Book Review - The Winner by C. J. Parsons

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Amazon UK

Title: The Winner

Author: C. J. Parsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 20th June 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

Fame, fortune, followers. Be careful what you wish for…

Heather thought she’d been left behind in life, until she won a place in the luxurious ‘Triple F’ lottery, where fame, fortune and followers await 12 lucky winners.

The rules are simple: live the lifestyle of your dreams and win £5,000 a week for the rest of your life, plus six months of fame on the country’s most popular app – as long as you’re not bottom of the rankings. Lose your followers, and you lose everything.

But there’s trouble in paradise.

Too many winners are falling victim to tragedy: addiction, depression, even suicide. Someone, somewhere, seems to know their secrets, and is stirring up hatred online. And Heather has secrets of her own.

Suddenly she’s not worried about losing her lifestyle. She’s afraid of losing her life.

Would you want to become an influencer with up to 6 months guaranteed fame and £5k a week for life, so long as you get enough followers to stay out of the bottom of the rankings on the Triple F app?

Well Heather who is a trainee teacher, enters that competition and was shocked to be announced as their latest winner on Celeb Rate, after someone else goes off the rails, and her life changes from that point on. 

Although her life had also changed two years previously but we don't discover why for a while, but its alluded to a lot, the fact that she had to take two years away from her teach training, and thus feels like she is falling behind her peers. 

And a life of glamour doesn't come easily to Heather, but she soon eases into the Winfluener way of life, and we hear about lavish parties, fabulous furniture for her new house and more. 

There are loads of new people in her life, and it is hard to know just who to trust, and I was utterly shocked at who was behind a lot of bad stuff. 

I was hooked on trying to get to the bottom of just who the troll was, and discovering various secrets along the way. 

I really enjoyed reading this, and the finale section took me totally by surprise, and had my heart racing, and I think it was about the last quarter of the book where I could barely put it down as everything ramped up. 

This was the first book I've read from this author and I'd be keen to try more in the future.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock by Hannah Lynn - #HolidayReading Gambia

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Amazon UK

Title: Blue Skies Over Wildflower Lock

Author: Hannah Lynn

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 3rd July 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Join Daisy May on her biggest adventure yet! A fun-filled cosy story about friendships, family, and life on the water from UK Top 100 bestseller Hannah Lynn

There may be trouble ahead…

Just when Daisy thought she had canal life understood, Theo, her primary go-to for all of her boating questions has left Wildflower Lock, not to mention the budding romance that has been steadily growing.

Not one to sit and wallow, Daisy takes matters into her own hands. Who said long-distance relationships can’t work?

With the help of trusted friend Yvonne, Daisy takes the September Rose on a round trip to surprise her new boyfriend. The best thing about a home on the water? You can go anywhere!

But perhaps leaving the serenity of Wildflower Lock wasn’t the best idea. Daisy hates keeping secrets from Theo, and she’s not the only one…

Full of fun, friendship, laughter and sweet romance, Blue Skies over Wildflower Lock will delight readers who love Cressida McLaughlin, Heidi Swain and Holly Martin

I zoomed through this book during my flight to Gambia, and even had time to get a good way through the next one in the series as I was enjoying it so much. 

This is a book that features an epic boat trip as Daisy and Theo deal with being apart and trying to make long distance work. 

And Daisy takes Yvonne with her as they set off travelling cross country. 

But for me the star of the book is the stray dog that pretty much adopts Daisy even if she isn't sure to start with. He was adorable. 

There were some rather hairy moments of drama as they take the September Rose further than Daisy has ever been on her and I was hooked on all of it. 

A nice change to the dynamics of the series which I totally loved. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.