We Met in December by Rosie Curtis @karamina @avonbooksuk @HarperCollinsUK #WeMetInDecember #RosieCurtis

Hello book friends,

I’m super happy to bring you my review for the audiobook that has been released for this lovely story – if it sounds slightly familiar, it is because Berit reviewed the book a few weeks ago Here.

Thank you to Avon books UK for choosing me for this Audio Tour.

My Thoughts

This was a lovely slow burn romance book told from the POV of Jess and Alex.

Jess is 29 and has recently moved to London for a new job opportunity, she can’t afford to pay the extortionate rental prices there, so she rents a room in a house with new housemates.

After arriving at the house and being introduced to everyone, she notices Alex, the male nurse who is sharing her floor with her and thinks Yummy!

There wasn’t insta-love so much as an insta-connection, but Jess is fully aware of the house rules that have been set for everyone, and one of those, is NO RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HOUSEMATES.

So that’s that!

But is isn’t quite, Jess and Alex bond as friends and often go around exploring London and all of it’s hidden gems, but Alex is secretly seeing one of the housemates Emma, much to Jess’s dismay, and because she has been ‘friend-zoned’ decides to try her hand at online dating, to which Alex is a little crestfallen as he secretly likes Jess.

Although this is called We met In December, it is not a Christmassy book as the book spans a whole year between the characters, and throughout gives a will-they-won’t-they vibe.

But I will say that the snippets about Christmas and the way that the author describes London at that time of year, really got me into the Xmas spirit.

🎧🎧

Narrated by Finlay Robertson and Jessica Preddy, who both did fantastic jobs, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the whole book and will definitely look for books narrated by them again.

*Thank you to Avon Books UK and the Author for sending me an audio copy of this book

Enjoy

Vicci 📚💛✨

About the Book

Prepare to fall head over heels. The perfect book for fans of Josie Silver, Richard Curtis, and anyone who ever fell in love with the wrong person…

What if you couldn’t get away from the one who got away?

This December, unlucky-in-love Jess is following her dream and moving to Notting Hill. On the first night in her new house-share she meets Alex, the guy in the room next door. They don’t kiss under the mistletoe, but there’s still a spark that leaves Jess imagining how they might spend the year together – never mind the house rule against dating…

But when Jess returns from her Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started seeing Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into the man of her dreams – and, apparently, the woman of his.

Jess is determined to move on and spend the year falling in love with London, not Alex – but what if her heart has other ideas?

Saving Missy by Beth Morrey @BethMorrey @HarperCollinsUK #MeetMissy #SavingMissy #BethMorrey #BookReview

Hello book friends,

I am so happy to bring you a review for a book that is coming out next year that you should all add to your TBR.

Oh my goodness, I simply ADORED this story (insert multiple heart eyes emojis here)

My Thoughts

🅰 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 🆃🅾 🆆🅰🆁🅼 🆈🅾🆄🆁 🅷🅴🅰🆁🆃

This is the story of Millicent Carmichael aka Missy.

Missy is 79 years old and lives alone in her large house in London, she lost her husband a few years back, and her 2 children have flown the nest, one of them to Australia, taking her grandson with them.

Missy is lonely.

She emails her son in Australia all of the time, telling him what a “lovely day” she has had, but she beefs-up the stories to make them sound more interesting.

One day Missy sees a young boy, about the same age as her grandson is now, and watching him playing makes her heart ache, she sits in the park and watches him play, and then gets talking to another woman walking her dogs, Sylvie.

Turns out that Sylvie also knows the young boys mother, the red headed and foul mouthed creature Angela.

One day Angela turns up at her door and asks a favour, well kind of bamboozles her really, and by the time Angela has gone, Missy has acquired a dog called Bob.

Thus creating a wonderful friendship that only one can have with a dog.

With the commitment of owning a dog, Missy begins to venture out of the house, and starts to interact with other people in the community, and as much as she doesn’t like to admit it,she kind of starts to enjoy herself.

This was such a wonderful story, and by the end I had a big tear rolling down my face.

This is the authors debut novel, and if this is what she is starting with, I’m sure she will have a fantastic writing career in front of her.

If you liked stories like Eleanor Olliphant, then you will LOVE this one.

Coming in February 2020, keep your eyes peeled for this one, I think it is going to BLOW UP!!

Enjoy

Vicci 📚💛✨

*Many thanks to the Author, Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for my copy of this book

About the Book

Prickly. Stubborn. Terribly lonely.
But everyone deserves a second chance…

A dazzling debut for 2020 – are you ready to meet Missy Carmichael?

Missy Carmichael’s life has become small.

Grieving for a family she has lost or lost touch with, she’s haunted by the echoes of her footsteps in her empty home; the sound of the radio in the dark; the tick-tick-tick of the watching clock.

Spiky and defensive, Missy knows that her loneliness is all her own fault. She deserves no more than this; not after what she’s done. But a chance encounter in the park with two very different women opens the door to something new.

Another life beckons for Missy, if only she can be brave enough to grasp the opportunity. But seventy-nine is too late for a second chance. Isn’t it?

If You Were Here by Alice Peterson @AlicePeterson1 @simonschusterUK @Netgalley #BookReview #IfYouWereHere #Netgalley

Well Howdy-do book buddies!

All is back to normal here in the UK, we’ve had a few days of sunshine, and now it’s back to rainy days…Boo!

I’m so pleased to bring you a review for this lovely story, but be prepared for feelings, this one had me reaching for the Kleenex.

Why Did You Pick It Up Vicci?

I saw this on Netgalley, and read the synopsis and it really jumped out at me, so I’m so glad that it was approved for me to read.

My Thoughts

🅿🆁🅴🅿🅰🆁🅴 🆈🅾🆄🆁🆂🅴🅻🅵 🅵🅾🆁 🅵🅴🅴🅻🅸🅽🅶🆂

When I say prepare yourself I am not joking, I was a mess reading this one!

This is a story about a lovely family, we have Granddad Tim, Granny Peggy, Mummy Beth, and Baby Flo.

Flo (Florence) is all grown up now, and she’s had to grow up pretty fast, her mother died when she was relatively young, and she was brought up by her Granny, they have a really close bond, and they love each other fiercely.

Peggy’s husband Tim died when Flo was young so she didn’t really know him that well, she can only remember things like laughing at him when his legs would go all wobbly when he was playing golf.

Beth (Flo’s mother) died in a tragic accident, and so Peggy is really all of the family Flo has, apart from her friends that she has had since school, one of which she lives with.

5 years later and Flo is in love with a wonderful man and is ready to say goodbye and pack her backs to go and live with him in New York, except Peggy hasn’t told Flo everything.

While searching through her things, Peggy discovers that Beth had done the one thing she had asked her not to do, and that was to go and get tested.

You see, Tim had, and died from a genetic condition, and there was a 50/50 chance of Beth inheriting it from him, Peggy didn’t want her to know, she wanted her to just go out and live her life, but Beth obviously found out the result behind her back and never told her.

Peggy has kept this secret from Flo, but because there is also a 50/50 chance of her having it too, Peggy is torn between telling her the truth, or leaving things as they are.

A very touching, poignant story that will pull at your heartstrings and probably play a tune on them too.

It is filled with love, friendships and What If’s.

If a test could decide your future, would you take it?

**Many thanks to Simon and Schuster, Netgalley, and the Author for my copy of this book**

About The Book

Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

‘I can toast to my future, but the thundercloud over my head, the threat of a storm, will follow me like a shadow wherever I go. The truth is, I have a potential bomb in my bag, and who knows when or where it will go off’ 

When her daughter Beth dies suddenly, Peggy Andrews is left to pick up the pieces and take care of her granddaughter Flo. But sorting through Beth’s things reveals a secret never told: Beth was sick, with the same genetic condition that claimed her father’s life, and now Peggy must decide whether to keep the secret or risk destroying her granddaughter’s world.

Five years later, Flo is engaged and ready to pack up her life and move to New York with her high-flying fiancé. Peggy never told Flo what she discovered, but with Flo looking towards her future, Peggy realises it’s time to come clean and reveal that her granddaughter’s life might also be at risk.

As Flo struggles to decide her own path, she is faced with the same life-altering questions her mother asked herself years before: If a test could decide your future, would you take it?

Lets Connect!

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Vicci 📚💛✨

 

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood @SarahxHaywood @TwoRoadsBooks #AudiobookReview #TheCactus

Well another day, another book!!
I’m super happy to bring you my review for this fabulous read, I love books with ‘quirky’ characters, and although it isn’t at all the same, if you loved the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, and the Rosie project by Graeme Simsion, chances are you’re going to love this one too.

Why Did You Pick It Up Vicci?

Well I grabbed it because it was the June pick for Book of the Month for Reece Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club Hello Sunshine, and so far she hasn’t steered me wrong, and she didn’t this time either.

My Thoughts

𝔸 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦‘𝕝𝕝 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖!

Susan Green, 45, likes to be in control, of her life, her work, and her love life.

She lives in her one-bedroom flat in London which is perfectly suited to her as she can keep everything organised and functional, she works in an office environment, and is a little bit of an enigma to her work colleagues, as she doesn’t have anything like a social media account, she wouldn’t stoop so low!

No, she is happy as she is at work, and socialising outside of the office with her work friends is a no-no, in fact she doesn’t see why anyone would want to do this! She’s happy just getting on with her work, and looking after her succulents, i.e. Cacti / Cactuses.

She has an arrangement with a man for a no-strings-attached relationship, that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits, however she does NOT want, or NEED a relationship, as it causes problems.

“Dealing with members of the opposite sex isn’t that dissimilar from training a dog; you need to be firm and persistent.”

Her brother Edward is the “Golden Child” and she has always been slightly resentful of him because of this, he doesn’t work and hasn’t contributed to the help with their mother’s care during her illness.

When their mother suddenly passes away, Susan is horrified to find out at the reading of the will, that her mother has left the family home to her brother, not only that, he has moved his friend into the house, and he SMOKES!! This simply Will. Not. Do

And then to add to a bad situation, she finds out that she is pregnant at 45!

I really enjoyed this story, Susan was quite difficult to like at the beginning, because she came across very emotionless, however as you begin to get to know her better, you start to realise that this is part of her quirky personality, and she copes with things this way.

🎧🎧

I listened to the Audiobook, and the narration for this was fabulous, Katherine Manners did a fantastic job with the accents and the characters.

About The Book

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 “𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵” 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭.

𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘣, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘣. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK
Amazon U.S

About the Author:

𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘢𝘸, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴.

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Vicci 📚💛✨

 

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain @D_Chamberlain @MacmillanAudio #AudiobooReview #Historical #Mystery

How are we all today book buddies?

Happy to bring you a review of this Historical Fiction book that had me gripped.

Why did you pick it up Vicci? – I’ve already read one of this authors books and reviewed it on here, and I really like her writing style, I also want to start reading more Historical books as I had previously given them a wide berth.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this story and it is the second I have read from this author.

Tess DeMello is happy, she is engaged to a wonderful man, and is excited to become his wife, her husband-to-be is a doctor and is very passionate about his work, so much so, he hot foots it to Chicago to help out with the Polio epidemic that seems to be rife there.

She naturally misses him, and his time there seems to be getting longer and longer, each call she gets from him seems to be him changing the date that he will be coming home, this turns into months.

He friend tries to snap her out of her slump by inviting her to go away with her for a couple of days to her aunts house who lives out of town, but when they get there, it seems that her aunt has had to leave for a few days and has left instructions for them to have a good time, unfortunately there are also 2 men staying in the house with them.

Tess is very cautious about this, but they soon start chatting and the gentlemen invite them out for a friendly meal, which turns into an evening of bad choices for Tess, too much alcohol and another bad decision leads her into being single, pregnant and alone.

After finding out where the father of her unborn child lives, Tess breaks off her engagement, packs a bag and leaves to find him, Henry does the right thing and moves her in with him, and promptly marries her.

But things are not right in the house, Henry doesn’t seem to be the man she thought he was, and why doesn’t he want to spend any time with her?

A fab little mystery that had me guessing all the way through.

A great read, I personally thought that Tess was not totally to blame in this situation, Yes she had drunk too much alcohol and was a little worse for wear, but I didn’t really see any consent going on, I don’t remember Tess saying No, but she also didn’t say Yes, and I think really that Henry took advantage of the situation.

🎧🎧 – Narration was perfectly done by Susan Bennett and I will certainly be looking out for more of her narration.

About the Book

The Stolen Marriage
By: Diane Chamberlain
Narrated by: Susan Bennett
Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
Publisher: Macmillan Digital Audio

One mistake, one fateful night, and Tess DeMello’s life is changed forever.

It is 1944. Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie. Instead, she turns to the baby’s father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain. When one of the town’s golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible. But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not.

When a sudden polio epidemic strikes Hickory, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess knows she is needed and defies Henry’s wishes to begin working at there. Through this work, she begins to find purpose and meaning. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle the truth behind her husband’s mysterious behavior and find the love—and the life—she was meant to have?

 

 

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Our Life in a Day by Jamie Fewery @jamiefewery @orionbooks @NetGalley @Tr4cyF3nt0n #blogtour

Hello Book friends,

I’m so pleased to be on this blogtour and bring you my review for this fabulous read.

What a lovely and refreshing change to read a real book about real relationships, not the heart emoji eyes kind of love, but warts and all, arguments and disagreements type of love.

My Thoughts

Tom and Esme have been together for 10 years, for their anniversary Esme decides that they will play a game, the rules are simple, for every hour of the day, they must write down and remember their most significant memories, not the best moments, but the most significant, 1 memory for every hour of the day, for 24 hours.

I’d like to say that this was filled with hearts and flowers and fluffy unicorns, but alas is it a real look on love, not the love portrayed in books and movies.

We go back to the beginning of when they first met and how they became a couple, and travel with them throughout their time together.

I wasn’t too fussed on Esme at the beginning, she was a bit too bossy for my liking, and she also had these rules that Tom was supposed to stick to, and didn’t have much of a say in, I warmed to her later on though.

We also get to see how hard it is to live with someone with a mental illness, and how bloody hard it is to keep a relationship going, I loved that it didn’t shy away from anything, and there are some really raw subjects in the book to deal with.

It is about love, life and even though you know someone inside out, there is still a part of you that is scared of being rejected by the one person that you feel completes you.

It was a pretty short read (288 pgs), but it is packed full of content and I flew through the pages and loved it, it was like looking through a photo album, and getting snapshots of each picture you pick up.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and Orion Publishing Group for a copy of this book**

About the book

Our Life in a Day is a breathtaking, ten-year love story told in twenty-four individual hours – for fans of One Day by David Nicholls, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and The Note by Zoe Folbigg.

The rules are simple. Choose the most significant moments from your relationship – one for each hour in the day.
You’d probably pick when you first met, right?
And the instant you knew for sure it was love?
Maybe even the time you watched the sunrise after your first night together?

But what about the car journey on the holiday where everything started to go wrong?
Or your first proper fight?

Or that time you lied about where you’d been?

It’s a once in a lifetime chance to learn the truth. But if you had to be completely honest with the one you love, would you still play?

For Esme and Tom, the game is about to begin. And once they start, there’s no going back…

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Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid @tjenkinsreid #AudiobookReview

Hi Book friends,

I wanted to give you this review for a short and sweet story by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Why did you pick it up Vicci? – Well Taylor Jenkins Reid has written 2 of the most gorgeous books, both of which I have placed lovingly on my 6 Star Goodreads shelf, so naturally I’m going to devour everything she has ever written now!

My Thoughts

This book is super short – under 200 pages! But is is crammed full of content.

Told in letter form, this is the story about Carrie and David.

In 1976, David receives a letter from Carrie shattering his illusion, hers has already been shattered, you see Carrie’s husband has been having an affair, and it looks like the person he is secretly seeing is Davids wife!

Carrie and David have never met, they live hundreds of miles away from each other, but Carrie feels that it is her duty to make David aware of the situation.

I loved this story, it was so well told, and I love the fact that Taylor Jenkins Reid gives a bit of a nod to Daisy Jones in this book (her next bestseller)

Because it is told in letter form between Carrie and David we obviously only know what we have been told, other things that have happened you have to piece together.

🎧🎧 – Expertly narrated by  Julia Whelan, George Newbern and James Daniels, this was a fab little audiobook to zip through in just over an hour.

About the Book

Evidence of the Affair
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, George Newbern, James Daniels, Dara Rosenberg
Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Dear stranger…

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met – a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you…

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.

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A Spark of Light by @jodipicoult #AudiobookReview @TheRealBahniT #Contemporary @audibleuk @audible_com @HodderBooks

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hard Hitting Stars

Wow ok, this one is going to be a tricky one to review!!

As you all probably already know, Jodi Picoult isn’t one to shy away from those subjects that we don’t really like to talk about, we all know it happens, but out of sight out of mind!

The Blurb

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hard Hitting Stars

#TriggerWarnings - Abortion / Racism / Rape

The story starts out at 5pm at a Clinic in Jackson Mississippi, a gunman has opened fire inside the Abortion Clinic locally known as “The Center” the story then takes us backwards to the start of the day, and we find out why the characters are there.

Hugh McElroy is a hostage negotiator, at 5pm he gets called to the scene and immediately gets all of the details he can, and starts to communicate with the gunman, at the same time his phone starts to vibrate, when he looks at the text he has just received, he is horrified to find out that his daughter Wren and his sister Bex are inside the clinic!

The Center is somewhere women can go to get Contraception, Gynaecological examinations, General Women’s Health check-ups, and Abortions.

There are always Anti-Abortion protesters outside of The Center, trying to grab the women before they make it into the front door, they are handing out “gift bags” and trying to guilt them into changing their minds.

The Gunman is called George, and he is angry because he has found out that his daughter had an abortion at this clinic recently, not only does he shoot the doctor that performs the abortions, he shoots others as well, and Hugh’s daughter Wren might be one of them!

Tangled in this story is another, this story is about Beth, she took the difficult decision to terminate her own pregnancy, and now because of the Mississippi Abortion Law, she is facing murder charges, and could go to prison for 20 years if she is found guilty.

This story doesn’t try and sway you either way in your beliefs, and it doesn’t feel preachy at all, but I do like the way that Picoult tries to make you see both sides of the Pro-Life / Pro-Choice argument.

Regardless of your beliefs I think this is a great book to have for a Book club and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

🎧🎧 – Narrated by the amazing Bahni Turpin.

This was my main reason for picking up this book, she could literally narrate a recipe for a fruit cake and I would be there One Clicking like a lunatic! The woman can do no wrong in my eyes and makes any book into a fantastic read.

This is certainly one to pop into your basket.

Vicci

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty #LianeMoriarty #BeachRead #AudioBookReview

When I saw that Liane Moriarty had a new book out I knew I had to save a credit.

Her slow burn books are fabulous, and an ideal Beach Read 🌴

⭐⭐⭐·75 Tranquil Stars

The Blurb

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out…
Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.
Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?
It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.
Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐·75 Tranquil Stars

If you’ve ever read a book by this author before your know that she is a slow burner, it’s not going to jump into a fast paced story straight away she makes you work for it.

The same can be said for this book we meet the characters one by one starting with Frances.

A once famous now washed up author, who has menopausal symptons and a really bad papercut. She is going to Tranquillum House to get away from it all and especially from a really bad review.

Napoleon and Heather are there along with their young daughter Zoe.

Young couple Jessica and Ben are also there.

Lars the Divorce Lawyer and Tony the Ex-Sportsman, and also Carmel who is trying to be her better self after being traded in for younger model by her husband.

Nine perfect strangers all there for 10 days to be “A better you”

Run by the Russian health freak Masha and her two side kicks, everyone is giving their own “special” personalised diets and are immediately put onto a vow of Silence!

They are taken for long walks and given massages and also one-to-one therapy with the Tranquillum House workers.

Very slowly you start to see different sides of all of the characters and why they are there, you hear their stories and take a peek into their worlds.

Masha was a fabulous character she was so cleverly written.

It’s difficult to tell you a lot about this book without going into spoilers, and it’s also really difficult to put this book into a specific genre, it is kinda Romance, kinda Thriller, kinda Who-Done-It kinda Contemporary!

It was a very clever story and getting all of these stories interwoven with each other is an art in itself, and again if you’ve read any of Liane Moriarty books before you know that she’s a master at this.

I’m not sure what didn’t really work for me in this book as I said before the characters and the story were brilliant, it just needed a little more oompf for me and unfortunately this time it didn’t, but I have read all of her other books and loved them, and you should certainly check her out if you haven’t done so far.

🎧🎧 Narration of course was done by Caroline Lee who narrates all of Liane Moriarty books, and she did it fantastically as usual.
I love the fact that the author uses the same narrator every for every single one of her books, she is a fantastic narrator and gives a stellar performance Every. Single. Time.

Have a Great Day

Vicci

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid @tjenkinsreid @justjuliawhelan #AlmaCuervo #RobinMiles #AudioBookReview #Historical #Romance

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you a review for this gorgeous piece of fabulousness!

This is probably to date one of my favourite audios this year, it is THAT good.

Believe the hype that this one is getting, I picked it up and went in blind, which I’m so glad I did as I would never have done so otherwise as it not my usual type of story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6 Timeless Beauty Stars

The Blurb

Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6 Timeless Beauty Stars
I kept seeing this book pop up everywhere and everyone is loving it, so, even though it is not my usual type of story, i jumped in without reading the blurb.
This book deserves ALL of the hype and then some!!
I cannot recommend this book of perfection enough, honestly, it is just so beautiful.
Evelyn Hugo is an icon to a lot of people, she was the style icon for women and men around the world, Women wanted to look like her, and men wanted to bed her, and lots did.
She was Hollywood’s 50’s glamour girl, a movie star, a sex symbol – think Marilyn Monroe / Jayne Mansfield / Elizabeth Taylor.
When budding journalist Monique gets a call at work for her to visit Evelyn, well she jumps at the chance just like anyone would.
The request is for Monique… JUST Monique, but why her?
Deciding that she wants Monique to write her memoirs, Evelyn then tells us the story of her rise in Hollywood, and the thing that everyone wants to know, out of her 7 husbands, who was the greatest love of her life?
This gets answered in spades and we learn a hell of a lot about Evelyn, sometimes, not so good things about her.
We learn about her using her strengths *cough* Boobs *cough* to get herself ahead in the business, we learn about her actually falling in love and who with, we learn about an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love.
We learn that, even though Hollywood is this glamorous place that we all seem to view through rose tinted glasses, it actually is a place that strips you of your own self, your heritage, your name, even the people who you are “supposed” to be in love with.
Oh how I cried reading/listening to this, by the time you have read to near the end of the book, Evelyn feels like a real person, i even googled her because i thought that she was an old Hollywood actress (spoiler, she isn’t)
🎧🎧 – Narrated by the always wonderful Julia Whelan and 2 new-to-me narrators Alma Cuervo and Robin Miles, this was one of the best books i have listened to in a long long time.
If you really want to read something that is going to become a best BEST seller, and I have absolutely no doubt a movie for sure, then you should pick up this stunning piece of gorgeousness.

Be happy, and be yourself

Vicci