The Dartmoor Bookworm

I bought this book myself after seeing so many positive reviews. I read it on my kindle.  The story is about Tiffy, and after leaving an abusive relationship and finally accepting it was over she needs to move out and find somewhere to live. Leon advertises his flat share, but it’s only a one bedroom flat but that’s okay as he works nights and spends  the weekends with his girlfriend.  It’s sounds ideal so after his girlfriends shows Tiffy around (checks her out) she agrees to move in. The relationship blossoms through the notes they leave each other. Until the inevitable happens. Tiffy oversleeps and Leon returns home. Their meeting not as expected.  The story is predictable, you know they end up together but it also looks at their friendships, Tiffy with Gertie and Mo and Leon with his brother, Richard and how they all help each other and help Tiffy get away from her abusive ex.  It is a great read and a good story which I really loved but there are topics cov...

                                                       If you’ve read One Day in December then you’ll know how great Josie Silver’s books are and this one, her latest, is no exception.  It’s taken me longer than normal to read this but that’s not a reflection on the story at all, more my head space and I know I need to read to help and this is just one of those stories that takes you into another world that you can  totally imagine. Or at least I can.  Cleo Wilder, 29, writer, is about to turn 30 and her relationship status is nowhere near marriage. Her work sets her an experiment of travelling to an island off the Irish coast to find her true self and to marry herself on her 30th birthday. When she arrives at Otter Lodge she finds it double booked and with no where else to go in this tiny island, Cleo and the...

 I'm back and trying desperately to get back to reading more regularly. Last year was a difficult year for us and my head just couldn't cope trying to read a book. I struggled to pick up my crochet hook too but I think I'm ready to get back to both. Time to myself is so important so hopefully I'll be posting again more regularly.

I read this with a student (Home Ed) that I teach. The story is about Alve (Alfie) who is 1000 years old. He is befriended by Aiden and Roxy who at first don’t believe him but there’s something different about this 11 year old that doesn’t quite make sense. From his knowledge of historical events, to the way he speaks. After a fire destroys his home and what little family he has, he gets put into care and has to rely on Aiden and Roxy to help him lead a normal life and finally grow up normally.  This book is amazingly well written and left so many questions that we were desperate to discover the answers to. We couldn’t put the book down and wanted to continue reading it just to find out the how’s and why. Lots of twists and turns, and lots of adventure to keep anyone happy.  Recommended for good readers in year 5 and above.  5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 I really enjoyed this book, the story of Diana Clare (pianist extraordinaire)and her love song written and performed once by her, and then lost after her tragic death. Her husband Arie, grieving for his wife,  but his instant love of Evie after a brief encounter, a true love story, a song that finds its way to different couples, all who appreciate the song for what it is, but all who know nothing of its whereabouts or where it came from, and the way in which the song travels around the world, to be brought back to Arie.   The couples are all very different, brought together in different ways, across different generations, and so something in the love story will appeal to most readers. It was very cleverly thought through and put together and beautifully written. The characters were well developed and likeable, and the story and the way in which it was interlinked was fabulous. If you like an easy read, and romance then I'd definitely recommend this book.  I gave it ...

I was sent a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review. The story follows that of Rita, 19, a nanny for a wealthy London family who after a fire in  the family home in London, moves with the mother and children to Foxcote Manor, their home in the Forest of Dean. It follows Rita whilst nannying but also in the modern day after a fall. It also follows the story of Sylvie, her daughter, in the modern day, recently separated and with her mother in hospital and her daughter discovering she's pregnant, she decides to do some digging into her past, the summer of 1971. I quickly realised the link between the then and now and was captivated to read on and find out what happened. The story had many plot lines all beautifully written and well thought through, the tragedy of the London home, the loss of a child, the mothers affair, a foundling, Rita's relationship with the mother and the two children, a glimpse back to Rita's own tragic childhood and her need...

I was sent a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review. OMG! I haven't read a psychological thriller like this for some time.  This is on a totally different level to The Family Upstairs, and so much better. What can I say without giving the story away.  It's about 13 year old Elissa who is a bright young girl, living with her mother.  They go away for a weekend chess tournament that Elissa is playing in and whilst Elissa goes to return something to the car she is abducted. When she comes around she is in the cellar of "The Gingerbread House', chained up and in the dark.  Her captor visits her but so does Elijah, a 12 year old boy who doesn't want Elissa to leave. He sees her as his new friend. Elissa realises that she isn't the first girl who has been brought here and the story follows the time after Elissa's disappearance. The story is brilliantly written, even when you think you've sussed it out, there's a twist a...

I was sent a free copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review. I read Josie's debut novel "One Day in December" and loved it, it was memorising from the start and so when I saw this up for review on Netgalley I jumped at the chance.  It had a lot of live up to. The story is based, obviously, around Lydia Bird, who at the start of the book looses her fiancé, Freddie in a car crash on her birthday. The story then follows Lydia as she goes through the path of grief and how she deals with it. Her life takes two routes, her everyday life grieving for Freddie and a life in which Freddie still exists. After battling sleep in the first few weeks after the accident she starts taking sleeping pills which take her to her other world, where the plans she and Freddie had are still played out and she goes between the two worlds in the rest of the book. Lydia has strong relationships with her sister and her mother and all three characters are really well writt...

For three days I moved this book between the coffee table and my bedside table. I didn't open it or read it, I just kept moving it, downstairs then upstairs and back. The thing is, when you read a good book you never know whether the next book will be as good, and if it's not then there's always the disappointment, the loss and the grief you feel. I didn't want to read this in case it wasn't as good as Can you See me? the book I read previously. When I did start to read it, it was at night in bed. I told myself that I'd just read the first couple of chapters. At just after midnight and seventy odd pages in, I had to stop and go to sleep, but even then I didn't want to put it down, I needed to know what happened, who each character was and how they were linked. To say this story gripped me is an understatement. I read the whole book in three nights. The story is based around a large (very large) house in Chelsea, that is owned by Henry and Martina and...

Some books grip you, others don't. Some take me for ever to read and some I can plough through in a couple of evenings. This book I put in my amazon wish list and I published it on the Acts of Kindness UK group on Facebook, if you haven't seen it go and have a look, there's lots of loveliness out there in a world of such uncertainty at the moment. I received it in the post from someone I know (but not very well) and it was lovely to receive it. The story is written from the perspective of Tally (Natalia) an 11 year old with Autism who is about to start secondary school. It includes diary entries written by Libby Scott who is also autistic and sheds a real light into what it is like living with the condition. The story goes through the every day life of an autistic child, the things they face, the emotions and anxiety that goes through their heads constantly. This is put across as Tally' experiences, that no one likes her, that she's different from everyone e...

Blurb: When Sarah forgets to check on her best friend’s little boy, distraction turns to disaster. And she’s faced with a dilemma. Tell the truth, lose a friend. Tell a lie, keep her close. In a split second, Sarah seals her fate. But accidents have aftershocks, and lies have consequences.  And when it’s someone else’s child, the rumours are quick to multiply. Everyone’s talking about what happened. And sooner or later, the truth will have to come spilling out… We all make mistakes, right?  Bt this one could ruin the perfect friendship. I asked for a preview copy of this book from Netgalley. I'm not really sure why I asked for it. I cannot stand playground politics and this is the main theme of the story. The characters are all members of the PTA and all communicate via the group WhatsApp. These kind of things really bug me - I just can't see the point, however, to bring it into a story plot line I can see would grip a huge number of people. The stor...

When I requested this book from Netgalley, it sounded ideal, a book about books, what more could a book loving girl ask for, and yet, there is a tell tale sign with me about how much I enjoy a book. The time it takes for me to write a review is the first giveaway. I can devour a book in an evening if it's really good, others take a few days, a week maybe, some when I'm three or four weeks in, you can tell I'm struggling and this one, however idyllic it sounded, is just one of those. I started reading it with great expectations.  I love historical, war stories and as this is set at the end of World War 2, I thought I'd love, but I just can't get into it. There is nothing in the first part of the story that inspires to read on. The story itself is very slow, the characters come across as quite dull and boring, and even though I'm a quarter of the way through it doesn't grab me like a book should, I can't even tell you what has happened because noth...

I was sent a free copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review. This book tells the story of Poppy, a nanny working for a well off family who one days speaks her mind and finds herself out on the street. She is rescued by Drew, (Rich, good looking, older)  who offers immediate help and a whirlwind romance quickly materialises. Within weeks they are married and on returning to England , Drew buys a home in the country for them.  The house is big and beautiful but there is something about it that doesn’t sit right with Poppy.  Her one and only friend, Gina, comes to stay and helps Poppy make the house feel a bit more like home and Gina is amazed to discover that Poppy and Drew made a promise never to discuss the past (before they met). After a weekend with Drew’s friends, secrets start to unfold and the past eventually catches up with  both of them.  The book floats between the here and now throughout, looking back at Poppy’s past and gi...

I've been reading this book with a student this term.  I chose it for him after the good reviews I had seen about it.  He's not a reader and has Autism so most of the book was read to him but he listened well and we enjoyed the story together, doing written work based on it as we went. The story line is great, really exciting stuff of about 9-12 years old. Four children are returning from the Amazon when their plane crashes into the jungle killing the pilot.  Their only way to help themselves is to find a way of escape. The story follows the children as they fight for survival, firstly on their own and later in the book after meeting "The Explorer", it is an adventure story with danger around every corner.  We loved some of the things they got up to (the bees, the raft ride) and really enjoyed the whole book. The characters were likeable, Fred, Con and Lila were really relatable, we could image children that age being exactly as they were described, Max howe...

This is my first time reading a book by Louise Jensen, even though The Sister and The Gift have both been on my kindle for ages, I haven't got around to reading them. The story is that of Laura, recently bereaved after the death of husband and Tilly her 17 year old daughter.  After her husbands death, the insurance company is holding the pay out and Laura is in financial hardship, set to lose her house and her business. Not knowing where to turn, she finds friendship and a safe place to stay with Tilly at Oak Leaf Organics, a farm, come commune, come cult. At the head is Alex who instantly attracts both the attention of Laura and Tilly. when someone dies unexpectedly Laura wants to leave but Tilly refuses to go... I was sent a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley, HQ and the author. The ebook I was sent was formatted incorrectly on the first page and things like that really annoy me and so I couldn't read it, so when I saw it for sale in my local supermarket ...

 I was sent a pre publication copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review. I loved this book, really loved it. I read it over two evenings whilst on holiday and i couldn't put it down. Arden Hall has recently come out of an abusive relationship and even though she has a son (not the abusive partner's) she is now living alone and trying to rebuild her life. Whilst visiting a friend in hospital a chance encounter with an ex lover makes Arden reminisce over her previous relationship with him. The book jumps from past to present, and even though I struggle with this usually, it was really easy to follow in this book. As Arden lives in the present, visiting her ex lover in hospital, she also looks back at their relationship whilst she was at university. The descriptions of the time are very good and took me back to my university days, the music, the clothes and the films. Even though I'm not a great movie buff and I haven't seen all the film...

 I was sent a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Edie  Browne, 32 had everything, and after dumping her boyfriend she decided to jump out of a plane to show herself how independent she has become but after tripping over the champagne bucket things take a turn for the worse. Edie  suffers a stroke. To aid her recovery she decides to spend some time in Cornwall with her aunt who has recently been widowed and the journey of recovery begins for both of them. The characters in this book are brilliant, warm and friendly and you feel like you are part of village life. The descriptions of the landmarks and locations are vibrant and you feel like you are there with them. Edie is a lovely character, warm friendly and funny and even though the storyline and the romance are predictable from the start, you want Edie to find happiness in St Aidan and not return to Bath as she says she is going too. With Edie’s help Aunty Jo transforms her cottage and her life t...

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review. Ask,Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane is a story about two people, Kate and Peter, born around the same time to parents living next door to each other. Kate the youngest of three girls and Peter an only child. Their friendship develops and the link between them is strong but Peter's mother disapproves. Both of their fathers are Police officers who worked together for a short time, but that relationship never grew and Kate's father has little time for his neighbours. When the children are 14 an event one evening changes their futures forever and their relationship is put on hold as each of them tries to forget the events of that night and move on with their lives. I will be really honest, it took me four attempts at starting this book before I finally got into it.  The first chapter about when the two fathers were working together didn't inspire me to read on, but I knew I had to persevere with ...

I was sent a  copy of this (ebook) for free in return for an honest review. Tessa is 16 years old, homeschooled and a poetry blogger. She lives at home with her grandparents who have raised her since birth. (Her father is unknown and her mother moved away to find work.) One day Tessa and her grandmother are involved in a car accident, being hit by a drunk driver and as a result of the accident Tessa experiences temporary blindness. Her reaction, as I'm sure most peoples would be is panic, self hatred and a longing to stay safe, safe inside her home. She is unhappy and frustrated at not being able to see and do the things she used to do.  Her grandparents think the best thing for her is to get her back blogging again, but how can she when she can't see? They go to place an ad in a local paper asking for an assistant, but Tessa finds out and makes them pull the ad before it's published. Weston is also 16 years old and helping at his dad's workplace (the newspaper)...

I was sent a pre publication copy of this book in return for an honest review by Netgalley. The first thing I will say about this book is that it is the third in a series - I haven’t read the other two and you don’t need to. From what I understand a few of the characters and settings are the same but this book is fine to read on its own without the prior knowledge of storylines or characters. The book is set in a small Cornish village and the main character is Pippa Parkin, a teaching assistant, full of life, bubbly and who brings a smile to the room whenever she enters but who’s love life is not so flamboyant! Her mother is desperately trying to get her together with childhood and family friend James, who is polite and courteous when he needs to be but Pippa sees straight through him and decides he’s not the man for her! When her class teacher leaves on maternity at Easter, her temporary cover teacher, Kam, (male, good looking- we know where this is going) joins th...