One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review

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One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 

Publication date: 20th January 2022

Blurb:

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

   

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiance, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants while trying to protect the ones she loves. But who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Review:

This is just beautiful.

One True Loves follows the story of Emma Blair. When she was a teenager she worked at her parent's bookstore, Blair Books, and became friends with fellow student Sam but sort of accidentally puts him in the friendzone.

Emma's sister Marie drags her along to a swim team meet to see her boyfriend and Emma lays her eyes on Jesse Learner for the first time. Eventually, Jesse and Emma get together, travel the world and get married. True high school sweethearts. The day before their first wedding anniversary, Jesse goes on a work trip and the helicopter he was travelling in goes missing and Jesse is presumed dead.

Understandably, Emma is distraught as she has lost the only man she has ever loved. After moving back to her hometown to be close to her family, she bumps into Sam. They develop a romantic relationship, even getting engaged. Years after Jesse's disappearance, he calls Emma. He is alive. Emma must now decide who her "one true love" is. Who will she be with? What does true love even mean?

This book was so emotional and Taylor Jenkins Reid really makes you feel. I am now married to the man I have been with since I was 17 so it made me think about what I would do if I was in that situation. I loved the character growth for Emma both romantically and with her sister and parents. A stunning read.

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones | Blog Tour Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received an ebook copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Macmillan 

Publication date: 1st September 2022

Blurb:

There are two sides to every story.

He came to me for help with his marriage.

I was alone and afraid. She was there when I needed to talk.

I needed to make him understand that he had to get away.

I knew what I needed to do. I just couldn’t do it on my own. I trusted her.

Now it has gone too far. And I can’t tell anyone what I have done.

Now I have nowhere to turn and I just pray they find me before she does.

Review: 

The whole way through this book I just kept thinking, "what is going on?" Not in a bad way, but I just couldn't work out who was behind it all - just what I want from a thriller.

Psychotherapist Naomi Chandler moved from Long Island to England after meeting and falling in love with husband Leon. After her father's murder of her mother and her sister Jennifer being taken away, she had nothing to stay for. She now helps other victims of domestic violence.

Two of her main clients, Jacob and Anna are seeing Naomi for different reasons. Jacob is being abused by his wife and Anna and her husband Nick are having troubles following their toddler's death a year previously. Naomi always goes above and beyond for her clients but this time it costs her. Someone is out to ruin her life but who and why?

My head was spinning reading this book. There are so many twists and turns and it kept me on my toes the whole way through. An enjoyable thriller!

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A massive thank you to Random Things Tours for having me on the blog tour. You can find information about the other bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received an ebook copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: One More Chapter 

Publication date: 31st August 2022

Blurb:

Becca and Charlie have known each other since university.

Becca and Charlie have also hated each other since university.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean they can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither of them can walk away from.

And sometimes, those who bring out the worst in you, also bring out the very best…

Over the course of ten years, Becca and Charlie’s paths collide as they deal with grief, love and life after Ally.

Review: 

Ten Years follows our main characters, Charlie and Becca over the course of ten years. Charlie's fiancée and Becca's best friend Ally sadly passes away. Charlie and Becca can't stand each other but after discovering that Ally left a bucket list that she wanted the two of them to complete together, they are forced to do a task each year on the anniversary of Ally's death. 

This makes them spend more and more time together and realise that they don't really hate each other after all.

I really enjoyed the character growth that we saw over the years. Charlie moving on with his relationships, Becca being angry thinking he'd forgotten about Ally, I think they were two very accurate portrayals following the loss of a loved one.

The backstories, Becca's especially, were emotional and I loved the little twist at the end.

Mad, Bad and Dead by Sherryl Clark | Audiobook Review

[ad/gifted - I received an audiobook version of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Mad, Bad and Dead by Sherryl Clark

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Verve

Publication date: 1st September 2022

Blurb:

A dead employee. A missing child. Anonymous phone calls in the dead of night. Judi Westerholme's troubles aren't over yet...

Already struggling to juggle co-running the local pub with her childcare responsibilities for her orphaned niece, Judi does not need life to become any more complicated.

Yet, as usual, complications arrive in spades: she starts receiving threatening, late-night phone calls before discovering one of her employees, Kate, shot dead.

Judi finds herself caught up in a murder investigation, as well as the hunt for the Kate's fourteen year-old daughter, who has been missing since the murder.

Add in the uncertainty of her relationship with Melbourne-based DS Heath and the fact that her estranged mother's nursing home keeps urging her to visit, and Judi might finally be at breaking point.

Review:

Mad, Bad and Dead is part of a series but was the first I'd read by this author. I don't feel like I missed anything but perhaps I would have liked to know a bit more backstory of our main character even though a lot of the gaps were filled.

Set in the fictional town of Candelbark in Australia, Judi runs a pub/bistro with friend Andre. She has a lot going on with the pubs finances, her ill mother and juggling her job and childcare for Mia then she starts receiving threatening telephone calls.

Her best staff member, Kate, doesn't show up for work so Judi calls to her house to find Kate dead in bed after being shot. Kate's fourteen year old daughter Emma has run away. What were they hiding and why doesn't Emma trust the police? Instead of leaving it to the police to investigate, Judi takes an active interest in trying to find out what really happened.

I love a crime thriller where you are trying to piece things together and I was fully invested in this story. I really felt for Judi with everything that was thrown at her and how resilient she was. I will definitely read more by this author. Listening on audio where the narrator had an Australian accent really helped to set the scene too.

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A massive thank you to Verve for having me on the #HotVerveSummer audio tour. You can find more information about the bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.