BLOG TOUR: Isaac and the Egg - Bobby Palmer

When Isaac Addy walks into the woods on the worst day of his life and finds something extraordinary there, he already knows he's going to take it home.

A grieving Isaac and his curious new friend are unlikely companions. They don't even speak the same language. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac's life in ways he cannot yet imagine.

And maybe he will finally be able to tell the truth.

Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them. Isaac and the Egg is one of the most hopeful, honest and wildly imaginative novels you will ever read.

 

What did I think?

I had seen a lot of excitement on social media about #ThatEggBook so I couldn't wait to read it; now I can see why everyone is talking about it as I absolutely loved it.  It really is an emotional rollercoaster; it's proper laugh out loud funny one minute and sob into your hanky heartbreaking the next.

Isaac is emotionally lost and my heart went out to him almost immediately - I wished I could have reached into the book and hugged him, but then he found Egg.  Egg!!!  I adored Egg - I don't think I have ever laughed so much when reading a book.  Egg's naivety and innocence completely stole my heart and I love how Bobby Palmer's vivid writing brings both Egg and Isaac to life.

This is very much a light and dark novel: there's Egg's hilarity that provides light entertainment and cracked me up (I had to get an egg pun in somewhere) and Isaac's devastating story that broke my heart.  It's so perfectly balanced and beautifully written that I had to triple check that this was Bobby Palmer's debut novel.

Original, unmissable and unforgettable, Isaac and the Egg will steal your heart and never return it.  It will make you laugh and cry but also make you want to read it all over again.  It's off to the favourites shelf for Isaac and the Egg.  If I compiled a books of the year list, Isaac and the Egg would definitely be on it.  Very highly recommended - don't miss it!

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Bobby Palmer is a freelance journalist who writes for publications including Time Out, GQ, Men's Health and Cosmopolitan. Isaac and the Egg is his debut novel.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @thebobpalmer

Instagram: @thebobpalmer

Website: www.bobbypalmer.co.uk

Follow the tour:

A Gift Called Hope - Eva Jordan

A heartfelt novel of a Christmas shadowed by loss and regret—and brightened by hope for renewal—from the author of Time Will Tell.

 

Six-year-old Jack is counting the days to Christmas. But his grandmother is just counting the days until it’s over. For Jill, the holiday comes with painful memories, and she wants only to escape the recent past and its tragedies.

 

She’s moved and started a new life running a food truck in Widmore Bay, a quaint seaside town, in order to flee her agonising history.

 

It’s only for little Jack’s sake that Jill tolerates the tree and decorations. She just wants to spend Christmas with the curtains drawn, reading a book and drinking coffee.

 

But this season, she may stumble onto a miracle that restores joy—and hope—in her heart . . .

 

What did I think?

I've been a huge fan of Eva Jordan since reading her fantastic debut, 183 Times a Year so I was very excited to read her latest novel, A Gift Called Hope.  I don't think I can write a review that does this book justice as it didn't just blow me away, it completely broke me.  I cried BUCKETS!  Although I prefer reading physical books, this is one occasion where I was grateful to be reading a kindle copy as I couldn't stop my tears from dropping onto the digital pages.

So you may have realised by now that this isn't a sparkly festive Christmas book; it's a book filled with emotion as main character Jill struggles to cope with her grief following tragic events on a Christmas day that she will never forget.  You find out quite early on about Jill's loss and even though I was expecting it, the flashbacks that reveal what happened completely broke me.  I will never forget Jill taking that telephone call and I've got a lump in my throat just thinking about it now.

Whilst there is a lot of sadness in this book, there is also fun and laughter as Jill makes a new life for herself and her grandson in a small seaside town.  Jill's Irish neighbour Mary cracked me up on many an occasion as Eva Jordan perfectly balances the darkness of grief with the lightness of laughter.

Jill's grief is portrayed in such a way that it's almost a character in itself as she experiences guilt, anger and blame but ultimately acceptance and hope (as the book title suggests).  I felt all of the emotions with her as I was completely invested in her story.  I left a piece of my heart in this fabulous book, which ensures I will return for a reread in the near future.

A Gift Called Hope isn't just a rollercoaster of emotions, it's a whole fairground.  I cried tears of sadness and laughed until I cried but overall I felt the uplifting emotion of hope, the gift that Eva Jordan is giving all her readers this year.  Simply wonderful and completely unmissable - worthy of five stars and more.

Many thanks to Eva Jordan for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon