Wherever you're reading this summer, there's plenty of new
releases to get stuck into this June.
releases to get stuck into this June.
You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most . . .
The atmosphere on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric, and the world is watching the landmark journey. Soon after the plane takes off, flight attendant Mina receives a chilling anonymous note. Someone wants to make sure the plane never reaches its destination. They're demanding her cooperation . . . and they know exactly how to get it.
In my opinion: ★★★★★
Wow - I absolutely loved this. It's brilliantly smart, chillingly realistic, extremely addictive, nail-bitingly tense, excitingly fast paced and powerfully emotional (so many adjectives)! I was gripped from the very first to last page, reading long into the night. I've never read the author before but the story telling was vivid with its hour by hour account and well done - the opening made me imagine an entirely different ending and the passenger extracts gave understanding to events unfolding. And, then the actual ending was twist after twist and completely unexpected as well as perfectly apt. Initially I didn't take to Adam, Sophia or Mina (particularly one of her decisions but I guess that's the point of moral dilemmas we never know how we'd react) but the author developed their characters brilliantly, with the dual narrative, until I found myself totally connected them. Like Lisa Jewell blurbs on the cover I too can really see this being made into a blockbuster movie.
The Beach Reads Book Club by Kathryn Freeman (30 Jun 2021)
When Lottie Watt is unceremoniously booted out of her uptight book club for not following the rules, she decides to throw the rulebook out the window and start her own club – one where conversation, gin and cake take precedent over actually having read the book! The Beach Reads Book Club soon finds a home for its meetings at Books by the Bay, a charming bookshop and café owned by gorgeous, brooding Matthew Steele, and as the book club picks heat up, so too does the attraction between Matt and Lottie.
In my opinion: ★★★★★
A book about a book club - what's not to like? And, I didn't just like it, I loved it! I knew I would though from the intro when the author describes its as "one for all bookworms, book clubs, book bloggers and book readers. And also for all fans of romcoms, chicklit, romance and happy ever afters." It is a charming yet contemporary story of love, friendship and books with an adorable dog thrown in too. The members of the book club provide a great cast of diverse characters and unlikely friendships with my favourite definitely young-at-heart octogenarian Audrey who likes books featuring "rumpy-pumpy". Throughout the book the group read and discuss many such books including some of my favourites and some that I now can't wait to read myself. I just wish The Beach Reads Book Club was real so I could join and perhaps also bookshop owner Matt too - as like main character Lottie I fell for him a bit too!
The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman (24 Jun 2021)
A woman has gone missing. But did she ever really exist? Mia Eliot has travelled from London to LA for pilot season. At an audition she meets Emily, and what starts as a simple favour takes a dark turn when Emily goes missing and Mia is the last person to see her. Then a woman turns up, claiming to be Emily, but she is nothing like Mia remembers. Starting to question her own sanity, she goes on a desperate and dangerous search for answers, knowing something is very, very wrong. In an industry where everything is about creating illusions, how do you know what is real? And how much would you risk to find out?
In my opinion: ★★★★
Author Catherine Steadman is also an actress and perhaps because of this her big climatic reveals seem pretty far fetched, frenetic and OTT - and definitely movie like in terms of the fight scenes where people people keep getting knocked down only to get up again and again. But, I just love the way she writes and this was another unusual plot that really captured my interest. So, even though I was disappointed with the ending (well the driving force behind the ending) I still loved the journey - and any book that pulls you in and keeps you wanting to read has got to be worth reading!
A Racing Murder by Frances Evesham (15 Jun 2021)
Belinda Sandford feels like the luckiest girl in the world as her beautiful grey racehorse, ‘Butterfly Charm’, thunders past the finishing post first at Wincanton Racecourse. But a stewards’ enquiry overturns the result and awards the race to her long-time rival, Alexandra Deacon. When Alex is found dead, Belinda's distraught mother begs Adam Hennessy, retired police officer and publican, to help clear her daughter’s name. As Adam, and local hotelier Imogen Bishop, dig deep into the murky and powerful undercurrents of the horse racing world, they lay bare the lives and loves of local jockeys, grooms, trainers and owners.
In my opinion: ★★★★
This is the second book in a series, and what a delightful cast and setting the author has created in Ham Hill. Village life revolves around the hotel, the pub and village shop with the three social hubs providing plenty of gossip and leads for the amateur sleuths to follow-up. I also enjoyed the added insight into the world of horse racing in this one and side helping of romance. It was a bit of a slow burn on the murder mystery front but that was to be expected as it's billed as a "cosy mystery". This enjoyable read is exactly what it says and works perfectly well whether you've read the previous one or not.
Where The Grass Is Green by Lauren Weisberger (10 Jun 2021)
Peyton Marcus is the anchor of the most-watched morning show in New York, with a husband who adores her and a daughter who’s headed to one of the best Ivy League schools. Skye, her sister, is a stay-at-home mom with a knack for helicopter-parenting. Max, Peyton’s bright and quirky seventeen-year-old daughter, is poised to kiss the fancy private school she hates goodbye – and all of its spoiled rich kids – and head off to pursue her dreams in film. But suddenly the grass isn’t looking so green. One little lie. That was all it took. Will any of them survive the truth?
In my opinion: ★★★★
Lauren Weisberger is, and always will be, an auto-read author for me. Instantly I was reminded why when in the opening restaurant scene a wooden stool is provided for designer handbags to be seated on. I love these ridiculous over-the-top satirical glimpses into the world of the rich and famous that provide the basis of her books. But, somehow this one just felt a little different, a little less fun and a little less satirical than normal. At first I thought it was because her characters are usually normal people who temporarily become self-absorbed after getting thrust unexpectedly into a privileged lifestyle before finding themselves again - but that actually is still true of main character Peyton. This one focuses more on family than romance so maybe it's that or that I didn't much care for Skye or the sub-plot involving her. But, then at the end Weisberger confides that she struggled creatively writing a book during a pandemic so maybe it is just a little flatter than her usual trademark style. That said it's still an entertaining read, with an enjoyable storyline (the main one) and two very likeable characters in Peyton and her genuine, quirky daughter, Max.
The Lies We Tell by Jane Corry (17 Jun 2021)
Sarah always thought of herself and her husband, Tom, as good people. But that was before their son Freddy came home saying he'd done something terrible. Begging them not to tell the police. Soon Sarah and Tom must find out just how far they are willing to push themselves, and their marriage, to protect their only child . . .
In my opinion: ★★★
From the blurb I was expecting some kind of moral dilemma where Sarah and her husband, Tom, have to decide how far they're willing to go to protect their only child after he confesses to murder. Disappointingly, however, this very much concentrates on the build up rather than the aftermath. The story opens with the confession but then it's not until the latter half or third of the book that we get back to that. Don't get me wrong the back stories are compelling and integral to the present day and the author does a brilliant job of character development explaining how these two very diff people ended up married but it just wasn't quite the story I was expecting.
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