Book Review: The Queue by Alexandra Heminsley – and our own Queue story!

Posted on by Libby Price

My sister mentioned to me that she was reading this – and I immediately had FOMO and had to download it for 99p!

The aforementioned sister and I had both done ‘The Queue’ in September 2022 to pay our respects to the late Queen. We were brought up in quite a Royalist house – so it was no surprise we wanted to do it, but it just wouldn’t timetable with our respective family commitments to do it together. I was really surprised but my non-Royalist (although not totally anti monarchy) husband really wanted to pay his respects to the Queen too – although not just for him – but for his Mum and Grandparents who are no longer here to do it themselves.

We drove down to London on the Thursday morning – and initially watched the emotional procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. We were stood – with many, many others at Horse Guards Parade – you could have heard a pin drop despite the crowds (and obviously I cried as it was so emotional with the Queen’s beloved family following the coffin on foot).

We then walked back to our hotel and had a swim and changed for dinner (where my husband had some spicy oysters which he regretted in the early hours of the following morning, and I put pyjama bottoms on under my dress to prevent chub-rub and as an extra layer) It was the first night of ‘The Queue’ – so we decided after dinner we’d see where the queue was and decide then if we’d try and wait. We started our queue across The Thames from St Paul’s Cathedral. It was the first night and so the stewards weren’t 100% sure what they were doing – and there was no signage or anything – and at 10pm they reckoned we’d be 3-4 hours. We naively believed this!

3-4 hours later we were just getting to the London Eye – and it was only at this point that we got our wristbands (on future days wristbands were given out as soon as people started queuing, which was much fairer – I *almost* got into a fight with the group in front of us, as people kept joining them – although lots of the additions gave up well before the end #lightweights).

We’d got a little queue group together with the people immediately around us. There was Gary from Portsmouth and Linda from Abergavenny who’d each travelled to London on their own. They were both in their 70s – and veterans of previous Royal ‘lying in state’ queues – although clearly this was on a much bigger scale than for anyone else historically. There was also a mother a similar age to us, with a son in his 20s and his girlfriend, and then two sisters from London, of Indian heritage, also in their early 20s, who planned to queue through the night and then head off to work! The 9 of us formed a little group – very similar to the group in the book. This seemed to be a similar tale for lots of queuers – with my sister and her husband now in a WhatsApp chat with their groupies! We bought coffees for each other, saved the spaces when people went on toilet breaks – and provided support to each other as we took it in turns to struggle both physically and mentally. I honestly am not sure I would have carried on if it wasn’t for them at 2.10am when we were opposite the Houses of Parliament by the Covid Memorial Wall when word came down the queue that we were stopping for an hour whilst there were rehearsals for the funeral in Westminster Hall. They really motivated me to stay – that section was particularly moving for Gary who’d lost his elderly mother to covid earlier in the year – so he borrowed my biro to add her name to the wall.

We finally made it across the Thames and into the grounds of the palace of Westminster at about 5am – we thought we were nearly there – until we saw the zig zags of doom. This was by far the hardest part as you wound up and down and up and down seemingly forever. And the smell from the Portaloos was DISGUSTING. I think most people found this section the toughest. But suddenly we were there, almost 10 hours of queuing and we’d made it. Walking down the steps to where the coffin – with crown jewels atop – was incredibly emotional. We were very lucky (as was my sister 48 hours later) to be at the front when it came to ‘changing of the guard’ around the coffin – and so we were able to pause that little bit longer and see more of the ceremonial procedures. And then it was over. We walked out the other side of the hall and back to reality and said goodbye to the people we’d been with for hours on end and shared an experience we would all remember forever.

So that was our queue story – and here is the blurb for the book – which is kind of the whole point of this post, I just got distracted reminiscing!

“Three strangers. Ten miles. One life-changing day…
Suzie is 69 and has been keeping a secret for most of her life. She’d do anything to have her beloved Colin with her today, of all days, but she’s hoping that the long walk ahead will be a first chapter in a new life without him.
Tim is 42 and is joining the queue out of a sense of duty. It’s for his mum, who adored the Queen, but she can’t be there. He’s lived his whole life by the book, putting facts before feelings, trying to fit in but always sticking out. Perhaps he can change that today, by becoming part of history?
Abbie is 19, desperately hungover and isn’t sure how she ended up in the queue at all. Her ‘big move’ to London hasn’t exactly gone to plan – surrounded by millions of people, she’s never felt more lonely, and her dreams feel further away than ever. Yet today, she feels closer to her queue family than she does her real one.
As the unlikely trio wind along the Thames, edging ever closer to Westminster and the Queen, it becomes clear that when they finally leave the queue their worlds will never be the same again…”

The book starts with each of the 3 main characters getting ready to head into London for The Queue – all for different reasons, and all with different levels of preparation.

The book is set on the Saturday morning – and as we’d queued earlier I wasn’t sure how accurate the descriptions were (and my sister would say she was a bit cross, as this was EXACTLY the same timespan that she was there, and she felt it differed quite a lot from fact at the start!)

There are flashbacks for each of the individuals so you can build up a back story as to how they’ve all got to the side of the Thames in September 2022. They are all incredibly different – but I would say this really was a true representation of The Queue.

It’s a gentle book, about each of the people above – and I personally felt that The Queue wasn’t really featured that heavily. It was merely a setting and not that fundamental to the book as a whole. But I do wonder how much of that is because I have my own story and experience – and perhaps I wouldn’t feel that it had been short changed if if I’d only seen this unique and historical experience on TV rather than living it?

The descriptions of London were great – and obviously I could picture each our own experiences at many of the locations – some of which I’ve included in my small selection of photos above.

It was a pleasant, inoffensive book – but sadly did not set the world on fire for me and wasn’t that memorable for me. Unlike The Queue itself – with memories that will stay with me forever.

Book Review: The Game by Martin Kemp

Posted on by Libby Price

When I saw Martin Kemp had written his debut novel I thought I’d request an ARC from NetGalley. I ‘ve found novels by ‘famous people’ a bit hit and miss – so was hoping this would be a hit – although maybe I should have gone for the predictable ‘gold’ pun that the blurb does……..

“Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose …
A British icon delivers a powerful blockbuster in an exhilarating London underworld thriller.
Martin Kemp, the music, film and TV legend creates fiction gold as he introduces fictional anti-hero Johnny Klein in a breathless, high-octane page-turner.
Johnny Klein is a rock casualty, a fallen 1980s popstar who has lost everything — his family, his money and his fame. Thrown a lifeline by an old contact in the music business, Johnny doesn’t care what he is getting himself into.
Dragged down into East London’s dark underbelly, Johnny discovers there is more at stake than his own shattered ego. Johnny hates being yesterday’s man but now he’s wishing he could disappear altogether. The party might be over, but there’s no escape from the past…”

The book follows the story of Johnny Klein – 1980s popstar (write what you know and all that!) – who has fallen on hard times having partied his fortune away and lost his wife and teenage daughter in the process. He ends up lodging with an acquaintance’s family in their Indian / Elvis themed restaurant (yes. as random as it sounds!). He then, in an attempt to get some cash and raise his profile within the industry again, gets sucked into an underworld drama of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Some parts of the book were pacey and kept my interest, but some were a bit repetitive and I hate to say it, just a bit boring.

Now I know I can be a bit of a dick about consistency / editing mistakes – but there were two in quick succession in this book which jumped out at me (although maybe they will be corrected before the final version!) One character is shopping in Harvey Nicks when she speaks to Johnny and he goes to meet her – but a page later it refers to Johnny meeting her outside Harrods. Clearly she could be shopping in both – however it read like a continuity error. Within the very next chapter Johnny reminisces about walking home across London in the early hours of the morning, to a paragraph later saying he’d spent all of his cash on a taxi back the night before. Whilst neither of these errors ruins the storyline – it just feels a bit lazy? Sorry, I appreciate I am a tw*t………

Overall it was ‘fine’ – and I wanted to continue to read it to see how everything turned out for everyone involved – but it did not set the world alight. I do wonder if it would have been published at all if it weren’t for the fact that the author is already famous? I’m sure many people – like me requesting the ARC – will do it based on the Martin Kemp name anyway.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan

Posted on by Libby Price

I’m not quite sure how I ended up with an ARC of this from NetGalley – as it’s not an author I’ve read before – but here’s the blurb:

“When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby West London boarding house in October 1958, carrying nothing except a broken suitcase and an envelope full of cash, it’s clear she’s hiding a terrible secret.
And she’s not the only one; the other women of 73 Dove Street have secrets of their own . . .
Tommie, who lives on the second floor, waits on the eccentric Mrs Vee by day. After dark, she harbours an addiction to seedy Soho nightlife – and a man she can’t quit.
Phyllis, 73 Dove Street’s formidable landlady, has set fire to her husband’s belongings after discovering a heart-breaking betrayal – yet her fierce bravado hides a past she doesn’t want to talk about.
At first, the three women keep to themselves.
But as Edie’s past catches up with her, Tommie becomes caught in her web of lies – forcing her to make a decision that will change everything . . .”

The book is told in 2 time lines, October 1958 and then in Edie’s case, also to flashbacks from 5 years ago as she meets her husband and forward through their relationship. You know something serious has happened which is why she’s ended up in the attic room at 73 Dove Street – but this story slowly unfolds through the flashbacks getting closer to the ‘present day’.

On the floor below Edie in the eponymous address of the book is Tommie. She’s far more worldly-wise than Edie and is a home help by day, and Soho frequenter by night.

The ground floor is taken by Phyllis – who is also the landlady. It’s clear she’s just kicked her husband out as the book starts, and is going through her own personal issues.

Initially the stories are quite separate – but then Tommie invites Edie on a night out in Soho and things change and they become more intertwined.

I thought the author described the settings and the women themselves really well – it was very easy to imagine their locations, appearances and even their temperaments. Each of them is going through their own personal issues.

I really enjoyed my time at 73 Dove Street and seeing the stories unfold. I also really liked the ending – even if it wasn’t quite what I imagined.

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC – I’m behind the times as it came out in July 2023 – so you can purchase it immediately if you like the sound of it.

Book Review: The Last Devil To Die (The Thursday Murder Club Book 4) by Richard Osman

Posted on by Libby Price

“Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.
With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?”

I am lucky enough to be given loads of advance review copies of books to read – so I don’t often have to part with hard cash for them – however, when certain books aren’t on Net Galley, I am prepared to put my hand in my pocket. I love Richard Osman (even more after seeing him on the Parenting Hell Live tour and then on last week’s Friday episode) and have adored the first three books in the Thursday Murder Club series – so this new book hit my Kindle the day of release.

It was wonderful to be reunited with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim and the supporting cast of friends, fellow Coopers Chase residents, local law enforcement and drug dealers from the previous three books! Now this book would stand alone – but I think you’d enjoy it much more if you’ve read the back stories for everyone (and given the sales figures, chances are you already have anyway!)

Yet again, the Thursday Murder Club are investigating a murder – which soon turns into quite a few murders! However, entwined within that is the story of Elizabeth’s husband Stephen and his failing health as he suffers with dementia.

Lots of new characters are also introduced – and I did feel I needed my wits about me to remember who was who – but that didn’t detract from the story. The style is so similar to the previous books, and so ‘Richard Osman’ (which is compliment!) and Joyce’s diary extracts are my absolute favourites, as always.

It was such a lovely book (which does seem a bit odd to say about a book concerning murder) but the whole series is witty, clever and life affirming (just not for the victims I guess!)

Richard Osman has said the Thursday Murder Club are taking a pause whilst he writes another series – and I’m a little bit sad about that – but will be delighted to read Book 5 at some point in the future. The acknowledgements at the end of the book were also a lovely read and I have to confess I cried!

Until next time, stay safe Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim.

Book Review: The Search Party by Hannah Richell

Posted on by Libby Price

“Five old friends.
One glamping weekend.
A storm that will change everything.
Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. They invite old university friends – TV star Dominic, doctor and new mum Kira, and free-spirited Jim and Suze – and their children for a trial weekend but the reunion quickly veers off-course.
First, there’s The Incident around the campfire on the first night. The following afternoon, a storm quickly develops off the rugged North Coast. When one of their group goes missing, all hell breaks loose. And as the winds batter the bell-tents, emotions run high and tension mounts for all the characters.
Who is lying in hospital, who has gone missing and who is the body on the beach below the cliffs . . .?
Gripping, cleverly structured and brimming with secrets and lies, this is a masterclass in narrative tension and a chilling exploration of the ways in which aspiration and anxiety collide. It will keep you guessing until the last page. “

I was offered an ARC of this book – out in January 2024 – by NetGalley, and though the blurb sounded interesting. I did, however, wonder if I was going to be bored by yet another ‘old friends reunion’ book – but I need not have feared at all!

Firstly I want to say how cleverly constructed this book is, and massive kudos to the author and editor for what must have been a painstaking task to ensure that everything entwined perfectly. I am a massive knob at pointing out plot inconsistencies – and despite this being crazily complicated, I didn’t find any! Before the book starts there is a list of characters which was super helpful to work out which children belonged to which parents etc.

The prologue is a very atmospheric description of a girl standing on a cliff top before jumping off – so you definitely have a idea of where the story is heading.

The book is then told from multiple perspectives – often by way of recounting events to the police. There are various timelines running – from the Friday evening when all of the old friends, and in some cases new partners and children, unite in Cornwall, to the Saturday afternoon when the storm happens, to the Sunday evening when the search is continuing as some of the group are at hospital and finally the Monday morning. I was concerned it would be really complicated and confusing – but it wasn’t at all, but kept the momentum so high as you were desperate for things to be further explained.

Max and Annie and their adopted son Kip have relocated from London to the coast of Cornwall, near St Ives (which I’ve been to recently and was described perfectly by the author) and before they open their glamping site to the public have invited their uni friends and all of their kids to try it out. Dominic is a TV star – and the ‘baddie’ on a TV talent show (in my head he was a hybrid of Simon Cowell and Craig Revel-Horwood and physically looked like Dom Joly!) His two teenagers from his first marriage were with him – along with his second wife Tanya and their 6 year old. Then there were Jim and Suze and their 3 kids, and Kira and her new boyfriend Fred and their baby daughter. So quite a mix of characters and ages, with various connections and histories – and secrets.

All of this then unravels throughout the book – jumping backwards and forwards, giving you little clues as to what is going to happen next, but not enough to work the whole plot out in advance – it’s just brilliant!

Obviously I don’t want to give away any spoilers – but I doubt you would be able to predict it all.

This is by far my favourite of the books I’ve read recently – but you’ll have to wait until January 2024 when it comes out – sorry!

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

Book Review: The Ski Trip by Sarah Clarke

Posted on by Libby Price

“THE PERFECT TRIP
When four friends embark on a boys’ skiing holiday in the Alps, they anticipate a weekend of fun, drinking, and some healthy competition on the slopes. But their trip is cut short when one of them falls to his death.
A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT…
Tom’s widow, Zoe travels to France with her friend, Ivy to collect his body. While Zoe is consumed by grief, Ivy starts to question everything.
OR COLD-BLOODED MURDER?
The slope Tom fell from wasn’t dangerous, and tensions between the group were at breaking point in the days before his death.
But if Ivy’s suspicions are correct, Tom was killed by one of his closest friends. And they are still in the chalet…”

I spotted this on Net Galley and liked the blurb – so was pleased to be granted an ARC.

The book is told from Ivy’s point of view. She’s a single Mum and seemingly something of a loner, with little contact with her Mum (her Dad died when she was a young girl) or her friends from University. It’s evident there was a big falling out back at her friend Zoe’s 21st – but it takes the entire book to find out what actually happened as it unfolds in both the current and historic time lines.

Ivy’s estranged friend Zoe has recently been back in touch – and turns up on Ivy’s doorstep because her husband Tom has died whilst on a skiing trip with some mutual university friends. Zoe is desperate for Ivy to go with her to the Alps to bring Tom’s body back – and eventually persuades Ivy to leave her baby son with her Mum for a few days to head off to Geneva.

The action then moves to the French Alps as the group are skiing in Morzine. Now I should disclose an interest at this point – as my best friend from school lives very close to there – so as the book mentions Avoriaz, Les Gets, Thonon etc I could totally picture the locations! I’m sure part of this was Sarah Clarke’s evocative descriptions – but also because I knew lots of them. And just putting it out there – perhaps Tom and his group should have booked lessons with a fab British ski school there!!!

Back to the book!

The story then unravels both in the present day – where Ivy is suspicious of how Tom died in such easy skiing circumstances when he was an experienced skier and also back when the entire group were at Exeter University many years before. Each of the friends has secrets and things the rest of the group don’t know.

The twists and turns are brilliant and keep you intrigued – it was a real ‘just one more chapter’ book. Some of it is a bit far fetched – but for me that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book. There will be no spoilers here – as you need to have the shocks yourself!

There seem to be quite a lot of ‘university reunion’ books around at the moment – but the different geographical locations set this apart.

Overall it was a great read – and I’d like to read books by this author in the future.

Big thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, The Ski Trip is out on 14 September 2023, so not long to wait at all!

Book Review: Weirdo by Sara Pascoe

Posted on by Libby Price

“Deep in Essex and her own thoughts, Sophie had a feeling something was going to happen and then it did. Chris has entered the pub and re-entered her life after Sophie had finally stopped thinking about him and regretting what she’d done.
Sophie has a chance at creating a new ending and paying off her emotional debts (if not her financial ones). All she has to do is act exactly like a normal, well-adjusted person and not say any of her inner monologue out loud. If she can suppress her light paranoia, pornographic visualisations and pathological lying maybe she’ll even end up getting the guy she wants? Then she could dump her boyfriend Ian and try to enjoy Christmas.”

I really like Sara Pascoe as a comedian – so when I saw she had her first novel out, I thought I’d request a copy from NetGalley – and was very pleased to be granted an ARC (it’s out next week). I then noticed it had a massively wide variety of stars on the review platform – it appeared to be literary marmite – but I still wanted to give it a go.

The book is told from Sophie’s point of view – and it is seemingly just a massive brain dump of her thoughts and the tangents she goes off on. She clearly has mental health struggles – and the meandering views screamed ADHD to me (although I don’t believe that is ever referenced). It is occasionally interspersed with other documents – an email from her bridezilla sister, a letter from debt collectors, correspondence from her estranged father in Australia – etc etc – and these break up the storyline and give some context.

I have to say I kept reading – but I’m not really sure why – as it just didn’t seem to go anywhere, and the journey to nowhere wasn’t that exciting or funny. It wasn’t offensive or badly written – just a bit ‘meh’.

But as I said – some people appear to have loved it – so don’t necessarily take my word for it!

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC.

Book Review: Dirty Laundry by Richard Pink and Roxanne Emery

Posted on by Libby Price

This is going to end up being a book review, I promise, but starts off as a sort of friend review!!!

I’m lucky to have a rich tapestry of friends (and I can’t wait to celebrate my half century with lots of them next year) – and I’ve collected them over my 5 decades from lots of different places! I met ‘A’ about 14 years ago through work, but she is now firmly one of my ‘ride or die’s. We are very different (she’s far younger and trendier than me!) and we have different views on lots of things – but we always discuss things in a respectful way (which is pretty bloody unusual in this day and age of polarised opinions being shouted about on social media!) She has been super helpful for me in my use of language. And to paraphrase the great Kathy Burke, this is not so I can be considered ‘woke’ but so I can be considered less of an ‘ignorant f*cking tw*t’! Initially this was over the use of the word ‘normal’ – and now I’m all for a coffee with dairy milk after your vaginal birth. (Although I have still been known to ask ‘A’ ‘what w*nky milk are you drinking at the moment?’!) More recently it’s been language over physical and mental disabilities, and even the use of the word disability to describe deafness and ADHD. It’s a minefield – and often even people within one community can have really differing views on the language they personally prefer – but I think if you’re trying to be fair and sensible and understanding – then you’re on the right path.

‘A’ has had an adult diagnosis of ADHD which she writes about eloquently on her own blog – and this, along with other evidence, has lead me to suspect certain of my close family members should possibly seek a diagnosis too. Now this is not in a ‘everyone is a bit on the spectrum / they’re a bit OCD’ way. That is something else I’ve been educated about. The thing that has stuck with me is the pregnancy analogy. You can have swollen ankles, a bad back and piles without being ‘on the pregnancy spectrum / a little bit pregnant’ – showing you can share symptoms with something without actually having the diagnosis. I personally think the ‘everyone’s a bit autistic’ type of language diminishes the issues people living with actual neurodiversity face.

Anyway – finally on to the book! I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this from ‘A’ through the post as she thought I might find it helpful. With retrospect, the timing was pretty perfect, arriving in the week of A level results. Here’s the blurb:

“Do you feel crippling shame because you struggle with cleaning, personal hygiene, or time-keeping? Do you always feel misunderstood by the people close to you and find that they get frustrated by your behaviour?
DIRTY LAUNDRY is an unfiltered look into the chaos of real life with ADHD. It will transform your self-hatred into self-acceptance, with simple tips that actually work for your brain. It will also help to educate partners, parents and friends, to help them move from frustration to patience, understanding – and love.
Learn how to:
– Stop believing you are fundamentally broken
– Stop judging yourself by the standards of a neurotypical world
– Communicate your struggles to those who love you
– Support someone with ADHD in ways that work for them
– Be compassionate rather than judgemental …and much more.
From the husband-and-wife team behind social media phenomenon @ADHD_Love, whose viral videos have been viewed more than 200 million times, comes a fearless, often outrageously funny, account of life, learning, and growing with ADHD. They share the strategies they have used to reduce shame, improve communication, and find happiness in their neurodivergent household.
Filled with heartbreak and humour in equal measure, DIRTY LAUNDRY is an invaluable resource both for neurodivergents and the people who love them.”

This is not a medical journal or a work of literary genius – but it’s a really accessible insight into a couple where one has ADHD and one is neuro typical. Not all of the chapters are going to be relevant to everyone – and definitely aren’t for us as a family – but lots of them are.

It’s written in a chatty style about Rox’s personal lived experience of different issues over the years, how she best deals with them now she’s got the support of Rich – and how you can help yourself or the ADHDer that you love.

The whole advice about treating people with more compassion is my major take away from this book – and something I will really try to practice! (I just wrote and then deleted a massive list of the things I am going to try and be more compassionate about – but you don’t really need to know that!)

Also I’d never before considered the pretty basic fact that your beloved ADHDer is not trying to deliberately wind you up by their behaviours such as losing things or being late – it’s just that their brain is wired differently. I need to keep reminding myself of this. Frequently.

I think this is a perfect ‘gateway’ book – based on anecdotal stories – if you’re looking to research more about ADHD for yourself or someone else in your life. I also know that ‘A’ has found it super helpful for herself as both an ADHDer – but also for supporting the other ADHDers in her life. I’m super grateful she sent me a copy – and I wanted to write this review, as I can think of many other friends for whom it could be helpful.

I’ve just given the book to my 18 year old to read, who has said ‘do I need to bother reading the introduction?’………….. #tellmeyouhaveADHDwithouttellingmeyouhaveADHD

Book Review: Love Me Do by Lindsey Kelk

Posted on by Libby Price

So, I typed a lovely review of this at Thessaloniki airport a couple of weeks ago – and then the bloody ‘auto save’ didn’t work, the wifi was rubbish and I lost it all – so I’m going to re channel my love for ‘Love Me Do’ again from a rainy Birmingham………………

I’ve enjoyed Lindsey Kelk books historically and so had requested an ARC from NetGalley – but didn’t get granted one before the publication date. However then just before I went on holiday I was sent one – how exciting – and perfect timing! Here’s the blurb:

“Greetings card copywriter Phoebe Chapman knows a good romantic line or two – and it makes her a fantastic Cupid.
So when she lands in the Hollywood Hills – a place that proves film stars, golden beaches and secret waterfalls don’t just exist in the movies – she can’t resist playing matchmaker for her handsome neighbour, carpenter Ren.
But you can’t hide from love in La La Land.
And isn’t there something a little bit hot about Ren, her own leading man next door?”

The book starts with Phoebe flying out from Sheffield to visit her sister Suzanne in LA. (I believe both of these locations are close to the author’s heart – so writing what she knows, which is always a winner!) When Phoebe arrives, Suzanne says she’s been called away from work to (rainy!) Seattle – so Phoebe decides to stay ‘home alone’ at her sister’s lovely house.

Within hours Phoebe has met the gorgeous next door neighbour Ren, Suzanne’s PT Bel – who has a massive crush on Ren, and a seemingly grumpy near neighbour Myrna Moore (a retired Hollywood darling) – and the book then plays out over the next few days and the intertwining relationships between all of the above in a lovely way.

As well as being a delicious romantic comedy – the book also touches on more serious storylines – such as coercive control in relationships, difficult family relationships and certain prejudices.

It was a perfect holiday, escapist read – and makes me want to go to LA to visit the quiet beach – and maybe even go hiking to a waterfall!

I’m thinking maybe it was fate that my review was delayed – because ‘Love Me Do’ is currently 99p on Kindle – so you can all rush and order it today at a totally bargain price!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy – even if it wasn’t an advance one!

Book Review: Minor Disturbances At Grand Life Apartments by Hema Sukumar

Posted on by Libby Price

This is another Red Magazine recommendation – and I was lucky enough to be granted an ARC by Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Grand Life Apartments is a middle-class apartment block surrounded by lush gardens in the coastal city of Chennai, India. It is the home of Kamala, a pious, soon-to-be retired dentist who spends her days counting down to the annual visits from her daughter who is studying in the UK. Her neighbour, Revathi, is a thirty-two-year-old engineer who is frequently reminded by her mother that she has reached her expiry date in the arranged marriage market. Jason, a British chef, has impulsively moved to India to escape his recent heartbreak in London.
The residents have their own complicated lives to navigate, but what they all have in common is their love of where they live, so when a developer threatens to demolish the apartments and build over the gardens, the community of Grand Life Apartments is brought even closer together to fight for their beautiful home…”

This is such a lovely summer read. There’s no sex, drugs or rock and roll in it – it’s a comfortable, safe, pleasant book – but I found it really informative about the city of Chennai and Indian food, culture and lifestyle.

You get to know each of the residents and their back stories as the book develops – and threaded through it all is the fact that Mani, the owner of the block, is being threatened by property developers who are desperate to knock down the apartments so they can develop a new property – as they have done at the sites either side.

Seeing India through Jason’s British eyes, is cleverly mirrored by seeing the UK through Kamala’s eyes when she goes on a trip to London and Oxford to see her daughter.

The respect shown by the younger residents to the older is lovely to see – and the fact that they call everyone Auntie or Uncle when they aren’t even related (I have seen this with friends of Indian heritage too, and in fact there are still people I call Auntie and Uncle as a 49 year old who aren’t relatives, but it’s less common in the UK now!)

It’s an escapist book – transporting you to Chennai from your sunlounger (or wherever you’re reading it from!) I can see it being turned into a perfect Sunday night escapist drama in the future.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC, it was released in July 2023, so you can buy it today.