, when her boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her, Willow lands on a trajectory with no clear direction. What makes it harder is all her friends’ lives appear to be moving forward, while Willow finds herself moving in the opposite direction.

We follow Willow as she navigates her heartbreak- and, more importantly, rekindles a very important relationship – the one with herself.

Table For One is the perfect book for anyone in their thirties who is feeling like they should have it all figured out but don’t. It’s a heartfelt and relatable reminder that it’s okay to hit pause, to slow down, and to get back to the things you enjoy. Emma Gannon writes with warmth, but also humour making even the heavier moments feel light and comforting.

Themes explored in the book include the impact of social media, and the fact that sometimes people are hiding behind a curated narrative, the power and complexities of female friendships, relationships, and the pressures placed particularly on millennial women to follow a timeline.

From a personal perspective I did struggle a little to connect with some of the anti-relationship sentiments (maybe that’s because I’m a married millennial lol). However, the overall message- that self-love and remaining true to your identities and values, as well as the fact you don’t need to have it all figured out or stick to an imaginary timeline – really resonated.

Categories
Fiction Romance

Thirty Days in Paris, Veronica Henry

Over thirty years ago Juliet left a piece of her heart in Paris and now that her children have flown the nest, her marriage has come to an amicable end and the house is sold, it is time to go back.

Juliet rents a cosy little apartment with the aim to spend thirty days in Paris, as a writer this is her chance to write her own story.

As the memories come gushing back Juliet realises that to move forward sometimes you must face the past.

I’ve read a couple of books by Veronica Henry before and have found them to be the type of book you can absolutely lose yourself in. Thirty Days in Paris is no different! I fully immersed myself into this story and forgot the outside world; the seamless descriptions fully transform your thinking into believing you are breathing the same air as the main protagonist, Juliet.

The narrative of the book flashes between the past when Juliet was in Paris as a young girl and the present day. This works well as we can delve deep into the joys and pains of Juliet’s past and understand the truth behind why she left behind her desirable Parisian life.

In terms of characters, I found it inspiring and refreshing having a middle-aged protagonist who was so full of life. As someone in their 20’s I don’t know many people at this stage of their life and often when I hear about divorce or children leaving it is often depicted in quite a negative way. As a result, it was really enlightening to read about Juliet experiencing these changes in a more neutral way and those things not being the end of her life but instead she has moved on to a new stage. All the supporting characters were also well written but especially the female character’s – I wanted Corinne’s dress sense with Nathalie’s contagious energy and Juliet’s energy for life.

The book touches upon many themes including love (and the many different forms that comes in), the power of forgiveness and facing your demons, the devastating impact of post-natal depression and finally courage and the fact it is never too late to do something different or start something new.

Not only did this book make me want to book a trip to Paris immediately, it also left me feeling inspired to live, and I mean wholly and authentically live!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thirty Days in Paris will be published on 13th April.

Categories
Fiction Romance

Three’s A Crowd, Simon Booker

What happens when an estranged father and son unwittingly fall in love with the same woman?

That is exactly what happens to Harriet, who meets Tom, a regular customer at the café she works at, and his dad, radio presenter DJ Richard who she meets at ‘The Voice of London competition’.

Having just come out of a shambolic relationship, with cheating Damian aka ‘Cockweasel’. Harriet decides to take a chance on both men, not realising they are father and son, and by the time the truth is out, both Tom and Richard are deeply in love with Harriet, leaving her with an impossible choice.

Three’s A Crowd has a little bit of everything in there. As expected, it is a love triangle romance story, but with humour and mysteries thrown in. Themes in the book included relationships and breakups, career confidence, big life decisions and mental health illness.

Normally in novels with a triangular love story, I find myself having a favourite and see one lover as more worthy than another, but as the mysteries unravel throughout the book, it was very hard not to emphasise with everyone. I think this goes to show just how impeccable the way Simon Booker portrayed the characters was, and this does not only go for the main three protagonists, but also for the minor characters too. Nancy, Harriet’s hilarious Nan, and Gorgeous George, Richard’s runaway Dad, really added value to the story.

Overall, a light humourful read, which I would give 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Romance

Married at First Swipe, Claire Frost

‘Married at First Swipe’ centres around Hannah, who is passionate about travelling, grasps every adventure and likes to live life on the edge, and her best friend Jess, who settled down 20 years ago, has two children and is very much a perfectionist.

After the birth of her nephew, Hannah decides it is time to settle back down in Manchester and Jess gives her a job at her company, dating app ‘Save The Date’. Hannah yearns for someone to settle down with, and when she discovers that Save The Date is experiencing financial hardships, Hannah comes up with a plan which could solve everyone’s problems.

But is meeting a man for the first time at the alter really going to help both, Hannah and Jess?

To begin with I wasn’t 100% sure about this book. I thought the premise sounded unrealistic and in all honesty I feared it would be a bit cringe. However, I was drawn in by the modernity of the story line, put aside my preconceived opinions, and gave it a go.

Firstly I believe this is a very early edit as there were some paragraphs which jumped around a bit/a few grammar mistakes, but putting those aside it was a very well written book, with chapters jumping between Hannah and Jess, allowing us have insights into both their lives and hear things from both their views. I was really impressed with how realistic the characters were. Claire Frost really bought them to life and the challenges and hardships they face were really believable and relatable. I found myself warm to both, Hannah and Jess, and wanted happy endings for both of them.

I really enjoyed the themes touched upon in this book and think there are lessons we can all take from the story, such as the work you have to put into long-lasting relationships, how other people’s lives are not as always as perfect as they may seem, and the difficulties you may face to keep all the plates spinning in life and that to do that we must take care of ourselves from time to time.

Overall, an easy and warming feel-good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Romance

One Day in Summer, Shari Low

One day in summer three lives are about to change forever.

The book starts with introducing Agnetha McMaster, mother of 20 year old twins. It is Agnetha’s 45th birthday and her daughters are encouraging her to reclaim her life and put herself first for a change. For the past 20 years she brought her children up, she took care of her elderly parents and she barely takes a day off at her job running the café which has been passed down through generations.

10 years ago Agnetha’s husband Mitchell, divorced her for her ex-best friend Celeste. Mitchell now suspects Celeste of having an affair. Is this karma for how he treated Agnetha?

Meanwhile, Hope McTeer, who was adopted as a baby, takes a DNA test and she is about to meet her biological father for the first time. Will she get the answers she hopes for?

The story is set between the past and present and told from multiple viewpoints. At the start of the story there was a list of all the characters which made me nervous that I would never be able to keep up and that the story could get messy. However, Shari is an exceptional storyteller, all the characters came together to tell the story and they were so well portrayed. I felt like I was part of their circle and living their experiences and emotions through them.

I read this book whilst away for a week and it made the perfect summer holiday read. The story is full of energy and humour, whilst it touches on themes including grief, betrayal, lost love and finding love again. I picked this up thinking it would be a break from my usual twisty thrillers, yet how wrong I was. ‘One Day in Summer’ is full of shocks and surprises, so much so that I could not put it down.

Categories
Fiction Romance

An Accidental Life, Chelsea Cannon

Margaret Wilcox dreams of studying literature at college but with disapproving parents, who refuse to pay for a course which they believe has no purpose, Margaret’s aspirations for college are short-lived. When William Hill asks Margaret to marry him at the age of seventeen Margaret says yes as she doesn’t see an alternative life. William’s job allows her to stay at home, giving her time to read, and she remains a home maker and brings up their two children Michael and Emily.

Fast forward 15 years, and an opportunity arises for a screenwriting course. Margaret is desperate to sign up but the class is full. However, an opportunity arises which allows Margaret to sit the course, but it involves the need for her to live a double life. We all know lies don’t last forever and always have consequences- but what does this mean for Margaret?

At first I wasn’t sure what to make of this book! I loved it and hated it all at the same time! It was an easy, light read but also predictable and unrealistic. I found that the novel touched upon some great themes such as identity, being true to oneself and following our own passions in life, but I think the lack of depth let it down. There were areas where not enough attention was given to and the story seemed to skip out important bits, such as when Charles was born, what were William’s reactions at the time? And many other questions which I won’t state as I don’t want to give away spoilers.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of An Accidental Life in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Historical Fiction Romance

A Ration Book Wedding, Jean Fullerton

Until I read ‘The Surplus Girls’ a few months ago, this had never been my usual genre of book to read. However, I seem to have grown a new love for historical fiction which was why I was keen to read ‘A Ration Book Wedding’.

Set in 1942, during The Blitz, Francesca Fabrino’s mind is occupied by Charlie Brogan, her best friend’s brother, who she has been in love with forever. Charlie, who is currently serving in North Africa, is already married to Stella, who has a questionable reputation.  

When Francesca begins a job as a translator for the BBC Overseas department, she meets Count Leonardo D’Angelo, who quickly falls for her but where does this leave Francesca’s feelings for Charlie?

‘A Ration Book Wedding’ was beautifully written. I felt like I got to know each and every character and was able to see the world through their eyes and feel the emotions they felt, and the descriptions of the era were depicted very well. With being new to this genre, I have not read the other books in The Ration Book series however this did not seem to be a problem and the book read fine as a stand alone. However, I am keen to read the rest of the series by Jean Fullerton.

Categories
Fiction Romance

Very Nearly Normal, Hannah Sunderland

If you loved Sophie Kinsella’s ‘My Not So Perfect Life’ then you will love ‘Very Nearly Normal’

This novel follows the story of 28 year old Effie, who is still living with her parents, has a tragic love life, and has given up on her dreams to become a published writer. Effie’s so called best friend Kate appears to be living it up in a glamorous flat, with a successful career and is newly engaged whereas Effie lives under a black cloud. Her self-esteem and self-belief is drastically low and she doesn’t feel good enough and as a result she turns to the bottle to drown her sorrows.

Following a failed date Effie, meets Theo who encourages Effie to live out of her comfort zone. They write a to do list together and before you know it you are laughing and crying as we follow Effie’s on a journey of self discovery.

Overall, a very relatable and feel-good story. It is so easy to think everyone is doing better than us and that we should have reached the same goal posts but this story shows us how we all have our time to shine and that good things come to us all.

Categories
Fiction Historical Fiction Romance

The Surplus Girls, Polly Heron

Belinda Layton is a 20 year old girl who lost her fiancé during WWI.
At the start of the book we see Belinda working in a mill where she dodges the amorous advances of creepy Mr Butterfield. At home, Belinda is residing with her late fiancé’s family, who expect her to continue living in a period of mourning, whilst her feckless family expect her to pass all her hard earned wages on to them.

As Belinda is faced with having to fend for herself and realising she is a ‘surplus girl’ she tries to better herself through attending night business school. This leads to her landing a placement in a bookshop, escaping work at the mill and the potential of finding a new romance.

This book isn’t the normal genre I go for but I really enjoyed it. The story touched upon so many societal issues such as class differences and the expectations and place of women in society in the 1920’s. A warming tale which offers hope after what had been a difficult time.