BOOK REVIEW: Grown Ups by Marian Keyes

They're a glamorous family, the Caseys.

Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together - birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie - who has the most money - insists on it.

Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much . . .

Everything stays under control until Ed's wife Cara, gets concussion and can't keep her thoughts to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, starts Cara spilling out all their secrets.

In the subsequent unravelling, every one of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's time - finally - to grow up?

Publisher: Michael Joseph

February 6th 2020

I am a huge fan of Marian Keyes and have read every single one of her fabulous books. I always let out an excited shriek when I learn that she has a new one coming out. Grown Ups has many of Marian Keyes’ trademarks which I was glad of but it almost felt like the most honest and tender book she has written. 

The story revolves around the Casey family, Johnny, Ed and Liam are brothers and are very different as are their wives, Jessie, Cara and Nell. Jessie is the one with the successful business and a lot of money so she is the one to arrange the lavish family events that brings them all together. As with all families, not everybody gets on all the time and there is a lot of drama. However, this is magnified when Ed’s wife Cara attends a family meal after hitting her head. Her concussion leads her to deliver some home truths to some members of the family, it provides a wake up call that will shake the Casey’s up, they probably won’t be the same again.

Grown Ups is so, so well done. There are a lot of characters involved but once I had it in my head who was who and how they were all connected then I became completely engrossed in their individual stories. I don’t want to give too much away but Keyes packs a huge amount into this book, we have addiction, love, family, friendships, anxiety, ambition and much more. Using a family unit to explore all of these different issues is an excellent idea as it really strips the characters bare, you can rarely hide things from your own family and when you have a large extended family then issues almost become magnified.

My favourite characters were Nell and Ferdia and the bond that they form, it was handled so well and I loved their parts of the book. Nell is a great character, she has married into the family and her husband Liam is not shaping up to be who she thought he was. But what do you do if you like your husband’s family more than your husband?

Marian Keyes has written openly about her experience of mental health and I felt as though she used her own knowledge and perspective of addiction to offer an excellent insight. One of the characters has an addiction within the book and Keyes presents it warts and all. I liked how she did not tip-toe around the problem but instead showed the impact and consequences it has plus the ways in which it affects the wider family and friends.

Grown Ups is an excellent book and showcases Marian Keyes’ immense talent, I cannot recommend it enough.  Many thanks to Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this book via Netgalley, it is out in February!

BOOK REVIEW: The Break by Marian Keyes

'Myself and Hugh... we're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food-sort of break?'
If only, Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break- from their marriage, their children and most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South-East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it. Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but lets be clear; a break isn't a break-up-yet. However, for Amy it's enough to send her- along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and trouble-makers, teetering over the edge. For a lot can happen in six months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? And will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn't she?
The Break isn't a story about falling in love but staying in love. 

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Pages: 576

Publication date: 7th September

I have read and loved every single one of Marian Keyes' books and I didn't think she could get any better but I was WRONG!
Amy and Hugh are on a six month break, Hugh wants to go travelling to South-East Asia  and whilst he is gone, he wants both of them to behave as though they are single. He wants them to forget about their marriage, the children they are raising and their every day lives. Amy is devastated and angry but she knows she has to let him get it out of his system. When a friend points out that it also means that Amy is on a break  and can do what she likes, she begins to look at the situation differently; what or who would she like to do while he's away?
The Break is Marian's sexiest book; it feels much more grown up than her others. Don't worry, she hasn't gone all Fifty Shades but there are plenty of sex scenes and they are brilliantly done. They in no way feel like they are included to titillate but they are integral to the story and go a long way to show how Amy is thinking and feeling. Hugh going tears her apart and the relationship she has while he is away  highlights the damage he has done and you begin to wonder if they will ever be able to be together again?
Marian Keyes, as usual gets the balance just right in The Break. The emotions are raw and passionate but I also lost count of the amount of times I laughed out loud. Not just a little chuckle but a full on belly laugh! This is why Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors, she is still a master of this fantastic genre.
The Break is brilliant and I can't recommend it enough; the characters are well rounded, the plot will keep you gripped and the emotions are expertly explored. Do not miss this book!

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this book via Netgalley.  

BOOK REVIEW: Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan

Margot Lewis is the agony aunt for the Cambridge Enquirer. Her advice column, Dear Amy, gets all kinds of letters- but none like the one she's just received: Dear Amy, I don't know where I am. I've been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I'm afraid he'll kill me. Please help me soon, Bethan Avery. Bethan Avery has been missing for years. This is surely some cruel hoax: but as more letters arrive, they contain information that was never made public. How is this  happening? Answering this question will cost Margot everything...

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Pages: 400

I came across this book on Netgalley and I loved the simplicity of the cover and once I'd downloaded it I read it in just under two days.
Margot Lewis lives in Cambridge, she is a teacher at an exclusive girls school and in the midst of a rather messy divorce from her husband who slept with one of his work colleagues. On top of all this, Margot has a column in her local newspaper, entitled Dear Amy, it is an advice column and she is used to receiving all kinds of  letters. However when she opens this one from Bethan Avery she is shocked to the core as Bethan has been missing for years. Police believe that she was kidnapped and murdered, but her body has never been found. Coincidentally a girl from Margot's class has also gone missing; Margot can't help but feel it is somehow connected and she sets out to get to the bottom of it.
Dear Amy was such a good read, it is dark, gripping and extremely clever. Helen Callaghan is my new 'Queen of Plot Twists', the one at the end of this book totally floored me. I felt like I had just worked it all out when the rug was suddenly and spectacularly pulled from under my feet.
Helen Callaghan flits between Margot as a narrator and also Katie, the other girl who is missing. Katie's experiences at the hands of her captor are terrifying and he is a character that you quickly detest.
It is clear from the beginning that Margot Lewis is a character with many layers and it was fascinating to watch the author as she slowly revealed the details of her past whilst expertly tying all the strands of the story together.
I think that Dear Amy is going to get a lot of attention, it is one of the best books I have read so far in 2016.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for allowing me to review this book via Netgalley. Dear Amy is due to be published on June 16th! 

Book Review: The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan

When Alice Eveleigh arrives at Firecombe Manor during the long languid summer of 1933, she finds a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets. Sadness permeates its empty rooms and the isolated valley seems crowded with ghosts, none more alluring than Elizabeth Stanton whose only traces remain in a few tantalisingly blurred photographs. Why will no one speak of her? What happened a generation ago to make her vanish?
As the sun beats down relentlessly, Alice becomes even more determined to unearth the truth about the girl in the photograph- and stop her own life from becoming an eerie echo of Elizabeth's.

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 448 

I was very attracted to this book when I saw a few reviews comparing it to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I can see why comparisons have been made but I think this book had a very different feel to it.
The book flits between two characters, Alice Eveleigh and Lady Elizabeth Stanton; Alice in 1933 and Elizabeth at least a generation before. Alice is in disgrace after falling pregnant to a married man. She has come to Firecombe to have her baby in secret. She comes across a few photographs of Elizabeth Stanton and is intrigued by the woman who used to live in the house. Mrs Jelphs is the current housekeeper and she used to be Elizabeth's maid but she will not talk of her old mistress which just intrigues Alice even more. As Alice begins to discover Firecombe's tragic past she begins to wonder how it will affect the present; there is a lot of bad feeling in the house and she begins to question whether it is a place of safety for her or not.
I liked both Alice and Elizabeth but I found Elizabeth's story slightly more interesting. It becomes very clear that she suffered from post-natal depression but in those times it was not recognised and women were often locked in asylums  and deemed insane. The treatment Elizabeth received altered her forever and effectively tore her family apart. It was fascinating to see how post-natal depression was viewed at the time and the treatment that women received.
Kate Riordan has written an interesting and enticing book. The tension is very high in places but there were a few parts that I felt were a little too long. I did like how she brought the characters of Alice and Elizabeth together. The subtle way in which she intertwined their stories was very good.
I love books that are set in big houses and go back and forth in time. The Girl in the Photograph has a very good plot and interesting characters, I would highly recommend.

Many thanks to Penguin for allowing me to read a review copy of this book via Netgalley.

Book Review: Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell

Hallie has a secret. She's in love. He's perfect for her in every way, but he's seriously out of bounds. And her friends aren't going to help her because what they do know is that Hallie doesn't have long to live. Time is running out.
Flo has a dilemaa, She really likes Zander. But his scary sister won't be even faintly amused if she thinks Zander and Flo are becoming frriends- let alone anything more.
Tasha has a problem. Her new boyfriend is the adventurous type and she's afraid one of his adventures will go badly wrong.
Three Amazing Things About You begins as Hallie goes on a journey. A donor has been found and she's about to be given new lungs. But whose?

Publisher: Headline Review

Pages: 382

Publication Date: TODAY! 

Three Amazing Things About You is Jill Mansell's latest fantastic book. I read it in just over a day and it reminded me how much I enjoy this author's writing.
Hallie is the central character, she is only 26 but she has cystic fibrosis so she is very aware that her time is limited. She has very strong feelings for Luke but she can't act upon them as while Luke is a good friend he is also her GP. Hallie keeps her feelings a secret but how will she take it if he meets someone else?
Flo is another lovely character and she becomes more and more important as the book develops. Her attraction to Zander is a shock to her but she completely underestimated his nightmare sister who will do everything she can to wreck their happiness.
Tasha meets Rory in a very entertaining way but she can't believe how quickly she falls in love. He's a complete adrenalin junkie and his friends question whether she is too sedate for him. When their relationship is put under a huge pressure, Tash shows to everyone just how much she loves Rory and will do all she can to be by his side.
These separate characters come in to each other's lives at several points without interacting; they may just be in the same place or mention a shared acquaintance. I think this really helped explore the idea of fate, how much of our destiny do we actually control?
I think that one of the things Jill Mansell does best is the interaction between her characters. Her dialogue is effortless which makes them more believable.
Cystic fibrosis is a big issue to approach and I felt that it was handled really well. I know somebody who has cystic fibrosis and I really did feel that it was clear to see that Jill Mansell had done her research. I was very impressed with how this book will raise awareness about cystic fibrosis and organ donation.
Three Amazing Things About You had me in tears at the end. It is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.