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New review: The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewe

New review: The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell. Published by Century and out now.
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I have always loved a Lisa Jewell book so I eagerly picked up The Night She Disappeared and what a fantastic, twisty read it is.
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In 2017, Tallulah and her boyfriend, Zach, go missing after a night out. Her mum, Kim, is at home looking after Tallulah’s baby son, Noah, and waiting for her to return. In 2018, Sophie and her boyfriend, Shaun, move into the headteacher’s cottage at Maypole House boarding school. Sophie is a detective writer and when she discovers a cardboard sign in the garden saying “dig here” she’s immediately intrigued and on the case.
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The story is told in three different timelines. What’s quite unusual is that these timelines are really close together but each is completely distinct and I never felt confused or got them muddled up. There’s the time running up to the disappearance, the time immediately afterwards and then the 2018 thread which takes place the following year. Lisa Jewell has done a brilliant job with the plotting, bringing each thread together perfectly and drip-feeding details to the reader. I had no idea at all what had happened to the teenagers.
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I thought sense of place was really strong in this book. Dark Place is a mansion which features strongly and it’s so atmospheric to read about. Tallulah’s village and the school and college are also really well drawn. I did wonder how the author was going to bring it all to a conclusion and I thought it was more likely to be one outcome than the other, but the ending did work and again, that was down to the clever plotting.
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This book really made me think about the people who disappear and are never found. How easy it can be to be wiped off the face of the planet and how on earth do people cope with losing a loved one in that way? It’s such a tangled web of facts and deceit, combining to make a really mysterious and exciting read. This is a pretty big book at 480 pages but The Night She Disappeared is one that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
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Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
@lisajewelluk

Bears of Sheffield 🐻 I've been channeling @stee

Bears of Sheffield
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I've been channeling @steelcitysnapper today and have taken photos of just a few of the 60 big and 100 little Bears of Sheffield.
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There is a trail of these fabulous bears around the city. The 60 big bear sculptures were brought to life by professional local and international artists and the 100 little bears were decorated by children and young people from schools across the region.
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It's all in support of The Children's Hospital Charity. Last year there was a trail of elephants (pic 7). I also got a photo (pic 8) of the lovely Welcome to Sheffield heart in the Winter Gardens.

@bearsofsheffield #bearsofsheffield #sheffield #sheffieldbears #sheffieldbloggers #sheffieldcitycentre #sheffieldissuper

#IsThisIt by @hannahclaretovey is published today!

#IsThisIt by @hannahclaretovey is published today!
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I loved #TheEducationOfIvyEdwards and I can't wait to read this new book to see what happens to Ivy next.
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Congratulations Hannah and Piatkus. 🎉
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Synopsis: -Employed (you have frequent nightmares about your job)
-Single and fabulous (swiping Tinder in your pyjamas while your best friend shops for engagement rings)
-Thriving (surviving)

Ivy and Mia have been best friends since the fun, messy, hungover years of their twenties.

Ten years later, Mia has it all - the man, the house, the career. Ivy is skint, single, and scared that she isn't a 'hot mess' any more - she's a walking disaster.

But one night, Ivy switches her phone off, peels last night's drunken pizza off the sofa, and makes a list. A list that changes everything . . .

The new Ivy has a proper job. She goes on fancy dates in wine bars. She's starting to think: maybe 'faking it till you make it' is easy?

But then she meets Scott.

Curly-haired, sarcastic Scott.

Sh*t.
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#publicationday

New review: Reckless by R.J. McBrien. Published by

New review: Reckless by R.J. McBrien. Published by Welbeck today.
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Kirsten Calloway is happily married to Mark with a teenage daughter who seems to have her head screwed on. She works in Occupational Therapy at the local hospital and her life is stable. Or boring? The one big problem is that Kirsten wants physicality in her marriage and Mark really ain’t that bothered. After meeting with an old school friend, Kirsten takes the rather drastic step of joining an agency that hooks people up with each other for sex which seems like the perfect solution to Kirsten. Of course, it’s not the perfect solution and the guy that Kirsten hooks up with, Zac, wants rather more than she has to offer.
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This is one of those books where I felt like screaming out loud to Kirsten: “what the hell are you doing?!”. She really does live up to the title of the book and is completely reckless in her actions at times. I could see her getting deeper and deeper into a mess and wondering how she was going to get herself out of it. This is a thriller but it’s also a domestic noir looking at middle-age and that feeling of being overlooked and that the best years may in fact be behind you. I must admit I was expecting something with a bit more raunchiness in it but this book is more about the consequences than the actual acts.
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I thought Reckless was a great debut novel. I found it easy to read but also tense. I raced through it towards the really clever conclusion via an unexpected turn of events. The plotting is tight and exciting, and whilst I didn’t particularly take to any the characters I found them interesting and I wanted to keep reading about them. There are also some nice bits of humour that I enjoyed sniggering at. All in all, an excellent read.
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Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book.
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#Reckless @welbeckpublish @recklessmcb #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #instathrillers #instareads #instabooks #bookishlove #bookish #thrillerbooks #thrillerfiction #bookworm #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bookreview #bookreviewer #readersofinstagram #shortbookandscribes

#CoverReveal - #TheChristieAffair 🧤 Ooh, doesn'

#CoverReveal - #TheChristieAffair
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Ooh, doesn't The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont look and sound amazing?
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It will be published in January 2022 by Mantle. Look out for it. 👀 Pre-order at bit.ly/Christie affair.
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#agathachristie @panmacmillan

New review: The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Cl

New review: The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta. Published by Headline and out now.
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I was drawn to The View Was Exhausting because it sounded like a hot summer celebrity novel and it is that in some ways.
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Whitman Tagore is an up and coming British-Indian actress. She’s not quite the hottest stuff in town but she’s well on the way there. To help her, she has the support of Leo Milanowski, whom she calls on whenever she needs to change the narrative of what is going on in her life, for instance, when an ex is bad-mouthing her or she’s messed up and done something she shouldn’t have. Along comes Leo and they are suddenly the greatest love story of the century and Win (as Whitman is known) is on the up again. In short, their perfect on/off relationship is not real.
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So far so good and this is a great premise for a novel. The problem I had is that I just couldn’t engage with it. It’s very densely written and I found myself reading and re-reading sections that I hadn’t taken in at all. I was waiting for the moment it would grab me and draw me in and it never did really that, not even towards the end, although there were some sections that I enjoyed more than others, mainly the ones when Win and Leo were together and getting on. The book kicks off amidst the glitz and glamour of St Tropez but it just felt flat to me. There was no oomph and no real sense that there was any on the way. I think it doesn’t know if it wants to be a summer bonkbuster or a serious story of the toxic nature of celebrity and the difficulties a young actress of colour faces. Either way, I struggled with the characters and the story and I so badly wanted to feel some chemistry between the main protagonists.
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The View Was Exhausting was written by two authors, a married couple, and that did work well in that it felt seamless. Their writing is good and this is a thought-provoking novel that really made me think about how a good publicist can work wonders. Ultimately though, it just didn’t have the X-factor I was hoping for.
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Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers via Amazon Vine for the proof copy of the book.

Library Title Book Stack 📚 Good morning and hap

Library Title Book Stack
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Good morning and happy Saturday. It's already too hot and it's only 8am. I'm not really a fan of this weather but I'm sure most people are going to be out frolicking in the sun today. ☀️
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I've been looking at my books and realised I have a few with the word 'library' in the title so today I give you the #librarytitlebookstack. I've read #TheLibraryOfLostAndFound which was lovely and the others are waiting patiently. 😏
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Have you read or got any of these? Please feel free to have a go at this stack and tag me in so I can see them.
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Have a great day.
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#TheTelephoneBoxLibrary #TheParisLibrary #TheMidnightLibrary #TheLastLibrary #booksread #bookstoread #bookstack #saturdaystack #stacksaturday #tbr #tbrpile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofig #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #shortbookandscribes

Ad - New review: Running Out of Road by Cath Stain

Ad - New review: Running Out of Road by Cath Staincliffe. Published by Constable and out now.
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I always enjoy a Cath Staincliffe book although for some reason it’s been far too long since I read one. I really enjoyed Running Out of Road and found it to be a tightly plotted crime story with fascinating characters.
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There are several strands to this story and all become tangled together in an unexpected way. There’s Ron, a quiet house/pet sitter, minding his own business until one small action leads destruction to his door. Then there’s Dylan, a drug dealer fleeing an incident and ending up involved with Scarlett, an 11 year old who has been kidnapped by her father, who she hasn’t seen for years. DS Laura O’Neil is on the hunt for Scarlett and also finds herself in the middle of a number of messy situations with the unexpected assistance of her new colleague, PC Ahmed Ali.
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I think the strongest part of this book is the plot and how it all comes together. It’s really clever how a set of misunderstandings makes everything so much more complicated. Setting it in the brooding and at times desolate Peak District with weather conditions playing their own part makes for a quite dark backdrop and yet this is such an easy book to read and to get absorbed in.
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There are lots of twists and turns and I kept wondering what else could happen. It all takes place in hours, rather than days, and it really is a story jam-packed with lots of ups and downs and tense situations. This is such a great read, one that covers so many issues and kept me interested in getting to the outcome.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book.

New review: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. Publis

New review: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. Published by Michael Joseph and out now.
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Oh, this book. Oh, this love affair. Hot, hot, hot!
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My favourite trope in books is forbidden love/love against the odds and we certainly have this here with Solène and Hayes. They meet when gallery owner Solène takes her daughter to an August Moon concert. Hayes is one-fifth of the hugely successful boy band. The chemistry between them is instant, despite the fact that Hayes is only 20, half Solène’s age. They embark upon an affair which sees them both jetting around the world to meet up but almost from the beginning this felt like something that surely couldn’t last.
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Like many people, I’m sure, I’ve had obsessions with famous singers or actors in the past. To me, this felt a bit like living the dream vicariously, of being the one singled out by a man desired by literally millions of women. But there’s so much honesty in this novel about what it’s like living in a goldfish bowl, with every little move analysed and reported upon, and being chased everywhere by teenage girls.
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I wanted to love this book so much that I was almost scared to read it in case I didn’t feel it. But truly, this is a wow book for me, so heady and intense. It’s also full of steamy sex. I didn’t quite have to fan myself but I wasn’t far off. This story felt real to me, it felt like I was living through it, like it was a part of my life. I didn’t want it to end and found myself eking it out. Apparently, the character of Hayes Campbell is partly inspired by Harry Styles and I can’t help thinking this would make a great book to screen adaptation, perhaps starring the man himself.
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If it wasn’t completely obvious, I adored this book. It’s a love story but it’s also about a woman having the time of her life in her late 30s/early 40s and good on her. I really need to know what happens next for Solène and Hayes but even if I never do this is a story that will stay with me. I loved the rapport between them, the progression of their relationship. It’s a very special read indeed. I could rave about it endlessly. I have the sweetest book hangover right now.
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Ad/PR product. @robinnelee @michaeljbooks

People on Spines 🚶‍♀️ I've seen this tag

People on Spines
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I've seen this tag around and I thought I'd give it a go. @alwaysgottimeforbooks did an epic version! I must admit I've never really noticed how many books have people on the spines. 🤦🏻‍♀️
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Can you spot any people on the spines of your books? Happy Sunday everyone. 😊
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#peopleonspines #peopleonspinesbookstack #peopleonspineschallenge #SundayStack #stacksunday #bookstoread #BookStack #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofig #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #reading #readinguk #shortbookandscribes

Ad - New review: Would I Lie to You by Aliya Ali-A

Ad - New review: Would I Lie to You by Aliya Ali-Afzal. Published by Head of Zeus and out now.
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Oh Faiza! What a tangled web you got yourself stuck in. She seems like a typical yummy mummy but it’s been a struggle for her to fit in with her friends (well, if you can call most of them that). She’s just about cracked it but then her husband, Tom, loses his job in the city and all of a sudden they’re reliant on the emergency fund, the one that Faiza has been dipping into for years. The account is empty! It was a hand over the mouth moment for me when I read how she had frittered away £75,000.
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Rather than confess all, Faiza tries her damnedest to replace the money but at every turn she seems to face setback after setback. It’s a pretty horrendous situation and I kept wondering what I would have said and done if I was her. I have no idea, by the way!
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I thought this was a brilliantly addictive read. There were so many of those shocking moments when I felt like shouting out “no Faiza, don’t do it”. I loved all the scenarios the author created for her and whilst this is a relatively light book in many ways, there are also some serious issues of race, judgement, background and culture differences, prejudice, money worries and harassment at play.
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I was punching the air every time I thought Faiza was going to get back on her feet and disappointed for her when things went wrong. For a debut novel this is one accomplished piece of writing. I really cared about Faiza and her family and wanted everything to work out for them. There are so many twists and turns in the story, so many ups and downs, and I just loved reading them. I thought the author plotted it all brilliantly, keeping the momentum going constantly and keeping me completely hooked. It’s a fantastic novel and I’m really excited to see what Aliya Ali-Afzal does next.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book and the place on the blog tour.

Ad - The Queen's Spy by Clare Marchant ⭐ Anyone

Ad - The Queen's Spy by Clare Marchant
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Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love dual timeline novels. The Queen's Spy is published by Avon today in paperback, eBook and audio and with timelines in 1584 and 2021 it's right up my street.
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Synopsis:
1584: Elizabeth I rules England. But a dangerous plot is brewing in court, and Mary Queen of Scots will stop at nothing to take her cousin’s throne.

There’s only one thing standing in her way: Tom, the queen’s trusted apothecary, who makes the perfect silent spy…

2021: Travelling the globe in her campervan, Mathilde has never belonged anywhere. So when she receives news of an inheritance, she is shocked to discover she has a family in England.

Just like Mathilde, the medieval hall she inherits conceals secrets, and she quickly makes a haunting discovery. Can she unravel the truth about what happened there all those years ago? And will she finally find a place to call home?

Enchanting and gripping, The Queen’s Spy effortlessly merges past with present in an unforgettable tale of love, courage and betrayal – perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.
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Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy of the book and huge congratulations to the author on publication day.
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#bookspotlight #historicalfiction #histfic #TheQueensSpy #publicationday #bookblog #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofig #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #tudorfiction #dualtimelinenovels #dualtimeframefiction #shortbookandscribes

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Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Orchard Girls by Nikola Scott #BlogBlitz
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - Everyone is Still Alive by Cathy Rentzenbrink
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - That Night by Gillian McAllister
ShortBookandScribes #Extract from The Lady in the Veil by Allie Cresswell

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Reckless by R.J. McBrien
ShortBookandScribes – Celebrating the reissue of Learning to Swim and In A Good Light by Clare Chambers
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Running Out of Road by Cath Staincliffe #BlogTour

Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
ShortBookandScribes - Celebrating the reissue of Learning to Swim and In A Good Light by Clare Chambers
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - Let in the Light by Gerard Nugent
#blogtour - Something Changed by Matthew Williams @3DMathW @NeverlandBT #GuestPost #Giveaway

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