Wilde about the girl – Louise Pentland | Book Review

Synopsis – Robin Wilde is acing life! After the year from hell, she’s pulled herself out of The Emptiness. Her love life is ticking along nicely and single motherhood is actually quite fun. When s thrilling opportunity at work arises, Robin is excited to step up and show everyone, including herself, what she’s made of.

But not everything is running smoothly. Her best friend Lacey is struggling to conceive, and her daughter Lyla is sharing some horrible attitudes she’s picking up at school. Is dear Auntie Kate hiding loneliness under her bubbly, loving manner? And can Robin definitely trust the people around her in her new role?

But Robin and her girls – together – can handle any crisis. Can’t they?

My thoughts – I enjoyed this book more than the first (Wilde like me) in the series, the book had a much better pace and flowed nicely. I feel like Louise’s writing style has changed a lot since the first book (for the better) and I found myself gripped and wanting to read more constantly. It’s the book that got me out of yet again, another reading slump, and for that I am very grateful!

I felt like I connected with the characters more in this book. I was rooting for them in this book more than the first. They went through some real struggles in this book, and every struggle felt really well portrayed. Just to note though, the book mentions fertility issues and miscarriage, so stay away from the book if these trigger you.

I love seeing Robin’s relationships with those around her develop further as she really delves into school life. I love how the book also includes familial relationships and friendships as well as relationships, as it makes the book more real which makes it easier to connect with the characters and their stories.

The Land Girl – Allie Burns | Blog Tour

Synopsis – War changes everything… Emily has always lived a life of privilege. That is until the drums of World War One came beating. Her family may be dramatically affected but it also offers her the freedom that she craves. Away from the tight control of her mother she grabs every opportunity that the war is giving to women like her, including love.

Working as a land girl Emily finds a new lease of life but when the war is over, and life returns to normal, she has to learn what to give up and what she must fight for.

Will life ever be the same again?

My thoughts – I really enjoyed this book, probably more than I expected I would. I’m not a huge historical fiction reader, as so many stories are set in a world so foreign and unimaginable for me that I struggle to get into the, and the writing styles are so different. However, this one, was so different. It had a really good world building, and the descriptions were so real. With every word I read I was able to build up this picture of what was happening so clearly.

I really connected with the characters. I felt for Emily while reading the book, she had to endure so many struggles, but this was the reality for so many young women during WW1. I can’t comment too much upon historical accuracy, as I’m no expert in this area of history, but it felt very real and well researched when I was reading it.

I felt that the character building was really good too. There wasn’t much telling us about their personalities, but you built up this picture from the dialogues and how they acted around each other. A technique teachers love to talk about – show me, don’t tell me. There was a lot of characters in the book, and I know that it was necessary and is real life, but at times it was a little confusing as there were so many of them.

They went through so much heartache, and at times I felt that this pain was brushed off a little at times, maybe this was because it wasn’t a continuous flow of time, and instead jumped around going from different months, but this did work at times.

I enjoyed reading the letters from one of the characters to Emily, but I would have liked to have seen Emily’s replies to these letters, as this would have formed a better dialogue between the two characters,and would have helped up to understand Emily better and get tot familiarise ourselves wit their relationship.

I’m considering going looking for other books Allie has written and reading those as well, as this was such a beautifully written book, that had a good flow to it and an even better story line.

About the author:

Allie lives in Kent with her family and two tortoises. When she’s not writing for business or penning her women’s historical fiction, Allie enjoys swimming and yoga. She has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and The Lido Girls is her debut novel. She is currently working on a second interwar years novel, which is due for publication in the summer of 2018.

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Still me – Jojo Moyes | Book Review

Goodreads Synopsis – Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik, and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places? Funny, romantic, and poignant, till me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

My thoughts – I really enjoyed Me before you, and wasn’t too thrilled with book 2 (after you) so I didn’t have high hopes for this book, but still really wanted to read it. And it did not disappoint. I definitely enjoyed this book more than after you. I was hooked from the start, not wanting to put it down at all. I really liked the story line, and so desperately wanted everything to work out for Lou.

I have loved Lou for a while now, and I just love the way that Jojo has portrayed her throughout the series. She’s such a lovable character who you can’t help but feel sorry for throughout everything. She’s had a real tough time, and you constantly want the best for her, just like you do a friend.

I really like Jojo’s writing. She just has this natural style that makes your imagination go crazy, imagining everything that happens, picturing it exactly in your mind as you read. I love how you feel all the emotions whilst reading. Excitement, hope, sadness, this book really has it all. If you haven’t already I highly recommend meeting Louisa Clark – a lovable, hilarious, bee tights wearing character, who you can’t help but love.

***Spoilers***

I am so glad that Lou got her happy ending – but I so desperately want more. What happened after? How did they both react? Do they stay together? Does it all work out? What happens to Dean Martin and Mrs De Wit? How is Lou’s family? I have so many questions, that I would love to be answered in another book. Fingers crossed!!