All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

 Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This book has been on my shelf for SO long but I had never gotten around to reading it, recently I have been hearing so many good things about it so decided it was time to finally pick it up, I'm so glad I did because I couldn't put it down. The story was something I just didn't expect, especially the ending, but it was so honest and real that you couldn't help but love it. 

The main characters, Violet and Finch, even though seeming to have un-relateable lives and stories, were so authentic and imperfect that you could easily find something in them to relate to because who's perfect? What I loved most was that there was a male and female lead meaning that anybody could relate and enjoy this book. Even the side characters had their own lives and struggles so you felt empathy towards them too, which you aren't always able to do. This is brilliantly written and makes you realise you have no idea what people you think you know are trying to deal with, the whole book has powerful messages throughout it which really make you think.  

Although it was such a sad story-line Jennifer has written it so perfectly that you just keep wanting more, the book is fast paced without losing you. It flows so easily and you can't believe it's over when you turn the last page. 

This book is a heartbreaking, emotional roller-coaster but you just can't get enough. It carries such an important message that a lot of the time people are scared of talking about. It is defiantly one to pick up and it won't be the last Jennifer Niven book I read!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

BLOG TOUR: Holding out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Happy Tour Week to Victoria Van Tiem, author of Holding Out for a Hero.

Blurb:

Their love survived the 80s. She wished she hadn’t.

A funny, bitter-sweet romantic dramedy set to an 80’s soundtrack that proves first love never truly dies.

Libby London fell in love with the 80s, came of age in the 90s, and in the 21st Century is coming completely apart. Her New York fashion sensibility is more ‘vintage tragedy’ than ‘retro babe’ and might just be what’s holding her back in all matters of life and love…

At least that’s what her well-meaning friends think. They’ve staged an #80sIntervention determined to bring Libby bang up-to-date, but how do you move forward when the one you love holds you in the past? Between her dreaded birthday party, friend’s madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her Pretty in Pink resale thrift shop, Libby’s at the end of her rope. If her therapist isn’t quick, it could be a literal one.

Buy the Book:

AmazonUS

AmazonUK

___________________________________________________________

Exclusive Book Excerpt:

Dr P.’s words rattle around inside my head relentlessly.

‘Describe what it feels like, Libby,’ Dr P. asked during one of our first meetings.

‘What depression feels like?’ I popped my eyes, at a loss for words.

He nodded. ‘Since I don’t experience it, how can I really know what you’re feeling?’

He had a point. But how do you describe something so dense? Empathy is recognizing 

another’s struggle, but true understanding only comes from personally living it. My eyes met his, and I shrugged.

‘Just try.’ He scratched under his fuzzy chin, waiting.

‘Well . . . it’s not like when you’re sad, or upset with a friend or anything. It’s not the same. It’s . . .’ I leaned back in the wingback chair and let it swallow me as I considered my words. ‘When I’m upset normally, that’s all it is. You get fired up about something or someone hurts your feelings and whatever, you get over it like everyone else, but . . . sometimes at night it’s like a switch is thrown. I can physically feel it happen and everything starts moving in slow motion.’

Dr P. sat up. He was really listening, interested. ‘How do you mean?’

‘Um . . . I can think rationally, but the emotions are blown out of proportion and get distorted. They’re super-heavy, and then . . .’ I stopped, not wanting him thinking my Crazy Train was completely off the rails.

‘This is a safe place, you can say anything. I won’t judge you.’

‘I judge myself.’ It slipped out before I could filter it, so I quickly tried to explain. ‘You know the saying, “the voice inside your head”? Yeah, well, mine has a nasty attitude and gets mean. Really mean.’

This was when I really fought for medication, anything to shut the voice up. I had been seeing Dr P. for a few weeks, and I was still not sleeping and beyond exhausted. ‘If clinical depression is when your hormones get stuck and go out of whack, and I have borderline episodes, why not just send me to someone who can prescribe something to get it back in sync? I’d be set and it’d be done.’ I was being stubborn, resisting his methods and really not seeing the point.

He rubbed under an eye and took his time to answer. Maybe he got this question a lot; maybe he was frustrated with me. ‘Sometimes the meds are needed, for instance in postpartum . . . this is a chemical imbalance from a major change in the body, not from prolonged stress or emotional trauma. Medication is used to reset things, and it’s temporary.’

My jaw clenched. Not what I wanted to hear.

‘And you are functioning in the day-to-day; otherwise it would make sense to consider it, but only alongside treatment. Medication should never replace therapy. That’s only treating the symptom of an underlying problem. If you stopped the meds and never worked it through, you’d be right back where you started the minute you came off them.’

My arms crossed. ‘But talking can’t fix the problem. Maybe it can relieve some of the stress, but what can it fix?’

‘You’re right. It can’t fix or change the events that led to the trauma, but it can change how your body processes it, and this allows it to heal and move on. But you have to deal with it, let it out.’

I drummed my fingers. I didn’t want to let it out. I wanted to bury it.

___________________________________________________________

Win the Book:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
___________________________________________________________

About the Author:

Victoria Van Tiem

Bio:

Victoria Van Tiem (pronounced ‘team’) is an international author of romantic comedy and dramedy novels, a former gallery owner and creative director with a background in brand development. She lives just outside of Indianapolis on a small hobby farm with her husband and two teenage boys.

Find her here:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Instagram

___________________________________________________________

Check out all the stops in the Tour:

 

March 7th 2016
Literary Chanteuse - www.literarychanteuse.blogspot.ca – Review
Ali -The Dragon Slayer - http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/ – Review
Judging More Than Just The Cover - www.ambergreggbooks.com - Author Q&A/Review
Grass monster - https://twitter.com/Lost815_Oceanic – Review

March 8th 2016
A Thousand Lives - http://athousandlivesbook.wix.com/bookblog – Review
Boundless Minds - www.boundlessminds.org – Author Q&A
Emma’s Book Reviews - www.bookreviewsbyem.blogspot.com – Excerpt

March 9th 2016
Pretty Little Book Reviews - http://www.prettylittlebookreviews.com/ – Review
ItaPixie’s Book Corner - http://itapixie.blogspot.it – Review/Excerpt
Bookish Escapes - http://bookishescapes.weebly.com – Review

March 10th 2016
Hello…Chick Lit – http://hellochicklit.com – Review
Steamy book momma - http://steamybookmomma0.blogspot.com – Promo Post
BRMaycock’s book blog – http://Brmaycock.wordpress.com – Author Q&A/Review

March 11th 2016
Around the World in Books - http://www.aroundtheworldinbooks.ca/ – Excerpt
Book Groupies – http://bookgroupies2.blogspot.com/ - Excerpt

___________________________________________________________

This tour was scheduled and arranged by HCL Book Tours

^click here to check it out^

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

On the morning of Lily’s twenty-fifth birthday, it’s time to open the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight.

Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum’s life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie’s attentions.

Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily’s friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again…

Thank you to Headline Review for sending me a copy of this book. I've been a fan of Jill Mansell's books for a long time, so I am always excited when a new one arrives. Every book I have read of hers is brilliantly written and even after so many books she still has the ability to get better and suck you in more and more with each one.

From reading the blurb I thought this book would be mainly based on the sadness surrounding Lily's mother's death and the last letter she was ever going to receive from her, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course it does have glimpses of sadness when we hear memories of Lily's mother, but the whole book has such a romance about it, it never makes us feel like we should be upset. Lily's mother died when she was eight years old and left her letters, one to open on her birthday each year, until she was 25, which she turns this year. On the same day, Lily meets famous actor Eddie Tessler who is hiding out in her best friends cottage. Straight away we get to learn about the main characters and a hint of which way the story might go. From this point, I was hooked.

All of the characters are perfect for the story. Lily is a kind, caring down to earth girl with a big heart. We learn how although not with her, Lily's mother plays a big part in her life and how the memory of her has shaped Lily into the woman she is today.
After learning more about Patsy and Coral I wished they were my best friends, their relationship with Lily is so heart-warming and the fact that they both took her under their wing after the loss of her mother, shows that family can be found anywhere.
Eddie is charming, kind and the perfect way for Lily to experience life differently, which is something she needs. Is something developing between her and Eddie? And why is her best friend, Dan, determined that she doesn't get in too deep with him?

This book is perfect for a warm summers day or a cold winter night. It is the kind of book that you can use to escape reality, wind down or if you need a bit of a pick me up. Full of laughs and romance, whether you have read a lot or none of Jill's books I can guarantee you will love this. If you haven't read a Jill Mansell book, I think this is the perfect one to start with as it will get you hooked and make you want to seek out more of her writing.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Christmas with Miss Austen by Laura Briggs

Julia Allen is a waitress by day, painter by night, and…a famous 1800s authoress on weekends?

Moonlighting as Jane Austen for a historical open house is a strange hobby for a contemporary artist, but Julia loves the role–until she falls asleep and gets locked inside after all the visitors are gone! Rushing home from the dark, historical mansion, she collides with a stranger in the snowy park, and discovers later her shortcut cost her the rare copy of Austen’s Northanger Abbey borrowed from a friend’s treasured collection.

Book historian Eliot Weston thinks he imagined the Regency-era figure, but the book he finds in her wake proves otherwise. The first edition of Jane Austen’s novel is authentic and incredibly rare, but he fails to find any trace of its owner. Reminders of the unusual encounter keep popping up, however, like the pretty modern artist eager to buy an identical volume. Coincidence? Or Divine intervention making it clear this is anything but an ordinary Christmas for these two hearts?

A huge thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book for review. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I am one of those people that wants Christmas to be all year round and loves nothing more than Christmas trees, lights, wrapping presents and winter days, so reading a wintry, Christmas book in August is just what I needed to get me looking forward to this years festivities!
This is a very short novella that combines, contemporary and chic-lit fiction with the plot of old fashioned Christmas films to give you a warm festive feeling and a book that you just can't put down.
As a big Jane Austen fan, the book intrigued me just from the blurb and I wanted to see how Laura wrote her into the modern day, the way she does is brilliant but very unexpected!

Julia is a character I really liked, she is a real woman and I think a lot of women could relate to her. She is kind, caring and is trying to make up for her mistake. She is a waitress to pay the bills, an artist to fulfil her love of painting and for extras, and spends her free time dressing up as Jane Austen and reads a borrowed first edition of Northanger Abbey. When she falls asleep and is left in work late at night, she rushes home dressed as Jane, being in a hurry Julia bumps into a handsome stranger. This is when everything changes.
Eliot is the handsome stranger who bumps into a women that he is sure is dressed as Jane Austen. When she runs away and disappears so quickly, Eliot starts to convince himself he has seen a ghost, until he discovers that she’s dropped a valuable first edition of Northanger Abbey.
This starts the beginning of a beautiful love story that we see develop so wondefully in front of us, you begin to wonder if it is real.

I was hooked on this book from the first few pages and finished it in a hour, it is a perfect novel to get you into the Christmas spirit (even this early) and I give you permission to read this whilst listening to Christmas songs..go on you know you want to! I would recommend this to anybody, young or old as there is something for everyone in this book, history, fiction and a lot of romance.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Aubrey Rules by Aven Ellis

Some of the Aubrey Rules to Live By:
*If I’m going to indulge in French fries, I must add extra time to the treadmill the next day.
*Always keep your work and private life separate.
*Being open to new experiences will never involve eating kale.
*Never, ever date a professional athlete.

For Chicago social media professional Aubrey Paige, the rules are everything. So much so that Aubrey has painstakingly written her rules for living into a polka-dot Kate Spade notebook that she carries with her at all times. It’s her personal guidebook to living her life. These rules are the Holy Grail—ones never to be broken. They guide her actions for everything, from dealing with workplace drama to finding a great guy to date. After all, these are her own rules, built from her life experiences and observations. So they have to be perfect, right?

Or are they?

Because when Aubrey meets a cute Canadian, she suddenly finds her rules being tested and challenged in ways she never dreamed possible. Beckett Riley is the shy, quiet, determined captain of the Chicago Buffaloes, a hockey team on the verge of turning the corner to becoming a winning organization. He’s Aubrey's opposite, with so many qualities that Aubrey had listed as ones she’d never want in a man. 

Yet Aubrey finds herself drawn to Beckett in ways she’s never known. And when she unexpectedly finds herself working with Beckett, she wonders if rules are meant to be broken after all . . .

Regular readers of my blog will know how much I love Aven Ellis and her novels. Each time a new one arrives in my inbox (which I can't thank Aven enough for) I do a little squeal, so I fear I may be a bit biased in writing this review, but if like me you love romantic, chic-lit novels with hot guys, then you'll love it no matter what I say!
Yet again I read this book in a day because I find Aven's novels so enjoyable and addictive that it's impossible for me to put them down! I do kind of wish I hadn't though because I get so sad when they end! 

I loved Aubrey! She is so confident which I thought I would find annoying but it is in such a good way, she is in no way arrogant she just doesn't let herself be walked all over! She is real and somebody that I could relate to so easily. She has fat in places we all wish we didn't, she says the wrong thing, makes a fool of herself and eats too many fries, but what girl doesn't?! She is hilarious and the perfect lead character for this type of novel.
She has a rule book, written by herself, that she lives her life by and we get to see some of her rules at the beginning of each chapter, I loved how they were amended more and more throughout the book as we see Aubrey allow herself to break them, as we all know rules are meant to be broken!

As we know by now, Aven's novels are full of cute guys, a lot of them Hockey players and this one is no different, enter Beckett, who I am now completely in love with! We saw so many different sides to him throughout the book, the shy and awkward side in front of the camera but also the strong, determined side that made him a leader as the Captain of the Chicago Buffaloes. The side of him I fell in for was the way he was around Aubrey, we saw his sweet, romantic, nerdy side come out and how fantastic he is at planning date!
I love how Aven made him so awkward and shy in front of fans and interviews as it made us realise that although people are famous athletes or celebrities they are still just normal people trying to live their lives, they don't always know what to do with all of the attention they get.  You really feel for him and want to help him come out of his shell, but of course he has confident, doesn't-care-what-she-says Aubrey to do that for him. They are the perfect match, they accept each other's flaws and help each other to grow.

There is always a line in every one of Aven's books that makes me melt and I think after a lot of thought the one that has that effect in this book is when Beckett says:
"I guess the question is, do you still love me? Because I love you. I love you so much, and I’ve never loved anyone this way in my life. I love you, exactly the way you are, inside and out."
What girl doesn't want that said to her? Especially if it is coming from a hot athlete!

I absolutely loved the Breakfast At Tiffany's scene in the book, I ADORE Audrey Hepburn and the film so this made me love this book so much more! And of course the amount of romance in it made me want to jump into the book and take Aubrey's place! Jealous much!!

As always this book gets a massive 5 stars from me and I can't stress to you enough how much you need to read it! It is by far one of the best books I have read this year! It is released on 26th August so not long to wait at all! It is the perfect summer read and happily ever after seekers will adore this book!

Thank you Aven and I can't wait to see who and what book you make me fall in love with next!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

See my reviews of Aven's previous novels here:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.

This book is EVERYWHERE at the moment and I have heard so many good things about it that I had to grab a copy and see for myself what it was about. After reading it I understand  why everybody loves it and I just couldn't put it down!

Paula's writing grabbed me from the very beginning, it is infectious but so easy to follow, whilst keeping you on edge from beginning to end. I know this book is going to be made into a film but to me it felt like a film whilst reading it, the images of the characters, situations and surroundings were so vivid in my mind that it made it so much more than a book. The plot is so strong and the way Paula is able to deliver us three different points of view with such ease is brilliant.

Rachel—the girl on the train— is our main protagonist, she has lost her job, her husband, her dream house and spends her days going back and forward on the train in a drunken stupor. To escape her unwanted reality, she revels in a fantasy where two people live an idyllic life. Two strangers, whom she has named Jason and Jess, that she sees every day as she glimpses out of her window on the train. But one day, everything changes and she finds herself caught up in a chilling mystery where her past, present and fantasy worlds collide.

I did like Rachel from very early on in the book, I think at first what you feel towards her is sympathy but as you read on you actually start to get behind her and want her to get herself together. She makes some horrible and stupid decisions but it is interesting to see how she deals with their consequences and how this changes her. I don't think she is somebody you would particularly like if she was a second character in a normal story, but I think the fact the we hear her side of everything makes us able to understand her reasons for drinking, and letting her life become the way it has. 

Megan and Anna are our other protagonists, Megan, the real name for 'Jess' of 'Jason and Jess', the couple Rachel sees from the train. Megan is happily married to Scott, or that is how it would seem from Rachel's perspective. But in reality, Megan’s life is not what it seems, and chapter by chapter, we learn just how much her facade hides. Megan is the one we hear from the least with her narration but she is spoken about a lot from other peoples perspective's and whilst you are not supposed to like her and she does a lot of things to make you not, she does have some redeeming qualities and you feel for her and wish you could help, she is broken and is just looking for somebody to fix her.

Anna lives down the street from Megan, Anna just so happens to be the wife of Rachel’s ex husband Tom, who is living in the house he and Rachel bought. 

I didn't like Anna at all, she was self centered, arrogant and all she seemed to think of was herself and how she thought all men wanted her. It wasn't until the very end that I started to feel for her, she seemed to start to show a different side to herself and you could see that there was a kind person underneath, but I still could not warm to her and always expected her to be plotting something. 

As we get further through the novel we see that they are more than neighbours and strangers, their lives are connected in ways they could never imagine. I thought I had the mystery figured out half way through the book but then Paula adds a twist at the end that I did not see coming! 

This is one of those books that will keep you up late at night, that you will reach for again and again and that won't leave your head for a long time. I would recommend this book to lovers of thriller and those that may want to see what all the fuss is about, this book deserves the fuss! You would never believe this was a debut novel due to the brilliance of the writing. I can't wait to see what comes next from Paula. 

Amazon UK | Amazon US

BLOG TOUR - What Happens in Cornwall by T.A Williams

BLURB

For a very British summer holiday…
When archaeologist Sam realises her relationship is as dead as the skeletons she’s exhuming, she knows it’s time to make a change. But with bills to pay her options are limited…until a discovery on Rock Island in Cornwall gives her a reason to escape…
Head to the Cornish coast!
In Cornwall, questions are thrown up at every turn: who is the glamorous owner of Rock Island that the paparazzi are so interested in? How has the irresistible, but impossibly arrogant, history professor James Courtney managed to get so far under Sam’s skin? And will it ever stop raining so Sam can lose the cagoule and sip a cool drink in the sun? One thing’s for sure: there’s never been a holiday quite like this one!

MY THOUGHTS

I am delighted to be part of the release date blog tour for What Happens in Cornwall. I read When Alice Met Danny last year and loved it, so when I was asked to read and review T.A's new novel I couldn't refuse and I wasn't disappointed!

T.A Williams is a fantastic author, his ability to get you hooked from the first page is brilliant. His writing is very easy to read yet intelligent and entertaining. There are lots of twists in this book so the story flows and stays exciting making you want to keep on reading.
The way he describes the characters, the feelings and the surroundings is perfect. I have been to Cornwall but it was a long time ago. Reading this book and the way the author describes it took me right back there and made me feel like I'd never left.

Sam was such an easily likeable character, it only took me about 2 pages to really like her. She is real and dealing with real life problems and issues that we all have, whether that is university, relationship or family, we can all relate in some way. It is clear that T.A Williams has done a lot of research into Cornwall and everything else he has written about, especially Archaeology, which Sam is studying at University. Everything he writes about it so believeable you actually wonder if you are reading a made up novel!

I knew I liked the writing of T.A Williams after reading When Alice Met Danny but I love it more now. I will be seeking out more of T.A's novels as I need to explore his writing further. This is the perfect summer read that you could enjoy again and again. A proper British read to enjoy during a proper British summer!

Amazon UK | Amazon US 

You can read my review of When Alice Met Danny here: