Right Here Waiting For You by Rebecca Pugh

Out Now

Published by HQ Digital 

Purchase from Amazon here

The Blurb:

We used to be best friends…

Magda used to be the girl everyone wanted to be – most likely to achieve her every wish. That is until suddenly her perfect life seems to be anything but!

Sophia has never regretted her life, sure it isn’t perfect, but being a single mum to a daughter she loves is pretty great. Perhaps she never moved away from home, or got to live out her dreams, but what she has right now isn’t so bad.

That is until an invitation to their school reunion arrives, throwing both their lives into a spin – because these two used to be friends and it might finally be time to face up to that one big mistake that happened all those years ago…

My Thoughts:

Every time I see this book I start crooning out the old 80’s hit Right Here Waiting For You by Richard Marx. But it’s a good thing – honest – because I am an ‘80’s girl and so the song makes me smile – as did this book! Rebecca Pugh has once again penned a book that hits the spot and lifted me out of a mid spring funk.

We meet not one, but two leading ladies, both of whom have gone on to live different lives. One has left town, married a gorgeous man and is living the high life, and the other never escaped, settled down and had a daughter before the love bubble burst and she became a single Mum.

Magda and Sophia were friends at school, but it seems that more than growing up got in the way of their friendship, and their paths (thankfully for both of them) haven’t crossed since. That is until a school reunion is arranged……will they be flung back into each others lives? You betcha! Let the games commence!

I loved escaping into this book. I found it packed with fun, intrigue, emotion and surprise. Rebecca threw me a curve ball as I thought from the blurb that there was one of the characters I was going to favour, but it turned out to be the complete opposite….very clever!! I really enjoyed discovering their younger selves and unearthing what became the thorn in the side of their friendship.

Each book by Rebecca shows the growth in her skills and talent, and Right Here Waiting For You is her best to date. Filled with sass, emotion and wonderfully descriptive writing I found a book that allowed me to escape and hook up with a couple of women who I could easily share a coffee with, or be a voyeur in their dramas.

It also gave me a chance to glance back at my teenage years, the hopes, dreams and friendships, and what if’s. This, like the book, definitely bought smiles and a few chuckles as well. I really enjoyed this book and if you are a fan of feel good fiction this is one for you as well.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

Out Now

Published by:

Purchase on Amazon here

The Blurb:

Named One of the Most Anticipated Thriller Novels Of 2017 by Bustle!

THE NEW CHILLING, PROPULSIVE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

My Review:

Having loved and spent months raving about Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris I could barely contain my excitement when The Breakdown appeared on my Kindle. I was however apprehensive as I wasn’t sure if it could live up to the last book.

Was I disappointed? Nope! This book was once again packed full of drama, suspense and incredibly engrossing. We follow Cass who, as the blurb says, is struggling following a drive home when she encountered a woman parked up in a desolate road. The woman has been killed and Cass just can’t shake her fear over what happened, and whether there was anything she could have done to stop it.

This is the start of a journey that will see Cass question everyone and everything, including her sanity! She cannot shake what happened and things only get worse when she starts getting phone calls and a feeling that someone is watching her and out to get her.

The story spirals and along with family and friends Cass’s world starts to crumble, and along with Cass I as a reader started to question how much of what occurs is real, and how much is her imagination.  There are twists and turns that had me too-ing and fro-ing with my thoughts, and looking out for any little inklings about what to believe and who to trust.

The Breakdown packed a punch and I sat it almost in one sitting as the writing flows and grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the whole scenario. It will definitely be a book that people talk about, and will keep you turning pages late into the night.

My Sweet Revenge by Jane Fallon

Out Now

Published by: Michael Joseph, Penguin Books

Purchase from Amazon here

The Blurb:

I want to make my husband fall back in love with me.

Let me explain. This isn't an exercise in 1950s wifeydom. I haven't been reading articles in old women's magazines. 'Twenty ways to keep your man'. That couldn't be further from the truth.

I want him to fall back in love with me so that when I tell him to get the hell out of my life he'll care. He won't just think, 'Oh good'.

I want it to hurt.

Paula has had Robert's back since they got together as drama students.
She gave up her dreams so he could make it.
Now he's one of the nation's most popular actors.
And Paula's just discovered he's having an affair.

She's going to remind Robert just what he's sacrificing.
And then she's going to break his heart like he broke hers.
It will be her greatest acting role ever.

Revenge is sweet.
Isn't it?

My review:

It is a long time since I have read a book by Jane Fallon, but it won’t be a long time until I read the next. I devoured My Sweet Revenge, and struggled to put it down. Having gone through a similar experience where I found my long-term partner cheating on me this appealed to me, and I couldn’t wait to see how her revenge would pan out.

I started off both feeling sorry for, and rooting for Paula. It is clear that she had been a loving and devoted wife who had put her dreams to one side to dedicate herself to her family. Years and security have taken their toll and she isn’t the woman she used to be as she has become complacent. However, when she discovers her husband is having an affair rather than roll over and let it break her, Paula decides she is going to make Robert see her through fresh eyes, lure him back, and then chuck him to show him how it feels.

Add into the mix that she knows the woman she suspects he is having an affair with, she puts a plan into action – and so let the shenanigans commence!

The book is divided into two parts, and if I am honest, I enjoyed the first part and all that planning and positive change the best. We follow Paula as she sets the wheels into motion and it is great fun! Not only does she work on herself, but we get to see her start to set plans in motion to mess with her husband and his mistress.

I felt real empathy for Paula and I imagine many women reading will feel the same. I really enjoyed that she didn’t roll over, but was empowered and began to make changes that would enhance her life and happiness. Whilst heartbreak hurts it doesn’t mean that we always fall apart. Sometimes it can be the trigger that becomes the making of us, and I liked that this is Paula’s approach also, even if revenge is her driver.

The second half of the book ramps up the actual act of revenge, and events transpire that lead Paula to doubt decisions, actions and others. The only negative I would have about this book is around some of the actions. But then, hell, it is fiction, and that is the point of escapism, right? It is not a blue print on how to enact revenge. But it is nice to dream J

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the authors writing, and for me she has skilfully crafted a book that delivers a compelling plot, emotion, inspiration and a wry smirk. This book hit the spot for me and my circumstance, and for those of us who believe in concentrating on our own life and happiness, it was a nice chance to fantasise!

Loved this book and would certainly recommend it to others.