Can I Give My Husband Back? by Kristen Bailey **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy Wednesday all!

This was such a fun fun book! So many laugh out loud moments, just made my day all that much better!

My Thoughts

Fun fun fun! Kristen Bailey brightened my day with this laugh out loud story packed with wit and authenticity. No sugarcoating Here, this was a humorous look at real people with real problems. This is the story of Emma, mother to two little girls Iris and Violet. Emma has recently left her philandering, no good, arrogant husband Simon. Simon was really one of the most despicable men I’ve read about in a long time and that’s saying something because I read a lot of thrillers full of slimy bastards. Emma was so likable and relatable, this probably made Simon look even worse. Their two young daughters Iris and Violet were adorable, love their curiosity as they tried to figure out what was going on with the adults around them. The highlight of the book really was Emma‘s relationship with her four sisters, especially youngest sister Lucy who is currently living with her. Lucy’s antics made me laugh more than once, especially when she was competing in a princess Elsa- Frozen contest. Emma meets a new man in the book and the romance was sweet but understated, and I appreciated that. This was an entertaining real occasionally vulgar look at the not so pretty side of life. I am definitely looking forward to more stories to come involving these sisters.

This book in emojis 👩‍👧‍👧 🧾 🩺 🧜🏻‍♀️ 🧸

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

It’s normal to prefer getting a filling at the dentist’s to spending time with your husband, right?

I thought I was sorted on the life front. I was a heart surgeon with a loving partner and two gorgeous little girls. Except my husband’s version of ‘loving’ is lying, cheating and sleeping his way around London. Which means I definitely deserve a refund.

Unfortunately, moving on isn’t that simple. Just because I know how to operate on a heart doesn’t mean I know how to fix my broken one. Plus, I lost the receipt for him years ago so I’m definitely getting short changed.

But now I’m single, am I ready to mingle? There are a few minor issues:

1) The last time I went on a date double denim was in fashion and my eyebrows were horrendously overplucked.
2) Men wear stupidly skinny jeans now.
3) I don’t know how to use dating apps but at least I don’t have to get changed out of my pyjamas.
4) Sometimes the most promising thing you have in common with a guy is a shared love of prawns.
5) I don’t know whether to open a date with ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ or ‘hey’ and once I ended up saying ‘howdy’.

Everything happens for a reason, they say. There’s plenty more fish in the sea. But what happens when everything falls apart and you haven’t got a clue how to go fishing?

An absolutely hilarious and utterly relatable tale for anyone who has ever survived a nightmare relationship, felt a little lonely or nursed a broken heart with wine and carbs. This feel-good novel will get you back on your feet and genuinely laughing out loud. Perfect for fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella.  

About the Author

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She has had short fiction published in several publications including Mslexia & Riptide. Her first two novels, Souper Mum and Second Helpings were published in 2016. In 2019, she was long listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. She writes women’s fiction and she hopes her novels have fresh and funny things to say about modern life, love and family.

You can find out more about her at her website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com.
You can also find her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

 @mrsbaileywrites

https://www.facebook.com/kristenbaileywrites/ 

 https://www.instagram.com/kristenbaileywrites/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2UBgYYG

Apple: https://apple.co/30FT4zf

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2UBdYvr

Google: https://bit.ly/30FT8yZ

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I Know You Lied by Leslie Sanderson **Book Review** @bookouture

Happy hump day!

How would you feel if you found out your entire life was a lie? This was a compelling story about family secrets and lies.

My Thoughts

Got a secret, can you keep it? Leslie Sanderson has crafted a dark family drama brimming with secrets and lies. Imagine that for 30 years you have thought your mother died in a car accident when you were young. Raised by your grandmother you have lived a pretty darn good life. Then out of the blue you receive a letter from a solicitor informing you that your mother has just recently passed away. What? That is the situation that Nell finds herself in. Hurt and confused Nell is determined to find out the truth. Where has her mother been for the past 30 years and why was she told she was dead?

Told in alternating perspectives the story bounces between Nell and her mother Sarah, the present and the past. This was much more of a family drama than a thriller. A deep dive into this family’s psyche. Nell was a sympathetic character, I really felt for her and could not imagine being in her situation. The story was a bit of a slow burn, but I really did enjoy the journey. Well told, although a little predictable.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.

 

When Nell was just a tiny baby, her parents died in a car crash, leaving her to be raised by her devoted grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s very recent death, it destroys everything Nell thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?

 

Nell knows she can never recapture the years with her mother that were taken from her, and fears this will haunt her forever. Now she won’t rest until she finds out why she was so cruelly deceived. But her family’s past has been kept secret for a reason, and someone is desperate for it to stay that way. How much danger will Nell risk for the truth?

 

If you loved The Silent Patient, The Secret Mother, and The Wife Between Us, then this addictive thriller about dark family secrets and obsession will have you on the edge of your seat.

About the Book

Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley is the author of psychological thrillers and spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.

 

Author Social Media Links

 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lsandersonbooks/

 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LSandersonbooks