Review: The Teashop On The Corner by Milly Johnson

I love love loved this book & it has entered my list of favourites ever. I loved the plots, the characters & the entire sentiment of the book. I so want my own little Teashop On the Corner where I can meet like minded people & debate books. Milly Johnson has left me wanting to reread some Classics & try some I've never read before The book was filled with humour and had me laughing out loud right from the very first chapter. It also explored so many different emotional topics from...more ***** 5 Stars I read this book at the end of May before I had set up my blog and the book has stayed with me as one of the best books I've ever read. The book was published on the 19th June so I thought I would share my love for this book with my very short review of the book. Thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love love loved this book & it has entered my list of favourites ever. I loved the plots, the characters & the entire sentiment of the book. I so want my own little Teashop On the Corner where I can meet like minded people & debate books. Milly Johnson has left me wanting to reread some Classics & try some I've never read before The book was filled with humour and had me laughing out loud right from the very first chapter. It also explored so many different emotional topics from domestic violence to death. I felt both sad & happy when I turned the final page. It felt like I was losing some of my very best friends

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf - Review

                                                 5 Stars *****

Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin I've just been able to read a book by one of my favourite authors, Heather Gudenkauf. The first book I read by Gudenkauf was 'One Breath Away' and I immediately fell in love with her writing style and her ability to tackle difficult topics head on so I was very excited to receive an ARC of her latest book 'Little Mercies'

As with everything the author has written I had high hopes for this book & I wasn't disappointed. At the start of the book we are introduced to Ellen Moore, a social worker and mother of three, wife to Adam who is juggling her busy work schedule with being a mother. She is committed to both her own family and to the children she is sworn to protect in her job. She has seen the worse things imaginable and cares deeply for the families she works with. One hectic morning a moments distraction causes Ellen's world to come tumbling down and she becomes the very person she has made it her job to protect children from.

We are also introduced early on to 10 year old, Jenny Briard who lives with her single father, an alcoholic and the pair move from place to place as her father moves from job to job and various friend-girls as Jenny refers to them. Jenny has not seen her mother in a number of years after her father won sole custody of her and the unthinkable happens one day when Jenny is separated from her father and ends up all alone. At a Happy Pancake restaurant she is befriended by Maudene the waitress and this leads to Ellen & Jenny's worlds colliding with tragic consequences. Jenny's story provides a wonderful contrast to that of Ellen's and made the book even more readable.

This book was very powerful in it's writing and the way that it explores the relationships between mother and child. As a mother of 3 myself I can totally relate to those moments of distraction where the unthinkable could happen. I remember one time being on a family outing to the beach with various aunts and grandparents present and everyone thought that someone else was pushing my 4 year old in her buggy. Thankfully very quickly we realised that no one had her & she was still sleeping peacefully, unaware on the promenade whilst the adults breathed huge sighs of relief. It doesn't matter how good a parent you are mistakes do happen and sometimes the consequences are tragic.

The characters were complex and I couldn't help but feel for Ellen as the story unfolds and what she is subjected to.  I loved the strength of Jenny who had already been through so much in her short life and was left at the end really hoping that life takes a much better turn for her. 

From the moment I opened the book and read the opening scene I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know what happened to all of the characters, needed to see good win over evil everything just swept me along until suddenly I was at the last page. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written story and also fans of Diane Chamberlain and Jodi Picoult.

The Fault In Our Stars- Movie meets book!

I read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green back in September last year and found it an emotional rollercoaster of a read. I read it pretty much in one sitting & remember desperately trying not to disturb my husband at 2am when I was nearing the end of the book & tears were rolling down my face. 

At the time I didn't review the book just gave it a 5 star rating & left it at that. I simply couldn't form the words to write a review. I couldn't decide what to write. The book really tugged on my heart strings from the point of view of me being a mother of an 18 year old girl and from the point of view of that first big love and how you move on from it. The book stayed with me & I have been recommending it to anyone that will listen. As soon as I finished it I quickly grabbed myself a copy of Looking For Alaska by the same author and devoured that in one sitting as well. There is something about John Green's writing that just draws you in & I'm yet to put my finger on it. 

So on Thursday my eldest daughter turned 19 & whilst out shopping I said 'Let's go see The Fault In Our Stars'. She'd started reading the book but never  managed to finish it because she found it too emotional. That fact should have warned me taking her to see the film was not the best idea for a birthday treat. Throughout the film she kept pointing out to me this older lady who was on her own & was constantly crying into a tissue and then all of a sudden it was my daughter crying but hers weren't quiet cries, they were great heaving sobs and she was shaking. What a way to spend your birthday. 

But seriously we both loved the film & I was so pleased that it followed the book. I'm always nervous when seeing a film based on a book I've read & enjoyed as they never quite live up to my expectations but thankfully this wasn't the case with TFIOS. The casting was great,I loved the chemistry between Hazel & Gus. I'm so excited to see that Looking For Alaska is being made into a film as well and hope the end result is as good as TFIOS.  

I'd highly recommend the film to anyone who doesn't mind showing a bit of emotion in a public place. Seriously go watch it, just take plenty of tissues. 

I also came away from the film with 2 new books to read. The trailers at the beginning of TFIOS showed The Maze Runner based on the book by James Dashner & If I Stay based on the book by Gayle Forman. Both looked great & I have added them to my virtual teetering to read pile on GoodReads