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Book Review: You Are Here by David Nicholls

Posted on by Libby Price

Having adored previous books by David Nicholls, (so much so that I can’t watch the new Netflix series of One Day in case it disappoints) I was delighted to be granted a Net Galley advance review copy of his new novel. Here’s the blurb:

“Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way
Marnie is stuck.
Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it’s passing her by.
Michael is coming undone.
Reeling from his wife’s departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.
When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.
But can they survive the journey?A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home.“

I have to say from the off that David Nicholls has done it again – ‘You Are Here’ is WONDERFUL.

The chapters are told alternately from Marnie and Michael’s points of view – with the timelines sometimes overlapping slightly so that you get each of their perspectives on the same situation. I really liked both main characters from the start in different ways, and felt like we got to know them well and understand their back stories and how they are the 40 something people they are now over the timeline of the book.

I have to say that the geography of the trip and the coast to coast walk is also described beautifully – and Michael’s geeky geographical knowledge was very well received by me (even if not always by Marnie!)

It is a beautiful, gentle love story – where you’re rooting for the characters throughout. It twists and turns – much like the walk itself – as the tale unfolds, and is not straightforward at all (although the shocks aren’t quite as gobsmacking as in One Day!) but at the same time it feels really ‘real’.

The ‘banter’ between Michael and Marnie feels very genuine – as do their interactions with other characters in the book. It is funny, moving, sad, joyful – all rolled up into one fabulous book.

I loved the ending – and would love it not to be the end, but to be the beginning of a sequel.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy – it’s out on 23 April 2024 so not long to wait if you like the sound of it.

Book Review: Now Is Not The Time For Flowers by Stacey Heale

Posted on by Libby Price

Stacey Heale first hit my radar when she was a guest on the Don’t Buy Her Flowers podcast talking about grief. A friend had recently died – and I found the podcast really powerful – and immediately sent it to my friend’s equally young widow for when she felt ready to listen to it. I’ve subsequently followed Stacey on social media where she’s shared much of her life – and that of her fabulous daughters – as they navigate their lives (and hair colour and footwear!)

I’ve recently become a ‘DBHFer’ – having been a customer of Don’t Buy Her Flowers since it started (I waxed lyrical about them 9 years ago on this blog!) Being a DBHFer is essentially being an ambassador and in a kind of ‘focus group’ for the brand (if only all focus groups involved #gifted gin and chocolate!) and as Stacey’s book is now available in Don’t Buy Her Flowers packages, they asked if I’d like to receive a #gifted copy in return for an honest review. Given the title has a very similar vibe to the concept of Don’t Buy Her Flowers – it does seem like it will be a great fit.

Here is the blurb for the book:

“When Stacey Heale’s husband, Greg, was diagnosed with incurable cancer on their daughter’s first birthday, everything changed. She quickly realised how little is spoken about what the harder times in our lives really look like, leaving us lost to navigate the unknown alone.
Confronted with a new life she was not prepared for, Stacey began to untangle the brutal realities of life and death – and the fundamental differences between our expectations and reality.
Now is Not the Time for Flowers is Stacey’s unflinchingly beautiful and raw memoir that addresses the big conversations that imminent death dictates, boldly taking the reader on a journey through the full spectrum of our lives and their complexities. Told through vignettes of her own life and the death of her husband, Stacey offers a movingly honest, insightful and humorous account of modern womanhood through the lenses of love, desire, motherhood, death, grief, identity, personal growth and the challenges and questions that our lives force upon us.
Now is Not the Time for Flowers is a powerful call to arms for us to discuss the messy and unexpected truths of our nuanced lives.”

Stacey says at the start that her debut book is not a guidebook for death, but is her own experience.  It’s been driven by her husband dying and leaving her a young widow with two small daughters, but it is much more than just about Greg’s diagnosis and death.  Stacey talks honestly and frankly about this, but also other aspects of her life and loves. 

It is not written in a strict chronological order – but is instead grouped into chapters within specific topics – love, desire, mother, bodies, death, grief, identity and growth. The chapters are different lengths and have really interesting titles. It feels like Stacey is talking to you in a very personal way rather than regurgitating a story from start to finish.

It’s definitely not all doom and gloom – it’s funny, entertaining, thought provoking – making you think about things you might not ever have considered before but will affect us all at some point.  It’s also incredibly well written – Stacey is an excellent communicator on her Instagram – and her writing is equally as eloquent. And yes, of course, it made me cry.

Different elements of the book will be relevant to different people at different times in their lives. It’s definitely the sort of book you could go back to and read again and find something new. One thing that has stuck with me is the comment ‘There are no medals at the Shit Olympics’ – and that people go through awful, awful things all the time. Some years ago I remember a friend, who had recently lost his wife to breast cancer, discussing another friend whose 11 year old son had just died from a brain tumour and him saying ‘I just can’t imagine what they’re going through’, whilst I’m thinking ‘I just can’t imagine what both families have been through’.

I obviously hope that lots of the book won’t be relevant to me personally for years and that my husband lives a long and healthy life – and in that way, reading this book reminded me of when I did a paediatric first aid qualification when my eldest kids were much younger. The theory back then being that even if I was an emotional wreck if one of my own children was injured – there might be a time when I needed to be the slightly emotionally removed responsible adult for someone else’s child in an emergency. In the same way – as well as making me ruminate about my own life and loves – I think this book will also help me be far more aware of how to be a support if someone I know is going through the terminal diagnosis or death of a loved one.

Now Is Not The Time For Flowers was released on 28 March 2024 – and is now available in Don’t Buy Her Flowers gift packages too – I can highly recommend Montezuma chocolate to accompany it (thanks DBHF HQ!)

Book Review: Murder On The Dance Floor by Katie Marsh

Posted on by Libby Price

Having recently enjoyed the first book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series by Katie Marsh, How Not To Murder Your Ex, I was delighted to see that the second book was available on Net Galley ahead of its release later in March 2024, and I was granted an advance review copy.

Here’s the blurb:

“They DID promise her a killer hen weekend…

Jeanie’s getting married, and – despite her completely impossible four sisters – her best friends Clio and Amber are determined to give her a bachelorette weekend to remember. They’re in matching pink T-shirts and the drinks are flowing…
But the night turns out to be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons when a girl turns up dead on the dancefloor. And – even though she’s a stranger – she is wearing one of Jeanie’s hen T-shirts.
Who is she? And why are the police convinced that the hens are involved? Can the newly-formed Bad Girls Detective Agency solve the murder? And in time to get Jeanie up the aisle?
Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters and How to Kill Your Family.”

The book follows on 6 months after the initial book in the series – with Jeanie on her hen weekend before getting married to Tan, the father of her 18 month twins. There is the usual friends and family politics of such a weekend – but then there’s a murder on the dancefloor. (Interestingly the song of the same name by Sophie Ellis-Bextor appears to be a timeless classic, with my teenage kids enjoying it when out clubbing just like we did back in the 90s – even before Saltburn made it a global hit recently!)

Now I’m just going to throw up a little niggle at this point. The murder victim has the same surname as the crime family in the first book of the series, and it’s a distinctive surname, not a Smith or a Price – but NO ONE MENTIONS THIS AT ALL. I’m assuming this is an oversight – and the surname may even change before the book is published – but it seemed really odd to pedantic old me!

Since solving the murder of Clio’s ex husband in book one, the ladies have formed a detective agency – and use their skills to try and solve this new murder. There are lots of references to the first book – and characters that reappear (like Marg the septuagenarian drug dealer) but I think it would still stand alone, as enough of the back stories are explained if needed. However, I think reading ‘How Not To Murder Your Ex’ first would be a good plan (and it’s currently free to download if you have Prime!)

Whilst this is primarily a ‘cosy mystery’ – there are lots of other issues discussed too – family dynamics, relationship secrets and lies, female friendships to name but a few. The different characters – particularly Jeanie’s sisters – are well described and thought out, and the camaraderie between Jeanie, Clio and Amber is again evident. I also liked the storyline of Jeanie’s relationship with her own Mum.

Overall I really enjoyed this new book – another fun and escapist read – and I’m looking forward to seeing what the Bad Girls Detective Agency get up to next!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Net Galley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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: Thrown by Sara Cox

Posted on by Libby Price

I love Sara Cox and feel like we’ve grown up together – from drinking pints to keep up with the lads in the 90s, through multiple kids in the 2000s – and now settling down with good books. I really enjoyed her autobiography, and when I saw she had her first fiction book out, I asked Net Galley for a copy and was lucky enough to receive one. Here’s the blurb:

“The wise and gloriously big-hearted debut novel from the much-loved broadcaster, Sara Cox
Becky: a single mum who prides herself on her independence. She knows from painful experience that men are trouble.
Louise: a loving husband, gorgeous kids. She ought to feel more grateful.
Jameela: all she’s ever done is work hard, and try her best. Why won’t life give her the one thing she really wants?
Sheila: the nest is empty, she dreams of escaping to the sun, but her husband seems so distracted.
The inhabitants of the Inventor’s Housing Estate keep themselves to themselves. There are the friendly ‘Hellos’ when commutes coincide and the odd cheeky eye roll when the wine bottles clank in number 7’s wheelie bin, but it’s not exactly Ramsay Street.
The dilapidated community centre is no longer the beating heart of the estate that Becky remembers from her childhood. So the new pottery class she’s helped set up feels like a fresh start. And not just for her.
The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed.”

This feels like a soap opera or a TV drama straight away. Four different women who live near each other but don’t really know each other – and how their lives intertwine, primarily around a new pottery class at their local community centre.

Each of the main characters has issues going on behind closed doors – and you get involved in all of their lives. I liked them all in their own ways – although Becky was my favourite.

I’ve never watched ‘The Great Pottery Throw Down’ – but it would appear Sara has learnt lots about potting from presenting it – and that threads through the book.

There are some gentle twists and turns – but I have to say I guessed some of the ‘shocks’ – and there were no OMG moments for me. It was a lovely, gentle, comfortable read and I did enjoy it. But I do wonder if it would have been published if it didn’t have a celebrity author?

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC – and it’s out now if you fancy some pottery based escapism.

Book Review: London, With Love by Sarra Manning

Posted on by Libby Price

I have often taken book reading advice from Sarra Manning from her column in Red Magazine – and enjoy following her on Twitter – so when I saw she had another book out, and having enjoyed one of her previous novels, I asked NetGalley for a copy – and was granted my wish.

Here’s the blurb:

“London. Nine million people. Two hundred and seventy tube stations. Every day, thousands of chance encounters, first dates, goodbyes and happy ever afters.
And for twenty years it’s been where one man and one woman can never get their timing right.
Jennifer and Nick meet as teenagers and over the next two decades, they fall in and out of love with each other. Sometimes they start kissing. Sometimes they’re just friends. Sometimes they stop speaking, but they always find their way back to each other.
But after all this time, are they destined to be together or have they finally reached the end of the line?”

Hands up – I ADORED this book! Some of this I’m sure is because I am very similar in age to Jenny and Nick – they were 2 years older than me (I was going to add at the start of the book – but TBH they stayed 2 years older than me throughout the entire book!) The book starts with their paths crossing at 6th form college in the late 1980s – and then spans the decades through to now, meeting them at various points across the 30 years. Generally a TFL station (although occasionally a New York station) features as the backdrop to that chapter.

I know Sarra Manning loves London (if you follow her on Twitter you can be pointed in the direction of some fabulous Rightmove finds in North London that she would purchase if she won the lottery!) and London is most definitely an extra character in the book – which Jenny loves with a similar intensity.

Lots of ‘major events’ in my lifetime are used as the back drop to new chapters – I blogged about a couple back in the day myself – and other times like GCSE results day and the new Millenium which I also remember really clearly. Weirdly something else I’ve blogged about – remembering your friend’s childhood phone number, and how parents answer the phone, also features! I told you I loved this book because I could empathise so much.

The story of Jenny and Nick twists and turns, with supporting characters appearing and disappearing throughout – just as happens in real life, and I don’t want to give too much away – as you need to go on their journey (see what I did there?!) with them.

I have to say that the final chapter – set in the present day – made me WEEP. I don’t think, as yet, many books have addressed the pandemic and what we’ve all been through in the last 2 years, and this was done brilliantly and felt very ‘real’.

I would highly recommend ‘London, With Love’ to everyone – and it’s out later this week on 5 May 2022.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher – and Sarra Manning – for such a fantastic book.

Book Review: Old Friends by Felicity Everett

Posted on by Libby Price

I’d seen this described as a twisty, turny, dark thriller – and here’s the blurb:

“Two couples, best friends for half a lifetime, move in together. What could possibly go wrong…?
Harriet and Mark have it all: successful careers, a lovely house in a leafy London suburb, twin boys on the cusp of leaving home. Yvette and Gary share a smaller place with their two daughters in a shabbier part of the same borough.
But when the stars align for a collective move north, it means a fresh start for them all. For Mark, it’s a chance to escape the rat race; for Harriet, a distraction from her unfulfilled dream of a late third child. Gary has decided to reboot the Madchester band that made him famous, while Yvette hopes it will give her daughters what she never had herself.
But as the reality of their new living arrangements slowly sinks in, the four friends face their own mid-life crises, and the dream becomes a nightmare…”

Now up front I would question the description and the blurb – I don’t know if the storyline changed, but it just doesn’t make sense, particularly the line ‘Yvette hopes it will give her daughters what she never had herself’ is just odd – given neither of the daughters make the move North. And the move North doesn’t happen until quite a way through the book – I just felt the blurb and reviews from other authors weren’t quite on the mark and thus I felt a bit short-changed!

It’s an easy enough domestic drama to read – but I didn’t feel it was very dark with twists and turns. I also found the way it was written a bit strange, you’d jump forward quite a large amount of time with no explanation – and then the intervening period would be filled in a bit (although I often felt there were gaps in explaining why things had happened).

It felt to be like it was trying to be Cold Feet but without any of the history the viewer has with the characters – and I didn’t have a strong view about any of the lead characters. Sometimes a book is as intriguing if you hate a main character as much as if you love one – but I found Harriet, Mark, Yvette and Gary all a bit dull and thus was apathetic about what happened to any of them.

I was quite surprised by the twist towards the end of the book – but even that didn’t save it for me.

To be honest it just didn’t sit well with me – and whilst there was nothing specifically wrong or offensive about the book, it just didn’t really float my boat.

Thanks to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Walking On Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher

Posted on by Libby Price

The previous book I’d read had been about an evil cult – and I decided I needed something as far away from that as possible! And what better than a book by the reigning ‘Queen of the Castle’ (at the time of reading / writing at least!) – Giovanna Fletcher. I’ve enjoyed her previous books – and so had accepted an ARC of this without reading the blurb, but here it is for you:

“In the darkness, we all need a little light . .
After Mike loses Pia, his partner of seventeen years, their best friends Vicky and Zaza try to help pick up the pieces.
But though Pia’s gone, she left a plan. A list of loving instructions to help Mike and her friends come to terms with their loss.
And they’re each going to need it . . .
Just-engaged Zaza fears committing any further.
Exhausted mother and wife Vicky has lost sight of herself.
While Mike just feels all the colour has gone from his life.
When the list sends them trekking to Peru, where high mountains and sweltering rainforests push them to the brink, all they have to guide them is their faith in Pia and in themselves.
But will they learn that anything is possible when you’re walking on sunshine?“

Having thought it was going to be a light, frothy, easy read – I was a bit shocked that it started with the fact that a central figure had died and that the main crux of the storyline was how her husband and friends dealt with the aftermath of her death! Pia also shares the name of my niece – and it’s an unusual name, so not one you come across often – which makes it even more weird. But the book wasn’t all doom and gloom at all.

The chapters were written by the 3 main protagonists – so you were experiencing the story from 3 different viewpoints – which was great. I guess I empathised with Vicky the most – although the newborn days are long gone for me, thank goodness!

A large portion of the book takes place on a trek in Peru. I know Giovanna has been on such treks with the charity Coppafeel, so I’m assuming it was very true to life! It definitely evoked the feeling that you were on the trek with the friends. All of them gained something from the trip – which I guess is the point of doing such a thing.

At certain times I wanted to shout at the characters – and just tell them to talk to each other / their other halves – but I guess it was quite true to life that things can sometimes fester.

I loved the final chapter of the book that was a few years down the line. It tied up some loose ends – but not in a sickly sweet ‘everyone’s happy ever after’ kind of way.

Overall it was an easy, escapist read – and who doesn’t love one of those?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for a review.