BOOK REVIEW: The Teashop on the Corner by Milly Johnson

Life is full of second chances...if only you keep your heart open for them.
Spring Hill Square is a pretty sanctuary away from the bustle of everyday life. And at its centre is Leni Merryman's Teashop on the Corner, a place where three people will find a friend to lean on.
Carla Pride has just discovered that her late husband Martin was not who she thought he was. But now she must learn to put her marriage behind her and move forward.
Molly Jones' ex-husband Harvey has reappeared in her life after many years, wanting to put right the wrongs of the past before it's too late.
And Will Linton's business has gone bust and his wife has left him to pick up the pieces. Now he needs to gather the strength to start again.
Can all three find the comfort they are looking for in The Teashop on the Corner? And as their hearts are slowly mended by Leni, can they return the favour when she needs in the most?

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 492

The Teashop on the Corner is Milly Johnson at her best; warm, inviting, witty and entertaining. I devoured this book in about two days, I wanted to constantly be surrounded by the characters that Milly had created in order to find out what would happen to them.

The teashop run by Leni is delightful, she sells beautiful literary gifts and her cakes are named after famous authors etc. I found myself wishing that this was a real place as I know I would be in there a lot. Leni's teashop becomes a real safe haven for the main characters in the book, the shop brings people together who perhaps would not have met otherwise.
I always love the way in which Milly Johnson manages to tackle big issues in her book but without bringing the reader down. The Teashop on the Corner deals with death, infidelity, sexual abuse, domestic abuse and deception. I couldn't believe how much was packed into this book and it was done in such an effortless manner. As I said though, Milly Johnson shows the tough stuff but then ever so subtly lifts the reader back up, not an easy feat.
The Teashop on the Corner is a brilliant book, the characters and the storyline are spot on and I was very sad to reach the final page.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me a review copy. 

Book Review: Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent

Oliver Ryan is a handsome and charismatic success story. He lives a life of enviable privilege and ease with his wife, Alice. Enviable until, one evening after dinner, Oliver attacks Alice so viciously that he beats her into a coma.
Oliver is stunned by his own actions. In the aftermath, as everyone tries to make sense of this astonishing act of savagery, he tells his story. So do those whose paths he has crossed over five decades.
What unfolds is both tragic and monstrous, a story of shame, envy, breath taking deception and masterful manipulation.
Only Oliver knows what he had to do to get the life he craved and to which he felt entitled. But even he is in for a shock when the past finally catches up with him. 

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 231

Unravelling Oliver was a particularly interesting read. Oliver Ryan is a shocking character and I know that I will be thinking about this book for a long time. The opening line of the book immediately grabs you and draws you into the story:

I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.

At this point we don't know Oliver or Alice so you have no idea what has happened or why. The rest of the book explores Oliver's character an why he h
as physically assaulted his wife.
Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, the only character we don't hear from is Alice. I loved this style of narration as it slowly built up a picture of Oliver and the monstrous acts he had committed throughout his life. I didn't feel that I came to any real conclusions about Oliver, he clearly suffered a loveless childhood but I didn't necessarily feel that this warranted his treatment of others, especially Alice.
Liz Nugent tells her story beautifully, it felt like quite a traditional story. She subtly built it up layer by layer; it felt effortless and it was very easy to immerse yourself in the tale.
Unravelling Oliver is an accomplished debut novel, Liz Nugent's writing is beautiful and captivating and I hope there will be more.

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book to review. 

Book Review: Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

All she wants is to hide away but love has found her.
In a town where people worry about what they're seen in and who they're seen with, Emma Thomas doesn't want to be seen at all. She's more concerned with feigning perfection- which means pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises. Emma doesn't want anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is.
But when Emma unexpectedly finds love it challenges her to recognise her own worth, at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she's desperate to hide.

Reason to Breathe is the first book in a new New Adult trilogy by Rebecca Donovan and it is brilliant.
Emma Thomas lives with her aunt and uncle, Carole and George. Her father died and her mother is a useless alcoholic. People in town assume that Emma is very lucky to be looked after by her family but they have no idea that Emma's life is a living hell. When she can't be seen, Carol subjects Emma to systematic mental and physical abuse. The only person that knows is her best friend Sara, that is until Evan arrives in town. Emma is barely surviving so she knows she shouldn't have anything to do with him but she can't ignore her feelings even if it means risking everything.
I don't want to spoil the plot by explaining why Emma stays under her aunt's roof but suffice to say, she is a very brave and determined character. It is a little frustrating at times when she won't let people help her but it becomes easy to understand why she behaves the way she does.
Emma and Evan's relationship develops slowly due to her initial insistence that they should just be friends. It is fascinating to watch Emma react to Evan; other than Sara, no one has ever cared for her and no one has loved her as Evan does.
Carol is a vile character, the scenes of abuse are very detailed and I felt myself tense every time her name appeared. As a character, we don't really get to know her or why she has so much venom for Emma, perhaps we will discover more in the next book. Rebecca Donovan's writing is excellent, I think she will gain a huge Young Adult audience with this trilogy.
The next two books are called Barely Breathing and Out of Breath and I am really looking forward to continuing Emma's story.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book to review, Reason to Breathe is out now.