Thanks to Milly Reid at Quercus for inviting me onto the blog blast for ‘Tell Me Everything’ by Laura Kay which publishes TODAY!
Thanks to Quercus too for my proof of this quirky and uplifting book – as always, opinions are entirely my own.
Continue reading Blog Blast: ‘Tell Me Everything’ by Laura KayHappy publication day to this funny and uplifting book which I was fortunate enough to read towards the end of last year during lockdown.
I’d heard lots about this book on Twitter and felt that a cheery read was needed, so thought I would give it a try. I’m so glad I did – it was just what I needed to lift me out of the November gloom!
The main character, Ally, starts this book at her lowest ebb. She has quit her job and been dumped by her girlfriend, Emily, leaving her effectively homeless as she has to leave Emily’s houseboat. Taking the cat, who becomes a topic of dispute between the two ex-partners, she heads back to Sheffield and her father’s house. Initially wallowing in her own grief, she starts to see light at the end of the tunnel after rekindling an old friendship, using her passion for baking to find a new job and – most unlikely of all – taking up running after she (rather ill-advisedly) signs up for a half marathon.
I thought that Kay did a gorgeous job of exploring Ally’s thought processes as she worked her way through the end of her relationship. It felt real, with all its ups and downs, irrational thoughts and acts of pettiness – the emails between Emily and Ally about the cat were particularly telling. I also loved Ally’s feeling about running – as someone who has tried and failed to run, I really could imagine the scenes as she slogged round various circuits with no joy and considerable pain!
Indeed, the characterisation is the real strength in this novel = Ally’s friend Jeremy (who is nursing his own heartbreak) is funny and sweet and just the kind of person you’d want on your team if you were in Ally’s situation. Ally’s dad is similarly wonderful – a supportive, straight-talking (when needed) and realistic parent who has his own ways of getting Ally back on the road to recovery – I loved the disco for Syria scenes as these were so keenly observed by someone who clearly has experienced (in recent memory and with vivid clarity) the joys of a school dance!
The plot followed a fairly predictable course, but that absolutely was not a problem as I was reading this exactly to avoid any stressful or horrible situations. Instead, I was treated to a comfortable and engaging read as I followed Ally’s journey back to happiness. It’s a novel that has moments of sadness, but also bucketloads of humour and really relatable moments.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys uplifting stories which are strong on character – those in a similar vein to Beth O’Leary’s ‘The Flatshare’ and ‘The Switch’. I enjoyed this a lot and it made a cheerless lockdown day a lot brighter.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Header photo by Allec Gomes on Unsplash.
Another month end – and thank goodness! We are one step nearer to Christmas and (more importantly) 2020 being over. This month has lasted approximately 9000 years so I am glad it is done.
I’m posting this a bit early as I have a blog tour lined up for the end of the month.
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What I read in November
Considering that November felt eternal, I only managed to read 9 books! However, this puts me on 109/100 for my Goodreads challenge so that’s fine by me.
I started this month with a NetGalley ARC that I was really looking forward to – Cara Hunter’s ‘The Whole Truth’. This is the fifth instalment in the excellent DI Fawley series of police procedurals and is due for publication on 25th February, 2021. The story starts with a sexual harassment allegation and then gets much darker and more twisty. I don’t think it is the best in the series but it is very engaging – I really like the police team and they are really relatable and real. My review will follow nearer publication.
Then I read ‘The Wrong Sort to Die’ by Paula Harmon for a blog tour. This is a very enjoyable historical mystery featuring a great female lead – Dr Margaret Demeray, a pathologist working in pre-World War I London. You can read my review here.
Next up was ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’ by Gary Raymond for another blog tour. It’s basically a jaunt through – scene-by-scene – the 2003 film ‘Love Actually’ and all the reasons why it is so bad. Fans of the film won’t appreciate it all, but I loved it! This book made me laugh so much – my review is here.
Then I read ‘The Cousins’ by Karen M McManus for yet another blog tour – this one is up Monday. I don’t read a lot of YA books but I did enjoy this story of family secrets in a wealthy tourist spot in America. Check out my blog on Monday for my full review.
Then another blog tour book – ‘The Watchful Neighbour’ by Debbie Viggiano. This is a psychological thriller about a woman who worries that her Neighbourhood Watch man is just a little too watchful. It is tense and surprising – my review will follow in December.
It does seem that I’ve read a lot of blog tour books this month – the next was ‘Banking on Murder’ by J D Whitelaw, a cosy crime novel with a trio of sisters as investigators. I really loved the interaction between the three women – the review will follow in December.
After all the blog tour books, I returned to my huge NetGalley backlog and read ‘The Split’ by Laura Kay. This is a lovely, uplifting and funny read about how Ally puts her life back together after she is dumped by her girlfriend. Family, friends and running prove her salvation, even though she has a similar feeling about running as me (clue: not positive)! This is due to be published in March 2021 and my full review will appear nearer this date.
Another NetGalley read was ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell. I was really looking forward to this historical Gothic novel which promised spookiness, murder and spiritualism – and absolutely delivered. This is due to be published in January 2021 so my review will be up then, but if you loved Purcell’s previous books then there is plenty to love here too.
Finally, the lovely people at The Write Reads and I finally finished our readalong of ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier. Having given up on this book on at least two previous occasions, I’m really glad I stuck with it – turns out it gets really good! Who knew?! I’ve loved reading with these lovely bloggers and their wild speculation, hilarious observations and brilliant (and sometimes odd!) ideas have been an absolute joy. My review will be up next week.
December TBR
After a month or two of being totally overwhelmed by the amount of books I have in the pile to read, I’ve narrowed it down to ones I want to read soon:
Who knows what I’ll actually end up reading, but that’s my best guess right now!
Hope you had a fabulous reading month in November and I look forward to reading your wrap-up posts and TBRs.
Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Taking on a World of Words. Anyone can take part and it is a great way of sharing what you have just finished reading, what you are currently reading and what is next on the TBR.
Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)
What have you recently finished reading?
It’s been a better reading week, so I actually have some updates! I’m on 107/100 of my Goodreads challenge – it’s nice to be an over-achiever so I’m not moving that target!
I finished ‘Banking on Murder’ by J D Whitelaw for a blog tour in December. This is a lively and cosy murder mystery with a formidable trio of investigators – the (Nosy) Parker Sisters! Review to follow.
I also finished Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’, a spooky and atmospheric historical mystery set in Bath and featuring some very weird but wonderful characters – especially Agnes, a silhouette-cutter with a mysterious past, and Pearl, an albino girl with a gift for contacting the dead. It’s packed with seances and murders and strange events – and I really loved it! Review to follow closer to publication in January 2021.
Finally, I read ‘The Split’ by Laura Kay, a book which was exactly what I needed – a lively and humorous book that follows the story of Ally after she is dumped by her girlfriend. Returning to her dad’s house in Sheffield, she finds comfort in an old friendship, a new job and a rather stressful new hobby (running a half marathon!) It’s got gorgeously-written characters, relatable bits and plenty of uplifting cheeriness as Ally finds happiness again. Review will follow nearer to publication date in March 2021 but this is one to watch for!
What are you reading now?
I’m embarrassed that I’m still reading Natalie Haynes’ ‘Pandora’s Jar’ but there we are – it is a fascinating read but keeps being put aside for blog tour books.
I’m also still working my way through ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads gang. I’m enjoying it, but mainly because my fellow readers are a group of people with some interesting and hilarious ideas!
What do you think you will read next?
Having worked my way through a grand total of three out of my top 10 2021 ARCs that I’m really excited about, I need to keep working on those. Catching my eye next are ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge (crime fiction), ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward (serial killer thriller) and ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne (gothic spookiness!).
Header photo with thanks to Alena Ganzhela for sharing her work on Unsplash.
