Weightless by Michele Gorman

Annabel's not surprised when nobody recognizes her at her 10 year reunion. The spotty fat teen nicknamed AnnaBall by the school bullies is long gone. But standing on the edge of the popular crowd, she still feels like that girl. That is, until Jack, her teen crush, starts flirting with her. Much to her amusement, he has mistaken her for Christy Blake, Annabel's chief tormenter before she moved to France in their last year.

It's just a bit of fun at first, letting Jack believe she's Christy. After all, he was nuts about her before she said au revoir to England. And when he asks Annabel out, the fun becomes something even more interesting. The more they date the deeper they fall for each other. So
what if Annabel has to fib a little to keep up the façade?

As the lies start compounding, and she realizes that they're falling in love, she has to tell him who she really is. But she'll lose the love of her life if she does.

This is a short story (approx 40 pages) so ideal if you want something quick, lighthearted and easy to read. I hadn't ready anything by Michele before so wasn't sure what to expect. I was really pleased that her style of writing got me hooked straight away. You are introduced to Annabel and I immediately warmed to her. I found myself rooting for her and Jack throughout and at times I would happily have jumped into the story and rescued her. 

I also felt a clear message coming through about being yourself and loving yourself for who you are, not to let others bully you or drag you down and I have certainly taken some of that away with me.

A great read for a commute, or before sleep, or just when wanting a short down time.

Even better, at time of writing it is free for kindle on Amazon. Will definitely purchase more titles many Michele.

How To Get A (Love) Life by Rosie Blake

Some people book last-minute holidays, walk barefoot in the grass or party on a week night. Not Nicola Brown. Nicola is the kind of girl who double-locks the front door, leaves the plastic covering on new furniture, sticks to a super-strict diet and definitely, absolutely Does Not Date.

Her colleague Caroline – loopy, warm and exasperated by her, knows that Nicola’s reluctance to lose control means she’s living only half a life. And so she lays down the gauntlet: Nicola must cast aside her hang ups and go on as many dates as it takes to find true love in time for Valentine’s Day.

The pick of local men is, quite frankly, a bit rubbish. And there are only three months until February 14th. Surely it’s an impossible task? But, as Nicola is about to find out on her dodgy dates, letting go isn’t quite as scary as she imagined. In fact, it’s rather a lot of fun…

I was eagerly awaiting the chance to read this book and wasn't disappointed. It is a fun, easy read that will make you smirk and laugh out loud on many occasions. Nicola's dating exploits are hilarious and I spent my time cringing at some of the men she met whilst wondering how lucky I have been to avoid situations like that myself.

Get a good bottle of wine and some chocolate, put your feet up and escape into the hilarious world of Nicola and her dating. I would love to share all the details with you, but that would ruin the fun when you read it yourself.

The book left me feeling all happy, and smiling for the rest of the day. I hope you will feel the same.

Tell Him About It by Holly Kinsella

Tell Him About It is a relatively short book (121 pages long) by Holly Kinsella. It tells the story of Sara who works as a publicity assistant for a UK publishing company. Sara is given the job of looking after Adam who is launching his new book.

The story follows them through the launch where Sara and Adam travel around attending events throughout the country. You also meet Simon, Sara's boyfriend, and Victoria, Adam's ex-wife.

The book is a real feel good factor read. Easy enough to while away an afternoon or evening and enable you to escape from our own world for a while. The characters are likeable and I felt myself rooting for them throughout.

Enjoy reading and smiling afterwards!

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman

The Memory Book is the story of Claire and her family. Claire is in her 40's and has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, the same illness that her father had also suffered from. 

The book is beautifully written, telling the story both from Claire's but also the family's perspective, in particular her daughter and Mother. You are taken on a journey of how the illness affects them all in different ways, and it certainly made me think about how I take the simplest of things in life for granted.

The subject matter is serious and heartbreaking, but there is a good dose of humour in there too. it is brilliantly and sensitively written and really taps into your emotions. I felt I got to know the characters straight away and felt a real empathy for them. 

Do read this book, you will not be disappointed. I had to slow myself down to stop myself reading it too quickly. It sounds silly but I didnt want to lose the characters too soon. Rowan has written a book that will leave you thinking about your own life and how the things we take for granted we should cherish.

Take A Look At Me Now by Miranda Dickinson

How far would you go to make a new start? Heart-warming and romantic, Take a Look at Me Now will make you laugh, cry and cheer Nell on from start to finish.
What a difference a day makes.......

Nell Sullivan has always been known as ‘Miss Five-Year Plan’. But when she finds herself jobless and newly single on the same day, Nell decides it is time to stop planning and start taking chances.
Nell blows her redundancy cheque on a trip of lifetime to a place where anything is possible – San Francisco. There she meets a host of colourful characters, including the intriguing and gorgeous Max. Very soon the city begins to feel like Nell’s second home.

But when it’s time to return to London, will she leave the ‘new Nell’ behind? And can the magic of San Francisco continue to sparkle thousands of miles away?

I loved this book. I have never been to San Francisco but its definitely the next US city on the list when I am better.

I was really lucky to be sent a copy of this book by fabulous book fiend (her blog fabulousbookfiend.blogspot.co.uk is amazing).

Nell is a great character and I was a bit jealous of her bravery to get up and go and live life to the full. I loved the escapism of this book, particularly in dreary UK winter. A real feel good read.

Beyond Grace's Rainbow by Carmel Harrington

Beyond Grace’s Rainbow is the deeply emotional and poignant story of young single mother Grace Devlin.
When Grace is diagnosed with cancer her best chance of survival is to find a bone marrow transplant from a family member. Only Grace is adopted and her one previous attempt to connect with her birth mother resulted in bitter disappointment.
But with her young son, Jack, to think about, and the return of her ex Liam, Jack’s father, reminding her of feelings she’d thought she’d buried long ago, Grace refuses to give up hope just yet. With the help of her friends she bravely embarks on a journey of discovery.
This search will bring her from her home in vibrant Dublin to the unspoilt beauty of Wexford where she must unravel a web of lies and deceit that has spanned over thirty years.

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Oh my goodness....words almost fail me about this book. I have never read a book like this. A word of warning....you WILL need a box of tissues with you throughout. 

This book is just perfect! Carmel introduces us to Grace, her son Jack, Liam and a band of incredible friends. I don't want to write too much about what happens as I don't want to spoil it for anyone. But I would urge you to read this book. It will make you laugh and it will definitely make you cry. I love reading but can't recall being as engrossed and affected a book since reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and recently The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman. 

You instantly get drawn in and feel like another member of the gang. Camels writing engages you from the start and before long you truly care for, and are rooting for them all. I don't know how she does it but its been a couple of after finishing the book and I am still thinking about it. I feel like I need to check on the characters to see how they are doing. 

I can to stop recommending  this book to everyone as I want to share it with them. 

Think I scared my boyfriend when I went from laughing all happy to a sobbing wreck in the space of 5 minutes whilst reading. 

Please please read this book.

My first review....The Dead Wife's Handbook

I couldn't go a day longer without sharing an amazing book with you.....

The Deadwife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

'Today is my death anniversary. A year ago today I was still alive.'


Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life - until the night Rachel's heart stopped beating.

Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can't forget her, Rachel can't quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.

As Rachel grieves for the life she's lost and the life she'll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.

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 I loved this book from start to finish. It was hard to believe that this is Hannah's writing debut. I found drawn in from the first page. The way Hannah writes allowed me to engage with Rachel and her family from the outset and had me laughing as well as in tears throughout. 

The book follows the seven stages of grief and I could actually feel myself going through each stage along with the characters. At times I was unable to sleep with the depth of emotion I was feeling. The anger stage particularly affected me. 

Reading the synopsis I had a clear view and stance on how I would feel about my partner moving on if anything happened to me. I watched the film We Bought A Zoo with him a couple of months ago which left me heartbroken to think that he may ever be happy without me. S going into this book I thought I was adamant I would feel like that. However through Hannah's fantastic writing style I was able to enter the world of those left behind and it left me pondering what I actually feel.

This book is a life affirming read and will leave you wanting to make the most of every moment and give everyone a big hug to let them know you love them

I cannot wait to read Hannah's next book. She is amazing!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. Laid low ill for a while now and books have been my lifeline. Have read so many books that I want to rave about I thought I would take the plunge and blog about them.

Hope it's helpful. I'm new to this so comments welcome

Enjoy

Jill