BLOG TOUR: Rainbows and Lollipops - Mo Fanning

THREE FRIENDS. ONE UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER.

Set against the backdrop of the troubled British summer of 2024, Rainbows and Lollipops weaves together three lives in a warm, witty, and unflinching story about love, loss, and the families we choose.

When Jake met Tom, he thought he'd left Birmingham's gay bars behind forever-until a twist of fate lands him back in his childhood bedroom, sleeping under glow-in-the-dark stars.

Vicky, an ambitious lawyer and lifelong loner, has her life meticulously planned-until threats emerge that no power suit or clever argument can fix.

Lucy has planned every detail of her wedding down to the perfect petals-but "happily ever after" comes with a question mark.

As secrets unravel and lives collide, Jake, Vicky, and Lucy discover that family isn't always blood-it's the people who show up when everything falls apart.

Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary, Mhairi McFarlane, and Dolly Alderton, Rainbows and Lollipops blends biting social commentary with heartfelt humour and emotional depth in a story about resilience, queer joy, and the surprising places we find our true selves.

 

What did I think?

Mo Fanning shot straight onto my favourite author's list when I read Husbands so I couldn't wait to read his next book, Rainbows and Lollipops, and it is just fabulous, firmly cementing Mo's place on my favourites list.  It gave me all of the feels and it is well named as I experienced a rainbow of emotions whilst reading it.

Written like a TV series, it's definitely a 'one-more-chapter' kind of a book and I absolutely raced through it.  The characters are so vivid and well-developed and, just like real life, it's not all rainbows and lollipops so I can't say that I loved them all as there were a few I loved to hate.

I loved the stories of the three main characters, Jake, Vicky and Lucy.  I just wanted to reach into the book and give them all a hug, especially Jake whose story had me reaching for the tissues to dry my tears.  Vicky's story is very powerful and moving and Lucy just wants someone to love her.  It's almost making me sob just thinking about them now!  Such emotion is what makes their friendship so strong and unbreakable.

As the strapline states, the story takes place in one unforgettable summer and this is certainly one unforgettable and unputdownable book.  It's an easy five stars and deserves as many stars as there are raindrops in the sky.  Exquisite, perfect and incredibly emotional, Rainbows and Lollipops is one of the best books I have read this year.  Very highly recommended.

I received a gifted ARC to read and review and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

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About the author:

Page Turner Award finalist Mo Fanning is a part-time novelist, part-time stand-up comic and full-time potty-mouthed homosexual.

Birmingham-based Mo crafts deeply emotional, character-driven stories that blend humour, heartbreak and hope.  With a commitment to authentic LGBTQ+ representation, his work explores the messy, beautiful realities of love, loss and resilience through characters readers can't help but root for.

When not writing, Mo enjoys immersing himself in Birmingham's vibrant culture and finding inspiration in its streets, stories and people.

Follow Mo Fanning:

Website: https://mofanning.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormofanning

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mofanning.co.uk

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormofanning

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

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GIVEAWAY: Husbands - Mo Fanning

I recently had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Husbands by Mo Fanning and I absolutely loved it - you can read my review by clicking HERE.  

As part of the blog tour, Hannah Hargrave PR has offered me a paperback copy to giveaway to one one lucky reader based in the UK.  You can enter via my posts on Instagram and X (links below), but first find out a little bit more about the book:

In Hollywood, every pavement star tells a story. Not all of them shine.

Wannabe actor Kyle Macdonald is down on his luck. Working as a supply teacher in an inner-city Birmingham school, he's single again at 28, and sleeping in his childhood bedroom beneath a 'Hard Candy' Madonna poster.

He gets a call claiming he drunkenly married top Hollywood director Aaron Biedermeier in Vegas six years ago. Rather than panic, he sees a golden ticket to fame and the life he's always fantasised about.

But the glamorous veneer of Los Angeles - non-stop sunshine, celebrity actors and exclusive hotel suites - starts to crack, revealing a darker, corrupt underbelly to La-La Land. Kyle digs deeper into his so-called husband's past, unearthing disturbing allegations of abuse and underage sex parties.

With the help of Biedermeier's fiancé, actor Noah Winters, he embarks on a cross-country race to unravel the mystery and expose the truth - finding love along the way.

 

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Now for the giveaway!

Instagram: @the_bookmagnet

X: @thebookmagnet

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Husbands: Love and Lies in La-La Land - Mo Fanning

In Hollywood, every pavement star tells a story. Not all of them shine.

Wannabe actor Kyle Macdonald is down on his luck. Working as a supply teacher in an inner-city Birmingham school, he's single again at 28, and sleeping in his childhood bedroom beneath a 'Hard Candy' Madonna poster.

He gets a call claiming he drunkenly married top Hollywood director Aaron Biedermeier in Vegas six years ago. Rather than panic, he sees a golden ticket to fame and the life he's always fantasised about.

But the glamorous veneer of Los Angeles - non-stop sunshine, celebrity actors and exclusive hotel suites - starts to crack, revealing a darker, corrupt underbelly to La-La Land. Kyle digs deeper into his so-called husband's past, unearthing disturbing allegations of abuse and underage sex parties.

With the help of Biedermeier's fiancé, actor Noah Winters, he embarks on a cross-country race to unravel the mystery and expose the truth - finding love along the way.

 

What did I think?

I am so pleased that I picked up Husbands by Mo Fanning as I absolutely loved it.  Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down and wished I'd started it earlier in the day as I was furious that I had to put it down to go to sleep.  

Husbands touches on some serious subjects that completely broke my heart as these things really happened to lots of young actors but Mo Fanning writes respectfully and sensitively whilst still highlighting these issues.  The story itself is very entertaining and it's filled with dark humour that made me laugh out loud.

Most of my laughs came from the main character Kyle, or 'Kyle, man!' as I referred to him in my head every time he did something stupid (so pretty much all the time).  Only Kyle could drunk marry a Hollywood director in Las Vegas, go home to Birmingham (England) and completely forget about it.  Kyle, man!  Your acting dreams could have come true!   

So telling his parents he's off to Manchester (Kyle, man!), Kyle jumps on a plane and dives into the shark infested waters of LA LA Land.  Thank goodness he told his friend Milly where he was going - she deserves a medal for trying to keep him out of trouble.  What follows is an adventure-filled road trip with Kyle's husband's new fiancé to discover the truth about what actually happened in Vegas.

Hugely entertaining, dark and addictive, Husbands is as bingeworthy as a Netflix series and is surely destined to make it on to our screens in the future.  I loved the beginning, the middle and the end - very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon