Book Review: The Island Swimmer by Lorraine Kelly

Posted on by Libby Price

Like most people in the UK – I’ve grown up with Lorraine Kelly ever present on my TV screen – the definition of a National Treasure! So when I heard she’d written her first novel, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy by Net Galley. If you need to read the blurb – rather than just read a book because you love the author – here it is:

“Once the tide turns, you can’t hold it back…
When Evie’s father falls desperately ill, she finally returns to the family home on Orkney and the wild landscape she left as a teenager, swearing never to return. Not everyone is happy at her arrival, particularly her estranged sister Liv, their relationship broken after a childhood trauma.
As Evie clears out her father’s neglected house to prepare it for sale, lonely Evie finds herself drawn to a group of cold-water swimmers led by her old friend Freya, who find calmness beneath the waves. Together they help Evie face up to the mistakes in her past, unlocking a treasure of truths that will reverberate through the community, and shake her family to its core.”

The book follows three different time lines:

The 1970s when Evie’s parents are meeting for the first time and starting their relationship;
2004 when Evie leaves Orkney after an unknown trauma; and
the present day when Evie returns to her family home after finding out her father is seriously ill.

Each of the individual timelines has a storyline in its own right – and it was lovely seeing them unwind and how they impacted on each other.

Getting to know Evie and the supporting cast of characters was great – and the descriptions of Orkney and the different settings there was really evocative. It sounds stunning.

Whilst the book is primarily is a family drama – it does touch on other topics such as coercive control, discrimination faced by trans people, cancer and accidental death – so there is definite light and shade.

I have to say that there were some grammatical errors and words missing or repeated in sentences – but I suspect those will be dealt with before the book is actually published (and I am a total pedant!) as this was an advanced review copy.

Overall I would say the book is exactly what you’d expect from Lorraine Kelly – feel good, clever, warm, community spirited, but with enough spice and cheekiness to be interesting! A warm hug of a book.

Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC. It came out on 15 February 2024 – so you can buy it now.

Book Review: Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

Posted on by Libby Price

I appear to be one of the few people who didn’t read Kiley Reid’s debut novel ‘Such A Fun Age’ – which ended up being one of the books of 2020 and a Sunday Times bestseller. So when I heard she had a new book out – I requested an advance review copy from Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Everything comes at a price. But not everything can be paid for.
Millie wants to graduate, get a job and buy a house. She’s slowly saving up from her job on campus, but when a visiting professor offers her an unusual opportunity to make some extra money, she jumps at the chance.
Agatha is a writer, recovering from a break-up while researching attitudes towards weddings and money for her new book. She strikes gold when interviewing the girls in Millie’s dorm, but her plans take a turn when she realises that the best material is unfolding behind closed doors.
As the two women form an unlikely relationship, they soon become embroiled in a world of roommate theatrics, vengeful pranks and illicit intrigue – and are forced to question just how much of themselves they are willing to trade to get what they want.
Sharp, intimate and provocative, Come and Get It takes a lens to our money-obsessed society in a tension-filled story about desire, consumption and bad behaviour.”

Before I started reading this I noticed that it had really mixed reviews on Net Galley – with some people questioning the lack of storyline – but I decided to not be deterred and started reading!

The book tells the story from the view points of various people based around a University dorm – Agatha and Millie as mentioned in the blurb – but also Kennedy, who is one of the students in the dorm around which the story is based. Whilst there is a ‘real time’ timeline – it also looks at the back story of each of the characters, and thus what has made them who they are today.

I can totally see where the reviews are coming from with the story not really going anywhere. Observationally it is brilliant, and you really get a feel for campus life – and the characters are very well described – but I just didn’t get the point of the book. I kept reading to see if something exciting happened – and it just never really did. 

It feels like after the acclaim given to the author’s first book – this ‘difficult second album’ didn’t really hit the spot.

Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC. You can ‘Come and Get It’ right now, as it was published on Tuesday 30 January 2024.

Book Review: Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Posted on by Libby Price

Piglet is another recommendation from Red Magazine – and again I was grateful to be granted an advance review copy by Net Galley – here’s the blurb:

“For Piglet – an unshakable childhood nickname – getting married is her opportunity to reinvent. Together, Kit and Piglet are the picture of domestic bliss – effortless hosts, planning a covetable wedding … But if a life looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Thirteen days before they are due to be married, Kit reveals an awful truth, cracking the façade Piglet has created. It has the power to strip her of the life she has so carefully built, so smugly shared. To do something about it would be to self-destruct. But what will it cost her to do nothing?
As the hours count down to their wedding, Piglet is torn between a growing appetite and the desire to follow the recipe, follow the rules. Surely, with her husband, she could be herself again. Wouldn’t it be a waste for everything to curdle now?
Piglet is the searing, unforgettable and original debut which is set to take readers by storm in 2024.”

I think some of my friends are going to be nervous as I describe this as ‘unusual, different, really well written’ – as I used similar words when discussing The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – and they have never forgiven me for making them read it!! But – unusual, different and really well written sum this up perfectly!

The book starts the summer before Piglet is due to marry Kit. Piglet is a childhood nickname (and one we use for our own kids!) and you don’t find out her real name until the very end. Piglet has escaped her suburban upbringing in Derby (she is very disparaging about Derby – which made me quite defensive, as I like it!) to move to Oxford (via London) to marry ‘upwards’. Kit and her future in laws are definitely a few rungs up the social mobility ladder than Piglet’s folks – and she is fully embracing her new life (where Vienetta would only be served ironically!)

Each chapter is counting down to the wedding – and just less than a fortnight to go before the wedding, Kit reveals a secret to Piglet. However, you don’t know what this secret is. I kept expecting it to be revealed – but it isn’t – and thus it’s really difficult to know how to process Piglet’s reaction. Is she over or under reacting??

The writing of the book is excellent – particularly the cooking and food aspects – they were incredibly evocative – and made me very hungry!! As well as the wedding – there are other things discussed – disordered eating, body image, friendships, family shame, keeping up appearances etc etc. But I’m still not really sure what I felt about the book. I didn’t particularly warm to Piglet or Kit – so was neither ‘team’. It just left more questions than answers. But it is very original – and the questions it generates will no doubt make it a winner for book club discussions!

A thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC. Piglet is out on the 25th January 2024

Book Review: Frank and Red by Matt Coyne

Posted on by Libby Price

This book first hit my radar when Sarah Turner / The Unmumsy Mum talked about it on her Instagram. Sarah freely admitted that Matt Coyne is a friend – but said how much she loved the book – and given that Sarah’s debut fiction novel was one of my only 5 star reviews on Net Galley last year – I had high hopes. I requested an advance review copy from Net Galley and was delighted to be granted one. Then, on the very day I started reading it, Steph Douglas (of Don’t Buy Her Flowers fame) also posted how much she’d enjoyed it – so I was even more excited to get stuck in.

Here’s the blurb:

“Frank and Red are a mess.
Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.
And then Red moves in next door.
Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline.
From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.
. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.”

This book is SOOOO GOOD! From very early on I loved how well Frank and Red were written – they both felt incredibly ‘real’ and perfect embodiments of characters their age. The incessant wittering of a 6 year old versus the desperate need for quiet of the grumpy septuagenarian were just part of their personalities that were captured so well.

The supporting cast too, Sarah as a harassed single Mum, the classroom characters which you would recognise from every school – and ‘Marcie’ who was a loving – but forceful – ghost who was just wonderful.

I had this on my Kindle – so hadn’t seen the cover until I just saved the photo for this blog post – and it’s perfect. A massive thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC. It’s out on 1 February 2024, so I would definitely recommend pre ordering it now. Your future self will be very grateful!

Book Review: Say You’ll Be My Jaan by Naina Kumar

Posted on by Libby Price

This debut novel by Texan lawyer Naina Kumar was recommended in Red magazine – and I was kindly granted an advance review copy by Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Meghna has tried everything to find her jaan: blind dates, the dreaded apps, even attempting conversations with strangers. Everything except arranged marriage.
“Think of it like Tinder. Except your parents are the algorithm”
Then Seth, her best friend and the-one-who-got-away, asks her to be his “best man” and suddenly her parent’s taste doesn’t seem so bad. Which is how she meets the cranky but handsome Karthik, who knows marriage is not for him.
They’re the perfect match – if not the one their parents think they are making – and a deal is struck. They’ll announce their engagement: Karthik will be excused from his mother’s set-ups and Meghna will have a date for the wedding from her nightmares.
But how can you fake it and get away with it, when you’re not faking it at all?“

The overall storyline of this is a standard rom com, but with lots of differences and twists and turns to make it really enjoyable and not predictable. I liked Meghna from the start and her relationship with her parents, friends – and then with Karthik himself. The only person who I didn’t like – which I think is really the point – is Seth!

Meghan’s is an English teacher, who loves the theatre and musicals – whilst Karthik is an uptight engineer – and both of them have felt the pressure of parents who had career plans for them that they hadn’t followed. Their respective careers are an integral part of the storyline and how things change over time – along with their marital status.

No spoilers here – but there are lots of plot twists to keep you intrigued. The book also manages to be quite sexy in a few places – but without anything too graphic – very cleverly and respectfully done.

There are a number of word puns in a mixture of English and Hindi – I am looking forward to wowing my Gujarati friend with these when I see her in a few weeks! The title being one / Jaan (Jaan means ‘life’) – although I do notice that the book is called ‘Say You’ll Be Mine’ in America, which is a bit of a shame as the puns are definitely part of the storyline!

A big thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC. ’Say You’ll Be My Jaan’ is out today – so you can buy it right now!

Book Review: Thirty Days in Paris by Veronica Henry

Posted on by Libby Price

Having previously enjoyed books by Veronica Henry, I’d requested and been granted an advance review copy of this back last year – but had got behind with my reviews and it had slipped down the TBR pile, but took my fancy over Christmas 2023. Here’s the blurb:

“Because Paris is always a good idea…
Years ago, Juliet left a little piece of her heart in Paris – and now, separated from her husband and with her children flying the nest, it’s time to get it back!
So she puts on her best red lipstick, books a cosy attic apartment near Notre-Dame and takes the next train out of London.
Arriving at the Gare du Nord, the memories come flooding back: bustling street cafés, cheap wine in candlelit bars and a handsome boy with glittering eyes.
But Juliet has also been keeping a secret for over two decades – and she begins to realise it’s impossible to move forwards without first looking back.
Something tells her that the next thirty days might just change everything…”

The blurb – and start of this – reminded me of a book I’d read recently with a similar premise, and I did wonder if I’d get confused – but I didn’t at all, and it was lovely to be back in Paris! I say ‘back’ – but this book was actually released first.

Juliet is a similar age to me, with children of a similar age (although in an dissimilar way, I haven’t separated from my husband!) and so there was lots to empathise with immediately. Coincidentally Juliet was from Worcester – and I write this from a coffee shop in the shadow of Worcester Cathedral as I wait to pick my kids up from school!! And whilst Juliet might have been disparaging about a night out here, my 20 and 18 year olds love an evening at Sin and Bush!!

Juliet closes the door on the old family home – and heads off to Paris to revisit where she’d spent some time in her teenage years. She rents a little flat – and it sounds wonderful! The descriptions of the nearby cafes and bars – and re-exploring Paris were very evocative – it almost felt like I was there.

You know something bad happened on Juliet’s first visit – and there are flashbacks to her time as an au pair – and the friends she had back in the 90s – but it takes quite a while for what actually happened to be revealed. I felt sorry for young Juliet – she had been so young and naïve.

The two time lines play out – intertwining – and I kept wanting to read ‘just one more chapter’ to find out what was happening – which is truly the sign of a good book. Overall a fantastic, escape to France, and a highly enjoyable read.

Whilst I’m behind the times in reviewing it – this does at least mean you can order it right now if you fancy it – and I’m not tempting you weeks before it actually comes out!

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC – and I promise to be more efficient with future titles!!

Book Review: A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

Posted on by Libby Price

“When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.
William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.
His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because – as William discovers – giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.”

I’m lucky that I get given lots of books – but sometimes friends recommend ones I’ve missed, and if I trust their judgment, I will part with hard cash if they think I will love a book!

The book starts on the night of the Aberfan disaster. It’s something I knew about in principle – but had never really researched – but I feel much more informed now (how absolutely horrific it must have been for everyone involved).

The book then flashes back to William’s childhood where he was a chorister. Whilst none of my own children are choristers (we did try and persuade our son to audition as it meant a big chunk off his school fees – but he wasn’t up for it! I’m pleased to say that nowadays the rules have changed and we could have tried to persuade his sisters too – but I suspect would have been met with a similar negative response!!), lots of their schoolfriends are – so it’s something on my radar (albeit at Worcester cathedral the choristers are no longer boarders).

The intervening period is then filled in, with William and his parents, his Dad passing away, the relationship with his Uncle – and eventually joining the family undertaking business. A real family saga of a book spanning the 1950s to the 1970s.

You know something bad happened during his time as a chorister – but it takes almost all of the book for this to reveal itself despite it clearly shaping William’s future.

The relationships between William and his family – both by birth, marriage and singing – are also integral to the storyline and seemingly empathetically explored. As well as looking at the Aberfan disaster – other things ‘ of the times’ – in particular rampant homophobia – are looked at too. You forget how different society was – and within my own lifetime.

Lots of the locations were familiar – from Sutton Coldfield (my husband’s home town – although he was a Fairfax boy rather than attending their rivals John Willmott like the author! And thus I also suspect the Birmingham Crematorium where she grew up is where my mother-in-law has a memorial stone), to Cambridge, to Mumbles in South Wales – which always make me enjoy a book even more.

I did really enjoy the evocative but at the same time gentle feel of the book – and was glad to have made the investment. 

Book Review: The Guests by Nikki Smith

Posted on by Libby Price

I really enjoyed The Beach Party by Nikki Smith in Summer 2023 – so when I saw that an advance review copy of her next book (out in April 2024) was available on Net Galley – I immediately requested one. Here’s the blurb:

“THE RESORT OF THEIR DREAMS.
A DESTINATION TO DIE FOR…
Welcome to paradise!
Or so the staff say when they greet the Hamiltons at the idyllic Asana Fushi resort in the Maldives.
And it starts off that way: champagne picnics on powder-white sand, snorkelling in the serene blue sea and moonlit walks under the stars.
But lies lurk beneath the luxury because each of the guests has a secret, and they’re not the only ones.
How can a once-in-a-lifetime trip turn into the holiday from hell?
From the author of THE BEACH PARTY comes a novel of sun, sea and secrets for fans of ONE OF THE GIRLS and WHITE LOTUS.”

Whilst we haven’t been to the Maldives, it is most definitely on our ‘to do’ list – and coincidentally a friend was there on her honeymoon whilst I read this book – so the combination of the amazing descriptions of the location – and her photos – was fantastic!

And whilst we haven’t been to this specific exotic location – we are lucky enough to have stayed in some fabulous resorts around the world – and the descriptions of the workings and staff at the idyllic resort was spot on!

The prologue means you know something awful is going to happen, and the chapters are counting down to something as well – so that really keeps the momentum going.

Cara and Zach and their daughter Alexa have clearly been through some recent trauma – and are heading off to a fabulous holiday for some much needed family time together. I loved the clever ‘Easter Egg’ where Cara buys the author’s previous book at the airport as her beach read!!

On the journey to the resort they bump into another couple who they have prior and current work connections with – which seems perhaps too much of a ‘coincidence’. Once in resort there is a famous eco Instagrammer there who seems keen to check out Zach’s environmental connections of his investment portfolio – whilst Alexa is impressed with her fame and the fact she’s the traveller closest to her age. (Side note – given the meteoric rise of the Amazon device, I do worry about people with the name Alexa and what a problem it must be for them!)

Book Review: I Remember Paris by Lucy Diamond

Posted on by Libby Price

Having enjoyed a previous book by Lucy Diamond at the start of the year, I thought I could bookend 2023 (do you like what I did there?!) with her new release. Here’s the blurb:

“Jess Bright, single mum and journalist, feels her life has stalled. So when she’s offered a writing job in Paris for the summer, she leaps at the chance to go back to a city full of old memories and the promise of new opportunities.
Her subject is the iconic artist Adelaide Fox, whose personal life has always been steeped in scandal and intrigue. Now approaching eighty, she’s ready to tell her side of the story – and serve up some scalding-hot revenge in the process.
Amidst a stormy working relationship, Jess and Adelaide must face up to their pasts. As passionate affairs, terrible betrayals and life-changing secrets surface, there may be more surprises in store than either of them dared imagine . . .
Set in the city of love, with two unforgettable protagonists, I Remember Paris is a gloriously life-affirming novel about second chances, unlikely friendships and finding your way back to yourself“

Firstly, I really liked the main character – Jess. We’re a similar age, with children of a similar age, so lots of reference points were similar (although I’m still married to my husband!) The clever interweaving of both Jess’s trip to Paris when she was much younger – with her trip in the present day – is done very well. I thought the descriptions of Paris were excellent – and really evocative of the city, both the touristy destinations – and the ‘real’ French capital. 

I’m not an avid art follower – and I’m not sure if the character of Adelaide Fox is based on a specific artist – but she was very believable, and the unwinding of her past story was also well written.

Whilst Jess and Adelaide are the main stars of the book – the supporting cast are also excellent – with Adelaide’s nephew Luc providing a potential love interest for Jess, as well as an another from an old flame from her previous time in France. I felt the way the relationship between Jess and her eldest daughter was written was very ‘real’!

Paris is definitely a star of the book too.

Overall it was a lovely, escapist, read – with enough twists and turns to keep me keen to read on. Again – I’ve really enjoyed this Lucy Diamond book – and will most definitely look out for more of her work in the future.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Book Review: Why Mummy Drinks at Christmas by Gill Sims

Posted on by Libby Price

I’ve loved all of the previous books in the ‘Why Mummy’ series by Gill Sims – and thought the one out in 2020 was the final one in the series, so I was DELIGHTED to hear there was a new one. So delighted I was even prepared to part with my own hard cash to buy it for my Kindle!

Here’s the blurb:

“Mummy has always loved Christmas. Sure, the kids turn into demons, the dinner gets burnt to a crisp and Aunt Louisa’s general staggering inappropriateness sends Mummy reaching for the nearest maximum-strength festive tipple, but nevertheless, for her, Christmas is always special.
This year, she wants nothing more than to perfectly fig up the pudding and sit by the fire reading aloud from A Christmas Carol to a rapt, rosy-cheeked audience. But, just like all Mummy’s best-laid plans, this year’s Festive Vision is in danger of being totally derailed by her chaotic family. There’s not much chance of any action under the mistletoe, and the kids are just not playing ball.
Can Mummy find her silver lining after all and bring the whole family together for one moment of harmony, so they can finally proclaim ‘Verily You Are the Queen of Christmas’? Or should she get stuck into the festive spirits and just let it all go?”

The book follows on a couple of years after the last one – and thus is again in sync with my own family! The eldest daughter being at Uni and younger son on his year out (although ours is working as a labourer for our family construction business rather than swanning about foreign parts – for the moment anyway!) Ellen (aka Mummy) is looking forward to a perfect Christmas with Jane and Peter back under her roof – but her plans start falling apart. And there starts reminiscing about Christmasses past.

The supporting cast for these flashbacks have mostly already featured in the previous books – so there are clever references and plot points that super fans will recognise (whilst technically the book would stand alone, I really think having read the rest of the series would be an advantage.)

As with the previous books – there were elements that were laugh out loud funny – and the characterisation of family life is so very, very true.

I have to confess (and I’ll whisper this, as I feel like I’m being unfaithful to a series I love) but I did occasionally get a bit bored – specifically the Christmas at Louisa’s.

Overall though, another great, fun, funny, read – and a perfect Christmas gift for the harassed Mums in your life!