🌞 Summer Read ~ Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson

Simon and Schuster 

27 February 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week? 

Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

🌞My Review..

For the past couple of afternoons I have spent time with a group of women who could so easily have been my best friends and thanks to this lovely story they remain with me long after I closed the book with a satisfied sigh. There is something really special about this author’s stories and it’s not just the amount of heart and soul she pours into them, or about the snorts of laughter which erupt as I’m reading them, it’s that she just gets inside characters, and brings to the page their hopes and fears, their faults and flaws, their small joys and their whopping big insecurities. They’re all there on the page, relatable people who steal their way into your heart, well the good guys do, the seriously bad ones tend to get their comeuppance in the most perfect of ways.

Same Time Next Week focuses on the lives of five women who each have their share of life’s problems. Finding friendship and support at a weekly meeting, pouring their hearts out to each other over copious amounts of coffee and plates of delicious cookies. They learn how to be strong, how to take a long hard look at their lives and be brave enough to take that second chance when it’s offered especially when they realise that they should never settle for anything less, especially when they deserve so much more. 

Beautifully written, with great dollops of northern humour and laugh out loud funny bits, but also with some really poignant moments which made me shed a little tear. Same Time Next Week is a perfect read for anytime of year but even more so when the sun is shining, we’re in the middle of a heatwave and I have a long cold drink close to hand.

About the Author

Milly Johnson was born raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and with millions of copies of her books sold across the world, Milly’s star continues to rise. Milly writes from the heart about what she knows and highlights the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate love, friendship, and the possibility of second chances. She is an exceptional writer who puts her heart and soul into every book she  writes and every character she creates.

X @millyjohnson #SameTimeNextWeek

X@simonschusterUK 

Blog Tour- Rules of the Road by Ciara Geraghty

Thrilled to host today's Blog Tour stop

Harper Collins
20 February 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

When Iris Armstrong goes missing, her best friend Terry, wife, mother and all-round worrier, is convinced something bad has happened. 

And when she finds her glamorous, feisty friend, she’s right: Iris is setting out on a journey that she plans to make her last. 

The only way for Terry to stop Iris is to join her, on a road trip that will take them and Terry’s confused father Eugene onto a ferry, across the Irish sea and into an adventure that will change all of their lives. 

Somehow what should be the worst six days of Terry’s life turn into the best. 

Honest and emotional, Ciara Geraghty examines family, ageing parents, marriage, life and loss with warmth in a book that grown-up readers will adore.

What did I think about it..

When Terry Shepherd discovers that her best friend Iris Armstrong has gone missing she knows instinctively that something isn't right. Terry sets off to find her, but when she discovers where Iris is, and the reason for her disappearance, Terry is not only filled with worry but is also concerned about her friend's decision. Gradually, over the course of a six day road trip which is filled with all sorts of adventures, Iris, Terry, and Terry’s dad, Eugene, demonstrates how a strong bond of friendship can start to break down barriers.

Sometimes a story comes along which makes you think about a subject which is, to be sure, a difficult one, and yet, the author handles the complex issues in a sensitive and empathetic way. I really enjoyed getting to know more about the characters and particularly enjoyed reading the rules of the road phrases which head each chapter which help to make you feel like you are on the road trip with this intrepid threesome. The author does a great job of combining deadly serious with a lighthearted approach and the added inclusion of Terry’s dad, Eugene, with his quirky humour and fondness for Frank Sinatra, certainly helps to bring a very different dimension to what is, after all, quite a sad story.

Rules of the Road manages to tackle a difficult and thought provoking subject in an interesting and hopeful way, and in doing so gives an insightful look at the true meaning of friendship and the special closeness of friends who want only what's best for each other.

About the Author

Ciara Geraghty was born and raised in Dublin. She started writing in her thirties and hasn’t looked back. She has three children and one husband and they have recently adopted a dog who, alongside their youngest daughter, is in charge of pretty much everything.

Twitter @ciarageraghty #RulesoftheRoad

@HarperFiction

#RandomThingsTours

Review ~ The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine

Harper Collins
30 May 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Secrets, lies, betrayal…and murder.

Dr Kate English has it all. Not only is she heiress to a large fortune, she has a gorgeous husband and daughter, a high-flying career and a beautiful mansion anyone would be jealous of.

But all that is about to change. One night, Kate’s mother is found dead, murdered in her own home. And then Kate receives a message: You think you’re sad now, just wait…

Evidently, all is not as it seems in Baltimore high society, and as scandals, infidelities and betrayals are exposed, tensions rise to boiling point. The murderer could be anyone – friend, neighbour, lover, relative. And Kate is next on their list...

My Thoughts..

The writing duo who brought us The Last Mrs Parrish have once again given us a complex psychological suspense story. The enjoyment from reading these accomplished novels is that you never really know who to trust, or indeed, who is even telling the absolute truth.

The story opens after a high society funeral reuniting two friends who were once close but through circumstances have lost touch with each other. The main protagonist, Dr. Kate English seems to have it all, money, privilege and yet, she is not immune to sadness, and as the story proves, grief, loss, secrets and lies can pretty much turn your world upside down. Losing her mother in tragic circumstances haunts Kate in more ways than one and she turns to her childhood friend, Blair,  in order to make sense of what's happening in her life.

The plot is both convoluted and complex and there are many twists and turns before the final denouement and lots of people who could be suspects. The characterisation is strong and whilst some of the characters aren’t particularly likeable, they do add a sense of drama and intrigue. 

I did enjoy reading this novel, however, being honest I don't think it quite held my attention as much as  The Last Mrs Parrish, but hey, that didn't matter. The Last Time I Saw You is still a convincing psychological drama from a writing duo who mix together great ingredients for a thought provoking read.

About the Authors

Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Separated by three states, they spend hours plotting via Face Time and burning up each other's emails. They attribute their ability to concoct dark story lines to the hours they spent listening to tales handed down by their Greek grandmother. Lynne lives in Milford, Connecticut. Valerie lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Website

Twitter @LivConstantine2

@HarperCollinsUK @fictionpubteam

Blog Tour ~ Love Will Tear Us Apart by Holly Seddon

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on the  Love Will Tear Us Apart  Blog Tour

Atlantic Books
7 June 2018

My thanks to the publishers and also to Random Things Tours for my copy of the book
 and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

What's it all about..

Fearing eternal singledom, childhood friends Kate and Paul make the age-old vow that if they don't find love by thirty, they will marry each other. Years later, with the deadline of their 30th birthdays approaching, the unlikely couple decide to keep their teenage promise. After all, they are such good friends. Surely that's enough to make a marriage? Now, on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, they will discover that love between men and women is more complex, and more precarious, than they could ever have imagined. As Kate struggles with a secret that reaches far into their past, will the couple's vow become the very thing that threatens their future?

My thoughts about it..

Kate and Paul have been friends since childhood, both are loners, but in each other they find that special something which has always been missing and which completes them. Kate's rather disjointed childhood, with an uncaring father and an indifferent mother, leaves its mark on her but she finds joy and a semblance of family life with Paul's family as the Loxton's offer Kate a respite when the world gets too much for her.  As they each enter into young adulthood, both Kate and Paul pursue different career paths but each remember the pact they made, that is, if they were both still single when they reached thirty, they would marry each other.

What then follows is a bitter sweet story about the complexities of the deep and abiding connection which can exist between good friends, especially when their relationship is based on childhood trust and, unfortunately, of what can happen when that trust seems to have been spoiled.

As always, this talented author gets rights into the nitty-gritty of what makes people tick and brings both Kate and Paul to life in a really believable way so that it becomes very easy to follow where the story leads.  Both are scarily realistic so that they could be people you know and care about and it is testament to this author's skill as a story teller that both Kate and Paul's individual stories never seek to outshine the other. I found that I was equally fond of both of them and wanted everything to work out well. I really enjoyed how everything moved so seamlessly between time frames, giving different perspectives, all of which add up to a really thought-provoking story, and one that stays with you long after the book is finished.

About the Author

Holly Seddon is a full time writer, living slap bang in the middle of Amsterdam with her husband James and a house full of children and pets. Holly has written for newspapers, websites and magazines since her early 20s after growing up in the English countryside, obsessed with music and books. Her first novel TRY NOT TO BREATHE was published worldwide in 2016 and became a national and international bestseller.

Website

Twitter @hollyseddon #lovewilltearusapart

Facebook

Amazon UK

Review ~ The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

Hodder & Stoughton
19 April 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about..

Whatever their friends and teachers might have expected, neither Danny nor James is currently running the country.

Depressed and unemployed, Danny is facing an ultimatum from his girlfriend Maya: if he doesn't get out and get a job, she's leaving.

It was an accident that changed James's life and now he is looked after affectionately by his parents. But his sister Martha believes that the role of full-time carers is destroying their lives - and infantilising her brother.She suggests that James should go into a respite home while her parents take a break.

This is the story of Danny and James, but also of the families who love them and of the women they love. It is a story of many surprising twists, by turns funny and sad, painful and uplifting, and marks a brilliant new stage in the writing career of one of Britain's favourite novelists.

My thoughts about it..

From the very start of this lovely book I was immersed in the combined story of Danny and James.

Two men who once had so much potential but then life and the fickle finger of fate intervened and sent them both travelling along a bumpy road which neither of them could ever have envisaged.  Both men once attended the same school as boys and whilst they were not exactly close friends they did, sort of, know each other. Years later, they meet as adults but by this time their circumstances have changed beyond measure.

The blossoming of an unlikely friendship between Danny and James, is the basis for this story which will take them away from their comfort zones and into a world which, if they are brave enough, is alive with possibility.

The author has really captured the unpredictability of life, and of how the repercussions of this change in fortune can have a devastating effect on friends and family. In many ways it's a sad story about lost opportunities but the writing is filled with such warmth and wit that the sadness becomes bearable. And yet, it's not all about unhappiness, although, both James and Danny have more than their fair share of misfortune, but rather, it's more about the way that both of them deal with the hand that fate has played them which gives the book its heart and soul.

I've read several books by this talented author and have enjoyed every one of them but there is something rather special about The Man I Think I Know which really caught my imagination, so much so that I read the story with both tears and smiles, and by the end of the story I felt as if I had said goodbye to two friends.

About the Author

Previously an Agony Uncle, Mike Gail is a freelance journalist who has contributed to a variety of magazines. His bestselling novels include My Legendary Girlfriend, Mr Commitment, Turning Thirty, His'n'Hers, and Brand New Friend.

Website

Twitter @mikegayle

Amazon UK

Blog Tour ~ Stand By Me by S D Robertson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the 

Stand By Me Blog Tour

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book and also for the invitation to be part of this tour
 and for permission to share this extract with you.

I am delighted to be able to share with you this extract from Stand By Me

Johnny and Carl were the ones who actually stripped him, who jeered at how he looked in his underwear, joking that he needed a bra for his ‘boobies’. Peter stood to one side, looking awkward. But he didn’t do anything to stop them. He didn’t say a word. Then Johnny turned to him and asked why he wasn’t getting involved, suggesting it was because he and Elliot used to be ‘bum chums’. That was when Peter stepped forward and pulled Elliot’s glasses off his face.

‘Don’t, Peter,’ he pleaded. ‘Please. They’re new. You know I can’t see a thing without them.’

But his former friend didn’t listen. Instead he dropped the glasses on the floor, stamped on them countless times and then threw them into the distance. In his semi-blinded state, Elliot didn’t have a clue where they ended up. What would be the point in looking, anyway? Peter had wrecked them.

Johnny and Carl seemed as impressed by Peter’s actions as Elliot was aggrieved. The three of them left together, as thick as thieves, which was exactly what they were, since they took Elliot’s clothes and shoes with them.

Once he was sure they’d gone, Elliot allowed himself to cry. He wept big fat tears. And then he pulled himself together, hid behind a bush and waited for help to come, as it eventually did in the form of Lisa. His one small consolation was that he hadn’t broken down in front of the boys. He’d come close, but the shock of Peter’s betrayal had actually hardened his resolve not to give them the satisfaction.

Extract Five: Chapter 6, pp.57-58

Avon
11 January 2018

Lisa and Elliot have been best friends ever since the day they met as children. Popular, bright and sporty, Lisa was Elliot’s biggest supporter when the school bullies made his life a misery, and for that, he will always be grateful.

Twenty years later, life has pulled the pair apart and Lisa is struggling. Her marriage is floundering, her teenage kids are being secretive, and she’s so tired she can’t think straight. So when Elliot knocks on the door, looking much better than she remembers, she can’t help but be delighted to see her old friend again.

With Elliot back in their lives, Lisa’s family problems begin to improve – he’s like the fairy godmother she never had. As their bond deepens, she realises how much she’s missed him, and prays that this is one friendship that will last a lifetime. But sometimes, life has other ideas…

My thoughts about it...

Stand By Me is a thoughtful story about the power of friendship and of the importance of keeping those we love always in our hearts. Lisa and Elliot were friends as children but as adults, time and circumstance have caused them to live very separate lives. Now twenty years later, Lisa is facing a difficult time, as her marriage to her husband, Mike, has hit rock bottom. With her personal life in disarray, the last person Lisa expects to see standing on her doorstep is her friend, Elliot. And as Elliot slowly starts to infiltrate into her life again, so things start to improve for Lisa and her family.

This is one of those stories which gives you a lovely warm feeling inside. The characters are so realistic that you feel as if you could have met them at the local shops and called for a coffee with them. Lisa and Mike's problems are so reminiscent of modern day life that you can't help but feel sorry for them as they try to work out their problems in their own inimitable style. In places, the story moves back, in time, to Lisa and Elliot's shared childhood and it was great to see the references of their life as teenagers in the 1990s.

Stand By Me gets right into the heart of a family which have been fractured by circumstances and yet, with love and understanding, it shows that they can come through their troubles with new hope.

About the Author

Former journalist S.D. Robertson quit his role as a local newspaper editor to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming a novelist. An English language and literature graduate from the University of Manchester, he has spent time living in France, Holland and Australia, working in roles as diverse as a holiday rep, door-to-door salesman, train cleaner and mobile phone network engineer.

Stuart’s love of writing and inquisitive nature led him back to university to study journalism. He went on to work at various newspapers in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. He lives in a village near Manchester with his wife and daughter. There’s also his cat, Bernard, who likes to distract him from writing – usually by breaking things.

Twitter @SDRauthor #StandByMe

Amazon UK

@AvonBooksUK

~****~

Review ~ Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon

The Borough Press
11th January 2018

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Eighty-four year old, Florence Claybourne has fallen in her flat at the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly, and whilst speculating on which of the hapless staff will find her, Florence has the opportunity to look back on the events of recent weeks and of the strange way that fate has broken through the protective barriers which she has so carefully placed around herself.

Through Florence's conversations with her friends, Elsie and Jack, and with Florence's wry observations of the vagaries of sheltered living, we come to know more about Florence's life, her friendship with Elsie, and of the connection that Florence has with, Gabriel Price, the mysterious new resident of the Cherry Tree Home.

Cannily perceptive of the incredibly complex world of sheltered living, Florence's sharply observed criticisms of the place and its people are so beautifully written that I found myself going back over words and phrases to reread them. That Florence has some problems with her memory make the unreliability of her narration so expressive, and the truth, that Florence gives us, makes the story all the more poignant.

The description of Florence’s life at the Cherry Tree Home was absolutely perfect, the petty squabbles, the innate boredom, the disinterest of staff who treat the elderly as commodities to be moved on when life gets difficult, and of the scary decline into memory loss and uncertainty. All are observed with a sensitivity which I found quite heart-breaking and yet, there were times when I found myself laughing at some of Florence’s antics, her sharp tongue and her caustic wit gave the story an endearing authenticity which reminded me so much of my mother, it hurt.

However, it must also be said that, Three Things about Elsie is not about older people reminiscing about their past and being grumpy in their present, at its centre is the story about a dark mystery, which involves Florence and her friend Elsie, and of a long buried secret which has been hidden so deeply that, even now, years later, when the truth is finally revealed, lives will be changed forever.

When I started reading Three Things about Elsie just a day into the New Year, I didn’t expect to find the first book on my Reads of 2018 list, but I have found it and it’s quite, quite special.

I hope that you would like to read it too.

About the Author

Joanna Cannon graduated from Leicester Medical School and worked as a hospital doctor, before specialising in psychiatry. Her first novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep was a top ten best seller and was a Richard and Judy pick. She lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog.

Website

Twitter @JoannaCannon

#ThreeThings

@BoroughPress

Amazon UK 

Three Things about Elsie is to be published by The Borough Press on the 11th January.

~****~

Review ~ Candle Stick Press Poetry Pamphlets..

Today I'm talking about


Lovely little, poetry pamphlets from  Candlestick Press

I've fallen in love with these rather special poetry pamphlets which you can send instead of a card. They are beautifully presented and a real joy to read.

Here are my thoughts about the three latest ones :

Ten Poems about Friendship

Selected and Introduced by Lorraine Mariner

Literature, both in prose and poetry has extolled the virtue and the value of true friendship. In this wonderfully presented pamphlet the idea of friendship is demonstrated in all of its many guises. From Stevie Smith's The Pleasures of Friendship through to the Inventory by Lorraine Mariner which offers a wry look at the benefit of Facebook friendship.

However, my absolute favourite is the very last of the ten poems and is entitled quite simply Friendship by Elizabeth Jennings, it is beautifully expressed and quite special.

A perfect friendship gift.

The Wood in Winter

By John Lewis-Stempel 

The beautiful whites and russets of the front cover of this pamphlet conjure perfectly a winter woodland. You feel that you could reach right out and touch the rich red pelt of the shadowy fox and catch a secretive glimpse of the shy grey hare as it peeps just inches away from the running deer.

Inside is a story which warms the heart and soul. Beautifully written, this is one man's journey though Pool Wood, the woodland of his childhood, and the thoughts and feelings expressed are perfectly in keeping with the idea of how much nature means to us. There's a nod to Shakespeare's King Lear in the haunting "Still Through the hawthorn blows the cold wind", and a touch of superstition and folk lore, which combined forms an imagery which is quite stunning. Interspersed as it is, with glorious illustrations from the natural world this is, without doubt, one of the nicest pamphlets I have ever seen.

The Twelve Poems of Christmas (Volume 8)

Edited by Carol Ann Duffy

This glorious collection of twelve poems associated with Christmas allows a glimpse into the many facets of Christmas we so often take for granted.With a mixture of poetry, both old and new the festive season comes alive in the imagination. Two of my favourite poets have been included, John Keats and Robert Graves, and their work sits very comfortably alongside Stevie Smith and other more modern poets, who are perhaps less well known, but whose work is no less impressive.

And for the purists there is also a complete rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, well, it's always useful to know just how many pipers were piping.

Candlestick Press is a small independent publisher who produce a really impressive array of poetry pamphlets which suit any occasion. I'm always impressed by the quality of these booklets which are really lovely to look at and a joy to read. The quality of the paper on which they are printed, the fact that they also include an envelope, a letter seal and a beautifully coordinated book mark, make them something quite, quite special.

You can find out more about these titles by clicking here

My thanks to Candlestick Press for the opportunity to read these beautifully presented pamphlets and also to Lauraine Jordan at Trumpet Public Relations for organising my review copies.

~***~

Review ~ The Comfort of Others by Kay Langdale

Hodder & Stoughton
June 2016

A bit of blurb..

Minnie has always lived with her sister Clara in her family's beautiful, grand, yet increasingly dilapidated house Rosemount. Now in her seventies, she finds herself looking back to a life that has been shrouded with sorrow, and a painful secret that she has guarded since her teens.

Eleven-year-old Max, who lives opposite Minnie on the housing estate built in Rosemount's grounds, has grown up happily with his single mother. But his mum has begun a new relationship and suddenly life is starting to change.

As each of them tell their stories, she via a resurrected childhood journal, him via a Dictaphone, they spot each other through their bedroom windows and slowly and hesitantly an unlikely friendship begins to form.

A friendship that might just help Max come to terms with the present and enable Minnie, finally, to lay to rest the ghosts of her past.

My thoughts about The Comfort of Others..

Max is a sensitive eleven year who is very intuitive to the needs of others but it is his specific thoughtfulness to the needs of his single parent mother where the strength of his personality really shines through. Never knowing who his father is disadvantages Max but he seems to be able to cope with his fatherless state, that is, until his mother introduces a boyfriend into the mix and quite unintentionally, disturbs the equilibrium of Max’s methodical life.

Minnie is an elderly lady, who lives in the big old house on what remains of the original estate where Max and his mother now live.  Locked in a bygone world Minnie starts to notice Max and gradually the two of them begin a tentative friendship. Told in alternate chapters, we get both Max and Minnie's story of their lives. Max uses a Dictaphone because he is not a confident speller and Minnie writes her journal using a beautiful fountain pen which once belonged to her father. Gradually, as the story of both their lives starts to emerge, the burgeoning relationship between Max and Minnie is quite beautiful to observe.

The power of friendship can never be overestimated and in The Comfort of Others, the author brings together two quite damaged people and with charm and sensitivity gives them the chance to tell their individual stories and somehow, together, they find common ground.

I really enjoyed this subtle and quietly confident novel which, with delicate simplicity, allows the story of two damaged people the chance to come to terms with both the past and the present.

Best Read with …A slice of cheese on toast with a cup of tea in a delicately patterned china cup and saucer.

About the Author

Kay Langdale is the author of five novels: Away From You, Choose Me, Her Giant Octopus Moment, What the Heart Knows (Rowohlt, Germany) and Redemption (Transita; published as If Not Love by Thomas Dunne Books.

Find the author on her website

Follow her on Twitter @kaylangdale

My thanks to Natasha at Hodder&Stoughton for my review copy of this book

~***~

Review ~ The Lake House by Marci Nault

Gallery,Threshold,Pocket Books
2013

On the surface, Victoria Rose and Heather Bregman have little in common. The odds that they would ever strike up a friendship are stacked high against them and yet, when they are brought together in the idyllic setting of Nagog, New England, their unlikely differences are the very bond which brings them together.

Victoria is learning how to come to terms with the life she once left behind, and the breaking of promises made fifty years ago, now leave Victoria feeling alone and vulnerable. On the the other hand, Heather is an international journalist, who is at a crossroads in her life and who has now chosen to live a quieter existence. Both women have their own demons to erase, but what is achingly exposed about the story, is the way in which the author brings together a real sense of community with all its faults and foibles.

For me, the story got off to rather a slow, and it must be said, rather meandering start but about a third of the way into the novel, I began to warm to the characters and empathised more with their personal dilemmas. The lakeside setting is idyllic and is captured very well, and really adds depth to the story.

Overall, this is a pleasant story, about the power of friendship.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ecopy of this book