Valentine's Day Top Picks

Romcoms are definitely more my thing than pure romances. So if you're in the mood for love (and laughs) this Valentine's Day then here's my favourites from this genre:

Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k-Up  by Alexandra Potter

I love this - probably because like main character Nell I am a forty-something single not on the same page as everyone else around me. Nell's single friends are now married with children, sky-high rents force her to rent a room in a stranger’s house and in a world of perfect instagram lives, she feels like a f*ck up. Even worse, a forty-something f*ck-up.

I totally related to so many of the themes regarding age, marriage and children such as “I always feel the pressure to explain why I don’t have kids, in a way I’m not sure women who have children do" or “Who can make that kind of promise [marriage] when you truly have no idea what will happen in the next thirty or more years?” But, it was the love/hate dynamics of unlikely housemates Nell and Edward that I really loved. Set over the course of a year, with chapters denoted by months, made the course of events and speed at which relationships developed more realistic and believable than some romance novels where boy meets girl and settles down together a week later. Unlike some this also wasn’t entirely predictable – I mean it did end up exactly as I hoped and thought but somewhere in the middle it wasn’t a given.

And, in terms of the 'com' this is funny – truly hilariously funny. There’s funny one-liners: “My theory is that’s why our eyesight goes as we get older: to protect us from seeing ourselves in sharp focus.” But, also plenty of situational humour such as Nell’s attempts at babysitter or dealing with Arthur’s dog-poo. But, it’s not all laughs. There are some serious messages and life lessons too such as: “Real life is messy and complicated. Shit happens. One size doesn’t fit all....We’re all just living our life, and it might not tick all the boxes or look Insta-perfect, but that’s OK.” And, finally this had a great cast of characters but even more so was the dynamics between them in particular “the super fabulous Cricket”.

We Just Clicked by Anna Bell

As one of the funniest books I've read I absolutely love this. The situational and observational humour is spot-on from the colleague who never makes tea to going out for the night but wondering how long you have to stay before it's acceptable to go home and get into your PJs. There's also the awkwardness of a glass-walled ensuite in your swanky hotel or not realising your girlfriend has a flat full of people when you start discussing your sex life over the flat's intercom. 

This is a great contemporary love story highlighting the difference between people's perfectly-filtered life online and their real life - including in Izzy's case a fake boyfriend. At the same time Izzy runs into Aidan and major sparks start to fly between them. There's also a great posse of characters - I even loved fake boyfriend and fellow instagrammer, Luke, secretly hoping there were actually genuine feelings developing on his side. 

This hilariously funny, fast-paced, light-hearted romantic comedy is my favourite but 'The Man I Didn't Marry' by the same author is also amazing and perhaps more romantic whilst still funny.

The Summer Job by Lizzie Dent (Coming soon)

I LOVE this great story about a "ramshackle family hotel.....trying so desperately to be grander and more magnificent than it was....filled with imperfect people, all muddling along together with their ridiculous flaws and gigantic hearts". But, it was totally main character, Elizabeth Finch or Birdy to her friends, that made this for me. She's a wonderfully boisterous, attention-seeking, risk-taking, sarcastic gobshite thirty-one year old girl trying to stop herself from falling for the first man she's ever actually liked (but who thinks she's someone else).

But, mostly she's hilarious as this quote shows where Birdy is about to finally get it on with James: "I stink. I haven't had a shower and I'm still wearing yesterday's knickers. Oh, and in this light, I'd better warn you, there will be some disappointments." Or "Sorry, James, I'm a total mess. I'd like to say it gets better than this, but it really doesn't."

Best of Reality Shows

As much as I love reading, I watch a bit of television too and have to confess a love of reality TV. Having read a number of books recently that reminded me of some of my favorite shows including Married at First Sight, The Batchelorette, and Love Island, I thought I'd share the best of those in my opinion.

#1 The Shelf by Helly Acton (Jul-20)

www.hellyacton.com

When Amy's long-term boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday, she thinks he's going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when, instead, she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf. Along with five other women, Amy is brutaally dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper'.

In my opinion: I absolutely loved this and I knew I would right from the very first page when I read Amy's rant about "being force-subscribed to a daily update of dribble, snot and tears" after “Jane’s posted another close-up of the twins....smeared in a rank blend of banana and carrot.” I could totally relate. 

In fact this book could have been written for me. I totally agree with and share many of Amy’s (new) life goals after the show’s therapist, Dr Hicks’ (and the baby challenge) help Amy realise that “trying to find someone to do life with” doesn’t necessarily have to mean mortgages, marriage and kids but could be seeing things and having experiences, “maybe it’s a secret beach in Asia somewhere.”Although it’s Amy’s best friend Sarah (and not the celebrity life coaches) that best sum up my feelings ‘on doing life’ with the sentiment: “Live life for yourself....If you meet someone who wants what you want, great. If you don’t, those are the cards you’ve been dealt.”

It's not all life lessons or feminism, however, it’s light-hearted, deeply satirical and brilliantly hilarious. I was literally crying with laughter at the baby challenge when housemate Hattie reluctantly leaves her baby with Jackie who accidentally dislocates her arm, handing her back with the limb reattached the wrong way round and a near-detached head. Such a great cast of diverse characters too, particularly in the form of the housemates – Selfish Jackie, Distant Gemma, Boring Hattie, Bitter Kathy, Easy Lauren and of course Desperate Amy.

My rating: 5 stars

#2 One to Watch by Kate Stayman London (Jul-20)

www.katestaymanlondon.com

Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger. Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: hit reality show Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections.

In my opinion: Obviously based around reality show The Batchelor, this was a captivating plot as much like reality TV itself it quickly sucked you in with its superficial drama, love/hate characters and intrigue about who'd eventually be crowned the winner aka 'Main Squeeze'. I was hooked trying to work out, like Bea, if any of the guy's were genuine or not, vibing Sam, hating Jefferson and trying not to be charmed by bad boy Luc. Annoyingly though it was also quite repetitive with the constant reminders that Bea is a plus size girl and quite American with lots of references and words that I just didn't understand. Entertaining, trashy, escapism.

My rating: 4 stars

#3 Married at First Swipe by Claire Frost (Sep-20)

twitter.com/fabfrosty

Learning that her best friend’s online dating business has taken a hit, Hannah comes up with an idea that just might solve both of their problems: finding a man using Jess’s dating app and meeting him for the first time at the altar. 

In my opinion: Loosely based on one of my favourite TV shows 'Married at First Sight', sadly I was disappointed as it wasn't anywhere near as dramatic as the show nor as funny as other similar stories. The big problem for me was that this focused way too much on the pre-wedding and not enough on the wedding or marriage. I wanted more of their first impressions of each other, more of what happened on the honeymoon, more dates, more getting to know each other, more Toby - just more of everything really.  The other problem was main character Hannah - who I found slightly annoying and totally selfish.

My rating: 3 stars

Best of 3 Christmas Novels

With mistletoe, mine pies, nativities, snow, Christmas fairs and decorations galore - get into the festive spirit with a good Christmas story. Here's the low down on my top picks these season. 

1. Christmas at Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Well worth a read - this one certainly got me in the Christmas spirit. This had all the ingredients for a perfect romcom eligible bachelor, countryside village setting, close-knit family and friends, entrepreneurial spirit and cute animals/children. However, this had more breadth than your typical sugar-coated romance. It was heart-warming but also real, embracing the ups and downs of life including illness, grief, single parenting, British farming and starting up a small business. Essentially this was the story of the Swinton family - four generations of warm, strong women working together to make a success of their new business and keep their beloved farm.

Find out more at carolinerobertswriter.blogspot.com

2. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Karen Clarke

My favourite of the three - a festive feel-good story set in a quaint French village with a strong female entrepreneurial character running her own business whilst trying not to fall in love. What I loved most about this book was it's relatability. Whilst thankfully I've never been caught by a really cute guy doing a koala-dance complete with koala noise whilst dressed in a koala onesie, I can't be the only one who can totally relate to those type of cringenly embarrassing situations. I love Karen Clarke's style of writing - witty and modern but also refreshingly PG, describing connections and spine-tingling kisses rather than x-rated sex scenes. 

Find out more at www.karenclarkewriter.com.

3. A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

A heart-warming romance set at Christmas. I fell in love with the Cornish seaside village of Porthmellow with its cosy cafes, welcoming pub, village traditions and bracing seascape. The sense of community spirit as all the locals got involved in the Solstice celebrations and annual Boxing Day swim was really inspiring and heart-warming. It was a bonus to be treated to not one but two budding romances, with both sisters falling for a hot, single local. The book starts with Scarlett gate-crashing the pub's Christmas Day Lunch for the Lonely after a family history gift revealed her Dad wasn't actually her real Dad. 

Find out more at phillipa-ashley.com

Best of 4 Child Abduction Novels

Bizarrely I seem to have read a lot of books about missing children recently.

I think it's a coincidence and not some unconscious preference but nevertheless it’s a strange realisation to think that in the last few weeks I’ve read four novels about children being kidnapped. I guess (or hope) child abduction is a common theme in psychological thrillers so I’m going to forego the personal psychoanalysis and give you the low down on these books instead.

1. Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown

A twisted world of family secrets and sibling rivalry. After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. But, when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess's care, was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before? Written in my favourite style where the chapters alternate between the two sisters, this book had me gripped from start to finish. My only criticism was that I like books where everyone gets what they deserve which didn't quite happen here.

Find out more at isabelashdown.com

2. Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

My favourite of the four - I absolutely loved this one. Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter and now she's missing. Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. But, someone is hiding the truth about what really happened to Alice. I loved Charlotte, the author beautifully depicted her character and the unimaginable emotions of losing someone else's child. I raced through it, desperate to discover the truth, which meant that it was over all too soon unfortunately.

Find out more at www.heidiperksauthor.co.uk

3. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. You only live next door, you'll have the baby monitor but now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realised. She's gone. Now the police are in your home, and who knows what they'll find there. There's no denyinh this is a page-turner, ending chapters with new relevations that continually cast doubt about who was behind it all. That said there's so much going on that it all becomes a bit too unrealistic and frantic at times. 

Find out more at sharilapena.com

4. Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. Firstly, I just didn't get it, by the end I was no less confused than at the start - I wasn't sure who was who and who'd done what. It's the stories of three very different people who all have something in common, though none of them know it. Again the chapters alternate between the three characters; one of whom is a young but very odd child who's narrative left me thoroughly disturbed and consequently dreading his turn.

Find out more at www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com