Strangers by C L Taylor @callytaylor @AvonBooksUK *Audobookreview*

Hello book friends, I hope you are well?

I have been away for a while with the dreaded lurgy, but I am better now and ready to catch up with my reviews, and everything else I have missed out on Lol.

I’m super happy to be on the audiobook blog tour for this fantastic book by C L Taylor.

My Review

This book was so much fun to read, it has so many red herrings in there, that you think that you know exactly where it is going, and then it switches you in a completely different direction.

The story begins at the end of the book, where we are introduced to our 3 main protagonists, Ursula, Gareth and Alice. They are all standing over a dead body.

The book then flips you back to a week before the incident, and to 3 complete strangers,all experiencing a bit of a crappy hand at life, they are all 3 dealing with some sort of loss, whether that be life, marriage etc.

Mixed in between all of this, we also have the perspective, of other strangers on Twitter trying to solve other *suspected* murders, it was really interesting to see this mingled in with the book, it reminded me a little of the Don’t F* With Cats documentary.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book, it is the 2nd book I have read by this author, and it will not be my last.

🎧🎧

Narration was by the awesome Clare Corbett, who did an amazing job, her accents were fab, I have listened to quite a few books narrated by her, and she always gives a stellar performance, her voices are great, and I was never confused about a character at any time.

Synopsis

Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.

None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

She Gets That From Me by Robin Wells **Book Review** @BerkleyPub

Happy Monday book friends!

Are you looking for an uplifting story that will sweep you away from reality for a few hours? Do I have the book for you! This was such a heartwarming hopeful story I absolutely loved it!🌿

My Thoughts

Hopeful and heartwarming. Complicated and messy. Sweet and satisfying. Robin Wells masterfully leaves together this story of family, friendship, and love. Quinn’s Best friend has tragically passed away leaving her the legal guardian of three-year-old Lily. Quinn is more than willing to raise adorable and precocious Lily as her own, but it’s complicated. Lilies great grandmother Margaret is convinced that blood is thicker than water and that Lily needs a blood relative. But lilies father is a sperm donor, someone who did not sign up to be a parent, but that does not stop Margaret. When Zack finds out he has a child he is conflicted and his wife Jessica is livid. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Zack and Jessica have been dealing with infertility issues and have been unable to have their own child. Life is messy, family is complicated, and love is abundant.

What a great book! Quinn was such an amazing character I really wanted everything to work out for her. Lily was beyond adorable. I thought she acted a little older than three, but it worked. Grandma Margaret was frustrating, but as the book progressed I understood her reasons. Zack and Jessica definitely threw a wrench into this happy family. I felt for them because this was such a complicated situation to navigate. The ending was predictable, but it was exactly what I wanted. The perfect little pick me up during these crazy times.

This book in emojis 🍨 👩‍👧 🎂 🧬 🧸 🐱

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

About the Book

Quinn never expected that her best friend’s courageous decision to be a single mother by choice would end up transforming her own life in this poignant novel from USA Today best-selling author Robin Wells.  

When Quinn Langston’s best friend unexpectedly passes away, Quinn embraces Brooke’s three-year-old daughter, Lily, and elderly grandmother Margaret as the family she’s always wanted. She’ll do whatever it takes to help them heal, but she didn’t anticipate Lily’s biological father would be part of the plan. Margaret is old-fashioned, though, and she has no compunction about finding a way to reach Lily’s dad, a sperm donor. 

After all, he’s a blood relative, and she believes family should raise family. Zack Bradley doesn’t know what to expect when he finds out he has a child. Sperm donors don’t usually get to meet their…well, he’s not sure what to call Lily yet, but he’s certain he wants to get to know her. There’s just one of problem: He’s about to move to Seattle with his wife, Jessica, who’s undergone multiple infertility treatments, desperately wants a family of her own, and can’t stand the idea of Zack playing daddy to another woman’s child.   

Together, they’ll all learn that the human heart is infinitely expandable and there are many different roads to family. 

Have a lovely day! XOXO Berit🍁