The 2015 Catch Up - Part Three!

Phew, I'm finally getting there with catching up with reviews!  Today I'm sharing my thoughts on two YA novels, Kissing in America by Margo Rabb and Louise O'Neill's Asking For It.

Kissing in America - Margo Rabb

I wanted to love this as the protagonist Eva is a) grieving b) a fan of romance books c) always trying to please other people - basically, she's quite like me or at least, me as a teen. 

However, whilst I thought Kissing in America dealt well with grief and the guises it takes, the road trip element of the story (where Eva and her friend Annie head to LA to take part in a national TV contest) felt too condensed - I'd have liked more about the physical journey as well as the emotional one.

A good read.            

Asking For It - Louise O' Neill

 

     

This is an incredibly hard book to review. I don't know where to begin!

Asking For It is the story of Emma. 

Emma is flirty. 

She drinks. 

She experiments with drugs. 

She enjoys sex. 

But when Emma wakes up in pain on her front porch with no idea how she got there or why everything hurts, the partygirl front she portrays no longer seems so appealing.  As events unfold over social media and photographs emerge of a completely out of it Emma with a group of boys, Asking For It becomes more and more difficult to read.

O' Neill faces 'consent' head on, and as more and more cases of rape and sexual assault are hitting the headlines it is a sadly necessary topic in YA fiction.  Hopefully Asking For It will also challenge readers to think about how they judge others on appearance and behaviour - something we all do. Emma is not an easy character to like, it's true.  But there was a painful twisting in my stomach as I read about the awful events both on the night of the party and after.  She wasn't asking to be raped.  By very definition, no one asks to be raped.

It is a difficult, difficult read and I won't be coming back to it.  That said, it's a brutally believable and incredibly powerful story.

Louise O' Neill is quickly making a name for herself as the author who'll tackle the taboos head on.  And YA, and indeed fiction as a whole, needs writers brave enough to do that.

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe - Jenny Oliver

The Blurb

Home, Sweet Home….?

There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?

Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond, Sophie Kinsella and Cathy Bramley.

The Cherry Pie Island series
The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café – Book 1
The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip – Book 2
The Great Allotment Challenge – Book 3
One Summer Night at the Ritz – Book 4

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series.

Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series.

The Review

I've read a few of Jenny Oliver's books and there are two things I've really enjoyed about them - the way she writes about community and the descriptions of food.  Honestly, there's no one else who can make my mouth water so much purely through their writing!

I absolutely loved The Parisian Christmas Bake Off when I read it a few years ago and also found The Little Christmas Kitchen and The Vintage Summer Wedding were good reads, although didn't captivate me in the same way.  However, with The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café Jenny Oliver had me hooked from the very first page - she's back to her baking best!

Firstly, I loved that Annie had a past.  She's not broken by it, but it's there - an ex-husband from a Vegas wedding, an insecurity built on her father's preference for her brother over her, a lack of money management skills... I felt that by knowing more about Annie's history I empathised with her plight as she fought her inner battle over what to do with the café she's inherited.   Should she stay and revamp it?  Is it financially viable?  Or should she sell it and allow developers to change the landscape of Cherry Pie Island forever?

Of course, this is a romance so there's a love interest (Hello Matt!)  Annie and Matt's friendship develops throughout the book and it's a cute and believable progression.  Both characters had baggage from their pasts but I was cheering this couple on and willing them to get together!

But the absolute highlights for me were the deliciously tempting descriptions of food being sold in the café and Jenny Oliver's charming titbits of information about the café's homely interior.  Even by the end of the book it's nothing swish, but that adds to the delightful normalcy of it.  It's exactly the kind of place you hope to stumble across for friendly conversation and a bite to eat, and is the perfect fictional retreat.

I'll definitely be back for another slice of cherry pie as the series continues.  Mine's a large slice with cream please, Annie. 

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is out now, published by Carina.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Big Lie - Julie Mayhew HOT KEY BOOKS WEEK

The Blurb

A shocking story of rebellion and revelation set in a contemporary Nazi England.

Jessika Keller is a good girl: she obeys her father, does her best to impress Herr Fisher at the Bund Deutscher Mädel meetings and is set to be a world champion ice skater. Her neighbour Clementine is not so submissive. Outspoken and radical, Clem is delectably dangerous and rebellious. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend. But which can she live without?

THE BIG LIE is a thought-provoking and beautifully told story that explores ideas of loyalty, sexuality and protest.

The Review

I don't quite know where to start with this review because the premise of The Big Lie completely bowled me over and knocked me out.  I can honestly say it's a fresh concept and one which is perfect for the current YA market which is bursting with diverse and challenging books.

Set in an England that lost the second world war and lives under Nazi rule, The Big Lie explores big themes in every sense.

Jessika, the protagonist, is a stickler for the rules.  Keen to impress her father who is a respectable member of the community, she lives a life constrained by fear- of contaminated music, of her sexuality, of how she is perceived.  She throws herself into ice skating, yet deep down she's battling her sexual feelings towards her best friend.

Clementine couldn't be more different from Jessika.  As a political radical who rebels against the propaganda-fuelled society, she looks to be controversial and open the eyes of the passive followers.  Clementine was a far more exciting and engaging character than Jessika- I admired her gumption and how she was prepared to make sacrifices for her beliefs. 

The Big Lie is a dark and uncomfortable read and I think many readers will get a knot in their stomach as they read- I certainly did.  In much the same way as Louise O' Neill's Only Ever Yours, the power lies in how real the situations in this book could be/have been.  It's thought provoking stuff.

The biggest disappointment for me was the ending. As I was reading it I could feel myself getting frustrated and I wanted more of Jessika's story to wrap everything up neatly.  However, on reflection Julie Mayhew's actually been very clever with it and I've been left with questions about what happened next.  I'm torn between admiration and annoyance over it! 

Overall, this incredibly powerful read had me considering how different life could be in modern day Britain.  Whilst I didn't love it, I've certainly never read anything else like it.

I predict awards for Julie Mayhew on the back of this one!

The Big Lie is out now, published by Hot Key Books.

With thanks to Hot Key Books for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Stable Mates- Zara Stoneley

The Blurb

'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker

Welcome to tranquil Tippermere, an idyllic village nestled deep in the Cheshire countryside. Home to lords and ladies, horsemen and farmers, and plenty of secrets and scandals…

Leaving a scumbag ex behind her, Lottie Brinkley has hotfooted it out of Spain and back home to the country in serious need of some flirtatious fun to soothe her aching heart.

Luckily for her she’s spoilt for choice with not one but three eligible bachelors offering a steamy romp in the hay! But faced with the attentions of roguish eventer Rory Steel, the smiling Irish eyes of hunky farrier Mick O’Neal, and mysterious newcomer Tom Strachan, how can she possibly choose?

When billionaire landowner Marcus James drops dead unexpectedly, his WAGish wife Amanda threatens to sell the heart of the village and sets her sights on Tom! It seems things are heating up for little Tippermere… both in and out of the saddle.

‘Fans of Fiona Walker will love this book’ – ThatThingSheReads

The Review

When I first started reading this I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it.  That's nothing to do with Zara Stoneley's writing, which was entertaining from the off.  It's more that I'm not in the least bit interested in horses.  I can appreciate their beauty, but I've never been a rider.  When the other girls at school were begging for ponies, I begged for books. And I was slightly concerned that Stable Mates would have too strong a focus on riding for me to be able to enjoy it.

However, I needn't have worried. Although there are plenty of horsey scenes, you don't need equestrian knowledge to follow the plot, which focuses around life in the fictional village of Tippermere.  The large cast of characters are caricatures of country life- the old-money landowners, the wannabe WAGs, the 'outsider' who everyone has their suspicions about...and they're all a bit randy.  It's like Emmerdale, but with more money.

For the first half of the book I was a bit confused about everyone's role.  Reading it on kindle didn't help, because there was a character list at the front which I could have flicked back to if I had it in paperback format.  Plus everyone seemed to have a nickname as well as their given name, which took a bit of remembering!  However, once I stopped being hung up on who everyone was and just let myself become immersed in the mayhem, I enjoyed it much more.

I also felt the plot really developed as the book went on.  At first it seemed to be out and out sex, but then there's the rumours about why model Tom has suddenly appeared in the village and it had me wanting to know more.  There was also more romance as the story wore on which always wins me over.  The final scenes of the book were my favourite, there were revelations, celebrations and titillation!  I'd love to see this as a TV series, there's plenty of humour and drama that would lend itself to being adapted for television.

I can absolutely see why this has drawn comparisons to Jilly Cooper and Fiona Walker. Stable Mates is a fun romp for anyone who enjoys their fiction with a side order of quickies in the haybales!

Stable Mates is out now, published by Harper Impulse.

I read this book as part of the #HIReadathon 2015.  To find out more, follow the hashtag.

Secrets at Maple Syrup Farm- Rebecca Raisin BLOG TOUR

The Blurb

Lucy would do anything for her mom…but she never expected to end up promising to leave her. After her mom got sick, Lucy dropped everything to take care of her, working all hours in a greasy diner just to make ends meet and spending every spare moments she had by her mom’s hospital bedside.

Now, Lucy is faced with a whole year of living by her own rules, starting by taking the first bus out of town to anywhere…

Except she didn’t expect to find her next big adventure just around the corner! Especially when on her first day in town she bumps into grumpy, but oh-so-delicious Clay amidst the maple trees. Surrounded by the magic of Ashford, Lucy has the chance to change her life forever and finally discover a life she wants to live!

The Review

I've been a big fan of Rebecca Raisin's since reading the first Gingerbread Café book back in 2013, and I've been so excited for the release of Secrets at Maple Syrup Farm!  There's something so comforting about Rebecca's writing, and I love snuggling down and losing myself in her heart-warming stories.

When I started reading this one, I noticed a shift in style from Rebecca's other books.  The beginning of  Secrets at Maple Syrup Farm is still very much centred around family life with Lucy unsure of whether to pursue her dream of going to study art in Paris or staying home to care for her sick mother, but it felt much more serious from the off, more weighty somehow, than the other books in the Once in a Lifetime series.

Lucy ends up agreeing to a year out, where she'll learn to live without the strains of caring for her Mum.  Boarding the bus, she ends up in Ashford (Yay!  The home of the Gingerbread Café series!) and she immediately fits into the community.  Meeting the lovely Lil and everyone's favourite confidante CeeCee, she is quickly accepted as one of the girls.  However, it's reclusive Clay, the mysterious maple syrup farmer that gets to know Lucy best.  Working long, tiring days together, the pair often frustrate each other-but deep down there's a chemistry that can't be ignored...

Of course, Lucy can't switch off from her responsibilities back home, so the plot is built around her worrying about her Mums health and yet loving the freedom that Ashford brings.  She learns new skills, builds solid friendships and revels in comfort of the close-knit community, but it's Clay and the farm that inspire her.  After finding an old sketchbook hidden away, presumably belonging to Clay's late uncle, Lucy finds her love of art is renewed, her paintings now more vibrant and open. She longs to know more about the owner of the sketchbook, but it seems the men of Maple Syrup Farm have a habit of keeping themselves to themselves...  This gentle mystery added to the plot and the writings in the sketchbook had my romantic heart all aflutter!

I found myself enjoying this book more as it went on.  The interactions between Lucy and Clay were humorous and added light relief after the moving mother/daughter plot line, and Ashford remains as homely and welcoming as it always has been- almost a character in itself, I love that place. 

Overall, I was surprised- I never would have expected a book about tree tapping for syrup to have me hooked, but Rebecca Raisin managed it! This feels like a transitional novel for her.  It's longer than her previous releases, with some deeper-running storylines and more twists.  However, it worked well and proves that Rebecca Raisin can tackle these more serious themes.  That said, I do love the way she portrays friendship best of all, and Lucy's interactions with the residents of Ashford were my highlight- I'm always left wanting to hug my closest friends after reading these books!

Secrets at Maple Syrup Farm is out now, published by Carina UK.

With thanks to the publisher who provided me with a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. 

High Wages- Dorothy Whipple

The Blurb- taken from the Persephone Website

It is about a girl called Jane who gets a badly-paid job in a draper’s shop in the early years of the last century. Yet the title of the book is based on a Carlyle quotation – ‘Experience doth take dreadfully high wages, but she teacheth like none other’ – and Jane, having saved some money and been lent some by a friend, opens her own dress-shop.

As Jane Brocket writes in her Persephone Preface: the novel ‘is a celebration of the Lancastrian values of hard work and stubbornness, and there could be no finer setting for a shop-girl-made-good story than the county in which cotton was king.’ And the cultural historian Catherine Horwood has written about this novel: ‘Dorothy Whipple was only too well aware that clothes were one of the keys to class in this period. Before WW1, only the well-off could afford to have their clothes made: yards of wool crepe and stamped silks were turned into costumes by an invisible army of dressmakers across the country, and the idea of buying clothes ready-made from a dress shop was still unusual. Vera Brittain talks of “hand-me-downs” in Testament of Youth with a quite different meaning from today. These were not clothes passed from sibling to sibling but “handed down from a rack” in an outfitter’s shop, a novelty.’ High Wages describes how the way people shopped was beginning to change; it is this change that Dorothy Whipple uses as a key turning point in her novel.

The Review

I read High Wages for the Sheffield Persephone Book Group, and we last Thursday we met at Bird's Yard Sheffield to discuss our latest read.  Here are a few of my thoughts about the book.

High Wages had appealed to me for a long time, mainly because everything I'd read about it indicated it was the story of a young woman starting a business and making her way in the world.  Although written in 1930, the book is set from c1912 into the 1920s, and I'd expected Whipple's novel to offer a good insight into the life of ambitious women in this pivotal period in history.

The opening scenes, where Jane takes a job at a large department store, grabbed my attention.  I could imagine the shop windows and down-on-her-luck Jane peering into them full of hopes and aspirations.  I wanted to know where the plot would go and if this would be the inspirational shop girl-made-good story I hoped for.

It's fair to say I was surprised when the emphasis of the story shifted to romance, as although it's an ever-popular theme in literature- particularly that aimed at women- the reviews and articles I'd seen focussed on the elements of fashion, business and society within the novel.  Jane, who in the early chapters appears to be quite an 'average' girl in every sense, seems to turn men's heads left, right and centre.  The creative Wilf and attractive Noel both show signs of interest in Jane, and there's also evidence of her hold over other men, such as mentioned in the scene at the ball.  I imagine some of these scenes were considered quite risqué when the book was first published.  As a reader of contemporary romance, I can see how High Wages might be considered an early example of modern women's fiction-it had a lot in common with the bestselling 'chicklit' titles I've read recently. 

Whilst I liked the writing style and some of the more vividly painted scenes (especially the visit to the seaside which captured the essence of the great British holiday), I longed for more consistent character development.  It felt hard to get to know who Jane was and what she wanted, and although I mostly wished her success there were times I thought she acted inconsistently.  However, High Wages is early Whipple, written at a time when she was developing her style and honing her writing skills, and I can imagine her later works are more well-rounded in a literary sense.

High Wages was a page turner of a book and I can see why it appeals to the modern reader.  It just wasn't what I'd expected.  If you're interested in social history, the development of women's fiction and enjoy a good old-fashioned love triangle, High Wages might be for you.

High Wages is out now, published in paperback by Persephone Books.

Tied Up With Love- Amelia Thorne BLOG TOUR

It's the Tied Up With Love blog tour!!!!

 

The Blurb

‘We’re from KMW. Do exactly as you’re told and you won’t get hurt...'

 

Being grabbed off the street, blind folded, tied up and thrown into a van was not what Izzy expected to happen when she stepped out the door that morning. But when an accidental kidnapping at the hands of the sexy Ethan Chase and his 'Kidnap My Wife' sexual fantasy business leads to just that, Izzy seizes the chance to turn her misfortune into a brilliant new job opportunity… Since then, life has been one big tangle of new client meetings, fake kidnapping pick-ups, and handling the temperamental, but drop dead gorgeous 'bad boy' Mr Chase. But, as liberating as being tied up in Ethan's life is, Izzy knows the time is fast approaching when she must make some decisions and take charge of her future. The only question is: will Ethan allow himself to be a part of it?

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The Review

 

I didn't know what to expect from this book when agreeing to review it as part of the blog tour-I said yes because I've been interacting with Amelia on twitter for a while now and was keen to help spread the word about her latest release (you can find her  on twitter by searching @Amelia_Writes).  But it's fair to say I wasn't expecting what I got.  The 'tied up' clue in the title completely passed me by(obviously because I'm such an innocent) and I'd never have predicted the madcap world I was launched into from the pretty cover.

Readers are immediately thrown into a scenario where Izzy is whisked away by the Kidnap My Wife heavies, but it doesn't take long for it to become apparent that this isn't a book built around titillation or smut.  There are some raunchy scenes and there's plenty of sexual tension...my kindle was smoking with the sparks flying between Izzy and Ethan!  But I wasn't expecting a 'kidnap-my-wife-to-spice-up-our-sex-life' company to then become a book which is about so much more than sex.  I had preconceived ideas about what the plot would be and I was totally wrong. 

I'd expected bondage and experimental sex, when in reality Tied Up With Love falls firmly within the boundaries of humorous romance rather than erotica.  It focuses on community life.  Friendship.  Family.  And it has a serious moral at the heart of it, one simple lesson that's tied up in every plot and subplot- not to judge others. 

This makes it sound more heavy going than it is.  It's actually really witty and sharp, a feisty ball-of-fire of a book.  Tied Up With Love is full of one liners and Izzy is a strong protagonist (both in her ability to use her fists and her determined character)- she's a memorable heroine.  And Ethan...not the kind of man I'd usually go for but there's something in him which I fell for.  He comes across as rough and ready but there's a soft centre in there, a vulnerability hidden inside.  I wanted him and Izzy to stop fighting the feelings and just admit they needed each other!  But with two headstrong characters it's always going to be a battle of pride and willpower...

This was a book which seemed to speed along, there's no opportunity to get bored or skim-read because it hurtles along at pace.  It's also fresh and modern, totally different to anything else out there at the moment.  Fantastically fun!

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes- Anna McPartlin

The Blurb

Here is a truth that can’t be escaped: for Mia ‘Rabbit’ Hayes, life is coming to an end . . .

Rabbit Hayes loves her life, ordinary as it is, and the extraordinary people in it.

She loves her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colourful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye.

But it turns out the world has other plans for Rabbit, and she’s OK with that. Because she has plans for the world too, and only a handful of days left to make them happen.

Here is a truth that won’t be forgotten: this is a story about laughing through life’s surprises and finding the joy in every moment.  

The Review

I've not read any of Anna McPartlin's previous novels before, but have heard really positive things from other bloggers. However, The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes seems to have really catapulted Anna McPartlin to the next level- the novel has been selected as a Richard and Judy Bookclub choice, which has thrust this book to centre stage.  And I can see why.  It's perfect book group fodder with its delicate subject matter.

I must admit I was a bit worried before reading this one.  A book about a mother dying of cancer didn't sound the most uplifting, and as someone who lost a parent at a young age I wondered if Rabbit's daughter Juliet's story might hit a bit too close to home.  I needn't have worried.  I'm not going to say it wasn't touching, and emotive, and downright painful to read in places.  But Anna McPartlin walks the delicate line between humour and heartfelt like a tightrope walker carefully balancing on a high wire.  Just when it starts to get a bit maudlin there's a one liner which will bring a smile to your face, and as you think you're enjoying the romantic elements of the story or getting to know the characters in more depth- WHAM- you're thrown back into turmoil.  It's a cliché much used, but this is a rollercoaster ride of a tale.

One of the major themes in The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is motherhood.  Rabbit doesn't want to die leaving her adolescent daughter.  She's angry about all the milestones she'll miss out on seeing.  And she worries about who'll be the best guardian for her only child when she's gone.  On the other hand we're shown motherhood through the eyes of Rabbit's own mother, a feisty, determined, potty-mouthed woman who refuses to believe there is no cure for her daughter.  It is a reminder that motherhood is a lifelong journey, one for which we cannot truly prepare.  This aspect of the book is probably the one which will stay with me the most, especially the out and out desperation and helplessness felt by both the mothers.

The flashbacks to Rabbit's happy youth helping out with sound engineering for her brother's band were welcome relief from the terminal illness story in the present day, and also serve to  give the reader a deeper insight into the characters and their backstory.  The young romance is tender and true, believable and relatable.

It had me hooked from the get-go.  Highly recommended.
With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a galley copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is out now in paperback, published by Transworld.