The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary @QuercusBooks #TheRoadTrip #book #review #paperbackbook #bloggersbuybooks

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Published by Quercus

Publication Date 17th April 2022

Book Description:

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they've totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with four-hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship...

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

My Thoughts:

Beth O'Leary's first novel The Flat Share is one of my favourite books of recent years so I had high hopes for her two further novels, The Switch and this one, The Road Trip.  I have yet to read The Switch but eventually managed to slot this one into the reading schedule when I swapped to "mood reading" rather than reading by deadline. It didn't take long to slot into Beth's comfortable writing style and within just a couple of chapters I was hooked into Addie and Dylan's story. 

The story is told in two timelines: the NOW and the THEN. We meet four of the main characters straightaway: Dylan and Marcus, friends since their schooldays, are setting off on their way to a friend's wedding. Unknown to them, the car in front of them is going to the same place; Addie and her sister Deb have also set off early to make the trek from Chichester to Scotland. The four of them have history - a history which ended very messily and with many unresolved issues so when Dylan distractedly crashes their car into the back of Addie's Mini things don't look good. Somehow they all end up in Addie's Mini, together with a random addition named Rodney, who nobody knows, continuing their hours-long journey to Cherry's wedding.

The next 350 plus pages relate the story of how the four of them survive the mammoth journey - mainly down to the addition of a great character, Kevin the lorry driver, who manages to save the day as well as everyone's sanity by being in the right place at the right time. The THEN chapters explain how the four of them have ended up not speaking to each other for the best part of two years, and there are chapters where each character is trying to work out how they are feeling about everything, past and present - and whether there can be a future which features the others. 

It turns out there are far more layers to explore than any of them realised, and maybe Cherry's wedding was destined to bring more people together than just the bride and groom? I love the diverse cast of characters who are all slightly flawed in their own way. The story itself is a proper journey of discovery which I found to be an easy read with funny parts and a whole dose of soul searching among the gang. It turns out that all you need is a bit of communication and less jumping to conclusions for everything to fall into place.

A great read for the beach or poolside.

About the Author:

Beth O'Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, THE FLATSHARE, sold over half a million copies and changed her life completely. Her second novel, THE SWITCH, has been optioned for film by Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg's production company. Beth writes her books in the Hampshire countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

The Girl She Was Before by Jess Kitching @kitching_jess @kingsleypublis1 #TheGirlSheWasBefore #bookreview

The Girl She Was Before by Jess Kitching

Published by Kingsley Publishers

Publication Date 31st October 2021

First of all, I wish to express my thanks to Cindy Lapa of Kingsley Publishers for the review copy of this book which was offered through the Book Connectors group. All opinions here are my own and unbiased.

Book Description:

Nat lives a picture-perfect life, but it wasn’t always this way. A victim of horrific bullying when she was a teenager, Nat will do anything to keep distance between the girl she was before and the woman she is now.

But when her best friend is murdered and people begin to point their finger at her, Nat’s new life quickly unravels.

To Nat, it’s no surprise the crime happened at the same time as the return of her biggest tormentor, Chrissy Summers. A woman with a violent streak who destroyed lives when she was younger and isn’t afraid to do it again.

Face to face with the past she so firmly keeps behind her, Nat’s sanity wavers as her determination to reveal Chrissy as the monster she knows her as rises to dangerous heights.

The question is, can Nat prove Chrissy is a killer, or will Chrissy get to Nat and her family before she has the chance?

My Thoughts:

My first thought on starting this book was of surprise that this one had previously escaped my radar; it's exactly my kind of read. The author takes us straight into the action with two women being forced off the road in their car, the driver intimidated into what turns out to be a fatal error of judgment and her passenger left with life changing injuries. It turns out that this will be just the first of some pretty unnerving and unpleasant events in the coastal town of Coral Bay.

The action then flips back to the local high school a couple of decades earlier. A young girl is struggling to fit in, her home life and lack of support there leading to her being singled out by the school bullies. The name calling and physical intimidation happen on a daily basis to the point where she seeks solitude in the school library during breaks. It seems that Coral Bay is a haven for bullying and nastiness, and one name keeps cropping up as the ringleader: Chrissy Summers.

Back to the present, we find Nat and husband Lucas living their best life in Coral Bay. Nat is an artist and online influencer, Lucas a teacher at the local school. Their lifestyle is the envy of many, even employing a live-in nanny. Nat's world is shaken when she discovers that her friends Hallie and Bree have been involved in a car crash leaving one of them dead and the other fighting for her life. The police endeavour to investigate the goings-on in the town but in Nat's mind there is only one person they need to be questioning: Chrissy Summers. Everything was fine until she returned to town. 

Anyone who has experienced bullying in any form will be able to relate to the feelings Nat is going through so perhaps this book should come with a trigger warning. The way Chrissy and her supporters get away with so much and have everyone on their side and in their pockets will feel oh so familiar. It is understandable how Nat fixates on Chrissy and how she feels that even after all this time nobody is listening to her, but there is also a logic to Lucas's argument that nobody cares about what happened during high school days anymore. One of them will be proven right by the end of the book. 

I took a dislike to both detectives in this story, and I didn't particularly like any of Nat's friends either. All of them seem two faced and unreliable. The person I did feel for was Sunaina who was clearly all out on Nat's side but got the messy end of the stick despite standing by her. I was also disappointed that Lucas seemed to revert to his teenage self and failed to support his wife when the going got tough. I would expect more from my spouse than he was prepared to give.

Overall a pretty accurate representation of small-town mentality where someone always wants to be top dog and the rest of them just want to be part of the popular gang. Well-written but whether I could say I enjoyed it due to the content I'm not quite sure so it's hard to rate this one.

About the Author:

Jess Kitching is an avid reader, writer and binge-watcher. Originally from Bradford, England, she currently lives in Sydney with her fiancé Jack. Her two goals in life were to move to Australia and have a book published. To be able to say she has done both is something she still can’t wrap her head around.

The Second Wife by Rebecca Fleet #paperback #TheSecondWife @RebeccaLFleet @TransworldBooks #bloggersborrowbooks

 

The Second Wife by Rebecca Fleet

Published by Transworld, Black Swan

Publication Date 20th August 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Everyone brings baggage to a new relationship.

When Alex met Natalie she changed his life. After the tragic death of his first wife, which left him a single parent to teenage daughter Jade, he’s determined to build a happy family.

But his new-found happiness is shattered when the family home is gutted by fire and his loyalties are unexpectedly tested. Jade insists she saw a man in the house on the night of the fire; Natalie denies any knowledge of such an intruder.

Alex is faced with an impossible choice: to believe his wife or his daughter? And as Natalie’s story unravels, Alex realises that his wife has a past he had no idea about, a past that might yet catch up with her.

But this time, the past could be deadly . . .

My Thoughts:

This book starts with a man returning from a night out with work colleagues to find the fire brigade at his home, his wife standing outside the property and no sign of his daughter. The lady in question is not Alex's first wife nor the mother of said child but it's not until later that we get the first hint that maybe this was not the accident that Alex's wife initially makes out. Then when his daughter states that she saw a man in the house just prior to the fire taking hold he really does start facing the horrible reality that his wife is not the loyal life partner he had assumed her to be.

The story then flicks back some two decades or so, back to when Alex's wife was young and throwing herself into situations she had no idea would change her life forever. Her obsession with the dark, mysterious Kaspar, owner of the club she frequented would take her into a world she had never considered she could be involved in - and not in the happy ever after way she was hoping.

The book is quite twisty and a sure-fire lesson in never taking anyone at face value. There are several characters within the pages who could have learned something from taking a step back and evaulating people before rushing in to making their acquaintance. I'm not sure any of the characters are particularly likeable or even reliable narrators but they do make for an interesting read which kept my attention as I tried to work out exactly what was going on.

This is my first read from this author and I am now keen to go back and read her debut novel The House Swap as I do enjoy a tale with slippery characters, which is what its synopsis suggests.

About the Author:

Rebecca Fleet lives in London and works in Windsor. Her debut thriller, The House Swap, was published in 2018 to great acclaim. The Second Wife is her eagerly anticipated second thriller.

After Dark by Jayne Cowie #NetGalley #AfterDark @CowieJayne @penguinUKBooks @centurybooksuk

 

After Dark by Jayne Cowie

Published by Random House, Cornerstone

Publication Date: 1st April 2022

Genre: Womens Crime

My sincere thanks the publisher for allowing me access to this title prior to publication via NetGalley.

My opinions are my own and unbiased.

Book Description:

WELCOME TO A WORLD WHERE WOMEN HOLD THE POWER.

They dominate workplaces, public spaces and government.

They are no longer afraid to cross a dark car park, catch the last train, or walk home alone.

With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.

It changed things for the better. Until now.

A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker.

It couldn't have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi... Isn't it?

My Thoughts:

Set in a female dominated dystopian world approximately 20 years in the future from publication I felt this had vibes of a plot similar to those John Marrs would pen. Following the murder of a female MP the laws have been changed radically, meaning that all men are tagged and are subject to a curfew between 7pm and 7am which should mean that women feel much safer on the streets after dark. Children are taught in school about Curfew and the reasons behind it. But not everyone is happy about the changes.

Cass's father was put in jail for having breached his Curfew, but the facts behind the situation aren't clear cut and Cass is angry at a system which she believes is just the feminists' way of controlling men. But she doesn't know a life other than the one she's living, what things were like before. She focuses her anger on her mum Sarah (who works at a tagging centre applying and checking the tags) and the other women at the Mother House where they live, a safe haven where men are not allowed access.

When a woman's body is found near where they live, the detectives on the case automatically assume that a woman must have committed the crime as it happened during Curfew hours; all except one, Pamela, who is older than the others on the team and remembers life before Curfew and knows how devious people can be when they have something to hide. Would she manage to persuade the other women on the team to consider all the options before a miscarriage of justice could possibly occur and put an innocent woman behind bars?

I enjoyed pondering the many and varied arguments which this book provokes. Could this scenario ever be brought into place in our society? Is it a fair system or does it penalise the masses for the actions of the few? How open to abuse would the tagging system be? There are so many angles to look at with this book and it certainly got my grey cells firing for a long while after I put it down.

I would definitely recommend this book - it is perfect for book clubs and there are even some useful questions for consideration at the end to kick start conversations.

About the Author:

An avid reader and life-long writer, Jayne Cowie also enjoys digging in her garden and makes an excellent devil's food cake. She lives near London with her family. You can find her on Instagram as @CowieJayne

My Best Friend's Secret by Emily Freud #libraryloan #paperbackbooks @MsEmilyFreud @QuercusBooks

 

My Best Friend's Secret by Emily Freud

Published by Quercus Books

Publication Date: 22nd July 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Book Description:

Kate Sullivan has a beautiful home, a job she loves and a handsome fiancé: all she's ever dreamed of since getting sober and painstakingly piecing her life back together.

But a chance encounter with her old best friend, Becky, threatens Kate's newfound and fragile happiness. She remembers nothing of their last drunken night out, the night Becky broke off their friendship without warning or explanation.

With Becky back in her life, Kate is desperate to make amends for the past.  For the closure she craves, Kate needs to know what she did that ruined everything. But what if the truth is worse than Kate could have imagined?

My Thoughts:

I picked up this book at my local library while in search of Emily's more recent release entitled What She Left Behind. I have that on hold at the library and am even more keen to get my hands on it ASAP now I've read her previous work.

This is one book I wish I hadn't read the prologue as it unfortunately gave away the whole direction of the plot. We meet Kate Sullivan and her dad as they stand all dressed up but with nowhere to go as Kate's jilted on her wedding day. We then back track to how and why we end up there but personally I feel the book would have worked better without this scene.

Kate is a high school English teacher, her class of year 11 students in final preparation for their GCSE exams. It's a job she loves and which she's had to work hard to achieve. She's also an alcoholic, six years sober thanks to the AA 12 steps plan which helps people on their journey back to sobriety. The book takes us through Kate's 12 steps, explaining which of them she has been honest with herself with and which she's still in denial or studiously avoiding.  Then Becky, her best friend from her teenage years who she's not seen in a decade or so, suddenly arrives back in her life and everything starts to go off the rails.

I found this to be a very honest account of how hard getting sober (and staying so) must be, the self-doubt and paranoia which can easily ambush any and every situation. The temptation to have just one sip of alcohol is everywhere, trying to build a new social life while avoiding temptation is a steep hill to climb. My opinions of Becky kept swinging between whether she was being a genuine good friend or whether she was deliberately trying to wreck Kate's newly found happiness. All became clear on that one however the prologue had already influenced the general flow of events. We may have lacked the detail but we certainly knew where the endpoint would be.

That said, I did enjoy this book immensely, especially Kate's interactions with problem student Lily. If only there were more teachers made in her mould. Also, Kate's dad Johnny and his new partner Ronda are fabulous characters - I would have liked to have heard their voices more throughout the book too.

I would definitely recommend this book, although maybe skip the prologue for a better experience overall.

About the Author:

Emily Freud has worked on Emmy and BAFTA award winning television series including Educating Yorkshire and First Dates. Her debut novel My Best Friend's Secret publishes in 2021. Emily lives in North London, with her husband and two small children. She is currently working on her next novel.

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah @HQstories @KiaAbdullah #paperback #bookreview #NextofKin #bookreview

 

Next Of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Published by HQ

Publication date: 2nd September 2021

Genre: Legal Thriller

Book Description:

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery has called to ask where little Max is.

Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.

Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done.

What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…

My Thoughts:

I absolutely love Kia Abdullah's writing. This book about a successful businesswoman making the worst mistake you can imagine, causing the death of her nephew Max. It's heart breaking in parts yet has you questioning just how it could have come about.

Leila and her sister are close - they have had to be since the loss of their parents during their formative years. Leila adores little Max, especially as she's struggling to start her own family. She and her husband dote on him so how exactly could she forget he was in her car on the hottest day of the year? The story is made up of three threads: the day it happened, the trial itself and the aftermath. Kia has narrated the story brilliantly, picking up on the thought processes all readers must have gone through while reading the book and cleverly threading them into the plotline. The doubts and questions pop up right the way through the book but even so I didn't consider the final direction the story took.

If you want to nit-pick you could argue that Max was too old to be put into the car in the manner described and that it would be unusual for a child his age to be taking a nap at that time in the morning but this is fiction and sometimes you have to open your mind a little and let the little niggles pass for the sake of a good story.

I couldn't wait to get back to this book when I had to take a break (damn that day job!) and am waiting very impatiently for Kia to release her next book at the beginning of 2023. I simply cannot get enough of her work!

About the Author:

Kia Abdullah is an author and travel writer from London. She has written for The New York Times, the Guardian and the Telegraph, and is the author of Truth Be Told, which was shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards, and Take It Back, named one of the best thrillers of the year by the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Kia frequently contributes to the BBC, commenting on a variety of issues affecting the British Asian community, and is the founder of Asian Booklist, a site that helps readers discover new books by British Asian authors. Kia also runs Atlas & Boots, a travel blog read by 250,000 people a month. For more information about Kia and her writing, visit her website at kiaabdullah.com, or follow her at @KiaAbdullah on Instagram and Twitter.