Book Review - Love Me Not by Holly Smale - #HolidayReading Tenerife

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Title: Love Me Not

Author: Holly Smale

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

Publication Date: 13th May 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

The stunning conclusion to the mega fame-busting 11-13 trilogy from the multi-million bestselling author of GEEK GIRL.

Party girl actress Mercy Valentine is nobody’s hero and that’s how she wants it. She’s sarcastic, sharp and always defensive – so no one can hurt her ever again. Mercy’s starring in a major theatre show and hitting the gossip headlines, but her glamorous world is about to come crashing down. And when Mercy crashes there will be fireworks…

LOVE ME NOT is an eye-opening, heart-warming, darkly funny exploration of what it really means to be famous, and how to heal a broken heart.

I'm gutted that I have come to the end of this book, as it means I have to say goodbye to the Valentines family, and I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each an everyone one of them, 

Including Mercy, the featured sibling in this latest book, who goes out of her way to be insulting to everyone and try to destroy them that you can't help but laugh and feel sorry for her. 

Of course there are good reasons for her behaviour, and she like all the members of the family have a great deal of development over the course of this book and the series generally and I was intrigued to see how things transpire. 

I loved rolling my eyes at the trio of birdbrains, I was amused by the flashbacks of antics from Charity, and I really loved the way Finn interacted with Mercy. 

Another fabulous book from my favourite MG author! 

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

Book Review - Meet Me Under The Northern Light by Emily Kerr

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Title: Meet Me Under The Northern Light

Author: Emily Kerr

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 3rd December 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

All it takes is one moment to change your life . . .

When a cleverly edited video of radio host Lucy Fairweather goes viral, she knows she needs an escape. And preferably somewhere far away.

Where better than Wild Zone – a destination for people who want to experience the Arctic Circle? Owned by the gorgeous but brooding Tommi, Lucy agrees to help with the guests in return for her stay. But getting to grips with her skis is proving harder than it looks.

Far from home and in a winter wonderland, will an encounter with the breathtaking Northern Lights change her luck, in both life and love?

I love a book that lets you be transported from your armchair to somewhere else, and this book certainly did that. I felt as though I was experiencing the Finnish wilderness alongside Lucy. 

Lucy is escaping from a viral video of herself, and I could tell she was slightly out of control even before the video, and from there she spirals. The reaction to this video was terrifying and shows just how easily internet trolls can cause damage to a person's wellbeing. 

From the moment Lucy reluctantly arrives in Finland I was hooked. I enjoyed getting to know her new colleagues and friends but at the same time like her, I wanted to know who was behind the viral video. 

Tommi who owns and runs Wild Zone, comes across quite gruff initially but as you see more of him, it felt like he was quite warm and cuddling inside once he cares about someone. 

There are a series of mishaps in Lucy's early days in The Wild Zone, some of which are more life threatening than others, as she really isn't taking  the surroundings seriously. 

This is Emily Kerr's second book and first one I've read and on this basis I will certainly be on the look out for more.  

But if you are looking at this this, thinking between the cold part of Finland, the possibility of Northern lights and the December publication date that this is a Christmas book. Well  I had left it until near the end of my festive reading season this year, and well clearly I was wrong. This can easily be read at any time of the year, but I do recommend curling up somewhere warm to read, if nothing else than to combat the freezing cold temperatures in Wild Zone.

This is romantic escapist fiction at its very best, and it was a sheer pleasure to delve between the pages and devour this story. 

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Spring Blooms at the Hummingbird Hotel by Daisy James

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Title: Spring Blooms at the Hummingbird Hotel

Author: Daisy James

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 27th January 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

Welcome to the Hummingbird Hotel!

When Corfu’s newest hotelier Abbie Coleman is asked to host a Bakes & Beaches retreat for a group of Bake Off enthusiasts from a regional TV and radio station, she knows she needs as much help as she can get. Baking is not her forte, and with cupcakes, traybakes, pastries and showstoppers to co-ordinate – along with a whole host of terrifyingly high-octane water sports – she’s worried that her guests’ culinary creations will be more ‘curdled catastrophes’ than ‘tasty triumphs’. For any successful enterprise, preparation is key, so, along with her new assistant manager and all-round astrological guru Felix Morgan, Abbie sets about preparing a long and detailed To Do list.

But this is the Hummingbird Hotel, and the words ‘straightforward’ and ‘drama-free’ do not feature on the menu. So, when the salted caramel cupcakes are heavier on the salt than the caramel, and a guest’s expensive watch takes an unscheduled dip in the pool, Abbie must once again join forces with chef-turned-vineyard owner – and now fiancé – Nikos Angelopoulos, to unravel the mystery and maintain the hotel’s reputation for delivering beautiful bakes instead of mayhem and mistakes.

Can she turn burnt buns into sumptuous soufflés? Or will her future on Corfu be over before it’s begun?

It was so good to be able to return to the Hummingbird Hotel. 

I should start by saying that although I had read the first book in the series, I then haven't read 2 and 3, so this as book 4,I can safely say can be read as a standalone. Or at least don't be worried if you haven't read the entire series to date, although I'm sure I've missed out on other great books. 

How I loved being back in Corfu and amongst familiar faces, as we see Abbie host a Bakes and Beaches retreat for a group of TV people.  Of course as I've come to expect there is a slight mystery occurring, with some sabotage afoot as well. 

I enjoyed getting to know the people on the retreat, as well as seeing Abbie attempting to bake! 

I was just hooked on everything to do with the book, the gorgeous food, which is a Daisy James trademark, in addition to a glorious location, again something I've come to expect from her books, there is a nod to one of her others series too, which I was also really happy to spot.   

This is just really enjoyable light hearted escapism and caught my rapidly waning attention span, far more than any other book I've read in the past couple of weeks! It was just what I needed! 

Thank you to Daisy James for this copy which i have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Under One Roof by Samantha Tonge

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Title: Under One Roof

Author: Samantha Tonge

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 9th February 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

One forgotten discovery will change three women’s lives for ever…

Robin hasn’t been home for decades. After running away to London, she never expected to see her cantankerous mother, Faye, again. But when Faye has a fall, the two women are thrown together once more.

The years apart have not made their hearts grow fonder and the ground between them is unsteady. Then Robin finds an unopened scroll – the last of the treasure hunts her much-missed father used to take them on every Sunday. A hunt he believed might change everything.

Yet, not even this gift from her beloved father can smooth the way until Robin’s daughter, Amber, arrives to meet her grandmother for the first time. Amber is determined that the decades-old mystery be solved.

Can a 30-year-old treasure hunt really 'change everything'?

A fabulous story of three generations of the same family that have been fractured for years, and seeing how they learn to get to know each other again, and see each other in a new light. 

Robin is the central character, she has barely seen or heard from her mother Faye since she ran away aged 16, but has agreed to return home to look after her after a fall. Faye is not overly welcoming, but grudgingly allows Robin to stay until she is able to do things for herself again. 

Then there is Amber, Robin's daughter who took her dad's side in the divorce and has been on rocky ground with Robin since. She is having a tricky time at uni, and the suggestion is that she moves in with Faye and Robin until she makes up her mind about the future. 

So three women in one family, under one roof, but find common ground with the treasure hunt that Robins's beloved late dad had left them, promising it would change everything. 

I was hooked on trying to work out how a treasure hunt could change their lives, and it's worth every moment of the book, every time you want to reach out and knock some sense into the characters, for the conclusion.  It's so fitting and touching, and just wonderful. 

We get to re-live the 1980s (or experience it properly for the first time) as Robin's bedroom was left as it was, so there are plenty of 80s references, fashions etc..  Between chapters we get a real idea for what teenage Robin was like, as we see her old letters to the agony aunt in her favourite magazine and the personalised replies too. 

Which is big reminder of how painful your teen years can be! 

At times I found this a bit tricky to read, purely because I have a not exactly smooth relationship with my mother, but it did mean I was able to empathise a lot with Robin. 

It's another incredibly good book from Samantha Tonge who continues to surprise and impress as the direction of her writing evolves with each book. 

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

Book Review - Tea For Two at the Little Cornish Kitchen by Jane Linfoot - #HolidayReading Tenerife

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Title: Tea for Two at the Little Cornish Kitchen

Author: Jane Linfoot

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 30th January 2022

Rating: 5 Stars

St Aidan: a cosy Cornish village where friendships are made for life and it’s always cocktail hour somewhere…

The Little Cornish Kitchen is going on tour!

When internet sensation ‘Cressida Cupcake’ has a soggy bottomed TV fiasco and faces bake-off backlash she jumps at the chance to spend some time hiding out in St Aidan, dog sitting for her brother.

Picturesque Seaspray Cottage is meant to be Cressy Hobson’s port in the storm but with her blog sponsors having fled and her book deal gone sideways her funds are running low and she’s forced to turn to the locals for help. Soon her quiet weeks in Cornwall are filled with chasing sheep, saving the local retirement village, taking The Little Cornish Kitchen into people’s homes for baking nights…and keeping vigilant guard against romance.

The one and only time Cressy lost her head to love was over a decade ago while in St Aidan, and she won’t be making the same mistake again – a feat easier said than done when Ross Bradbury looks even better a decade on…and every step she takes seems to put him in her path!

Make sure you have a steady stream of cakes, blondies, meringues, icing,  cookies etc.. handy to munch on as you read this, or forever feel the hunger!

So lovely to be back in St. Aiden with a tale from Jane Linfoot, and this definitely works as a standalone novel. 

Between the cute cat, fantastic dog, hunky vet, the friendship group that call themselves Mermaids, and some fabulous residents in a care home in addition to community spirit in spades, this is a fabulous place for Cressida to run to . 

Especially after getting a whole bunch of internet trolling and needing to escape for a while, and she is housesitting for her brother, while trying to work out the mess her career has turned into. 

I loved the concept of The Little Cornish Kitchen going on tour, and seeing how Cressida Cupcake would deal with various situations. 

I was also hooked on her interactions with Ross, who has has past history with, but that I really fell for! 

And Millie was easily one of my favourite characters, a 10 year old who is very switched on, has a habit of repeating things with the best comic timing, she's great!

I just loved every second I spent amongst these characters in this all so familiar setting.  Just please Jane Linfoot don't make us wait so long for your next book!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley and for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Three Single Wives by Gina LaManna - #HolidayReading Tenerife

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Title: Three Single Wives

Author: Gina LaManna

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 1st September 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

None of them came to book club with a plot to murder . . .

So when the discussion unexpectedly turns to the appropriate revenge for a philandering husband, nobody takes it seriously. It's all hypothetical and anyway, what woman hasn't dreamed about killing the man she loves occasionally? That doesn't mean she'd actually do it.

But the very next day a man is dead.

And now three women have some explaining to do . . .

How on earth do you go from a book club discussion that leads to a hypothetical discussion about how you might murder your spouse, to the next day one of those men ending up dead, and no one including the reader being entirely sure for a long while just who killed the man. 

Or in fact which man it was, as there is a lot of motivation everywhere.  

Told in a mix of transcripts from the court case and from the ladies points of view going back 8 months to the present, to explain all the complicated dynamics at play, I was utterly hooked and needed to keep on reading to discover the truth. 

It's very clever and well thought out, and I really did come to also want to kill the dead man as he arguably deserved to die.

This is the second book I've now read by this author and I'm completely convinced it won't be the last as I've enjoyed both so much. 

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

Book Review - Forever Summer by Jenny Oliver

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Title: Forever Summer

Author: Jenny Oliver

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Electric Monkey

Publication Date: 8th July 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

For all fans of Jenny Han, Holly Bourne and The Kissing Booth comes the must-have teen read from bestselling fiction author, Jenny Oliver!

Summer term and the heat is rising …

It's summer term at Chelsea High, the most exclusive school in town! The weeks ahead are filled with glamorous events – including a variety show AND a trip to a Greek island! But a shock revelation has new girl Norah Whittaker rethinking everything she thought she knew about herself. With family, friendship and romance up in the air, studying at Chelsea High is NEVER straightforward!

My only regret with this book was not having realised Jenny Oliver had moved into YA books sooner than I did, as I would have loved to have read Chelsea High first. 

In fact I didn't even realise until after I had started reading Forever Summer and then pulled up the info my computer at which point I twigged, but with that I will say this can easily be read as a standalone, but it may have taken me a bit longer to get to grips with the sizeable cast of characters. 

And my regret is purely because I was enjoying this one so much it's a shame I hadn't had a chance to read the series in order, as this is 100% my sort of book. 

I absolutely loved it! 

I've always loved books set in schools and this was no exception, and I couldn't help but really feel for Norah, her boyfriend is currently in New York with a seriously ill brother, her father is in prison, she is at a school for the rich only thanks to her grandparents paying the fees, and she's not really got that many friends. 

There are all the sorts of dynamics you would expect in a high school but there is also in terms of sports, well the school has a polo team, i mean I went to a private school with a whole range of sports on offer, but we certainly didn't have ponies and polo! I did love that Norah was in the Netball squad, which allowed me to relive my attempts to get into my own Netball squad (I always failed). 

There are so many big themes running through this book, and a plethora of fabulous storylines.  I am completely hooked on Norah's life and want more.  I really really hope there will be another book in this series, as I'm certainly not done with my time at Chelsea High.  I was enjoying it that much. 

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

Book Review - The Farmhouse of Second Chances by Helen Rolfe - Blog Tour

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Title: The Farmhouse of Second Chances

Author: Helen Rolfe

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 17th February 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

Home is where the heart is...

Joy has made a family for herself. She's turned her beautiful old farmhouse into a safe haven for anyone who is looking for a new beginning. She's always ready with a kind word, a nugget of advice and believes that anyone can change their life for the better, if they really want to.

Libby has exchanged her high-flying job in New York for a break in the quiet Somerset countryside. She's soon drawn into Joy's world and into her family of waifs and strays - including Drew, whom Joy once helped get back on his feet.

So when a secret from Joy's past threatens everything, can the unlikely group come together to give Joy a second chance of her own?

Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Ali McNamara!

It took me a long while to get into this book, I knew I was enjoying it, but due to life getting in the way, I was struggling to read for more than a few mins at time. I feel if I had managed to spare the time to read a good amount of the early bit of the book in one go, I would have connected with it a lot quicker - but that's on me. 

As by the time I got to the last quarter I had to read it one sitting, I couldn't be parted from the story, as I desperately needed to know just what is was that Joy has been hiding, and I would never have predicted how the finale section of this book would resolve. 

I loved the dual view points of Joy and Libby, aunt and niece, as it really allowed me the chance to get to know the characters.  Libby and her adjustment to life in the UK Countryside after quitting her New York city job.   And Joy with what really is a farmhouse of second chances. 

There are adorable puppies, and a rag tag group of people that Joy has helped over the years that have become her family.  I loved getting to know Lauren and her cakes, Freddie and his fruit and veg business, Drew and his kayaks and Cameron who is the newest addition to the farmhouse, who is just starting to settle in. 

I thoroughly enjoyed these well rounded characters who all have awkward pasts in common, and who all clearly care for Joy. 

I had a lot of fun trying to guess what the big secret in Joy's past was, and generally enjoying the whole heartwarming vibe of the book. A very enjoyable story. 

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

Book Review - The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique by Kellie Hailes - #HolidayReading Tenerife

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Title: The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique 

Author: Kellie Hailes

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Orion Dash

Publication Date: 10th June 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

As the owner of a second-hand bridal boutique in the little village of Alfriston, Paige Alby has seen too many tear-stained owners bring in wedding dresses that signal collapsed dreams to believe in happily ever after. So being the maid of honour at her mother's fourth wedding isn't exactly something she's looking forward to... Nor is the prospect of working with Cy, her mother's admittedly handsome but far too forward wedding planner.

Cy Thorpe has spent the last few years building a wedding empire in London catering to the rich and famous. On a trip home to see his family, he takes on a small private wedding on a whim. The last thing he expected to find was love, but the more time he spends with Paige, the more he sees past her defences to the woman who has dedicated her life to saving the things others have neglected. The hopeless romantic to Paige's sworn cynic, can Cy get Paige to give him and happily ever after a chance?

A warm and uplifting romance, The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique is perfect for fans of Jessica Redland, Tilly Tennant and Donna Ashcroft.

Another wining book from Kellie Hailes. 

I utterly adored the bets and banter between Paige and Cy, as they to make sure Paige's mum Diana has a great wedding to Fiancée Si, even if it is her umpteenth time down the aisle. 

Although both work in a wedding related business, neither are willing to risk their own hearts and fall in love. 

So their character development was lovely to see, as they come to certain realisations about everything. 

A lovely quick and easy read that had me enthralled on my sunbed as I read reading poolside.  

Thoroughly enjoyable and just what I needed as I read it.

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

Book Review - The Family Holiday by Elizabeth Noble - #HolidayReading Tenerife

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Title: The Family Holiday

Author: Elizabeth Noble

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 25th June 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

The only gift Charlie wants for his 80th birthday is his family all together again.

Ever since his wife Daphne passed away, and the children grew up into their own busy lives, it's felt like they've drifted apart.

So he's invited them all on a family holiday - their first in years.

And by some miracle, everyone has said yes.

Ten days all together in the Cotswolds . . . how hard can it be?

It has been forever since I last read a new book from Elizabeth Noble, so was delighted to see The Family Holiday had been released. 

And even after a considerable gap between releases (unless I've missed some, somewhere), her writing is still fabulous, and the family and its strands in this story really got under my skin. 

I loved all three siblings and their stories, Laura, now single mum to teen Evan, who himself is having a rather nightmarish time of things at the moment.  Scott who is happily married to Heather and his two step daughters who seem lovely. And then there is Nick, who is a widower with 3 young children, 5 and under, and is just trying to make it from day to day. 

And patriarch of the family Charlie who has summoned them all to the Cotswolds for a summer family holiday and to celebrate his 80th birthday.

I enjoyed seeing how all the various kids got on together, as well as the dynamics between the siblings who don't seem overly close as adults. 

At times I wanted to reach out and hug Evan, and Nick, and the little kids. They were all so much in need of some extra special love! 

Really enjoyable story that I'm glad I finally sat down to read.

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