Festive Book Review: A Proper Family Christmas by Chrissie Manby

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are part of London’s Yummy-Mummy nation. Which means you’d definitely be part of London’s affluent. Your house is Downton Abbey standards, your vacations are glamorous and your Christmases are well… very grande.

If only your teenage daughter would realize what class entails and would stop dressing like a ho. If only your teenage daughter’s mind isn’t preoccupied with going to the hottest parties, staying online all the time slagging you off to her followers, and dating boys already in college. Boys with bad reputations.

But that’s fine, you’d do all you can to protect your daughter and keep advising her to stay off drugs and alcohol. Until during once concert, your daughter goes against your advice in the hopes of becoming highly ecstatic.

Now she needs a kidney. And sadly, you and your husband are no match to donate. You have no option but to trace your biological mother who gave you away when you were young.

Turns out, your biological family are huge, loud, and very not… proper not-the-kind-of-people you’d want yourself or your daughter to be associated with. But it’s alright, all you need to do is to convince them you really want to be part of the big, happy, working class picture, so you could nick a kidney.

Meanwhile Christmas is approaching. And although there’s nothing to look up to this year, you are praying for a Christmas miracle. A proper family kidney not a poorer family’s Christmas.

Annabel Buchanan’s sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious and always sensational Christmas summarised for your delight.

MY REVIEW

I loved, loved this book! There’s certainly no way you should miss reading it this Christmas like I did last year (L)

Chrissie Manby is fab! One thing about family books. You cannot help but put your 

family into situations in the story and see how you would react if it were happening to you. You cannot help but make a running commentary as you read noting who’s being too much of a bitch and who’s just plain crazy. That is to say, the storyline is so relatable! I mean, who wouldn’t want to find themselves hunting for a kidney when they could be making (hectic) Christmas preparations!── ★

You would love the two main women placed side by side. Annabel Buchanan who is uptight, considers herself not-a-snob but within is such a snob, who chairs committees and loves to keep appearances but is so sweet at heart—even if sometimes she’s faking it. Ronnie Benson, who’s proud of her family and wouldn’t want to have them any other way though sometimes she wishes she could have a more upscale kitchen and pay the bills with less working hours, who’s harsh on the outside and is quick to voice her opinions despite them being not sweet at all. A star to these main characters. You’d find yourself judging the two, wishing you had the perfect personality trait that is a merge of both extremes, and just simply siding with one over the other. But mind you, Ronnie isn’t afraid to show you the finger if you do not choose her side.── ★★★

Other characters are just brilliant. There’s Richard, Annabel’s husband who loves to hang out in his own cellar and look forward to weekends alone with his wife when his daughter away. There’s Mark, Ronnie’s husband whose cellar is down at a pub’s and considers the perfect weekend as one away from the family drinking with his wife’s dad and her granddad. There’s Sophie, Ronnie’s Goth daughter who’s at the age where texting boyfriends and finding her family embarrassing are her highlights. There’s Izzy, Annabel’s privileged daughter who’s about to die and has suddenly become a machine for popping out Hallmark stuff and fortune-cookie shit about carpe-diem-ing. There’s Jack the little boy of Ronnie who’s at the age where Doctor Who and Minecraft seem like the best conversation starters during family dinners. There’s Granddad Bill, who burps popular rhymes and songs (and makes you wonder how [crazy] you'd be if senility sets in). Trust me, lots of fun characters I could go on and on about.── ★★★★

You would love the voice in which this novel is told. I loved it. Very Mary-Alice-Desperate-Housewives-y; funny and nice to listen to—in this case, read.── ★★★★★

I see no reason why this book shouldn’t be given a five-star, because it’s amazing (5/5 stars).

You should go purchase Chrissie Manby’s A Proper Family Christmas now because chances are by Christmas she might have released a fab book everyone would be raving about and you’d feel left out.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants something that would remind them of their very happy Desperate Housewives days. Anyone who wants a family read to cosy up to. Anyone who wants something funny. Or anyone looking for something warm and appropriate for the holidays.

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

Blog Tour: Follow Me by Angela Clarke

The thriller everyone's been talking about this fall is making a stop here on the blog! We have a short Q&A from the author you should read breezily (Thanks to her humour!)

PURCHASE 

Q: What is your favourite crime novel and why?

A: Oh! Such a hard question! There are so many amazing crime writers today – I wouldn’t like to pick. I’m going to wuss out and go for a classic: I’ll always love Agatha Christie. Her murder mysteries are the book equivalent of sinking into a warm bubble bath, whilst sipping a glass of Prosecco, and scoffing chocolate truffles. A total joy.

Q: Is there a book you love so much you wish you’d written it?

A: Probably The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It’s a gorgeous, historically resonant, literary book based on the Greek myth of Patroclus and Achilles. It made my heart sing and ache, and moved me to tears. It’s so far from everything that I write I can’t help but put it on a pedestal. It won the Orange Prize for Fiction (2012). I was lucky enough to meet Madeline Miller at a signing, she’s a softly spoken superbly intelligent woman. An incredible writer.

More info on the book?

See the (chilling) blurb: The ‘Hashtag Murderer’ posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target. Taunting the police. Enthralling the press. Capturing the public’s imagination.

But this is no virtual threat.

As the number of his followers rises, so does the body count.

Eight years ago two young girls did something unforgivable. Now ambitious police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this cunning, fame-crazed killer. But can they stay one step ahead of him? And can they outrun their own past?

Time's running out. Everyone is following the #murderer. But what if he is following you?



My REVIEW should be out soon! The blurb was a giveaway that I should read this book!

Festive Book Review: The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah

PURCHASE|

GOODREADS 
MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are forty and in a hospice. 

There's a lot you can do in a hospice without keeling over from boredom. 1: Listen to the loud juddering breaths of your cancer next-door patient.  2: Stare at the walls of your room idly waiting for your nurses. 3: Invite family over and have a blast.

Probably the last option. The most tempting of all. Except you'd die before you speak to the 'family that bought the earliest train ticket to dumping you in this shithole. 

But it's not that much of a shithole is it? There's a nurse who regularly stops by to check (up) on you. There's the family of the cancer-patient waving warmly and—sometimes—sitting in to have a chat with you if they are not going haywire for the health of your neighbour.

But, really there's not a lot to do holed up in bed, all day, everyday, waiting for your last breathe. Of course the thoughts of your past threaten to catch up with you. But you can't have that. You can't think of all the moments you fucked-up your life.

Then one day, your favorite nurse stops in, and introduces the Game that would bring your past right next to your present with a cuppa in hand. A Game that would bring up thoughts of WHO you could have led a clean life for but DIDN'T. 

Ivo's almost-ending life summed up for your delight.  

My REVIEW. 

I liked this book!

Storyline amazing! Guy in hospital thinking of all the times in his past from childhood till adulthood till he met YOU(—not you), naming every body part from A to Z and telling the stories associated with them to keep you(—really mean you this time) engrossed. Lovely──★.

A beautiful narrative. Told in first person-point of view with a dash of second person for when he's referring to YOU. Some parts are so irregularly breathtaking, they read like poetry. A nice incorporation. Prose and poetry all merged into this delight. A star!──★★

Oh, you'd love Ivo! Amazingly unique voice. Perfectly resembles his character. It's a sad thing though for him life is ending at forty. A star.──★★★

OK. Let's take a second to praise all the other amazing cast. A quirky book with a quirky set of characters to match. From Laura, the annoying sister who wouldn't act her age as the oldest. There's Mal, the friend who you'd hate with a passion. There's also Becca, the hot black girl with an amazing skin and body (who everyone loves). There's Ivo's mum—funny as hell! Mr. Miller, the teacher who despises Ivo for being part of the naughty sniggering bastards at the back of the class. There's also Kevin, the threesome of Ivo and Mal who outshines Ivo in the naive and hopeless department. Sheila, the amazing nurse also deserves a honking from my klaxon. And of course, there's YOU. A star to all these delightful characters.──★★★★ 

My rating:  Four/Five stars.
Ivo's beautiful story can be found on Amazon. Big-ups to James Hannah for penning this heartwarming/renching debut.

I recommend this to anyone who loves their fiction with the death, hospice, cancer, kidney failure theme. If you want a book with a quirky cast, oh go for this! A perfect read for this season, a book that topics on kindness and love, forgiveness—attitudes you'd need in large store this holiday season for when that crazy aunt drops by to get on your nerves!

MY work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon as well as Goodreads 

Fall Book Review: We That Are Left by Clare Clark.

Purchase|Goodreads 

Blurb: Two sisters, born into privilege, are forced to make their way in a world turned upside down by war. One man transforms them both. 

1910. Jessica and Phyllis Melville have grown up at Ellinghurst, a family estate fraught with secrets. A headstrong beauty, Jessica longs for London — the glitter and glamour of debutante life — while bookish Phyllis dreams in vain of attending university. Into their midst walks Oskar Grunewald, a frequent visitor fascinated by the house but alternately tormented and ignored by the Melville children. Oskar seeks refuge in Ellinghurst’s enormous library.  Meanwhile Theo, the adored Melville brother, eclipses everyone around him.
 
The Great War arrives to devastate and reshape their world. In a country unrecognizable from the idylls of their youth, the Melville sisters struggle to forge new paths without the guidance of the old rules. But Oskar’s life has become entwined with theirs once again, in ways—both immediate and unimaginable-- that will change all of their futures.

My Review. 

Beautiful Storyline! Downton Abbey meets... spectacular storytelling. Imagine a world of your favorite series where the estate is now Ellinghurst. War has torn through and muddled the lives of the upper-crust of society. All the characters are marred in some way by the war, and after it's all over, there's a torrential affair between two sisters and one eligible bachelor. A star!──★ 

You would love the main characters! The story is told in the points of view Jessica Melville, a somewhat spoilt mischievous adventurous heiress to the estate and Oscar, a science progidy soon to be an Einstein in his time. Their two points of views are entertaining and engaging. There's no chapter you'd find yourself rolling your eyes to be over and done with (because one character happens to be too boring). A star!──★★ 

Other characters are also fantastic! You'd love Tom Mellvile, Jessica's brother who's the apple of his mother's eye and overshadows the presence of all his siblings when he walks into the room. You'd also love Phyllis, the sister who likes to tuck herself away in a book and go contrary to societal expectations. There's also Jessica's self-obtained lothario who introduces her to the darker areas of London. Lots and lots of amazing characters who aren't redundant in any way!──★★★

Another feature of this book you'd quite adore is its pacy, clever dialogue laden with quick-wit and undertones of sarcasm. All the characters speak in that enigmatically appealing and audacious way of the people of Old England. I felt I was in a time-warp enjoying the company of these amazing characters with their luring conversations and elegant social events.──★★★★

The love triangle between some of the main characters is also an intriguing feature of the novel. Lots of surprising, OMG moments as well.──★★★★★

From start-to-finish, childhood to adulthood, this book was a delight! Not the kind of literature you wish all the characters would just grow up so you get on to reading the "good stuff". This novel develops on a surprisingly pacy plot despite its length. You wouldn't be able to shut an eye!──★★★★★★

My rating: Five/Five stars.

We That Are Left by Clare Clark is available on Amazon! Go get it!!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves storylines evolving with a background of the Wars fought in history. Anyone who wants literature that's so just Downton Abbey must race for this. Plus you know most historicals are never lacking a blend of enigmatic, entertaining and bold characters, and I'm sure this is your kind of book if you are looking for these... characteristics. 

My work not done here! Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads!

Fall Book Review: The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine by Alex Brunkhorst

   

Purchase|Goodreads

Blurb: A modern-day Gatsby tale of forbidden love, family secrets and the true price of wealth.

The story begins with a dinner party invitation. When young journalist Thomas Cleary is sent to dig up quotes for the obituary of a legendary film producer, the man's eccentric daughter offers him entree into the exclusive upper echelons of Hollywood society. A small-town boy with working-class roots, Thomas is a stranger in this opulent world of private jets and sprawling mansions.

Then he meets Matilda Duplaine. 

Matilda is a beautiful and mysterious young woman who has never left the lush Bel-Air estate where she was raised. Thomas is immediately entranced by the enigmatic girl and the two begin a secret love affair. But what starts as an enchanted romance soon unravels a web of secrets and lies that could destroy their lives and the lives of everyone around them forever.

My Review. 

A really amazing book!
This book has the charm of Gatsby, and the beauty of Hollywood all embedded in its storyline! So Boy gets into the exclusives of L.A Rich and Famous Scene, and commits the black-listing mistake of getting on the bad side of a man who owns all of Hollywood and more as a result of love. Lovely!  A star──★.

I couldn't put it down! The charm of the LA scenes, the people of Bel Air, its inhabitants and the very exclusive parties reeled me in. Amazing setting!──★★ 

I also fell in love with the lead character of this novel. He's very deep—from which you can deduce he isn't flat at all. It's hard to read a book featuring a male lead which is also Women's Fiction without wishing the author didn't make the colossal mistake of employing a male lead in this book. But with this book it's different. Not a chauvinistic, slutty stereotype at all. Probably the kind of lead that would be referred to as the 'Housewife's Favorite' were he to be in real life. A star.──★★★

I can't do this book and not talk of other characters who made it thrilling for me. There's Lily, the overpowering friend of our lead who is his ticket to the world of the famous and rich. There's also Carole, the famous actress who doesn't give our lead the time of the Day or even just the look of the day. There's also Matilda Duplaine, who this whole book is about, naive to a fault and of substance you only see in women of the monochrome motion pictures—women of the golden age.──★★★★

One of the features that makes this book thrilling is the whole mystery of Matilda Duplaine. Who is she? And why is she being kept as someone's biggest Hollywood secret?──★★★★★

My rating: Five/five stars.

This title is available on Amazon. 

I recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy something very Gatsby-like! If you also want a tile dipped in mystery with lots of (upper) class, pick this up. An ideal fall read!

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

Fall Book Review: The Piano-Man Project by Late French

Purchase|Goodreads 

MY SYNOPSIS 

Imagine This: You are never the type of woman to orgasm. No matter what your friends say, you just know no man can do THAT for you, thanks very much!

So when your friends contemplate on the kind of man who can just make you have that much multiple 'O's: a piano-playing sex-god, you know when they set out to get him wherever he is, it's going to be a disaster! But you play on, because you want to keep your hopes up that out there there's a (piano-playing) sex god who can just make you come (for once!)

Meanwhile, the man next-door is tinkling your interest. He's rude, bad-tempered and only needs company when he's getting a bottle of whiskey in return. He plays no Piano, people. Except when he mentions your name, you feel you might as well come with the ripple of sensations that courses through you. 

How do you work your way into the bed of a man who is deeply troubled and emotionally distorted? It's only for the orgasm, you keep telling yourself. But why do you want to stake a claim on his heart (even when sometimes he makes you feel like driving a stake throught it!)

Honeysuckle Jones' trouble-seeking, orgasm-less life summarized for your delight. 

My Review. 

I loved this book!

The storyline is very run-off-the-mill chicklit title. Though it is not unique in its sense, it's very enjoyable. So Blonde wants an orgasm, she wants to keep her oldies from being thrown out of their home and she wants the man next-door to stop being such an arse. A star.—★

I loved Honeysuckle, the main character. What a funny name. But Rose and Lily would have been quite non-unique, wouldn't it? She's very charismatic, loves to STEP in to help anyone everywhere, the kind of neighbor who would help you pick up your fallen groceries whilst secretly wishing you would be the one to make her come. A star to her.—★★

Other characters also made this title IMMENSELY fun. There's Lucille, the kind-hearted co-worker of Honey and Mimi, her eighty-year old sister who comes off as hard but is genuinely a sweetheart and is just your ordinary senior citizen who just wants to have a normal adventurous sex life. There's also old Billy, Mimi's boyfriend who loves being handcuffed. You'd love Tash (the Samantha Jones-lookalike friend) and also Nell (the Charlotte-esque friend of Honey who's lately experimenting with more tools with her sweater-clad husband). Christopher, the villain of the book is humorously wicked. Plus, you'd love Hal, the tempestuous next-door-man.—★★★ 

One of the features about this book is its humor. It's also one of those community books in which the whole town joins in to protest major, abnormal changes to their town.—★★★★

My rating: Four-stars.

This book is available on Amazon. Go get.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a feel-good, funny read full of senior citizens engaged in lots of shenanigans. Another good book to add to your fall reading list. 

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

Fall Book Review: Disclaimer by Renee Knight

PURCHASE|GOODREADS 

My Synopsis. 

Imagine This: You have been hiding this big secret all your life. With your adorable husband and son who's recently moved out of home, your life is perfect. You recently won an award in your field of investigative journalism. Everything is going like it's supposed to. Your secret is safe. No one knows. Your life isn't in tatters... yet.

During a pastime, you pick up a book to while the hours away—you have no one to look after these days, why don't you look after yourself then? So you begin reading this novel with your feet up, a glass of wine by your bedside—more like it!—and happen to be enjoying this novel. Until you realize you are reading about you. The secret you kept all these years unraveled in a book.

Who knows? Who's out to destroy you? You would only find out if you go back in the past. 

Meanwhile, the writer of your work of 'fiction' is presently working on their best revenge yet. You will pay for what you did years ago.

Catherine's life summed up for your delight! 

My Review. 

I love this book!

The storyline was what reeled me in! I loved the whole idea conceptualized for a psychological thriller! Woman finds herself reading a book about her dark secret. Writer is out to make Woman pay with pen... or more! Lovely! A star!—★

Oh, you'd love its main character, Cath! Very ruthless (at times), very bold. Kind of the character you'd expect to handle a writer who's lost their hinges! A star to her!—★★

I cannot read this book and not comment about its opening chapters! Edge-of-your-seat fun! Very gripping and fast-paced! Most thrillers do not begin this way!!!—★★★

You'd love other characters too. The deluded writer out to get our main character's blood, our lead's husband who's for most part of the book supportive (till he finds out...)—★★★★

Ugh! What killed me about this book is its anti-climax, with such a promising start I was expecting more for an ending. Though, the ending was very soulful and fulfilling, I just wanted... something that would have this book imprinted in my mind forever!

So my rating: Four-out-of five stars. 

The Disclaimer is up on Amazon!

I recommend this book to anyone in need of a psychological thriller laden with flashbacks (of so many versions from the POVs of some characters) that are as gripping as the current day events! You won't be able to put this book down!

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