When your loved one loses his mind…

Synopsis

Does the heart never really forget?

When Ava’s partner Will is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, the doctors give Will one chance to survive – an operation which means he will lose his recent memory. Ava begs him to take the chance, sure that she can cope with Will forgetting her. After all, they have something very special to live for.

But they are also keeping a heart-breaking secret, and if Will loses his memory, Ava will have to carry that secret alone.

Can they rebuild their love from scratch or will their secrets and past come between them? Will Ava really be a stranger when Will wakes up – or does the heart never really forget…

Giselle Green returns with a heart-breaking, deeply moving story of love, loss, and what it really means to be alive. Perfect for all fans of Jodi Picoult, Susan Lewis and Diane Chamberlain.

My review

Ava and Will are a couple standing in front of an impossible decision…
Will has a terminal brain tumour which can be cured but which will cause him to lose his memory.
At first Will does not want to take that chance, but Ava cannot imagine a life without Will. So she does whatever she can to persuade him to take the risk.

She is sure that that she can cope with Will not remembering her. He fell in love once with her, so surely he will fall again in love with her? And also, it’s not only their future at stake here…
But they are also carrying a secret and going through with the surgery will mean that Ava has to carry that burden alone.

Will their love be strong enough? Or will Will always see Ava as a stranger?

This was a heck of a heart – wrenching story! From the very start I felt the pain this couple was feeling.
And having the dilemma of losing your memory or losing your life… of course it would make sense to do the operation, but I understood Will… it would mean losing your memory. And not knowing what you would lose…
So when he decides to go through with it, he makes Ava promise to keep their secret from him.

Rather quickly I figured out what the secret was, and again, I could understand Will. But on the other hand, it was not something unsurmountable. It would be a hard pill to digest, but there are so many examples in the world of how it could be.

When after the operation, Will does not recognize Ava, and he has lost the last seven years, I can only imagine what hell Ava must be going through too…

This is a story about not giving up as Ava is determined to let Will fall in love again. Yet when she understands what must be done at a point, she makes the right decision.
For me this was proof of how much Ava loves Will, putting his own happiness before hers.

What gave me a spark of hope was that, even if Will does not remember everything, he feels the right things. Even if he has no memories and does not remember Ava, his heart seems to remember and recognize Ava.

This story nearly made me cry as I just wanted Will  to get miraculously his memory back. It also made me want to yell at him sometimes as he was being so damn stubborn! And also Ava was not always doing what I wanted her to do.
But that was also the charm of this book. Life does not always go how you want to go. And no matter how many lemons life throws you, you can always make the best lemonade of it!

When living together with a total stranger is not a great adventure…

Synopsis

Get ready for fireworks as two women with very different personalities become housemates!
Bex has settled in well into the small town of Abbeyglen. Yes, she misses her housemate Holly, but she has plenty to do what with the setup of the new Caulfield’s café, her blogging and of course her work in Blackwater Financial Services.
Louise is shocked when she arrives in the town of Abbeyglen to find it has changed, everything looks too new and shiny, and who is this person in Holly’s apartment?!
With Bex’s bff heading for domestic bliss, some unwelcome changes in work, and now the arrival of eternally negative Louise, can Bex remain her usual chirpy self or will handbags at dawn, daytime and night-time too bring out a side to her she never knew existed?
For fans of Sophie Kinsella, Christie Barlow and Rosie Green.

(This is book 2 of a series but can be read on it’s own if you are so inclined!) 

My review

Bex is a cheery, happy young woman, enjoying her current life. She has settled in the small town of Abbyglen, is setting up a new café, blogs around and has a day job.

Her life turns upside down when suddenly Louise appears on her doorstep. Louise is a good friend of Holly, Bex’ roommate.

Before she knows it, Bex is sharing her apartment with Louise. It may seem a good arrangement, yet it’s a recipe for disaster, as their characters couldn’t be more different.
Louise looks down on everything Bex is doing and does not appreciate Bex’ way of living. But Louise is also facing her own problems.

As the dislikes and disagreements are becoming more and more daily events, who will have the upper hand?

This was a lovely story to read! Even if this was the second story of a series, you can perfectly read is as a standalone.

From the very start I took a liking in Bex. She is just such a cheerful, happy woman. She’s a perfect example to always look on the bright side of things.
And even when she has a lesser good day, she still makes the best of it. but even the brightest light sometimes has to feel needed and wanted and wants to feel to be loved…

Louise was a bit harder to like… From the moment she makes her appearance in the story, I didn’t like her. She has this air over her. Whatever she does is perfect, and all the rest is wrong.

So when those two opposite characters are living together, I knew that sparks would fly around, in a bad way.
Yet I admired Bex her determination to not let Louise put a  dark cloud over her cheerfulness.

But slowly I had to readjust my opinion about Louise. She has not had an easy period, and is trying to find herself again. And when Louise notices that Bex is having a hard time too, she tries on her own way to figure out what is going on.

I found this a very entertaining story. The bickering was so funny to read about, although I can imagine if you’re really in the fight, it wouldn’t be so funny at all.

It showed that you don’ t have to be friends with everyone you meet. And that sometimes a stronger band can be made, stronger than friendship. And that no matter how big the differences are, accepting each other the way they are, is a beautiful gift.

A beautiful story, with many laughing moments, moments that make you think about real friendship and that running away isn’t the solution to all your problems, but that running to a new place can give you the right perspective of life.

I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Taking back your life…

Synopsis

RACHEL, saved from an attack twelve years before by a faceless stranger, never got to thank him, never knew his name.

Despite the devastation she chose to rise above it to help others from their pain by becoming a psychologist…. Her only issue now is that she’s an expert at fixing everyone else’s problems, and blind to her own.

After a long relationship with her boyfriend WILL starts to go south, she turns to her best friend AMELIA for guidance.

Suddenly her world is turned upside down when tragedy strikes and she’s left with no one to comfort her but Will’s rude older brother RUARI.

Paralyzed by fear, she struggles to take grip of her life, until the day when anonymous letters begin to appear from the stranger who saved her twelve years before.

My review

Rachel was saved twelve years ago from a brutal attack. Unfortunately, she still does not know who her saviour is and hasn’t been able to thank him.

Because of her trauma, she decided to become a psychologist, so that she will be able to help people.
She loves her job, only negative issue is that she works at the same place with Ruari, her boyfriend’s rude brother.

When tragedy strikes again, she finds herself helped by the person she least expected it, being Ruari. And her mysterious writer who already helped her twelve years ago, starts writing her again, helping her to overcome her fears again.

Reading the synopsis, it may look like a confusing story. But that’s only because a lot of things are happening in this book, so I understand the difficulty of deciding what to put as a synopsis!

But this story was just beautiful…

It’s not a love story, but a story about facing your fears and not let tragedy strike you down.

Rachel had a trauma twelve years ago, being brutally attacked. But she was rescued by a stranger. I understand that she had a hard time to process everything that happened to her, and it was sweet to read about the letters she received.
I felt how those letters were a real help to get over her trauma. And they were really giving you a boost of motivation!

But when she is attacked again, by the same man, all she wants is to be left alone and never coming out of her house again…
And again, I understood her fears, but I also knew that it was not the right solution. So I was happy when Ruari was there for her.

I somehow knew from the beginning why Ruari was acting how he did. But this didn’t diminish how much I enjoyed this book.
When Rachel’s relationship with Will is being ended on the worse ways, again Ruari is there for her.

Like I said, it isn’t a love story, but there is some romance in it. I admired how Rachel managed to get her life back on tracks. During her hardest times, she found out who her real friends were, made friends at places she least expected it. And slowly got her life back on track.

This story made me sad, but made me laugh too. It made me wanting to kick some people asses, wanted to slap some sense in other ones.
But it made me also understand that people are not always what they seem like and that they can surprise you in the most positive ways!

An unexpected chance for the finding out the truth.

Synopsis

What will be will be…

Belinda Marshall’s idyllic teenage life in Brittany, France, fell apart when her parents dramatically separated and her mother took her back
to England.
Fast forward thirty-five years when Belinda’s world is once again turned upside down.
It’s the week before Christmas and Belinda’s employer ‘surprises’ her by asking for her help to rejuvenate their latest investment, a run-down campsite in Brittany.
Memories and anxieties that had lain dormant for years suddenly begin to resurface.
As secrets from a lost life threaten to overwhelm her, there is a realisation that maybe she wasn’t told the whole truth by her mother all those years ago.

Can Belinda reconcile her emotions and find happiness once more in the place she so loved and called home?

My review

Belinda loves her job, being involved with managing a few hotels. So when her employers have a new adventure for her, she surely doesn’t expect to go to Brittany, and put some life back in a camping place they bought.

Belinda has spent some of her younger years in Brittany, so she is not so happy being forced to go back to a place that broke her heart when she had to leave.

But having no other option, she gathers all her courage and goes to the camping. Quickly she finds her spirit back, adamant to fulfil her employers’ wishes, even if she is constantly having a standoff with the previous owner.

Luckily she also befriends Fern, a widow still struggling with the loss of her husband.

Will both Belinda and Fern find true happiness again?

If you only base your opinion on the title, this story will be a total surprise, because it’s a story about two women and there is no actual affair taking place!

Yet this story touched my heart and I did not expect it at all!

From the very start, Belinda is someone I felt sorry for. She loves her job but then she is expected to go to a place that holds so many sad memories.
Even if we don’t know immediately what happened, I sensed it was not just a minor event forcing her and her mother to leave.

For Belinda it was also a mystery, so when she finds a piece of the puzzle, she is curious to find out the truth but also a bit afraid of what that truth would be.

And Fern… after losing her husband, she feels very lonely. So befriending Belinda is something that makes her happy. We get to know Fern as a loving and caring woman.
Not every woman would think about taking her ninety years old mother-in-law in her house. Yet this shows just how amazing Fern is. She truly loves Anouk and does not see Anouk as a burden at all!

I found this story magical. Not in the literal sense of the word (if that even exists J) but after reading it, I found some lightness around me, having had the honour of getting to know these two strong yet also so different women.

They are both facing losses, are grieving over a past they had. Yet they find the courage to move on with their lives by facing the past and give it a right place in their hearts.

It showed me that there is always a new chance at finding happiness again. And that places that once were a nightmare to even think about it, new memories can change it in a beautiful dream.

When a holiday turns into a nightmare…

Synopsis

Lies, secrets, and a sinister plot hide in broad daylight at the heart of the Club Pacifica.

A beautiful tropical resort, exciting new friends, and a handsome guest liaison – it’s the perfect getaway for Chloe, a free-spirited Baltimore girl just getting to know herself. But the vacation of a lifetime quickly takes a dark turn when a young, overly flirty bellhop starts following her everywhere. It gets even worse when he disappears, and Chloe is the sole witness.

As bellhop after bellhop goes missing, she struggles to figure out what’s happening. When suspicion falls upon her, Chloe must not only try to rescue the kidnapped bellhops, but also to clear her name.

Complicating things further is the relationship she forms with Mateo, Club Pacifica’s guest liaison. Charming and easygoing, he is everything that her fiancé at home is not, and she finds herself fighting a growing attraction to him. But can he be trusted?

She soon discovers that she’s landed herself in a world of secrets, and, worse, that these are not just those of others, but also the secrets she keeps from herself.

Can she find her way through all the lies to finally discover the truth before it’s too late?

My review

Chloe is enjoying her holiday in Costa Rica. And even if she is being followed by an over-enthusiast bellhop, she is making the best of this new journey.

But when her bellhop disappears, she starts worrying a bit. And even more when it’s clear that more bellhops  are disappearing in thin air!
when the police is suspecting her of being involved, she is determined to find the missing young men and clearing her name.

Together with her two new friends and Mateo, she starts her mission!

This story is about people disappearing and trying to clear your name. but it’s also about finding what you truly want.

Chloe starts her journey in Costa Rica not knowing what she really wants. She is kind of in a relation with Cooper. But is Cooper really the man for her? There are more things she doesn’t like about him than she likes…

Through the story she makes up her own mind and does not allow to be bullied into doing something she doesn’t want to do anymore.
She is standing up for herself, and becomes a strong woman.

Yet the disappearing act is troublesome, as more bellhops start to be going missing. What seems to be pure coincidence, quickly becomes something worrying.

The length Chloe goes to find out the truth had given me different feelings.
When she starts searching with her new friends, it is really comic to see in what mess they are getting into.

But there are also some fearful moments and I hoped that a save solution would come from it.

It’s a dark story, but at the same time a nice read. I found myself wanting to know the truth.
There are some characters you would easily misjudge, and I found myself distrusting everybody, the possible culprit could be just anyone we meet.

Yet the changes Chloe is going through is the thing that was the most memorable. Her standing up for herself, her courage and dare was admirable!

A beautiful location with a dark story, but an important message!

What can be better than winning a holiday of a lifetime?

Synopsis

Natalie Jackson might keep up appearances on Instagram, but in reality her fiancé has just jilted her after the birth of their baby and she’s moved back in with her mum. Life isn’t exactly going to plan!

So when she enters the village raffle for the holiday of a lifetime, she thinks she has no chance of winning. But her name is pulled out – and, as luck would have it, so is a ticket bought by her childhood nemesis: Will Brimble.

Surely a romantic holiday for two is the worst idea ever…right?

My review

Natalie Jackson is trying to get her life back on tracks… Her fiancé left her right after the birth of their baby so she moved back to live with her mother.

Under some persuasion, she participates in a village raffle and big is her surprise when she wins the grand prize, a holiday to Marrakech!
But a not so pleasant surprize is when there is some confusion and a second name is also being pulled.
So now she has to share her prize with Will Brimble!

It would not be such a big deal if Will didn’t break her heart when they were teenagers… The idea of spending a romantic holiday with Will now isn’t so alluring anymore…

As usual Zoe May wrote a book that ticked all the boxes I needed at that specific moment!

Natalie is a young woman who had it all, and lost it all. Her only joy in life at the moment is her little girl. After being cheated by her fiancé, her main focus is her daughter.
It makes sense that Natalie doesn’t want to date anymore, being afraid of having not only having her heart broken again, but also her daughter will be a victim…

Yet in her most difficult moments, there were situations that made me laugh out loud (like the outfit she is wearing after a baby-incident!).
Despite her insecurities, Natalie shows she is also a strong woman. Taking care of a baby all by yourself cannot be an easy task.
And she has her heart on the right place. Her focus is her baby and getting her life back on track, nothing more…

And Will, well, okay he broke Natalie’s heart so many years ago. But he also hadn’t had the easiest life. He is now divorced and when we get to know the details of his marriage, I pitied him. Also losing his beloved father was a hard pill to swallow.

The holiday itself made me sometimes wish I was there myself, and other times I was glad it was just a book.
The hotel and its owners are real treasures, and even if Natalie and Will are telling a few lies, I felt the caring of the hotel owners. They are the perfect example how a hotel should be run.

But some moments I understood Natalie’s fear (those monkeys!).
Yet those moments were also the reasons I had to have a laugh! They were sometimes so absurd, there was no other option than laughing!

I loved how Natalie and Will are trying to make the best of an absurd situation. And this holiday was the perfect occasion of coming clean about the past.
And it was so lovely to see how those two people would get closer yet also being a bit afraid of what the future would bring.

Again Zoe May made me forget all my surroundings with this funny romance, with real people that are so recognizable and loveable!

Becoming an adult is not an easy task…

Synopsis

For fans of “Call the Midwife”, “Hard Pushed” or “This is Going to Hurt”.

Life Lessons is a new adult chick-lit medical drama, with splashes of clean romance.
Expect an unputdownable emotional page-turner that will take you deep into the life lessons of a student midwife.

Violet wants to be a midwife, but she has struggled with anxiety throughout her teenage years.

With her best friend Zoe at her side, she gets a place at University and starts training for her dream job.

Can she overcome her fears and find the self-confidence to make it through her first year?

Will Zoe’s romance with their housemate spell dating disaster?

Book one of the Lessons of a Student Midwife series.

This book is a prequel to Ghosted, the bestselling novel.

My review

Violet always dreamed of becoming a midwife. And now she has the opportunity as she starts going to University.

She goes to the same University as her best friend Zoe and even share a house together.
Sharing the house together is everything the girls wished for, and even if they have to share it with Luke, it’s just perfect.

But will Violet manage to keep her fear anxiety under control? And is the job of midwife her true calling?

This story shows a lot of reality…

First of all, even if you’re going to the University doing following classes for the job you always wanted to do, it’s isn’t an easy walk in the park…

Add a main character who is suffering anxiety, and you’ll know that Violet is having even a harder time than expected!

Yet I enjoyed truly reading this book!

All the characters are down to earth, wanting to succeed in their studies. And not like in so many books and movies of people going to University, going to parties all the time.

Violet, Zoe and even Luke have their priorities straight and even when facing a small setback, they don’t give up easily.

It also shows that being a midwife isn’t only the happy moments of helping during birth, but it’s also about being very patient and being calm yourself.

The thing I enjoyed the most is the friendship that sparks through the book. Violet and Zoe are always there for each other, and when Violet is having a hard time, Zoe is there for her, no matter how much fun Zoe was having.

A story about chasing your dreams, having real friends by your side and overcoming your fears!

A real murder on a Murder Mystery Cruise…

Synopsis

Famous crime writer Bella Tyson is hired to co-host a Murder Mystery cruise, on a luxury liner sailing from Southampton to New York. She’s expecting an easy ride; fun and games, surrounded by amateur sleuths and fans of her books, all the while staying in a deluxe cabin and enjoying the spa and the amazing restaurants on board, culminating in a visit to one of her favourite cities in the world – the Big Apple.

She’s NOT expecting to be stuck on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic with her two least favourite people in the world, her hot but unfaithful bastard ex-husband Joel Quigley and fellow crime writer, bitch goddess and Twitter frenemy, Louise Meyers. And when real live dead bodies start turning up – as well as fake not-really-dead bodies – Bella’s dreams of being pampered on the high seas turn sour.

Accused of a murder she would have liked to commit but didn’t, and helped (or hindered) by a gang of unlikely detectives, can Bella find out who the real murderer is before the ship reaches its destination and New York’s finest drag her off?

My review

Crime writer Bella Tyson finds herself with her husband participating on a Murder Mystery Cruise. The purpose of the cruise is that the participating passengers find out who “murdered” a person on the cruise ship. Of course it’s all part of a staged murder!

Bella’s enthusiasm dies a little bit when on the cruise also her ex-husband is present, together with a fellow crime writer, her known nemesis Louise Meyers.
Yet she is determined to make the best of it!

But when beside all the bickering, a real murder is taking place, Bella finds herself being the prime suspect. So Will and she start doing some investigating, trying to clear her name and find the real murderer.
Easier said than done, but luckily they can count of help from even the least expected places!

Ok, this book has a murder in, yet I had so much fun reading it! Bella is so hilariously honest, I just wanted to be like her!
She is a famous writer, and just married to wonderful Will, after her previous husband cheated several times on her.
And being in a happy place, doesn’t mean she doesn’t curse now and then (ok, almost all the time!).

Yet the way she adores Will and visa versa, is so sweet to read about! The way they communicate with each other is so funny, yet it matches perfectly with the vision I had in mind for the two of them!

When the murder takes place, I somehow had a feeling who would be the culprit, yet it didn’t diminish the eagerness to continue reading!
I was curious to find out how the murderer would be unveiled and what the reason was for those actions.

The thing that made me even enjoy this book even more, were the small remarks towards the readers (towards us thus 😃). Bella talking to us, is making us being more part of the story. And the things that she is saying, are to take away all those silly clichés or just pointing them out that despite they are silly, even in this story they are present.

A great book, with a main character a bit different than we are used to have, making this even more charming!

Sharing a house with your friends, nothing can go wrong, right?

Synopsis

We’ve got the balance all wrong. Instead of living with our partners, struggling to do everything by ourselves and only seeing each other now and then, we should do it the other way round. We should live together and see them now and then.

Erica knows her suggestion sounds extreme, but when her nanny leaves without notice, she’s extremely desperate. Polly and Louise aren’t convinced, but when circumstances force them to move into Polly’s enormous but run-down house, they have to admit life’s much easier when the childcare and work is shared.

At first, communal living seems like the answer to their prayers – childcare on tap, rotas for cleaning and someone always available to cook dinner (no more last-minute pizza delivery!). But over time, resentment starts to grow as they judge each other’s parenting styles and bicker over cleaning, cooking and whose turn it is to buy toilet rolls.

And as one woman has her head turned by a handsome colleague, one resorts to spying on her husband and another fights to keep a dark secret, they need each other more than ever. But can Polly, Louise and Erica keep their friendship and relationships strong? Or will their perfect mumtopia fall apart?

Essential reading for anyone fed up with never-ending housework/homeschooling/preparing healthy meals that their kids reject … Fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? and Beth O’Leary won’t want to miss this one!

My review

When Erica finds herself suddenly without a nanny, she is desperate to find a solution. So the solution she comes up with is, sharing a house together with her 2 friends Polly and Louisa.
She thinks that the three of them together can find the perfect balance of cooking, looking after the children and work.

Polly and Louisa are not really interested initially, but slowly the possibilities are the trigger to give it a chance.

But living together is not as easy as each woman has her own problems, and finding the perfect balance with the other women is not so easy as it seems. Each woman has a own way of handling problems and staying under the same roof is a recipe for disaster.

The idea of living together with friends, made me frown a bit. Of course, your friends are people you like. But spending days and days together, well, it was obvious to me that things would clash someday somehow…

Each character is so different, so it’s a given that there would be irritations coming out. And there are always people taking advantage in a way or another from other people.

Erica is so focused on her job, she is not seeing how her relationship is going for the worse, and that she is not a very present mother..
Polly is carrying a dark secret around, making her being very recluse.
And Louise is being very insecure, and even starts investigating her own husband.

These characters could have been in their own book, as their stories and relationships (in all forms) are so complicated. But being together in one and the same book, makes this a beautiful mash-up!

Being at the house together, they have to find a way of co-living. But so different from each other, it’ hard to find a common ground.
The more they are together, the more they realize they have to change to make it possible to maintain their friendship, but also the relationships with other people.

The beauty of this story is, that no matter how different they are, in time of need, they are all there for each other. They accepts each other’s faults and help out when needed.
And when secrets are in the open, there is no judgement only compassion and help.

Real friends stick to each other, and even if sometimes there are huge clashes, their love for each other prevail and their bond only bigger!

How one moment is the catalyst…

Synopsis

A borrowed boy, a borrowed name and living on borrowed time.

What do you put on a bucket list when you haven’t done anything with your life? No interesting job, no lovers, no family, no friends. Believing she has only weeks left to live, Angie Winkle vows to make the most of every minute.

Going back to Jaywick Sands, is top of her bucket list. Experiencing life as a grandmother is not, but the universe has other plans and when four-year-old Danny is separated from his mum on the tube, Angie goes to his rescue. She tries to return him to his mum but things do not go exactly as planned and the two of them embark on a life-changing journey.

Set in Jaywick Sands, once an idyllic Essex holiday village in the 70s, but now a shantytown of displaced Londoners, this is a story about hidden communities and our need to belong.

My review

Angie Winkle believes she has only a few weeks left to live. So she decides to go back to Jaywick Sands, a place with many memories.
At the train station, she is witness how the four-year-old Danny is being separated from her mother on the tube. She starts doing the right thing, wanting to return him to his mother, but suddenly she finds herself with Danny in Jaywick Sands.

Initially I found this a very disturbing book.  A woman just taking a small child to fulfil her dream of being a grandmother… well, not a good excuse to kidnap a child, right?

Yet the better we get to know Angie, it starts making sense… not that I approve het actions, but I felt her pain…
And when I started to read Nikoleta’s point of view, I was glad that Angie took the boy…

This is not a book to take lightly, it shows how nasty people can be, working with an own agenda.
And even if Angie seems to be that bad person in this story, she has her heart in the right place. And Also Nikoleta is the same. Even if she is a bit naïve in the beginning, she sees things that are out of the ordinary, and is putting the child’s safety above everything.

It was sweet to read how Angie was accepted by the small community, and how even after her lies came out, the community stood by her side, doing whatever they can to help Angie and Danny…
And when Angie wanted to give Danny back to Nikoleta, she didn’t just do it without a fight, she wanted to be 100% sure that Danny would end up with loving people.

This story is not what I thought, it surprised me in a good way. It was sometimes dark, but there were moments of lights, when Danny’s happiness were so obvious.
It was bittersweet, because you know it has to come to an end somehow, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t be a happy one. But all the people around Angie, Angie herself and Nikoleta are proof that there are good people around, ready to help, no matter how well they know you (or don’t know you)

It’s a book that puts you back into place, and that even no matter how bad your situation looks like, it will make you stronger and you will find caring people when you least expect it and where you least expect it!