Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

A slight change from my normal choice of books, I was looking for something new (after having exhausted my bookshelf once again) and came across SJ Watson's, 'Before I Go To Sleep'.

Described as a thriller, the book had received rave reviews and has won a number of awards - but in my opinion this doesn't necessarily mean the book is enjoyable. However I thought 'Before I Go To Sleep' was an original, encapturing and haunting read that I finished with in a matter of days.

The book begins as Christine, believing she is in her early twenties, wakes up in a strange bed, next to a man she has never met, and faced with reflection she cannot relate to.

Christine is an amnesiac, and everyday when she goes to sleep her memory is wiped clean. The man beside her explains to her that he is Ben, her husband and they have been married for over twenty years, living together in this house in London. He shows her photographs, portraying their life together, the life she does not remember, and then explains that he has to go to work, leaving her alone in this house she does not remember.

During the day she gets a call from a doctor who explains that he has been trying to help her over the past few weeks and that they have a meeting arranged for today. Once they meet he gives her a journal, her journal, that she has been keeping, following his instruction for a few weeks now.

Whilst the book is actually set in only one day, the journal provides the bulk of the story as Christine learns about her life, a day at a time.

The book is full of half remembered memories, secrets and surprising (and often chilling) twists and turns. When I first starting reading, I wasn't sure how the book would work seeing as the main character can only hold a memory for one day at a time, I thought it might become repetitive and drawn out but this was never the case. The use of the journal moves the story on just enough so that whilst it keeps you hooked, you are also able to experience some of the frustration that Christine must feel as she tries to piece together he fractured existence.

I thought that this was a great concept for a book and was certainly not let down by SJ Watson's excellent writing. I would recommend 'Before I Go To Sleep' to anyone looking for a good, thought provoking read and I am really looking forward to the film coming out. However, having read a little about it, I can't see that it will be as good as the book but I will reserve judgement until I have seen it! 

 10/10

I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk

This is the fifth book in the 'I Heart...' series and like the others it didn't disappoint. Lindsey Kelk has written another funny, uplifting, romantic story that you can't help but enjoy.  

'I Heart London' meets up with Angela as she is trying to put together her brand new magazine and think about possibly planning her wedding to rock star fiance Alex Reid...maybe, one day.

Angela hasn't been home since fleeing two years ago, boarding a plane with nothing more than her handbag, a bridesmaids dress and a pair of lethal Louboutin heels. She has made a new life for herself in New York, one that she is not prepared to risk, so travelling home for her Mum's birthday is not a thought Angela is relishing.

So when she arrives home only to be treated as though she had never left, she starts to feel her New York life slipping away, almost as though it wasn't really her. But with  New Yorker's Alex and best friend Jenny (currently spirraling out of control due to a broken heart) she has a constant reminder - much to the suprise of her family and friends it would seem.

Although, not even in her worst nightmares, could Angela have imagined what would happen during this trip home - could she be returning to New York, in just a weeks time, as Mrs Reid?

Whilst her family seem to be keen to secure Alex's place in the family (and its not hard to see why!), Angela is finding it all a little bit more difficult.

My only criticism of this book, was that there wasn't enough of the supporting characters (mainly Jenny) and, compared to the previous books, the 'drama' as it were, seemed a little bit less dramatic. This is not to say that the story wasn't exciting, it just seemed a little tamer.

On the whole though I really enjoyed this latest catch up with Angela and found it another easy and satifying read, I just hope that Lindsey Kelk doesn't decide to make it the last of the series!

8/10

The Greatest Love Story of All Time... by Lucy Robinson



This is Lucy Robinson's debut novel, and I didn't really know what to expect when I bought it, but I really enjoyed it once I got reading. 

The book starts with the lead character Fran, having just been dumped by her boyfriend, on the day she thought he was going to propose which also happened to be her thirtieth birthday! 

Not only did this announcement come completely out of the blue but her now ex-boyfriend Michael didn't even give a reason - only telling her not to contact him for three months. Understandably Fran doesn't take this well and the story begins with her wallowing in her grief (and own filth!) and drowning her sorrows in any alcohol she could get her hands on.

Eventually, with the help of her friends, 'the eight-date rule' and some very unsuitable men Fran manages to pull herself together; but not before almost losing her job, her dignity and her mind!

The supporting characters really make the story, from the eccentric and mysterious next door neighbour and Fran's alcoholic mother to her dependable best friend Dave and the disapproving Duke Ellington (Fran's cat). Although Michael himself isn't present for the majority of the book, we do learn about him through various flashbacks. We learn how Fran and Michael first met, and how she fell madly in love with him.

With a few unexpected twists an turns, a fair number of secrets, and (of course) a few 'happy coincedences' the story keeps you interested, and although not exactly 'un-put-downable' I did read it fairly quickly. I wanted to find out whether or not Fran and Micheal would get back together or if one of her Internet dates would win her heart.

I'm not sure I could say this was 'The Greatest Love Story of All Time...'  but Lucy has a great writing style with plenty of humour and well developed characters. It was a good read and I'd happily recommend it to others, I'll be looking out for Lucy's next novel.

8/10

Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

I read Jenny Colgan’s ‘Meet Me at the Cupcake Café’ last year, and after a bit of a slow start, I really enjoyed it. This was also true of ‘Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop of Dreams’ although if anything I preferred this book.

Rosie is an agency nurse living in London with her boyfriend Gerard, who is summoned to the Derbyshire Dales to look after an elderly relative. Feeling put upon and against Gerard’s wishes, Rosie is not looking forward to her time away from the city. After a while though she realises that this time away might do her and her relationship some good…

One aspect of this story that I really liked was that Lillian, the elderly relative, has her own story to tell throughout the book which was very touching. Reading about her life as a young woman as well as her life now definitely added to the book making Lillian just as much of a main character as Rosie. I also felt that Jenny Colgan dealt with both the issues of growing old and those of looking after an elderly relative, in a very thoughtful and moving way.  There were, however, a number of other supporting characters throughout the story that I felt could have been developed slightly more, but this is my only real negative point.

I also enjoyed the setting, but being a Derbyshire girl myself I may be biased! I felt that ‘Lipton’ the fictional village setting of the book, acted as a really good backdrop to the story. It was easy to picture village life, and understand how all the characters fit into the story without too much need for the usual ‘coincidences’ that feature in a lot of books.

Overall I thought the story was well written and a lot less predictable than I imagined it would be, but still with a very satisfying ending. I would recommend this book, especially to anyone with expewrience of village/country life! 

08/10

One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon

I am a BIG fan of Paige Toon and had been waiting for 'One Perfect Summer' to be released; I certainly wasn't disappointed!

Like all of Paige's books, it is beautifully written and both the story and characters are well developed, staying with you long after you've finished reading.

The main character Alice falls in love with Joe during a summer spent in Dorset. But this isn't just a holiday romance, this is more than that and they both know it, it's just a shame that no-one else agrees. Despite their parents 'reservations' the two spend a wonderful six weeks together but are then sadly torn apart in a way neither could of imagined. 

Alice goes off to university in Cambridge and tries to mend her broken heart and after a while she finds herself  settling in with new friends, a new job and even a new love interest the privileged Lukas.

Things are looking good for Alice, but deep down she knows part of her heart will always belong to her first love - the question is can she cope with that?

This is an excellent read full of both heartbreak and excitement and Paige writes in such a way that you really feel all of the characters emotions. The book is set over an eight year period meaning that the characters grow up in front of your eyes and you are with them every step of the way, through all of their dilemmas.

My only disappointment with this book was that I didn't want it to end! And I have to say, without giving anything away, I felt it ended quite unexpectedly; meaning I was very pleased to hear that there will be a sequel!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone - but I will not be lending you my copy, I'm keeping it to read again when the sequel is released!

10/10

I Remember You by Harriet Evans

After reading Harriet Evans' 'The Love of Your Life', I decided to look at another of her books and chose to read 'I Remember You'.

Although I did enjoy this book, in my opinion it wasn't as good as 'The Love of Your Life', and I found it quite slow to get going and overly descriptive in parts.

The story centres around Tessa, a girl in her late 20's who moves back to her childhood town after losing her London job and splitting up with her boyfriend. Her parents have moved away from the town and a big development is threatening the surrounding countryside, but other than that, the perfect English town hasn't changed at all since Tess left for university.

Her best friend is also still in the town, but they have both changed and their history makes things strained between them. Tess has come back to Langford because she has a job as a classics teacher at the esteemed college, which leads to a trip to a very eventful trip to Rome that for Tess and many others, changes everything.
Whilst the characters are well developed and you are able to connect with them, there is also, often sudden changing of perspectives which help to develop the story and in this case shows the symmetry between the characters, I did find it halted the story somewhat.  

I did however enjoy the story and will look at more of Harriet Evans books in the future but that is more down to 'The Love of Your Life'.

6/10

From Notting Hill With Love… Actually by Ali McNamara

I like a romantic comedy as much as the next person – in fact, probably more than that which is why ‘From Notting Hill With Love… Actually’ initially appealed to me, but this book was just too much for me!

The story centres on Scarlett a bride-to-be struggling with her future and escaping her world by constant daydreams relating to Rom-Com films. Now, after reading the book, I can’t say I blame her; her future husband comes across as incredibly dull and it is hard to understand how they ever got together, and her job seems almost to be entirely made up.

After arguing with everyone she knows about her constant day dreaming she heads of to house sit in Notting Hill to prove to everyone that it is normal and ‘movie-moments’ really happen.

Without giving too much away (I don’t want to stop anyone reading it if they really want to) the book is full of handy ‘coincidences’ and unbelievable sub-plots. The characters are either under-developed or just incredibly annoying. The book is also full of said ‘movie-moments’ that not only wouldn’t make sense to anyone who hasn’t seen the films, but more frustratingly they just seemed to just be crowbarred in at every possible opportunity.

The one good point I would make is that, however much Scarlett annoyed me I did want her to have a happy ending and it was certainly one that even the most rom-com hating of people couldn’t help but smile at.

Whilst I would not recommend this book, I haven’t read anything else by Ali McNamara and will not let it put me off if I come across one of her books that looks interesting.

4/10