The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake **Book Review** @rararesources @onemorechapter

Happy almost weekend!

Are you looking for the perfect weekend read? Then do I have the book for you, this was so uplifting, heartwarming, and hopeful!

The Saturday Morning Park Run

This is the story of two women.
One old, one young.
One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose.
Both needing a friend.

And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger, and a scruffy dog, they bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running…(well, power walking).

Some people come into your life when you need them the most.

My Thoughts

What an absolute treat! This is my first Jules Wake Book, but it won’t be my last. Claire is a workaholic. Claire meets Ash, they hook up, and don’t plan on seeing one another again. Claire has some health issues attributed to stress and her boss orders her to take a month off work. Now Claire has lots of free time with nothing to do. That is until Claire’s sister drops her nieces Poppy and Ava off on her doorstep. Claire meets Hilda at the park, runs into Ash again, and starts learning what living is really about

Such a delightful story about the family you choose. Claire was a great character who I was definitely cheering for. Hilda was an absolute gem. Seriously we all need a Hilda in our lives she was just so full of energy, passion, and hope. The little girls Ava and Poppy added some sweet whimsy to the story. Love how the romance developed between Claire and Ash, thought they were very well-suited for one another. Such a heartwarming story with a positive message about how people need other people. Really appreciated the message of community and wish we cared a little bit more about community and a little bit less about ourselves especially right now.

This book in emojis 👩🏻‍💼 🏃🏻‍♀️ 🐶 💞

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

Pre-order Links:

Author Bio

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands and not so luxury brands. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to hone her writing and creative skills penning copy on a vast range of subjects from pig farming and watches, sunglasses and skincare through to beer and stationery.

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for One More Chapter as Jules Wake and under her pen name Julie Caplin, she writes the Romantic Escapes series.

Between them, the two Js have written fourteen novels, The Saturday Morning Park Run being the latest.

Social Media Links –

Twitter @Juleswake

https://www.facebook.com/juleswakewrites/

Instagram: juleswakeauthor

The Switch by Beth O’Leary **Book Review** @flatironbooks @macmillanaudio

TGIF!

Love this book! This was such an uplifting whimsical read that I absolutely adored! And bonus it was perfection on audio!🎧

My Thoughts

A true gem! Beth O’Leary brightened my day and lifted my mood with this charming tale. Uplit at its absolute best! Leena is a type a workaholic who suffers a panic attack at work one day while giving a presentation. Forced into a two month sabbatical by her boss Leena heads to her grandmother’s house. Eileen it’s 79 and spunky, recently left by her husband for a dance instructor. Leena needs to relax and regroup. Eileen wants to find love, but the pickings in her small town are few. SO grandmother and granddaughter decide to switch places. Leena Will move back home to her childhood small town and Eileen will head off to London. This is when the magic of the story begins! Love watching Leena navigate small-town life-The neighborhood watch, the May fair. And it was even more fun watching Eileen find her way in fast paced London-trendy roommates, online dating, crazy traffic. The audiobook is narrated by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones Who gave the perfect voices to Leena and Eileen. I seriously felt as though I was spending time with good friends every time I started listening to the book. There was just so much charm and wit in their narration, really one of the best I’ve listen to this year.

Eileen and Leena were such delightful characters, they felt like old friends. Loved all the secondary characters as well the quirky residence of the small town and the posh London roommate/friends. Admittedly I think I favored Eileen’s story just a little more. I just adored how sweet and pure she was. How tremendously optimistic, always wanting to bring everyone together and thinking the best of all. Just can’t say enough good things about this book! Definitely going to make my top reads of 2020 list.

This book in emojis 🐱 🚖 📱 🗝 👩🏼 👵🏼

*** Big thank you to Flatiron and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

A grandmother and granddaughter swap lives in this charming, romantic novel by Beth O’Leary, hailed as “the new Jojo Moyes” (Cosmopolitan UK)

Eileen Cotton’s husband of sixty years left her four months ago, and good riddance. After all these decades of sleepy village life, Eileen is ready for an adventure. She’d like a chance at real love, too – and she wonders if maybe the right man is up the road in the big city…Eileen’s granddaughter (and namesake) Leena lives in bustling London, where she is overworked, overscheduled, and overcaffeinated. When Leena collapses and her office sends her on a mandatory vacation, she wants to escape to her grandmother’s inviting, picture-postcard little village.

So they decide to switch lives.

Eileen will take Leena’s flat, Leena’s laptop, and Leena’s glitzy twenty-something London lifestyle. She’ll learn all about dating apps and swiping right, the best coffee shops, and paper-thin apartment walls. Leena can have Eileen’s sweet cottage, her idyllic Yorkshire village, her little projects to help her neighbors, and her nice, quiet life. But neither finds that her new life is exactly what she’d imagined.

Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena become more truly themselves, and can they find true love in the process?

About the Author

Beth O’Leary worked in children’s publishing before becoming a full-time author. She is also the author of The Flatshare. She can be found on Instagram @BethOLearyAuthor and Twitter @OLearyBeth.

Have a wonderful weekend! XOXO Berit🚗🦋

Sunshine and Second Chances by Kim Nash **Book Review** @KimtheBookworm

Hello book friends!

This was such a delightful feel good book about friendship, sunshine, and new starts.🏖

My Thoughts

Old friends, warm sun, good food, and lots of fun. Kim Nash has done it again! An uplifting heartwarming story packed with relatable characters. Liv, Deb, Samantha, and Fiona have been friends forever. Even though they don’t see one another that often they are honoring a pact they made when they were 21 and traveling to Portugal for a girls week to celebrate their 50th birthdays. Each woman has baggage that they will unpack during their getaway. Liv is married and the mother of two sons. She feels as though her family takes her for granted, she is overworked and under appreciated. Deb’s husband just left her for a younger woman PFP. Deb is a comfort eater and very insecure in her own skin. Samantha is dealing with grief and an adult son who she feels no longer needs her. Fiona is dealing with a mother with dementia and all the stress associated with taking care of an aging parent. All four women are in much need of some time away. Time spent with good friends, warm sunshine, and a GNT or five.

Wow this was probably one of the most relatable books I’ve read all year. Having just turned 50 myself a little over six months ago I related to each of these characters. I would have loved to join them for the week at this gorgeous villa in Portugal. I loved how like most old friends do these ladies picked up just where they left off. They were all so supportive of one another. I loved how they listen to one another, pushed when needed, but backed off when asked. I probably liked Liv and Deb’s stories best, but I think there was more focus on them as well. Also really liked the side story involving Mikey The guy that put the details of this perfect trip together. Sunbathing, yachts, golf lessons, shopping, Prosecco, catching up, romance, ladders, casinos, delicious dining, and so much more.

This book in emojis ☀️ 👯‍♀️ 👙 🛵 🍷 🎰

About the Book

It’s never too late to be offered a second chance at life.

Debs is newly single, Fiona is caring for her mum, Samantha is grieving, and Liv has the perfect life – or so she’d like her friends to think…This year, these four life-long friends are turning fifty, and Liv is determined they will honour their promise to each other – made on a beach at sunrise twenty-nine years before – to celebrate this milestone together.And what better place than a gorgeous villa where they will be spoiled and enjoy the stunning beaches, picturesque fishing towns and glorious climate of the Algarve?

But time away from home doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes it makes the thought of returning to your life too hard to bear. Especially with more than one gorgeous Portuguese man making hearts unexpectedly flutter…

It begins as a reunion in the sunshine, but little do the four friends know what life-changing decisions they’ll all be making before their flight home.

A heart-warming, feel-good summer read about friendship, love and second chances.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK : https://amzn.to/3eytjnS

Amazon.com: https://buff.ly/2TVbOpV

About Kim

Kim Nash is an author of uplifting, funny, heartwarming, feel-good, romantic fiction.

She lives in Staffordshire with son Ollie and English Setter Roni, is Head of Publicity for Bookouture and is a book blogger at www.kimthebookworm.co.uk.

Kim won the Romantic Novelists Association’s Media Star of the Year in 2016, which she still can’t quite believe. She is now quite delighted to be a member of the RNA.

When she’s not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog, reading, standing on the sidelines of a football pitch cheering on Ollie and binge watching box sets on the TV. She’s also quite partial to a spa day and a gin and tonic (not at the same time!) Kim also runs a book club in Cannock, Staffs.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone else and you will only contacted about Kim’s books.
https://www.kimthebookworm.co.uk/

Amazing Grace was her debut novel with Hera Books and came out in April 2019.

Escape to Giddywell Grange is Kim’s second novel and was published in September 2019.

Sunshine and Second Chances is Kim’s third novel and will be published on June 4th 2020.

You can read Kim’s Blog here: www.kimthebookworm.co.uk

Connect with Kim on Social Media here:
Twitter: (@KimTheBookworm) https://twitter.com/KimTheBookworm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimTheBookWorm/
Instagram: @Kim_the_bookworm

Have a gorgeous day! XOXO Berit🌊

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley **Book Review** @cpooleywriter @transworldbooks @annecater

Happy Friday y’all!

This book you guys was so so good! The perfect uplifting pick me up that I needed!

My Thoughts

LOVED THIS BOOK!

This was the absolutely perfect, feel good, uplifting story that I needed. Clare Pooley poured her heart and wisdom into this exceptionally delightful story. I know I am gushing, but this is just one of those books you want to shout from the rooftops about, it really was that good. Julian is a lonely 79-year-old who realizes he has made some mistakes in his life. So he decides to confess his truth in a green composition notebook with the words “The Authenticity Project“ on the cover. Monica is the owner of a café. When she finds the notebook she decides to share her truth about her desire to be a wife and mother and how she’s afraid she will never find real love. She is also touched by Julian story and decides she’s going to bring a little joy and purpose into his life. Monica also leaves the notebook in a bar for someone else to find and continue what Julian has started. As the notebook is passed from one character to another and authentic thoughts are shared, these characters lives begin to intertwine.

Such a lovely story packed with so many quirky lovable characters. I loved how even if implausible this notebook brought this diverse cast of characters together. Each additional character added a little something more to the story. Although I have to say my favorites were definitely flamboyant Julian and Type A Monica. The audiobook was narrated by Anna Cordell Who did a wonderful job with all the accents and this large cast of characters. She gave each character a unique voice and I was never confused as to who’s perspective the story was being told from. This book is absolutely going on my favorites shelf, a definite possibility for my best of 2020.

This book in emojis 📓 ☕️ 🎨 🏖 🍼 📱 🚆

About the Book

“A warm, charming tale about the rewards of revealing oneself, warts and all.” (People)

The story of a solitary green notebook that brings together six strangers and leads to unexpected friendship, and even love. 

Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes – in a plain, green journal – the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It’s run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves – and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica’s Café. 

The Authenticity Project‘s cast of characters – including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends – is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true to life. It’s a story about being brave and putting your real self forward – and finding out that it’s not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness.

The Authenticity Project is just the tonic for our times that readers are clamoring for – and one they will take to their hearts and read with unabashed pleasure. 

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Berit☀️✨

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg #bookreview

Happy Sunday all!

This was such a fun uplifting read perfect for this time of year! And it is the perfect length to squeeze in before 2020!

My Thoughts

What a sweet uplifting story that just made me feel good! A perfect palate cleanser from all those twisted thrillers. Good people behaving kindly, rather than despicable people behaving badly. This is the third book in this small town series that takes place in Mason Missouri. All three books can be read as standalones, but I strongly encourage you to read the first book “The Story of Arthur Trueluv”, it is the true gem in this series. This story as well as the second in the series are both very sweet however not quite as special.

In this book we are reunited with some familiar characters, Iris who we met in the second book as well as Maddie who has been in all three books. We are also introduced to many new characters including the ladies of the “confession club“. This was a group of ladies who met weekly and confess their secrets to this supportive group of friends. Iris and Maddie are the newest members of the club and it is good timing because they both need a little support. Iris has recently fallen for an unlikely Man and Maddie is struggling with telling her husband that she wants to move back home. Elizabeth Berg is so good at creating that small town vibe. I just loved how kind and supportive these characters were. I also loved the impact that Arthur still has on these characters and this community. Such a lovely feel good story, can’t wait to see what’s next in store for this charming small town.

This book in emojis 📖 ☕️ 🍰 🐶

*** Big thanks to Random House for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • An uplifting novel about friendship, surprising revelations, and a second chance at love, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv.

When a group of friends in Mason, Missouri, decide to start a monthly supper club, they get more than they bargained for. The plan for congenial evenings—talking, laughing, and sharing recipes, homemade food, and wine—abruptly changes course one night when one of the women reveals something startlingly intimate. The supper club then becomes Confession Club, and the women gather weekly to share not only dinners but embarrassing misdeeds, deep insecurities, and long-held regrets.

They invite Iris Winters and Maddy Harris to join, and their timing couldn’t be better. Iris is conflicted about her feelings for a charming but troubled man, and Maddy has come back home from New York to escape a problem too big to handle alone. The club offers exactly the kind of support they need to help them make some difficult decisions.

The Confession Club is charming, heartwarming, and inspiring. And as in the previous books that take place in Mason, readers will find friendship, community, and kindness on full display.

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Berit☀️✨

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows by Jenni Keer @jennikeer @rararesources #bookreview #theunlikelylifeofmaisiemeadows

Happy Thursday all!

This is my 1001th post on my blog, I can’t even believe it! This was such a sweet uplifting story and I’m so excited to share my review with you today! Thanks Rachel for my invitation to the tour!🥳

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows

When Maisie Meadows finds herself single and jobless on New Year’s Day, she resolves that this will be the year she focuses on bringing her scattered family back together. Romance is all very well, but it’s the people you grew up with that matter the most.

But a new job working at an auction house puts her in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but unattainable man who she can’t help but be distracted by. As their bond begins to grow, Maisie finds herself struggling to fulfil the promise she made to herself – but the universe has other ideas, and it’s not long before the Meadows family are thrown back together in the most unlikely of circumstances…

Can dealing with other people’s treasures help Maisie to let go of the past, and teach her who she ought to treasure the most?

My Thoughts

Jenni Keer has woven together a beautiful story with threads of family, romance, and Magic. When Maisie finds herself loveless and jobless on New Year’s Eve she resolves that she is going to get it together. She also resolves that she is going to unite her fractured family. Soon Maisie finds herself working at an auction house. Job✔️ her new boss is an intriguing and interesting man named Theo. Love✔️ A heartwarming and uplifting story that will put a smile on your face.

Maisie was a delightful character that I loved getting to know. I loved meeting her family and I was really rooting for their eventual reconciliation. I also loved loved loved her coworkers, so much fun, made me want to get a job at an auction house. Loved the magical element with the tea set and Maisie trying to get the set back together. I kind a liked how it was in alignment with her trying to get her family back together. The romance was sweet, Theo was a doll, made my heart melt. This book was simply divine a definite gem.

*** thanks to Avon UK for my copy of this book ***

Purchase Link – http://bit.ly/UnlikelyLife

Author Bio –

Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her antique furniture restorer husband. She has valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework but with four teenage boys in the house it remains a mystery. Instead, she spends her time at the keyboard writing women’s fiction to combat the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere with her number one fan #Blindcat by her side. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker was published in January 2019.

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is out in July 2019.

Social Media Links –

FB Jenni Keer Writer

Twitter @JenniKeer

Instagram jennikeer

Website – https://jennikeer.co.uk/

Giveaway to Win a signed copy of The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker,  pack of Scratbag notelets,  pretty purple pen and a Maisie bookmark (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove @ellarosedove @tr4cyf3nt0n #bookreview #fivestepstohappy

Happy Saturday all!

The ground is shaking in Southern California! This was a delightful and uplifting story and I’m so excited to share my review of it with you today!🧡

My Thoughts

Based on events in her own life Ella Dove has written a beautiful and uplifting story. I am a firm believer that it is the struggles in life that really define who we are. It is the fighting through the bad times that make us stronger and I think better people. I love how Ella Dove Took this tragedy in her life and pardon the cliché,” made lemonade.” This is not a true story, but a fictitious story based on real life events. The author’s strenggh and fortitude really came through in the pages of this book.

Heidi is out for a jog one day trying to muster up the courage to ask fellow jogger Alexander out when she falls. Next thing she knows she wakes up in the hospital and her leg has been amputated. One misstep leads to tragedy. What follows is Heidi‘s Journey of despair and hope to regain her life. And perhaps it is not the life she had dreamed of, but The life that she should have. This book really shown a light on all kinds of amputees and how they struggle to come to terms with the hand life has dealt them. This book also really emphasize the need and power of family and friendship in our lives. There is also a romantic elements to the book that I thought was very sweet and I truly enjoyed. However I would have liked it even more if Heidi realized there was a reason to live without there being a man involved, but that’s just me. And I do have to remember that this is fiction and I thought the author did a really good job of bringing home the message that the person in our life that we need to find strength from is ourselves! That is something I think I’ve beat into my kids, that the only person that is always going to be there for you is you. So you better learn to love yourself or it’s going to be a long life! LOL! Such a lovely book with so much heart and so much emotion. I laughed, I cried, but ultimately I felt good!

About the Book

An inspiring, life-enhancing novel that will make you see your life differently . . .

In May 2016, magazine journalist Ella Dove was out jogging with her sister when she tripped and fell. Ella had fallen in such a way that her knee had dislocated and she also had a severe fracture. The combination of these injuries cut off the blood supply to her foot. The devastating result was the amputation of her right leg below the knee, five days after her fall. Life as she knew it was changed forever, but through determination, resilience and a positive attitude, she transformed unimaginable difficulty into an opportunity to grow and inspire others.

FIVE STEPS TO HAPPY is a novel inspired by Ella’s life story about a struggling actress Heidi whose life changes in an instant in a devastating accident. We learn how one unexpected moment can change the direction of your life – sometimes even for the better. Through her characters and their quest for happiness we learn the true value of resilience, humour and strength in the face of trauma.

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Berit☀️✨

Something to Live For by Richard Roper @tr4cyf3nt0n #bookreview

Happy almost weekend all!

This is the UK title and cover for “How Not to Die Alone”. Different title, different cover, same great book! I thought this was a quirky unique story that really touched my heart!💕

My Thoughts

Qυιɾƙყ. Uρʅιϝƚιɳɠ. Uɳιϙυҽ.

Richard Roper has crafted a quirky and uplifting story packed with colorful characters and a unique storyline. The blurb of this book compares it to “Eleanor Oliphant”, Generally I’m not a fan of comparing books but I’d have to say this is an accurate comparison. SO if you loved Eleanor you will also love getting to know Andrew. Andrew is 42, a bit of a loner, and he works for the Ministry of Death. His job includes finding the next of kin for those who die alone, searching their home for valuable possessions that will help pay for their funeral, and then even though it’s not compulsory Andrew attends the funerals for these people who have no one in their lives to say goodbye. Andrew returns home every evening to an empty house, his model trains, and group of eclectic online friends who he met on a model train enthusiast website. However, because of an innocent slip up he made on his job interview his boss Cameron and coworkers believe he returns home every evening to a wife and two kids. When Peggy begins working with Andrew and befriends him and his boss Cameron wants the coworkers to have monthly dinner parties, Andrew is fearful that the truth will come out. Is living with this lie truly living? Will the truth set Andrew free or ruin his life?

Andrew was a lovable vulnerable character that I just wanted to give a big hug. Peggy was great a true breath of fresh air. The friendship that forms between these two was so lovely. Andrew had really got himself into quite the pickle, one white lie that snowballed into something involving spreadsheets. It really was sad to contemplate how these people died alone with seemingly nobody in their lives that cared. And then there was Andrew who had the opportunity to make some choices that would prevent him from being in the same position one day. I think Mr. Roper did an amazing job of showing us how we all have more people in our lives than we think, we just need to know where to look.

This was a feel-good story that made me smile. It’s kind of interesting that a story that features death so prominently could be so uplifting, but this book really was. Simply put this was a quirky tale bursting with heart, hope, and humor!

*** many thanks to GP Putnam’s Sons for my copy ***

About the Book

With the warmth of David Nicholls and the charm and humour of Nick Hornby, this brilliant debut explores one man’s attempts to let go of the past and start his life afresh.

 

‘Tender, funny, compelling – this wonderful book deserves to be huge!’ Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY

 

‘Funny, moving and thought-provoking – I loved this.’ – Clare Mackintosh

 

‘A charming, humorous and life-affirming tale about human kindness that strikes a chord in a world where loneliness is a growing problem’ BBC News Online, Top Fiction of 2019

 ‘I completely fell under its spell. It pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart – in short, does everything that you want a novel to do. While it is very much in the David Nicholls’ tradition of sympathetic quirk and comedy, it is, at the same time, so fresh and different. I loved the voice, the people, the world….. Who couldn’t? What an extraordinary debut.’ – Gill Hornby

 

‘Heart-breaking. Hilarious. Life-affirming. Some descriptions of loneliness took my breath away. This book deserves to be HUGE!’ Holly Bourne

 

‘Funny, moving and uplifting…I loved it.’Libby Page, author of THE LIDO

 

Sometimes you need to risk everything…

To find your something

All Andrew wants is to be normal. He has the perfect wife and 2.4 children waiting at home for him after a long day. At least, that’s what he’s told people.

The truth is, his life isn’t exactly as people think and his little white lie is about to catch up with him.

Because in all Andrew’s efforts to fit in, he’s forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it’s about time for him to start.

 

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Berit☀️✨

Bonnie and Stan by Anna Stuart @AnnaStuartBooks @TrapezeBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #bookreview #bonnieandstan

Happy Monday evening/Tuesday morning!

Delighted to share with you today this review for a book that was simply enchanting. This is a love story about real love between real people living in the real world!😍

My Thoughts

Anna Stuart has written an epic love story about real love between real people. Bonnie and Stan have been together for over 50 years, since the swinging 60s. Stan has just retired and Bonnie is building them their dream house, but it looks as though life has different plans. Stan has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and with the help of his granddaughter he is determined to find Bonnie a new man so she won’t need to live the rest of her years alone. Sounds a little morose and depressing, but I can assure you it was not.

The Book seamlessly bounce between the 60s and present day and was told from the perspectives of both Bonnie and Stan. In the 60s Bonnie was an architect student and Stan was in a band. The book is said in Liverpool where the music scene was on high especially with the emergence of the Beatles. Love books set in the 60s it was such a vibrant time in history full of so much change. Although I might have been drawn a little more to the past storyline the present storyline was really a lot of fun. I loved watching Stan go out on these dates with these men to find the perfect man for his beloved Bonnie. I also liked the part the granddaughter played in the story, she was a great character with her environmental saving ways. I just could not help seeing my own parents in Stan and Bonnie, not that my dad would ever look for somebody for my mom (at least I don’t think so). My parents met in the 60s and have been married for over 50 years and are now in their 70s. I truly could not imagine one of them without the other, they may not be the most romantic of people, but they sure do have a strong relationship. I think that’s why this book hit me so hard in the heart.

An absolutely beautiful story full of so much heart. There was just such a strong feeling of authenticity to the story. I felt as though Bonnie and Stan had the type of love that we all strive to have. I am not a romantic person at all but I could really feel the true love in this book. A well told story that will just make you feel good to be alive!

About the Book

‘A fresh, original love story, beautifully told.’ RUTH HOGAN, author of The Keeper of Lost Things

After 50 years together Stan still adores his wife… so why is he dating again?

Bonnie and Stan are soulmates. They met during the Swinging Sixties, to the soundtrack of The Beatles and the Merseybeat scene. Now they’ve grown up and grown old together, had children and grandchildren. They are finally building their dream home, when disaster strikes.

Stan is running out of time, and can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone. Alongside his teenage granddaughter Greya, he forms a plan to find Bonnie a new love of her life. And she must never find out…

Bonnie & Stan is a poignant, surprising love story set during the Swinging Sixties and the present day. Ultimately feel-good and full of emotion, Bonnie & Stan will make your heart sing.

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Berit☀️✨

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper #bookreview #hownottodiealone

Happy Thursday all!

Excited to share with you today my review for this quirky little gem!🤩

My Thoughts

Qυιɾƙყ. Uρʅιϝƚιɳɠ. Uɳιϙυҽ.

Richard Roper has crafted a quirky and uplifting story packed with colorful characters and a unique storyline. The blurb of this book compares it to “Eleanor Oliphant”, Generally I’m not a fan of comparing books but I’d have to say this is an accurate comparison. SO if you loved Eleanor you will also love getting to know Andrew. Andrew is 42, a bit of a loner, and he works for the Ministry of Death. His job includes finding the next of kin for those who die alone, searching their home for valuable possessions that will help pay for their funeral, and then even though it’s not compulsory Andrew attends the funerals for these people who have no one in their lives to say goodbye. Andrew returns home every evening to an empty house, his model trains, and group of eclectic online friends who he met on a model train enthusiast website. However, because of an innocent slip up he made on his job interview his boss Cameron and coworkers believe he returns home every evening to a wife and two kids. When Peggy begins working with Andrew and befriends him and his boss Cameron wants the coworkers to have monthly dinner parties, Andrew is fearful that the truth will come out. Is living with this lie truly living? Will the truth set Andrew free or ruin his life?

Andrew was a lovable vulnerable character that I just wanted to give a big hug. Peggy was great a true breath of fresh air. The friendship that forms between these two was so lovely. Andrew had really got himself into quite the pickle, one white lie that snowballed into something involving spreadsheets. It really was sad to contemplate how these people died alone with seemingly nobody in their lives that cared. And then there was Andrew who had the opportunity to make some choices that would prevent him from being in the same position one day. I think Mr. Roper did an amazing job of showing us how we all have more people in our lives than we think, we just need to know where to look.

This was a feel-good story that made me smile. It’s kind of interesting that a story that features death so prominently could be so uplifting, but this book really was. Simply put this was a quirky tale bursting with heart, hope, and humor!

*** many thanks to GP Putnam’s Sons for my copy ***

About the Book

Smart, darkly funny, and life-affirming, How Not to Die Alone is the bighearted debut novel we all need, for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, it’s a story about love, loneliness, and the importance of taking a chance when we feel we have the most to lose.
Andrew’s been feeling stuck.
For years he’s worked a thankless public health job, searching for the next of kin of those who die alone. Luckily, he goes home to a loving family every night. At least, that’s what his coworkers believe.
Then he meets Peggy.
A misunderstanding has left Andrew trapped in his own white lie and his lonely apartment. When new employee Peggy breezes into the office like a breath of fresh air, she makes Andrew feel truly alive for the first time in decades.
Could there be more to life than this?
But telling Peggy the truth could mean losing everything. For 20 years, Andrew has worked to keep his heart safe, forgetting one important thing: how to live. Maybe it’s time for him to start.

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Have a magnificent day!🌼

Berit☀️✨