An Autumn Crush- Milly Johnson

MILLY MONDAY IS HERE AGAIN!!!

 

 

The Blurb

After a bruising divorce, headstrong Juliet Miller invests in a flat and advertises for a flatmate, little believing that in her late thirties she'll find anyone suitable. But along comes self-employed copywriter Floz, raw from her own relationship split, and the two woman hit it off. And when Juliet's twin brother Guy meets Floz, he is overcome with a massive crush. But being a shy, gentle giant, he communicates so clumsily with her as to give her the opposite impression.

 

Guy's best friend Steve has always had a secret, unrequited crush on Juliet. After a night of too much wine, Steve and Juliet end up in bed, after moaning about the lack of sex in their lives. Convinced that Juliet doesn't feel the same way, Steve agrees to a 'just-sex' relationship, until they can both find other partners.

 

Floz has never had much love in her life and is obviously thirsty for affection. She loves the whole Miller family, from Juliet and Guy's warm, loving parents, to their ancient one-eyed black cat. But can Guy turn Floz's affection for his family into something more – into love for him?

 

The Review

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed An Autumn Crush!  It had absolutely everything you could hope for in a book- good humour, likeable characters, romance, escapism...and of course being written by Milly Johnson it is obviously a top drawer 'chicklit' read.  Her books are always fast paced and snappy, and An Autumn Crush is no exception. 

 

For me the strength of this book lies in the portrayal of the relationships between characters.  As human beings we are ultimately affected and affecting by and of others, and Milly Johnson makes this very obvious throughout the book.  I was absolutely rooting for love to reign and there were moments where I had tears in my eyes-always the sign of a good book!

 

I liked how the plot was believable and 'real' and the characters were just ordinary people living their lives.  Sometimes authors seem to think they need to create outlandish characters, yet Milly Johnson's tend to be warm, caring, often vulnerable people in need of love and friendship.

 

Another wonderful read!

 

An Autumn Crush is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.

 

8.5/10

 

I am also happy to say that the winner of the rafflecopter competition from last week has now been contacted- thank you to everyone who entered-it was certainly a popular one!

 

 



Milly Johnson giveaway

It's Milly Monday- but a Milly Monday unlike any other!  Today I am delighted to announce that Milly is going to give the winner of this giveaway a wonderful prize- any two books of their choice signed, and a beautiful bookmark too!  Good luck everyone

Unfortunately, this is a UK only giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Yorkshire Pudding Club- Milly Johnson

It's just another Milly Monday, o-o-oooooo (in a Bangles style singing voice...)

And today I'm reviewing The Yorkshire Pudding Club, which was Milly's debut novel and is still my absolute favourite of hers.

 

 

The Blurb:

 

Three South Yorkshire friends, all on the cusp of 40, fall pregnant at the same time following a visit to an ancient fertility symbol. For Helen, it’s a dream come true, although her husband is not as thrilled about it as she had hoped.

Not only wrestling with painful ghosts of the past, Helen has to deal with the fact that her outwardly perfect marriage is crumbling before her eyes. For Janey, it is an unmitigated disaster as she has just been offered the career break of a life-time. And she has no idea either how it could possibly have happened, seeing as she and her ecstatic husband George were always so careful over contraception.
or Elizabeth, it is mind-numbing, because she knows people like her shouldn’t have children. Damaged by her dysfunctional childhood and emotionally lost, she not only has to contend with carrying a child she doubts she can ever love, but she also has to deal with the return to her life of a man whose love she must deny herself.

Heart-warming, up-lifting, tear-jerking and lovely, THE YORKSHIRE PUDDING CLUB is the story of how three women find themselves empowered by unexpected pregnancy. How it revitalises one woman’s tired marriage, strengthens another’s belief in herself and brings love and warmth to a cold and empty life.

The Review:

I first read this book as soon as it came out back in 2007- an impulse buy.  I knew nothing of Milly Johnson, I didn't know she lived pretty much down the road from me and I committed the cardinal sin of buying purely on the cover (which was different to the one posted above, but still beautiful and eyecatching).  As it happened, I was pregnant myself when I read The Yorkshire Pudding Club, so the theme obviously resonated with me.  I could empathise with the worries the women in the novel face, the excitement and fear all wrapped up in something you can't see.  In my hormonal state there were tears, particularly for Elizabeth.  Although her story was nothing like my own, I felt like she was a friend and I longed to reach out to comfort her and offer her reassurance.

Rereading this book as the parent of a six year old, I found myself looking at the book in a different way.  Partly nostalgia for my own pregnancy, nostalgia for the feelings I had when I first read the book and also the knowledge that Milly Johnson has gone on to become one of the most successful authors in her genre.  The typical Milly nuances and humour are evident in The Yorkshire Pudding Club (although have, in my opinion, become better executed in her later novels as she has developed her style). 

One thing I love about this book (and many of Milly Johnson's other titles) is the diversity of the characters.  It makes them easy to relate to, keeps the story moving quickly and offers the opportunity to see things from a variety of viewpoints.  It is also a reminder that friendships do not have to be between people from similar background, something which is a great lesson in life.

Overall, I still loved this book second time around.  I have read so many 'chicklit' books about pregnancy but this is the one I like best of all.

9/10

The Yorkshire Pudding Club is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.

Here Come the Girls- Milly Johnson

 

I can't believe it is our third Milly Monday already!

Today I'm reviewing Here Come The Girls.

The Blurb
Shirley Valentine, eat your heart out.

Ven, Roz, Olive and Frankie have been friends since school. They day-dreamed of glorious futures, full of riches, romance and fabulous jobs. The world would be their oyster.

Twenty-five years later, Olive cleans other people's houses to support her lazy, out-of-work husband and his ailing mother. Roz cannot show her kind, caring husband Manus any love because her philandering ex has left her trust in shreds. And she and Frankie have fallen out big time. But Ven is determined to reunite her friends and realise the dream they had of taking a cruise before they hit forty.

Before they know it, the four of them are far from home, on the high seas.

But can blue skies, hot sun and sixteen days of luxury and indulgence distract from the tension and loneliness that await their return?

The Review
In typical Milly Johnson fashion, Here Comes The Girls drums home the importance of friendship, especially the unique friendship of people who have known you a long time.  Roz, Ven, Olive and Frankie are all very different, and I am sure that readers will be able to relate to the characters in this book.  My life is nothing like Olive's (thankfully!) and yet I had huge admiration for her- the gumption she possesses is really inspiring. 

The cruise ship location is perfect escapism and exactly what I needed on a cold, miserable January night.  Europe in the sun with the wealthy and the wannabes is much more alluring than Sheffield in the rain with everyone trudging through the puddles looking glum.

As always there is plenty of humour- little witty one liners which had me laughing out loud and fabulous imagery of the quirky minor characters sharing the cruise liner experience with the girls. 

This book is a journey in every way- the personal journey of each girl as they find out more about themselves and their place in the world, the physical journey of the cruise and the emotional journey of the reader who is propelled through a gamut of emotions. 

I enjoy all Milly Johnson books, but this is one of my favourites.  If you haven't read it before, do.  If you have read it before, read it again.

Here Come the Girls is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.

9/10

White Wedding- Milly Johnson

 

Milly Monday is here again! 

 

Today I'm reviewing White Wedding, a book I hadn't read previously, and I'm delighted to say that I loved it.

 

 

The Blurb 

It's the day they've always dreamed about. But will it turn out to be a nightmare ...?

 

Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph?

 

Bel's friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can't quite say the words, 'I don't want to marry you anymore.' Then, just when she's about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet?

 

Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiance Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what's really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom?

 

And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring

them happiness - though maybe not quite in the way they expected ...

 

The Review

For me, Milly Johnson's forte is her ability to portray the strength that can be found in friendship.  White Wedding is no exception, where Violet, Bel and Max are all struggling in the build up to their big day.  Whilst it should be a time of happiness and excitement, each girl has her own doubts.  It is the support network the girls have which stops White Wedding being overly depressing.  Yes, it deals with serious issues such as depression, yet there is a thread of humour woven throughout the story (particularly Max's weddings plans which I found hilarious!) which adds a vibrance and verve .

 

Some readers may find Violet and Glyn's story hard to read, particularly as the story progresses.  I had huge empathy for Violet, moreso than any other character in the book.  Her sense of duty and guilt was obvious and weighed heavily on me as a reader. 

 

On a lighter note, Violet's ice cream parlour Carousel is a dreamy shop that I would definitely be frequenting if it were real.  And some of those flavours...my mouth was watering just at the thought. 

 

The fringe characters were also well developed and realistic, with the typical Milly Johnson quirks.  I especially liked Freya, the bridal shop owner with her sharp observations and Yoda-like wisdom.

 

Fans of Milly Johnson will not be disappointed by White Wedding.  The balance between light hearted humour and the dramas of life is perfectly weighted.  Wonderful.

 

9/10

 

 

 

 

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The Birds and the Bees- Milly Johnson



It's our very first Milly Monday! Today I'm reviewing The Birds and the Bees...

 

 

The Blurb
Romance writer and single mum Stevie Honeywell has only weeks to go to her wedding when her fiance Matthew runs off with her glamorous new friend Jo MacLean.

It feels like history repeating itself for Stevie, but this time she is determined to win back her man. She isn’t going to act as he might expect. She isn’t going to wail and dig her heels in, she is simply going to pretend to let him go whilst she pursues a mad course of dieting, exercising and self-improvement.

And it feels like history is repeating itself for Adam MacLean too, who is also determined to win his lady, Jo, back with the same basic psychological tactics.

Then he is going to initiate his master plan: getting together with Stevie to drive Jo wild with jealousy.

So, like the Scottish country jig ‘The Birds and the Bees’, the couples all change partners and learn some revealing truths about each other along the way.

But what happens when Adam’s master plan actually starts to work? And just who will Stevie be dancing with when the music stops?

Review
In typical Milly Johnson fashion, The Birds and the Bees is a tale of friendship, trust and romance with a large dollop of humour on the side.  I absolutely loved the lead character Stevie and was willing her to see exactly what was under her nose! 

The farcial games Stevie and Adam play to try to win back Matthew and Jo respectively were entertaining and gave me chuckles.  However, the plot also touches on some of life's more harsh realities- debt, unfaithfulness, domestic abuse and single parenthood- ensuring that this is more than just an out and out light-hearted read.

The complete star of the show for me though is Danny, Stevie's wonderful young son.  He is wise, mischievous and certainly keeps Stevie on her toes!  He reminded me very much of my own little boy with his big ideas and sharp insight.

The majority of the chapters were very short which made this a perfect book to read over Christmas when I was only able to dip in and out of reading. 

Fans of Milly Johnson will love this book, which may also appeal to readers of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. 

8.5/10

The Birds and the Bees is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.