Book Review - Confessions of a First Time Mum by Poppy Dolan

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Amazon UK

Title: Confessions of a First Time Mum

Author: Poppy Dolan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 25th June 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Stevie’s life has changed beyond recognition since having her first baby. She loves being a mum, but between the isolation and being vomited on five times a day, she really wishes she had someone to talk to.

With husband Ted working hard to keep the family afloat, Stevie really doesn’t want to burden him with her feelings. Turning to the internet, Stevie starts the anonymous First-Time Mum blog and blasts the rose-tinted glasses of parenthood right off her readers.

In the real world, Stevie meets the formidable Nelle and gorgeous Will, along with their own little treasures, and starts to realise that being a ‘perfect mum’ isn’t everything. But when the secret blog goes viral, Stevie must make some tough choices about who she wants to be, and whether she’s ready for the world to know the truth…

Incredibly funny and honest look at motherhood, especially at how the realities of it are nothing like what appears on social media or in magazines.   It's not all glossy and wonderful, and there are times where parents really do struggle. 

So Stevie is mother to 6 month old Cherry, a rather unfortunate infant who suffers badly from reflux, and is a real mummy's girl.  After many sleepless nights Stevie starts writing a blog which she never expects anyone to read, venting about her true feelings on motherhood. 

She is convinced she is failing at motherhood, and then she finally gets herself some new parenting friends, and her outlook on life starts to improve.  I loved Nelle and Will, and their kids too, they provided such a refreshing perspective on things. 

Whereas I really didn't take to Stevie's work-aholic husband.   Easily my favourite parts are the blog posts that Stevie were righting, and I think a large amount of this book will ring true with mothers, whether they admit it or not. 

From a personal point of view I could have done with a lot less bodily fluids in it, there were for me far too many descriptions of baby sick and poo.  I know that's what little kids do, but it meant reading this while I was eating was a challenge at times! 

This was just so very entertaining, probably my favourite book to date from this author.  I found myself whizzing through the pages, not wanting to put it down, I was completely hooked to see just what would happen next. 

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

Book Review - The Wooly Hat Knitting Club by Poppy Dolan - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #80

Amazon UK

Title: The Wooly Hat Knitting Club

Author: Poppy Dolan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 25th September 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Finding happiness one stitch at a time
When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst scandalous office rumours. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all.

Back in the village of Fenwild where JP's shop resides, Dee bumps into Becky, an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby. Desperate to help Becky, Dee convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make tiny woolly hats to keep the little one warm. Seeing how grateful her friend is, Dee makes it her mission to help lots of other premature babies. When Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking she is initially furious, but hears him out before roping him into helping the knitting cause.

But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…

What a wonderfully heartwarming story from Poppy Dolan.  There are some very strong messages that I was getting from this book which I will explain in a moment.  It is a very well written book touching on all manner of things from finding yourself after an unexpected sacking, love creeping up on you, premature babies and friendship. 

One of the most important things I have gained from this book is a reawakened knowledge about premature babies, their chances of survival and just how little clothing is available for them, which is why what JP managed to do with his knitting blog and shop is so remarkable. He fired up the crafting community and lots of baby sized hats start to get knitted. 

Actually that is putting it in far too basic terms but you get the idea. The other message I got from the book was just what an amazing thing the crafting community is, and how crafters are quite happy to help out for a good cause. That and just how relaxing knitting can be. 

Dee was a workaholic until circumstances meant that she had to spend prolonged time in her brother's haberdashery. Watching her get to grips with crafting, find her place in the world without a high powered job and be surprisingly oblivious to the obvious was all rather charming to read.  

What I also really loved where the descriptions of the craft convention Dee, JP and friends attend, not just for the fabulous stunt that JP pulled for publicity of the cause, but also for what Dee was finding at the other stalls which then lead to a hilarious scene involving an alpaca! 

This is a fabulous book and don't let the words wooly hat in the title make you think this is just a wintery book, this is an all year around fabulous story that is well worth reading. 

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

Thank you to everyone that vote for this book this week, it was an overwhelming majority and you were of course all right, I should have read this months ago when I got it!  So for the last vote of 2017 what is going to win this week?

Guest Post - Diamonds and Purls by Poppy Dolan - Blog Tour

I don’t know about you, but I can spend days at a time pouring over sites like Not on the High Street and Etsy. Gorgeous gold rings made by artisan jewellers with your anniversary engraved inside; maps from all the important places in your life cut into heart shapes and framed to hang at home; luxurious leather notebooks with your initials in gold embossing. My heart swells and my bank account empties at the sight of it all. Personalised gifts are the way to go, it’s all about unique, one-off, just-for-you, customised presents. But when you want to give really special things to the special people in your life, shopping for one offs for every birthday, Christmas and Valentines gets pricey. So the answer is - get crafting them yourself!

            ‘Unique’ is definitely the word for some of the things I’ve knitted in the past, and that’s probably being kind. Stuffed toys with one wonky eye, hats that are so tight as to cause headaches and baby cardigans that will probably fit when the child goes to school. But they’ve at least raised smiles along the way! And as I’ve tried my hand at different things, my woolly skills have improved and now I can turn out something genuinely useful and not bad looking. I choose the recipients carefully - they’ve got to have a robust sense of humour and tastes that aren’t too fined; one mate might squeal with joy over a lime green blanket and another might go another shade of green altogether and hide it at the back of their airing cupboard forever.

            But the one thing everyone loves to receive is a soft little hat for their new baby. And these are one of the quickest and simplest things to knit. In fact, I’ve put a beginner’s pattern in the back of the book! Parents get sent flowers (bit useless), onesies (which could come off any old rack) and food (admittedly a great gift when you’ve just had a baby) but if you gift them a totally one-off knitted hat, made with love and patience they will treasure it forever, much more than anything you could have spent your month’s wages on. In fact, a baby hat I’ve made has been used by three children in the same family, which I love to hear, and when clothes that have been outgrown are bundled up and put away or given to the charity shop, it’s always the handmade things that get saved as keepsakes. So a knitted gift might be made out of wool, but it will be more precious than a diamond. Grab yourself some needles and a pattern and make your own one-off gem!

Thank you so much Poppy for this lovely post.

Finding happiness one stitch at a time

When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst rumours of inappropriate behaviour. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all but has no proof.

When Dee bumps into an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby she convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make lots of tiny woolly hats. Then Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking and she ropes him into helping the knitting cause. 

But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…

Amazon UK

About Poppy

Poppy Dolan is in her mid thirties and lives in Berkshire with her husband. She's a near-obsessive baker and a keen crafter, so on a typical weekend can be found moving between the haberdashery and kitchenware floors of a department store, adding to her birthday wish list. She has written three novels: The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, There's More to Life than Cupcakes and most recently The Bluebell Bunting Society. The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp made it into the Amazon top 100 bestseller chart, so clearly someone other than her mum must have read it. She's currently working on her fourth novel – it's about friends, siblings and crafty things – and drinking far too much tea.

You can get in touch with Poppy on Twitter @poppydwriter and on Facebook at PoppyDolanBooks. She doesn't bite. Unless you are a dark chocolate digestive. 

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Book Review - The Bluebell Bunting Society by Poppy Dolan

Amazon UK

Title:  The Bluebell Bunting Society

Author: Poppy Dolan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 27th March 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to Bluebell Hall. Pull up a wonky chair, grab a cream bun and settle into a story about a little village, a determined caretaker – and bunting.

At twenty-nine, Connie isn’t quite where she thought she’d be. When her beloved gran died Connie returned to Hazelhurst, the village she grew up in, and took over her gran’s old job as caretaker at the village hall. It might not be the stuff of dreams, but Connie loves working at Bluebell Hall – the heart of the community fuelled by copious cups of tea.

So when Bluebell Hall is threatened with closure, Connie is determined not to let greedy property developers get their hands on it. She hatches a plan bonkers enough that it just might work. All it takes is a needle and thread, scraps of old material and willing hands.

Can Connie convince the people of Hazelhurst that their village hall is worth saving? And will she save herself in the process…?

If you love bunting then you are definitely in the right place. If on the other hand like me and you really can't work out what all the fuss about lots of triangles strung together is, then not to worry, as in amongst all of the bunting, there is a charming story, that I really enjoyed reading. 

The whole purpose of the newly created Bluebell Bunting Society is to help to try and save Bluebell Hall from closure, and they have only been given 30 days to get the hall's visitor numbers up. Personally I would have possibly preferred the original idea for the sewing club, as it would have been a lot funnier, reading about a knicker sewing group!

Connie has inherited the caretaker role of the hall from her grandmother and has been at it for four years. She still isn't sure whether this is really what she wants to do with her life, nor does she have any other ideas, but Bluebell Hall is in her blood and she is determined to do a good job. 

What I enjoy in books like this, including this one is the small village feel, and Hazelhurst definitely that had. I'm not exactly sure where Hazelhurst is, but its a charming village and I really enjoyed meeting the various people, including the ones most instrumental in helping Connie try to save the hall. 

I love small town communities and also reading about crafting, so this has a lovely cozy feel to the whole book. It felt rather calm reading it, and really enjoyed the story.  I could really picture the bunting, and I loved the Bluebells and the Scouts when they meet, and all the activities that Connie ran with the Bluebells (Hazelhurst answers to brownies). 

Thanks to a mix of old and new friends, the campaigns and promotions that are thought up to save the hall are incredibly creative, and one in particular really caught my imagination. 

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


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Poppy Dolan lives in Berkshire with her husband. She's a near-obsessive baker and a keen crafter, so on a typical weekend can be found moving between the haberdashery and kitchenware floors of a department store, adding to her birthday wish list. She has written three novels: The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, There's More to Life than Cupcakes and most recently The Bluebell Bunting Society. The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp made it into the Amazon top 100 bestseller chart, so clearly someone other than her mum must have read it. She's currently working on her fourth novel – it's about friends, siblings and crafty things – and drinking far too much tea.


PUBLICATION DETAILS

The Bluebell Bunting Society by Poppy Dolan is published on 27th March by Canelo,
price £1.99 as an ebook

Website and buy links: http://www.canelo.co/books/bluebell-bunting-society/ 


SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
Author Twitter @poppydwriter (and on Facebook at /PoppyDolanBooks)

Publisher Twitter @Canelo_co