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I really enjoy diary format/style books and memoirs, especially when they focus on experiences of motherhood. I am a big fan of Gill Sims and Suzy K Quinn, so I jumped at the chance to receive a first read of this book.

Blurb:

Whatever your age, becoming a mum for the first time brings with it excitement, anxiety and numerous challenges. But how do you cope when, to top it all, you discover you are old enough to be the mother of everyone else in your NCT group? The story of one woman, one new baby, a slipped disc and rather too many wrinkles, The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 1/4) follows the tale of a midlife mum as she tries to make the transition from experienced TV producer to utterly inexperienced parent.

One in five babies is born to a mum over 35, and the number of over 40s giving birth has doubled. The first humorous narrative account of what it’s really like to be a midlife mum – whether it’s deftly side-stepping any questions about age and baby number two or weeping as younger counterparts ping back into their size ten jeans within thirty seconds of giving birth – this is the thoroughly entertaining, insightful and often hilarious account of what happens as you face up to menopause and new motherhood at the same time.

My thoughts:

This has been the perfect tonic to a stressful and busy week. A light-hearted and uplifting read, it provides a refreshingly honest and unique insight into motherhood: the experience of a so called “geriatric mum”.

Cari is not afraid to describe the challenges she has faced, but she also quite clearly calls people out on their prejudice towards older mums, and explains in some detail why mums of any age deserve respect for the hard work that they do. Her analysis is refreshing, honest and well researched, providing reassurance to other mums that we are all in this crazy, sleep-deprived, trying our best state, together.

A huge plus point to the book for me as well was the comedy. Cari provides ilarious commentary and imagery throughout – for example the image of her slowly crunching her cereal in order to not set off pregnancy sickness or wake her husband up, had me chuckling out loud.

These lively descriptions of everyday events and in some cases, mundane routines of family life bring a warmth and texture to the book, also making the narrator very relatable and likeable. I really laughed at her talking about a trip to IKEA and saying: “Law of Ikea: Thou shalt not depart the building without 200 paper napkins and a large bag of tealights.” This is definitely what happens to me every time I go to IKEA, as well as fake flowers (because obviously you need loads of fake flowers as they just don’t last 😳🤣) and sandwich bags. I have a reusable sandwich that I use all the time, yet every time I go to IKEA I buy around 200 sandwich bags. So I could definitely relate to her!

Overall, this has been a funny, gentle and heart-warming read, the overall of message of which seems to be that motherhood, when all is said and done, is a gift and a privilege no matter what your age (and even when your covered head to toe in someone else’s puke/shit and therefore it really does not feel like it!!) This has been a book I have thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to fans of the diary style.

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Followers of my blog will know that I am a fan of historical fiction, but sometimes find it hard to find ones that work for me. However, I am slowly collecting a list of favourite and go-to authors and this means that historical fiction is now becoming one of my favourites. I saw this cover from Bookouture, and begged Sarah to squeeze me in on this blog tour! I am so grateful she did, as I absolutely adored this book, and I hope my review will do it justice in explaining how wonderful it is.

Blurb:

She looked at the telegram in horror, the words blurring in front of her eyes. She dropped to her knees, feeling that her entire world was ending. The paper slipped from her hands as she put her head in hands, sobs wracking her chest…

1942, New York. As war rages in Europe, Lily Rose is grateful for her perfect life: the love of her wealthy uptown parents in their beautiful brownstone overlooking the park and her dream job as a chef at one of New York’s finest restaurants, the art deco dream that is Valentino’s. But in her heart, Lily is drawn towards the bohemian Sicilian community in Greenwich Village, where gorgeous fresh fruit spills onto the pavement and the smell of freshly baked cannoli tempt her inside every Italian deli.

Part of the attraction is Tom Morelli, talented chef and handsome grandson of Sicilian immigrants, whose deep brown eyes call to her and set her heart on fire. As wartime rationing bites in the city, Lily and Tom stay up late, dreaming up delicious meals that will see Valentino’s through the war and distract New Yorkers from the threat of sons and sweethearts being called up. Lily knows he has found the key to her heart.

Then Tom receives a devastating summons that changes everything: he is drafted to Italy. He must return to his beautiful homeland to fight a desperate war.

Suddenly alone, with only the memory of Tom’s last kiss, Lily turns to her parents for support. But when her mother finds out about her relationship, she is furious. When the war ends, Lily’s duty is to marry the man picked for her, raise children and never work again. They give her a heartbreaking ultimatum: end her relationship with Tom and give up her job or lose her family and inheritance forever.

Lily knows she must follow her heart to Valentino’s and to Tom. But when Tom is declared missing in action, Lily is totally heartbroken. If she pursues her dreams, will there be anything left for her when the war is over?

From top-ten bestseller Ella Carey comes an utterly heart-breaking historical novel, inspired by true events, about the courage, love and friendships that sustain us in the darkest of days. Fans of Fiona Davis, Rhys Bowen and The Nightingale will be captivated.

My thoughts:

Wow! This book has been an amazing read. It has taken me on quite a rollercoaster of emotions. During the high points, I have felt filled with joy and hope for a bright and positive future for these characters, especially the brilliant Lily. During the low points, I have felt dread, fear, anger and despair at the tragedies and devastation that occurs to this community in war-time New York.

I have absolutely loved the variety of characters. The leading lady, Lily, was of course my favourite. She is determined, fierce, loving, talented and clever. She is trailblazing for her time, in her determination to prove that women should, and can, be so much more than beautiful and devoted wives and mothers. There were times where my dislike for her mother Victoria, and my frustration and hurt for her words, were so intense, I forgot I was reading a fictional story, haha. However, I think the journey Victoria goes on is an important one, and reminds us that wars are always a time of great change – both good and bad.

The book provides quite a lot of commentary on the position of women, equality and women’s rights. “[Lily] felt like an ornamental bird, trapped in a cage.” In some ways, this discussion is at the heart of this book. Lily refuses to feel shame for wanting a career, and even enjoying her job. Carey also displays quite accurately the way women’s roles were forced to change after the war started, and how this began a revolution in terms of women’s fight for equality.

Carey’s use of letters in the book are very important. They provide us with key details that inform and develop the plot, they bring an emotional intensity to the story which is sometimes lacking in third person narratives, and they add tension to the book where necessary.

Food also brings out a lot of themes in the book, and adds to the tension. The way Lily painstakingly works to make sure the food she produces is perfect, and up to standard, reminds us of the pressures of the society as a whole at the time, especially women. We have all heard the phrase – “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!” Lily’s connection with food and cooking proves that women can indeed stand the heat, and can thrive under pressure, when opportunities are given to them.

Finally, I loved learning about America, and New York specifically, in war time. I have been to New York a couple of times myself, and it is a beautiful city. I have read many stories based around experiences of World War 2, but this is the first one I’ve read set in NYC. The descriptions of the city bring a sense of grandeur to the book, reminding us of the class division, and also quite a claustrophobic, intensified atmosphere. This again, cleverly reflects many of the themes in the book.

Overall, this has been an absolute joy to read. I have smiled, cried and gasped. It is beautifully written, to my (limited) knowledge historically accurate, and emotionally charged. I would highly recommend this book and author to all historical fiction fans. As soon as I finished reading, I immediately purchased another of Ella’s books – Beyond The Horizon. I don’t think you can get much higher praise than that!

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I feel very excited and privileged today to be involved in the launch day for the blog tour of this wonderful memoir. I am a huge fan of memoirs, especially ones that focus on overcoming challenges and the theme of motherhood, so I knew this would be an enjoyable read.

Blurb:

“The Cracks That Let the Light In is about what happened when it felt like my life had fallen apart and how I put it back together. It’s about family, love and how to be happy when your life turns
out nothing like you planned.”

Jessica Moxham thought she was prepared for the experience of motherhood. Armed with advice from friends and family, parenting books and antenatal classes, she felt ready. But after giving birth, she found herself facing a different, more uncertain reality to the one she had expected. Her son, Ben, was fighting to stay alive. Even when Jessica could finally take him home from
hospital, the challenges were far from over.

Ben’s disability means he needs help with all aspects of his daily life. Jessica has had to learn how to feed Ben when he can’t eat, wrestle with red tape to secure his education and defend his
basic rights in the face of discrimination.

In this uplifting and hopeful memoir, Jessica shares her challenging and emotional journey. As Ben begins to thrive, alongside his two younger siblings, Jessica finds that caring for a
child with unique needs teaches her about resilience, appreciating difference and doing things your own way. This powerful story is about the strength of family love, inner
strength and hope. It is a story of motherhood.

My thoughts:

To say this book was eye-opening and thought-provoking feels like a massive understatement. To provide some context for you, as a teacher who works in school with many students who have additional needs, and as someone who initially aspired to be a specialist teacher in a school like the one Ben attends in the book, I believe myself to be far from ignorant about the challenges of disability.

In the book, Jessica describes how her awakening to the challenges faced by disabled children, and families with disabled children, happened when she gave birth to Ben, as she did not expect him to have the disabilities which he does. The description of how she feels and deals with this takes me back to a day that had quite a profound effect on me.

I was driving to university and the signal was always atrocious on my favourite music channels, so I was left with no choice but to listen to Radio 4. I tuned in mid-feature, and listened while someone animatedly and passionately described their intense dislike of going to the shops. My thoughts were as follows: Why is this being featured? Why can’t they just order online? It transpired rather quickly that this person was disabled and needed to use a mechanised wheelchair in order to get around independently. Having only listened to their voice, it had never occurred to me that this person could be disabled! Of course, I feel ridiculous about this looking back but this feature really opened my eyes to the challenges and limitations faced by many people, and how this is not helped by individuals who do not have to consider disability in their every day life.

The reason I share this anecdote with you is that it links quite nicely into a question that is explored in a lot of detail in the book. Do we need to adapt the world to be more inclusive, or should we try to ‘fix’ or ‘improve’ disabilities? After listening to this radio programme, I felt more able to see the world through a disabled person’s eyes, and am definitely of the view that we must adapt and evolve our world and surroundings in order to become more inclusive.

As a mother, I really felt I could identify with Jessica in her discussions about what it means to be a good mother. I found her insight refreshingly honest and different. She says: “So much of mothering is mundane – years of wiping, feeding and entertaining – but some of it is magical, and occasionally it is both at the same time.” I think it is really brave to admit that mothering can be ‘mundane’, and so much around us implores us to ‘enjoy’ motherhood and be grateful for our ‘gift’ etc. Actually, being a mother, whether your child is disabled or not (and I do agree a disabled child presents different challenges) is hard work and sometimes very lonely. I have great respect for Jessica for sharing her thoughts on this so candidly.

Jessica also provides some interesting commentary on how we use language to organise the world around us. Take the word ‘disabled’ for example. Jessica asks, where does the line between ‘able’ end and ‘disabled’ begin? Without my glasses or contact lenses, anything more than a few feet in front of me is blurred and out of focus. I certainly don’t feel able to go to work or be responsible for my children without my glasses on. Yet, when filling in an equal opportunities form, I always tick ‘no’ to the disability question. I think this is a really thought-provoking question and she could probably write a whole book on that question alone.

Overall, this has been an emotional, thought-provoking and important read, written by someone who I now wholeheartedly admire, respect and feel a connection with. This is a powerful book and one that I believe should be read by everyone. I think the books list that she shares on the back pages is also a really nice extra touch, and I will definitely be reading some of them with my young children in the near future.

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I was drawn to this one by the colourful and eye-catching cover, as well as the tag line and description. I am also really keen to continue supporting debuts during 2021, so I was very excited when a space came up on the blog tour!

Blurb:

Her dream escape is about to become a nightmare…

Kimberley King has spent the last five years trying to outrun the reason she left the police force. Her life is a mess and she’s desperate for change. So when she is randomly selected for the new series of the hit show LoveWrecked, she can’t pass up the chance to win the £100,000 prize. All Kimberley needs to do is couple up with one of her fellow contestants, win the infamous LoveWrecked challenges, and she will have enough cash for a fresh start.

But the island isn’t the paradise she was promised and within hours, one of the contestants is dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die.

The game is rigged, everyone is hiding secrets, and time is running out…

My thoughts:

I have to admit, after reading, that I think this is going to be a ‘Marmite’ book for most people. Love it or hate it, I think it will be one to spark discussion and comment. However, that being said, I am 100% in the ‘love it’ camp and I really hope my review can do some justice in explaining why.

First of all, the set up, the title of the TV show and the use of the ‘Fire Pit’ is of course all reminiscent of the popular British TV show, Love Island. To me, this was a hook in, as I absolutely love that show (love a bit of trash TV) and I was eager to see how this book followed that structure, but also departed from it.

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Having said that, I think it does the book a great disservice in some ways to compare it to the set-up of Love Island. Yes, it is clearly a book about something that is rather far-fetched and staged, but it is also much more than that. Namely, I found this book to be original in style and structure, completely gripping and also cleverly incorporating and subverting some ‘traditional’ elements of the murder mystery genre.

Following the exciting but in some ways predictable

Love Island-style opening to the novel, the book becomes increasingly dark and takes us on quite a rollercoaster of twists and turns, after the mysterious ‘Judge’ character appears. “One of them killed Jack Peaks, but who? And why?” Just when we think we are getting close to the ‘truth’ or ‘solving’ the puzzle, we are proved wrong.

I really enjoyed the way S V Leonard wrote the characters in this one. It has completely turned my ideas about what good character development is like, upside down. Traditionally, you expect a main character to be introduced and the back story explained, in order to build a relationship between reader and character, possibly build a sense of sympathy, etc. S V Leonard’s approach here is very different. We are given so little information about the characters, that it makes it difficult to trust anyone, and we are soon questioning everything and everyone.

This obviously clearly creates tension and suspense throughout the book. This is also done quite stylistically and sophisticatedly through the chapter structures, with many chapters ending in cliff-hangers, and through some of the memorable descriptions. “How can the sun continue to shine even over this?”

I also made links between this book and a book by one of the greatest crime writers of all time. I feel revealing the name of it may give away a couple of spoilers, so I won’t do that, but it is referenced in the book and I can really see the relevance of it.

I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that in this sparkling and explosive debut, S V Leonard takes traditional tropes of the murder mystery genre and throws them wholeheartedly into the 21st century, with a confidence and originality that I have absolutely adored. If I could describe this book in three words I would say it is: gripping, ground-breaking and gritty.

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I was drawn to this book instantly, drawn in by the big eyes on the cover and as soon as I found out what it was about, I couldn’t resist signing up. I am a huge fan of The Great Gatsby and was intrigued to find out more about the character of Nick Carraway.

Blurb:

Before Nick Carraway moved to West Egg and into Gatsby’s world, he was at the centre of a very different story – one taking place along the trenches and deep within the tunnels of World War I.

Floundering in the wake of the destruction he witnessed first-hand, Nick delays his return home, hoping to escape the questions he cannot answer about the horrors of war. Instead, he embarks on a transcontinental redemptive journey that takes him from a whirlwind Paris romance – doomed from the very beginning – to the dizzying frenzy of New Orleans, rife with its own flavour of debauchery and violence.

An epic portrait of a truly singular era and a sweeping, romantic story of self-discovery, this rich and imaginative novel breathes new life into a character that many know only from the periphery. Charged with enough alcohol, heartbreak, and profound yearning to transfix even the heartiest of golden age scribes, NICK reveals the man behind the narrator who has captivated readers for decades.

My thoughts:

I found the opening of this to be quite emotionally charged. We are thrown straight into the story of Nick’s life as he leaves his love interest to return to his duties in the war. He says “So much he wanted to say to her but he could not, as if there were chains attached to his words.” This description really stuck with me, as it portrays to me Nick’s deep dilemma between his attachment to this lady and his duty to his country.

The novel then moves swiftly into detailed and vivid descripfions of the harsh realities of war. We are told there are men there that “long been void of humanity…like barbarians” and “I think some men take pleasure in a war. I cannot think of another reason to have one.” These parts of the novel really got me thinking about why we habe wars and why we have them.

The dual timelines and storylines of the romance and war help to maintain the quick pace of the novel and provide lots of opportunities for tension and emotional build up. I found this to be quite an atmospheric and original read.

Overall, I enjoyed following Nick’s story and finding out more about his history. I thought this was a completely unique and original idea for a novel, and though it was obviously written by a different author, I liked how it brought to the fore some of the themes of The Great Gatsby, including loneliness and longing.

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I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the tag line. This made me think that this book might involve a mixture of my two favourite genres: romance and mystery. I also thought the title in itself was quite thought provoking.

Blurb:

When Bella Black arrives in a sleepy Wiltshire village, it seems like the perfect place for a new start. A lovely home, exciting job and an attractive colleague or two to take her mind off her recent divorce.

When people start disappearing, she realises she holds the key to a mystery bigger than she could have ever imagined. Who is really pulling the strings at the secretive OAK Institute? Can anyone be trusted?

Will Bella make the right choices before it’s too late?

‘The inspiration for the book came from witnessing commuters helping a woman who’d fallen down the stairs at Paddington station, intermingled with wondering what was behind some grand stone gateposts that I used to drive past in Wiltshire. Those disparate things swirled around in the back of my mind and came out as the secret OAK Institute which is at the core of the book.’

My thoughts:

I was definitely right in my prediction about the mixed of genres used here. The romance thread is established quite quickly as Bella moves away to get some distance from a failed relationship. The mystery is established when we are introduced to the “Oak Institute.” What is it? Is it something that Bella really wants to be a part of?

I was obviously intrigued by the secrecy around this institute and some of the decisions and protocols of the institute once you get to know more about it. I found this to be an entirely original and thought-provoking premise for a novel.

The romance thread continues as we meet two new possible love interests for Bella, who provide her with some distraction and also motivate her to stay with the company. Bella really battles between independence and loneliness in the book.

This has been a light-hearted and interesting read. A little slower paced than my usual read, it did get me thinking about kindness and how we can sometimes be more likely to remember details that hurt us or we find strange, rather than good and kind acts that have been bestowed upon us. I definitely think this is a fun and wonderfully original idea for a debut novel.

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“A single act of kindness may change a day, a life, the world. Kindness is powerful.”

I am very excited to share my thoughts on my first by best selling author Patricia Scanlan. This was a fantastically complex and beautifully family drama, and I am definitely going to read more by this author in the near future.

Blurb:

One explosive family reunion. A lifetime of secrets revealed.
 
When four feisty women from the same family, get together at a family reunion, anything can happen…
 
Marie-Claire, betrayed by her partner Marc plans her revenge to teach him a lesson he will never forget. She travels from Toronto, home to Ireland, to the house of the Four Winds, for her great aunt Reverend Mother Brigid’s eightieth birthday celebrations. It will be a long-awaited reunion for three generations of family, bringing together her mother, Keelin and grandmother, Imelda – who have never quite got along
 
And then all hell breaks loose. 
 
Bitter, jealous Imelda makes a shocking revelation that forces them all to confront their pasts, admit mistakes, and face the truths that have shaped their lives. With four fierce, opinionated women in one family, will they ever be able to forgive the past and share a future?
 
And what of Marc?
 
It’s never too late to make amends…or is it? 
 
Spanning generations and covering seismic shifts in the lives of women, A Family Reunion is a compelling, thought-provoking, important and highly emotional novel from a trailblazing author in women’s fiction.

My thoughts:

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.”

I loved the opening to the novel, where we immediately get to see the strong and fierce side of Marie Claire, whilst the omniscient narrative shows a vulnerability and emotional side to her.

Patricia has achieved quite an epic feat by covering the lives of four strong and interesting women in this novel – Marie Claire, her mother Keelin, her grandmother Imelda and her great aunt Brigid. There is so much drama, secrecy and scandal involved in each of their stories, it really kept my interest throughout.

I found the commentary and level of detail surrounding the religious lifestyle and Irish culture fascinating and eye-opening. I truly supported the thirst for equality and independence shown in the book.

This has been a wonderful book to curl up with and I have been completely encapsulated by the story. The characters are believable and complex, and the narrative dramatic and at times, explosive. I am completely surprised that I haven’t read a book by this author before, and look forward to indulging in her back catalogue.

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I am very excited to be involved in the audio blog tour for this much anticipated (definitely by me, anyways!) follow up to The Scribe. You can find the blurb and my thoughts on that outstanding first book in the series also on this blog!

Blurb:

Kramer and Carver are back…

Madeline Kramer has finally got her life back on track at top City law firm Sullivan, Blake, Monroe. But when two armed, masked men burst into a conference room one lunchtime, kidnapping a trainee and a partner, Maddy’s life is plunged into disarray once more—particularly when charismatic DCI Jake Carver, who caught a heartless killer when they last met and with whom Maddy shared a mutual chemistry, is called to the scene.

Things become more complicated when a disturbing video reveals two more trainees have been taken. What initially appears as a random kidnapping for mercenary gain soon evolves into something far more complex, the horrifying events of thirty years ago motivating the abductors and having colossal implications for those in the present…

Against a backdrop of sleaze, sex, lies and murder in The Abduction, Maddy and Carver must work together to unravel the truth, and ensure that no crimes—past or present—are left unpunished.

My thoughts:

Firstly, let’s start with that opening! A A Chaudhuri is certainly not afraid to throw us into a terrifying scene! I was totally gripped by the hostage situation and loved that the main plot thread was established so quickly!

All my bookish friends know I am not a series reader and part of that is the fact that I dislike it when authors spend the first 70 or more pages of the book in a series bringing us to speed with the previous plot or the characters! A A Chaudhuri does not do this and instead sums up the previous book in a few sentences!

However, she clearly develops the characters of Kramer and Carver and I loved seeing them back together.

I loved how this author has maintained the dark and pacey style of the previous book, kept the same main characters as a reliable and powerful force in the book yet somehow this book still has a completely different feeling to it and is wonderfully original. In the previous book, we were tasked as readers to find out the culprits. In this book, the timelines help us to know, or at least think we know, the story behind this kidnapping. But how will it end?

I have to admit that I found myself both reading this on my Kindle and listening to it on audio, as I just didn’t want to put it down! I found this book to be as addictive and gripping as the first book in the series, and I have absolutely loved it.

“You never know with people. You never know what secrets they harbour, or the personal agendas that drive them.”

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I am a massive fan of domestic drama and mystery. It is probably my favourite genre, so I am very excited today to bring you this gripping and original novel.

Blurb:

How far would you go to right a wrong?

Nine months ago, Tess’s five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. The driver, Brady Becker, was sentenced to two years in prison. It didn’t make Tess’s pain go away.

Brady also has a daughter: A twelve-year-old named Eve who walks to Chandler Middle School every day. Tess knows this because she’s been watching Eve for the last three weeks. It isn’t fair that Brady’s daughter gets to live, while Tess’s daughter does not.

When Eve goes missing, all eyes turn to Tess, who doesn’t have an alibi. But Tess isn’t guilty. Or so she believes.

My thoughts:

Would you do everything in your power to protect your child, no matter what the cost?

I was engaged in this book from the opening pages. They tell us about someone stalking a child or young girl. I didn’t expect it to be a woman, and I was completely unsure as to why Tess is following her, until we read further into the book. This definitely hooked me into the story and I was eager to find out more.

“Lily was my world, and I was hers, while Josh was mostly a tourist.”

This book explores complex familial relationships and includes complex characters that are well developed and interesting. As the layers of their personality are revealed, and we get to know more about them, we come to realise that they are flawed and struggling through. I obviously felt sorry for Tess and the situation she was in, but I disliked the way she judged others and their coping mechanisms.

The writer cleverly used the narrative devices of letters and notes. The fact that the letter, from Tess’ brother Colin, is revealed to Tess and not to us creates further tension and intrigue. The notes, delivered in red envelopes, with all the connotations that go with that, also create a threatening and strained atmosphere within the plot.

Overall, this has been a twisty and compelling read that explores quite difficult issues, including death, abuse and secrets. I have found the story to be complex, original and I was unable to predict where it was going.

“Hope, above all else, is the most dangerous cargo we choose to carry.”

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I was attracted to this book by the gorgeously artistic cover, which I also found to be a little haunting due to the facial expressions of the characters and the mostly dark colours. I was also intrigued by the tag line “How far would you go to fit in?” I couldn’t wait to pick this one up as it sounded like a completely compelling read about survival and acceptance.

Blurb:

Fortune favours the fraud…

When she was thirteen years old, Ada Howell lost not just her father, but the life she felt she was destined to lead. Now, at eighteen, Ada is given a second chance when her wealthy godmother gifts her with an extravagant art history trip to Italy.

In the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome, she finally finds herself among the kind of people she aspires to be: sophisticated, cultured, privileged. Ada does everything in her power to prove she is one of them. And when a member of the group dies in suspicious circumstances, she seizes the opportunity to permanently bind herself to this gilded set.

But everything hidden must eventually surface, and when it does, Ada discovers she’s been keeping a far darker secret than she could ever have imagined…

My thoughts:

I was completely hooked by the opening line. The narrator says: “Inevitably, I blame my mother.” I wondered, what she blamed her mother for and what was going to happen to cause issues between the usually close and unbreakable bond of mother and child.

I really identified with the character’s relationship with her stepfather. Her real father is an absent figure, but her stepfather steps in and steps up. He is completely accepting of the situation of Ada’s mother as a single mother. She tells us: “Daddy wasn’t sure which one of us he fell in love with first.” He tells her: “I might not have made you Ada, but I chose you.” My eldest daughter’s real dad is also not involved in her life, and this brought a tear to my eye as I drew comparisons with the close relationship between my eldest daughter and my partner.

I loved the settings described in the book. Firstly, we have rural, rugged and rich Garreg Las in my beautiful home country of Wales, and then we are quickly whisked into a wonderfully escapist Italian setting, where we are able to explore issues of class, culture and keeping up appearances.

There is a intriguingly deep psychological element to this book, about memories and self projection. The author explores issues around how we form memories, and remember things, the way our mind works to piece memories together, to forge new memories or only focus on certain ones etc. She also considers how our projected selves can be quite different to our ‘real selves’, and all of this is wrapped up in the theme of belonging in the book.

I found it interesting that, as a writer making the bridge between YA and adult novels, Laura chose to focus much of the narrative on adolescents as they deal with and are faced with ‘adult’ issues, including love, death and rejection. The action is quite minor at first, with the narrative mostly contemplative and thought-driven, with the odd comment or argument to spark a bit of tension, until it becomes much darker and we are faced with a rather unsettling and upsetting reality. The meaning of “the favour” is revealed, and from this point onwards I was completely hooked.

This is a slower paced read than my usual, but it is definitely an absorbing and wonderful read, that explores some interesting issues and themes. There are some unexpected and eye-opening twists towards the end, which add another layer of drama and provide a different perspective from which to see the story from. A highly sophisticated and carefully constructured novel.