Book Review: Don't Tell The Boss by Anna Bell

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are happily married to the man of your dreams. You’ve put your act together and quit gambling. You idle at work blogging about planning weddings on a tight budget. You and your husband are trying to move up to stage six of your life plan, the baby stage. Everything in your life is running smoothly.

Until one of your blog followers pleads with you to plan her wedding. You are more than psyched. You are ecstatic. Your very first wedding. But your husband isn’t pleased. You guys are supposed to be planning for a baby and he doesn’t think you or the (yet-to-be) incoming baby could cope with the stress. Just this one wedding, you tell him.

It goes smoothly, thankfully, despite a few glitches with the music (——Beyoncé’s Single Ladies for the wedding march). A wedding guest sees your effort, and wants you to plan her wedding on a budget too for double the amount your first bride is paying you. An offer you cannot refuse. But your husband has other thoughts even though he knows he has no right to stop you from doing whatever that makes you happy.

A crazy bride who won’t stop calling you during work hours discussing a million ideas she has for her wedding, a husband-to-be you are acquainted with who entreats you to keep a secret from his fiancée despite your reluctance, mentoring a gambling teenager who would see some progress if only she ever looks up from her cell phone once in a while, and now a possible promotion at work keeping you on your feet, in competition with another co-worker and spending less time with your husband.

You are keeping a secret from the bride, you are keeping your wedding planner business from your boss, and there’s also the issue of your period showing up every month though you and your husband keep trying.

Penny Robinson’s crazy hours summed up for your delight.

MY REVIEW

I liked this title.

Despite it being a sequel to the author’s previous work, Don’t Tell The Groom, it fits as a perfect standalone with a unique storyline. So Girl is juggling between two jobs, moonlighting, and struggling not to keep secrets from her husband as he hates it. If only Girl could take a break, and spend more time with her husband, there’d be higher chances of her having a baby. If Girl could plan a wedding on a tight budget for a bride who always shows up for brunch with the season’s latest designer labels and accessories, she’d feel accomplished. A star to the storyline.── ★

Penny Robinson is a star. If she ever had a literary sister, it should be Becky Bloomwood. Funny, optimistic, has a soft spot for Vera Wang wedding dresses and Kurt Geiger shoes, utterly charming! You would love her voice, her admiration for anything quality and cheap (much like you!), her tendency for being the peacemaker in every situation, and the ever-complicated adventures she finds herself on without asking for them.── ★★

Other characters in this title made it a blast. You would love Henri, the obsessive bride who’s particular about little details like her dog being the ring bearer. You would love Beth, the teenager who’s addicted to nicking credit card details and gambling away hard-earned money promising herself she’d pay back after winnings that never come.── ★★★ 

You would also adore Gilles, the cold boss who loves assigning Penny with challenging tasks. Shelly, the competitive co-worker who loves teasing Penny with treats the former cannot resist. Louise, the friend who faintly remembers her encounter with Henri’s Husband-to-be. Baz, the army retiree who loves channelling his frustration on corporate men and women in his camp for team-building activities. There’s also a troublesome co-worker who doesn’t believe in armies and wouldn’t want to cooperate wearing army gears on team-building trips. A star to these characters.── ★★★★

Humor, check. Suspense, check.

My rating: Four/Five stars. (4/5 stars)

Do not fail to get Don’t Tell The Boss on Amazon and also check out the latest in Penny Robinson’s adventures coming out this month, Don’t Tell The Brides-To-Be.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves their chick-lit funny and Kinsella-esque. Anyone who wants tips on how to plan their weddings on a tight budget should grab this title as every chapter begins with posts from Penny’s blog with so many helpful (and——shockingly——practical) tips. Anyone who loves chick-lit that has an adorable main character they’d love to see do a comeback over and over again, should also pick this.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Blog Tour: 'As Good As It Gets?' by Fiona Gibson

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are now a mum of two. With your sometimes adorable, most times cold husband gainfully employed in your unkempt (referred as that by your neighbours) garden, planting, uprooting and mowing moodily early in the mornings. Your job as the publicist of a crisp company might not be bringing the big bucks in, but it’s sure putting food on the table, stacking your cabinets with rejected crisps and preventing you guys from taking a much-needed family holiday (thanks to the non-holiday permissible wages).

If only your hormonal teenage children would value what you offer and not stalk off right into their rooms when you ask them about their day. If only your husband would value you enough not to flinch when you touch him intimately in bed.

New neighbours come in. Your daughter’s curiosity sinks in——she wants to meet her real dad. The dad who run off right when you got pregnant and was so cowardly he let his mother write a letter to ditch you on his behalf.

You have suspicions your husband has a thing for the woman who’s just moved in with her family. An email from your ex drops in to shatter your world. But of course, your husband might be secretly nursing a crush on the new neighbour next door. And that is justification enough for you to reply your ex’s email after months of wondering what might have been. Then more emails come in.

Charlotte’s life summed up for your delight.

MY REVIEW

I was reading this book in a very public place on campus where students settle among trees, lawns and ringed benches to mostly embark on their romantic objectives for the semester. A guy walked up to my bench to start a conversation about a writing programme he was chairing ‘since he saw I was interested in books’. He said to me, “As Good As It Gets, what a funny title.” I glared daggers at him after he was done with his message. I certainly will not be going for his writing programme knowing he clearly hasn’t heard of chick-lit. (Oh, and before you judge he said it in a snobbish, deprecating way. As though he could teach me how to make better, boring titles.)

I liked this book.

The storyline isn’t fresh. But of course, penned with Fiona Gibson’s wit, intact comparisons and humour, it’s not hard for fans of Fiona to warm up to this. Girl is facing glitches in her married life. Girl is undergoing the stress of being a model mum. Girl is trying so hard to keep her family financially stable. Girl wonders if her husband might be having inappropriate thoughts about the saucy neighbour next door. Girl keeps wondering if her life would have been more perfect if her ex had stuck with her.── ★

Charlotte is a character to fall in love with. She’s what most mums out there call relatable. With her tendency to focus too much on details, her amazement at how her sex-life has petered out, her constant resolution to get out running and lose some weight, her appropriate comparisons of situations of parenting, middle-life, her lack of a sex life, to others you could nod your head to and just agree.── ★★

You would so love Ollie, Charlotte’s adorable son who loves to chat science and make light of every situation. You would love Sabrina, the saucy new neighbour who loves to give away sex tips for the middle-aged lacking a sex life. You would love Gloria, the mother-in-law always a phone away suggesting ridiculous job offers for her son.

Some ridiculous and gasping situations at work, home, and her daughter’s modelling agency, a few OMG moments, and a curiosity to find out what happens at the end, keep the reader absorbed in the tale.── ★★★

I enjoyed this book. But yet last year I wrote a glowing review of Fiona Gibson’s Take Mom Out because it was absolutely amazing (every centimetre of it!). This book falls short of the glory of her previous work. If it was pacey enough, it would have been marvellous like how Take Mom Out (which was highly pacey) had been.── ★★★★

So my rating: 3.5 stars.

Fiona Gibson’s latest could be purchased on amazon.

I recommend this book to any woman out there wondering what might have been if the love of their lives had remained or not, any woman wondering how she’d cope when her children stop doing stuff with her and turn grumpy or not, any woman who loves their chick-lit centred on relatable characters in relatable life situations. And just anybody who needs something not lacking in warmth, humour and depth.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Book Review: Shopaholic To The Stars by Sophie Kinsella

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are happily married. You have a lovely, but most times annoying toddler daughter. You are more in charge of your credit than you used to… Until your husband takes a job in Hollywood to manage a movies star, then Rodeo Drive has other plans.

You are amazed by the endless shopping made on boulevards, the people who are always a lookalike of some celebrity you know, the celebrities who are spotted going about their daily business with their super-white teeth and very dark sunglasses.

Rehabs are chic. Yoga is a must, staying thin is a competition——which when you lose you succumb to sucking in your cellulite, and whenever you see someone with a too perfect nose, they probably have been under a surgical blade——and you must ask for the contact details of this surgeon, because in L.A no one can have too many perfect nose jobs.

You have the desire to be a stylist. A celebrity stylist. But only if your celeb-ignorant husband would link you up with some of his clients——and only if you would let him to. You have got the talent, the eye for the perfect dress for that perfect celebrity, but only if you would meet any celebrity because these shopping assistants wouldn’t give away any details of their clients no matter how many letters you write to their stores (and of course, the amount you spend in them).

All you have is your husband’s client. But would you she ever stop being a total snob and take one of the coats you’ve purchased for her? All you have is your best friend, but would she ever see how important making it big in Hollywood is to you? All you have is your dad, but would he stay back in London offering an attentive ear over the phone, and not set off to L.A leaving your mum worried-sick with an instruction to water their roses daily?

Would Hollywood ever give you that one, special break you need?

Becky Bloomwood’s life summed up for your delight.

MY REVIEW

Did I love this book? Yes, yes, I very much did. So you know in my review I’d be hauling you out of boutiques and dumping you into Barnes and Nobles to purchase this, don’t you?

Once again, Sophie Kinsella thrills with an amazing storyline. There’s nothing more fabulous than reading a book about a struggling stylist looking for her one, big break among the fashion circles and Hollywood. But in the midst of making it in Hollywood, this stylist gets wrapped up in lots of faux drama in tinsel town and unexpected encounters with paparazzi. Fab storyline.── ★

Becky is back with a bang and lots of shopping bags! Over the years, Becky Bloomwood has become sort of a woman sleuth in time to piece together the best outfit, for people who won’t dress for their body types, celebs who wouldn’t dress for their age, and of course steadfastly watching her own spending. She’s one of those classic chick-lit characters who’d always remain on the minds of readers who cannot get enough of her! Her humorous voice, her tendency to spend over the limit of her credit (without intending to, of course), her ability to put the humour in the most serious of situations. She’s one of those characters you keep banging on your table about and threatening not to eat your cereal if she doesn’t make a comeback (who are you, a two-year old avid reader?). A star to Becky.── ★★

Oh, you would love other characters in this book! Suze, the friend who wants to host an award show for extras (background actors) so they could receive ‘Suzes’. Alicia Bitch Long Legs, who makes a comeback with a deceiving relaxed look matched with yoga habits. Danny Kovitz, whose tendency to put off hiring a grammar assistant to read through all his problematic emails is hilarious. Minnie, the boisterous, over-demanding daughter who wouldn’t quit singing out Becky’s cusses to incompetent drivers at pre-school in a tune of Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star. Sage, the celebrity you’d love to hate for being such a total snob. Aran, the manager who is always suggesting very weird opportunity offers raging from a celebrity plastic surgery reality show to a fashion correspondent on a breakfast show who wouldn’t be offering any fashion advice at all. Jeff, the bodyguard who wouldn’t give you the least attention when all your friends have abandoned you and you just want a nod from him through your rants. Tarquin, Suze’s husband suddenly pleased about finding his inner-peace. And so many other amazing characters. A star to all the characters.── ★★★

The OMG moments in this book make this title gripping. And the humour is just so wicked it would be cracking your ribs.── ★★★★

I loved this book. But comparing it to Kinsella’s other titles, it wasn’t really mega. Perfect as a stand-alone, but when you’ve picked other Kinsella titles, you know this is nowhere close to their literary excellence. (Although, it really isn’t like doing a comparative analysis on all of Hemmingway’s titles and discovering he’d never penned anything great at all).

So my rating: 4.5 stars/5

Shopaholic To The Stars, Sophie Kinsella’s latest, is available on amazon.

I recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of Kinsella or anyone who isn’t, anyone who loves Becky Bloomwood and anyone who’d hear her name and ask, ‘Becky wha??’, anyone who loves their chick-lit racy and humorous and about the plastic-ness of tinsel town should grab this book too.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Book Review: Some Girls Do by Clodagh Murphy

Imagine This: You are in your late twenties. You used to dream of a job in publishing. You wished to be a writer. But then your mum’s ailment got you tied down to Dublin as you are the only daughter who cares enough of her survival. Your other brothers don’t.

You have no social life. You are pleased to be working in a bookshop that’s close to home. You are used to a colleague telling you to hightail it and go get a life. But who is she to judge when she’s a trust-fund kid with no sense of direction, doesn’t have a mother who is in bad health, and would sell any dieting book to anyone looking for Jamie Oliver’s latest?

You are just pleased writing a blog. A blog about sex. A blog about your inexistent sex life. A blog that has lots of viewership.

An email from a super-hot guy in the publishing circles who’s been flirting with you since twitter was founded appears in your inbox. His request? He’s thinking of making your blog a book.

You are thrilled. Over the moon. The closest to an orgasm you’ve ever had.

But wait! He wants to meet. And might there be any book deal if he finds out you are not the sexy, cocky girl you portray on your blog? You don’t want to risk that. And it doesn’t help that he seems genuinely interested in you.

You must learn how to suck cock. You must learn how to give a good hand job. You must learn how to transform yourself into the sex goddess you’ve always claimed to be online.

Then you meet Luca. Far more experienced in this sex thing than any escort you ever thought of hired.

Before you know it, you are juggling between a fuck buddy who hates clingy girls and a sorta boyfriend who can’t wait to see your prowess in bed. Thank God for the existence of five-date rules!

Claire’s sensuous dilemma summed up for your enjoyment.

MY REVIEW

Late in September, I found out something. My love for Irish chick-lit. I have read Marian Keyes’ Sushi for Beginners, and Cecilia Ahearn’s P.S I Love You, but those are classics. And would you ever forgive me if I told you I am a total book snob? But then I read Zoe Miller’s A Husband’s Confession and OMG, I had to request more Irish chick-lit!

Clodagh Murphy writes very sensational chick-lit, I found out. This book was released last year and I am so ashamed to put across I’m now catching up on the fun.

I loved, loved this book. So you know in my review, I’d be yelling at you to scout your country’s bookstores and find out if there are still copies available! (If not, go home defeated).

The storyline is fabulous. It’s not fresh. But it’s amazing. Girl has no experience in sex whatsoever. Her first orgasm was inexistent. She writes a sex blog which has been noticed by a doting big-time publisher who wants to get into her pants as much as get her book on the shelves. She meets a man-ho who agrees to give her lessons in all she wants to know and so much more. And what’s more? Make herself confident, and sexy, and sassy, and explore her sexuality. Beautiful! A star to the storyline. ── ★

I loved the heroine, Claire. She’s amazing. The kind of girl so shy she spends hours chewing her lip. The kind of girl who’s only bold when she’s behind her computer and online. The kind of girl who secretly hates being referred to as sweet. The kind of girl who has dreams of becoming a writer she cannot yet accomplish because she cannot fathom leaving her mother to die somewhere along the line despite her brothers have managed to abandon her successfully. Couldn’t you relate to her? Sometimes, it sucks to read books about girls who aren’t confident. But Clodagh Murphy doesn’t portray this to irritating levels that make the reader gets put off. You would adore Claire. A star to her. ── ★★

The other characters also make reading this title entertaining. There’s Yvonne, the trust-fund kid who would sell signed copies of Jane Austen novels to a husband who wants to surprise his wife with books of her favourite author on their anniversary. There’s also Espie, Claire’s mum who’s the bane of every nursing home for throwing parties with booze for all the patients. There’s Mary, the arthritis patient who butchers violin classics just because her joints are a bit weak. There’s the nursing home’s director who has the annoying attitude of using the ‘royal we’ and referring everybody’s mums as hers too. There’s Luca, the sex god who would set your knickers on fire (and I don’t even own knickers, so you can imagine!). There’s Mark, the charming publisher guy who’s doing his best to get through Claire’s five-date rule before sex. Oh, yeah, almost forgot, a super-fave, Catherine, the popular Lesbian mummy blogger who blogs about toilet-training her first when she doesn’t exactly have any children of her own. ── ★★★

The humour in this title was excellent. You would guffaw. You would chuckle. Even during the hot sex scenes, Clodagh Murphy tries to inject some amount of humour that would make readers who are not so comfortable with sex scenes (not like me!) desist from flipping the pages. ── ★★★★

My rating: Four/Five stars.

Clodagh Murphy’s 2014 hit, Some Girls Do, is available on amazon.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get something to boost their sex life but cannot get over the embarrassment of moving to the sexual literature section of their bookstores. Anyone who wants a book with a heroine they could so relate to. And anyone with writing dreams or owning a blog of any kind. 

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Blog Tour: Twin Piques by Tracie Banister

The lovely Tracie Banister (best-selling author of In Need of Therapy) is releasing yet another (from the looks of it) exciting title. Tracie is one of the pioneer chick-lit authors I reviewed on this blog, so, hell, yes, I am happy to be part of this tour announcing her latest release:

Blurb

Forensic accountant Sloane Tobin and kooky pet psychic Willa may have the same face, but that’s the only thing these identical twins have in common.

How she can read the hearts and minds of animals has always been a mystery to Willa, and her rotten luck with men is equally baffling. Although she’s been looking for “The One” for what feels like forever (A teenage marriage to a French mime and dating a guy named Spider seemed like good ideas at the time!), optimistic Willa refuses to give up on love. When she meets Brody, the handsome rose expert hired to save her grandmother’s garden, she’s instantly smitten, but why does he keep sending her mixed signals? Does he return her feelings, or is their attraction all in her fanciful head?

Unlike her twin, Sloane has zero interest in romance. Her passion is her job, where she uses her gift for numbers to take down slimy embezzlers and asset-hiding spouses. When she’s assigned two high profile cases, Sloane feels confident the promotion she’s been angling for is within her grasp. But will her plan to climb the corporate ladder be thwarted by difficult clients, her co-worker-with-benefits, or – most surprisingly of all – her own sister? And how’s she supposed to stay focused on the drama at work when her childhood friend, Gav, moves in next door and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore?

To get what they both want, can Willa and Sloane band together and rely on each other’s strengths? Or will their differences drive them apart once and for all?

Author Bio

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)

Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Twin Piques is her third Chick Lit release. The pet psychic character in this novel was inspired by Tracie’s rascally rescue dogs. She’d love to know what goes on in their heads!

Buy Twin Piques: (Amazon)

Social Networking Links

Blog:  http://traciebanister.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/traciebanister

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tlbani

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448518.Tracie_Banister 

Book Review: I'll Take New York by Miranda Dickinson

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: Your boyfriend, no matter how perfect, is known by your friends to stand you up. A LOT. Anniversary celebrations, he stands you up. Time with the girl pals, he stands you up. But you really do not mind, because even if all through your five years together he’s never been on-time to a single date (give or take three hours after), you overlook his flaws. I mean, isn’t that the essence of a long-(forget healthy)-relationship?

Until he’s known to stand you up by your family, one incident after inviting them all from England for something ‘special’ and he never shows. You are so furious you decide it’s over with him. But would he even show up for the breakup date?

So now you are single. In New York. Focusing on your bookstore. Becoming the successful woman you’ve always dreamed of. Putting love on the back-burner and having one only true love: New York City.

Then you meet a guy at an engagement party. You two are the only singles present. He’s recently divorced. After going on and on about how being in a relationship sucks, you two make a pact. The Pact: You would never be in a relationship again. Even if it’s with each other no matter the sizzling chemistry shared between you two. The beginning of a friendship and a three way with the city.

But except your friends do not believe you two could be friends by setting you up on blind dates. The city doesn’t believe two people who share as much chemistry could take on Wolman Rink and still be friends.

Heck, sometimes you don’t believe you two could be just friends. But there’s one thing keeping you guys apart, that is, even if you tried taking the next step: The Pact.

Bea James’ chaotic life summed up for your delight.

MY REVIEW

Have you noticed any tale about New York goes with you cheering, “Woo-hoo”s within reading intervals? Well, I have anyway, and I’ll Take New York is one of those.

Woo-hoo! Don’t you just love books set in New York? The city (and the sex), the rush, the people, the Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind. I am one of those unpatriotic fellas who wears an ‘I Heart NYC To Bits’ t-shirt on (my country’s) Independence Day. And can you ever go wrong with a chick-lit set in New York City with the city embodying a character on its own? Miranda Dickinson certainly didn’t. ── ★

Woo-hoo! Bea James and Jake Steinmann, the main characters in this tale were adorable. Bea James being your typical Brit who’s fallen in love with New York since arriving in Columbia. She loves books, loves Brooklyn, and owns a bookstore in Brooklyn. You would love Bea James for being a redhead (score one for the gingers!), you would love her for how often she loves to explore the city, and her emotional connection to the iconic Pond in Central Park. Jake Steinmann was also written well. I did love his point-of-view. Mostly, I hate contemporary romances because most writers portray their male leads as dark, broody, uptight, and very virile–––eek! I love that Jake’s POV wasn’t that dark, broody kind that made all men seem sexists and so into ourselves–––so refreshing! A star to both characters. ── ★★

Woo-hoo! Other characters you would love(to-hate) are Otis, Bea’s ex who never shows up for anything unless it’s something that has got cheap all over it; Desiree, Jake’s P.A who’s always missing the point; Russ, Bea’s co-owner of the bookshop and friend who has an aversion to men wearing suits in Brooklyn; Rosie and Ed, sister-in-law and brother of Jake who keep setting Bea and James on blind dates. Aunt Ruby, who’s so concerned about eating at home before attending an invite from Bea’s ex to dine for something ‘special’.  Grandma Dot, who always has a book popped in the mail to explain something significant (mostly about love and relationships and her first-true love) to Bea. ── ★★★

Woo-hoo! Humour in this book isn’t the laugh-out-loud, crack-a-rib kind, but the chuckling moments are constant. ── ★★★★

My rating: four-point-five stars (4.5/5 stars)

Miranda Dickinson’s latest, I’ll Take New York is available on amazon.

I recommend this book to any fan of Miranda Dickinson as she doesn’t disappoint in this title, anyone who loves romantic comedies, anyone who loves romantic comedies set in the City That Never Sleeps, and anyone who wants a book that would keep them awake (says my mum, who spent hours gazing at the stars on the cover and declaring them hypnotic).

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Book Review: Daughter by Jane Shemilt

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are the mother of three hormonal teenagers. And a surgeon whose job demands she spends little time with her kids. A neurosurgeon for a husband who’s good at sneaking into your bed late at night for some good-loving at a bad timing––when you just want to doze off. You wish you could spend more time with your kids. You wished your eldest daughter wouldn’t be watching you with eyes that say, you have no clue whatsoever. You wished the oldest of your boys wouldn’t stare at you with so much distaste. They want their independence, you keep consoling yourself. They would appreciate you more when they get older and attempt to strike the perfect work-family balance like you have.

Your life isn’t perfect. But you are working on it.

Until your daughter gets missing, adopted, raped, murdered, does anyone have the answers? She’s just nowhere to be found, and amidst the fear and the worry and dealing with the police who keep looking in all the wrong places, you keep asking yourself whether you’ve got the whole motherhood thing wrong from the start.

Everyone seems to be lying. Everyone you thought you could trust. If anyone knows what happened on the night your daughter, their daughter, their sister disappeared, they are not saying.

And as if that isn’t enough all the blame is being shifted to you for being the bad guy when all you want to do is help the police find your daughter and keep your family from gradually falling apart as a result of this crisis.

What’s more, the police’s findings keep coming up. And you should be relieved because they are always one-step-closer to finding your daughter. But the closer they get with these findings, the more you are sure this couldn’t be the daughter you raised.

Jenny Malcolm’s dilemma summed for your delight.

MY REVIEW

Another great storyline for a psychological thriller to keep you on your toes (seat, whatever position you prefer when reading). What’s so different about this title from just every other title with a character disappearing is how differently Jane Shemilt penned this. The presentation of flashbacks at appropriate moments whilst telling life a year after the character’s disappearance is what makes this title special. Throughout the opening pages you’d be on your toes (again, whatever position you prefer) to know if the main character found her daughter in the present day’s account. Another feature that makes this title different from others is how confused the main character gets as the police discovers details about her daughter, details she’s just so sure the police might be mixing up someone else’s missing daughter with hers. Fab storyline. ── ★

Jenny Malcolm is a character every mother out there would relate to. Jane Shemilt portrayed her main with the exactness another mother going through the same predicament would react. The kind of character who could win an actress an Oscar. The paranoia, the fear, the dreams, the visions, the moments when you want to keep it together but just don’t find the courage to when your daughter is out there being battered to death, raped, buried alive, all the worst case scenarios you see on Medical Detectives. You would adore Jen’s strength, her perseverance, her will to cast aside various shocking lapses of other characters to focus on finding her daughter. Throughout the novel, you’d be the hand reaching out to pat her on the back, sympathizing with her.  A star to her. ── ★★

Other characters you would revere are Naomi, the missing daughter whose smug smiles keep flashing everywhere you cannot help but wonder if she planned this whole ordeal; Michael, the cop heading the investigation; Theo, the only son who sees his mum as a super-hero, Mary; the old woman next-door filled with self-deprecating wisecracks to make her audience chuckle. A star to these characters. ── ★★★

The suspense in this novel is unsettling, way too many plot complications, too many useless leads going nowhere, enough to keep you glued to your seat. The ending was also… different and mind-boggling (not in the confusing way, the thought-provoking way) ── ★★★★

My rating: Four-stars. (4/5 stars).

Jane Shemilt’s psychological thriller with all the features akin to huge Hollywood motion-pictures is available on amazon.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves their psychological thrillers thrilling enough, anyone who wants a book with a main character and an issue they could absolutely relate to, and anyone who wants a title that keeps them intrigued as (or even when) the plot keeps unravelling.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.