Audiobook Review: Confess By Colleen Hoover

Blurb: At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.

Review: What a way to kick off my audiobook reading for 2024. Colleen Hoover does it again. This novel pacts so many punches including so many sins. Young love, family secrets, family tragedy, death, addiction, assault just to name a few.

At the beginning of this story we meet Auburn and Adam. As teens their love is looked down on but seeing as Adam is dying they want to spend every second they have together understandably. Fast forward to Auburn now doing all she can to make ends meet, now I don’t want to spoil any of the reveals but there is so much to Auburn and her extremely heart wrenching story. I felt for her from the off and then when she meets Owen a spark in her is reignited. There’s a fire that’s she’s been missing since Adam passed away.

There are so many secrets throughout this novel that will keep you listening in my case or turning the pages in a physical sense. It’s heartfelt it’s real and so incredibly raw, just the lengths we go to for those that we love.

Like most Colleen Hoover novels there’s an element of sexiness but that’s not the majority or what this novel is about although it will keep you on your toes. I often see so many negative connotations to this author, yet I almost always love every single novel. Her female characters are real, raw including being flawed from time to time. Auburn has had to grow up fast yet there is an element of naïveté in that. In seeing her realise this that’s when her strength changes and her resolve becomes to get who and what she wants. That’s a powerful and empowering woman right there. Although in saying that there was an aspect where I thought she was going to turn into a doormat but I’m so glad that spark kicked in.

Confess being a complete link to so many aspects made me smile. Owen’s studio of work based on strangers real and raw confessions was absolute genius.

As the novel ends so much comes together, I was left smiling yet also wondering if we’ll ever see any of these characters again.

Audiobook Review: Carrie Soto is Back By Taylor Jenkins Reid

Blurb: Carrie Soto is the greatest player the world has ever seen.

But six years after her last match, she watches a young British tennis player steal her world record – and Carrie knows she has to go back and reclaim her rightful place at the top. Even if the world doesn’t believe in her. Even if it almost breaks her.

This is a story about the cost of greatness and the burden of fame.

The fight for a place in history is about to begin . . .

Review: I’m going to be bold by saying I think Carrie Soto is Back may well be my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid novel.

I first met Carrie when I read Malibu Rising but I don’t feel like I met Carrie it was soo brief and with no context. In Carrie Soto is Back…..Carrie is the battle axe or the bitch whatever you prefer. But there is also so much more to her. She’s a character that you’ll love and hate in almost equal measure. I feel like the small thoughts I had on her based on the very small moments in Malibu Rising was unfair.

In her own novel we meet her from child to today and what a revelation she is. From such an early age she finds her love for Tennis which she shares with her father, their profound bond is apparent from the off. Losing her mother so young she was brought up by her father Javier who then becomes her Tennis coach.

I absolutely love Tennis and I could well read/listen to this novel again in time for Wimbledon. Listening to the audio was great, just like Daisy Jones & The Six it was a cast of narrators and I loved the news sketches along with the Tennis scores, it really did add to my enjoyment.

Seeing Carrie bow out and then seeing her want to return was inspiring. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of truly creating inspiring women and Carrie sure is one of the best. At 37 she had to work harder than ever before not only to recover after surgery but to be good enough to compete at the highest level.

Carrie is an independent woman in all aspects so much so that she’s never really had any real friends. Just people she’s known and male company is fleeting and brief. It’s never really bothered her before. I loved seeing her reconnect with the game, to prove the doubters wrong and also in realising that she’s been wrong to close of her heart to both friends and lovers.

Bowe Huntley is a name Carrie hoped to forget but she needs a sparring partner and he needs some of her fighting spirit. So they’re good for each other, seeing this pair reconnect in their very different circumstances was beautiful to witness. Seeing both of them change for the better. There is also another unlikely friendship that I will leave unnamed as not to spoil any of the story, but it made me smile and made me love Carrie all the more.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has created a story and a character that not only had me on the edge of my seat, but it also had me longing to see both Carrie and Bowe succeed. As ever there is always an element of grief and sadness she writes this so well and with such heart.

As I say I think this may well be my favourite of her novels. I still have After I do, Forever Interrupted, One True Loves and Evidence of the Affair to read. I think Evidence of the Affair will be my next as I have the audio and ebook of that one. But I’m open to any thoughts on the other ones.

Book Review: My (extra) Ordinary Life By Rebecca Ryan @WriteBecsWrite @TeamBATC

Blurb: Have you ever wondered how normal you are?

What if you were perfectly average? 

More than anyone else. 

For Emily – it’s true. When she watches a documentary on the average human she sees her life. Her job, her hair, her favourite food. All of her – plainly, horrifically average. Even her blood group. Right there and then, she decides she wants more. 

She’ll travel the world (i.e. venture out of her hometown)

She’ll become a vegan (it’s interesting to hate cheese, right?) 

She’ll do something daring (As long as it’s safety tested) 

Nothing will stand in the way of Emily living her best life. Not even Josh and his dimples. Because she absolutely can’t fall in love…that would be too ordinary. 

And from now on, Emily is going to be extraordinary.

Review: This debut I was intrigued about from the off and what a read it is. Rebecca Ryan has created a real and extremely likeable character in Emily. There’s so much I want to say but I can’t without ruining the main essence of the story.

My (extra) Ordinary Life is a heartwarming and at times heartbreaking tale of Emily. Emily believes that she lives a very boring life, that she’s average in every way. I guess thanks to social media many of us have moments like this. Where we compare what life we have with those around us and with what society expects of us. Life just isn’t like that it’s an unrealistic ideal and Rebecca has hit that right on the head. Emily has an added worry where she’s living in the shadow of her sister and her memory, I won’t delve too much into this so you can see for yourself where this leads.

I have to mention I loved the flashbacks of Emily and Claire the Butlins memories made me smile a lot. What is apparent from these memories is the love these sisters shared.

Emily embarks on change – in the life list now this is where the humour comes in in spades. In embarking on this at times unlikely quest Emily learns a lot about herself and of what kind of person she really is. At the heart of Emily’s story grief has hit her hard, it’s never been fully dealt with. As a child she never really got to deal with her emotions and in challenging herself to do more and to be extraordinary she realises she’s not been fair on herself.

Emily made me laugh a number of times, each time she stepped outside of her comfort zone she moved on a little bit more. Her trip to Alicante was definitely memorable for all the wrong reasons. Her tales of love were humorous and heartwarming.

What I take from this story is when you are fully yourself and when you undertake things you love you can achieve anything. Even the hardest of tasks can set you free and eventually you realise everything that has happened to you has shaped you into who you are today. I must admit I could never be Vegan those cooking classes made me howl that is NOT a cake.

Blog Tour: Three’s A Crowd By Simon Booker @SimonBooker @TeamBATC

Today it is my stop on the Three’s A Crowd blog tour as part of the paperback publication. I will be sharing my thoughts today. As always do check out the other bloggers hosting on this fabulous tour courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

Blurb: What happens when an estranged father and son unwittingly fall in love with the same woman?

Out-of-work actor Harriet is recuperating from a crash-and-burn affair with Damian – aka ‘Cockweasel’ – and making ends meet as a barista when she meets two rather lovely men. Tom is a regular at the café, and seems like such a nice guy. Smooth-talking DJ Richard is older, but in great shape – a real silver fox.

Deciding to take a chance on both of them, Harriet doesn’t realise at first that she is actually dating father and son. Tom and Richard aren’t on speaking terms, and don’t share a last name – so how was she to know? By the time everyone finds out, both Tom and Richard are truly madly deeply in love with Harriet, and she’s faced with an impossible choice.

But as the battle for her affections intensifies, ‘Cockweasel’ makes an unexpected reappearance and begs her to give him another chance…

Review: I have to start by apologising to the author and publishers as I should have read this back in 2021 when the ebook was published. As I was so excited by the sound of this book but life got in the way. Fast forward to 2022 and I jumped at the chance of being a part of this tour for Simon & Schuster.

Three’s A Crowd was the perfect tonic of a read. Simon has managed to create a story that’s real, that’s funny and that also incorporates mental health, emotions and a whole lot more.

Harriet, Richard and Tom are all very different people. Yet each of them has an insecurity that makes them real to life. Each of them are extremely normal but they are all hiding so much behind the surface of their individual lives. The premise of two men falling for the same woman and being related made this an intriguing read but that wasn’t the half of it. One hell of a journey with lots of secrets and intrigue thrown in. Plus listening to two men make a play for the same girl was funny as hell especially as the story plays out.

I loved how this was written we had chapters from each of them some shorter than others meaning there were many days of just a few more pages. As the story transpired there were many an OMG moment where I needed to continue reading, one of the massive moments I read just as my break was ending. That meant it was on my mind for the rest of my shift making me desperate to turn the pages almost instantly as I sat on my bus home.

Being a Londoner I wholeheartedly loved the Transport for London aspect and that of the radio show.

Three’s A Crowd is the perfect dose of humour yet managing to focus on real-life taboo subjects that are so real to the lives we all live. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that incorporates so much yet has me smiling so much. A fantastic debut read I honestly look forward to what Simon comes up with next.

Book Review: Together Again By Milly Johnson @millyjohnson

Blurb: Sisters Jolene, Marsha and Annis have convened at their childhood home the huge and beautiful Fox House following the death of their mother, the cold and impenetrable Eleanor Vamplew, to arrange the funeral and sell up. Born seven years apart, the women have never bonded and are more strangers than sisters.

Jolene, the eldest, is a successful romantic novelist who writes templates of beautiful relationships even though her marriage to the handsome and charming Warren is a barren wasteland.

Marsha, the neglected middle child, has put every bit of her energy into her work, hoping money would plug up the massive gap in her life left by the man who broke her young heart, only to find it never has. And now he has been forced back into her life.

Annis is the renegade, who left home aged sixteen and never returned, not even for the death of their beloved father, Julian, until now. It is therefore a surprise to all of them to discover that Eleanor recently changed her will to leave everything to the daughter she considered a wretched accident.

Review: Where do I begin? And how do I do this masterpiece justice. I feel so privileged to have read a book that’s left it so hard to speak about, in the best way obviously. I can’t claim to have devoured all of Milly’s books as I haven’t but so far everyone I have read I’ve enjoyed. When Together Again was mentioned I knew I had to read it almost instantly, and when Catriona mentioned buddy reading it that was also an absolute must.

I was lucky enough to read this before publication and wanted to share my thoughts on the day it’s published so here I am.

Together Again has the classic Milly trademark wit and humour although with this one we also get a different feel. It was compelling and intoxicating from the off. Each chapter has you wanting more. If life hadn’t got in the way this could have been a single sitting read.

Together Again reunites sisters Jolene, Marsha and Annis and we get snippets of the then and now of the family. Like most families it’s not all plain sailing but there are so many unspoken words just within the sisters alone. I instantly loved all of them and I liked hearing from each of them. Three very different women whose lives could have been different if they had communicated earlier in life. As I was getting to know them I found myself frustrated with them as I just wanted them to talk. There were a number of things that in retrospect you could and couldn’t see coming and that just added to the suspense and the intrigue, meaning those pages turned faster and faster.

Eleanor Vamplew is an interesting woman in some ways I thought of her like Hyacinth Bucket. We only get a snippet of her life via letters and through her daughters. An interesting woman who could have shared more with her children.

A tale of love, loss and united loneliness. Milly has created a story with characters you wholeheartedly care for. In each of the sisters there’s a little of us all in how they are and seeing them get to know each other and ultimately learn from each other was heartwarming.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget reading this novel and I would love Milly to take us back to the Vamplew sisters someday. There’s so much I cannot say about this story but I will say Milly Johnson has created a masterpiece with a few hard hitting messages at the centre of this tale.

Blog Tour: The Reason By Catherine Bennetto @cathbennetto

Blurb: How much is the smile from the person you love worth to you?

Brooke’s life has derailed. Her social life and career have evaporated, her daughter is desperately unhappy and being bullied at school, and, for a 43-year-old, she probably spends way too many weekends at her parent’s. But the reason for all this is no mystery. A year and a half ago, Brooke’s husband died.

But Brooke does have one secret. Her husband’s death, the worst thing that has ever happened to her, has made her unbelievably rich.

Despite her despair, Brooke suddenly realises she has the power to make her daughter’s life, and the world a little brighter.

Review: Today is my stop on #TheReason blog tour and I’m pleased to say it’s also publication day of this absolute beauty of a book. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour including @stacyisreading who shares my spot today.

I have to start by fangirling a little, I have loved every single book by Catherine and when the chance to be on this blog tour came up there wasn’t any hesitation from me. It also gave me the chance to buddy read with Catriona. This is the first one we have read together in a while, that was also kind of special us both sending little messages of when we got to uh-oh moments and when parts of the story came together.

Hannah and Brooke are both struggling in different ways with their shared grief. A daughter losing a father and a wife losing a husband. Yet along the way they have naturally also lost a part of themselves. I feel like the first few chapters had so much happening and it really set the scene of how close a family they really are. Catherine Bennetto has a real charm at integrating humour into situations that are somewhat hard to read and that made this flow so well.

I had almost instant Gilmore Girls vibes from Hannah and Brooke and also from Brooke and her mother. There were so many scenarios that would have taken you aback a little more if it wasn’t for the humour.

Hannah is so grown up for her age I guess what she’s been through has made her that way. The subject of bullying will always get me, we have all either been there or had someone go through it. The strength in Hannah was inspiring I would never have been able to shoulder that much grace at that age. What I found heartwarming and heartbreaking was how forgiving she could be and just how kind. What saddened me was the way it was dealt with on school level, but in hindsight that’s mostly true sadly.

There is a huge sense of family in this novel and the friends who become family. Grief doesn’t only effect the ones directly it has a domino effect and I love how Catherine has interwoven that between the characters where seemingly selfish people on the outside are really nothing like how we first depict them.

A story with grief at the heart of it but with a real sense of hope, compassion and sheer joy. Life is what we make it and this novel was just what I needed to get me through the day to day and to make me remember there really is so much joy to be seen, had and discovered. It’s not everyday a book has me in tears and in fits of laughter almost always on public transport. I loved every single second of this rollercoaster ride and I’m jealous of anyone experiencing this for the first time today.

Book Review: The Thin Place By Cesca Major #TheThinPlace

Blurb: She has to know the truth about Overtoun Estate, but there is a reason it has stayed buried for so long.

When journalist Ava Brent decides to investigate the dark mystery of Overtoun Estate—a ‘thin place’, steeped in myth—she has no idea how dangerous this story will be for her.

Overtoun looms over the town, watching, waiting: the locals fearful of the strange building and the secrets it keeps. When Ava starts to ask questions, the warm welcome she first receives turns to a cold shoulder. And before she knows it, Ava is caught in the house’s grasp too.

After she discovers the history of a sick young girl who lived there, she starts to understand the sadness that shrouds it. But when she finds an ominous old message etched into a windowsill, she is forced to wonder—what horrors is the house protecting? And what will it cost her to find out?

With her own first child on the way, Ava knows she should stay away. But even as her life starts to unravel, and she receives chilling threats, the house and the bridge keep pulling her back…

Review: Where do I begin? The Thin Place is a truly intoxicating read that had me transfixed from start to finish. I honestly don’t know how to do this justice as there is so much I cannot say without ruining the reveal. If I had been able to just read I could have devoured this in one sitting. Although in saying that I’m glad I got to spend a bit more time with Ava.

Ava Brent is a journalist after my own heart, she has an eye for a story and doesn’t give up. Even when she should, Ava keeps on. The mystery of Overtoun, had Ava hooked and had me just as intrigued. The creepy goings on had me turning the pages and just like Ava I was left wondering what had happened there.

As Ava is expecting her first child she should be slowing down but the mystery and intrigue won’t leave her, it’s as if she’s all encompassed by the house and the history of the Overtoun bridge. Even when the locals and the grounds man tell her to leave the past in the past she cannot shake it off. There were a number of moments where I had my heart in my mouth and I also found myself doubting certain characters although I was way off the mark.

Cesca has written a thrilling and intoxicating read that will leave you informed, horrified and deeply saddened by the tale of Overtoun. The novel is separated into chapters of Marion, Ava and Constance and I honestly wasn’t expecting the twists and turns along the way, it made so much sense when it wrapped up but also made me feel deeply saddened.

Whenever I got to a chapter about Constance I truly had my heart in my mouth the unmistakable cruelty and neglect was quite simply heartbreaking. I wasn’t sure where this came from although as the novel wraps up a lot is explained although there is never a justifiable reason for this kind of abuse.

Marion is an interesting character who is swept off her feet by the devilishly handsome Hamish – she wholeheartedly believes getting married and moving to a big estate will solve all her problems. Ultimately this isn’t the case, a truly chilling story full of sadness, loneliness and a multitude of grief.

The Thin Place is an atmospheric, thrilling, thought provoking and intoxicating read. It is definitely a story that will stay with me with elements of truth in the location with the eerie goings on. I could well read more connected to this although I’m in no rush to visit such a place.

Book Review: The Best Is Yet To Come By Katy Colins

Blurb: Sometimes it’s the things we don’t say that we need others to hear the loudest . . .

Izzy has always taken everything in her stride but motherhood is proving more difficult than she thought. She keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear.

Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way.

When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. But Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story. It takes courage to admit you need a friend and when you feel invisible, all you need is a ray of hope. After all, what if the best is yet to come?

Review: The Best Is Yet To Come is a hauntingly beautiful novel that will stay with me for a very long time. Katy Colins has written a beautiful, empathetic and thought provoking read that will have you full of such love for those who mean the most to you. This book made me think fondly and wistfully of my grandparents.

I wholeheartedly believe if my Nan had passed before my Grandad he would have been very similar to the thought process of Arthur and I guess that added to the emotion I felt in reading this.

Izzy and Arthur strike up an unlikely friendship and ultimately they give each other a boost and a sense of rhyme and reason. Both of them are feeling lost in different ways, I wholeheartedly loved their journey even though there were a number of times my heart was well and truly in my mouth.

The Best Is Yet To Come is split into chapters of Izzy and Arthur. When we first meet Izzy I wasn’t sure what was wrong – as a new mum she is going through all the motions. Her husband’s routines are pretty much the same and she’s exhausted and in need of a hot cuppa tea rather than the lukewarm ones that end up all around her house. In seeing her colleague in a supermarket car park she spirals with a number of fears going through her mind. This is a turning point of sorts for Izzy.

When she first meets Arthur she’s quite simply a mess, but any new mum goes through the same situations. I loved being on this journey with Izzy I’m not a mum myself but have nieces and nephews so I understand how tired mums can be. I also really liked the unexpected friendship of Arthur and Izzy who live in the same Cul De Sac but no nothing of the other.

In getting together the change in them both is heartwarming. Arthur gives Izzy a purpose and also makes her realise that she needs to cut herself some slack as she’s embraced motherhood a lot better than she expected. Her life is different and that’s ok, but Arthur makes her realise her blessings rather than what she thought she had lost. Izzy loves her daughter Evie but she spends a lot of those early stages feeling like she’s not good enough. There are some moments that shouldn’t be amusing that are but it all adds to the story. I loved the various scenarios that she undertook but I especially enjoyed seeing the change in Izzy especially with the baby groups and how her mindset changed, and she also made more friends along the way.

Arthur has been going through the motions for the past two years following losing his dear wife Pearl. Izzy helped him realise there were a lot of lose ends he needed to clear up. The scenes of the pair of them going through Arthurs belongings was heartwarming and at times heartbreaking. I really loved seeing Arthur come to the realisation that he had a lot to live for, with unexpected elements along the way, within the family and within the neighbourhood. The aspect of appearances can be deceiving made me smile and also made me feel sad. We never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

However, she didn’t know the full extent of his plan. This aspect of the story made me feel saddened even though I could understand in some ways. I liked seeing the changes in Arthur. I have to mention the charity shop, I worked for a charity shop for three years and I found this aspect real to life.

Katy Colins has written a truly gorgeous story full of love, loneliness, grief, loss, friendship, there are a number of care warnings in this novel but they are dealt with, with grace and understanding.

I cried and smiled in equal measures whilst reading this novel and I have instantly downloaded How To Say Goodbye by Katy. I’m most definitely a fan and this book will more than likely make my books of the year. I will definitely be thinking of this story for a long time to come.

Book Review: Last One At The Party By Bethany Clift

Blurb: It’s December 2023 and the world as we know it has ended.

The human race has been wiped out by a virus called 6DM (‘Six Days Maximum’ – the longest you’ve got before your body destroys itself). 

But somehow, in London, one woman is still alive. A woman who has spent her whole life compromising what she wants, hiding how she feels and desperately trying to fit in. A woman who is entirely unprepared to face a future on her own.

Now, with only an abandoned golden retriever for company, she must travel through burning cities, avoiding rotting corpses and ravenous rats on a final journey to discover if she really is the last surviving person on earth.

And with no one else to live for, who will she become now that she’s completely alone?

Review: I had seen a lot about this one before I knew anything about the actual book. To start with the cover and the spredges sold it to me – this was my first pre-order of 2021. Ashamedly I didn’t get this read before publication day even though thanks to Waterstones I had it a bit earlier. To start with I also had an audiobook on the go but as soon as I delved wholeheartedly into this book and this alone I was completely swept away.

Last One at the Party is not a book I expected to read, to want to read or to have loved reading. You see this novel is based on a virus in a dystopian world long after Covid 19. We are given a solitary female who goes through so many emotions from start to finish. There are times you want to scream at her, tell her to wise up or just to give her a massive cuddle and tell her it will get better, but will it. I mean I’m going to say straight off if you can’t take a bit of gore then this novel probably isn’t for you but amongst so much sadness there is heart, there is a raw emotion that will make you ache to hug your nearest and dearest a little bit harder.

So many raw subjects are apparent in this novel from loneliness to depression, panic attacks to drugs, family life and expectations that you cannot comprehend.

With the world pretty much ending our heroine is on a road of self-discovery, she’s lost everyone she holds dear. On the search for another living soul she finds out a lot more about herself – she’s a lot stronger than she’s ever realised.Her back story is both heartbreaking and emotional to read.

We get a number of memories that tells us more about the heroine, her friends, her family and her husband with a few anomalies too. The saddest thing about her is she’s spent pretty much most of her life thinking of others rather than herself.

In losing everything she found herself, there are some questionable moments when you’re eagerly turning the pages to see how she’ll cope or whether she won’t. I loved the light bulb moment that made her love her life – her reason to survive.

A truly fabulous debut, Bethany Clift has a fascinating imagination and I cannot wait to see what else she does. I’m so so glad I pre-ordered her gorgeous spredges and to have an autograph on her first novel.

Book Review: The Long Way Home By Fanny Blake

Blurb: A family secret, a mysterious legacy, and a journey that will change everything…

When Isla, a 65-year-old grandmother, is left nothing but an old painting in her mother’s will, while her sisters and aunt inherit the estate, she is devastated. Close to retirement, getting ready to live on her own terms, the last thing she expects at this time of her life is such turmoil. So, to find an explanation for her mother’s rejection, she embarks on a road-trip.

But, right at the last moment, she’s forced to take her sullen – and, in her view, impossible – 14-year-old granddaughter Charlie with her. Cramped together in Isla’s car with her smelly old dog, these ill-assorted travelling companions set off to uncover some shattering and life-changing family truths at the same time as learning to love each other…

Review: This is my first introduction to Fanny Blake’s writing and I’m blown away. A thought provoking and at times heart wrenching tale. The Long Way Home spans four generations of the same family – spanning from UK/Scotland in the now and Paris in the 1950s.

I loved how the chapters were in the then and now and more often than not we would get the explanation to our brimming questions. Around 50% into the novel I was starting to see a pattern forming and was wanting to know more and more. Although in saying that the more I found out the more questions came up.

I’m such a fan of stories that span generations and I loved how this was always apparent, but as the story continued the integration of the ages made the story. I adored Isla from the start and I loved getting to know Charlie alongside Isla. I think the make-up scene of her and her gran was one of the most gorgeous bonding sessions I’ve ever read – that and the film on the laptop. It was heartwarming to see the change in Charlie and how Isla saw a bond that she had with her aunt Aggie developing with her Granddaughter.

A death in the family can more often than not stray many tensions. May’s will had little explanation and it changed the relationship between the sisters. This part of the story was a slow-burn that wasn’t completely sorted until the later stages of the novel.

May had an emotional rollercoaster of a life with many secrets haunting her to the grave. I didn’t always agree with May but I felt for her a lot. There’s so much I want to say but I can’t without spoiling the reveal – I saw part of it coming but I was pretty happy with the ending.

Isla has a tough old time trying to find out about where she went wrong with her mother – but there is so much more heartache for her. Morag was the most uncomplicated of the sisters. She had her own worries yet her sisters loved her for that. Lorna is a decent person I loved getting to know her and scratching the surface aside from the bravado – her heart to heart with Isla gave me all the feels and more.

A story of family, love, loss and how secrets can change so much. There are so many underlying messages in this novel that will make me think of it for a long time to come. If you’re looking to escape from the crazy that is the world right now I wholeheartedly recommend this gorgeous novel although be warned it’s made me long to travel.