Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts

Sunday 21 January 2024

Book Review: Her Time to Shine by Fiona McCallum

 Her Time to Shine

by

Fiona McCallum

It's never too late to find your true self.

Publication date: 30th March 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ *Up Lit 
Pages: 432
RRP: $32.99AU (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 
*Up Lit: stories filled with kindness, optimism and heart
 

Review: Her Time to Shine

Her Time to Shine follows straight on from Trick of the Light. The story opens with Erica now living in the small country town of Melrose. She is about to start a new job in a funeral home. Erica is still somewhat amazed at the turn of events in her life as she approaches fifty.
 
Trick of the Light was my favourite Fiona McCallum book to date and Her Time to Shine is a fabulous follow up novel.
McCallum includes enough backstory to bring new readers up to date. I was already endeared to Erica from the previous book and within a few pages I felt the same about Walter, owner of the funeral home.
 
With the main setting being a funeral home there is a theme of death and loss, and McCallum delivers this with compassion.
 
I raced through this book! All the characters were likeable, interesting people. There is also a bit of a mystery running through the story with Erica having flashbacks of repressed memories.
 
Her Time to Shine is a heartwarming story about new friendships, facing your fears, taking new opportunities in life and never giving up on your dreams.
 
I highly recommend this uplifting read for anyone who likes characters that will make you smile and a story that is all wrapped up nicely at the end. Although not entirely necessary, I would suggest reading Trick of the Light first. You will love it too!
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
my review of Trick of the Light

Monday 15 January 2024

Book Review: Dreaming by Starlight by Siobhan Curham

Dreaming by Starlight

by

Siobhan Curham

Friends make dreams come true.
 
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: 3rd August 2022
Series: The Moonlight Dreamers #3
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 272
RRP: $16.99AU (paperback)
Source: Own purchase
 

Review: Dreaming by Starlight

Dreaming by Starlight is book #3 in The Moonlight Dreamers series. However reads well as a standalone as it centres on a different group of girls.
 
When Jazz's father gets a new job the family pack up and move across the globe to the UK, leaving behind everything that Jazz loves. Jazz soon starts at a snooty private school where no-one will talk to her. She doesn't fit in. She's not a rich girl. She's just a girl from the Gold Coast of Australia and she's missing her friends.
 
Jazz is miserable, but before her cousin Amber (from book 1 & 2) moves to Paris she shares with Jazz her unique way of connecting with people and making new friends.

Dreaming by Starlight is the most endearing story about the might of friendship and the power of dreams
Siobhan Curham has written a beautiful, uplifting and positive story about four teenage girls who felt trapped and unsettled with their current lives and needed each other to help bring out their true selves. A friend to listen to their dreams and fears.

As the chapters alternate between the four girls, Jazz, Allegra, Portia and Hope, we get to know more about their lives. There is also a little mystery and adventure thrown in.

Dreaming by Starlight is a story that will resonate with its intended audience.

Publisher recommended age 12+

my rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 

Friday 12 January 2024

Book Review: A Shadow at the Door by Jo Dixon

 A Shadow at the Door

by

Jo Dixon

Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Publication date: 3rd January 2024
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Pages: 373
RRP: $32.99AU (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: A Shadow at the Door

Remi has built a new life for herself since her marriage breakdown and thrown herself into renovating her dilapidated sandstone house. When her savings mysteriously disappear from her bank account and her ex-husband starts pushing her to sell the house Remi decides to take in tenants to cover her mortgage repayments. 
Josephine and Emerson, both women having moved to Tasmania to start a new life, move in.
 
A Shadow at the Door is a compelling domestic thriller. Jo Dixon once again immerses her readers in the beauty and seclusion of Tasmania, highlighting the bitter cold of a Tasmanian winter. The story held my interest as the multi-generational friendship evolved and inner secrets emerged.
 
Jo Dixon realistically depicts how online trolls can destroy a reputation and how years of emotional abuse can undermine a person's confidence and self-worth. I love how Jo Dixon built  empathy for her characters in A Shadow at the Door. I couldn't help but want them to succeed.
 
Told through multiple points of view Jo Dixon delivers a gripping thriller with an enticingly twisty plot and an underlying message of friendship.
 
A Shadow at the Door is a worthy second novel to Jo Dixon's block-buster debut The House of Now and Then.
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
 
Read my review of The House of Now and Then

Tuesday 26 September 2023

Book Review: A Jewish Girl in Paris by Melanie Levensohn

 A Jewish Girl in Paris

by

Melanie Levensohn

Adapted from a translation by Jamie Lee Searle

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 9th August 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 448
RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: A Jewish Girl in Paris

A Jewish Girl in Paris is a must read for all historical fiction fans. Moving from war torn Paris in the 1940's to Washington DC in the early 2000's.
 
On his death bed in 1982 Jacobina's father confesses to having another daughter, Judith, who he left  behind in Paris after divorcing her mother. Over two decades later Jacobina confides in volunteer care-worker Beatrice that she promised her father she would find out what happened to her half-sister. Beatrice offers to help her and a friendship sparks between the two women.
 
1940's Paris, and Judith is attending University, working in the library and falling in love with the handsome Christian. Life is perfect! But the German occupation is increasing and the Jews are being vilified more and more.
 
A Jewish Girl in Paris is a beautiful story that I didn't want to end. A fictional tale of courage and resilience, inspired by real events and circumstances.
I loved Judith's naivety and her thoughts that everything will be fine. It came across as very realistic.
The story follows Judith's life leading up to her being sent to Auschwitz. Showcasing her bravery, and Christian's determination to save the woman he loved. 

Beatrice works for the World Bank but her character really evolves when she volunteers as a care-worker and meets Jacobina and the search for information on Judith starts.

There are a few "sliding door" moments, when key characters miss each other by mere moments, which I thought were an ingenious addition to the story.

A Jewish Girl in Paris has a tantalising blend of danger, romance, mystery and historical events.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ + an extra ⭐ for a character named Veronica 💖

About the author

Melanie Levensohn studied international relations and literature in France and Chile. She earned her master’s degree from Sciences Po in Paris. She later became a spokesperson for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, reporting from countries in crisis round the world. From 2006 to 2013 Melanie worked as a communications at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., managing corporate external relations for the Caribbean region. She now lives in Geneva.

Thursday 21 September 2023

Book Review: The Magpie's Sister by Kerri Turner

 The Magpie's Sister

by

Kerri Turner

Publisher: Echo Publishing
Publication date: 2nd May 2023 
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Pages: 336
RRP: $32.99 (Trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: The Magpie's Sister 

Who doesn't love a circus! The Magpie's Sister is an evocative and moving story about an Australian circus and the performers' lives.

The Magpie's Sister focuses on two main characters, both given to the circus, under different circumstances, at a young age. The story is told in the dual narration of Maggie, who suffers from a facial deformity, and Charlotte, the beautiful tightrope walker. The pair start to become friends but lies and deceit will test the delicate line of trust they have developed.

Set in Australia in 1911 I found it heartbreaking at how cruel people could be. This was a time when the circus was the only place people with a deformity could live some semblance of a normal life. Not all circuses were as kind and benevolent as the one Kerri Turner depicts in The Magpie's Sister.

I loved all the descriptions of circus life, the moving from town to town, and the fact that not everyone was happy to have the circus in town. It was a hard life.
The story brought back many happy memories of attending circuses when I was young and also attending with my own children.
 
Kerri Turner has written a fascinating and heartfelt story of friendship and letting people in. Family is not always the one you are born into!
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Kerri Turner is an Australian author of historical fiction. Her books and short stories focus on female roles throughout history that have been largely overlooked or forgotten, and often include elements of the performing arts. Her short stories have appeared in several national and international publications. With a Diploma of Publishing and an Associate Degree (Dance), she splits her time between writing, and teaching ballet and tap dancing to seniors.


Thursday 31 August 2023

Book Review: The Summer Place by Janette Paul

 The Summer Place

by

Janette Paul

Three women, lives adrift, and a life-changing beach

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 26th April 2023
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 384
RRP: $34.99AU (paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: The Summer Place

The Summer Place is a thoroughly enjoyable, heartwarming story about love, healing and friendship.
 
Told through the perspective of three women, each broken in different ways. I like that Janette Paul portrayed each woman's obstacle with equal importance because for each of them their hurt was equally debilitating.
 
Erin is recovering from a near-fatal accident, holding tight to all her grief and anger. She is constrained by her PTSD and the scars that riddle her body.
Cassie, recently widowed, cannot seem to move on from her grief and regrets. 
Jenna has been secretly in love with Blake for years, and now she has been invited to his wedding.
 
All three women have been invited to a wedding at Hope Head, a place that holds memories, in much happier times, for each of them.
I loved every character in this uplifting story. The three main characters' problems all came across as real and the supporting characters were just that; supportive and honest, edging Erin, Jenna and Cassie to make decisions towards happiness and healing. 
 
The fictitious Australian town of Hope Head on the mid north coast of New South Wales was beautifully described and a fitting location to have an epiphany on life and moving forward.
 
The Summer Place is sentimental and sweet, with HEAs all round, it filled my heart with joy.
 
The Summer Place is the perfect beach read.
 
My rating 5 happy stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
 
About the author
 
Janette Paul is an internationally published author of contemporary women's fiction and romantic comedy, and is the alter ego of award-winning suspense author Jaye Ford. Her first novel won two Davitt Awards for Australian women crime writers and her books have been translated into nine languages. She is a former news and sports journalist, and ran her own public relations consultancy before turning to fiction. She now writes from her home in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Wednesday 17 May 2023

Book Review: In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

 In a New York Minute

by

Kate Spencer

Their love story has gone viral. But it hasn't even begun.... 
 
Publisher: Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 29th March 2022
 
Genre: Contemporary Romance / RomCom
 
Pages: 309
 
RRP: $26.99AU (paperback)
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

My review of In a New York Minute

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romcom. A meet-cute with a backdrop of New York City.

Just when she thinks she is on the way up and due for a promotion Franny is put off her job. Her life goes from bad to worse when her dress is caught in the subway door and tears wide open. Hayes is on the same train and seeing Franny is now a blubbering mess gives her his jacket to cover up. Franny is mortified when she finds out their encounter was videoed and is now trending on Instagram as #subwayQTs.
"The world's worst meet-cute had been turned into an adorable romantic comedy that everyone was talking about'
Franny hopes to never see the Hot Suit guy again but the universe has a different idea when they keep bumping into each other.
 
In a New York Minute was such a fun read. A slow burn romance with just the right amount of angst. 
Franny is vivacious and outgoing although she harbours insecurity and self-doubt . Hayes is awkward, methodical and a workaholic. This was a perfect opposites attract story!
 
I loved Franny's friends and it's so nice to read about females supporting each other and genuinely happy about each other's successes. Everyone needs friends like Cleo and Lola.
 
New York shines bright in this novel and Kate Spencer's love for the city radiates throughout the book. 
 
My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
About the author
 
Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35 and author of the memoir The Dead Mom's Club. In a New York Minute is her first novel. She writes a bi-monthly column for In Style, and her written work has been published by the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, and numerous other places. Previously she worked as a senior editor and producer at VH1.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

 

 


Sunday 2 April 2023

Book Review: Billings Better Bookstore & Brasserie by Fin J Ross

 Billings Better Bookstore & Brasserie

by

Fin J Ross

Publisher: Clandestine Press
 
Publication date: 22nd June 2020
 
Genre: Historical Fiction
 
Pages: 278
 
RRP: $24.99AU (Paperback)
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

My review of Billings Better Bookstore & Brasserie

Fin J Ross is a remarkable wordsmith and Billings Better Bookstore & Brasserie is filled to the brim with eloquent writing and fun alliterative verse.
 
You don't need to be a true logophile to enjoy Ross's writing as it's written in a light-hearted, fun way. However, if you are a lover of words this is the book for you.

It's very easy to love nine-year-old Fidelia Knight, a small girl with a big vocabulary, she is bright and full of life. Fidelia's father is a lexicographer and the family journeyed from England to Australia where he was to take up a position at Melbourne University. Suddenly orphaned on the long trip to Melbourne, Fidelia is taken to an orphanage. She refuses to believe her father is dead and dreams they will be reunited one day. Fidelia satiates her love of words by hiding in a bookstore and reading all the books she can.

Fidelia changes the lives of everyone she meets with her positive attitude and insight well beyond her years. At the ripe old age of 10 she acquires her dream of becoming a teacher when she is asked to tutor two illiterate women, one being Billings' wife, and two orphaned boys.

Billings Better Bookshop & Brasserie is a delightful read with themes of bettering yourself and believing everyone has a talent, you  just need to tap into it.
Set in 1870's Melbourne the area is brought to life through Ross's beguiling descriptions of the streets and buildings visited by her characters.

Each chapter, one for each letter of the alphabet, is headed by an alliterative poem. There is also an appendix of rhymes found in the story and a glossary of all those remarkable words you will be curious to know the meaning of. 

Follow Fidelia Knight, a most extraordinary young girl, from the tender age of nine, as she sets out to forge the way for women of the future.

Billings Better Bookstore & Brasserie is a delightfully uplifting story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Fin is a journalist and creative writing teacher who runs a boarding cattery in East Gippsland and breeds British Shorthair cats.
She is co-author, with her sister, of the true crime anthologies, Killer in the family and Murder in the Family (not their family). Her first novel AKA Fudgepuddle is the journal/memoir of the oh-so-true adventures of a demanding cat called Megsy.
Fin has won eight category prizes in the annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards for crime and mystery short stories. The competition has been run by Sisters in Crime Australia since 1994.
In her spare time Fin compiles cryptic crosswords.

Monday 27 March 2023

Book Review: The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital by Joanna Nell

 The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital

by

Joanna Nell

Publisher: Hachette Australia
 
Publication date: 29th September 2021
 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
Pages: 352 (paperback)
 
Source: Own purchase
 

My review of The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital

The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital is the perfect read if you want something light and uplifting that also contains a bit of substance. 

Inevitably at some stage in your life, whether as visitor or patient, you will come across the wonderful women who volunteer their services at local hospitals, serving tea and providing a listening ear for patients and their families.

Hilary is the militant manageress of The Marjorie Marshall Memorial cafeteria situated in St Jude's Hospital. Hilary, now separated from her husband Jim and his lucrative income, is living in her sister's spare room. With Hilary it is all about keeping up appearances and she battles on with no idea how she will manage her future.
New recruit Joy is vivacious, colourful and full of life. She was encouraged by husband Len to take up some volunteer work outside the home.
Chloe is an anxious seventeen-year-old volunteering at the cafe to complete her Duke of Edinburgh Award. Chloe neglects her own wants in the aim to please her hard-working and ambitious parents.

I loved Joanna Nell's eclectic group of characters. I like the way Joanna uses older characters that are vibrant and break the stereo-typical role of older people. They all had problems they kept to themselves whilst putting on a brave front. When the very existence of the cafe is jeopardised in the name of progress the three unlikely friends band together to try and save the little cafe.

The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital is a heart-warming story, filled with humour and pathos, that celebrates unlikely friendships and standing up for yourself.

my rating 5 /5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Joanna Nell was born in the UK and studied medicine at Cambridge and Oxford universities. Her essays and short fiction have won multiple awards and been published in medical journals and literary anthologies. A former ship's doctor and now working as a GP, Joanna writes character-driven stories, creating young-at-heart characters who are not afraid to break rules and defy society's expectations of ageing.  Her first three novels were national bestsellers. Joanna lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Other books I've read by Joanna Nell:

Friday 10 February 2023

Book Review: The Journey by James Norbury

The Journey

by

James Norbury

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon 
 
Publisher: Penguin Australia

Imprint: Michael Joseph
 
Publication date: 18th October 2022 
 
Pages: 160
 
RRP: $35.00AU Hardcover
 
Source: Beauty & Lace Book Club
 
The following review appeared first on Beauty & Lace Book Club 
 

My review of The Journey: Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

This is the perfect book if you are having a bit of self doubt or wondering where you are heading in life. James Norbury has used Buddhist philosophies as Big Panda guides Tiny Dragon through some of life's trying moments. Having a friend by your side makes change just that little bit easier.

My granddaughter grabbed this book and read it as soon as it arrived. She loved the enchanting story about Panda and his best friend Dragon.

The Journey is not aimed at one particular age group, its appeal is all-inclusive.

For children it's an exciting adventure story. For adults it is a story of friendship, overcoming adversity, being in the moment, acceptance, gratitude and weathering life's storms.

The Journey is a beautiful book that would make a precious gift for both child and adult. Charmingly presented in hardcover with gold foil features and a ribbon bookmark. The illustrations move from black and white sketches to colour water washes to tie in with the mood of the story.

This is the second book in the Big Panda and Tiny Dragon series and I'm eager to get the first.

My rating 5/5  🐼🐉🐼🐉🐼

 

 


Wednesday 1 February 2023

Book Review: The Work Wives by Rachael Johns

The Work Wives

by

Rachael Johns

Publisher: Harlequin Australia
 
Publication date: 3rd November 2022
 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
Pages: 528
 
RRP: $32.99 Paperback
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

My review of The Work Wives

The Work Wives is narrated through three very different, yet connected, women. Debra, a single mum in her early 40's, Quinn, a 27 year old dating app addict and Ramona, Debra's 15 year old daughter.
 
Debra and Quinn work together and are best friends. 
When the tall and handsome new Director of Sales is introduced Quinn is instantly keen to get to know him better, only Debra already knows him, they have history.
 
Being a SAHM for decades now I'd never heard the term 'work wives' but I enjoyed the pair's work antics with emails and meet-ups in the photocopy room. I liked that Johns included an age-gap friendship between Debra and Quinn and how they encouraged each other to do things differently. But it wasn't all plain sailing between them, there was also plenty of friction which kept the story interesting. I also enjoyed the generational friendship between Quinn and her elderly neighbour. Quinn really was an exceptional character, young and full of life but also caring and a little lost.
 
With themes of romance, misogyny, bullying, teenage dramas, cancel culture, gaslighting, friendship and social media Rachael Johns has packed a lot of drama into The Work Wives. It's a long book but it moves along at a fast pace.
It might come across as a little contrived but I loved it anyway and couldn't put it down, reading late into the night.

My only let down was the plot twist - I may have even groaned.

I loved that it was set in my home town of Sydney, with lots of local landmarks, and I think Rachael did a fabulous job of the setting. 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a Diet Coke addict, a cat lover and chronic arachnophobe. She is also the bestselling, ABIA-winning author of The Patterson Girls and a number of other romance and women's fiction books including The Art of Keeping Secrets, The Greatest Gift, Lost Without You, Just One Wish, Something to Talk About, Flying the Nest and How to Mend a Broken Heart. Rachael rarely sleeps, never irons and loves nothing more than sitting in bed with her laptop and imagining her own stories. She is currently Australia's leading writer of contemporary relationship stories around women's issues, a genre she has coined 'life-lit'. Rachael lives in the Swan Valley with her hyperactive husband, three mostly gorgeous heroes-in-training, two ravenous cats, a cantankerous bird and a very badly behaved dog.Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted via her website rachaeljohns.com. She is also on Facebook and Instagram.
 

Friday 12 August 2022

Book Review & Giveaway: The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast by Christine Sykes

The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast
by
Christine Sykes
 
A moving, heartwarming story of secrets, love and friendship
 
Publisher: Ventura Press

Publication date: 3rd August 2022
 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
Pages: 300
 
RRP: $32.99AUD
 
Format read: Paperback
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia 
 
My review of The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast
 
Inspired by her own experience of taking up tap dancing on retirement, Christine Sykes has written a heartwarming story of friendship and ageing.
 
The story follows two women, friends since primary school, who join the seniors tap dancing group, but when the group decides to enter the Senior Superstars State Competition and the other member from their schoolyard trio arrives back in Australia after 35 years in New York, secrets are revealed and cracks begin to appear in the friendship.
 
I loved this story set on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Christine Sykes explores life-long friendships and throws in a few hurdles to see how the women will cope. There is a mind-blowing secret revealed, infidelity and a metoo moment.
There is also another very emotive theme running through the novel but that's a spoiler, so no mentions here!
 
Sofia is quiet, the peacemaker who loves to cook and cares for everyone - by far my favourite character.
Carol is driven, very bossy and wants to win. She has trouble seeing other people's point of view.
Bonnie is outspoken and a bit rude. She has had a lot of heartbreak in life.
Even though these women were so close growing up, they each have trauma they are keeping from the others.
 
I've made this sound a bit overwhelming but it's  actually a fun story and I loved the tap dancing! I challenge you not to get up and give it a try whilst reading this book. I did!! 😂 
 
My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
About the author 
 
Christine Sykes is a community worker and senior public servant, now retired, who lives on the NSW South Coast. She published her acclaimed memoir Gough and Me: My journey from Cabramatta to China and beyond in 2021 and her award-winning novel The Changing Room in 2019.

As well as writing and tap dancing, Christine loves to walk and have coffee with friends, when she’s not visiting family on the Sunshine Coast, Central Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast is her third book, inspired by her and her aunt’s experiences taking up tap dancing later in life.
 

 

 
Giveaway

With thanks to Ventura Press and DMCPRMedia I have one paperback copy of Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Friday 19th August 2022.
 
This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Tuesday 26 July 2022

Book Review: The Bellbird River Country Choir by Sophie Green

 The Bellbird River Country Choir
by
Sophie Green
 
 
Publication date: 27th July 2022 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
Pages: 432
 
RRP: $32.99AUD
 
Format read: Uncorrected Paperback
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading Preview
 
 
My review of The Bellbird River Country Choir
 

Set over the twelve months of 1998 Sophie Green’s latest novel, The Bellbird River Country Choir is a totally immersive read about the importance of female friendships.
 

Five women from different backgrounds and age groups become unlikely friends when each of them, for different reasons, join the local country choir.
 
At first the women are quiet and even a little judgy however they soon start supporting each other to face their challenges allowing them to grow in self-confidence. 
 
Single mother Alex, who has moved to the country from the bustle of the city to spend more time with her young daughter, joins the choir to make friends.
Janene has lived in the town all her life. She works in her parents bakery and the choir is her social outlet.
Debbie, who is a house-keeper and nanny on a local farm, is encouraged to join the choir to foster some self-confidence.
Famous opera singer Gabrielle is back in Bellbird River staying at cousin Victoria’s family home. She needs to rebuild her confidence after surgery affected her singing voice.
Victoria, a stalwart in the local community, joins the choir, not due to loneliness since her husband left her but to support her cousin Gabrielle.

Each of the women are at a cross-roads in their life and find that confiding and trusting in one another gives them the confidence to move forward.

Sophie Green includes themes of single parenthood, life after prison, mental illness, bullying, gaslighting and regaining self-confidence. These themes flow around a centric topic of love; for children, in marriage, forbidden love, self love, love for family and friends.
 
The Bellbird River Country Choir is an easy read with likeable characters with relatable problems and realistic solutions. Well worth a read!
 
My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
 About the author
 
Credit: Goodreads
Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney. She has written several fiction and non-fiction books, some under other names. In her spare time she writes about country music on her website, Sunburnt Country Music. She has been practising yoga since 1993 and teaching since 2002. Sophie's debut novel, THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE FAIRVALE LADIES BOOK CLUB, was a Top Ten bestseller and was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for General Fiction Book of the Year 2018, and longlisted for both the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year 2018 and the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction 2018.


 
 
 

Sunday 10 July 2022

Book Review: Someone Else's Child by Kylie Orr

 Someone Else's Child
by
Kylie Orr

If she were my child, 
I'd do anything to save her

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 1st June 2022
 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
Pages: 352
 
RRP: $29.99AUD
 
Format read: Paperback
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 
My review of Someone Else's Child
 
Kylie Orr has created a complex and charismatic character in Anna in this impressive debut novel.
Anna is the woman that everyone instantly loves and everyone wants to be friends with. She is gorgeous, sunny and outgoing. When she picks Ren, a community service worker, to be her best friend Ren feels forever grateful. She was never one of the popular girls.
Anna is raising money to take her young daughter overseas for cancer treatment and Ren throws herself into the fundraising.
 
Anna is a classic manipulator and Kylie Orr highlights this in Anna and Ren's one-sided relationship. It was hard to read at times how badly Anna treated Ren through a toxic friendship that Ren was blinded to. 
 
I have read a book with a slightly similar plot so I twigged to the outcome quite early however this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book as I was eager to see how the friendship would fair and when the tide would turn. What ensued was a gripping read filled with emotion, turmoil and shocking reveals.
A small side story of Courtney, a young single mother with a disabled child, highlights the need for respite care and how hard it is for carers to get some respite. The difference between young, shy Courtney begging for help and the bright, charismatic Anna getting attention from many sources tells us a lot about human nature.
 
The ending to this story is fast, furious and unexpected. Someone Else's Child is an intriguing tale about trust, friendship, manipulation, mental illness and the generosity of community. 
 
My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
About the author
 
Kylie Orr is a Melbourne-based writer who once kicked a winning goal in a charity football match and has never let her family hear the end of it. Over the past fifteen years, her feature articles have been published in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Life and across News Ltd. Kylie's novels explore the darker side of humanity and question what we understand about ourselves. Her debut novel Someone Else's Child was longlisted in the Richell Prize, the MsLexia International Novel Competition and awarded the Dymocks & Fiona McIntosh Commercial Fiction Masterclass scholarship. She has four children, just the one husband and a cat called Alfie who has surprised everyone by taking up space in her camera roll and on her reading chair.
 


Sunday 27 March 2022

Book Review: A Family of Strangers by Fiona Lowe

A Family of Strangers
by
Fiona Lowe 
 
How can you know so little about those you love?
 
 
Imprint: HQ Fiction
 
Publication date: 2nd march 2022
 
Genre: Contemporary fiction
 
Pages: 544
 
RRP: $32.99AUD
 
Format read: Paperback
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 
My review
 
In A Family of Strangers Fiona Lowe brings together three women, who would not normally mix, and has them supporting each other and solving problems together.

Set in the small seaside community of Rookery Cove, Tasmania, Brenda is trying to get back on her feet after the death of her husband. She is hoping to connect with her daughter Courtney. Their relationship has always been fragile. Encouraged by her friend Marilyn, Brenda joins the Rookery Cove choir.
 
Stephanie and husband Henry have come to the Cove to start a new life, a more relaxed way of living, with their young son and Henry's 12 year old daughter Zoe. But Steph finds herself doing the lion's share of the parenting and starts to resent Henry and his daughter. She joins the local choir for some me time.
 
Addy is back at the Cove to renovate her late parent's home. Meanwhile she is taking on large amounts of work and the pressure has her turning to alcohol as a release. When new friend, Steph, asks her to join the choir she is torn between friendship and old ghosts.
 
This is such a big book, I tend to shy away from anything over 400 pages because I easily get bored with the characters. However, I was totally immersed in the story of these characters. I loved them all and genuinely cared about their lives.
I am amazed how Fiona Lowe can include a diverse amount of topics that are relevant to women and the story does not sound at all contrived. (I don't think I did a single eye roll).
Some themes included are; alcohol abuse, helicopter parenting, step parenting, relationships after a partner's death, bullying, misogyny in the work place, shaming by social media and infertility.
 
I love the idea of a choir as the glue for the friendships. It's a hobby that is all inclusive and not bound by gender or age.
Each woman has her demons that need to be overcome and I loved the way they supported each other even when they weren't at their best. Forgiveness, acceptance and support are key themes throughout and Fiona Lowe shows how our decisions can impact on family and relationships.
 
Fiona Lowe is a counsellor herself and I like how therapists and counsellors have a sort of ghost appearance in her novels. Their value in society is sometimes overlooked. 
 
My rating  5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
About the author
 
For more about Fiona Lowe see my author interviews: