The Switch by Beth O’Leary – Audiobook Review

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones and  Alison Steadman

Series: N/A

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Published August 18th 2020

Genres: Women’s Fiction Format: ARC | Buy: Audible

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

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“Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman team up as a fun, quirky grandmother and granddaughter pair in this lively narration…The two narrators, each portraying her respective character’s point of view, are a perfect match.” —AudioFile Magazine

This program is read by British actors Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of Hulu’s Normal People.

A grandmother and granddaughter swap lives in The Switch, a charming, romantic novel by Beth O’Leary, who has been hailed as “the new Jojo Moyes” (Cosmopolitan UK)…

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some long-overdue rest.

Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects.

But stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find true love? In Beth O’Leary’s The Switch, it’s never too late to change everything….or to find yourself.  

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

“The Switch brilliantly encompasses all the humor and whimsy of The Flatshare while delving into emotional topics like grief and the importance of watching out for neighbors.” — Booklist, starred review  

“A cozy, hopeful escape that will make readers laugh, cry, and feel inspired.” — Kirkus, starred review

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This was such a sweet, cozy, beautiful book. It tackles such important themes with ease! It just grips you. This is my first book by the author, although I must say, I’ve been meaning to read The Flatshare for a while…

I love this type of heartwarming books that make you think, and that take a look at life in a new light…

In this one, our two main characters, Leena and her grandmother Eileen change not only houses but lives. While Leena moves to the country side where she is supposed to rest and take time for herself, her granny Eileen moves to London to her flat where she takes to online dating.

There’s some amazing characters in this book, my personal favs being Eileen and Leena’s new fav neighbor!

This audiobook was amazingly well done, the voices fit the characters incredibly well and it made it even more enjoyable. With a lot of my time passing at work, audiobooks are my fav thing, since after a long day of work it tends to be difficult to grab and read a book. I listened this through in two ‘sittings’, and had the best of times – it was more than I expected, and I’m in LOVE with Eileen! She is an amazing character and the audiobook really did justice in bringing her to life.

I also tend to love books with a tiny community, in a more rural setting, and this book is no different. I loved rural Yorkshire and all the things going on in it, it’s the same feeling I have with Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls!

TW – Depression, Cancer and Grief.

What did you think of it? Have you read it? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!

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A Snowy Little Christmas by Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets and Kate Clayborn

A Snowy Little Christmas by Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets and Kate Clayborn

Series: N/A

Publisher: Zebra Books

Published October 29th, 2019

Genres: Holiday Romance, Contemporary, Anthology

Pages: 336

Format: ARC

Buy: Amazon | BookDepository

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

Sometimes love needs a little help from Mother Nature—and what better time than the holidays to let it snow . . . and snow . . . and snow . . .

STARRY NIGHT * Fern Michaels

As the host of a radio program for the lovelorn, Jessie Richmond is surprisingly lonely, especially with the holidays approaching. So she decides to make the trek to her uncle’s bookstore in rural New York state and hold a speed dating event—only to find herself snowed in—with one very special single . . .

MISTLETOE AND MIMOSAS * Tara Sheets

After years of hard work, real estate agent Layla Gentry has her dream home on Pine Cove Island. She’s perfectly content to be on her own. Until her childhood nemesis, Sebastian, comes to town. When a snowstorm and a stranded kitten bring them together on Christmas Eve, Layla discovers he’s all grown up—and she may have one more dream left . . .

MISSING CHRISTMAS * Kate Clayborn

It’s all work and no play for two longtime friends-turned-business-partners Kristen and Jasper—until an unexpected kiss turns things personal. Will it mean the end of something, or the beginning? With a major contract in the balance, Christmas around the corner, and a lot of unspoken feelings, it may take an unpredictable blizzard in New England to seal the deal . .

This was exactly what I needed right now! I’m super late to both read it and review it but as I don’t have as much time now-a-days, I was waiting for the Christmas spark to finally hit me and alas, it did!

This is the perfect Hallmark book! There’s three romantic stories all passed during Christmas written by three different authors. They are all different in ways but they all felt like the perfect Christmas movie to me. Christmas is my fav time of the year and these definitely made me feel all warm and toasty ready for a winter night!

The first story was perfect for me. It was a subtle romance with a bookstore setting and I couldn’t be more in love.

There’s something for everyone in here, three different romance stories – nemesis to lovers, business-partners to lovers and of course the “I just met you but holy mistletoe I think I love you” which I unexpectedly loved. There’s also Christmas lovers, grinches, kitties (Who doesn’t love a kitty, right?!) and all the cuteness you can think of.

It was just incredibly cute and the much needed happy jolly book I was craving for. Definitely getting this one to re-read during the holidays! Swoon!

What did you think of it? Have you read it? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!

Mayhem by Estelle Laure – Blog Tour Review

Mayhem by Estelle Laure

Series: N/A

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Expected publication: July 14th, 2020

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Contemporary

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy: Amazon | BookDepository

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel.

It’s 1987 and unfortunately it’s not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy’s constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem’s own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren’t like everyone else.

But when May’s stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem’s questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.

But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

Mayhem is kind of a retelling of The Lost Boys with a witchy side and a feminist touch in the #MeToo era. 

Set in 1987, Meyhem Brayburn runs away with her mother Roxy from an abusive stepfather to Santa Maria California, where Roxy lived as a kid. At the Brayburn farm Mayhem meets her aunt and the three kids she kind of adopted. But that place harbors much more than Mayhem could have expected.

If you like The Lost Boys you are probably going to enjoy this, the setting and the pacing is the same, but it has some cool differences that I quite enjoyed.

I really liked May and her new friends (the kids her aunt adopted – Neve, Jason and Kidd), it was interesting to see them together although some friendships were a bit too much – which is where I totally saw The Craft, which I read to be something this was inspired by too.

Neve was wild. She definitely was a bad influence on the others, but I also couldn’t necessarily not like her. She was definitely an interesting character and in her own way she did help May… But one of my fav characters has to be Kidd, she is super sweet and she still has a touch of innocence for how young she is and that really balanced their group. I loved their interaction with “magic”, I always love reading about new magical ways and this was super interesting! I’m not going to say more about it, but although it’s simple, I loved it and it really worked well with the story.

The abuse described in the book was quite heavy and could be triggering. However I did really like how it was approached and it made the end as sweet as can be. It showed that there’s help to be given, there’s hope and it’s possible to get better even if its not easy. No means no and everyone should respect that.

As for what I didn’t like so much…

As I said, the pace is pretty much the same as the movie, and being something that already irked me in the movie, in a book is a bit too much. I would have preferred a bit of a faster pace. I think it would have really worked with the story and made it more compelling.

The story could have gotten a bit more changes too. Half of the book was pretty much the same as the movie, which it didn’t necessarily need to be just to see the inspo. I would have liked a bit more differences because I loved everything that was different in this book and I would definitely want to check out more by the author.

Overall this book was quite enjoyable, I loved the main character and to see her relationship with her mom and her family evolve and change. It deals with abuse and its hard to read at times, but its definitely important, and the end really gives hope.

What did you think of it? Have you read it? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!

 

It Won’t Be Christmas Without You by Beth Reekles – Review

It Won’t Be Christmas Without You by Beth Reekles

Series: N/A

Publisher: One More Chapter

Published August 30th, 2019

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Christmas

Pages: 203

Format: ARC

Buy: Amazon

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

From the author of the smash hit Netflix romcom The Kissing Booth!

Eloise, a self-confessed Christmas obsessive, can’t wait for the big day. Devoted to her Michael Bublé playlist, she’s organising the school nativity play and even her gorgeous Grinch of a neighbour, James, can’t get her down.

Her workaholic twin sister, Cara, on the other hand, plans to work over the holiday – and figure out what secrets her seemingly-perfect boyfriend George might be keeping from her.

The sisters used to be close but since Cara moved to London, everything’s been different. Only, Eloise isn’t giving up just yet, and with a white Christmas on the cards, Cara can’t fail to be moved by the magic of the season … can she?

I can’t believe I forgot to write a review for this urgh! Sorry >-<

Back in December and January I read quite some Christmas books. I love Christmas and this is a book from the author of the Netflix romcom The Kissing Booth, which I enjoyed. But this book felt just average to me (although I would totally see a movie of it! So, finger crossed Netflix adapts it!).

It’s a cute and quick read but I had some problems distinguishing the two main characters? It took me some time to fully assimilate who was who and being a short read, that’s not a good thing.

Other than that it was a very cute and sweet Christmas book with a side of romance – which I was all in for-, the importance of family and sisterhood. I became very invested in the characters’ adventures through the Christmas days and the love that started to bloom.

I also really enjoyed the format of the novel – counting the days – it felt super exciting to me. Overall this is a quick easy Christmassy read that I would love to see on screen!

What did you think of it? Have you read it? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!

 

Such a Fun Age – ARC Review

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Series: N/A

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Expected publication: December 31st, 2019

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Adult

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy: Amazon / Book Depository

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living showing other women how to do the same. A mother to two small girls, she started out as a blogger and has quickly built herself into a confidence-driven brand. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night. Seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, a security guard at their local high-end supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make it right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Ageexplores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone “family,” the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

This is so much more than I was initially expecting. I was completely enthralled from the very first page and it just kept getting more and more interesting!

This book has some of the best drama I’ve read about recently. It was incredibly gripping!

I think my favorite part was how unreliable the characters in this book were. I never knew who to trust and it kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.

It does deal with racism quite a lot, but in a way you don’t see much, so I felt that was interesting and unique.

Our MC is a babysitter, so we have some childcare related parts. I really loved Emira and Briar’s connection. I loved how much she tried to make the kid have a good time, help her out on not feeling so lonely and just overall be there for her. The mom was quite an interesting character to read about, both on a romantic and a maternal level. She definitely wasn’t there for her kid as much as she should be and we can kind of see the effect of that in Briar’s life, and the repercussions that may appear in the future.

I really enjoyed Emira’s circle of friends. I felt that they were super connected and there was something very real about their friendship. How much they helped each other, even if we mainly saw them at party-out moments, it was still present there. As for her romantic life, it was awesome, unique and unexpected!

There’s a lot of white lies gone wrong, weary intentions and disrespectful situations in here that I loved to read about. But the best topic might have been how we feel the need to compare ourselves to others. How we see other people’s lives and how we feel that our age we should also be doing that but instead… You know? I really liked that aspect and it really spoke to me. I do believe there’s an age for certain things, but then again everyone is different. Other people might have things you want in life at a sooner or later stage and that’s okay. Just live your life the best you can, doing what you love and try to achieve your goals. Comparing ourselves will only make us feel bad and unappreciative of what we have and what we’ve achieved. I really loved to see Emira figure out her life and see her feelings throughout.

The book’s wrapping up was quite quick, but it also gave an overview of how her life went after it all, which is not as common anymore, so it was a nice change.

It was emotional and exciting and full of drama, and I really enjoyed reading it and would recommend it!

What did you think of it? Are you excited about this book? Let’s discuss it in the comments below!

 

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

 

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
Series: N/A
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published May 22nd 2018
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 330
Format: Hardback – Owlcrate Exclusive Edition
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

 

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Series: N/A
Publisher: Speak
First published June 9th, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, YA
Pages: 398
Format: Paperback
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself. Finalist for the Morris Award.

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch’s If You Find Me and Nova Ren Suma’s The Walls Around Us , as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Series: N/A
Publisher: Square Fish
First published October 22nd, 1999
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, YA
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

The first ten lies they tell you in high school.

“Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.”

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication.

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Series: N/A
Publisher: Square Fish
First published October 22nd, 1999
Genres: YA, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 198
Format: Paperback
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

The first ten lies they tell you in high school.
“Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.”

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication.

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.

Sadie by Courtney Summers (ARC Review)

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Series: N/A

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Expected publication: September 4th, 2018

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Mystery

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy: Book Depository | Amazon

* Received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much! This doesn’t affect the review in any way. My opinions are, as always, my own.*

A gripping novel about the depth of a sister’s love; poised to be the next book you won’t be able to stop talking about.

A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.