Recently Read...

I'm falling behind with my reviews at the moment, mainly because I'm pretty busy at the moment with my own books!  Most of you probably know the first three stories in my Meet Cute series have been released in the last month, and with the fourth instalment due out on December 17th there's been little let up!  You can find out more about my writing exploits at my author blog.

Rather than miss a huge chunk of my reading off the blog, I thought I'd do a quick round up of recent reads.


I borrowed All my Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman from a work colleague.  She didn't exactly sell it to me, saying she hadn't been a big fan, but I wanted to give it a go because I'd heard Carrie Hope Fletcher talking about how much she loved it. It'd be fair to say I fell somewhere in the middle.  Whilst I thought it was a really clever concept, using attributes to name characters such as 'the Perfectionist', 'the Hypnotist' and 'the Broken Heart', I found it quite difficult to engage with and at times found it bordered on the pretentious.  There were, however, some really sweet lines which kept me reading, and as it was only a short read (around 100 pages) I'm glad I persevered.  Fans of quirky fiction will no doubt love it, but for me it fell a bit short.


Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher had been on my wishlist for a while, but I finally started reading it this month.  I've enjoyed Giovanna's other books and this one was no exception.  When Sarah starts dreaming about old friend Brett, she doesn't expect him to turn up as the new member of staff at the company she works for!  The Brett of her dreams isn't the same as real-life Brett, but as he and Sarah work together to plan an innovative TV show, their relationship blossoms.  With a fabulous supporting cast of friends, this is a fast-paced book with lots of laughs.  There were heart felt moments and realistic portrayals of friendship through the ups and downs of life and Fletcher's writing style is highly readable reminding me of one of my other favourite contemporary novelists, Erin Lawless.  I enjoyed it so much that I went straight on to the companion novella!






Dream a Little Christmas Dream is the follow-up novella to Dream a little Dream and tells the story of Sarah and Brett's Christmas.  With the same supporting characters and the familiar pub quiz backdrop, this was an enjoyable short read.  There were times in this one where Sarah seemed blind to what I felt was obvious, but overall it was a sweet and romantic follow up with a sprinkling of humour.  I'm looking forward to seeing what Giovanna Fletcher comes up with next!






The Art of Being Normal has been one of the big hitting YA reads of the year.  Nominated for awards left, right and centre, it follows David Piper, a girl born in a boy's body.  In many ways this can be classed as a coming of age novel, a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance.  But Lisa Williamson has made David so utterly relatable, and in giving him Leo as a friend has created a unique bond which leaps off the page and into the reader's heart.  There is wonderful imagery throughout, particularly during the seaside scenes, and this touching novel deserved every ounce of the acclaim it's receiving.  I know I'll be coming back to it again, and my copy is proudly stood on the shelf of 'keepers' - books I want to reread and recommend and lend to anyone who'll listen.  Brilliant.


I'm hoping to do one more round up post before the end of the month to catch up!