Fiction Reviews

Synopsis: Most break-up bibles are full of the same old stories of woe, wrack and ruin…

1. Crying into large glasses of Chardonnay

2. A huge amount of retail therapy and some unwise ‘break-up’ haircuts 3. Dividing up meaningful CD’s and shoving photo frames face down in drawers But what if ending your relationship was actually the best thing that ever happened to you? What if…

1. You only got together because he was your ‘...’ Transitional Man’

2. You dumped him because you just don’t fancy him any more and a syndrome commonly known as ‘The Repulsion’ had set in

3. His mother hates you and never stops reminding him about ‘all the other lovely single girls’ he went to playgroup with?

It’s Not Me, It’s You is the perfect post-break-up companion on the road to recovery. Charlotte Ward takes us on an exhilarating journey, packed full of real-life stories (including the worst of her own) Witty, touching and always honest, this book is the ultimate runaway guide.

Buy It's Not Me, It's You from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
Most of us have been there, or are still there, and Charlotte’s take on the trials and tribulations of a break-up is very funny. Using real-life stories as examples she takes the reader through first loves, knowing your enemy, including potential parents-in-law, how to survive the ‘I hate you so much right now’ stage, the road to recovery, mixed with a little revenge, and how to move on, including the perils of re-bound loves, and the joy of single life. In her final chapters she gives the view from the boys and how to set yourself up again for the merry-go-round. As well as the humour, there is also good advice which might save you from doing something you might regret!

Synopsis: 1+1= 288 Find out how in this brilliantly funny book following two rabbits and their rapidly expanding family through a whole calendar year. Full of novelty elements from a baby-bunny record book to a rabbit newspaper (complete with problem page and horoscopes) plus a surprise pop-up ending.

Winner of the 2005 Kate Greenaway Medal, Nestle Children’s Book Prize Bronze Award, Booktrust's Early Years Award in the Emerging Illustrator category and numerous other prizes Emily Gravett is an author-illustrator of exceptional talent and skill. She has written and illustrated the following for Macmillan: Wolves, Meerkat Mail, Orange Pear Apple Bear, Monkey and Me, Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, The Odd Egg and Spells.

Buy The Rabbit Problem from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
Once in a while a book comes along that brings sheer delight, this is one such book! Designed for children it will have adults smiling as you look more closely at the different pages. There are so many innovative and inspired additions, the detail is delightful, we loved the newspaper with the horoscopes, and Ask Angora the Field’s Agony Aunt! The Carrot Cookery book is great fun too. We loved Emily’s The Odd Egg and our junior reviewers love this too! A perfect book for parents and children to share. Highly Recommended!

Whether the sun is shining, or not, this collection of wonderful books will help you relax, chill out and enjoy the free time. Still working? These are worth escaping out at lunchtime and finding a quiet corner, forget the world for a while and just enjoy reading! Part 2 Next Week……

The Difference a Day Makes Carole Matthews

Synopsis: William and Amy Ashurst are typical townies, dedicated professionals at the top of their tree, with two adorable children and an au pair who cooks, cleans and cares for them all. Then one day Will collapses on his way into work and he decides he’s never going back...

…Three months later, Amy is standing outside Helmshill Grange, a sullen monstrosity of a house, deep in the Yorkshire moors, with their own land as far as the eye can see. It’s what William says he’s always wanted. Within days, Will’s traded in their brand new Audi for a clapped out Land Rover, and brought home chickens, goats, sheep, a serial-killer cat and a mad dog.

Then tragedy strikes and Amy learns that it’s one thing living the dream, but when the dream’s not your own, how long is it until the dream becomes a nightmare?

To get some magic in your life go to www.carolematthews.com

Buy The Difference a Day Makes from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
One of our favourite authors, Carole Matthews always delivers a memorable story and this one doesn’t disappoint, it’s warm, funny, perfection. It is utterly absorbing, and once started you will find it impossible to put down, with a fabulous feel good ending!

Synopsis: A big shabby Victorian suburban house, the smell of raincoats and coq au vin in the hall, the six mugs for the children slung from the kitchen dresser hooks: for destructive Paul, difficult Gina, elegant Sandra, considerate Katie, clever Roger and flighty Clare, Allersmead was the perfect place to grow up. But was it?

Now grown-up and off in different directions, one by one the children return to Allersmead, to their home-making mother and aloof writer father and a house that for years has played silent witness to the secrets of a family, and one particular secret of which no one speaks…

In her sixteenth novel, Penelope Lively shows her extraordinary understanding of what makes us human as she delves into the mystery of family life.

Buy Family Album from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
A book by Penelope Lively is a special occurrence, a writer with an impeccable pedigree, she has delighted both adults and children with her prize winning novels. This book is no exception, it delivers on all levels, it is sublimely well-written. It is a thought-provoking study of family life with intriguing flashbacks and different perspectives as seen through eyes of different family members. Once started you just want to keep reading, it is an utter pleasure, a perfect summer read. Highly Recommended!

Synopsis: Settled in London and with their own delicious slice of home in the form of Beppi's restaurant, 'Little Italy', the Martinelli's are a typical Italian family; fighting, eating and loving in equal measure.

Now, Pieta's sister Addolorata is getting married. Since Pieta is a bridal designer it falls to her to make the wedding gown. But she is distracted by a series of family mysteries. Why is her father feuding with another Italian in the neighbourhood? Why is her mother so faded and sad? And could the man she's always held a torch for really be getting married to someone else? As Pieta stitches and beads her sister's wedding gown she uncovers the secrets that have made her family what it is and that stand between her and happiness.

The Italian Wedding is a feast of food and love. It's about discovering who your family really are. And who you really want to be.

Buy The Italian Wedding from Amazon.co.uk

 

Hot Brands Verdict
Hot Italian temperaments, wonderful Italian food,the romance of designing beautiful wedding dresses, and at its heart interwoven love stories. We loved the way Nicky has included recipes, and part of her parent's story as inspiration into this novel, if you want to escape for a few hours, this is perfect summer reading, we loved it !

Synopsis: Evie Hamilton has a secret. One she doesn't even know about. Yet . . .

She's blissfully unaware that her charmed and happy life is about to be turned upside down. And it all begins one sunny, Oxford morning when a letter - a ticking time bomb - lands on Evie's immaculate doormat. Something she never anticipated threatens to sabotage all that she holds dear. It's time for her to reappraise everything in her carefully arranged universe.

Is Evie strong enough to fight for what she loves? What will be left and what will change forever? And can her world really be as fragile as her best china?

Hot Brands Verdict
Catherine Alliott has a wonderful storytelling ability, this book captures you from the very first page, it’s absorbing and captivating, and keeps you enthralled until the very last wonderful, aaaah ending. Perfect weekend reading we loved it. Highly Recommended!

Buy The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton from Amazon.co.uk

www.penguin.co.uk

Synopsis: Love, rivalry, and writing in a Tuscan paradise.

Relax. Indulge. And discover the writer within...

Patricia Wilson's enticing ads for the writers' retreat she runs at her thirteenth-century Italian castle promise so much. But while the gorgeous surroundings and chef Aldo's melanzane never fail to wow the guests, huge maintenance bills and bad news from the bank threaten to close Patricia down. It's make or break time for the Castello.

August comes, temperatures rise and seven aspiring authors bowl up ready to gossip, flirt and gently polish their prose by the pool. But with big egos, murky secrets and some unexpected visitors to contend with, one thing’s for sure: neither the Castello, nor Patricia, has ever seen a summer like this.

Buy Summer School from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
On these hot summery days Summer School perfectly captures the heat we are all feeling, except for most of us it is in a hot airless office rather than in a Tuscan castle ! We really enjoyed Domenica de Rosa’s Villa Serena and Summer School is equally enjoyable, she has a wonderful ability to create very atmospheric novels where you feel the heat, smell the delicious food, and see the stunning scenery. Against this backdrop she develops her characters and entices you into their lives. It is utterly absorbing, and once started you will find it impossible to put down, with a fabulous feel good ending !

Summer School is wonderful summer read. Highly Recommended!

Synopsis
This is the story of Peter, a Cambridge geography don who crashes his car into a tree stump when swerving to avoid a cat, and Mina, the girl at the Sheffield call centre who deals with his insurance claim. It tracks their parallel lives, as well those of their families - because both Peter and Mina are single parents.

An old-fashioned fairy tale of love across the class divide, it is also a book about the small joys and tribulations of parenthood; about one-ness and two-ness; about symmetry and coincidence; about the things which separate us and the things which bring us together.

It is a story, in fact, of the accidents of geography.

Hot Brands Verdict
We absolutely loved this gentle heart warming story. If you are looking to withdraw from the hurly burly and stress of a busy week, this is a perfect solution. Rosy Thornton is a sublime storyteller, she takes care to create utterly believable characters and like strawberries and cream, this delicious book is a delightful weekend relaxing treat.

Buy Crossed Wires from Amazon.co.uk

Synopsis: When Kit and Adam separated after almost fifteen years of marriage, Kit felt like she had lost her lover, her best friend and her identity all in one fell swoop. But now, a year on from the divorce, Kit has found herself again and she loves her life in the idyllic Connecticut town of Highfield. She has the perfect job - working for Robert McClore, the famous and wealthy novelist - two wonderful children, a good relationship with her ex-husband and time to enjoy yoga with her friends. Then Tracy, Kit's yoga instructor and close friend, introduces her to Steve - gorgeous, charming, the perfect gentleman - and, for the first time in years, Kit is caught up in a whirlwind romance. But is Steve really as perfect as he seems? And why does it bother Kit when Tracy starts dating Kit's handsome boss, Robert?

What no one knows is that Tracy is hiding a secret - one that threatens to ruin her new-found happiness with Robert and her friendship with Kit. And now Tracy must decide whether to keep her past hidden from them both for ever or whether she should reveal the truth before it's too late…

Sparkling, romantic and poignant, Girl Friday is a captivating tale of friendship, family and marriage as both Kit and Tracy discover that sometimes the people you thought you had lost make their way back into your life again…

(N.B. Girl Friday is called Dune Road in the US)

Buy Girl Friday from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
Reading a Jane Green book is wonderfully satisfying, she has that special ability to create great atmosphere, interesting characters and weave around them an intriguing story. This is a perfect weekend read, absorbing and captivating and a book you won’t want to put down. We loved it!

Released at the same time is:

The Beach House Jane Green
Synopsis: One summer a group of strangers - each with their own reason for wanting to step out of their busy life - meet at rented beachouse in sunny Nantucket. There's Daniel, who's causing heartbreak for his wife Bee; recently divorced Daff, who feels she's lost touch with her daughter Jess; and Michael - son of the house's mischievous , free-spirited owner Nan - who is having an ill-advised fling with his boss.
With so many lost souls gathered under one roof, very soon there are tears and laughter, friendship and - for some - even love. Each one of them is hoping for a new beginning. But will any of them find it?

Buy The Beach House from Amazon.co.uk

Hot Brands Verdict
We loved this when we first reviewed it in hardback, and if you haven’t read it, do buy the paperback version, it’s a wonderful book. Here is our review as published last year:

‘Jane Green opens this book with a wonderful description of Nan, who at sixty-five still feels thirty, thought of locally as slightly eccentric as she cycles around on an old bicycle smoking a cigarette and waving at all and sundry. Later she skinny dips in a neighbour’s pool and wanders naked around their garden popping strawberries and peas into her mouth. Having once had money she now finds herself alone and facing the prospect of having to sell her house, her most precious possession.

The solution appears to be to rent out rooms for the summer and Nan’s life begins to change as the house begins to fill with people, Daniel, a recently divorced father who has come to discover himself, Daff the single mother of a difficult teenager, coupled with the return of her son Michael, also escaping a troubled relationship. As the summer progresses, the relationships bloom and develop. Coupled with a very unexpected arrival of a new visitor, and you have the makings of a wonderful read, absorbing, heart warming and absolutely perfect for the summer.'