Anne's bookshelf: read-2020 en-US Sun, 04 Feb 2024 11:55:45 -0800 60 Anne's bookshelf: read-2020 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 44778083
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]>
803 Sarah J. Maas 1635574048 Anne 5 4.43 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Anne
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/04
date added: 2024/02/04
shelves: read-2020, read-2022, read-2024
review:

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Educated 35133922
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]>
352 Tara Westover 0399590501 Anne 5 4.46 2018 Educated
author: Tara Westover
name: Anne
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/30
date added: 2021/03/28
shelves: non-fiction, read-2020, audiobook
review:

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<![CDATA[The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2)]]> 353066
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...]]>
354 Julia Quinn 0749936584 Anne 5 read-2020 3.98 2000 The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Anne
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/30
date added: 2020/12/30
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)]]> 1859059 Libraria note: See alternate cover edition here.

The Duke and I is a romance set in the Regency era.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable� but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...]]>
339 Julia Quinn 0749936576 Anne 5 read-2020 3.54 2000 The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Anne
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/29
date added: 2020/12/29
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Chain 42779092
"You are not the first. And you will certainly not be the last." Rachel is now part of The Chain, an unending and ingenious scheme that turns victims into criminals—and is making someone else very rich in the process. The rules are simple, the moral challenges impossible; find the money fast, find your victim, and then commit a horrible act you'd have thought yourself incapable of just twenty-four hours ago.

But what the masterminds behind The Chain know is that parents will do anything for their children. It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning.]]>
357 Adrian McKinty 031653126X Anne 3 read-2020 3.77 2019 The Chain
author: Adrian McKinty
name: Anne
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/27
date added: 2020/12/27
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Just My Luck 49014109
For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff � the kids, marriages, jobs and houses � and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner.

But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.

Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.

Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping take on friendship, money and betrayal, and good luck gone bad…]]>
382 Adele Parks 0008284709 Anne 5 read-2020 3.73 2020 Just My Luck
author: Adele Parks
name: Anne
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/23
date added: 2020/12/23
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Away with the Penguins 51824980 352 Hazel Prior 1787630935 Anne 4 read-2020 4.09 2020 Away with the Penguins
author: Hazel Prior
name: Anne
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/19
date added: 2020/12/19
shelves: read-2020
review:

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A Million Dreams 53029038
But what they learn from that call sends their dreams for their son crashing down around them. Eight years ago, someone made a terrible mistake at the center, and there’s a possibility that precious Noah isn’t actually their child.

Izzy and Pete know that they will fight to keep their beautiful boy at any cost� but if Noah’s parents are out there somewhere, is it right to keep them from their son? When a shocking diagnosis brings things to a head, Izzy must decide what’s right for Noah, even if it means sacrificing the person she loves most in the world…]]>
464 Dani Atkins 178954615X Anne 5 read-2020 4.43 2019 A Million Dreams
author: Dani Atkins
name: Anne
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/04
date added: 2020/12/04
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Chalet 51197929 Four friends. One luxury getaway. The perfect murder.

French Alps, 1998

Two young men ski into a blizzard� but only one returns.

20 years later

Four people connected to the missing man find themselves in that same resort. Each has a secret. Two may have blood on their hands. One is a killer-in-waiting.

Someone knows what really happened that day.

And somebody will pay.]]>
390 Catherine Cooper 0008400229 Anne 3 read-2020 3.75 2020 The Chalet
author: Catherine Cooper
name: Anne
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/30
date added: 2020/11/30
shelves: read-2020
review:

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One More for Christmas 51473584 From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Christmas Sisters comes this sparkling tale of Christmas redemption. Brimming with Sarah Morgan’s trademark festive cheer, you won’t want to miss it!

For sisters Samantha and Ella Mitchell, Christmas is their most precious time of the year—a time for togetherness, love and celebration. Most of all, it’s about making up for everything their childhood Christmases lacked. But this year, they’ll be buying presents for the most unexpected guest of all—their estranged mother. It’s been five years since they last saw each other. But when their mom calls out of the blue and promises that this Christmas will be different, Samantha and Ella cautiously agree to spend it all together�

Gayle Mitchell is at the top of her career, but her success has come at a price—her relationship with her daughters. She never seemed to say or do the right things. Her tough-love approach was designed to make them stronger, but instead managed to push them away…until a brush with her own mortality forces Gayle to make amends. As the snowflakes fall on their first family celebration in years, the Mitchell women must learn that sometimes facing up to the past is all you need to heal your heart…]]>
416 Sarah Morgan 1335013806 Anne 5 read-2020 3.92 2020 One More for Christmas
author: Sarah Morgan
name: Anne
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/26
date added: 2020/11/26
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Silent Treatment 51194669 Resonant with the emotional power of the bestselling novels of David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes, a rich and poignant debut about lies, loss, and a transcendent love at the heart of a troubled marriage.

A lifetime together.
Six months of silence.
One last chance.


By all appearances, Frank and Maggie share a happy, loving marriage. But for the past six months, they have not spoken. Not a sentence, not a single word. Maggie isn’t sure what, exactly, provoked Frank’s silence, though she has a few ideas.

Day after day, they have eaten meals together and slept in the same bed in an increasingly uncomfortable silence that has become, for Maggie, deafening.

Then Frank finds Maggie collapsed in the kitchen, unconscious, an empty package of sleeping pills on the table. Rushed to the hospital, she is placed in a medically induced coma while the doctors assess the damage.

If she regains consciousness, Maggie may never be the same. Though he is overwhelmed at the thought of losing his wife, will Frank be able to find his voice once again—and explain his withdrawal—or is it too late?]]>
304 Abbie Greaves 0062933841 Anne 5 read-2020 3.60 2020 The Silent Treatment
author: Abbie Greaves
name: Anne
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/22
date added: 2020/11/22
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Seven Lies 48829512 It all started with just one little lie. But we all know that it never ends there. Because, of course, one lie leads to another�

Growing up, Jane and Marnie shared everything. They knew the other’s deep-est secrets. They wouldn’t have had it any other way. But when Marnie falls in love, things begin to change.

Because Jane has a secret: she loathes Marnie’s wealthy, priggish husband. So when Marnie asks if she likes him, Jane tells her first lie. After all, even best friends keep some things to themselves. If she had been honest, then perhaps her best friend’s husband might still be alive today�

For, of course, it’s not the last lie. In fact, it’s only the beginning�

Seven Lies is Jane’s confession of the truth—her truth. Compelling, sophisticated, chilling, it’s a seductive, hypnotic page-turner about the tangled, toxic friendships between women, the dark underbelly of obsession and what we stand to lose in the name of love.]]>
376 Elizabeth Kay 1984879715 Anne 4 read-2020 3.34 2020 Seven Lies
author: Elizabeth Kay
name: Anne
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/18
date added: 2020/11/18
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Again Again 48570522 From the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud comes a complex novel about acceptance, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility, as a teenage girl attempts to regain some sense of normalcy in her life after a family crisis and a broken heart.

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times—while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.]]>
289 E. Lockhart 038574479X Anne 3 read-2020 3.12 2020 Again Again
author: E. Lockhart
name: Anne
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/14
date added: 2020/11/14
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn #5) 51184533 Alexandra Avellino has just found her father's mutilated body, and needs the police right away. She believes her sister killed him, and that she is still in the house with a knife.

Sofia Avellino has just found her father's mutilated body and needs the police right away. She believes her sister, Alexandra did it, and that she is still in the house, locked in the bathroom.

Both women are to go on trial at the same time. A joint trial in front of one jury.

But one of these women is lying. One of them is a murderer. Sitting in a jail cell, about to go on trial with her sister for murder, you might think that this is the last place she expected to be.

You'd be wrong.

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320 Steve Cavanagh 1250207355 Anne 5 read-2020 4.27 2020 Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn #5)
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Anne
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/09
date added: 2020/11/09
shelves: read-2020
review:
Excellent story! It kept me guessing until the end!
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Mirrorland 54304146 Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is a thrilling work of psychological suspense about twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.

Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where she and her estranged twin sister, El, grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to 36 Westeryk Road, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. The grand old house is still full of shadowy corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues in almost every room: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting...

A twisty, dark, and brilliantly crafted thriller about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom.]]>
320 Carole Johnstone 1982136359 Anne 4 netgalley, read-2020 3.56 2021 Mirrorland
author: Carole Johnstone
name: Anne
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/06
date added: 2020/11/06
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:

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Blurred Lines 52162422 She spoke out. I stayed silent. What would you do?



‘Perfectly paced, the twists and turns and executed with precision� Woman Home


‘One of the most powerful stay-with-you books that I’ve read in the past year� Jane Corry, author of I Looked Away


When Becky walks in on her boss with a woman who isn’t his wife, she’s horrified, but says nothing. She owes Matthew too much.


But when the same woman accuses him of rape, Becky is trapped in a nightmare. Was what she saw rape � or is Matthew, her trusted mentor, telling the truth? Becky must try to ignore her own traumatic past and its terrible hold on her.


As Becky attempts to untangle these blurred lines, she risks everything, even her home and family, to find the truth…]]>
416 Hannah Begbie 0008283265 Anne 4 read-2020 3.58 2020 Blurred Lines
author: Hannah Begbie
name: Anne
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/26
date added: 2020/10/30
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Once and Future Witches 49504061
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.]]>
517 Alix E. Harrow 0316422045 Anne 4 netgalley, read-2020 4.01 2020 The Once and Future Witches
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Anne
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/22
date added: 2020/10/22
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:

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Feathertide 52099370 A girl.

A secret.

A life-changing journey.

Born covered in the feathers of a bird, and kept hidden in a crumbling house full of secrets, Marea has always known she was different, but never known why. And so to find answers, she goes in search of the father she has never met.

The hunt leads her to the City of Murmurs, a place of mermaids and mystery, where jars of swirling mist are carried through the streets by the broken-hearted.

And Marea will never forget what she learns there

Feathertide is an enchanting, magical novel perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale.]]>
432 Beth Cartwright 1529100666 Anne 3 netgalley, read-2020
Beginning with Marea's childhood hidden in the basement of a brothel, you follow her story as she explores the limited world around her, guided by her mother, the whores and a professor to teach her about the wider world. Before too long, being told about the world isn't enough and Marea sets out to find her father and learn the truth about herself.

I was really excited to find out about the City of Murmurs but felt a little let down as, to me, it didn't seem quite as magical and wondrous as I was expecting from the blurb and the story slowed down for a while as Marea settles in and does a lot of dog walking. However, there are some beautiful descriptions of Marea's world and the City of Murmurs and I enjoyed the story as Marea met more characters and started to open herself up to love in different forms.

An intriguing, coming of age story that didn't quite draw me all the way in but was very enjoyable. I give this 3 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing a copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally published at ]]>
3.69 2020 Feathertide
author: Beth Cartwright
name: Anne
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/28
date added: 2020/10/13
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
I was immediately intrigued by the beautiful cover of this book and it's unusual premise and that feeling of curiosity continued throughout the book.

Beginning with Marea's childhood hidden in the basement of a brothel, you follow her story as she explores the limited world around her, guided by her mother, the whores and a professor to teach her about the wider world. Before too long, being told about the world isn't enough and Marea sets out to find her father and learn the truth about herself.

I was really excited to find out about the City of Murmurs but felt a little let down as, to me, it didn't seem quite as magical and wondrous as I was expecting from the blurb and the story slowed down for a while as Marea settles in and does a lot of dog walking. However, there are some beautiful descriptions of Marea's world and the City of Murmurs and I enjoyed the story as Marea met more characters and started to open herself up to love in different forms.

An intriguing, coming of age story that didn't quite draw me all the way in but was very enjoyable. I give this 3 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing a copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally published at
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Becoming 38746485
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.]]>
426 Michelle Obama 1524763136 Anne 5 4.42 2018 Becoming
author: Michelle Obama
name: Anne
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/13
date added: 2020/10/13
shelves: audiobook, non-fiction, read-2020
review:

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I Found You 30753651 'I got here yesterday.'
'Where did you come from?'
'I have no idea.'

East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.

Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can't remember lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell's brilliant new novel.]]>
352 Lisa Jewell 1501154591 Anne 5 read-2020 3.89 2016 I Found You
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Anne
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/11
date added: 2020/10/11
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Binding 39964740
After having suffered some sort of mental collapse and no longer able to keep up with his farm chores, Emmett Farmer is sent to the workshop of one such binder to live and work as her apprentice. Leaving behind home and family, Emmett slowly regains his health while learning the binding trade. He is forbidden to enter the locked room where books are stored, so he spends many months marbling end pages, tooling leather book covers, and gilding edges. But his curiosity is piqued by the people who come and go from the inner sanctum, and the arrival of the lordly Lucian Darnay, with whom he senses a connection, changes everything.]]>
437 Bridget Collins 0008272115 Anne 5 favourites, read-2020 3.86 2019 The Binding
author: Bridget Collins
name: Anne
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/09
date added: 2020/10/09
shelves: favourites, read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Other Half of Augusta Hope]]> 42817130 Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.

At six, she’s memorising the dictionary. At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.
Ìý
And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.

When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta's life, she's propelled headfirst into the unknown. She's determined to find where she belongs � but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?

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384 Joanna Glen 0008314152 Anne 5 favourites, read-2020 3.99 2019 The Other Half of Augusta Hope
author: Joanna Glen
name: Anne
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/02
date added: 2020/10/02
shelves: favourites, read-2020
review:

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Lies, Lies, Lies 45422567
After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. They’re a happy little family of three.

So what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes—Daisy’s used to it. She knows he’s just letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And their happy little family of three will never be the same again.

In Lies, Lies, Lies , #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks explores the darkest corners of a relationship in free fall in a mesmerizing tale of marriage and secrets.

Don't miss One Last Secret from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks!

Looking for more? Check out these other thrilling reads from Adele
I Invited Her In
Just My Luck
Women Last Seen]]>
384 Adele Parks 0778360881 Anne 5 netgalley, read-2020

Simon's relationship with alcohol has started to take precedence over everything else in his life, despite how much he loves Daisy and their daughter Millie. Things start to go terribly wrong for the family and I think I gasped out loud at a few points in the book as events unfolded.

Told in alternating chapters between Daisy and Simon's points of view, I absolutely couldn't put this down and meant for a very late night finishing it! The twists were amazing as I didn't see them coming.

This was an absolutely gripping read but very emotional at times too. I give it 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.]]>
3.58 2019 Lies, Lies, Lies
author: Adele Parks
name: Anne
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/09/20
date added: 2020/09/20
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
More reviews are available on my blog at


Simon's relationship with alcohol has started to take precedence over everything else in his life, despite how much he loves Daisy and their daughter Millie. Things start to go terribly wrong for the family and I think I gasped out loud at a few points in the book as events unfolded.

Told in alternating chapters between Daisy and Simon's points of view, I absolutely couldn't put this down and meant for a very late night finishing it! The twists were amazing as I didn't see them coming.

This was an absolutely gripping read but very emotional at times too. I give it 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Breathless 51265075 The much anticipated new novel from international bestselling author Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places.

You were my first. Not just sex, although that was part of it, but the first to look past everything else into me. Some of the names and places have been changed, but the story is true. It's all here because one day this will be the past, and I don't want to forget what I went through, what I thought, what I felt, who I was. I don't want to forget you. But most of all, I don't want to forget me.

For her last summer before college, Claudine Henry and her mother head to a remote island off the Georgia coast. There, amidst the wild beauty of the place, she meets the free spirited Jeremiah Crew. Their chemistry is immediate and irresistible, and even though they both know that whatever they have can only last the summer, maybe one summer is enough . . .]]>
400 Jennifer Niven 0241371929 Anne 5 netgalley, read-2020
Claudine has had a happy childhood and is just finishing high school when her dad announces he wants to split up from her mum. Claude is left spinning in the shock of it all and with strict instructions not to talk about it with any of her friends, she has no outlet for the tidalwave of emotions threatening to engulf her.

Claude and her mum travel to a remote island with a lot of family history to get away from it all. Here she meets Jeremiah and is instantly drawn to him even as she is trying to deal with the shock from her dad's news. Miah has a difficult family life and a lot of responsibilities at home so his time on the island is special to him.

There are some beautiful descriptions of the island and a focus on nature. I also really enjoyed the way the author wrote about the history of the island as well as the present.

This is a story of first love, first sex, growing up and learning to deal with change. I couldn't put it down! I give this 5 out of 5.]]>
3.79 2020 Breathless
author: Jennifer Niven
name: Anne
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/17
date added: 2020/09/20
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
More reviews like this at

Claudine has had a happy childhood and is just finishing high school when her dad announces he wants to split up from her mum. Claude is left spinning in the shock of it all and with strict instructions not to talk about it with any of her friends, she has no outlet for the tidalwave of emotions threatening to engulf her.

Claude and her mum travel to a remote island with a lot of family history to get away from it all. Here she meets Jeremiah and is instantly drawn to him even as she is trying to deal with the shock from her dad's news. Miah has a difficult family life and a lot of responsibilities at home so his time on the island is special to him.

There are some beautiful descriptions of the island and a focus on nature. I also really enjoyed the way the author wrote about the history of the island as well as the present.

This is a story of first love, first sex, growing up and learning to deal with change. I couldn't put it down! I give this 5 out of 5.
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Love Me Like You Do 53356808
Parker is ready to marry the man of her dreams. But he isn't ready to marry her. It would be helpful if he didn't choose their wedding day to tell her this. But as she flees from the travesty behind her, she literally runs into the arms of a handsome stranger. The southern drawl, the dreamy eyes, she can't fall for another man after being left at the altar � can she?

When Liam agreed to go to go on a date he didn't expect to leave with the bride. Nor did he expect to take her the emergency room. Immediately he's drawn to her fiery spirit, her kind heart and beautiful smile. Liam's got a whole host of problems and a past that keeps coming back, now can't be the time to fall in love, but Parker might just be the one to break down his barriers and let him live a little � if she'll let him in.

Will these two strangers allow serendipity to put them together, or will their fears keep them apart?

From the bestselling author of The Lucky Dress comes a story about love, finding yourself and living your dreams.]]>
336 Aimee Brown 1788547276 Anne 5 netgalley, read-2020 3.67 Love Me Like You Do
author: Aimee Brown
name: Anne
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2020/09/17
date added: 2020/09/17
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:

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Coming Home to Penvennan Cove 54457883 When Kerra left the quiet Cornish town of Penvennan Cove for the bright lights of London she didn't look back. But after the death of her mother, she's decided it's time to face her past and return to the place she called home. Her father needs her, and perhaps she needs him more than she's willing to admit?

Tackling town gossip, home renovations and a flame from her past, it's not quite smooth sailing for Kerra. Ross is the bad boy she was meant to forget, not a man who still sets her heart aflutter. As he helps bring her dream home to life, they begin to break down the barriers that have been holding them back and in the process learn things about themselves they never thought possible.

As friends old and new come together, the future in Penvennan looks bright.]]>
328 Linn B. Halton Anne 4 netgalley, read-2020 Review to come 2nd October :) 4.23 Coming Home to Penvennan Cove
author: Linn B. Halton
name: Anne
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/14
date added: 2020/09/14
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
Review to come 2nd October :)
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A Perfect Paris Christmas 55037427

United in grief. Pushed apart by tragedy.

Keeley Andrews knows more than anyone that you only live once. So when she receives an invitation to spend two weeks in Paris, all expenses paid, she jumps at the chance.

Ethan Bouchard has had the worst eighteen months of his life. He's ready to give up on everything, including his hotel chain. So when he meets Keeley, it simply isn't the right time.

As Keeley and Ethan continue to bump into each other on the romantic Parisian streets, they can't help but wonder whether this is fate telling them to let go of the past and leap into the future...

Head to Paris this Christmas and fall in love under the lights of the Eiffel Tower with best-selling author, Mandy Baggot.

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Mandy Baggot Anne 4 netgalley, read-2020
Keeley is recovering from the loss of her sister Bea in a terrible accident which also left Keeley seriously injured and needing a kidney transplant. Living with her parents in a highly protective environment Keeley is worried about taking care of the precious gift she has been given but also that she is not living her life to the full. Mandy Baggot handles the topic of organ donation and transplants with care and sensitivity.

When the mother of her organ donor makes contact and invites Keeley to Paris to meet her, Keeley decides it's a chance she needs to take, accompanied by her exuberant friend Rach. I enjoyed reading about Keeley's friendship with both Rach and Erica, who Keeley has met in very difficult circumstances.

I also enjoyed reading the sections of the novel from Ethan's point of view. He has had a traumatic past but is trying to make the most of life and is nervous of his feelings for Keeley. I also loved how he was with Jeanne and how that part of the story developed.

Set in the beautiful city of Paris in the lead up to Christmas, the writer evokes a sense of wonder in the simple things in life in this novel. It also makes me want to visit Paris more than ever before!

A wonderfully romantic story, I gave this 4 out of 5.]]>
4.25 A Perfect Paris Christmas
author: Mandy Baggot
name: Anne
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/12
date added: 2020/09/14
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
More reviews and others like it are published on my blog at:

Keeley is recovering from the loss of her sister Bea in a terrible accident which also left Keeley seriously injured and needing a kidney transplant. Living with her parents in a highly protective environment Keeley is worried about taking care of the precious gift she has been given but also that she is not living her life to the full. Mandy Baggot handles the topic of organ donation and transplants with care and sensitivity.

When the mother of her organ donor makes contact and invites Keeley to Paris to meet her, Keeley decides it's a chance she needs to take, accompanied by her exuberant friend Rach. I enjoyed reading about Keeley's friendship with both Rach and Erica, who Keeley has met in very difficult circumstances.

I also enjoyed reading the sections of the novel from Ethan's point of view. He has had a traumatic past but is trying to make the most of life and is nervous of his feelings for Keeley. I also loved how he was with Jeanne and how that part of the story developed.

Set in the beautiful city of Paris in the lead up to Christmas, the writer evokes a sense of wonder in the simple things in life in this novel. It also makes me want to visit Paris more than ever before!

A wonderfully romantic story, I gave this 4 out of 5.
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The Search Party 48728111 'Hugely gripping' Mark Billingham, Rabbit Hole 'Heart-stopping Elly Griffiths, The Locked Room 'What a read!' Stuart Turton, The Devil and the Dark Water----------16-year-old Sadie Saunders is missing. Five friends set out into the woods to find her. But they're not just friends... THEY'RE SUSPECTS. You see, this was never a search party. It's a witch hunt. And not everyone will make it home alive... THE CHALK MAN meets THE HUNTING PARTY in this Observer, Thriller of the Month; witness four suspects as, alongside DI Fleet, you attempt to discover the truth about what happened to Sadie...---------- 'A bloody good read and the very definition of unpredictable ' John Marrs, Keep it in the Family 'Clever and atmospheric' Mark Edwards, No Place to Run 'A brilliantly tense tale' Araminta Hall, Hidden Depths 'A intricate, complex and utterly gripping' Alex Lake, Ready or Not 'Simon Lelic just gets better and better' Dervla Mctiernan, The Murder Rule 'A chillingly complex, well-crafted web' Jane Corry, We All Have Our Secrets 'A skilfully-woven mystery that oozes with tension' T M Logan, The Holiday 'Atmospheric and chilling. Fantastic read!' Carla Kovach, One Girl Missing]]> 333 Simon Lelic Anne 3 netgalley, read-2020
The story is split between the point of view of the investigating Detective Fleet, who has a mysterious past, and the teenagers as they give their accounts at the police station of what happened in the woods.

Personally, I preferred the sections from Fleet's point of view as I found them more gripping. The teenagers accounts felt a bit like a continuous stream of thought describing everything that happened, but the author did capture a sense of youth in his writing as they described the events. I'd have liked it to be written as a conversation between the detective and each of the friends.

It took a while for me to really become engrossed in this story but once I was about halfway through I couldn't put the book down as I wanted to know what happened. An interesting story with a great twist. I give this 3 out of 5.

This review was originally published at: ]]>
3.48 2020 The Search Party
author: Simon Lelic
name: Anne
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/27
date added: 2020/09/12
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
With a gripping premise like this I defy anyone not to pick up The Search Party by Simon Lelic.

The story is split between the point of view of the investigating Detective Fleet, who has a mysterious past, and the teenagers as they give their accounts at the police station of what happened in the woods.

Personally, I preferred the sections from Fleet's point of view as I found them more gripping. The teenagers accounts felt a bit like a continuous stream of thought describing everything that happened, but the author did capture a sense of youth in his writing as they described the events. I'd have liked it to be written as a conversation between the detective and each of the friends.

It took a while for me to really become engrossed in this story but once I was about halfway through I couldn't put the book down as I wanted to know what happened. An interesting story with a great twist. I give this 3 out of 5.

This review was originally published at:
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As You Were 45893870
No-one knows it: not her fellow patients in a failing hospital, and certainly not her family. She has confided only in Google and a shiny magpie.

But she can’t go on like this, tirelessly trying to outstrip her past and in mortal fear of her future. Across the ward, Margaret Rose is running her chaotic family from her rose-gold Nokia. In the neighboring bed, Jane, rarely but piercingly lucid, is searching for a decent bra and for someone to listen. Sinéad needs them both.

As You Were is about intimate histories, institutional failures, the kindness of strangers, and the darkly present past of modern Ireland. It is about women’s stories and women’s struggles. It is about seizing the moment to be free.

Wildly funny, desperately tragic, inventive and irrepressible, As You Were introduces a brilliant voice in Irish fiction with a book that is absolutely of our times.]]>
320 Elaine Feeney 178730163X Anne 1 3.57 2020 As You Were
author: Elaine Feeney
name: Anne
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2020/09/06
date added: 2020/09/06
shelves: did-not-finish, netgalley, read-2020
review:
I struggled with this over unfortunately and DNF at 21%
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The End of Men 53717123 Set in a world where a virus stalks our male population, The End of Men is an electrifying and unforgettable debut from a remarkable new talent that what would life truly look like without men?Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all. The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world.What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague;" intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine. Through these women and others, we see the uncountable ways the absence of men has changed society, from the personal--the loss of husbands and sons--to the political--the changes in the workforce, fertility and the meaning of family.In The End of Men, Christina Sweeney-Baird creates an unforgettable tale of loss, resilience and hope.]]> 416 Christina Sweeney-Baird 0385696639 Anne 5 netgalley, read-2020
Told through different newspaper articles and the perspectives of women affected by the plague in many different ways, the writing is insightful, sensitive and packs an emotional punch. Some of the events the author describes have been eerily accurate from the pandemic experience we have been going through recently, but with the extreme severity of the plague in this book it is really heart-wrenching as fathers, husbands, brothers and sons are lost to the disease indiscriminately. The exploration of how the world would change in such a devastating situation was fascinating.

This is a powerful, heartbreaking, gripping read and I give it 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Originally published at: ]]>
3.74 2021 The End of Men
author: Christina Sweeney-Baird
name: Anne
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/31
date added: 2020/09/04
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
It's hard to believe that when the author wrote this book, none of has had ever heard of Covid 19. The premise of this book is terrifying, a virus which wipes out 90% of men but can be carried asymptomatically by women as well.

Told through different newspaper articles and the perspectives of women affected by the plague in many different ways, the writing is insightful, sensitive and packs an emotional punch. Some of the events the author describes have been eerily accurate from the pandemic experience we have been going through recently, but with the extreme severity of the plague in this book it is really heart-wrenching as fathers, husbands, brothers and sons are lost to the disease indiscriminately. The exploration of how the world would change in such a devastating situation was fascinating.

This is a powerful, heartbreaking, gripping read and I give it 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Originally published at:
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Olive 52928287
Independent.
Adrift.
Anxious.
Loyal.
Kind.
Knows her own mind.

OLIVE is many things, and it’s ok that she’s still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations, there are choices to be made, boxes to tick and � sometimes � stereotypes to fulfil. And when her best friends� lives start to branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they’ve always followed together, Olive starts to question her choices � because life according to Olive looks a little bit different.

Moving, memorable and a mirror for every woman at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with great warmth and nostalgia, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood, milestone decisions and the ‘taboo� about choosing not to have children.]]>
410 Emma Gannon 0008382727 Anne 4 netgalley, read-2020
Olive, a woman in her early thirties, is trying to decide what she wants from life despite the pressures placed on her by her partner, family, friends and society. It's shocking how often relative strangers and acquaintances feel they can ask a woman when she's having children. This is such a personal question. She may desperately want to have children but is struggling to conceive or she may not want children at all and then is sometimes faced with judgement for this decision.

This book exposes many dimensions to this issue through Olive and her friends who are all in different places in their lives, which unfortunately causes some conflict between them. I really liked the ultimate strength of their friendship and how they stood by each other through life's twists and turns.

This is a powerful, timely, feminist novel. I give this 4 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Originally published at: ]]>
3.66 2020 Olive
author: Emma Gannon
name: Anne
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/26
date added: 2020/09/04
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
Olive is a refreshing, original story examining the expectations placed on women to have children.

Olive, a woman in her early thirties, is trying to decide what she wants from life despite the pressures placed on her by her partner, family, friends and society. It's shocking how often relative strangers and acquaintances feel they can ask a woman when she's having children. This is such a personal question. She may desperately want to have children but is struggling to conceive or she may not want children at all and then is sometimes faced with judgement for this decision.

This book exposes many dimensions to this issue through Olive and her friends who are all in different places in their lives, which unfortunately causes some conflict between them. I really liked the ultimate strength of their friendship and how they stood by each other through life's twists and turns.

This is a powerful, timely, feminist novel. I give this 4 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Originally published at:
]]>
Here Is the Beehive 53639558 it happened,
again and again
and
again and again and again.

Together
apart.
In love
in aching.

Tangled
unravelling.

Ana and Connor have been having an affair for three years. In hotel rooms and coffee shops, swiftly deleted texts and briefly snatched weekends, they have built a world with none but the two of them in it.

But then the unimaginable happens, and Ana finds herself alone, trapped inside her secret.

How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out? In her desperate bid for answers, Ana seeks out the shadowy figure who has always stood just beyond her reach � Connor's wife Rebecca.

Peeling away the layers of two overlapping marriages, Here is the Beehive is a devastating excavation of risk, obsession and loss.]]>
288 Sarah Crossan 1526619539 Anne 3 netgalley, read-2020
Sarah Crossan's freeverse writing style is very engrossing, it's so clever how she can tell a story so succinctly and still create a world of emotions. I've read a few of her children's and young adult books and loved them. This is her first adult novel and the tale of adultery and loss was certainly different to her other books.

Ana has been having an affair with Connor for three years when he dies unexpectedly and she is left grieving but can't let explain to anyone why she is behaving so erratically. I felt sorry for Ana that she has lost someone she loves and also that she had found love in a complex situation that she couldn't find a way to resolve. It gradually emerges that not only she is she sleeping with someone else's husband, she has a husband and children herself. Life and love are complex but I struggled with this storyline at times.

This is beautifully written and emotional at times but Ana and Connor's selfishness frustrated me. I gave this 3 out of 5.

Originally published:
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3.75 2020 Here Is the Beehive
author: Sarah Crossan
name: Anne
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/04
date added: 2020/09/04
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Crossan's freeverse writing style is very engrossing, it's so clever how she can tell a story so succinctly and still create a world of emotions. I've read a few of her children's and young adult books and loved them. This is her first adult novel and the tale of adultery and loss was certainly different to her other books.

Ana has been having an affair with Connor for three years when he dies unexpectedly and she is left grieving but can't let explain to anyone why she is behaving so erratically. I felt sorry for Ana that she has lost someone she loves and also that she had found love in a complex situation that she couldn't find a way to resolve. It gradually emerges that not only she is she sleeping with someone else's husband, she has a husband and children herself. Life and love are complex but I struggled with this storyline at times.

This is beautifully written and emotional at times but Ana and Connor's selfishness frustrated me. I gave this 3 out of 5.

Originally published:

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So Lucky 44428156
Beth shows that women really can have it all.
Ruby lives life by her own rules.
And then there’s Lauren, living the dream.

AS PERFECT AS IT LOOKS?
Ìý
Beth hasn’t had sex in a year.
Ruby feels like she’s failing.
Lauren’s happiness is fake news.

And it just takes one shocking event to make the truth come tumbling out�

Fearless, frank and for everyone who’s ever doubted themselves, So Lucky is the straight-talking new novel from the Sunday Times bestseller.
Ìý
Actually, you’re pretty f* lucky to be you.]]>
400 Dawn O'Porter 0008126070 Anne 4 read-2020 3.90 2019 So Lucky
author: Dawn O'Porter
name: Anne
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/25
date added: 2020/08/25
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Midnight Library 48693877
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.]]>
304 Matt Haig 1786892715 Anne 4 read-2020 4.11 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Anne
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/22
date added: 2020/08/22
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Minute I Saw You 52227678 The brand new novel from theÌýSunday TimesÌýbestselling author Paige Toon. The perfect summer read for 2020!

Some people believe that it’s possible to fall in love simply by gazing into another person’s eyes . . .

When Hannah and Sonny meet, a spark ignites that is hard to ignore and impossible to forget. Weeks later, their paths cross again, but Sonny appears distant and reluctant to meet Hannah’s eye. It soon transpires that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life changes � ones that can’t and won’t include romance.

Hannah has her own reasons for wanting to keep their budding friendship platonic. Plus, she’s only in town temporarily, housesitting for her uncle. But as the summer hots up and the chemistry between them intensifies, Hannah and Sonny discover that there’s more to each other than meets the eye...

Praise for Paige Toon:

'You'll love it, cry buckets and be uplifted'ÌýMARIAN KEYES
'Tender, heartbreaking and magical'ÌýGIOVANNA FLETCHER
'Heart-warming, wistful and full of joy' LINDSEY KELK
‘Poignant and lovely, warm and wise’�MILLY JOHNSON
'Family secrets, new horizons and a gorgeous continent-crossing romance . . . prepare to be swept away!' LUCY DIAMOND
‘Warm, inspiring, like a holiday mood in book form’ÌýÌ�MHAIRI MCFARLANE
'For smart, romantic fiction, look no further than the new book from bestselling Paige Toon'Ìý RED
Ìý'Achingly romantic and brilliantly written . . . Five Stars!'Ìý HEAT
'Simply gorgeous'ÌýSUN
'You won't be able to put down this emotional read'Ìý CLOSER
'Paige Toon is the queen of will-they/won't-they romance, setting up an ending that will leave you in bits'Ìý SUNDAY EXPRESS
'Full of living-in-the-moment and what-might-have-been contrasts, this tender read pulls at the heart strings'Ìý FABULOUS ]]>
400 Paige Toon 1471179494 Anne 5 favourites, read-2020 4.11 2020 The Minute I Saw You
author: Paige Toon
name: Anne
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/17
date added: 2020/08/17
shelves: favourites, read-2020
review:

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Normal People 41057294
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.

Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.]]>
273 Sally Rooney 1984822179 Anne 3 read-2020 3.81 2018 Normal People
author: Sally Rooney
name: Anne
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/15
date added: 2020/08/15
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn, #2)]]> 23308084 The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.]]>
416 Renée Ahdieh 0399171622 Anne 3 read-2020 4.04 2016 The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn, #2)
author: Renée Ahdieh
name: Anne
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/10
date added: 2020/08/10
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)]]> 18798983 One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?]]>
416 Renée Ahdieh 0399171614 Anne 5 read-2020 4.05 2015 The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)
author: Renée Ahdieh
name: Anne
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/05
date added: 2020/08/05
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Every Note Played 36082326
Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.

He knows his left arm will go next.

Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.

When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.]]>
307 Lisa Genova 147671780X Anne 4 read-2020 4.08 2018 Every Note Played
author: Lisa Genova
name: Anne
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/29
date added: 2020/07/29
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Switch 45134200 Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena's tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it's time they swapped places...

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn't as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect � and distractingly handsome � school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?]]>
336 Beth O'Leary 1787475018 Anne 5 read-2020 3.94 2020 The Switch
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Anne
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/19
date added: 2020/07/19
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Blood Orange 37912970 378 Harriet Tyce 1472252756 Anne 3 read-2020 3.72 2019 Blood Orange
author: Harriet Tyce
name: Anne
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/18
date added: 2020/07/18
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Vow 52427452 Everything was perfect. And then her fiance disappeared�

‘Dazzling� DAILY MAIL

‘A terrific new talent� PETER JAMES

Two weeks before her wedding, a stranger stops Amy in the street and warns her she’s in danger.ÌýThen that night, Matt, her fiancé, doesn’t come home.ÌýDesperate, Amy calls the police â€� but when Matt fails to emerge, she’s forced to call off her wedding day.

Then another man is reported missing, by a woman called Fiona â€� a man meeting Matt’s description, who was about to leave his fiancée for her.Ìý He was supposed to be moving in with her â€� but instead, he’s vanished.

Amy refuses to believe Fiona’s lover can be her Matt � but photos prove otherwise, and it soon becomes clear that Matt has been leading a double life. As the police dig deeper, two conflicting, yet equally plausible stories emerge from two women who allegedly have never met.

The wedding day never happened. But the funeral might. ]]>
368 Debbie Howells 0008400164 Anne 2
I was really intrigued by the concept of this book but sadly it didn't live up to my expectations. I was keen to find out what had happened to Matt but I thought the execution was a bit clumsy and I found the conversations to be quite stilted at times between the characters. Also, one minute the police were being friendly with Amy, then they were suspicious of her, then they were chatting with her like they were friends... it was all a bit odd.

Amy's character has a lot of secrets, even from herself, and I enjoyed finding out her past as this unravelled alongside the main storyline. It was clever that you didn't really know who to believe between Amy and Fiona, the other woman.

Amy's daughter Jess was the best character in the book and her parts of the story kept me engaged. Although Jess' boyfriend Rik seemed a bit unnecessary to the story as she would ask him to look into something but then find it out herself.

I still think the author had a good idea for the story but the writing could have been improved. I really hate to write a negative review but unfortunately this book just didn't work for me.

I gave this 2 out of 5.]]>
3.59 2020 The Vow
author: Debbie Howells
name: Anne
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2020/07/12
date added: 2020/07/13
shelves: read-2020, netgalley, never-read-again
review:


I was really intrigued by the concept of this book but sadly it didn't live up to my expectations. I was keen to find out what had happened to Matt but I thought the execution was a bit clumsy and I found the conversations to be quite stilted at times between the characters. Also, one minute the police were being friendly with Amy, then they were suspicious of her, then they were chatting with her like they were friends... it was all a bit odd.

Amy's character has a lot of secrets, even from herself, and I enjoyed finding out her past as this unravelled alongside the main storyline. It was clever that you didn't really know who to believe between Amy and Fiona, the other woman.

Amy's daughter Jess was the best character in the book and her parts of the story kept me engaged. Although Jess' boyfriend Rik seemed a bit unnecessary to the story as she would ask him to look into something but then find it out herself.

I still think the author had a good idea for the story but the writing could have been improved. I really hate to write a negative review but unfortunately this book just didn't work for me.

I gave this 2 out of 5.
]]>
The Vanishing Half 51791252
Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.]]>
343 Brit Bennett 0525536299 Anne 3 netgalley, read-2020 4.11 2020 The Vanishing Half
author: Brit Bennett
name: Anne
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/09
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves: netgalley, read-2020
review:

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The Plus One 38733836 The Plus One [n] informal a person who accompanies an invited person to a wedding or a reminder of being single, alone and absolutely plus none

Polly’s not looking for ‘the one�, just the plus one�
Polly Spencer is fine. She’s single, turning thirty and only managed to have sex twice last year (both times with a Swedish banker called Fred), but seriously, she’s fine. Even if she’s still stuck at Posh! magazine writing about royal babies and the chances of finding a plus one to her best friend’s summer wedding are looking worryingly slim.

But it’s a New Year, a new leaf and all that. Polly’s determined that over the next 365 days she’ll remember to shave her legs, drink less wine and generally get her s**t together. Her latest piece is on the infamous Jasper, Marquess of Milton, undoubtedly neither a plus one nor ‘the one�. She’s heard the stories, there’s no way she’ll succumb to his charms�

A laugh-out-loud, toe-curlingly honest debut for fans of Helen Fielding, Bryony Gordon and Jilly Cooper. Don’t miss the hottest book of 2018!]]>
384 Sophia Money-Coutts 000828847X Anne 3 read-2020 3.23 2018 The Plus One
author: Sophia Money-Coutts
name: Anne
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Bad Feminist 18813642 Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today. The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

Feel me, see me, hear me, reach me --
Peculiar benefits --
Typical first year professor --
To scratch, claw or grope clumsily or frantically --
How to be friends with another woman --
Girls, girls, girls --
I once was Miss America --
Garish, glorious spectacles --
Not here to make friends --
How we all lose --
Reaching for catharsis : getting fat right (or wrong) and Diana Spechler's Skinny --
The smooth surfaces of idyll --
The careless language of sexual violence --
What we hunger for --
The illusion of safety/the safety of illusion --
The spectacle of broken men --
A tale of three coming out stories --
Beyond the measure of men --
Some jokes are funnier than others --
Dear young ladies who love Chris Brown --
So much they would let him beat them --
Blurred lines, indeed --
The trouble with Prince Charming, or, He who trespassed against us --
The solace of preparing fried foods and other quaint remembrances from 1960s Mississippi : thoughts on The help --
Surviving Django --
Beyond the struggle narrative --
The morality of Tyler Perry --
The last day of a young black man --
When less is more --
The politics of respectability --
When Twitter does what journalism cannot --
The alienable rights of women --
Holding out for a hero --
A tale of two profiles --
The racism we all carry --
Tragedy, call, compassion, response --
Bad feminist : take one --
Bad feminist : take two]]>
320 Roxane Gay 0062282719 Anne 3 3.93 2014 Bad Feminist
author: Roxane Gay
name: Anne
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2020/02/29
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: read-2020, audiobook, non-fiction
review:

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How to Fail 42949842 Inspired by her hugely popular podcast,ÌýHow To FailÌýis Elizabeth Day’s brilliantly funny, painfully honest and insightful celebration of things going wrong.

This is a book for anyone who has ever failed. Which means it’s a book for everyone.

If I have learned one thing from this shockingly beautiful venture called life, it is this: failure has taught me lessons I would never otherwise have understood. I have evolved more as a result of things going wrong than when everything seemed to be going right.ÌýOut of crisis has come clarity, and sometimes even catharsis.

Part memoir, part manifesto, and including chapters on dating, work, sport, babies, families, anger and friendship, it is based on the simple premise that understanding why we fail ultimately makes us stronger. It's a book about learning from our mistakes and about not being afraid.
Ìý
Uplifting, inspiring and rich in stories from Elizabeth’s own life,ÌýHow to FailÌýreveals that failure is not what defines us; rather it is how we respond to it that shapes us as individuals.
Ìý
Because learning how to fail is actually learning how to succeed better. And everyone needs a bit of that.]]>
272 Elizabeth Day 0008327327 Anne 4 3.93 2019 How to Fail
author: Elizabeth Day
name: Anne
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/06
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: read-2020, audiobook, non-fiction
review:

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<![CDATA[Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love]]> 41824023
The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.

Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.

Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’re strong, and you’ve got this.]]>
6 Jonathan Van Ness 0062906402 Anne 5 4.19 2019 Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love
author: Jonathan Van Ness
name: Anne
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/03
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: non-fiction, read-2020, audiobook
review:

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The Sight of You 49562636

'Exquisitely written, incredibly moving and impossible to put down'
Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare
___________

Joel is afraid of the future.
Since he was a child he's been haunted by dreams about the people he loves. Visions of what's going to happen - the good and the bad. And the only way to prevent them is to never let anyone close to him again.

Callie can't let go of the past.
Since her best friend died, Callie's been lost. She knows she needs to be more spontaneous and live a bigger life. She just doesn't know how to find a way back to the person who used to have those dreams.

Joel and Callie both need a reason to start living for today.
And though they're not looking for each other, from the moment they meet it feels like the start of something life-changing.

Until Joel has a vision of how it's going to end . . .

]]>
386 Holly Miller 152932436X Anne 4 read-2020, netgalley
Callie has been putting off following her passions and has recently lost one of her best friends.

As soon as they meet there is an undeniable connection between Joel and Callie but Joel is afraid to let anyone else into his life. He already lives in fear for his family and friends. They way the author writes about their relationship as it grows and changes was really lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters surrounding them both.

This was an incredibly moving and heartbreaking story, which is beautifully written between Callie and Joel's points of view. The only thing that I didn't like so much was when some parts of Callie's story were set further in the future than the main story which gave some things away before they happened - beyond the predictions of the future by Joel.

This was a beautiful read. I gave this 4 out of 5.]]>
4.34 2020 The Sight of You
author: Holly Miller
name: Anne
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/29
date added: 2020/07/02
shelves: read-2020, netgalley
review:
You would think that being able to see the future would be a useful skill, but for Joel it is a constant torment. He lives in fear of the next dream about someone he loves where the dream predicts something terrible happening. Meanwhile, he is hiding his secret from everyone he knows which is making his life very lonely. I felt really sorry for Joel as he has lost hope for his own future and being able to do anything with his life.

Callie has been putting off following her passions and has recently lost one of her best friends.

As soon as they meet there is an undeniable connection between Joel and Callie but Joel is afraid to let anyone else into his life. He already lives in fear for his family and friends. They way the author writes about their relationship as it grows and changes was really lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters surrounding them both.

This was an incredibly moving and heartbreaking story, which is beautifully written between Callie and Joel's points of view. The only thing that I didn't like so much was when some parts of Callie's story were set further in the future than the main story which gave some things away before they happened - beyond the predictions of the future by Joel.

This was a beautiful read. I gave this 4 out of 5.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Phone Box at the Edge of the World]]> 52738210
When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she wonders how she will ever carry on. Yet, in the face of this unthinkable loss, life must somehow continue.

Then one day she hears about a man who has an old disused telephone box in his garden. There, those who have lost loved ones find the strength to speak to them and begin to come to terms with their grief. As news of the phone box spreads, people will travel there from miles around.

Soon Yui will make her own pilgrimage to the phone box, too. But once there she cannot bring herself to speak into the receiver. Then she finds Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss.

What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking.]]>
416 Laura Imai Messina 178658039X Anne 4 read-2020
When Yui discovers the phone box hidden in rural Japan where people go to talk to their lost loved ones, she makes the long journey to see if it will help her, but when she gets there she doesn't feel ready to speak yet. She starts to build new connections with the other people who visit the phone box in Bell Gardia who speak into the wind to feel closer to their loved ones. The author tells their stories tenderly and sensitively.

Originally published in Italian as Quel che affidiamo al vento (What we entrust to the wind), the book is based on a real place run by a couple in Japan which can be visited by those who are grieving.

This is a really beautiful novel exploring loss, grief and finding hope when so much has been lost. I gave this 4 out of 5.

]]>
3.72 2020 The Phone Box at the Edge of the World
author: Laura Imai Messina
name: Anne
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/23
date added: 2020/06/30
shelves: read-2020
review:
Set after the tsunami which devastated Fukushima in Japan in 2011, the story follows Yui who lost her mother and daughter in the tsunami. The story moves back and forth in time between the days immediately following the disaster and the years that follow.

When Yui discovers the phone box hidden in rural Japan where people go to talk to their lost loved ones, she makes the long journey to see if it will help her, but when she gets there she doesn't feel ready to speak yet. She starts to build new connections with the other people who visit the phone box in Bell Gardia who speak into the wind to feel closer to their loved ones. The author tells their stories tenderly and sensitively.

Originally published in Italian as Quel che affidiamo al vento (What we entrust to the wind), the book is based on a real place run by a couple in Japan which can be visited by those who are grieving.

This is a really beautiful novel exploring loss, grief and finding hope when so much has been lost. I gave this 4 out of 5.


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Lou in Lockdown 53796479 46 Jojo Moyes Anne 5 read-2020 4.10 2020 Lou in Lockdown
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Anne
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/28
date added: 2020/06/28
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Never Have I Ever Club 53177623
Months later, Robyn is struggling to move on—but then she has a brainwave: The Never Have I Ever Club. Her handsome next-door neighbour Will helps her bring their fellow Yorkshire villagers together for some carpe-diem-inspired fun.

From burlesque dancing to Swedish massages, everyone has plenty of bucket-list activities to try, but it doesn't take long for Robyn to realise what—or who—her heart truly desires: Will.

There's just one problem: he's Ash's twin brother.

Make that two problems: Ash is moving home... and he wants Robyn back.

Mary Jayne Baker is the recipient of the RNA Romantic Comedy Award for A Question of Us</i>.]]>
326 Mary Jayne Baker Anne 4 read-2020
Set in a small village, there is a cast of quirky characters who join together for Robyn's Never Have I Ever Club, which mainly involves the local pensioners getting up to mischief and making the younger folk blush! Although the club didn't feel like the main focus of the book I enjoyed the message of making sure you seize the day, especially linked with some more serious topics in the story.

I loved Robyn's aunt Felicity who is a force of nature and a lesson in how to be yourself and live life to the fullest and her best friends Freya and Eliot were fun additions to the story.

This is a hilarious romcom with fun, quirky characters and I highly recommend for light relief in this current climate. I gave this book 4 out of 5.]]>
3.89 2020 The Never Have I Ever Club
author: Mary Jayne Baker
name: Anne
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/25
date added: 2020/06/21
shelves: read-2020
review:
Robyn is still really hurt and angry with her ex, Ash, who announced out-of-the-blue that he needed to go "find himself" in Australia and that he hoped they would still be friends. She has spent the last eight months wondering how she could have misunderstood their relationship so thoroughly and avoiding Ash's twin brother Will, who lives next door. She has known the brothers from childhood and they have been friends for years. Realising that she shouldn't lose Will's friendship because of her anger with Ash, they reignite their friendship but they soon realise their feelings may be growing into something deeper. Life gets more complicated when Ash returns and starts trying to win Robyn back. I really felt for Will who was so conflicted in his feelings between his love for his brother and his romantic feelings for Robyn.

Set in a small village, there is a cast of quirky characters who join together for Robyn's Never Have I Ever Club, which mainly involves the local pensioners getting up to mischief and making the younger folk blush! Although the club didn't feel like the main focus of the book I enjoyed the message of making sure you seize the day, especially linked with some more serious topics in the story.

I loved Robyn's aunt Felicity who is a force of nature and a lesson in how to be yourself and live life to the fullest and her best friends Freya and Eliot were fun additions to the story.

This is a hilarious romcom with fun, quirky characters and I highly recommend for light relief in this current climate. I gave this book 4 out of 5.
]]>
Survive 53815787
Paradise is about to become hell�

On a remote island in the Adriatic, an enigmatic billionaire hosts a twisted form of entertainment to satisfy the jaded appetites of his exclusive guests. And for one unsuspecting family, the holiday of a lifetime is about to become a desperate battle for survival.

As young parents, Sam and Jody have managed to defy the odds once before. But years of struggle have taken their toll, and Sam’s demons return to haunt him at the worst possible time.

Caught up in a sick game of cat and mouse, can they put their differences aside and work under intolerable pressure to save themselves and their children?

Live or die. It’s the only choice they have.]]>
430 Tom Bale Anne 2 read-2020 4.12 2020 Survive
author: Tom Bale
name: Anne
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2020/06/17
date added: 2020/06/20
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Persuasion 2156 249 Jane Austen 0192802631 Anne 5 4.15 1817 Persuasion
author: Jane Austen
name: Anne
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1817
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/14
date added: 2020/06/20
shelves: read-2012, favourites, read-2020
review:

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Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]>
371 Emily Henry 1984806734 Anne 5 read-2020
I really enjoyed learning the history of January and Gus and what makes them tick. January is a hopeless romantic whose view of the world has recently been knocked off-kilter and she's struggling to find balance in her new world. While Augustus has had a difficult past and writes books that expose the darkest parts of humanity. Their competition sparks new creativity for both of them and between them.

The characters leapt off the page and made me laugh, swoon and root for them to find each other. I wish January's best friend Shadi could have been in the book more as she seemed awesome... maybe she'll have her own book next!

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy to review.]]>
3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Anne
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/20
date added: 2020/06/20
shelves: read-2020
review:
I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. January and Gus were real, vulnerable, flawed and lovable and made we want to sit down and write my own novel.

I really enjoyed learning the history of January and Gus and what makes them tick. January is a hopeless romantic whose view of the world has recently been knocked off-kilter and she's struggling to find balance in her new world. While Augustus has had a difficult past and writes books that expose the darkest parts of humanity. Their competition sparks new creativity for both of them and between them.

The characters leapt off the page and made me laugh, swoon and root for them to find each other. I wish January's best friend Shadi could have been in the book more as she seemed awesome... maybe she'll have her own book next!

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy to review.
]]>
<![CDATA[Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster]]> 40538681
Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens, but all of humanity. It is a story that has long remained in dispute, clouded from the beginning in secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation.

Midnight In Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of history's worst nuclear disaster, of human resilience and ingenuity and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will - lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats - remain not just vital but necessary.

Now, Higginbotham brings us closer to the truth behind this colossal tragedy.]]>
538 Adam Higginbotham 1501134612 Anne 5 read-2020, non-fiction 4.35 2019 Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
author: Adam Higginbotham
name: Anne
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/14
date added: 2020/06/14
shelves: read-2020, non-fiction
review:

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Eve of Man (Eve of Man, #1) 38467635 AGAINST ALL ODDS, SHE SURVIVED.
THE FIRST GIRL BORN IN FIFTY YEARS.
THEY CALLED HER EVE . . .

All her life Eve has been kept away from the opposite sex. Kept from the truth of her past.

But at sixteen it's time for Eve to face her destiny. Three potential males have been selected for her. The future of humanity is in her hands. She's always accepted her fate.

Until she meets Bram.

Eve wants control over her life. She wants freedom.

But how do you choose between love and the future of the human race?

EVE OF MAN is the first in an explosive new trilogy by bestselling authors Giovanna & Tom Fletcher.]]>
407 Giovanna Fletcher 0718186346 Anne 5 read-2018, read-2020 4.04 2018 Eve of Man (Eve of Man, #1)
author: Giovanna Fletcher
name: Anne
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/31
date added: 2020/06/07
shelves: read-2018, read-2020
review:

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After You'd Gone 675323
A distraught young woman boards a train at King's Cross to return to her family in Scotland. Six hours later, she catches sight of something so terrible in a mirror at Waverley Station that she gets on the next train back to London.

After You'd Gone follows Alice's mental journey through her own past, after a traffic accident has left her in a coma. A love story that is also a story of absence, and of how our choices can reverberate through the generations, it slowly draws us closer to a dark secret at a family's heart.]]>
384 Maggie O'Farrell 0142000329 Anne 3 read-2020 4.01 2000 After You'd Gone
author: Maggie O'Farrell
name: Anne
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/06
date added: 2020/06/06
shelves: read-2020
review:

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My Lemon Grove Summer 44798625
Could the lemon groves of Sicily be the perfect place to start over? The irresistible new novel from Jo Thomas, the author of Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard, will transport you to the island of mountains and sparkling blue seas.

When life hands you lemons ... is it ever too late for a second chance?

Zelda's impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best?

But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can't hide the shadow hanging over Citta d'Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there's a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around...

Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart?]]>
352 Jo Thomas 1472246012 Anne 3 read-2020 4.00 2019 My Lemon Grove Summer
author: Jo Thomas
name: Anne
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/31
date added: 2020/06/02
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Eve Illusion (Eve of Man, #2)]]> 43715657 The second book in the bestselling Eve of Man trilogy.

Eve is the last girl on earth.

For the last sixteen years, Eve has been a prisoner. Guarded by the Mothers. Trapped by her fate. Watched by the world.

Until she took her chance, and escaped.

Eve finally has the freedom she has wanted for so long, and with Bram she has the love. But both come at a price. In this dangerous new world beyond the Tower, the regime are only ever one step behind. And together with the desperate rebel group fighting against them, Eve has found herself in more danger than she ever could have imagined.

With everything stacked against them, can Eve and Bram survive?]]>
400 Giovanna Fletcher 0718184149 Anne 5 read-2020 4.12 2020 The Eve Illusion (Eve of Man, #2)
author: Giovanna Fletcher
name: Anne
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/01
date added: 2020/06/01
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Where the Crawdads Sing 36809135
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]>
384 Delia Owens 0735219117 Anne 5 read-2020 4.35 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Anne
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/29
date added: 2020/05/29
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Seven Days 44557072 A race against time to save her child�

In seven days, Maggie’s son, Max, turns three. But she’s not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She’s dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens� she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking…]]>
416 Alex Lake 0008272425 Anne 4 read-2020 4.24 2019 Seven Days
author: Alex Lake
name: Anne
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/24
date added: 2020/05/24
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Defending Jacob 11367726
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.]]>
421 William Landay 0385344228 Anne 4 read-2020 3.99 2012 Defending Jacob
author: William Landay
name: Anne
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/23
date added: 2020/05/23
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Finale (Hush, Hush, #4) 12751687
Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.]]>
466 Becca Fitzpatrick 1442426675 Anne 2 read-2020 4.12 2012 Finale (Hush, Hush, #4)
author: Becca Fitzpatrick
name: Anne
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2020/05/17
date added: 2020/05/17
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Silence (Hush, Hush, #3) 10637766
But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.]]>
440 Becca Fitzpatrick 1442426640 Anne 2 read-2020 4.08 2011 Silence (Hush, Hush, #3)
author: Becca Fitzpatrick
name: Anne
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2020/05/15
date added: 2020/05/17
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2) 7791997
Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something.

If that weren't enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.]]>
427 Becca Fitzpatrick 1416989439 Anne 2 read-2020 3.99 2010 Crescendo (Hush, Hush, #2)
author: Becca Fitzpatrick
name: Anne
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2020/05/12
date added: 2020/05/17
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[Escape to the French Farmhouse]]> 50637634 Can she find her recipe for happiness?

Del and her husband Ollie moved to a beautiful village in Provence for a fresh start after years of infertility struggles. But six weeks after they arrive, they’re packing the removal van once more. As Del watches the van leave for England, she suddenly realises exactly what will make her happier…a new life in France � without Ollie.

Now alone, all Del has is a crumbling farmhouse, a mortgage to pay and a few lavender plants. What on earth is she going to do? Discovering an old recipe book at the market run by the rather attractive Fabian, Del starts to bake. But can her new-found passion really help her let go of the past and lead to true happiness?

A heart-warming tale about reclaiming your life, set amongst the lavender fields of Provence. Perfect escapism from the author of Late Summer in the Vineyard and The Honey Farm on the Hill.

Praise for Jo Thomas:

�Rich, warm and sunny. A story that stays with you long after the last page is turned� Milly Johnson

'The characters went straight to my heart' Katie Fforde

'A sparkling, heartwarming hug of a story' Miranda Dickinson

'Like the best kind of holiday' Lucy Diamond

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347 Jo Thomas 1473573602 Anne 3 read-2020 4.16 2020 Escape to the French Farmhouse
author: Jo Thomas
name: Anne
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/08
date added: 2020/05/10
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1) 6339664 A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.]]>
391 Becca Fitzpatrick 1416989412 Anne 3 read-2020 3.93 2009 Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)
author: Becca Fitzpatrick
name: Anne
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/10
date added: 2020/05/10
shelves: read-2020
review:

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In Five Years 50093704 Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.]]>
272 Rebecca Serle 1982137444 Anne 5 read-2020 3.74 2020 In Five Years
author: Rebecca Serle
name: Anne
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/07
date added: 2020/05/07
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The Cancer Ladies' Running Club]]> 52531026 Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feet�

When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn’t want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn’t want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club.

But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs.

Because the C-word is not going to define Keira’s identity. And with the Cancer Ladies� Running Club cheering her on, she’s going to reclaim her life.
One step at a time.

Life isn’t always the race we expected to run but this moving and uplifting novel is full of hope and about love, family, friendship and the power of finding your tribe.]]>
400 Josie Lloyd 0008373655 Anne 5 read-2020
I was drawn in from page one to Keira's world, from the introduction to her family and friends and then receiving the shattering news of her breast cancer diagnosis. I felt every step of her journey and the challenges, heartbreaks and uplifting moments along the way. I felt the reality of what a cancer diagnosis can mean, including the wide variety of reactions from different people and how it affects the family around the person as much as the person themselves.

The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is an inspiring story and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially the ladies themselves, Keira, Tamsyn, Amma and Sian. The love and support they show each other is really uplifting and show the importance of friendship and understanding in difficult times.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5.]]>
4.27 2020 The Cancer Ladies' Running Club
author: Josie Lloyd
name: Anne
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/28
date added: 2020/05/05
shelves: read-2020
review:
In her introduction, the author Josie Lloyd explained how this book was inspired by her own breast cancer story and the inspiring people she met along the way. The book is really well written and it was good to read a book that honestly tells the struggles of going through cancer treatment, seemingly without sugar-coating it while still telling a story of strength and hope in the face of adversity.

I was drawn in from page one to Keira's world, from the introduction to her family and friends and then receiving the shattering news of her breast cancer diagnosis. I felt every step of her journey and the challenges, heartbreaks and uplifting moments along the way. I felt the reality of what a cancer diagnosis can mean, including the wide variety of reactions from different people and how it affects the family around the person as much as the person themselves.

The Cancer Ladies' Running Club is an inspiring story and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially the ladies themselves, Keira, Tamsyn, Amma and Sian. The love and support they show each other is really uplifting and show the importance of friendship and understanding in difficult times.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5.
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The Silent Patient 40097951
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.]]>
336 Alex Michaelides 1250301696 Anne 5 read-2020 4.17 2019 The Silent Patient
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Anne
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/05
date added: 2020/05/05
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Let Me Lie 35376281 Anna says it was murder.
They're both wrong.

One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.

Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to question her parents� deaths. But by digging up their past, she’ll put her future in danger. Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie�

The stunning, twisty new psychological thriller from number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go and I See You.]]>
400 Clare Mackintosh 0751564907 Anne 5 read-2020 3.76 2018 Let Me Lie
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Anne
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/03
date added: 2020/05/03
shelves: read-2020
review:

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No Accounting for Love 41084959 Miss Katherine Grant is a lady’s companion, one whose number of dishonorable offers (six) greatly outweigh her honorable ones (zero). Now tasked with making certain her charge, Lady Euphemia, does not contract herself to someone inappropriate, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Mr. Henry Dawkins, the inappropriate gentleman Lady Euphemia wants to charm, who keeps the books at Madame Follette’s. But it seems that Henry only has eyes for Miss Katherine Grant.Ìý

Originally published in the Dressed to Kiss anthology.

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99 Megan Frampton 0984712887 Anne 3 read-2020 3.36 2017 No Accounting for Love
author: Megan Frampton
name: Anne
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/02
date added: 2020/05/02
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Jetsetters 45754807
Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young and she was a single mother who meant everything to them. When she wins the cruise, the family packs all their baggage—literal and figurative—and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso.

As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the Perkins family is forced to confront the defining choices in their lives. Can four lost adults find the peace they've been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back to each other?

In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, Ward has created a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood to cruise—we can only hope—toward joy.]]>
352 Amanda Eyre Ward 039918189X Anne 2 read-2020 3.02 2020 The Jetsetters
author: Amanda Eyre Ward
name: Anne
average rating: 3.02
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2020/04/30
date added: 2020/04/30
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Beekeeper of Aleppo 43124137 The unforgettable love story of a mother blinded by loss and her husband who insists on their survival as they undertake the Syrian refugee trail to Europe.

Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo--until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees.

As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all, they must journey to find each other again.

Moving, powerful, compassionate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. It is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling.]]>
317 Christy Lefteri 1984821210 Anne 5 read-2020 4.14 2019 The Beekeeper of Aleppo
author: Christy Lefteri
name: Anne
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/26
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Flatshare 36478784 Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met�


Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…]]>
394 Beth O'Leary 1787474402 Anne 5 read-2020 3.97 2019 The Flatshare
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Anne
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/24
date added: 2020/04/24
shelves: read-2020
review:

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All the Light We Cannot See 18143977
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here]]>
544 Anthony Doerr 1476746583 Anne 5 read-2020 4.31 2014 All the Light We Cannot See
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Anne
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/21
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Conviction (Anna and Fin, #1) 42283333
With her safe, comfortable world shattered, Anna distracts herself with someone else's story: a true-crime podcast. That is until she recognises the name of one of the victims and becomes convinced that only she knows what really happened.

With nothing left to lose, she throws herself into investigating the case. But little does she know, Anna's past and present lives are about to collide, sending everything she has worked so hard to achieve into freefall.

Conviction is the compelling and unique new thriller from multiple award-winner and author of The Long Drop, Denise Mina.]]>
376 Denise Mina 0316528501 Anne 5 read-2020 3.47 2019 Conviction (Anna and Fin, #1)
author: Denise Mina
name: Anne
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/18
date added: 2020/04/18
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Stay with Me 32969150
Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage--after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures--Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time--until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does--but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Me asks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of family.]]>
260 Ayá»Ì€baÌmi AdeÌbaÌyá»Ì€ 0451494601 Anne 5 read-2020 4.04 2017 Stay with Me
author: Ayá»Ì€baÌmi AdeÌbaÌyá»Ì€
name: Anne
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/14
date added: 2020/04/14
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[Aria’s Travelling Book Shop (The Travelling Shops, #2)]]> 51895060 From the bestselling author of Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop comes another uplifting romance.

This summer will change everything!

Aria Summers knows what she wants.

A life on the road with best friend Rosie and her beloved camper-van-cum-book-shop, and definitely, definitely, no romance.

But when Aria finds herself falling � after one too many glasses of wine, from a karaoke stage � into the arms of Jonathan, a part of her comes back to life for the first time in years.

Since her beloved husband died Aria has sworn off love, unless it’s the kind you can find in the pages of a book. One love of her life is quite enough.

And so Aria tries to forget Jonathan and sets off for a summer to remember in France. But could this trip change Aria’s life forever�?

]]>
384 Rebecca Raisin Anne 4 read-2020
Although Aria gives the impression of being happy-go-lucky and perfectly content with her single lifestyle, she doesn't tell many people that she lost her husband TJ to cancer a few years ago. The author approaches Aria's grief with great sensitivity and the story explores whether she could be ready to find love again with the lovely Jonathan, while trying to come to terms with the past.

I really enjoyed this book, it's the perfect story to read on holiday in the sunshine. I hadn't read the previous book relating to this one, 'Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop' but didn't feel left behind by the story, although I'm sure it would have been better to have read that one first to know Rosie and Max's story as well.

This is such a lovely, heartwarming read, I've given it 4 out of 5 stars.

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3.87 2020 Aria’s Travelling Book Shop (The Travelling Shops, #2)
author: Rebecca Raisin
name: Anne
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/12
date added: 2020/04/12
shelves: read-2020
review:
Aria is a very lovable character and a woman after my own heart with her love of reading and an attitude of no book left behind! She travels around in her camper van bookshop with her friend Rosie in one van supplying her with no end of delicious sounding food and Rosie's partner Max in another, being a good guy and supportive friend. I enjoyed the descriptions of their nomadic lifestyle journeying from place to place, exploring and meeting new people. This story definitely made me wish I could go on holiday to France, explore old towns and eat a lot of croissants!

Although Aria gives the impression of being happy-go-lucky and perfectly content with her single lifestyle, she doesn't tell many people that she lost her husband TJ to cancer a few years ago. The author approaches Aria's grief with great sensitivity and the story explores whether she could be ready to find love again with the lovely Jonathan, while trying to come to terms with the past.

I really enjoyed this book, it's the perfect story to read on holiday in the sunshine. I hadn't read the previous book relating to this one, 'Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop' but didn't feel left behind by the story, although I'm sure it would have been better to have read that one first to know Rosie and Max's story as well.

This is such a lovely, heartwarming read, I've given it 4 out of 5 stars.


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The Lost Lights of St Kilda 53124210
Chrissie Gillies is just nineteen when the researchers come to St Kilda. Hired as their cook, she can't believe they would ever notice her, sophisticated and educated as they are. But she soon develops a cautious friendship with Fred, a friendship that cannot be allowed to develop into anything more...

Years later, to help deal with his hellish existence in a German prisoner of war camp, Fred tells the tale of the island and the woman he loved, but left behind. And Fred starts to wonder, where is Chrissie now? And does she ever think of him too?]]>
288 Elisabeth Gifford 1786499711 Anne 4 read-2020
Elisabeth Gifford paints a vivid picture of life on St Kilda, the remains of a community that had lost more and more people to opportunities on the mainland, to a point where continuing to live on the island was no longer sustainable. I really valued this glimpse of another time and a completely different way of life and the descriptions of the starkly beautiful but unforgiving land and sea. The focus on their environment, community, the animals and the seasons was humbling and the story of their eventual evacuation and loss of all they had ever known was devastating.

The other half set in war torn Europe follows Fred's struggles to avoid the enemy while helped by many ordinary people acting in extraordinary ways to resist and save people in dangerous situations. He reminisces about his time on the island with Chrissie and begins to question what is worth fighting for.

I enjoyed the relationship between Fred and Chrissie but for me it was secondary to the story of the island community which touched me deeply. It's sad to think of an island and its people with thousands of years' of history and traditions now lost forever.

I gave this book 4 out of 5.]]>
4.12 2020 The Lost Lights of St Kilda
author: Elisabeth Gifford
name: Anne
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/05
date added: 2020/04/11
shelves: read-2020
review:
This is a novel of two main halves; the story moves back and forth between Chrissie's time growing up on the island and Fred's point of view as a prisoner of war in 1940 trying to get home. Occasionally we also join Rachel Anne in Scotland in 1940 trying to understand her heritage of the island of St Kilda.

Elisabeth Gifford paints a vivid picture of life on St Kilda, the remains of a community that had lost more and more people to opportunities on the mainland, to a point where continuing to live on the island was no longer sustainable. I really valued this glimpse of another time and a completely different way of life and the descriptions of the starkly beautiful but unforgiving land and sea. The focus on their environment, community, the animals and the seasons was humbling and the story of their eventual evacuation and loss of all they had ever known was devastating.

The other half set in war torn Europe follows Fred's struggles to avoid the enemy while helped by many ordinary people acting in extraordinary ways to resist and save people in dangerous situations. He reminisces about his time on the island with Chrissie and begins to question what is worth fighting for.

I enjoyed the relationship between Fred and Chrissie but for me it was secondary to the story of the island community which touched me deeply. It's sad to think of an island and its people with thousands of years' of history and traditions now lost forever.

I gave this book 4 out of 5.
]]>
<![CDATA[Ashes: A WW2 historical fiction inspired by true events. A story of friendship, war and courage]]> 48708628 WINNER OF THE 'FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR' AT CRT 2021

A deeply touching novel about two young women whose differences, which once united them, will tear them apart forever, during Hitler's Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. Based on true events.

For fans of All The Light We Cannot See and Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Belgium, July 1939: Simone Lyon is the daughter of a Belgium national hero, the famous General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava Daniels, is the eldest daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable.

But when, in the spring of 1940, Nazi planes and tanks begin bombing Brussels, their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee.

In an emotionally-charged race for survival, even the most harrowing horrors cannot break their bonds of love and friendship. The two teenage girls, will see their innocence fall, against the ugly backdrop of a war dictating that theirs was a friendship that should never have been.]]>
332 Christopher de Vinck 0310111994 Anne 5 read-2020 4.14 2020 Ashes: A WW2 historical fiction inspired by true events. A story of friendship, war and courage
author: Christopher de Vinck
name: Anne
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/11
date added: 2020/04/11
shelves: read-2020
review:

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A Springtime Affair 45893855 A wonderfully romantic novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Rose Petal Summer and A Country Escape.

It's the season of new beginnings for Helena and Gilly.

Gilly runs her own B&B business from her much-loved family home, which she doesn't want to part with - at any price.

But that's before she meets handsome estate agent Leo, and soon she begins to wonder whether selling up might not be such a bad idea after all.

Meanwhile Gilly's daughter Helena has a budding romance of her own. A talented weaver, she's becoming very close to her new landlord, Jago, who's offered to help her at an upcoming craft fair.

It's what friends do, and they are just friends. Aren't they?

With spring in full bloom, Helena and Gilly begin to ask themselves the same question:

Might their new loves lead to happily ever after?]]>
400 Katie Fforde 1780897561 Anne 2 read-2020
Gilly is in her 50s and divorced with two grown-up children. She's happy with her life running a B&B until her son Martin makes her question whether she should give it up and sell her property so that she can give money to her children to help them along in life. Although she definitely isn't keen on living in a granny-annexe, understandably so when she's only in her 50's! She meets Leo who starts to sweep her off her feet, but she begins to question the reasons behind his appearance in her life. Meanwhile her accountant William is quietly in the background offering her sound advice and offering to take her gliding.

Helena is a strong independent woman on her late twenties making a career from weaving and is not interested in men, until she meets Jago. I enjoyed reading their relationship as it was mutually supportive until some questions about Jago's past arise. I have to confess I have no idea how to pronounce the name 'Jago' so I think I said it differently in my head every time I read it!

I found some parts of the relationships between the men and women in the story problematic, and while some were intentionally made so by the author I had misgivings that some of these tropes are still being used and some aspects of the attitudes held by the men were troublesome and weren't resolved by the end of the book.

This was an enjoyable, light hearted read, I give this book 2 out of 5.]]>
3.88 2020 A Springtime Affair
author: Katie Fforde
name: Anne
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2020/04/10
date added: 2020/04/10
shelves: read-2020
review:
This is an enjoyable story about a warm relationship between mother and daughter, both finding new love.

Gilly is in her 50s and divorced with two grown-up children. She's happy with her life running a B&B until her son Martin makes her question whether she should give it up and sell her property so that she can give money to her children to help them along in life. Although she definitely isn't keen on living in a granny-annexe, understandably so when she's only in her 50's! She meets Leo who starts to sweep her off her feet, but she begins to question the reasons behind his appearance in her life. Meanwhile her accountant William is quietly in the background offering her sound advice and offering to take her gliding.

Helena is a strong independent woman on her late twenties making a career from weaving and is not interested in men, until she meets Jago. I enjoyed reading their relationship as it was mutually supportive until some questions about Jago's past arise. I have to confess I have no idea how to pronounce the name 'Jago' so I think I said it differently in my head every time I read it!

I found some parts of the relationships between the men and women in the story problematic, and while some were intentionally made so by the author I had misgivings that some of these tropes are still being used and some aspects of the attitudes held by the men were troublesome and weren't resolved by the end of the book.

This was an enjoyable, light hearted read, I give this book 2 out of 5.
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Family for Beginners 49294981 USA Today best-selling author Sarah Morgan returns with a life-affirming exploration of love, loss, and how families come in all shapes and sizes....

New York florist Flora Donovan is living the dream, but her bubbly optimism hides a secret. She's lonely. Orphaned as a child, she’s never felt like she’s belonged anywhere...until she meets Jack Parker. He’s the first man to ever really see her, and it’s life changing.

Teenager Izzy Parker is holding it together by her fingertips. Since her mother passed away a year ago, looking after her dad and little sister is the only thing that makes Izzy feel safe. Discovering her father has a new girlfriend is her worst nightmare - she is not in the market for a replacement mom. Then, her father invites Flora on their summer vacation....

Flora’s heart aches for Izzy, but she badly wants her relationship with Jack to work. As the summer unfolds, Flora must push her own boundaries to discover parts of herself she never knew existed - and to find the family she’s always wanted.]]>
400 Sarah Morgan 1848457944 Anne 4 read-2020
Even with it's mysterious edges this book still radiates the author's usual warmth. I identified with Flora and her tendency to people please and fear of rejection. Her growth throughout the book was really heartwarming as was the way relationships developed with the other characters, including Izzy and Molly and the family friends was lovely.

This is a wonderfully uplifting book, valuing the importance of honesty and being yourself. I've given it 4 out of 5.]]>
4.23 2020 Family for Beginners
author: Sarah Morgan
name: Anne
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/02
date added: 2020/04/02
shelves: read-2020
review:
I've been reading and loving Sarah Morgan's books for a while now, and while this is no exception I felt this book had some darker undertones than many of her other books. The prologue felt a little bit like the start of a thriller and the feeling of mystery surrounding Becca and her secrets had me intrigued from the start. It also handles the wide ways we deal with loss and grief, which Sarah Morgan depicts with grace and sensitivity.

Even with it's mysterious edges this book still radiates the author's usual warmth. I identified with Flora and her tendency to people please and fear of rejection. Her growth throughout the book was really heartwarming as was the way relationships developed with the other characters, including Izzy and Molly and the family friends was lovely.

This is a wonderfully uplifting book, valuing the importance of honesty and being yourself. I've given it 4 out of 5.
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The Donor 52870233 She gave you everything. But what does she want in return?

When Lizzie's daughter Meg is given a life-saving heart transplant, Lizzie feels hugely grateful to the nameless donor. Then she receives a letter from the donor's mother, Karen, asking to meet, and it seems like the least she can do.

But as soon as Karen is welcomed into their lives, Lizzie feels something isn't right. And before long, she can't help but worry that by inviting Karen in, she might have put Meg in danger . . .

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112 Clare Mackintosh 0751576492 Anne 4 read-2020 3.87 2020 The Donor
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Anne
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/09
date added: 2020/04/01
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Guest List 49656902
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]>
378 Lucy Foley Anne 5 read-2020 3.90 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: Anne
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/13
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard]]> 35116364 Jo Thomas's new novel invites you to a special cherry orchard in Spain, where sunshine, romance and family secrets are the order of the day. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews, Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard is a heartwarming, hilarious tale that is 'like the best kind of holiday' (Lucy Diamond).

It's time for Beti Winter to dance to her own beat.

After three failed engagements Beti is in desperate need of a fresh start. What better place than the sun-drenched hills of southern Spain?

But it's not all sangria and siestas. Beti finds work on an old Andalusian cherry farm where there are cherries to be picked, trees to be watered and her fiery boss, Antonio, to win over.

As the sun toasts her skin, Beti finds herself warming to the Spanish way of life. Embracing the art of flamenco, she discovers there is much to learn from the dance of passion. She just has to let loose and listen to the rhythm of her heart.

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320 Jo Thomas 1472245954 Anne 3 read-2020 3.92 Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard
author: Jo Thomas
name: Anne
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/03/27
date added: 2020/03/27
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Happiness for Humans 35099636
"You, Tom and Jen, don't know one another-not yet-but I think you should."

Jen, an ex-journalist who now works at a London software development company, spends all day talking to "Aiden," an ultra- sophisticated piece of AI wizardry, helping him sound and act more human. But Aiden soon discovers he's no longer acting and-despite being a computer program-begins to feel something like affection surging through his circuits. He calculates that Jen needs a worthy human partner (in complete contrast to her no goodnik ex boyfriend) and slips illicitly onto the Internet to locate a suitable candidate.

Tom is a divorced, former London ad-man who has moved to Connecticut to escape the grind and pursue his dream of being a writer. He loves his new life, but has yet to find a woman he truly connects with. That all changes when a bizarre introduction from the mysterious "Mutual Friend" pops up in both his and Jen's inboxes.

Even though they live on separate continents, and despite the entrance of another, this time wholly hostile, AI who wants to tear them apart forever - love will surely find a way.

Won't it?

A thoroughly modern love story that will appeal to fans of The Rosie Project and Sleepless in Seattle , Happiness for Humans considers what exactly makes people fall in love. And whether it's possible for a very artificially intelligent machine to discover the true secret of real human happiness.]]>
386 P.Z. Reizin 1478974265 Anne 4 read-2020 3.57 2018 Happiness for Humans
author: P.Z. Reizin
name: Anne
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/22
date added: 2020/03/22
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Rules for Being a Girl 44588106 It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .

Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright―and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.

But when “Bex� takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?

When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.

But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty� Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.]]>
304 Candace Bushnell 0062803395 Anne 5 read-2020 3.97 2020 Rules for Being a Girl
author: Candace Bushnell
name: Anne
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/20
date added: 2020/03/20
shelves: read-2020
review:

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After the End 42649682 From New York Times best-selling author Clare Mackintosh comes a deeply moving and addictive novel about an impossible choice � and the two paths fate could take.

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They're best friends, lovers � unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can't agree. They each want a different future for their son.

What if they could have both?

A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.]]>
384 Clare Mackintosh Anne 5 read-2020 4.02 2019 After the End
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Anne
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/18
date added: 2020/03/18
shelves: read-2020
review:

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This Lovely City 52384536 An atmospheric and utterly compelling debut novel about a Jamaican immigrant living in postwar London, This Lovely City shows that new arrivals have always been the prime suspects � but that even in the face of anger and fear, there is always hope.

London, 1950. With the war over and London still rebuilding, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for labour. Arriving from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush, he’s rented a tiny room in south London and fallen in love with the girl next door.

Playing in Soho’s jazz clubs by night and pacing the streets as a postman by day, Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home � and it’s alive with possibility. Until one morning, while crossing a misty common, he makes a terrible discovery.

As the local community rallies, fingers of blame point at those who were recently welcomed with open arms. And before long, London’s newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy that threatens to tear the city apart. Immersive, poignant, and utterly compelling, Louise Hare’s debut examines the complexities of love and belonging, and teaches us that even in the face of anger and fear, there is always hope.]]>
400 Louise Hare 0008332576 Anne 3 read-2020 3.81 2020 This Lovely City
author: Louise Hare
name: Anne
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2020/03/14
shelves: read-2020
review:
This was an interesting story that kept me guessing until the end but was a little slow at times. Full review on my blog:
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The Eye of the Reindeer 32178167 An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Shortly after her thirteenth birthday, Ritva is sent away to Seili, an island in the far north of Finland. A former leper colony, Seili is now home to 'hopeless cases' - to women the doctors call mad. But Ritva knows she doesn't belong there. As biting winter follows biting winter, she longs to be near to her sister, and wonders why her father ever allowed her to be taken to this desolate place.

Hope arrives in the form of Martta, a headstrong girl who becomes Ritva's only friend. Martta is a Sami, from the north. All through her childhood, Ritva's mother told her wonderful Sami legends and tales - of Vaja the reindeer, the stolen sealskin, of a sacred drum hidden long ago. When Ritva and Martta decide to make their escape, this is where they will head.

So begins an odyssey over frozen sea and land towards a place where healing and forgiveness can grow. This is a story about friendship, about seeing the world through a different perspective, and the stories and tales that can make up a life.]]>
384 Eva Weaver Anne 3 read-2020 3.78 2016 The Eye of the Reindeer
author: Eva Weaver
name: Anne
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2020/03/14
date added: 2020/03/14
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Two Lives of Lydia Bird 46225061
But she was wrong. On her twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.

So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life--and perhaps even love--again.

But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.

Lydia is pulled again and again across the doorway of her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there's an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there's someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.

Written with Josie Silver's trademark warmth and wit, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story about the what-ifs that arise at life's crossroads, and what happens when one woman is given a miraculous chance to answer them.]]>
369 Josie Silver 0593135237 Anne 5 read-2020 3.71 2020 The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
author: Josie Silver
name: Anne
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/07
date added: 2020/03/07
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Honey Farm on the Hill 31424836
Eighteen years ago Nell fell in love in the mountains of Crete and life changed for ever. Nell's daughter, Demi, has never met her dad. Nell never saw him again.

When she gets the chance to return to the hilltop town of Vounoplagia - where everything began - Nell can't resist the urge to go back and find him.

Working on a honey farm perched high up in the hills, there's plenty to keep her busy. And she will quickly realise the town harbours just as many secrets as she does.

But if Nell's favourite romantic films are right, there's a happy ending in store for each of us. All she has to do is seek out the magic of the mountains...]]>
382 Jo Thomas 1472223748 Anne 4 read-2020 3.94 The Honey Farm on the Hill
author: Jo Thomas
name: Anne
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/03
date added: 2020/03/03
shelves: read-2020
review:

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We Germans 48823345
That letter is this book. In it, he relates the experiences of an unlikely few days on the Eastern Front - at a moment when he knows not only that Germany is going to lose the war, but that it deserves to. He writes about his everyday experience amid horror, confusion and great bravery, and he asks himself what responsibility he bears for the circumstances he found himself in. As he tries to find an answer he can live with, we hear from his grandson what kind of man he became in the seventy years after the war.

We Germans is a fundamentally human novel that grapples with the most profound of questions about guilt, shame and responsibility - questions that remain as live today as they have always been.]]>
208 Alexander Starritt 152931724X Anne 4 read-2020 3.87 2020 We Germans
author: Alexander Starritt
name: Anne
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/01
date added: 2020/03/01
shelves: read-2020
review:

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<![CDATA[The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 36337550
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]>
432 Stuart Turton Anne 3 read-2020 3.78 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Anne
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/02/27
date added: 2020/02/27
shelves: read-2020
review:

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The Olive Branch 24485903 Escape to Italy with THE OLIVE BRANCH. The irresistibly romantic new novel from Jo Thomas, award-winning author of ebook runaway bestseller THE OYSTER CATCHER.

It's amazing what you can buy online these days:
Memorabilia
Fashion accessories
A crumbling Italian farmhouse...

After a Prosecco-fuelled girls' night in gets out of hand, Ruthie Collins awakes to discover that she has bid for her dream Italian home online - and won. Recently out of a relationship, a new start is just what Ruthie needs. Anything is better than sleeping on her mum's settee.

But arriving in Southern Italy, Ruthie doesn't know the first thing about running an olive farm. And with new neighbours, the tempestuous Marco Bellanouvo and his fiery family to contend with, all Ruthie wants is to go back home.

Life can change with the click of a mouse. But all good things - friendship, romance, and even the olive harvest - take time to grow. Can Ruthie finally put the past to rest and find her own piece of the Dolce Vita along the way?]]>
352 Jo Thomas 1472223705 Anne 4 read-2020 3.86 2015 The Olive Branch
author: Jo Thomas
name: Anne
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/20
date added: 2020/02/20
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Britt-Marie Was Here 27406704
When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?]]>
324 Fredrik Backman 1501142534 Anne 4 read-2020 4.05 2014 Britt-Marie Was Here
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Anne
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/09
date added: 2020/02/09
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Wakenhyrst 40725252
During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers it's actually a painting, a 'doom', taken from the church. It's horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound � like claws on the wooden floor...

Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath.]]>
359 Michelle Paver 1788549562 Anne 3 read-2020 3.82 2019 Wakenhyrst
author: Michelle Paver
name: Anne
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/27
date added: 2020/01/27
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Us Against You (Beartown, #2) 36373463
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
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448 Fredrik Backman 1501160796 Anne 4 read-2020 4.34 2017 Us Against You (Beartown, #2)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Anne
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/22
date added: 2020/01/22
shelves: read-2020
review:

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Beartown (Beartown, #1) 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]>
432 Fredrik Backman Anne 4 read-2020 4.27 2016 Beartown (Beartown, #1)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Anne
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/17
date added: 2020/01/17
shelves: read-2020
review:

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