#BlogTour #Review Pictures In The Sky by Amanda Paull @rararesources @Apaullfiction

Pictures In The Sky by Amanda Paull

Publication Date: 29th July 2018

Genre: Women's Fiction/Romantic Comedy

I very nearly missed my stop on this blog tour, having signed up with Rachel and completely forgotten to add the book to my schedule.  As always, Rachel's fabulous organisational skills allowed me plenty of time to read and review the book - and I am so glad I didn't miss out. A new author to me, Amanda Paull is now high on my list of people to look out for when new releases hit the shelves. Here's more detail about the book, and my thoughts about it:

Book Description:

She gave up on romance years ago. He’s going through the motions. Their lives change forever when he makes contact out of the blue. 


With her daughter leaving the nest, Michelle Cameron would rather spend her time with good friends, a glass of fizzy and a box set, than with another idiot bloke chipping away at her self-esteem. But when childhood friend Daniel Helmsley gets back in touch, the years roll away on a tide of laughter and friendship, which soon gives way to another roller coaster of love, excitement and panic. Can Michelle let herself trust again? What if Dan is just another idiot bloke, disillusioned with the present and nostalgic for the past?

If you like cosy romance that makes you laugh as well as cry, then you’ll love this feel-good tale of past disappointment, renewed friendship and finding true love. 
Download Amanda Paull’s Pictures in the Sky today to discover if Michelle dares to love again.

Purchase Links: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pictures-Sky-Amanda-Paull-ebook/dp/B07FZKK42H/

books2read.com/u/3kr6eO

‘Your lively style and humour are exactly right for this genre.’ Susan Davis.

My Review:

In the opening scenes of the prologue we meet Michelle Cameron, young single mum returning to her roots after a failed marriage in Spain.  Full of anticipation for a refreshing new start back in the UK Michelle’s bubble of hope is quickly burst by her mother’s distraction during her phone call to announce that they had landed back in England, and other travellers’ rudeness and arrogance towards her struggles with her luggage and a young toddler in tow. Reality really does make her hit the ground with a bump.

Fast forward 21 years, and Michelle and daughter Sara are living a fairly settled if rather humdrum life in South Shields in the North of England.  Michelle has been talked into taking part in the Great North Run by old school friend Dan Helmsley who got in touch with her via the Childhoodchums website which reconnects former friends and acquaintances from school days.  With Michelle's self esteem and self confidence in her boots due to the emotional abuse she suffered during her marriage to Fermin, Dan is convinced that the training plan and successful completion of the event are just what she needs to take her mind of things and give her a sense of achievement.  Their no-strings friendship is just what Michelle needs, however best friend Jenny is not convinced that any male-female relationship can remain completely platonic and has Dan under the microscope of suspicion. Does she have a valid point or is Dan genuinely just wanting a friend? 

There are some genuinely amusing scenes in the book, mainly centred around Michelle’s work as a sleep apnoea nurse at the local hospital – which is rather ironic considering Michelle suffers from an undiagnosed fatigue syndrome which leaves her drained from doing day to day tasks.  The general feel I got from the book is that her feelings of fatigue are mainly due to her constant anxiety that something bad was going to happen at any point in her day.  Her mind seems to be in a never ending ‘worst case scenario’ loop as she foresees disaster in every situation which, given her life history of parental break up, her own divorce from a pretty useless and not very nice Spaniard plus the need for her to be independent is hardly surprising.  In one respect I felt sympathy for her situation however as the story went along I did begin to want to sit her down and give her a firm talking to.  Her unsympathetic boss also seems to have a vendetta against her – or is she just misreading the signs and assuming that the world once again has it in for her?

I’m not going to say too much about the Michelle and Dan situation other than that I think it was a mistake for them to get in touch with one another – I don’t think they helped one another when they spent time together.  Suffice to say I think their relationship status on social media would be in the ‘It’s Complicated’ category.  The only good thing to come out of the whole friendship was that Michelle completed the challenge of the Great North Run. The realisation as she stepped over the finish line that she had accomplished something all by herself, for herself and that she could move forward with the small circle of people she had around her who genuinely cared was quite emotional.  I hadn’t managed to work out the relevance of the title of the book (I do like a title and cover to mean something in relationship to the content of a book) however the closing chapters tied it all together nicely in my mind and it all became crystal clear.

My only criticism of this book is that some early scenes were a little pointless and didn’t really go anywhere and could in my opinion have either been edited out or developed into some more amusing scenarios. Overall though, an enjoyable rom com which gave me some giggles along the way.

About The Author:

Amanda Paull is a writer of humorous romantic fiction. She lives in the North East of England with her husband and works in the public sector. The inspiration for her stories comes from real life, which she tries to show the funnier side of by embellishing to the hilt.

Amanda's Website: http://www.amandapaull.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Apaullfiction/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction

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