Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde

Anna's heart is set on redesigning and rebuilding a small cottage, investing her time, energy and money in it. She quickly makes friends with mother-of-three Chloe and acquires a new greyhound, Caroline. However, is the cottage too much work? Things aren't helped by buildings inspector, Rob Hunter, who stands in the way of building her dream cottage...

Practically Perfect is a sweet, charming story, yet I think it is overlong. At times, Fforde has the tendency to drag the story out, and it feels like there is no pace to the story at tall, and makes reading it difficult. Some people may enjoy the oh-so slowness of the narrative but for me, it doesn't always work. However, I did enjoy the story and the characters, although I thought that the argument between Anna and Rob after the fire felt a bit out of place, but this was soon resolved by a lovely ending. The appeal this story (and generally most of Fforde's work) is that you get drawn into the story of the main character - nothing eventful happens, it si a slow burner, although sometimes a little too slow paced for my liking. 3 stars.

Twitchihiker: How One Man Travelled The World By Twitter - Paul Smith

Paul Smith is shopping at a supermarket when an idea suddenly comes into his mind – to travel to the other side of the world (which he judges as Campbell Island in New Zealand) only using Twitter – accepting travel and accommodation offers from strangers to achieve his goal. What could go wrong? Will he succeed?

Paul Smith proves himself to be a more-than-competent writer: clever, informative, honest and witty writer that manages to engage the reader into following his story, and what a story it is. Smith’s actions to fulfil his dream are inspiring as he prepares to take a huge risk in what seems to be an impossible, if not dangerous, task, placing enormous trust in the hands of strangers on Twitter. At times, he reveals his feelings about his bi-polar disorder, his family and his moments of self-doubt along the way, but the people he meets via Twitter are more than happy to help and encourage Smith to keep going on his journey. Whether he achieves it or not is something I won’t spoil, but Smith treats us to vivid descriptions of the places he visits in stupendous detail, making it a joy to read for travel fans, but this book is for anyone really – it is life-affirming, inspiring, and hilarious to read. One criticism I have is that it lagged in some places and failed to capture my interest but on the whole, it is a good and captivating read. 3.5 stars.

Bookends by Jane Green

Cath, Si, Josh and Portia were best of friends at university, until something happened that caused their friendship to change. Ten years later, Cath, Si and Josh have lost contact with Portia, until she returns unexpectedly, sparking off changes in the lives of the three friends.

This is a gripping story as I wanted to read about what had happened to separate Portia from the group. After that, Green presents the stories of Cath, who is unwilling to find love, Si, who falls in love too easily, and Josh , who is happily married to Lucy. Their stories are fascinating to read, and the return of Portia shakes things up, as Cath and Si are suspicious about Portia. Green writes moments of humour, friendship and love well, as well as creating the right tone for Si’s illness storyline. The dialogue is excellent and bubbly, and Green manages to produce a chemistry between the friends that is believable. A great read. 4 stars.

Stick or Twist - Eleanor Moran

Anna is tired of her relationship with Adam, which gives her safety and security, but nothing else. Things have become boring and passionless. Anna decides it is time to get out fast, but will she live to regret her decision?


Moran presents a very funny and frank tale exploring what love is. The main character, Anna, can appear to be a bit selfish at times, but largely she comes across as a realistic and refreshingly honest character with a dry sense of wit that I became really interested in her story. Anna is on a quest to find love and soon she finds herself in romantic trouble, that leads her to reflect on and question her relationship with Adam.


The supporting characters are a bit hit and miss – I didn’t find Polly likeable at all (a bit too nice and what she does in the book is a definite no-no in friendship), and Susie I was indifferent too. Horst and his mannerisms were wonderfully quirky as is his attempt to find love, and his role as “knitwear designer” at one of Anna’s magazine shoots. Tom was an ok character although he felt a bit bland, where Harry and Lucas were the archetypal bad boys/ slimy toads. The story does get predictable at times – you can tell when Anna is making a choice that is going to lead to bad consequences later on, and who Anna will end up with at the end. However, I did enjoy reading Stick Or Twist, but it would have been nice to see more development and depth to the supporting characters. 3.5 stars.

I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk

The second instalment of the I Heart series sees Angela Clark being sent to LA, accompanied by best friend, Jenny, to interview British actor, James Jacobs, famed for his great acting talent, as well as his womanising. Struggling to find the courage to tell boyfriend Alex that she loves him, she leaves these words unspoken as she flies to LA, and worries that Alex might cheat on her. It soon turns out that she herself is the one that she needs to worry about, as she finds herself snapped in compromising photos with James, and the media comes to believe that the two of them are having a relationship, which far from impresses Alex, even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. Angela finds her reputation, her job and her love life on the line: can she salvage one of the these, if any?

I really enjoyed I Heart New York so I thought I would try reading the sequel. For me, it wasn’t as good – the story is nothing special and it is unbelievable to read as Angela lurches from one disaster to another, and is quite slow to grasp the obviousness of another disaster she Is about to head into (re. James and Joe). Everything did get resolved in the end although it felt uneasy when Alex seemingly forgave Angela and apologised for his trust issues despite Angela having her own trust issues and doing what she did. One character who I found irritating was Jenny and her double standards – one minute she is telling Angela to sleep with James, and then after James and Angela are photographed kissing, Jenny is chastising Angela for cheating on Alex. Her words are quite inconsistent and don’t make sense.

All in all, it is a fair story – the twist concerning James was good, but otherwise, the story fell flat and felt like an average read, although I did want to keep reading on to find out what happened to the characters I enjoyed reading about in I Heart New York.3 stars.

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde

Sarah is a driven career focused woman who works as a wedding planner, but refuses to believe in love herself after having her heart broken in the past, but dashing photographer Hugo is proving to be a bit of a distraction. Can he be the one to make her believe in love again? Her friends Bron and Elsa also have their own issues. Elsa is unconfident and shy, but a makeover and meeting Laurence promises to change all that. Bron is in a stale and loveless relationship with Roger and stuck in a job she abhors. Can she find the courage to break free?

Wedding Season is an easy, gentle story and the friendship between the three women is strong. Nothing momentous happens; it is a bit of a slow burner. In my opinion, it is a fine story although it takes too long to reach the ending, and this could have been tightened up in editing in my opinion. It is a story built on misunderstandings (which can be sometimes frustrating) and reluctances to move on from the past, but overall it is a pleasant, albeit slow in places, book to read. 3 stars.

The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble

Susannah is coming close to her 40^th birthday and life as she knows it has been a bit of a disappointment. She is in a stale relationship with Douglas and playing step-mother to his three children. Everything seemed bright when she was younger but she hates life now. The re-emergence of her first love, Rob, turns her world upside down – she still loves him but he is married now. Can Susannah and Rob ever re-capture the way things were?

 

This is an ok story – you don’t particularly feel close to any of the characters but I did feel gripped with Rob and Susannah’s relationship in the past and present. The ending was quite sad as Susannah comes to grips with leaving happy memories in the past where they belong. I thought that half-telling the story from the past was good but Noble drops this method after Susannah’s deceit – it would have been interesting to see the immediate fallout from her confession. It is quite a bleak love story and very character driven. The frequent and explicit descriptions of sex were a little off-putting for me, but the story is a fair, if heavy, read. 3 stars.

Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon

24 year old Meg is thrown into the LA showbiz lifestyle as she up-sticks and leaves the UK for a new job as PA to rockstar Johnny Jefferson. It doesn’t harm that he is good looking too. Meg discovers the dark side to fame, and can she really keep her head cool living in LA?

Originally, I read Baby Be Mine, the sequel to Johnny Be Good, before this, and I really enjoyed it so I decided to read what happened in the first story. It is a well written book, but I couldn’t help thinking that Meg is so much more suited to Christian – they share the same likes and interests and Johnny is just a bit of an ass really. In Baby Be Mine, I like the relationship between Johnny and Meg, but in Johnny Be Good, he does behave cruelly to her at times that it was a bit depressing to read. When Meg arrives in LA, Toon presents Meg’s wonderment of the new life she leads well, and you see LA through Meg’s eyes well.

It is a good story, although I preferred Baby Be Mine. Some of it was a bit too dark for me, especially the last few chapters when Johnny starts on a path of self-destruction whilst on tour. 3.5 stars.

It Should Have Been Me by Phillipa Ashley

Carrie is looking forward to her upcoming wedding with long term partner, Huw, only to have her world brought arshing downa s he cals off the wedding, telling her that he no longer loves her. She arranges with her best friend, Rowena, a road trip abroad to take her mind off her recent love woes, but Rowena is forced to pull out, suggesting that Huw’s best friend, Matt, go in her place. It is the last thing that Carrie wants, but will she ever change her mind and can she get over Huw?

Astley has written a fair tale but nothing really exciting. She places heavy emphasis on sex and drugs, which isn’t really necessary, and doesn’t give enough attention to the characters, who are undeveloped and not particularly likeable. Astley attempts to throw in a twist concerning Matt towards the end, but this doesn’t really go anywhere and feels a bit rushed. 2 stars.

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

Ex-PA Meg lives in France with boyfriend Christian and their one-year old son, Barney, sharing an idyllic familylife, threatened by one thing: Christian does not know that he is not the father of Barney, rather Meg’s ex-boyfriend and famous rock star, Johnny Jefferson, is. Meg can’t possibly keep this a secret forever, and isn’t perpared for the fallout that is about to occur…

Baby Be Mine is a sequel to Johnny Be Good, although I was unaware of this until after I finished the book. I think Baby Be Mine does work well as a standalone novel and you don’t need prior knowledge of the first book to read it, as Meg flashes back to past memories during the course of the story. It is a great tale once you get past the first few chapters, which mainly consist of Meg overdwelling on her guilt and attempting to justify keeping Barney’s true parentage a secret (it is hard to warm to her as a character during this stage). Once the truth is revealed, and Johnny re-enters the scene, the story really gets going as the characters attempt to deal with new circumstances and situations, as Meg and Barney become embroiled in the LA lifestyle that Meg once left behind – it’s not all glamour and showbiz. The relationship between Meg and Johnny was well portrayed, as are the changes that Johnny undergoes as he adapts to his new life. One thing that could ahve been developed was the actor which Meg dated and his background. Meg mentions that the actor seems to have been hurt in the past, but this isn’t really explored, and it would have been interesting to see what happened (although I am not sure if there is much space for this in the narrative). Overall, I loved the story and the ending was sweet. 3.5 stars (maybe a 4 if it wasn’t for the first few chapters)

Love Letters by Katie Fforde

Laura is a shy 26-year-old who is passionate about reading and works in a bookshop with her best friend, Grant. Unfortunately, the bookshop is going to close for good, and Laura is soon forced to consider her options for the future. Luckily for her, an author’s agent she meets at a signing event arranged by the bookshop in its closing days leads Laura to become an organiser of a local literary festival, which changes her life completely. She does new things that she never thought she would so, makes new friends, and meets a literary hero of hers, author Dermot Flynn.

Love Letters is a bit of a hit and miss story for me. Whilst I like that parts with Dermot and Laura, and the new friendships that Laura forges, there are places in the narrative which are weak and made me skip parts of the story. I also found the way in which Laura constantly pines over Dermot a bit irritating and there are sections which are dull and add nothing to the story. Some great moments but these are outweighed by some bad writing. 2.5 stars.

Welcome To My World by Miranda Dickinson

27 year old Harri is a travel advisor yet she has never set foot outside of the UK. She wishes to see the sights around the world, in particular, Venice, which she deems is the perfect place for lovers. She finds a kindred spirit in Alex, an old school friend who has returned to town after spending the last 10 years travelling. He constantly regales Harri with stories about his adventures to her enjoyment.

Despite Alex enjoying his travels, one thing he yearns for is to find love. One romantic disaster to another, he soon asks Harri to help him. Around the same time, Alex’s mother, Viv, asks Harri to help her submit Alex into a magazine feature to find him a date (or many). Can any good come of this?

These events and many more soon lead to trouble. Harri soon feels her world crumble around her, and something has to change, but is she brave enough to take a risk?

I really enjoyed this story by Dickinson, yet it isn’t perfect. Much like It Started With A Kiss, there are parts which I glossed over, such as Harri visiting Viv at the allotments. These parts were less interesting and interrupted the flow of the story. Another thing I tired of was Harri’s constant thinking about how she never gets to travel, and yet she sees everyone taking a risk in their lives but fails to do so the same, and she always agrees to what boyfriend Rob wants too easily in their relationship (even though this is integral to the plot). Yet, as the story moves on, Harri starts to realise what she wants to do and takes action, earning a “yey” from the reader.

I think that the plot was really good, and I liked the main characters and friendships. The narrative is well crafted; at the beginning of each chapter, it flashes to a future event where Harri is in great turmoil, and as the story continues, it leads up to this event, which I was intrigued to discover. It all becomes clear as the book culminates in a fantastic ending, well worth reading. 4 stars!

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

17 year old Lola is blissfully in love with Dougie, but his mother is disapproving of their relationship. With Dougie about to go to university, his mother offers Lola £10,000 to break up with him, and she is aghast at this. Yet, new problems surface and Lola is forced to reluctantly take the money, breaking up with Dougie and starting a new life abroad. 10 years later, Lola returns to the UK and soon crosses paths with Dougie again. Upon seeing him, Lola realises that she still loves him, but Dougie seems far from forgiving. Lola sets her sights on winning him back, but can Dougie let go from the past?

The story is funny to read, and Lola is extremely likeable as the main character. Although you cannot always condone her actions, and her self-confidence is enormous, she comes across as a witty, smart and fun person. As a reader, you get gripped by her story. Some of the supporting characters were good, such as Blythe – her relationship with her daughter is a joy to read – loving but real, as Blythe is not afraid to confront her daughter at times. Sally is a good comical character although she can veer on irritating at times. One character that I have to criticise is Dougie. Mansell provides no insight into his character, so the reader is unaware that he still loves Lola until the very end, and throughout the story, he only really comes across as one-dimensional. He acts hateful towards Lola and there is nothing redeeming about him that the reader wants the two to get back together – in fact you think that Lola should find a new guy instead!

When it comes to the ending, as a reader, you are happy for Lola in that she got what she wanted, but it doesn’t seem to come together well. This is partly because there is no indication into how Dougie feels and he only decides to confront her towards the end about what happened in the past. Surely he would have thought to have done that earlier on in the story if he still loved her so much?! The part when he mentions that his mother approves of their relationship at the end seems tacked on. His mother spend so much effort and money in keeping the two apart and yet the reader is meant to believe that she is now ok with the whole thing?! The story resolves itself in a happy ending, albeit in an uneasy and uncohesive manner.

There are also issues in the story, such as Gabe and Sally’s romance. It was predictable but the way it was introduced into the story didn’t work for me. It seemed random and out of place. It isn’t really believeable that the two would become a couple. Similarly, I felt that the storyline between Gabe and Savannah was a bit of a distraction to the main story. It didn’t really add anything to the narrative and felt a bit tedious to read. I’m not criticising Gabe’s character completely though. I like the platonic friendship he shares with Lola, just not his romantic relationships.

Overall, it is a good story although let down by weak characterisation and poor plotlines. 3 stars (just)

Meet Me At Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan

Issy Randall has always loved baking. Taught by her grandfather when she was young, she has proved herself to be a skill baker, whipping up cake-based delights for the enjoyment of her friends, work colleagues and the passengers on the bus she takes each morning. Made redundant from her office job, Issy decides to take a big risk and opens up her own cafe, but can it succeed?

Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a glorious tale full of baking recipes (which the author recommends that you try!) which I think is a good idea, and sets it apart from other cooking stories. I like the way in which Colgan depicts the close friendship between Issy and Helena, as well as the new friendships forged with Pearl and Caroline.  Issy is a likeable character – as a reader, you really want her to succeed and you get caught up in her journey as she becomes more confident in career, life and love. This is a funny book and at times, quite emotional, such as the aprts between Issy and her grandad. Whilst the story focuses on Issy, another thing I liked about Colgan’s writing was the way in which she writes from the perspectives of other characters too. The reader gets to know the different feelings of an event, and it gives the story a greater depth as a result.

All-in-all, Meet Me at Cupcake Cafe is a light-hearted, fun read. The story is fairly predictable but charming, but it is a sweet treat! 3.5 stars.

A Minute to Midnight - Amy Silver

Since the age of 13,  Nicole Blake has made a list of five New Year resolutions with Julian Symonds, who is concealing a big secret. Over the next 20 years, Nicole and her friends cope with career highs and lows, new love and life changes, and the aftermath of everything being blown apart after one momentous event during noe year. Can Nicole get her life back on track and move on?

This was a surprising read, quite serious and heavy in its tone, yet I loved the way the story was pieced together, and the way in which the narrative was told through diary form in the past and present. It was interesting to see how the characters deal with the fall out of one momentous year, and the sacrifices that Dom makes for his wife at the end were touching. Silver has written a great story which kept me gripped and captivated. 3.5stars.