Book Review - If We're Not Married By Thirty by Anna Bell - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: If We're Not Married By Thirty

Author: Anna Bell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 1st December 2018 

Rating: 4 Stars

Lydia's not exactly #LivingHerBestLife. She never imagined she'd be here at thirty - newly single, a job that's going nowhere and her friends all winning at life when she's still barely taking part. So she jumps at the chance of a free holiday and jets off to sunny Spain. 

Then, out of the blue, she bumps into her childhood friend, the handsome and charming Danny Whittaker. She's always had a crush on him and they soon enter into a passionate holiday romance. 

But this relationship could be more than just a fling. Years ago they made a pact that if they were still single when they turned thirty they would get married. But noone really follows through on these pacts . . . right?

Could Lydia's back-up man really be her happy ever after?

Another really enjoyable book from Anna Bell who is fast becoming an author I might just drop everything to read. 

This was a fun story and I wasn't completely convinced whether the right couple would end up together. 

I loved the craziness from Lydia and Danny's mums, the creativity of the events that Lydia is coordinating and the really obvious connection Lydia and Danny have. 

This book is a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed reading the assorted antics from the characters.  Add in some stunning locations too, and you have a very good book.  

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

Book Review - It Started With A Tweet by Anna Bell - #HolidayReading Book 29

Book 29 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: It Started With A Tweet

Author: Anna Bell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre

Publication Date: 27th December 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. But when her social media obsession causes her to make a catastrophic mistake at work, Daisy finds her life going into free-fall . . . 

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy's problems - a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria. Soon, too, Daisy meets a welcome distraction there in Jack, the rugged man-next-door.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village? 

And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone? 

Utterly hilarious and a perfect way to spend a few hours while waiting for a transfer back the airport at the end of the holiday.  Of course I had I read this at any point over the previous 2 weeks I would have been saying generally that is a perfect poolside read.

From the fun and clearly social media addicted start of the book Daisy soon makes a vital error tweeting something inappropriate from the wrong twitter account, which since I now have multiples I can completely understand the fear. 

Her sister comes to the rescue after the errant tweet goes viral and encourages Daisy up to the wilds of Cumbria for a digital detox, plus her own ulterior motive too.

I loved every single second of this book, Daisy was just fabulous and Iliked the various men she met too - from Dominik that triggered the mess she is in, to Jack and Alexis out in the countryside. All 3 different but gorgeous!

I read this without stopping in about 4 and half hours give or take some eating of lunch simultaneously. I just couldn't and didn't want to put it down as I was enjoying myself so much. 

If like me you understand the addiction of social media the odds are you will also adore this book.  I'm also a massive fan of this authors writing and she is getting better and better with each book, and each fab idea for a story.  Wonder what the next one will bring.  

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

Book Review - The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even by Anna Bell - #AroundTheUKIn144Books #Hampshire

Amazon UK

Title:  The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even

Author: Anna Bell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre

Publication Date: 26th January 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

When Lexi's sport-mad boyfriend Will skips her friend's wedding to watch football - after pretending to have food poisoning - it might just be the final whistle for their relationship.

But fed up of just getting mad, Lexi decides to even the score. And, when a couple of lost tickets and an 'accidentally' broken television lead to them spending extra time together, she's delighted to realise that revenge might be the best thing that's happened to their relationship.

And if her clever acts of sabotage prove to be a popular subject for her blog, what harm can that do? It's not as if he'll ever find out . . .

Fun and laughter by the page, in this impossibly long titled book! I have barely been able to keep the big grin off my face, as I have followed Lexi's story with her sports mad boyfriend. 

Set to a backdrop of sport, be it on TV, or real life fixtures, it is what Lexi has to live her life around, due to Will's sporting obsession. He is a life long, and season ticket holder of The Saints (Southampton FC), and everything is set in motion when he claims to have a massive stomach upset, to get out of going to Lexi's best friend's wedding, whereas in truth he caught out at the football. 

Lexi rather understandably wasn't too happy, but instead of confronting Will, she starts exacting small but amusing acts of revenge, in an effort to try and make Will learn he can live without some sport. Lexi is also an aspiring author, and when her writing class discuss marketing and have the participants create blogs, Lexi starts one about her revenge  - The Good Girlfriend's Guide to Getting Even!

There is a rather light hearted sense of amusement to the whole book, and I loved the inventive depths Lexi went to, although at some points, as a massive sport lover myself, I was finding myself in sympathy with Will, despite finding Lexi funny. 

If you don't like sports, don't worry, there is very little, nitty gritty details about any of them. Sport is the background to the novel, but more as the collective than specifics. There is mention of all sorts of sporting events, but there are only a few live matches that Lexi attends, and even then the description are more of the atmosphere than what was happening on the pitch. 

Incredibly entertaining story that I really enjoyed, complete with a sex mad best friend, a gorgeous colleague where Lexi works, a couple of  holidays, plenty of revenge and an ending that pleased me greatly. 

Thank you to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Bell

Amazon UK

Title:  The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart

Author: Anna Bell

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Publisher supplied ARC

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 10th March 2016 

Rating: 5 Stars

Abi's barely left her bed since Joseph, the love of her life, dumped her, saying they were incompatible. 

When Joseph leaves a box of her possessions on her doorstep, she finds a bucket list of ten things she never knew he wanted to do. What better way to win him back than by completing the list, and proving they're a perfect match?

But there's just one problem - or rather, ten. Abi's not exactly the outdoorsy type, and she's absolutely terrified of heights - not ideal for a list that includes climbing a mountain, cycling around the Isle of Wight and, last but not least, abseiling down the tallest building in town . . . 

Completing the list is going to need all Abi's courage - and a lot of help from her friends. But as she heals her broken heart one task at a time, the newly confident Abi might just have a surprise in store . 

Do you have a bucket list? Does it have things on it that terrify you? Have you ever considered doing someone else's bucket list even though most of the items on it are your idea of a terrifying and miserable time? Well when Abi is dumped by Joseph, and he returns some of her things, she finds his bucket list in the box too.

And so Abi decides that moping won't get him back ,but showing how compatible they really are, by achieving his bucket list, and posting photos all over Facebook to show him what he's missing, is the best way to try to get him back. 

Abi decides she has to do the list in the shortest time frame possible, so that Joseph hasn't had a chance to meet anyone else.  Thus you are in for a hectic fast paced few months during this book, as Abi challenges herself, and also has to deal with trouble at work too. 

Amongst the items on the list are, cycling around the Isle of Wight (Abi can't recall when she was last on a bike), abseiling down the Spinnaker (with  a massive fear of heights), learning to windsurf, and climbing one of the four peaks.  For a not outdoorsy person this all a bit of  steep ask, so she is grateful when new friend Ben offers to help with some of the tasks. 

Seeing Abi change and gain in confidence as she attempts the various items of the list, is awe inspiring, or it would be if she was doing it for herself, and not just to get back her boyfriend, who doesn't sound that great in the first place. 

This a fast paced book, with a lot of emphasis on the bucket list, which gives the story a good reason to move on. There are some great one liners in the book which had me laughing out loud, and this is a fabulous romantic comedy. 

The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart is a feel good, entertaining story, which a good amount of adrenalin thrown in too, some of the tasks were leaving me breathless, just thinking about them. I read this on Valentines Day, and its made me feel so much better about being single, and I'd love to say its inspired me to create my own bucket list (but I'm just not that sort of person. )

Thanks to Emily Burns at Zaffre for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Don't Tell the Brides-to-Be by Anna Bell

Amazon UK

Title: Don't Tell The Brides-to-Be

Author: Anna Bell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Quercus

Publication Date: 12th February 2015

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Things are looking up for Penny Robinson. She's kicked her gambling addiction and even started her own business: Princess on a Shoestring, an all-inclusive service for brides-to-be looking to pinch pennies on their big day. 

Between family rows and wardrobe calamities, wedding planning is no piece of cake... but Penny's got it all under control. That is, until a rival planner decides to take her down - one hard-won bride at a time. 

Now Penny must fight to save her reputation and her livelihood before its too late. But when a romantic weekend away has some unexpected consequences, Penny's expectations for her career are brought back down to earth with a bump.

Don't Tell the Brides-to-Be is a fabulous continuation in the Don't Tell series. This is now the third time we have met Penny Robinson, and she is now running her own wedding planning business Princess on a Shoestring, for brides on a strict budget. 

I love Penny's energy as she tries to secure as many brides as possible onto her books, and she goes out of her way to listen to want they want and try come up with their dream weddings, no matter how unusual the theme. Look out for the groom who is like a big child at heart. I loved what Penny came up with as a setting for that wedding, and wish I had been there myself. 

However it isn't all smooth sailing for Penny, as the other wedding planner in the area who mainly does high budget, expensive weddings, Georgina Peasbody, takes exception to Penny, and is convinced she will fail. Penny obviously feels threatened and riddled with self doubt after meeting Georgina, but is determined to succeed. 

Add in big news in her relationship with Mark, that could potentially have an affect on the business, surprises in their personal lives, and Penny's friendship with Lou, and you have  a wonderful story. 

Event though this is the third book in the series, it works well as a standalone, as you are given enough information for the most important bits of the previous stories, and since it had been a year since I read the others, I was glad of the reminders myself. 

I was hooked on this story from the first chapter. I love Anna's way of telling a story, and how each chapter started with a few tweets, from Penny's brides, or from Penny herself. 

I loved this story, and this series, and really hope that there will be more in the future from Penny, as I can't help but think her story definitely isn't over. 

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for my review copy of this book. This is my honest review.