Book Club: Giovanna Fletcher - You're The One That I Want.

Blurb

Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church.  At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry.  Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had.

And that's the problem.

Because if it wasn't Robert waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben.  Loyal and sensitive, Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned around and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen?  And would he be right?

Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable.  But love changes everything.  Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely?  Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it...

What I thought

I think I actually loved this more than I loved Dream a little Dream - which is a lot.  See my thoughts on that here.  I devoured this book in one sitting - a grand total of 2 hours, I just couldn't tear myself away.  Like with Dream a little Dream, it's such an usual idea for a story (Mrs Fletcher must have some imagination!) but it just works.  I've never read a book before where I've been willing two different relationships to happen - where both include the same person.  It's very strange but it happened! You're the one that I want had me hooked from the start.  I loved that it told the story from each of the three main characters points of view, that way you got to hear the same story but it was never told the same way twice.  As always the characters were warm & endearing and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Maddy, Ben and Robert.  I really hope that this isn't the last we will hear of them.  Maybe book number 5 is the sequel?  I really hope so!  Have you read You're The One That I Want?  If so please let me know what you thought in the comments or follow me on Instagram @lifeinthegingerlane

Next on my list

Since You've Been Gone by Anouska Knight.

I have previously read & reviewed A Part of Me by Anouska Knight & absolutely loved it so when I found what I believe to be her very first novel I just had to buy it!  Especially when it was the bargain price of 50p!  So this week shall be spent reading Since You've Been Gone & I'll get my thoughts up asap!  

What are you reading this week?

xx

Book Club: Giovanna Fletcher - Dream a little Dream

Blurb

Sarah is doing just fine...

Sure, she's been single for the last two years, and has to spend an uncomfortable amount of time around her ex-boyfriend, his perfect new girlfriend and all their mutual friends.  And yes, her job as a PA to one of the most disgusting men in London is mind-numbingly tedious and her career is a constant disappointment to her mother.  But it's really okay.  She's happy(ish).

So it's not surprising that when Sarah starts dreaming about a handsome stranger, she begins to look forward to falling asleep every night.  Reality isn't nearly as exciting.  That is until her dream-stranger makes an unexpected real-life appearance, leaving Sarah questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Because no one ever really finds the person of their dreams...do they?

What I thought

Loved this.  Such an unusual idea for a story but it works brilliantly, I particularly liked how the dream sequences flowed seamlessly with the rest of the story.  Sometimes it was difficult to tell what was a dream and what was reality, which all added to the books charm.  The characters were all warm & relateable - something I've found with most of the people in Giovanna's books.  I tried to take my time reading this, instead of flying through it as I usually do but I ended up finishing it in a day anyway - it's just too good people!  I highly recommend giving this a read, it's perfect to relax with by the pool or on the beach but also offers the perfect escape which is handy if, like me you're in the middle of a typical Scottish summer!  It's so easy to become completely immersed in Sarah's world & forget everything that's happening around you - ideal when it's bucketing down outside!  Dream a little Dream is definitely a new favourite of  mine & I'm going to see if I can get my hands on a copy of the novella - Dream a little Christmas Dream simply because I'm not ready for the story to end! 

Definitely add this to your summer reading list!

Next on my list

You're the one that I want by Giovanna Fletcher

I'm quickly working my way through all of Gi's books and am loving them all so far so can't wait to see what this one has in store for me!

Any recommendations for what I should read once I've finished all 4 of Giovanna Fletchers' books?  Comment below or follow me on instagram @lifeinthegingerlane I'd love to hear from you!

xx

Book Club: Paige Toon - The One We Fell In Love With

Blurb

PHOEBE is caught between a rock and a hard place.  Settle down and get married, or return to the French Alps to pursue her passion?

ELIZA is in love with someone who is no longer hers.  In fact, he probably never was... And her dream of becoming a successful musician seems to be vanishing before her eyes.

ROSE is out of a job and out of a boyfriend.  To make matters worse, she's been forced to move back in with her mother...

But these very different girls have one thing in common.  ANGUS.  The one they fell in love with.

What I thought

I love, love, LOVED this book.  I've read all of Paige Toons' books and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one, I didn't think it was possible to like every single book written by the same author and I'm always wondering if the next book will be the one I don't like.  Well we're 12 books in (not incuding ebook short stories) and it hasn't happened yet, to be honest I highly doubt it ever will.  This book made me laugh out loud, it made me cry in places, it has everything.  Each chapter is like an excerpt from the diary of one of the three main characters - Eliza, Rose and Phoebe, you are instantly drawn in to their lives and want to know more about each of them.  Their lives are intertwined not only because they are identical triplets but also because they have also fallen in love with the same man - Angus.  You hear the same story from each person but because it's from their perspective it's always a different version to the one you've heard before.  I literally could not put this down, I finished it in record time and am now left waiting, as I always am, for the next one.  One of the many things I love about Paige Toon is that over on her website www.paigetoon.com you can sign up for 'The Hidden Paige' where she occasionally shares mini-sequels, extra chapters or short stories told by some of her existing characters.  It's great because at the end of a book you can be left wondering what has happened to the characters - where are they now, what are they doing etc.  With this little gem you are able to keep up to date with your favorite characters and find out things that other readers might not know.

I highly recommend this book and in fact any book written by Paige Toon including her teen fiction series.  They are all fantastic reads and you will not be disappointed.

Next on my list

Dream A Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher

I've already read Billy & Me see here for my review of that.  I'm now working my way through all 4 of Gi's books starting with this one, closely followed by The One That I Want and then her new one Always With Love.  I'm also going to try and squeeze in her two Christmas Novellas - Christmas With Billy & Me and Dream A Little Christmas Dream - wish me luck!!

What are you reading this week?  Follow me on instagram @lifeinthegingerlane and let me know.

xx

Book Club: Helen Warner - RSVP.

Blurb

You are cordially invited to the wedding of the year...

Meet:

Anna, the Heartbroken Ex

Clare, the Best Friend

Ella, the Femme Fatale

Rachel, the Bride-to-Be

It's the day Anna's always dreamed of: The Love of her Life is at the altar, about to say 'I do'.  But that's where the dream ends, because although he's The One, he's about to become another woman's husband.  Or is he ...?

What I thought

It was okay.  I can't say much more to be honest.  I read it, it passed the time but I'm not any better off having read it?  Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different character - Anna, Clare, Ella or Rachel.  Three of them have interesting stories worth reading, but I didn't feel that the chapters about Ella were adding anything to the story.  You could have totally skipped those parts and the story wouldn't have turned out any differently.  The character of Ella played a major part in an event that occurs at the beginning of the book but as the book progresses her character gets smaller so personally I don't see the need to have sections specifically about her as she doesn't really bring anything to the overall story.  Having said that I did enjoy the stories of the other 3 girls and found myself wanting to get back to the book to find out what was happening with them.  It's worth a read but don't expect amazing things from it.

Next on my list 

The one we fell in love with by Paige Toon

I love Paige Toon.  I've read all her books, even the teen fiction ones!  So I'm really looking forward to her latest offering which I'm sure will be as amazing as her others.

What are you reading this week?  Comment below, drop me an email at lifeinthegingerlane@gmail.com or follow me on instagram @lifeinthegingerlane

xx

Book Club : Giovanna Fletcher - Billy & Me

Blurb

Sophie May has a secret.

One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.

But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world.

Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?

What I thought

In the beginning I wasn't as keen on this book as I had hoped I would be, I think this was largely due to the fact that I was reading it via my iPad & not in book form.  I've found it takes me longer to get into a story when I'm reading it from a screen; anyone else find that?  Don't worry though, by the end of Chapter 2 I was hooked.  You know when you start wondering what the characters are up to when you aren't reading?  That's when you know you like a book.  Having just read that back I do realise how sad it sounds BUT other book lovers will totally understand - I hope.  Giovanna Fletcher is a fantastic author, her characters are warm and sincere - my favourite had to be Molly; the best friend of the lead character Sophie.  I loved that Molly and Sophie weren't your average best friends; one of them being a widowed pensioner and the other a young girl at the beginning of her life.  That is one of the many things that made this book so endearing.  Originally I thought it was just going to be another of those stories.  Girl meets guy, they fall in 'love', guy cheats on girl and breaks her heart within the first few chapters & the rest of the book is spent following her as she rebuilds her life without him (usually ending up with a best friend etc).  You know the books I mean.  Billy & Me is different and so much better for it.  There's a certain depth to it, so many underlying stories which could end up making the whole story extremely confusing and hard to follow but somehow Giovanna Fletcher makes it work.  I have already ordered the sequel to this - Always With Love which has just been released.  I can't wait to find out what happens next for Sophie & Billy.

Next on my list

RSVP by Helen Warner.  

I've had this on my book shelf for a while now so I thought I'd give it a go.  I seem to be flying through books at the moment so any suggestions for others I might like would be greatly appreciated.  Comment below, message me on instagram @lifeinthegingerlane or drop me an email lifeinthegingerlane@gmail.com  

I'd love to hear from you!

xx

Book Club : Anouska Knight - A Part of Me

I love books.  Particularly chick lit.  

I've just finished 'A Part of Me by Anouska Knight' ...

Blurb

After years of trying, Amy Alwood and James Coffrey have finally been accepted into the adoption process.  At long last they are going to get their 'happy ever after'.  Then - out of nowhere - a dark secret is revealed, which changes everything.

Amy throws herself into her work to distract herself.  Her new client, Rohan Bywater, is certainly keeping her on her toes.  He's frustrating, lives on the edge...and she can't stop thinking about him.  He's very clear on one thing though: kids are not part of his future.

Amy is torn - does she follow her heart and let the thing she wants most slip away, or carry on with a lie and live with the consequences?

What I thought...

I loved this book right from the word go.  I was totally gripped within about 5 pages, so much so that I finished it in one sitting.  Anouska Knight is so eloquent and descriptive that you almost feel like you are in the story, living it alongside Amy and the others.  The characters are all warm and likeable - with the exception of the token bad guy of course.  I won't name names or ruin the story, you'll have to read it to find out for yourself!  This is the first Anouska Knight book I have read and I've since discovered that she has written another 2 - they have just been added to my 'To Read' list.  Look out for them over the coming weeks.

If you are a fan of authors such as Paige Toon, Sophie Kinsella , Lindsey Kelk et al then I can guarantee that you will absolutely adore this book.  It's a must read for all chick lit lovers like myself and its perfect for reading in the sunshine.  So go on grab a copy & lose yourself in the world of Amy Alwood.  

Let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Next on my list

This week I'm reading 'Billy & Me' by Giovanna Fletcher.  I'd love to hear others thoughts on these books and also if anyone has any recommendations.  I'm always looking for the next story to get lost in.

xx