They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

 

A love story with a difference - an unforgettable tale of life, loss and making each day count.

On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day. 

Another beautiful, heartbreaking and life-affirming book from the brilliant Adam Silvera, author of More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, What If It's Us, Here's To Us and the Infinity Cycle series.

What did I think?

I've had my eye on They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera for quite a while so I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Tandem Collective readalong.  

It's such an original idea for a world where each person who is going to die that day gets a call from Death-Cast to let them know today is the day.  With one day left to live there are things to do and people to see but simply not enough time to do everything you haven't done, especially if you're teenagers like Mateo and Rufus.

Mateo and Rufus don't know each other at the start of the book but they find each other through the Last Friend app and together they cram as much into their last day as they possibly can.  As well as chapters about Mateo and Rufus, there are a lot of chapters about other characters who either did or didn't get the call from Death-Cast and I loved how they all linked together like a finely woven fabric.

Whilst it is sad, it wasn't as heartbreaking as I expected as I had the whole book to come to terms with the two main characters both dying at the end...it says so in the very title.  It's their last day of living that the book is all about and it's really thought-provoking and strangely uplifting.  Why is it that we only decide to really live when we're told we are about to die?

The book also had me questioning how I would feel about getting a call from Death-Cast and whilst it would be devastating and scary it also made me think about the days where I didn't get a call.  As someone who worries about her loved ones dying, it takes the worry out of every day if you know they will get a call on the day it will inevitably happen.

Highly original and incredibly thought-provoking, They Both Die at the End is a massive wake-up call to live your best day every day.  It feels strange to say I enjoyed it but I really did and I will be most surprised if it doesn't end up being made into a film or miniseries.  An unforgettable and highly recommended read.

I received a gifted copy to read for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Wild About You - Sophie Loxton

She’s had enough of saying yes. But what if someone drives her wild enough to change her mind…?

 

Anna Whitlock is done being nice.  After a lifetime of saying yes to everything - work deadlines, sponsored runs, impromptu drinks and (especially) her fiancé Sean - everything Anna has worked so hard for falls apart in one terrible afternoon. With a broken heart she heads to the countryside to start again. 

 

The glorious Stonemore Estate in the wilderness of Northumberland holds more than enough distraction for a city girl.  There’s Callum, the gorgeous estate manager, and an enthusiastic beagle called Hugo.  And then there’s Jamie, Stonemore’s sexy but emotionally unavailable owner, who seems to be hell-bent on making Anna’s rewilding job as difficult as possible. 

 

But when romance with Callum begins to flourish is her newfound resolve to stop people-pleasing about to falter? And why can’t she stop thinking about Jamie? Can she really start to put herself first and let herself say yes to the thing which will make her happiest, falling truly madly wildly in love…?

 

What did I think?

I picked up Wild About You based solely on its eye-catching cover so it was a lovely surprise to find that it is based in my neighbouring county of Northumberland.  The rugged landscape provides a stunning backdrop to this heartwarming romance and I absolutely adored it.

Anna Whitlock certainly needs to invest in a big coat when she moves from London to Northumberland to start her new job and to heal her broken heart.  Anna really didn't want to fall in love, especially not with the lord of the manor, so she pushes Jamie away whenever they're in danger of getting too close.  Jamie has buried his feelings his whole life so he keeps his guard up too and there's a wonderful will they/won't they running through the story.

Anna and Jamie's burgeoning romance reminded me a little of my old favourite Cinderella story: The Slipper and the Rose.  It is clear that the pair have feelings for each other but Anna doesn't think she's the right woman for Jamie so she pushes him towards the awful Lucinda, who has her sights set on becoming the lady of the manor and is planning to announce her engagement to Jamie at the ball.

Oh I really wanted to knock Anna and Jamie's heads together!  The heart wants what the heart wants and they are miserable apart but I can understand Anna's reasoning for stepping back from Jamie, although it doesn't mean I have to like it!

Charming, heartwarming and incredibly romantic, Wild About You is a gorgeous novel that was an absolute pleasure to read.  I am adding this to my favourites shelf as I definitely want to virtually visit the beautiful Stonemore Estate again.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Memory of Us - Dani Atkins

If you can't trust your head, can you trust your heart?

If she had been found moments later, Amelia's heart would have stopped and never recovered. Instead she was taken from the desolate beach to the nearest hospital just in time to save her life. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia's heart is beating, but the accident has implanted a series of false memories. These memories revolve around a man named Sam, and a perfect love story that never existed.

Determined to help her sister, Lexi enlists the help of Nick, a local vet who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia's dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.

But as love starts to stir between Lexi and Nick, they must navigate a complex web of emotions. How can Lexi fall for Amelia's dream man without hurting her sister?

Filled with breathtaking romance, heart-wrenching emotion, the magic of destiny and the power of sisterhood, The Memory of Us is a must-read for fans of Holly Miller and Colleen Hoover.

 

What did I think?

Dani Atkins is one of my favourite authors so I was delighted to get an invitation to join the blog tour for new noveI, The Memory of Us.  Oh my word, this beautiful book broke me into a million pieces and I didn't simply cry, I sobbed through the second half of it.  I had to put the book down on numerous occasions to dry my eyes or the book would've ended up in as soggy a mess as I was.

A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news and Lexi jumps on the first available plane home to visit her sister Amelia in hospital.  Amelia is lucky to be alive but she's not the same girl as she was before her accident; Amelia thinks that she has a husband called Sam but her family know that Sam doesn't exist.  

It's heartbreaking when Amelia looks to the door of her room every time she hears footsteps in the corridor but she is waiting for a man who will never appear.  Upset and frustrated by her family's doubts about Sam's existence, Amelia draws a picture of him and in a strange twist of fate Lexi meets Nick, who looks just like Amelia's drawing.

This book is filled with so much love that it bursts out of the pages and I absorbed every drop of it into my heart.  I cared about the characters so much that I couldn't contain my emotions and I was so riveted to the book that I kept trying to read even when my eyes were blurring with tears.

The Memory of Us is a beautiful and unforgettable multifaceted love story that is filled with emotion.  I simply adored it and I plan to read it again, although I'm sure I will still cry my eyes out at the same points of the story.  I really can't recommend it highly enough and make sure you have a box of tissues handy when you read it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Ghosted - Emily Barr

Ariel's accidental meeting with a handsome stranger called Joe is completely perfect; they have a connection like she's never known before. They exchange numbers and agree to meet when he is back from a trip to France. But when Ariel messages him, the number Joe gave her is disconnected. He's ghosted her. She assumes she will never see him again.

Except she does. Again and again.

Ariel returns to the place she and Joe met, and is stunned to find him there, not in France as he said he'd be, and behaving as if he has no idea who she is.

It turns out that their first meeting has been life-changing for them both, actually it's even more than that for Joe. But what do you do when - with every day that passes - you're literally growing apart from the best person you've ever known . . . ?

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, this beautiful book almost broke me; it’s so emotional and I struggled to hold in my tears at the end.  It’s a highly original love story and a very intriguing mystery that ensures the reader can’t bear to tear their eyes away from the page. 

Officially a YA book, Ghosted can also be read and enjoyed by adults.  Although the characters are teenagers, their age becomes irrelevant as I was swept away with emotion due to the beautiful love story.  I absolutely adored Ariel and Joe, a couple who appear destined to be together despite the years that separate them.

It’s like a cross between Groundhog Day and Ghost as Ariel and Joe meet each other for the first time, over and over again.  Joe went missing before his school trip to France and nobody knows what happened to him.  Ariel is determined to solve the mystery of Joe’s disappearance but in doing so, she might lose him forever.

Ghosted is filled with so much emotion that it is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.  The romance and mystery together is a winning combination and I would absolutely love to see it made into a film.  It’s a book I would read again and I can easily see it becoming a favourite book of mine; one that I will return to again and again to experience the wonderful story within.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Ask Again, Yes - Mary Beth Keane

A gripping and compassionate drama of two families linked by chance, love and tragedy

Gillam, upstate New York: a town of ordinary, big-lawned suburban houses. The Gleesons have recently moved there and soon welcome the Stanhopes as their new neighbours.

Lonely Lena Gleeson wants a friend but Anne Stanhope - cold, elegant, unstable - wants to be left alone.

It's left to their children - Lena's youngest, Kate, and Anne's only child, Peter - to find their way to one another. To form a friendship whose resilience and love will be almost broken by the fault line dividing both families, and by the terrible tragedy that will engulf them all.

A tragedy whose true origins only become clear many years later . . .

A story of love and redemption, faith and forgiveness, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood - villains lose their menace, and those who appeared innocent seem less so.

A story of how, if we're lucky, the violence lurking beneath everyday life can be vanquished by the power of love.

What did I think?

The reputation of this book preceded it, so I didn't hesitate when offered a spot on the blog tour.  This is one of those books that you know is going to be special from the very first page; when Mary Beth Keane describes something as mundane as a pair of tights hanging on a washing line in such ethereal detail I knew I was holding a thing of beauty in my hands.  

Ask Again, Yes is a tale of two families.  Both of Irish descent, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope met each other as rookie cops in New York.  Years later, they meet as family men when Brian and Anne move next door to Francis and Lena.  Lena is a new mother when she welcomes Anne to the street, but the alarm bells go off straight away as something isn't quite right with Anne.  Despite Lena's attempts at friendship, Anne is aloof and frosty and she doesn't thaw as the years go by.  As the two families grow up together, Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope become inseparable and, despite Anne's best efforts to separate them, the course of their life is written. 

This is such a beautifully written, completely engrossing book.  I think because we are introduced to Kate and Peter from birth, it feels like we are part of the family.  As things happen to shock and surprise us, it's very easy to see facts in black and white and condemn the perpetrator, but delving into the background reveals the full shocking story and my opinion definitely changed.

Such a multi-faceted story, Ask Again, Yes, is  both a moving family saga and a beautiful realistic love story.  For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, and through all the ups and downs of life Ask Again, Yes reminds us that we wouldn't change a single thing and if we're asked again we would always say 'yes'.  If ever a book is going to be described as a work of art, this is it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Moments - Natalie Winter

Life is made up of countless moments. Moments that make us who we are. But what if they don't unfold the way they're supposed to...?

What if you get on the wrong bus, or don't speak to the right person at a party, or stay in a job that isn't for you? Will you miss your one chance at happiness? Or will happiness find you eventually, when the moment is right?

Meet Matthew and Myrtle. They have never really felt like they fitted - in life or with anyone else. But they are meant to be together - if only they can find each other.

A powerful and emotional story about missed chances, interwoven lives and the moments that define us.

What did I think?

I thought my heart was going to burst as I read The Moments; thankfully, it wasn't my heart but my tear ducts as floods of tears streamed down my face and blurred the beautiful words on the page before me.  I couldn't stop reading though, so I read through my mix of sad and happy tears and rather wonderfully felt like I'd been lit up from within as The Moments didn't just steal my heart, it stole my soul.  

Myrtle and Matthew are two halves of one whole but they don't know it yet.  As we follow them through their lives from birth, with chapters alternating between Myrtle and Matthew, I found myself holding my breath in anticipation several times as their paths so very nearly crossed.  As the tension built of 'almost' and 'so very nearly', I willed the stars to align so that the pair would meet and be hit by the proverbial thunderbolt.  Feeling sad as the years progressed and Myrtle and Matthew still hadn't met, Natalie Winter reminded us not to dwell on the missed years but rather to accept that maybe they will meet exactly when they're supposed to.

I think because we meet the two main characters as they are born, I really felt as if I was part of their lives.  We're present for all of their trials and tribulations, the highs and lows of their lives and privy to their personal insecurities.  Neither of them realise how special they are and I do think that this type of insecurity transmits a virtual signal deterring would be mates.  Of course when the right person comes along, the 'I'm not worthy' signal magically stops transmitting and everything becomes right with the world.  I'm speaking from experience here, which is why Myrtle and Matthew's story resonated so strongly with me; it took long enough but thankfully it didn't take me quite so long to find my other half.

So very highly recommended, do not miss this book especially if you love books by David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes.  The Moments actually affected me more than One Day and Me Before You and I really can't praise Natalie Winter highly enough.  If this is her debut, I really can't wait to see what she writes next.

Written so beautifully, The Moments is undoubtedly a 5 star book but this simply does not suffice; it deserves to be awarded every star in the universe.  This scintillating book touched both my heart and soul and is most definitely my favourite book of the year; it's so good that I could read it all over again right now.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris

I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.

In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. 

Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.

So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.

What did I think?

When I won a competition to pick 3 books from Wordery, the first book on my list was The Tattooist of Auschwitz; the book that everyone seemed to be talking about.  We all know the story of Auschwitz and just thinking about it is enough to give me goosebumps, which is why I was surprised to feel so emotionally detached when reading this book.

Don't get me wrong, it is a powerful story of love conquers all and Lale's eternal love for Gita is very evident throughout the story.  I just didn't feel any of the horror and sadness that you would normally associate with a story set in Auschwitz.  Maybe that's a good thing though, and a conscious decision by Heather Morris to concentrate on the positives, as it was quite a refreshing change to see that something good came out of Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Lale's survival in Auschwitz is down to him being a bit of a wheeler dealer and he reminded me a bit of Del Boy; ducking and diving and getting people things that they asked for.  In that situation, everyone does what they need to do to survive and Lale kind of fell into becoming the Tätowierer.  What an awful job and one that I'm sure nobody would volunteer for, but if he hadn't been tattooing numbers on new entrants to the camp then he may have never met Gita.

I think you could tell that the story was originally written as a screenplay as the characters felt very one dimensional and flat, something that I'm sure would be rectified when shown on the screen.  Due to this, I didn't really connect or empathise with any of the characters.  I suppose the one that does spring to mind is Cilka, another prisoner who does what she has to do to stay alive and to protect her friends.  I'm not surprised to see that Cilka's story is the follow up to this book and I'm quite looking forward to reading it.

So even though I'm not raving about it, I still think it was a worthwhile read.  It's a quick, easy read and I think if I hadn't believed the hype about it being a weepy, emotional story I would probably have enjoyed the story of Lale and Gita's love against the odds a whole lot more.

I think everyone should read The Tattooist of Auschwitz and make up their own mind, however, I have no doubt that it will be a resounding success when it makes it to our screens.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Outremer I - DN Carter

Who Controls The Past Controls The Future

An epic love story must overcome religious divide and a plot to eradicate two blood lines, as the Crusades and the search for the ancient mysteries of the Holy Grail gather momentum.

Raised by his father in La Rochelle, France, Paul Plantavalu is known for his artistic nature, inquisitive mind and Christian faith. He also has an unshakable love for his Muslim childhood friend, Alisha al Komaty. Courageous and outspoken, she returns Paul’s love. But their path is paved with obstacles; religion, war, political chaos and a mysterious enemy determined to destroy their family lines.

Sometime between 1110 AD and 1120 AD in the aftermath of the first crusade, a small band of nine knights — the founding knights Templar — recover ancient precious artefacts left by a former, advanced civilisation, beneath the City of Jerusalem. Ruthlessly guarded, the secrets revealed by this discovery are highly prized by powerful and dangerous forces far and wide; the repercussions of their capture are inextricably linked to Paul and Alisha. As Paul starts to experience dark and vivid dreams and the fragile balance of peace starts to crumble, it will fall to an enigmatic man known as Kratos and his female warrior protégée Abi Shadana, to safeguard Paul and Alisha.

Paul and Alisha’s love story weaves between the threads of our reality and other realms — from the Druids to the Sufi mystics, the Magi of the East, the secret political arm of the Knights Templar and the Isma’ilis, the Assassins. Knights and pilgrims alike will witness some of the darkest battles ever fought. The discovery of a unique sword’s lethal power and whispered connections to King Arthur and the Holy Grail lead Paul and Alisha to question if their lives ever be the same again.

The first of a four-part series, Outremer is an historical epic, which sweeps across England, Scotland and France, to Syria, Jerusalem and Egypt. Discover the truth — and crack the ancient code — behind the great mysteries of the High Middle Ages for yourself.

What did I think?

I admit to feeling slightly daunted when faced with the HUGE brick of a book that is Outremer, which showed as 23 hours of reading time on kindle.  Thankfully, I had both a physical and a digital copy so I swapped between paperback and kindle now and then to give my puny arm muscles a well-deserved break.  On turning the first page there is a helpful list of main characters with some amazing images so we don't even have to imagine what each character looks like.  I have to say that there are a lot of characters so it did take me quite a while to get into the book, but once I did I found that I couldn't wait to read the next instalment in this riveting story.

The story of Paul and Alisha is cleverly told through the words of a sword-wielding stranger taking shelter at an inn in France.  As he tells his epic tale to the patrons of the inn, they became as eager for the next part of the story as I did.  Paul is a Christian who falls in love with Alisha, his best friend's sister who is a Muslim.  Due to their different religions, they fear that they can never be together but their fate has already been mapped and their fathers arrange an ancient ceremony so that they can be married.  As they travel across the lands to protect their bloodline, they encounter many who would harm them but equally as many who would die for them.

I felt as if I could be sat around the fire in the inn myself, as the stranger discussed the origins of legends, words and biblical history.  I am rather partial to ancient history, particularly Egyptian history, so I found this absolutely fascinating.  Often, my eyes would widen in surprise as the origins of many words were revealed and I found myself recounting this information, like the stranger in the inn, to my own captive audience.

Despite it being such a huge epic novel, I felt as if we have only just begun to scratch the surface of the amazing story that DN Carter has to tell us.  It's an epic story that will delight any historical fiction lover, and make you look at ancient history in a completely different light.  Although it makes Game of Thrones look like a novella, do not be put off by the size of Outremer as once you get into it you will realise that it's not even nearly long enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am delighted to release my review as part of the blog tour.

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About the author:

After strange and vivid experiences whilst living in Cyprus as a child, author D N Carter has been fascinated by the history, myths and legends of the Middle Ages and mankind’s past. As he got older travels to Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Languedoc region of France and the deserts of Arabia fuelled his enthusiasm. While not decoding maps and mathematical codes D N Carter enjoys adventure sports from parachuting to microlight flying. Today he divides his time between East Anglia in the UK and the south of France with his family.

Summer in Tintagel - Amanda James

We all have secrets…… 

Ambitious journalist Rosa Fernley has been asked to fulfil her grandmother Jocelyn's dying wish. Jocelyn has also passed on a secret - in the summer of 1968, fleeing from the terror of a bullying husband, she visited the mysterious Tintagel Castle. Jocelyn wasn't seeking love, but she found it on the rugged clifftops in the shape of Jory, a local man as enigmatic and alluring as the region itself. But she was already married, and knew her husband would never let her find happiness and peace in Jory's arms. 

Now as her days are nearing their end, she begs Rosa to go back to Tintagel, but is unwilling, or unable, to tell her why. Rosa is reluctant - she has a job in London, a deadline that won't wait and flights of fancy are just not in her nature. Nevertheless, she realises it might be the last thing she will do for her beloved grandmother and agrees to go. 

Once in Tintagel, Rosa is challenged to confront secrets of her own, as shocking events threaten to change everything she has ever believed about herself and her family. She also meets a guide to the castle, Talan, a man who bears a striking resemblance to Jory. 

Will the past remain cloaked in tragedy, sadness and the pain of unrequited love? Or can Rosa find the courage and strength to embrace the secrets of the past, and give hope to the future?

What did I think?

I absolutely loved this book.  I read almost two thirds of it in one sitting and I managed to start and finish it in the same day.  The writing flowed effortlessly and it was so descriptive that I felt as if I was actually in Tintagel myself.  Although it sounds fictional, Tintagel is actually a real place with an impressive castle ruin that is steeped in Arthurian myth and legend.  A few chapters in, I googled the castle and was amazed to find that it was exactly as I had imagined from Amanda James' vivid description.

Rosa is looking after her terminally ill grandmother, Jocelyn, when Jocelyn decides to tell Rosa a secret that she has kept buried for many years.  Jocelyn tells Rosa of a brief visit she made to Tintagel when she was fleeing from her abusive husband.  It was during her visit to Tintagel that Jocelyn fell in love with Jory but, despite their strong feelings, Jocelyn returned to her husband leaving Jory heartbroken.

Jocelyn asks Rosa to visit Tintagel to follow in her footsteps and remind her of the precious time she spent there.  Tintagel is a magical little village, popular with tourists and it even has its very own white witch, Morganna.  Rosa doesn't believe in anything paranormal as her father brought her up to believe that science can explain everything, but in a magical place like Tintagel it isn't long before Rosa is seeing and hearing things that science cannot explain.  Rosa does literally follow in her grandmother's footsteps when she falls in love with Talan, a local man who bears a striking resemblance to Jory.  Has a greater power brought them together?  One which couldn't give a happy ending to Jory and Jocelyn.

I fell completely under the spell of Summer in Tintagel; it is a superbly atmospheric book and I was enthralled by every page from beginning to end.  With vivid descriptions and a stunning location, make sure you visit Amanda James' Tintagel this year.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Urbane Publications, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Everything Love Is - Claire King

From the author of The Night Rainbow: a poignant, mysterious and unforgettable story of love, and of the happy endings we conceive for ourselves

What I want is something that makes me feel alive. Joy, passion, despair, something to remember or something to regret. I want to have my breath taken away. 

Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people's happiness. Moored on his houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, yet remains careful never to make waves of his own.

Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to rediscover passion and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid. 

However, it is Baptiste's new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste's determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother's legacy finally reveals itself, he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.

What did I think?

Everything Love Is has to be the most hauntingly beautiful, thought provoking and poignant story I have read this year; it well and truly captured my heart.  I admit that I didn't think I was going to enjoy it at first as I didn't really know what was going on, or indeed from whose point of view I was reading, but then as if the sun appeared from behind a cloud it all became clear.  The confusion is part of the point of the story, you see, as you really do get to step into the shoes of a person with dementia and it quite honestly almost broke my heart.

Baptiste is an orphan after an unconventional entrance into the world.  He was born on a train to a woman in a green coat carrying a violin case.  Unfortunately his mother died during childbirth and he was brought up by the off-duty midwife who delivered him on the train.  Baptiste knows nothing of his ancestors so it is no surprise that he is happy with his own company and lives on a houseboat, named Candice, in Toulouse.  He makes friends with Sophie, a girl working in his local bar who draws birds on her patrons' napkins. Sophie draws a kingfisher for Baptiste, a bird that looks below the surface of the water rather than its own reflection, a skill that Baptiste has as part of his job as a therapist.

Amandine comes to Baptiste's houseboat for therapy, although quite who is the patient and who is the doctor is a bit muddied as Amandine questions Baptiste about his past.  Baptiste falls in love with Amandine but she is his patient so he struggles with his feelings. Throughout the book Baptiste refers, with great affection, to someone with the pet name 'Chouette'; continuing the bird theme, chouette is translated as owl.  Could this be Amandine?

Everything Love Is is most definitely a book to be read twice.  The first read is filled with questions that all become clear on the way through whereas the second read makes it even more poignant as our eyes are wide open from the start.  It is an absolute masterpiece filled with colourful and poetic prose.  Claire King has given us a heart-breaking and poignant insight into a devastating condition - a condition where we lose our loved ones even though they can be standing right in front of us.  A stunning book, both inside and out.

I received this book from the publisher, Bloomsbury, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Other Me - Saskia Sarginson

Eliza Bennet has the life she's always dreamed of. She's who she wants to be, and she's with the man she loves.

But Eliza is living a lie. Her real name is Klaudia Myer. And Klaudia is on the run. She's escaping her old life, and a terrible secret buried at the heart of her family.

This is the story of Eliza and Klaudia - one girl, two lives and a lie they cannot hide from.

What did I think?

I found this really interesting and it's no wonder that Klaudia is so mixed up with all of the secrets hidden within her family!

I enjoyed the story of Otto and Ernst Meyer - two German brothers who didn't know their parents and immediately sign up for the Hitler Youth in order to feel accepted and part of a family.  As their stories unfold we see how deeply the actions of ancestors can affect their descendants.  Klaudia feels more guilt for their actions than her Dad and Uncle do - mainly due to the fact that nobody spoke about their actions, so Klaudia thought the worst and thought it was something to be ashamed of.

It is due to this buried guilt that Klaudia reinvents herself as Eliza Bennet.  She has so many issues that my head was spinning unlike Eliza on stage - she is a ballet dancer who suffers from stagefright.  Her problems really multiply when she meets and falls in love with Cosmo - his grandmother is a holocaust survivor and Eliza feels she has no alternative but to end things with Cosmo.  Despite the silly name, I was rooting for him!

A really interesting book about family secrets with some disturbing final scenes.  A great psychological read examining the effect of the sins of the father.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Little Brown, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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The Book of Lost and Found - Lucy Foley

Wow!  I loved it - this should be made into a film, although obviously with a slight change of title.

The book starts in the 1920's with Tom and Alice meeting several years after they met as children. It then jumps to the 1980's to Kate, an aspiring photographer and daughter of a famous prima ballerina.  Kate's Mum, Julie Darling, was adopted by a lady named Evie and it is Evie who gives Kate a letter claiming to be from Julie's biological mother, Celia.  The letter also contains a drawing...

It is this drawing that sends Kate to Thomas Stafford, a famous painter, who now lives in Corsica.  The descriptions of Corsica are so vivid, I could almost feel the sun on my face and hear the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.  Thomas, through flashbacks, talks to Kate about his history with Alice which leads her on to a meeting with her biological Grandmother, Celia, in New York.

The book swaps effortlessly between the past and the present, describing a love story between Tom and Alice and even giving Kate a love story of her own as she searches for her Grandmother.  It is set in London, Paris, New York and Corsica, each one so descriptive that you feel like you are there, and spanning the period from the 1920's to the present day.

It's a brilliant book - I look forward to more from this author and will be adding this to my recommended list.

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