I love SJI Holliday’s writing with several of her books awaiting reading so I can’t believe it’s been two years since she featured on Linda’s Book Bag in an interview to celebrate Damsel Fly that you can read here. I previously reviewed Willow Walk here too. Today, I’m thrilled to share my review of Susi’s latest novel, Violet, and cannot thank the author enough for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

Published by Orenda, Violet is available in ebook now and paperback pre-order here.

Violet

When two strangers end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, an intense friendship develops, one that can only have one ending …

… a nerve-shattering psychological thriller from bestselling author SJI Holliday.

My Review of Violet

Violet and Carrie develop a friendship that has greater consequences than they might imagine.

If I say that I sat down to begin reading Violet and barely looked up until I had devoured every word some hours later you’ll understand how good a book it is. SJI Holliday manages to imbue every word with an intangible, yet palpable, menace so that I was compelled to read on. I honestly had no idea which of the characters I might trust, who was a psychopath and who an innocent. This is brilliant writing.

I have to say something about the cover to Violet because it’s quite perfect for the narrative. Obviously I don’t want to spoil the plot for others, but as I read I wasn’t sure which perspective I could believe, there are several train lines and journeys both actual and metaphorical in the story and always something just out of reach for Violet like the vanishing point in the image.

The plot zips along with a pace that pulls in the reader and leaves them reeling. The story builds incrementally so that each chapter ends with an irresistible uneasiness or revelation that made my eyes widen and did not allow me to put down the book. My own self will deserted me under the spell of SJI Holliday’s writing.

I loved the almost film noir settings that gave an added edginess to the plot, but it was the characterisation that held me spellbound. SJI Holliday gets right under the skin of Violet, simultaneously making her appealing, unnerving and captivating. I felt as mesmerised by her as any of the others in the story do. As her relationship with Carrie developed, I experienced an elevated pulse rate and frequently found myself holding my breath. I was equally appalled and fascinated by Violet and Carrie’s desperate hedonistic use of alcohol and drugs because SJI Holliday made me understand the underlying reasons for their behaviour through her fabulous psychological narrative.

It’s so hard to review Violet without giving away anything that will spoil the read for others, so I’m just going to say that this is a fabulous book, totally captivating and completely unnerving. The writing is skilled, sophisticated and totally realistic so that Violet becomes an all too plausible story that might happen to any of us. I cannot recommend it highly enough as I thought it was fantastic.

About SJI Holliday

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize.

She has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly – all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Her serial killer thriller The Deaths of December (written as Susi Holliday), featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene was a festive hit in 2017.

Her spooky mystery The Lingering was released in September 2018.

Her latest book Violet – a psychological thriller set on the Trans-Siberian Express is out in September 2019.

You can find out more about SJI Holliday on her website and on Facebook and by following her on Twitter @SJIHolliday.

I haven’t been feeling well this week and so when a prize copy of children’s book Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes arrived yesterday from the author Sue Wickstead I thought I’d read it straight away to cheer myself up! My enormous thanks to Sue and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for sending me a copy.

Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes is available for purchase here.

Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes

A book of poetry and rhymes with a bus twist. Together with a few tickets full of jokes to capture the imagination of young readers and get them to giggle along on the bus journey. Daisy Daydream the nursery Rhyme bus now has a few nursery rhymes of her own.

My Review of Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes

Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes is a little cracker of a children’s book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rhymes and jokes presented for young children here. There’s a wealth of fun to be had, especially through the jokes presented in the form of bus tickets which is a brilliant way to feature them. Children will love retelling these to their friends and families.

The rhymes, poems and songs are delightful and offer much more than they first appear. They are terrific fun in themselves, but as many are based on well-known songs and nursery rhymes too, they afford the opportunity to explore the heritage of such language and to provide examples of how to play with and enjoy language. I’d love to think of children writing and sharing their own poems and rhymes and making up their own puns and jokes as a result of reading Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes.

The illustrations are just wonderful and complement the words perfectly. Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes is a smasher of a book. I loved it and I know the small person I’m going to be sharing it with will love it too.

About Sue Wickstead

Sue Wickstead is a teacher and an author and writes children’s picture books with a bus theme featuring a playbus.

For over 20 years, alongside her teaching career, Sue worked with the charity, The Bewbush Playbus Association; she painted the bus, worked in the groups, helped raise the profile of the project and its work and was part of the committee involved in raising funds to replace it with a newer vehicle.

This led her to write a photographic history book about it. Sue remembers that it really was a fun journey to be involved in. The bus really got into her blood and became a work of the heart. Having written the history book Sue soon found that many children had never been on a bus before, let alone a ‘Playbus’ and they wanted to know more. She began telling them stories about the bus and then decided to write a fictional tale. The real number plate for the bus was JJK261 and this gave him Jay-Jay the supersonic Bus his name. Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus, came out in print in 2014. It is the story behind the original project and is his journey from a scrap-yard to being changed into a playbus for children to play in. 

This story has now been followed more picture books about buses. Daisy Daydream is the bus Sue painted. A Spooky Tale and The Christmas Play Rehearsal do indeed have a bus connection as well as links to Sue’s teaching journey. Sue undertakes events and author bookings and loves to share her stories, she is also ‘a patron of reading’.

You can follow Sue on Twitter @JayJayBus for more information, or visit Sue’s website. You’ll also find Sue on Facebook.

When a surprise copy of Postscript by Cecelia Ahern arrived from the lovely folk at Harper Collins, I was completely thrilled. I read Cecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You when it was published in 2012 and even though I’ve read literally hundreds of books since I have never forgotten it. Receiving the follow up Postscript was an absolute joy and I would like to express my thanks to Liz Dawson and the team for sending me a copy.

You might like to read my review of Cecelia Ahern’s collection of short stories, Roar, here too.

Published by Harper Collins 19th September 2019, Postscript is available for purchase here.

Postscript

It’s been seven years since Holly Kennedy’s husband died – six since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.

She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry’s letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind.

Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey – one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever…

My Review of Postscript

Holly’s life with Gerry isn’t quite finished.

I am utterly broken by Postscript. I have cried until my head throbs and my eyes are red reading this book. Cecelia Ahern has entirely undone me through the intensity of her writing because she has articulated so sensitively, so thoroughly magnificently, and with such humanity, how it feels to have loved someone unequivocally and lost them to a terminal illness. Her depiction of grief, of living with the proximity of death, of friendship, family and relationships pulsates with reality and truth. At the same time, she has created a positive and life enhancing narrative in Postscript that has left me feeling optimistic and somehow soothed.

Although Postscript is a follow up to P.S. I Love You, there is absolutely no need to have read that book to be enthralled by this one. Cecelia Ahern is such a skilled writer that she weaves Holly’s backstory into the narrative in a fluid and organic manner that works beautifully. Holly’s relationship with her deceased husband Gerry, her new life and her possible future are all perfectly balanced and explained. I found Cecelia Ahern’s writing thoroughly enchanting. The plot is glorious and heartbreaking in equal measure so that it is impossible not to feel Holly’s reactions and emotions as she feels them. I love the way the author crafts her writing. She understands the realism needed in direct speech and ensures descriptive sentences are poetic at times and stark and affecting at others so that it is akin to being on a roller coaster of emotion reading Postscript.

Holly is an incredibly realistic character. I didn’t feel as if I were reading about her, but more that I was reading about me through her. I genuinely felt an almost visceral connection as she struggled to be true to the self she had become in the seven years since her husband’s death. Of the others, Ginika was the person who gained my empathy most profoundly. Her feisty nature, despite her youth and educational background, made me want to hold her, support her and simultaneously made me glad to be alive.

Perhaps readers who have not felt the grief I have felt in recent times will have less of a reaction to Postscript, but I adored every word. I devoured the book over twenty-four hours because it felt like a bereavement to be away from it. It’s going to take me a while to recover from reading Cecelia Ahern’s Postscript and if I’m honest, I’m not sure I will get over the intense emotion I felt as I read.  I experienced deep grief and enormous uplifting optimism reading Postscript and cannot recommend it highly enough. What an amazing book and what a fabulous writer!

About Cecelia Ahern

(Image courtesy of Matthew Thompson)

Cecelia Ahern is one of the biggest selling authors to emerge in the past fifteen years. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages and have sold more than twenty-five million copies in over forty countries. Two of her books have been adapted as major films and she has created several TV series in the US and Germany.  She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You in 2014. PS I Love You was awarded two Platinum Awards at the 2018 Specsavers Bestsellers Awards, for UK and Ireland.

Cecelia lives in Dublin with her family.

You can find out more by following Cecelia on Twitter @Cecelia_Ahern, visiting her website and finding her on Facebook.

My enormous thanks to Flora Willis for sending me a copy of Say Say Say by Lila Savage in return for an honest review.

Published by Serpent’s Tail on 8th August 2019, Say Say Say is available for purchase here and directly from the publisher here.

Say Say Say

Ella is nearing thirty, and not yet living the life she imagined. Her artistic ambitions as a student have given way to an unintended career as a care worker. One spring, Bryn – a retired carpenter – hires her to help him care for Jill, his wife of many years. A car accident caused a brain injury that has left Jill verbally diminished; she moves about the house like a ghost of her former self.

As Ella is drawn ever deeper into the couple’s household, she is profoundly moved by the tenderness Bryn shows toward the wife he still fiercely loves. Ella is startled by the yearning this awakens in her, one that complicates her feelings for her girlfriend, Alix, and causes her to look at relationships of all kinds – between partners, between employer and employee, and above all between men and women – in new ways.

Tightly woven, humane and insightful, tracing the most intimate reaches of a young woman’s heart and mind, Say Say Say is a riveting story about what it means to love, in a world where time is always running out.

My Review of Say Say Say

Ella takes on a new client as she looks after Jill for Bryn.

I found Say Say Say an incredibly difficult book to read despite its brevity because it reignited my grief at my father’s stroke and prolonged death as I read about Jill. When we no longer knew what Dad understood, and before he lost the ability to make any sound at all, he would utter a sibilance so similar to Jill’s repetitive ‘say, say, say’ that at times I found it almost unbearable to read Lila Savage’s writing.

Say Say Say is a beautifully written, searing, intimate and personal portrait of Ella’s personality, of Jill’s suffering and of Bryn’s grief so that it is difficult to articulate my thoughts into a coherent review. The quality of language used is sometimes stark, frequently poetic and always compelling. There is almost as much meaning between the lines – in what isn’t written – as there is in what is on the page. Sometimes the sentence structure is quite difficult to follow and I loved that about the text. I had to reread and think precisely what the meaning was; just like Ella as she tries to understand herself and those around her. I thought this technique was brilliant.

The plot is marginal in Say Say Say. I can imagine those who are looking for fast paced thrilling writing not appreciating it at all, but what happens is far less important than the way Ella reacts as she struggles to understand herself. I can’t say I liked Ella, but my goodness I was given a profound understanding of who she is. I think my reticence to warm to her stems from Lila Savage’s incredible ability to lay bare human imperfection. She presents a portrait so unflinching, so acutely observed and somehow so tender that I felt an almost physical response. There were some uncomfortable echoes for me as a reader. Have I been as lacking in kindness to others as Ella feels she may have been for example?

Say Say Say is an unusual read. It is as if Lila Savage has looked into the soul of humanity and laid it bare on the page. I think Say Say Say will polarise readers. For some it will be the perfect book. Others will find it too uncomfortable a read. Some will want more action. I thought it was a finely crafted, emotional and fierce portrait of grief, loss and character that touched me completely.

About Lila Savage

Lila Savage is originally from Minneapolis. Prior to writing fiction, she spent nearly a decade working as a caregiver. Her work has appeared in The Threepenny Review. She is the recipient of a Wallace Stegner fellowship and graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2018. She lives in San Francisco.

My enormous thanks to Comma Press for sending me a copy of The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 edited by Nikki Bedi in return for an honest review. This is the 14th National Short Story Award and this time the shortlist is inspired by #metoo, Trump and discrimination.

Supported by Cambridge University, this collection features stories by Lucy Caldwell, Lynda Clark, Jacqueline Crooks, Tamsin Grey and Jo Lloyd.

Published by Comma Press, The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 is available for purchase through the links here.

You can find out more about the anthology and the award, and meet the judges and finalists, here.

The BBC National Short Story Award 2019

A young boy takes delight in his mother’s ability to shapeshift from one animal to another, only realising how odd she is when it comes to parents evening…

The values of a small farming village are challenged by talk of a well-heeled community living on the other side of the lake that only one person can see…

A writer researching the life of a 19th century child custody reformer discovers all too many parallels between that century and ours…

The stories shortlisted for the 2019 BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University variously explore the sanctity of the home and family, and the instinct to defend what’s closest to us. Against a backdrop of danger or division, characters sometimes struggle – like the 15-year-old charged with looking after her siblings whilst her mother works through the night – and sometimes succumb – like the young woman who allows herself to be manipulated by an older, richer man. But in each case, these stories demonstrate what Nikki Bedi argues in her introduction: short stories are not a warm-up act, they’re the main event.

My Review of The BBC National Short Story Award 2019

Five short stories written by women.

The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 collection is a joy. No wonder these are the shortlisted stories for this prestigious award. Each one is a skilled delight to encounter and each one transports the reader to another identity, time or place so convincingly.

Before commenting on the stories, I must say something about the appropriateness of the cover illustration by David Eckersall. The Russian doll motif is particularly fitting because it suggests traditional story telling, layers to uncover and a multiple femininity that echoes the narratives (and an aspect of Lucy Caldwell’s The Children in particular). I also loved the inclusion of Nikki Bedi’s introduction and the information at the end of the book about the authors, the award and its partners, and the list of previous winners as I now have a cornucopia of new-to-me writing to discover.

There’s a distinct authorial or character voice behind each tale so that reading The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 felt a bit like attending a party where I was meeting fascinating new people for the first time. Direct speech is natural and engaging although I did have to concentrate to follow all of the patois in Jacqueline Crooks’ Silver Fish in the Midnight Sea. This is by no means a criticism because that level of concentration meant I got so much from the story and when I read it aloud to myself the beautiful rhythms and meanings made so much more sense. And that’s the thing with this anthology. I read each story at least twice over a couple of days and found they took on a new identity if they were read aloud or read at different times of the day. The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 a less an anthology and more a living, breathing entity.

There’s so much to discover and enjoy in these five stories. I especially appreciated the mysticism and magical realism that runs through quite a lot of the writing. Each author is skilled in developing their tale, providing endings that are completely fitting and yet manage to leave the reader pondering and reflecting on what they have read. It is as if the stories have a life beyond the confines of their written structure. They felt quite mercurial in a sense, so that it is as if they are reluctant to stay between the cover pages of the book. I also felt a kind of wistfulness, what Jo Lloyd perhaps might call hiraeth, as I finished each one.

There is both a sense of history (in Jo Lloyd’s The Invisible) and modernity (especially in Lucy Caldwell’s The Children and Tamsin Grey’s My Beautiful Millennial) as well as the exploration of otherness (in Jacqueline Crooks’ Silver Fish in the Midnight Sea and Lynda Clark’s Ghillie’s Mum) so that all readers with a preference for different eras and genres will find something for them in this little volume to match their reading taste. Great enjoyment came for me too in finding echoes of other books I have enjoyed through reading these stories. Lynda Clark’s Ghillie’s Mum had resonances of Pullman’s daemons from His Dark Materials, for example, but not one of these short stories is derivative or hackneyed. Each one is an individual delight, carefully crafted, affecting and beautifully written.

The characters in each story are alive with vitality and enchantment. Martha in particular appealed to me and I loved Ghillie’s mother, but in each story I found someone to relate to or who captivated me.

However, aside from the pure entertainment of The BBC National Short Story Award 2019, this anthology is a thought provoking reflection of today’s society. The prejudices we hold, the treatment of those who are ‘other’ than we are, the way those with money are so often seen as superior to those who are poor, our relationships and our behaviour towards those with unconventional lives or mental health issues are just a few of the themes explored.

I thoroughly enjoyed The BBC National Short Story Award 2019 and I can see myself returning to it time and again to enjoy the stories and to find new elements each time I read them. I really recommend them as they represent short stories at their very best.

About the Editor

Nikki Bedi is a television and radio broadcaster with a passion for making arts and culture accessible.

She currently curates, writes and presents The Arts Hour on the BBC World Service, their flagship arts and culture programme, which once a month becomes The Arts Hour On Tour, a show that is travelling across the globe, one country at a time, to bring the hottest names, talents and issues to the airwaves and to 75 million listeners.

Nikki has most recently been seen on TV presenting the topical, weekly arts and entertainment programme Front Row, on BBC 2 on Saturday nights. She’s a regular interviewer and presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends and has presented Front Row and Woman’s Hour on the same station.

Describing herself as ‘glocal’, Nikki’s work is both global and local and her Sunday morning show on BBC Radio London keeps her at the heart of the capital’s radio station.

Born to an Indian father and English mother, Nikki began her career in Mumbai as both a stage and film actress and worked with some of India’s finest directors. Her foray into the world of presenting came when the UK’s Channel 4 gave her a talk show, Bombay Chat and its success prompted Star TV in Asia to give her a primetime chat show called Nikki Tonight, which became Asia’s most widely viewed and most controversial talk show. After spending time living and working in Los Angeles, Nikki returned to the UK to become the face of Universal’s film channel The Studio and also presented the live movie show Worldwide Screen on NOW TV.

You can visit Nikki’s website and follow her on Twitter @nikkibedi for more information.

I have a confession. Despite so many of my blogger friends raving about Linwood Barclay’s writing, I’ve never actually read one of his books before, so when I was given the opportunity to read Elevator Pitch, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m so pleased I did and that I have my review to share today.

Published on 5th September 2019 by Harper Collins imprint HQ, Elevator Pitch is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Elevator Pitch

It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world – and the nation’s capital of media, finance, and entertainment – is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men and women working in offices across the city refuse leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.

Who is behind this? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers . . .

Pulsating with tension, Elevator Pitch is a riveting tale of psychological suspense that is all too plausible . . . and will chill readers to the bone.

My Review of Elevator Pitch

An elevator accident may be more than it seems…

Never having read anything by Linwood Barclay before I wasn’t quite prepared for the highly effective Hitchcock-like plotting and delivery in Elevator Pitch. There’s a build up of tension in the story that is actually quite filmic and visual that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Having lived in Manhattan and worked around New York for a short while, I found the setting described perfectly so that I felt there was an authenticity to what I hope will only ever be a fictional situation because it is very unnerving!

The narrative is exciting, with what seems at first to be diverse and separate strands woven together cleverly to create a very satisfying novel. Elevator Pitch is a deceptive book too as Linwood Barclay feeds in diversions that wrong foot the reader providing surprises along the way. I really liked the manner in which I found out details at the same time as Barbara, Jerry and Lois. Linwood Barclay’s style is brisk and pacy so that the reader is swept along in events making for an exciting read.

One of the greatest successes of Elevator Pitch for me was the characterisation. Jerry Bourque’s back story gave him a humanity that elevated him (if you’ll pardon the pun) above the usual maverick, world weary, detectives of so many crime thrillers I have read. Here, instead, is a man with heart and a conscience. I’m hoping there will be more involving him in future books. I found the family dynamics between Richard Headley and his son Glover both enlightening and very sad. The effect of a parent on a child – of whatever age – can be deeper than any might imagine. I thoroughly appreciated the feisty Barbara, especially when I was afforded an insight into her softer and more emotional side.

Thematically, there’s much to mull in Elevator Pitch and once the book has been read as a fast paced thriller, I think it would reward a second perusal to concentrate on the concepts of power, politics, corruption, PTSD, revenge, terrorism, relationships and society. Having said that, I thought the premise for the novel was possibly more than exciting enough for me on its own. I am claustrophobic so avoid lifts as much as I can so that I frequently felt physically uncomfortable whilst I was reading. Elevator Pitch has definitely not left me any more inclined to enjoy the enclosed spaces of lifts!

I really did enjoy Elevator Pitch and it has persuaded me that I’ve left it too long to discover Linwood Barclay as a writer. This won’t be my last reading of his books, but I think it was a very good place to start.

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay is an international bestselling crime and thriller author with over twenty critically acclaimed novels to his name, including the phenomenal number one bestseller No Time For Goodbye. Every Linwood Barclay book is a masterclass in characterisation, plot and the killer twist, and with sales of over 7 million copies globally, his books have been sold in more than 39 countries around the world and he can count Stephen King, Shari Lapena and Peter James among his many fans.

Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, and Linwood wrote the screenplay for the film based on his bestselling novel Never Saw It Coming. He is currently working with eOne to turn the Promise Falls trilogy into a series. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.

You can follow Linwood on Twitter @linwood_barclay, visit his website and find him on Facebook for more information.

My enormous thanks to the lovely folk at Harper Collins for allowing me to read Rewrite the Stars by Emma Heatherington through Netgalley. I adored Emma’s The Legacy of Lucy Harte and you’ll find my review of that book here.

Rewrite the Stars was published by Harper Collins in ebook on 6th September 2019 and is also available for pre-order in paperback through the publisher links here.

Rewrite the Stars

From the moment they meet one December day there’s something between Charlotte Taylor and her brother’s best friend, Tom Farley. But Tom’s already taken and Charlie has to let him go…

It’s another five years before their paths cross again only a secret from the past forces Charlie to make a choice. She promises herself she’ll never look back…

The years pass and Charlie moves on with her life but she can never forget Tom. He’s always there whispering ‘What if?’.

Can Charlie leave the life she has built for one last chance with Tom?  Or is the one that got away not really the one at all…?

My Review of Rewrite the Stars

Charlotte’s life is about to be turned upside down.

Oh my word, Rewrite the Stars is a lovely book. It had the same effect on me as slipping into clean bedding, taking off uncomfortable shoes and putting up my feet, or taking the first sip of tea when I’ve been desperate for a cup all day. I found it comforting, uplifting and affecting. I know there will be those who would never dream of picking up Rewrite the Stars, believing it to be too ‘girly’ (or whatever derogatory adjective they might like to apply) for their reading tastes, but they will be so foolish. They will have denied themselves a gorgeous story, smooth and skilled writing and plotting, with characters and themes that feel true and genuine.

I admit that I railed against Charlotte’s actions and choices at times, but I understood her completely through Emma Heatherington’s perfect creation of character. Here is a young woman who strives to find her way in life; exactly as we all do. Charlotte’s first person voice is distinct, making her words feel intimate and allowing the reader to access her innermost thoughts and feelings. She is natural and self-critical so that her fears and desires become those of Emma Heatherington’s readers too. The men in Charlie’s life are all distinctly drawn, making for a cast that feels so vivid and real. Just like Charlotte, I had no idea which of them I had the most genuine feelings for so that I felt her indecision and concerns with her.

As is so often the case for me, what I enjoyed most about Rewrite the Stars, however, was the sensitive exploration of themes. Emma Heatherington seems to understand at an almost primeval level how we need love and affirmation to be able to create our own individual identities. She also conveys flawlessly the human emotions of guilt, love and regret and she convinces the reader that what we may have been in the past may have helped shape who we are today but that it doesn’t need to dominate who we are in the future. I found this message very powerful indeed.

Rewrite the Stars is a brilliant story; very moving, beautifully written and, for me, a completely uplifting read. I thought it was utterly lovely and cannot recommend it highly enough.

About Emma Heatherington

Emma Heatherington has penned more than thirty educational short films, plays and musicals as well as eleven novels, two of which were written under the pseudonym Emma Louise Jordan.

She was ghost-writer to Irish country music legend Philomena Begley and Liverpool born Nathan Carter, whose autobiography Born for the Road was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Emma’s novel, The Legacy of Lucy Harte, was an eBook bestseller in both the UK and US.

Emma lives in her native Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, with her partner Jim McKee and their children Jordyn, Jade, Dualta, Adam and Sonny James.

For more information you can follow Emma on Twitter @emmalou13 and find her on Facebook.

It’s been far, far too long since I last featured lovely Adele Parks properly on Linda’s Book Bag. I first encountered Adele at a blogger evening two years ago in an event you can read about here. Following that event I reviewed Adele’s The Stranger in My Home here. More recently I was delighted to spend time chatting with Adele at the #DestinationHQ evening which you can read about here, and where I first heard about Lies Lies Lies that I am delighted to review today.

Lies Lies Lies was published by Harper Collins imprint HQ on 5th September 2019 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Lies Lies Lies

Daisy and Simon’s marriage is great, isn’t it?

After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three.

And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes – Daisy’s used to it, she knows he’s letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.

In Lies Lies Lies Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks explores the darkest corners of a relationship in freefall in a mesmerising tale of marriage and secrets.

My Review of Lies Lies Lies

Simon’s increasing reliance on alcohol will have more repercussions than he can ever imagine.

Oh my goodness! What clever storytelling from Adele Parks. There’s a gradual and escalating build up of events around Simon’s alcohol dependency that initially feels very measured and controlled and then just when the reader is lulled into thinking they have the measure of Lies Lies Lies Adele Parks delivers a punch that leaves them reeling and she doesn’t let up. I was ensnared and engrossed throughout.

There’s quite a cast of characters in Lies Lies Lies who all represent a fascinating microcosm of middle class society. I utterly abhorred Simon and felt guilty that I didn’t feel more empathy for his problems and then I fell in love with him and felt guiltier still. Never mind an author making their characters have strong reactions – Adele Parks causes equally profound feelings in her readers too. Unlike Simon, Daisy, however, held my sympathy throughout. I didn’t always agree with her behaviour so that she frustrated me, infuriated me and at times appalled me, but I always wanted her to triumph.

I loved the themes in Lies Lies Lies. Adele Parks understands completely and conveys so convincingly how precarious life can be. Her picture of addictive or controlling behaviour, her illustration of prison life and her exploration of love, obsession and, of course, deceit are all pitch perfect. Lies come in all forms in this novel and the fine line between adhering to the truth with perhaps an occasional white lie, and the gradual insidious and perverting build up of greater untruths feels terrifyingly accurate. So many layers add interest and depth and it’s obvious the author comprehends fully how we can make irrational and even harmful choices in our lives.

Lies Lies Lies is a superb story. Character driven, it compels the reader into a world where they don’t want to be because some of the action is so emotionally disturbing, but that they are unable to leave until they have devoured every word. I thought it was a cracking read.

About Adele Parks

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000, and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She’s been an ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa Book Awards, and is a keen supporter of The National Literary Trust. Adele has lived in Italy, Botswana and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, son and cat.

You can follow Adele on Twitter @adeleparks, find her on Facebook and visit her website for more information.

It’s just over two years since Moira Forsyth appeared on Linda’s Book Bag with a smashing guest post linked to her book A Message From The Other Side. You can read that post here alongside my review. Today I’m delighted finally to have a review of another of Moira’s books, Tell Me Where You Are and would like to thank Sandstone Press for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest opinion.

Published by Sandstone Press in paperback on 16th May 2019, Tell Me Where You Are is available for purchase through the links here.

Tell Me Where You Are

Maybe the worst thing hadn’t happened yet. You couldn’t know the awful things lined up in the future, looming.

The last thing Frances wants is a phone call from Alec, the husband who left her for her sister thirteen years ago. But Susan has disappeared, abandoning Alec and her daughter Kate, a surly teenager with an explosive secret. Reluctantly, Frances is drawn into her sister’s turbulent life.

My Review of Tell Me Where You Are

Frances has no contact with her ex-husband, Alec, after he left her for her sister Susan, but that is about to change.

I think if readers are looking for a visceral thriller with several twists and turns Tell Me Where You isn’t the book for them. However, I found Tell Me Where You an intimate and sensitive portrait of family life, sibling rivalries and our desperate need to be loved and to belong and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I thought the title was inspired because although ostensibly it refers to Susan throughout, who is missing, many of the characters are looking for happiness, their own identity, a relationship and so on, giving Tell Me Where You are multiple meanings. I don’t wish to sound patronising, but I do believe readers need a level of maturity (which isn’t necessarily linked with age) fully to appreciate the nuances of family dynamics explored by Moira Forsyth. I thought her perception and presentation was spot on.

Reading Tell Me Where You Are felt a bit like viewing a kaleidoscope because the different characters’ perceptions acted as refracted light, and the patterns and dynamics within Frances’s family shifted and changed like the pieces of a kaleidoscope so that I understood the balance within the family perfectly.  I felt Moira Forsyth had observed the people in her narrative every bit as closely and effectively as does Austen in Mansfield Park for example. There’s bigotry, disappointment, resignation, stoicism, jealousy, love and so many other emotions that bubble and surface, subside and simmer, that add depth and interest to this family story.

There’s considerable care and thought that has gone into the creation of character by the author. I loathed Alec. He made my skin crawl and had I been Frances I think his treatment might have been very different! Frances is a real Everywoman. She tries to manage the demands of being both mother and daughter, sister and individual in a way so many readers will relate to. Even though I have never been a mother, I was able to comprehend her perspective completely because of the successful way she is drawn by Moira Forsyth. Susan, on the other hand, brought out the very worst in me. Whilst she has mental health issues to which I felt I should be sympathetic, I also found her behaviour selfish and hurtful at the best of times so she didn’t gain my empathy and this made me uncomfortable. It doesn’t sit well with me not to have sympathy for those with mental health issues and Moira Forsyth has got under my skin and made me doubt myself. This is such clever writing. I found Tell Me Where You Are both thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Tell Me Where You Are is a book that somehow seems to be more than the sum of its parts. It is insightful, providing so much for the reader to consider. Moira Forsyth doesn’t provide all the answers by the end of the narrative and I liked the story all the better for that because life isn’t always neatly resolved and packaged to our satisfaction. I’ve finished Tell Me Where You Are with a feeling that these characters live on outside the book as real people. I rather hope I’ll meet them again some day.

About Moira Forsyth

Moira Forsyth is the author of five novels, and a published poet and short story writer. She has been a registrar of births, deaths and marriages, sold hotels and catering properties, been a bookshop manager, a lecturer and schoolteacher, and taught in a Young Offenders’ Institution. Moira is now an editor, and has worked on a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books. Moira has two grown-up children (non-resident), two cats (resident), and lives in the Highlands of Scotland.

You can follow Moira on Twitter @moira_forsyth.