A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena #paperbackbook #bookreview #bloggersbuybooks #worcesterbookstagrammer @sharilapena

 

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

Published by Corgi

Publication Date: 14th June 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller

Book Description:

Why would you run scared from a happy home?

You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work.

You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day.

That's the last thing you remember.

You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town.

The police suspect you were up to no good. But your husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend isn't so sure. And even you don't know what to believe . . .

My Thoughts:

This book has been loitering on my TBR shelf some time and after a short discussion became the topic of a buddy read between my daughter and me. We're loving the storygraph app so we can throw ideas around as we read but without giving anything away to one another too soon. 

Tom and Karen Krupp are happily married, have a lovely home and everything is going perfectly until Tom comes home one night to find the front door open, his wife's car gone and the dinner left mid-preparation on the kitchen counter. He's unsettled by her absence and alarm bells are ringing when 2 police officers show up to give him shocking news: his wife has been in a car accident and is in hospital. This is the point where Tom's life tilts on its axis and nothing is quite the same ever again.

Karen remembers nothing - so she says - and the neighbours can't help with any supporting information. Until it suits them. My daughter and I mulled over our various theories and weren't too far away with some of our guesses. As various snippets of information were drip fed over the chapters we slowly tweaked our ideas as the police officers worked with the evidence they had available to them until eventually the big reveal came towards the end.  As is often the case in these stories, both parties in the marriage are withholding information from one another - it's up to you to decide whose secret is the worst - but both have far-reaching effects on their relationship. Neither of them seemed particularly horrible people at the start but it's surprising how quickly your opinion can change when given the background facts. 

I found the majority of the plot fairly easy to work out and as an unchallenging read after a hard day at work it fitted the bill quite nicely. I'm not sure it will particularly stand out or stay with me for long but it ticked a box, which is what we all need occasionally and I have every intention of reading more by this author.

About the Author:

Shari Lapena (born 1960) is a Canadian novelist. She is best known for her 2016 thriller novel The Couple Next Door, which was a bestseller both in Canada and internationally.

Lapena, a lawyer and English teacher before beginning her writing career, published her debut novel Things Go Flying in 2008. That novel was a shortlisted Sunburst Award finalist in 2009. Her second novel, Happiness Economics, was a shortlisted Stephen Leacock Award finalist in 2012.

The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by B M Carroll #NetGalley #bookreview #TheMissingPiecesOfSophieMcCarthy @MichaelJBooks

 The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by BM Carroll

Published by Penguin UK, Michael Joseph

Publication Date 27th December 2018

My sincere thanks to Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for the offer to read this book via NetGalley. To my embarrassment it has taken an inordinately long time to read this book for which I apologise. I did however borrow a finished copy from my local library and this review is based on the print copy. 

Book Description:

She's the victim.

But is she so innocent?

Sophie McCarthy is known for her determination, ambition and brilliance at work. She's tough, but only because she wants to get the best out of people.

Aidan Ryan is strong, honourable, and a family man. He's tough too; the army requires it.

When these two strangers are brought together in a devastating incident, Sophie's life is left in ruins. Her family wants to see Aidan pay for what he did.

Aidan's prepared to sacrifice everything - including his marriage and his child - to fix the mess he's made.

But some things can't be fixed, and Sophie is not at all what she first appeared . . .

The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is a gripping, impossible-to-put-down exploration of betrayal and revenge.

My Thoughts:

This book is written from various points of view but where this can often be quite confusing, Ber Carroll has done an excellent job of keeping things crystal clear as to who the reader is hearing from.

Sophie McCarthy takes no messing; her father has instilled in her from an early age that she can achieve anything she wants, and to do so she must put her head above the parapet and show that she deserves the plaudits. What he didn't tell her was that this often comes at a price. 

Aidan Ryan is an army officer with very exacting standards. The military lifestyle has instilled in him the importance of doing the right thing no matter how uncomfortable it is on a personal level. It is this keen sense of values which has brought him and Sophie together following a road traffic accident which left Sophie a shadow of her former self.

The first section of the book is a slow burn but is essential to understand the depth of the personality traits of each of the main characters and how they affect those close to them. The story covers many areas, some could be flagged as needing trigger warnings I suppose however the way all the various aspects combine to create the perfect storm I feel it would water down the whole concept considerably if we were on the lookout for those triggers from the start.

The story touches on issues such as bullying, guilt, remorse, PTSD, chronic pain, and a shed load of associated emotional effects and had me considering whether I personally would be able to cope in the various situations which the different characters found themselves. It's most definitely a book which you take with you while not physically reading the pages. The characters are all well drawn and believable if not particularly likeable in some cases, my particular favourites were the youngsters and in particular their football coach, Davey.

Overall, a flowing story with interesting moral dilemmas at its heart which I enjoyed as a whole.

About The Author:

Ber Carroll was born in Blarney, a small village in Ireland. The third child of six, reading was her favourite pastime (and still is!). Ber moved to Sydney in 1995 and spent her early career working in finance. Her work colleagues were speechless when she revealed that she had written a novel that was soon to be published. Ber now writes full time and is the author of eight novels, including Once Lost, Worlds Apart and Less Than Perfect. The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is her first book published under the name B M Carroll.

The Herd by Emily Edwards #NetGalley #TheHerd @BantamPress

The Herd by Emily Edwards

Published by Penguin Random House, Transworld Publishers (Bantam Press)

Publication Date 3rd February 2022

Book Description:

Two best friends

Elizabeth and Bryony are polar opposites but their unexpected friendship has always worked. They're the best of friends, and godmothers to each other's daughters - because they both trust that the safety of their children is their top priority.

One little secret

Little do they know that they differ radically over one very important issue. And when Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what is supposed to be a harmless white lie before a child's birthday party, the consequences are more catastrophic than either of them could ever have imagined.

Every parent's worst nightmare . . .

My Thoughts:

When I started reading this book it very much reminded me of another book I'd read in recent times by Melissa Hill, Keep You Safe which is also an emotive read about inoculation and its risks vs benefits. The arguments put forward in both books are extremely valid and both books would make excellent subjects for book club discussions.

In this book, a Richard & Judy book club pick, Bryony and Elizabeth are parents of young children, close friends yet have very different parenting styles. Elizabeth is your stereotypical 'helicopter' parent, member of the PTA and is hyper involved in micromanaging her kids' lives. Bryony is far more relaxed. The book puts forward very balanced views of the values of different styles and is non-judgmental in its overall presentation.

I started off being quite envious of the closeness of the families; the husbands rubbed along nicely as well as all the kids, all being welcomed into each other's homes like one big extended family. Until the fated birthday party when it all comes crashing down around them. Elizabeth has sent an email to all the parents (which I felt was a bit over the top) asking them to confirm that their children were fully vaccinated and asking them to basically stay away from the party and keep their distance in future if not. Bearing in mind that the children have all been mixing at school and extracurricular activities I felt it was a bit late to be posing the question. But there again, I've never been in the situation where my child needs to extra careful regarding anything like this so I then questioned whether I would possibly be the same in Elizabeth's position. Bryony's biggest mistake was not giving enough thought to her answer to the question posed which sadly comes back to bite her later on.

I felt the author put across both sides of the arguments for and against vaccination and reasons why people's judgment could be biased one way or the other. She has clearly spent a lot of time researching the different views from both a moral and scientific stance. Is Elizabeth over the top with her later actions against Bryony's family? Was Bryony too easy going in answering the initial question so flippantly?  There are so many viewpoints to consider in this book and as a parent it certainly had me evaluating the whole 'what if' my situation were different' in quite some depth in my own head. I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. We could argue forever on the subject and still never all of us agree.

The stars of the book in my opinion aren't any of the adults, but little Alba and Clemmie who absolutely stole the show with the innocence of the young.

About the Author:

After studying at Edinburgh University, Emily Edwards worked for a think tank in New York before returning to London where she worked as a support worker for vulnerable women at a large charity. She now lives in Lewes, East Sussex with her endlessly patient husband and her two endlessly energetic young sons.

The inspiration for The Herd came when she was eight months pregnant with her first son, and her husband and their vaccine-hesitant doula had an impassioned 'debate' about vaccination in their garden. As she sat there with her hands over her huge stomach listening to them both, Emily realized this was an issue which impacts us all and that it would make a brilliant topic for a novel.

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner #NetGalley @BloomsburyRaven @k_faulkner #GreenwichPark

 

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Raven Books

Publication Date: 15th April 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

My thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to this title, however I admit that it sat on my virtual shelf for so long that I ended up borrowing a copy from my library and entering my first ever buddy read with my daughter which we recorded via the Storygraph app. 

Book Description:

Helen has it all...

Daniel is the perfect husband.
Rory is the perfect brother.
Serena is the perfect sister-in-law.

And Rachel? Rachel is the perfect nightmare.

When Helen, finally pregnant after years of tragedy, attends her first antenatal class, she is expecting her loving architect husband to arrive soon after, along with her confident, charming brother Rory and his pregnant wife, the effortlessly beautiful Serena. What she is not expecting is Rachel.

Extroverted, brash, unsettling single mother-to-be Rachel, who just wants to be Helen's friend. Who just wants to get know Helen and her friends and her family. Who just wants to know everything about them. Every little secret…

My Thoughts:

The first thing I have to say about this book: why did I wait so long to read it?! My daughter and I were looking for an appropriate book to try out the buddy read function on the Storygraph app, and I have to say I feel we made a really good choice with this debut novel from Katherine Faulkner. We live some distance apart, but both love similar types of books but wanted something which would give us sufficient material to discuss. Well, we weren't disappointed! 

The story starts with a letter penned by someone incarcerated in HMP Bowood, writing to the main character in the book, Helen. Therein lay the first clue, one which sadly went straight over my head as I was too busy settling in with thoughts of the bigger picture. The story is told predominantly from Helen's point of view with occasional insights from the other main players. The chapters are a kind of countdown of the final weeks of Helen's pregnancy, one which she is extremely anxious about as her previous experiences haven't ended well. She's nervously excited to be attending NCT antenatal classes with her husband and her brother Rory and sister-in-law Serena who are expecting their first child not long afterwards. But none of the others show up, leaving socially anxious Helen feeling rather awkward among the other couples. Until single mum to be Rachel bursts into the venue late, loud and inappropriately toting a bottle of wine as refreshment. 

From this point on the author very cleverly leads the tale down several dark alleys with dead ends, makes suggestions which could very well be truthful but could equally be total fabrication, and plants seeds of doubt about just about every character and situation. Who is Rachel? Where has she come from? Why has she homed in on Helen as her new best friend? Is it just Helen's imagination or does she seem over familiar with some of Daniel and Rory's business associates? For someone Helen has never met before, how does Rachel manage to conveniently bump into her so often? These are just some of the questions which you will have buzzing around in your head along the way.

I'm not going to hint at when the big reveals come in this book but suffice to say that there are clues throughout the entirety of the book, so if you should find it a little slow in some places then I encourage you to stick with it as you won't be disappointed when the pace picks up in other parts. 

As a debut novel I am extremely impressed by the quality of both the pacing and plotting within this story and have added Katherine Faulkner to my radar of future reading requirements.

About the Author:

Katherine is a London-based author and journalist. She studied History at Cambridge University, graduating with a First, then completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism. Since then she has been working as an investigative reporter and latterly an editor. Her work has been published in many national papers, and she most recently worked at The Times, where she was the joint Head of News.

While working as an undercover reporter, Katherine won the Cudlipp Award for public interest journalism and was nominated for a string of others. She was also commended by a committee of MPs for 'the highest standards of ethical investigative reporting.'

Katherine was inspired to write her debut novel about the complexity of female friendships after attending NCT classes when pregnant, and her experience of sudden intimacy with complete strangers.

She lives in Hackney, East London, where she grew up, with her husband and two daughters.

The Girl I Used To Be by Debbie Howells #blogtour #bookreview @BoldwoodBooks @debbie_howells #booktwitter @rararesources #TheGirlIUsedToBe

 

The Girl I Used To Be by Debbie Howells

Published by Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 19th October 2022

Genre: Womens Fiction

My thanks to Rachel Gilbey for the invitation to part of the promotional blog tour for this lovely read.

Book Description:

Marie Kondo for the soul.

Anna and Will have been passing in and out of each other’s lives since they were just kids.

Now 20 years later, Anna is married - she has a lovely house, a step daughter in university and a husband with a good job.

What she doesn’t have is joy. When she runs into Will it sparks something in her, a longing for the Anna she used to be.

Together they embark on a journey to find what brings them joy, to discard what doesn’t and to become the people they always wanted to be.

But in finding themselves, can they also find each other?

Buy your copy here - https://amzn.to/3z2xdmd

My Thoughts:

This latest novel from Debbie Howells is a lovely, at times frustrating, story of how life pulls us in directions we never thought would happen. Anna and Will were smitten with one another when they were young but just as they were getting started Fate stepped in to keep them apart. 

The story is told predominantly from Anna's point of view, with Will's situation and perspective interspersed between the chapters to show us that it's not just Anna wishing they could turn back the clock and change things. They've both settled for relationships which are second best, their hearts not 100% in it, and are both wondering what happened to the hopes and dreams of their teenage years. Feelings which come crashing to the fore when a chance encounter between the two of them leaves them asking the question:what if?

I enjoyed this will they/won't they tale but would have really loved it if Anna and Will could have shared some of the more emotional experiences together rather than struggling in their separate lives. I feel they would both have become stronger individuals sooner with the benefit of each other's support. But I suppose that is a more realistic representation of how life has a habit of sending us the toughest challenges when we will learn the most from the lesson.

A lovely story of love, friendship and second chances.

Follow the blog tour through until the end of October by visiting all these bloggers pages:

About the Author:

Debbie Howells’s first novel, a psychological thriller, The Bones of You, was a Sunday Times bestseller for Macmillan. Four more bestsellers followed, including most recently The Vow, published by Avon. Fulfilling her dream of writing women’s fiction, she has found a home with Boldwood and her first title with them, The Life You Left Behind was published in February 2022.

 

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: Debbie Howells Author | Facebook

Twitter: Debbie Howells (@debbie__howells) / Twitter

Instagram: Debbie Howells (@_debbiehowells) • Instagram photos and videos

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DebbieHowellsnews

Bookbub profile: Debbie Howells Books - BookBub

Love Untold by Ruth Jones #LoveUntold #NetGalley @penguinrandom

Love Untold by Ruth Jones

Published by Transworld, Random House UK, Bantam Press

Publication Date: 29th September 2022

Genre: Womens Fiction

My thanks to the publisher Bantam Press for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication via the NetGalley platform.

Book Description:

Grace is about to turn ninety. She doesn't want parties or presents or fuss. She just wants to heal the family rift that's been breaking her heart for decades.

But to do that she must find her daughter Alys - the only person who can help to put things right.

And when she finds her - if she does - she risks betraying granddaughter Elin. Who is far less forgiving of the past, with its hurts and secrets and lies. Meanwhile Grace's great-grand-daughter Beca is oblivious to all these worries, too busy navigating the highs and lows of teenage life and keeping secrets of her own.

All families have their problems. And most of them get resolved. But Grace's problem is thirty years old. And she doesn't have time on her side.

So is it too late for her to make peace? Or is reconciliation still within reach?

My Thoughts:

I was so excited when the publisher kindly approved my request to read Ruth Jones' new novel on NetGalley I may just have let out an exclamation of glee and done a happy dance around the room - so thank you Bantam Press for making me an incredibly happy lady!

Ruth creates such down to earth, believable characters - people you would love to have in your friendship circle or family - and you can't help but read her books with Nessa's fantastic voice in your head. Grama Grace is the most wonderful character who has hints of the excellent character Doris from Gavin & Stacey but without the profanities. She's not backward in coming forward though as we discover when she is "rescued" from her daily swim in the sea by a well-meaning couple early on in the book, scenes which had me chuckling out loud. In contrast we also meet Grace's grand-daughter Elin, head mistress of the local high school and embarrassing mum to Beca. She lives by what people will think of her and rarely strays from any rule book (real or self-created) which makes her very straightlaced. Which leaves the missing link, Grace's daughter Alys. Last seen decades ago Grace longs to put right the misconstrued last moments they shared and to explain where she feels things went wrong before she departs this mortal coil.

I loved this book, which shows that we are all fallible as humans, there is no right or wrong way to do things and every family has its secrets. The younger characters discover that no, they didn't actually invent everything, things have been happening that way for generations and just because the older folks don't talk about stuff openly doesn't mean it didn't happen or have a lasting effect. There is a great balance of humour and sentiment throughout the book - some people you will want to throttle due to their stubbornness and others you'll just want to throw your arms around and hug. 

I cannot recommend this book enough, just make sure you get your tissues ready as you will need them for both tears of sadness as well as some great laughs.

Pure brilliance from Ruth Jones once again. A neon-bright 5 stars from me.

About the Author:

Ruth Jones is best known for her outstanding and award-winning television writing, most notably BBC One's Gavin and Stacey, which she co-wrote with James Corden and in which she played the incorrigible Nessa Jenkins. The 2019 Christmas Day special of Gavin and Stacey gained national critical acclaim, drawing an audience of over 18 million, winning a BAFTA for TV moment of the year and a National Television Award for Impact. Ruth also created and co-wrote Sky One's Stella, which ran for six series. Ruth has starred in several other television comedies and dramas.

Her debut novel Never Greener was chosen as WHSmith Fiction Book of the Year 2018, was nominated for Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, was a Zoe Ball Book Club pick, and was a Sunday Times bestseller for fifteen weeks, three weeks at number one. Ruth's second novel, Us Three, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller in hardback and paperback and has sold almost a quarter of a million copies. Ruth was awarded a Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2020. Love Untold is her third novel.