Arms Wide Open

Jack and Meredith are non-identical twins. Their father died before they were born and now they both have to watch as their mother sinks further in to the grip of early-onset dementia.

Jack s career has crashed and burned, all that remains is a Maserati and a nervous disposition. Meredith s world is also crumbling the decomposing yogurt in her fridge a symbol of her newly-expired marriage. Her children, Jemima and Luke, offer little support, too consumed with the world of online dating and amateur taxidermy.

One day, a throwaway comment starts Jack wondering if their father really died. As they begin to untangle the revelations, the twins are forced to ponder both the past and the future: their memories of their mother, their hopes for finding their father, and the fear of what s in their bloodline.

My opinion:

I really enjoyed Tom Winter’s first book, Lost and Found and jumped at the chance when I was offered an advance review of his second book, Arms Wide Open, which will be published in April 2014.

Meredith and Jack are non-identical twins from a dysfunctional family. But hey, what family isn’t dysfunctional I hear you ask? Meredith is a single mother of two typical teenagers whose husband left her for another woman some time ago. She still hangs on to the hope that he will come home to her and fills her time as best she can without ever accepting that he is gone. Meanwhile, her 15 year old daughter has decided to foray into the world of online dating, but thinks it’s a great idea to pretend that she’s in her twenties when talking to men. Jack has led a fairly charmed life, with lots of money and a sports car, but unfortunately no job to go with it. Their mother is ill and seemingly ungrateful towards her frequent visitors.

As with any family, things are not quite as they seem and there are quite a number of skeletons in their closet that need to be brought to the fore for anyone to ever understand how they have got to where they are today.

I was a little disappointed with this book to be honest. I had high hopes for this book after Lost and Found and this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me in the same way. I found this story a little depressing and didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters. The writing was of a high quality, and the characters were well thought out, I just couldn’t like any of them. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite do it for me, but I think that others will enjoy it.

My rating: Three stars

I was provided with an advance review copy of this book by www.lovereading.co.uk in return for an honest review

Skeletons

Jen has discovered a secret. It's not hers to share, but is it hers to keep?

If she tells her husband Jason, he might get over the shock but will he forgive her for telling the truth? She might drive a wedge through their marriage.

If she tells someone else in Jason's family - the family she's come to love more than her own - she'd not only tear them apart but could also find herself on the outside: she's never really been one of them, after all.

But if she keeps this dirty little secret to herself, how long can she pretend nothing is wrong? How long can she live a lie?

Jen knows the truth - but is she ready for the consequences?

My opinion: I was really pleased to get the opportunity to get to read this book as it seemed like it would be a real gripping read that would get under the skin of a family to uncover all sorts of things.

The Mastertons are a perfect family. Charles and Amelia have three grown up children, three grandchildren and another on the way and are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Amelia is a doting wife to successful businessman and minor celebrity Charles, and in the eyes of daughter in law Jen they are how a family should be. Close knit, enjoying each others company and open and honest with each other.

But Jen finds out that all is not as it seems when she stumbles upon a secret that has been kept for 25 years. Not only has she discovered a secret that will change her view on her husband's family, but has to decide what to do with this information.

I really enjoyed this book and loved getting to know the ins and outs of both sides of Jen's family life. I really like a story that digs deep into a family's dark side and exposes the seemingly perfect family unit for what it really is. You can probably tell that I have a complicated family.

I did find that the story was a little slow in places, but I think that it was a slow burner with a good build up to the ultimate ending. I couldn't really see where it was going, but think I would have liked more of a shocking twist at the end.

All in all, a good book and I will definitely look to read more by the author.

Skeletons will be published by Penguin UK on 27th March 2014

My rating: Four stars

I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of LoveReading and Penguin UK in exchange for an honest review.

The Shock of the Fall

I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.

The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction.

My opinion: I don't really know where to start with my review on this one. In a good way.

Matthew Homes is a 19 year old who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He narrates the story as we move with him between present day where he is trying to capture the events of his life on paper, and his past which is he is trying to make sense of and come to terms with.

At the start of the story, Matthew is an ordinary young boy with an older brother named Simon. Within a few pages, he becomes an only child when Simon is killed in an accident, an event which will shape the rest of Matthew's childhood and teenage years.

Although this book deals with a very tough subject, it is a very light and easy read. The narration style really helps with this as we are just getting to know Matthew and his life events unfold quite naturally. The writer deals with sensitive subjects extremely well and captures Matthew's descent into his state of poor mental health in an honest way.

I can understand why this book won the Costa award as it is a fresh way of dealing with the subject of mental health, and the author should be commended for bringing the issue to the fore. I would definitely recommend this book and hope it goes on to attain even more plaudits as it truly deserves them.

My rating: Five stars

Solo Pass

A dark yet often funny novel narrated by a man who, for the past two months, has been a patient at a New York City mental ward. Having suffered a breakdown—due to his shattered marriage and an irrational fear of fading away as a human—he now finds himself caught between two worlds, neither of which is a place of comfort or fulfillment: the world of the ward, where abnormality and an odd sort of freedom reign, and the outside world, where convention and restrictive behavior rule. Finally on his way to becoming reasonably “normal” again, he requests and is granted a “solo pass,” which allows him to leave the (locked) ward for several hours and visit the city, with the promise that he will return to the hospital by evening.

As he prepares for his excursion, we get a picture of the ward he will temporarily leave behind—the staff and the patients, notably Mandy Reid, a schizophrenic and nymphomaniac who has become his closest friend there. Solo Pass is an unsettling satire that depicts, with inverted logic, the difficulties of madness and normalcy.

My opinion: I requested this book from Netgalley as it seemed to be right up my street. And I was not disappointed.

We follow the main character as he embarks on a days release from the mental ward where he is currently staying following a breakdown. We get to meet a variety of characters on the ward, plan his journey with him and get out onto the mean streets of New York. More importantly, we get to feel his feelings, ride the emotional rollercoaster that he does and understand what caused the breakdown and irrational thoughts.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was sensitively handled without feeling as if it was walking on eggshells and gave a real insight into the irrational thoughts that often accompany a range of mental illnesses. Some parts of the book were really quite funny and others were heartbreakingly sad. The characters were all very human and parts of the storyline kept me guessing.

I will definitely seek out more from this author.

My rating: Four stars.

Original review at Reading in Progress

The Silver Linings Play Book

Pat Peoples has a theory that his life is actually a movie produced by God, and that his God-given mission in life is to become emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending - which, for Pat, means the return of his estranged wife Nikki, from whom he's currently having some 'apart time.' It might not come as any surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility. When Pat leaves hospital and goes to live with his parents, however, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends now have families; his beloved football team keep losing; his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy. And he's being haunted by Kenny G. There is a silver lining, however, in the form of tragically widowed, physically fit and clinically depressed Tiffany, who offers to act as a go-between for Pat and his wife, if Pat will just agree to perform in this year's Dance Away Depression competition...

My opinion: I'm just going to come straight out and say it. I loved this book. I bought it a while ago and only wish I had read it sooner!

We follow Pat following his conditional discharge from a mental hospital where he had been staying after a breakdown. When he goes back to live with his parents he seems shocked at the amount of changes there are in the world when he believes he has only been in hospital for a few months.

This story was really well written and really captured Pat's feelings and frustrations about the world and some of the people in it. He learns to live again, but not without a few more ups and downs to tackle first.

When I read this book I literally could not put it down and flew through it. It was tragic and horribly sad in parts and in others it was humorous and had a real feel good feel to it.

I would definitely recommend this book and loved the fact that on top of all of the other good things about it, it is a book about books! Definitely one for me.

My rating: Five stars!

Original review at Reading in Progress.

Lost and Found

It started with a letter...Carol is married to a man she doesn't love and mother to a daughter she doesn't understand. Crippled with guilt, she can't shake the feeling that she has wasted her life. So she puts pen to paper and writes a Letter to the Universe. Albert is a widowed postman, approaching retirement age, and living with his cat, Gloria, for company. Slowly being pushed out at his place of work, he is forced down to the section of the post office where they sort undeliverable mail. When a series of letters turns up with a smiley face drawn in place of an address, he cannot help reading them.

My opinion: After reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry last year, I really liked the look of this book and wanted to see whether it measured up.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! It is very easy to read with really vivid characters and definitely lives up to the hype. It follows the soon to be intertwined stories of Albert and Carol as they each face their own crises in their own way. When their paths inadvertently crossed, I was just willing them to come face to face and help them through their problems. I was kept riveted to the end and read huge chunks of the book in each sitting.

I think this book stands out on its own in the way it deals with issues such as illness, aging and love and deserves to be recognised for its own merits rather than merely being compared to a similar novel. This book was touching and heartbreaking in parts, but at no point did it feel depressing or melancholy. An excellent debut.

My rating: Four stars.

I originally reviewed this book at Reading in Progress.

The Rosie Project

An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

My opinion: Well, what can I say? This book was just great! The characters are brilliant, the story was well paced and engaging and it is a great love story without being cheesy or too soppy.

The story follows Don Tillman on his quest to find his perfect woman and we get to join him on the adventures he has on the journey. He is very set in his ways and finds social situations difficult, but we see him grow both in confidence and as a person throughout this book.

It is both funny and super cute in places. I also liked that this book is set in Australia as I haven't come across many (if any!) books set down under.

The one criticism I have of the book is that I would have liked to know a little bit more about Don and the reasons he behaved the way he did. Some things are alluded to, but no detail is given and are skimmed over slightly. On the other hand, this is the mark of a good character as I really cared about him and wanted to know a lot more.

A great book and highly recommended as a well written feel good story.

My rating: A fabulous four stars.

I originally reviewed this book at Reading in Progress.

Cold Fusion 2000

Alex Kavanagh is the best!

Problem is, he's the best at being a pedantic physics-obsessed geek. He's a teacher who hates teaching; a lover who's just been dumped (again); a writer whose articles all get rejected; an adult who still lives at home and gets bullied at the bus stop by teenagers; and he's just had the worst day of his life. So far, so bad. Things can only get better, right?

While drowning his sorrows he sees an ex from six years ago, Lucy Spiers. The point when Lucy dumped him for his best friend was the point when his life started to go nuclear. He can't help himself: he tells her exactly what he thinks of her.

So it comes as a surprise when they go on a date. He didn't expect a spark to be reignited. Couldn't foresee the power of magnetism. He hadn't realised that he still loved her.

Holy protons, he hopes she's changed.

And – oh boy! – she's changed all right. For a start, she's actually Lucy's twin sister, Jane – someone prone to misguided acts of kindness, strange visions, and keeping secrets. Someone who knows she'll leave Alex's life forever in three days. As lies pile up Jane wonders if she can avoid breaking Alex's heart like her sister did.

Cold Fusion is a story wrapped around an enigma. It's a novel about making peace with the past and moving on, set in Manchester in the year 2000. It's time for change.

My opinion: I was sent a copy of this book by the author for review as he had noticed that I had read The Rosie Project. I was keen to give this book a try as I had really enjoyed The Rosie Project earlier this year.

When I read the line "1992. The Shamen yelled "Eezer Goode, Eezer Goode". Alex listened; decided that MSc's 're good and started his postgrad in physics." I was hooked. As a 90s dance music loving geek, I knew that this was going to work out well!

The story is about a man called Alex who is trying to get on with his life following a break up that pulled his life apart. Only to have his ex return to his life and make things a whole lot more confusing for him. The book follows his journey through this and his way to resolution. I don't want to say too much about the book as I don't want to spoil it, but there are clues in the book leading up to a twist at the end. I didn't see the twist coming and only realised what the clues were after I'd read it and started thinking about how we had got there.

A great book which I think every reader will interpret slightly differently and get something different from.

My rating: 4 stars

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The London Train

The London Train is a novel in two parts, separate but wound together around a single moment, examining in vivid detail two lives stretched between two cities. Paul lives in the Welsh countryside with his wife Elise, and their two young children. The day after his mother dies he learns that his eldest daughter Pia, who was living with his ex-wife in London, has moved out from home and gone missing. He sets out in search of Pia, and when he eventually finds her, living with her lover in a chaotic flat in a tower block in King's Cross, he thinks at first he wants to rescue her. But the search for his daughter begins a period of unrest and indecision for Paul: he is drawn closer to the hub of London, to the excitements of a life lived in jeopardy, to Pia's fragile new family. Paul's a pessimist; when a heat wave scorches the capital week after week he fears that they are all 'sleep-walking to the edge of a great pit, like spoiled trusting children'.

In the opposite direction, Cora is moving back to Cardiff, to the house she has inherited from her parents. She is escaping her marriage, and the constrictions and disappointments of her life in London. At work in the local library, she is interrupted by a telephone call from her sister-in-law and best friend, to say that her husband has disappeared.

Connecting both stories is the London train, and a chance meeting that will have immediate and far-reaching consequences for both Paul and for Cora.

The London Train is a vivid and absorbing account of the impulses and accidents that can shape our lives, alongside our ideas; about loyalty, love, sex and the complicated bonds of friends and family. Penetrating, perceptive, and wholly absorbing, it is an extraordinary new novel from one of the best writers working in Britain today.

My opinion: I read this book for the book group I go to in the museum I used to work in. The group reads books that have Welsh links or an historical theme and this one was chosen as a lot of it was based in Wales, and I believe that Tessa Hadley lived in Cardiff until recently.

The book is split into two parts. The first is the story of Paul and the second, the story of Cora, and the two stories become interwoven. I enjoyed the first part of the book, even though Paul is a total pig of a man as I was more interested in reading about his family, including his daughter from his first marriage, Pia, who is living in London. I felt that Paul's character was that of a stereotypical chauvinistic male with no cares for his responsibilities or those around him. I would have liked to have read more about his poor wife though.

I really disliked the second part of the book. Cora was a boring and unlikeable character, but what I found worse than this was the lack of research done for this part. As this half of the book was based in my local area of Cardiff, and included a couple of other subjects that I knew well, I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, incorrect detail and sloppy research really spoilt this part for me.

Overall, I didn't hate the book, but certainly wouldn't recommend it. I won't be rushing out to find more books from the author.

My rating: A disappointing three stars.

The House We Grew Up In

All four children have an idyllic childhood: a picture-book cottage in a country village, a warm, cosy kitchen filled with love and laughter, sun-drenched afternoons in a rambling garden.

But one Easter weekend a tragedy strikes the Bird family that is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear them apart.

The years pass and the children become adults and begin to develop their own quite separate lives. Soon it's almost as though they've never been a family at all.

Almost. But not quite.

Because something has happened that will call them home, back to the house they grew up in - and to what really happened that Easter weekend all those years ago.

My opinion: I'm just going to come out and say it, I loved this book. This was the first book I have read by Lisa Jewell and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her books.

The story is centred around various members of the Bird family, who despite their seemingly idyllic childhood are all very dysfunctional in very different ways. These include a hoarding mother, responsibility shirking brother, OCD sister and the other sister seeking acceptance wherever she can.

I loved the way this book was written and could really imagine the house as it filled up with stuff over the years and gradually got darker and dirtier as the weeks, months and years went by. Each members story intertwines and stretches until eventually we end up right where we started and fill in the gaps at the beginning of the story that hadn't quite made sense. At the end, I think there is a feel of closure, not only for the characters, but also for the readers.

Each character is highly unlikeable in their own way, yet have been so well crafted by the author that they find a little place in your heart and you can't help but care for them. A fantastically well written book and I look forward to reading more by the author.

My rating: A wonderful five stars

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Perfect

In 1972, two seconds were added to time. It was in order to balance clock time with the movement of the earth. Byron Hemming knew this because James Lowe had told him and James was the cleverest boy at school. But how could time change? The steady movement of hands around a clock was as certain as their golden futures.

Then Byron's mother, late for the school run, makes a devastating mistake. Byron's perfect world is shattered. Were those two extra seconds to blame? Can what follows ever be set right?

My opinion: The title of this book says it all for me. I absolutely loved it.

I requested this from Netgalley as I was intrigued by what Rachel Joyce's second offering could bring. I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry last year after it was long listed or the Man Booker Prize, and although found it enjoyable, just didn't get all of the hype.

I started reading this book on holiday a few weeks ago and was immediately hooked. The characters were just so lively and I instantly cared for Byron. The easy going writing style made it a perfect book to lie by the pool with, and I can imagine snuggling under the duvet with it on a cold night.

The story alternates between 1972 and more or less the modern day until both parts become one and the full picture is unfurled. Many different topics are touched on, from childhood friendship to OCD. This was what I was expecting from Harold Fry!

The story culminates when two worlds come together. It is touching, amusing at times and totally heartbreaking. When reading I had the same feeling as I did when I read Atonement. I also considered going back to the beginning and starting again! The mark of a truly fantastic book.

My rating: An extremely well deserved five stars

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Book Cover Reveal: Not Pretty Enough

Not Pretty Enough by Jaimie Admans
Publication date: 1 August 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

Synopsis:
“New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Lloyd Layton will know I exist. He once said three whole words to me, so this is obviously progress. If I don’t get a proper conversation out of him soon, then I’ll take my top off and streak through the cafeteria, because nobody could fail to notice these boobs.
2. I will not get expelled for streaking through the cafeteria.”

Those are the words that begin her mission.
Chessie is fourteen, not pretty enough, and very much in love. Lloyd Layton is hot, popular, and unaware of Chessie’s existence.
Her goal is clear: to get Lloyd to love her as much as she loves him, and she has exactly one year to do it.
As Chessie’s obsession with Lloyd reaches boiling point and she starts to spin a web of lies that spiral out of control, Lloyd turns out to be not quite the prince she thought he was. Can Chessie avoid the gathering storm before things go too far?

Not Pretty Enough is a contemporary young adult comedy suitable for ages thirteen and over.

Book two in the series will be released early 2014.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18142578-not-pretty-enough?ac=1

I have also read and loved two of Jaimie's other books. You can find my reviews and more information by clicking on the links below.

Kismetology

Afterlife Academy

The Universe versus Alex Woods

A rare meteorite struck Alex Woods when he was ten years old, leaving scars and marking him for an extraordinary future. The son of a fortune teller, bookish, and an easy target for bullies, Alex hasn't had the easiest childhood.

But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count.

So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing ...
Introducing a bright young voice destined to charm the world, The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world.


My opinion: I'd wanted this book since it was first published and treated myself to a copy in a sale a few months ago. I finally got around to reading it recently.

The book is written in a way that is easy to follow, and as it unfolds we find out more and more about the extraordinary Alex and his relationships with those around him.

The book has a very serious undertone to it, which I found unexpected and only really became apparent to me over halfway in. This turn in the book is heartbreaking when it happens, but is in no way depressing. Extence should be applauded for the handling of such a contentious subject in a factual, yet sensitive way.

I enjoyed this book and would like to read more about how Alex gets on in life. The only downside to this book was that I didn't feel "gripped" by it in the way I'd hoped that I would have been.


My rating: Three stars

The Radio

A comedy so black that you'd have to eat a lot of carrots to know whether George's adventures are actually visible. The Radio centres around the decline of the lovable, yet hapless George Poppleton, a middle-aged, henpecked father and husband who stumbles across an old transistor radio in his loft. His obsession with listening to the radio drives him on an unexpected journey, fuelled by the painful memories of the suicide of his only son many years before. Whilst his only daughter, Sam, and wife, Sheila, plan perhaps the most ill-fated wedding ever conceived, the radio transports George further and further away from reality. When a garlic baguette is used as a lethal weapon and the hogs finally take a stand and turn on the farmer who is about to roast them, nothing is likely to go as smoothly as the family may have hoped. The accidental return of Sam's ex-fiance, David, coupled with the endlessly drunk Auntie Lesley ensures that an almighty farce is just around the corner. The Radio ends with an unimaginable twist, when the family realise that things are not at all how they seemed. It is a story of what it means to be a family, the perception of loving and being loved, and what it means to be sane. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys family-based modern contemporary fiction with both poignancy and humour. Jonathan has been inspired by a number of novels, including Alex Garland's The Beach, and his writing is comparable to Mark Haddon, Nick Hornby and Joseph Connolly.

My review: I was expecting good things from this book when I started it, but never expected it to be as good as it was!

We meet George who is a loveable father figure who is just a little eccentric, and his wife Shelia and daughter Sam. They are a fairly typical family with their fair share of dysfunctional attributes! George, the downtrodden husband finds an old radio that he starts tinkering around with while his wife and daughter go out and have fun while he looks after his grand daughter. The tinkering becomes a bit more than that when he and the radio become inseparable and it becomes the most important thing in his life.

Some parts of the book had me laughing out loud, most had me chuckling, but some bits were desperately sad. The book was fabulously written and it was a real pleasure to read. It's easy going style and good pace kept me gripped and I finished the whole thing in a day. I'd love to read more about George and his family, and a little birdie had told me that there is more to come.

A fantastic book which is comparable to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Lost and Found. You should all go and buy it now!!

I was sent a copy of The Radio by the author in exchange for an honest review

My rating: A very well deserved 5 stars!