BLOG TOUR: The Next Chapter - Rebecca Ryan

Lily Brown is ready to turn the page and see what adventure awaits . . .

Lily Brown prides herself on her organised, surprise-free life. Whether it's charity yoga for polar bears or crafting a ninety-six-piece balloon arch, Lily always goes the extra mile. But when her adoptive father asks her to reconnect with her birth mother, Lola Starr – a legendary pop punk singer who vanished from fame – Lily decides to venture off the well-trodden path.

With her best friend Seb, Lily tracks Lola to her humble hotel on the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland, far from the glamorous life she imagined. Hiding the truth, Lily gets to know Lola and finds a kind, free-spirited woman. If life wasn’t complicated enough – she meets Noah, a charming travel writer on a quest to discover hidden gems.  

As Lily takes a chance and embraces new possibilities, she begins to question whether the safe rules she’s built her life around are what she really needs.

 

What did I think?

Oh Rebecca Ryan, if I thought I loved your first two books I positively adored your third!  Good things really do come in threes and The Next Chapter is simply stunning.

Lily has always known she was adopted and, after losing her mum at the tender age of 18, she is devastated to lose her lovely dad.  Her dad's dying wish is that Lily reads a letter he has left her about her birth mother and when she eventually does read it, it throws into doubt everything she thought she knew.

My heart totally went out to Lily as she struggled to cope with both her grief and finding her birth mother, famous singer Lola Starr.  Being a bit of an overthinker myself, it really made me laugh at Lily's thought processes and how well her friends and family know her.  I loved Lily's relationship with her best friend Seb and how they have been friends through thick and thin.

When Lily and Seb head to the Isle of Skye to track down Lola, there's a new twist on the fake dating trope: fake siblings and it's absolutely hilarious.  The lies just spiral out of control and it causes Lily more angst when she falls in love with travel writer Noah.  I can't remember ever laughing so much when reading a romance novel; it is making me smile just thinking about it now.

Beautiful inside and out, The Next Chapter is a fabulous emotional rollercoaster of a book that made me laugh and cry.  With family and friendship at its heart, it's a book that is filled with love and laughter and I can't recommend it highly enough.  An easy five stars!

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

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BLOG TOUR: The Philosophy of Love - Rebecca Ryan

What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?

Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.

Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.

So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.

But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?

 

What did I think?

I absolutely loved Rebecca Ryan's debut novel, My (extra)Ordinary Life, so I was very excited to read her new book, The Philosophy of Love.  Well, just imagine my delight when I found out that it was set just a few miles down the road in Easington Colliery.  What a lovely surprise!

After breaking up with her boyfriend, who was also her boss, Alice suddenly finds herself homeless and unemployed.  So, she packs her meagre belongings and leaves London to live with her parents in a little village in County Durham.  It's not long before Alice bumps into her old schoolfriend Luke and the sexual tension between them virtually sizzles off the page, although neither of them can see it; they're too busy trying to win a bet about love.

The chemistry between Alice and Luke is like a smouldering candle just waiting for a little draught of air to ignite it, but the last place that Alice thinks to look for love is right in front of her.  Of course it would have been a very short story if she had fallen for Luke right away!

As well as the wonderful romance, there's a really strong sense of family and community in the book as the villagers all come together to save their local community centre.  I loved how Alice's family all rallied around her, along with her friends new and old.  Village life in the north-east is depicted beautifully in this book as well as the warmth and friendliness of the people in the region.

Rebecca Ryan admits to using a lot of artistic license to recreate Easington for her readers and her writing is so wonderfully vivid that it really brings the village to life.  Whilst I understand the need to change and embellish some things in the village, it's a shame that the names of a north-east landmark and university were changed.  It didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all though, it's just that I get a kick out of seeing places I know in print. 

                  

Funny, flirty and completely captivating, The Philosophy of Love is filled with north-eastern charm and wit and it delighted me from start to finish.  Rebecca Ryan is certainly one to watch and I definitely consider myself a fan.

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

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BLOG TOUR: My (extra)Ordinary Life - Rebecca Ryan

Have you ever wondered how normal you are? 

What if you were perfectly average? 

More than anyone else. 

For Emily – it's true. When she watches a documentary on the average human she sees her life. Her job, her hair, her favourite food. All of her – plainly, horrifically average. Even her blood group. Right there and then, she decides she wants more. 

She'll travel the world (i.e. venture out of her hometown)

She'll become a vegan (it's interesting to hate cheese, right?) 

She'll do something daring (As long as it's safety tested) 

Nothing will stand in the way of Emily living her best life. Not even Josh and his dimples. Because she absolutely can't fall in love... that would be too ordinary. 

And from now on, Emily is going to be extraordinary. 

 

What did I think?

My (extra)Ordinary Life is an absolutely fantastic debut from Rebecca Ryan; it's a feel-good hug in a book that really puts the reader through the emotional wringer.  It's a romcom with all the feels.

Emily Turner is average and whilst I would say there's nothing wrong with that, the whole reasoning behind why Emily wants to be extraordinary is completely heart-wrenching.  After this wake-up call, Emily creates The Life List and over the next few months, she will do things that ordinary Emily would never have done.  Apart from fall in love - that's not part of the plan at all.

Oh my goodness, I didn't think I had particularly connected with Emily but I found myself choking back tears at the end; in a happy/sad kind of way.  Just seeing a little glimpse of her in the mirror makes my heart ache and I could completely understand why she wanted more from her life.  

It's so beautifully written and I alternated between laughing out loud and holding back tears as I experienced not just a rollercoaster of emotions, but a helter-skelter and bungee jump range of emotions too.  I would love to see it made into a film but I can't promise I wouldn't cry at the end.

Charming, funny and completely wonderful, be prepared to laugh, cry and everything in between when you read My (extra)Ordinary Life.  I loved it!

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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