Book Review: Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell

"Hallie has a secret. She's in love. He's perfect for her in every way, but he's seriously out of bounds. And her friends aren't going to help her because what they do know is that Hallie doesn't have long to live. Time is running out...Flo has a dilemma. She really likes Zander. But his scary sister won't be even faintly amused if she thinks Zander and Flo are becoming friends - let alone anything more.
Tasha has a problem. Her new boyfriend is the adventurous type. And she's afraid one of his adventures will go badly wrong.

THREE AMAZING THINGS ABOUT YOU begins as Hallie goes on a journey. A donor has been found and she's about to be given new lungs. But whose?"

My review:

Jill Mansell is one of my favourite authors because I just know that whenever I pick up one of her books I'm going to enjoy it. Her writing style is always engaging, humorous and descriptive and I find myself catapulted into a world of wonderful characters, idyllic villages and intriguing story lines. There's something really comforting about picking up a Jill Mansell novel, and Three Amazing Things About You doesn't disappoint.

True to Jill's usual writing style, the book follows three different main characters - Tasha, Hallie and Flo who lead separate lives at first, but are linked without realising it towards the end. I'll say now that I really wish I could tell you who my favourite character was and why, but its an impossible task. Each of the main characters have some brilliant traits that make them so realistic and likable that it's hard to choose who I preferred. Tasha may just pip the others to the post just because she is introduced as 'bin girl', which is a hilarious first scene that is referenced to throughout the story and kept making me laugh.

The supporting characters are also brilliant, they have clear identities and are just as realistic and brilliant as the main characters. A few of my favourites were Rory's best friend, Joe, who is cheeky and funny but with a kind heart. The older people who Flo looks after in the care home are also great, providing interesting anecdotes and stories of their past. Jeremy, the cat that Flo is left to look after adds to the story and is brought to life by Jill's talent for making characters (even cats!) jump off a page and seem so real its hard to believe they are nestled in amongst the pages of a story. Even Lena, Zander's sister is so selfish and infuriating you grow to really dislike her, but she is still an integral part to the story, and I always believe that any character that provokes emotion is brilliant, even if they are annoying!

From the very start of the book and from the blurb you know that this is going to be an emotional story, but I must admit that I wasn't quite prepared for the twists and turns that would lead us to the end. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that it leads to a pretty shocking turn of events that had me biting my lip so I didn't cry. Jill has created a story that provokes all sorts of emotion and will stay with you for a long time after reading.

Three Amazing Things About You doesn't disappoint - Jill Mansell just keeps getting better and better! If, somehow, this book has passed you by then what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy and become engrossed in a story full of emotion, brilliant characters and difficult decisions.

Book review: The Broken by Tamar Cohen

"Best friends tell you everything; about their kitchen renovation; about their little girl’s schooling. How one of them is leaving the other for a younger model

Best friends don’t tell lies. They don’t take up residence on your couch for weeks. They don’t call lawyers. They don’t make you choose sides.

Best friends don’t keep secrets about their past. They don't put you in danger.
Best friends don’t always stay best friends."

My review: 

Now, I hate to admit that before buying The Broken I hadn't heard of any of Tamar's previous books, nor read them. I know, I know. HOW?! (I'm saying that to myself now whilst furiously downloading her back catalogue!). During a browse in Waterstones the other week, I saw The Broken and was immediately intrigued by the blurb on the front cover - 'when close friends split, take care whose side you're on'. I then read the back blurb (as above) and before I knew it I'd paid for the book, taken it home and was snuggled on the sofa diving into this gripping story. 

The Broken follows two couples and very close friends (Dan and Sasha & Josh and Hannah) as they all feel the repercussion of one of the couples going through a split. The story starts with Dan telling his best friend, Josh that he is leaving his wife Sasha for a younger model. Stereotypical or what? Following this revelation the story flits between Hannah and Josh as they try to support their friends through a difficult and testing time, whilst also remaining neutral and not taking sides. Much easier said than done. 

As the couples made such a close foursome and each have a young daughter who are best of friends, it's hard for Hannah and Josh to take a step back and let Sasha and Dan deal with the fall-out of their sudden split. This is made even more difficult  as Dan is a pretty selfish person, relying on Josh to tell him what he is done is okay and not his fault (urm - really?). Then there's Sasha who is a very demanding person, constantly leaning on Hannah for support - sometimes more so than needed. She pushed my buttons immediately and really showed not only Hannah's patient and caring nature, but also that she is quite a pushover-  I was willing, practically shouting, for Hannah to just say NO to her, but Sasha is quite manipulative and so sometimes I don't even think Hannah realised that Sasha was, quite frankly, taking the piss and abusing her genuinely caring nature. 

I don't want to spoil the story as SO MUCH goes on that you find yourself reading as quickly as possible to find out how the story proceeds. What I will say is that Sasha's personality starts to unravel from the strain of the split and the feeling of inadequacy. We learn she had a difficult upbringing that has affected her, so when things start happening to Dan and his new girlfriend (such as a rock flying through their window, smashing glass everywhere) you start to wonder if Sasha is behind these events. She also begins to use her daughter as a pawn in the split, not allowing Dan to see her and making sure she spends lots of time with Hannah & Josh's daughter, flipping out if she gets invited to spend time with any other kids. Not only do you start to question Sasha's mind-frame, but you also begin to see the foursomes' actual friendship on display and how the dynamics aren't as perfect as they first appeared. Sadly, the cracks also begin to appear in Hannah and Josh's relationship because of the stress and strains of their friends situation and I was willing them on, hoping they'd get through it and not turn out like Dan and Sasha. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Broken. It is a very real story that makes you wonder if this kind of thing happens more often than you'd think. It is has an unusual and intriguing take on friendships and Tamar's writing style has you hooked from the first page right through until the end. With each new event in the story I found myself further questioning each different character, unsure of what would happen next. And let me tell you, you are in for an absolute shocker! Right at the end is a stonking great twist that had me reeling. It had me gasping out loud and my other half raising a quizzical eyebrow as to what was going on. I couldn't believe it, and am still thinking about it now! 

If, like me, you haven't read anything by Tamar before then I urge you to change that immediately. Go buy The Broken, make sure you have plenty of free time to read it in as few sittings as possible (you won't want to put it down!), immerse yourself in a thrilling story with characters that make you react and respond with various emotions and a situation which simultaneously makes your toes curl and your mind whirl.  

Wow. Just wow. 

Blog Tour: Learn to Love Again, Ellen Faith

"Living in a small seaside village can have its perks, but after the death of her husband, Lillie Gilbert finds the people she grew up with turning against her faster than the tide rolls out.As she grieves for the life they planned, the life they’ll never live, she leans on her best friend for support and tries to come to terms with the fact that one day, she may have to open up her heart to a new life and new love.

After losing her childhood sweetheart, can Lillie really learn to love again?"

First of all I want to say a big thank you to Tay at Chicks That Read for organising the blog tour for this wonderful book! 

My review 

I really, really enjoyed this novel. Ellen Faith is a brilliant writer- it’s an engaging and all-encompassing story that sucks you in to their world.

Learn to Love again is an emotional story that goes through all the different stages of grief. Lillie is grieving after the sudden death of her husband, Nick. She lives in a small seaside town, where everyone knows everyone - including what she is going through. Some even blame her for his death. Her and Nick's best Friend Sam returns to the town from America, to look after her and help her through the grief. 

The detail Ellen goes to describe Lillie's heartbreak is intricate and very personal. I really felt for her throughout as you follow her on a journey of loss, grief and acceptance and you can really see how much pain she is in. There are some lovely flashbacks throughout which give you a glimpse into the past and their marriage, and show just how happy they were. It also shows you the history of Nick and Sams friendship, which really explains why he would be so determined to make her feel better and support her through such a difficult time. The story builds you up to really see why the loss of Nick would be so devisating, he is a wonderful character that was a big part of both their lives. 

The description of the location throughout Learn to Love Again is fantastic. Straightaway I was transported to the small seaside town and immersed in the small village that is such a big part of Lillie's life.

There are a wide range of different characters in the story which keeps it really interesting. My favourite characters in the story were Lillie's parents, they are both so different from each other – her dad is quiet, yet supportive and protective of her and her mum is slightly overbearing with a constant need to be in charge, which is her way of dealing with her daughter’s heartbreak and her own grief. They both do all they can to support her through a difficult time and are just a genuinely lovely couple.  Sam is also a wonderful character, he genuinely cares for Lillie and is a fantastic beacon of support to her at a moment in need. 

The book is quite short and I was surprised when I reached the end so quickly.  It isn't rushed at all, but it just seems shorter than your standard novel. It didn't need to be any longer as it’s a solid, engaging story – I was just sad when I got to the end! (but I would have been no matter what the page length!)

This is a great book that I would recommend highly. It explores friendship, loss and grief in an engaging and beautiful way that I really enjoyed. Ellen Faith is now firmly on my radar, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in the future. 

About The Author

Ellen lives in the wonderful county of Yorkshire, England where she spends most of her time baking, eating, baking, and eating. Occasionally she does leave the house to go to the cinema or do some food shopping though. 

After spending years with an overactive imagination, she decided to put all the magic in her head to some good use and put finger to laptop where The Story of Us was born and became her debut novel. She loves to travel, her favourite destinations so far have all been in America, hence the love of all things, and all people, American. The food rocks pretty hard too, she ate until her jeans begged her to stop whilst she was there. True fact. Aside from daydreaming and eating, Ellen is a sucker for a lolcat, penguins and monkeys - she has never claimed to be normal. 

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