Review: The Secret Christmas Bookshop

Title:The Secret Christmas Bookshop 

Author: Cressida McLaughlin

Publisher: 24th October 2024 by HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction

Pages: 380 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

In a beautiful seaside village, where enormous blue skies and golden sand dunes stretch into forever, somebody is opening an unexpected gift…

When an anonymous parcel turns up at the shop where Sophie works, she’s surprised to find a beautifully bound classic novel, one that eerily seems to chime with her own story.

Enigmatic Harry lives in a crumbling manor house, spending solitary days patching up leaks in the roof. The subject of unwelcome gossip in the village since his return from London, he prefers to keep to himself.

As Christmas draws near and the gifting season arrives, Sophie attempts to get to the bottom of her mysterious parcel. Finding herself being drawn into Harry’s orbit, they are both about to learn that good stories can take on a life of their own …

My Thoughts

I enjoyed books from  Cressida’s Cornish Cream Tea series so it was inevitable that I would jump at the chance to read another of hers that contains a bookshop during the  Christmas period! This is a light and enjoyable read with a little romance and mystery set in a quaint English village. 

‘I’m seizing the moment,’ Harry said. ‘Not waiting for things to be perfect, but making the most of right now. Someone taught me that recently.’

There is a wonderful cast of characters from this small village that come together to prepare for Christmas. It is fun, however, Cressida delves a little deeper into themes of finding a home and the importance of family and community. I love how the gifted copy of Jane Eyre that Sophie mysteriously receives and reads, reflects both Jane and Sophie’s story with the latter drawing inspiration from this classic. 

‘I’m going to take chances and be braver. I’m going to live, rather than exist.’

So make yourself a nice cuppa and settle in for all the festive community feels! This is a tale about finding out where you belong in a beautiful village by the sea.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

 

Review: Funny Story

Title: Funny Story 

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: 25th April 2024 by Penguin UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction

Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

My Thoughts

I think I have to come right out and say it … I am officially an Emily Henry fan. Funny Story is a rom-com/drama about Daphne, a librarian, whose fiance leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra. With nowhere to go, Daphne moves in with Miles, who also just happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Petra. Events would have it (… of course … that is why we read these books!) that Daphne and Miles pretend to annoy their exes by fake dating. The plot then moves to close proximity romance but rest assured, there is always much more to an Emily Henry novel than pure romance.  

‘It’s more, controlling the expectations you have for certain people. If a person lets you down, it’s time to reconsider what you’re asking of them.’

Funny Story may start with all the rom-com chuckles but romances are never all smooth sailing. Apart from dealing with being dumped, both Daphne and Miles have personal family issues that need to be faced. So while romance is what we are all about here, there are equally important personal issues to be addressed in each character's growth arc. 

‘… it matters way more that you’re present than that you’re perfect.’

What I love here is … yes, okay, Miles! He is wonderfully sweet. The respect and friendship that develops between the two is heartwarming. There are also wonderful side characters that bring depth to the story, particularly with a view to Daphne’s growth in what it is to be a friend. The fictional town of Waning Bay, Michigan is also brought to life wonderfully well - from wine bars, to beaches, to the library and coffee shops it all adds to the story. 

‘All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don’t get marked on calendars with hand‑drawn stars or little stickers. Those are the moments that make a life. Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house. The things that matter.’

Funny Story seems to veer more towards drama rather than straight out romcom which I like. With issues of family and friendships, identity and abandonment put under the spotlight it gave so much substance to an already swoon worthy plot. It is everything readers of Emily Henry have come to love - the banter, the angst and the underlying themes of being brave and embracing change. 

‘I want to know myself, to test my edges and see where I stop and the rest of the world begins.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

 

Review: Love, Just In

Title: Love, Just In

Author: Natalie Murray

Publisher: 3rd January 2024 by Allen & Unwin

Pages: 460 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Contemporary Romance 

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

In the vein of Emily Henry's You and Me On Vacation , Love, Just In is a friends-to-lovers romance with all the tropes that romance readers love best.

Sydney TV news reporter Josephine "Josie" Larsen is approaching 30 and coming dangerously close to failing at life. Lost in a vortex of other people's career milestones, engagement parties, and baby showers, Josie is perennially single, abandoned by her globetrotting family, and invisible to her boss - except for the one time he tuned in while she was mid-panic attack on live TV. As a punishment, Josie is shipped off to cover another reporter's six-month leave at a regional bureau in Newcastle.

But Josie has more waiting for her in Newcastle than yawn-inducing stories about bicycle lane protests. The city is also the domain of Zac Jameson - her best friend since high school. This should be a happy turn of events, but Zac has barely spoken to Josie for the past two years. Not since his fiancee tragically died in his arms in a car accident and he left Sydney to try and cope with his grief.

Now thrown back into each other's lives, Josie and Zac have to navigate their neglected friendship and secret attraction to each other while struggling with their careers and mental health.

Hilarious, sexy and heart-warming, this is the perfect romcom to sit on the shelves alongside Emily Henry, Sally Thorne and Ali Hazelwood.

My Thoughts

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray (comes out 3rd January) is a wonderful contemporary romcom. In fact, there is much more to this tale than its bright cover and promise of friends-to-lovers trope. Of course one always appreciates some steamy romance but to have some real in-depth, realistic issues addressed was a real game changer in my appreciation of this book. 

‘It’s time to admit that my life isn’t made up of a series of adorable little ducks sitting in a perfect row. My ducks are injured and losing feathers, and one possibly has a bung eye, but that’s OK. That’s me, stumbling through life.’

Both Josie and Zac fit the bill as leading characters with the quick witted banter and fun encounters but it is balanced beautifully with some much heavier topics which bring a real credence to this book. Written from Josie’s point of view, readers are presented with the long term history of this friendship and how the feelings of both evolve over time. I really did like the ‘Colleen Hoover-esque’ epilogue from Zac’s POV which I thought was a winner. 

‘… anxiety can affect anyone, anywhere - even when you’re doing something you love.’

So apart from all the romcom elements both Josie and Zac bring individual trauma’s to this friendship. That brings depth to these emotional connections with both elements of joy and sadness. For many, these traumas could be triggers, however, I found the love and honesty to be refreshing and encouraging. Some of the issues covered include health and cancer scares, living with anxiety and grief.

‘I need to stop thinking about what I’ve lost and start thinking about what I’ve found.’

All up I found Natalie’s book to be a truly thoughtful and a well considered narrative - a perfect balance of friendship and love, anxiety and honesty. This is a contemporary romance you will want to try and find yourself happy that you did. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: What Would Jane Austen Do?

Title: What Would Jane Austen Do?

Author: Linda Corbett

Publisher: 16th June 2023 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 332 pages

Genre: romance, contemporary

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

It's a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!

When Maddy Shaw is told her Dear Jane column has been cancelled she has no choice but to look outside of London’s rental market. That is until she’s left an idyllic country home by the black sheep of the family, long-not-so-lost Cousin Nigel.

But of course there’s a stipulation… and not only is Maddy made chair of the committee for the annual village literary festival, she also has to put up with bestselling crime author –and romance sceptic – Cameron Massey as her new neighbour.

When Maddy challenges Cameron to write romantic fiction, which he claims is so easy to do, sparks fly both on and off the page…

My Thoughts

‘Her experience of women inhabiting country houses was limited to reading - and watching televised adaptations of - Jane Austen books, along with reruns of Downton Abbey. So what would Jane Austen do with her day?’

With Jane Austen in the book title, how could I resist? What Would Jane Austen Do? is a fun, light romance read with an enemies to lovers trope -  just right for that inbetween read. 

‘… after all, Elizabeth Bennet didn’t get her first glance of Pemberley and think, ooh, I bet that will involve a lot of dusting.’

Jane Austen fans will appreciate the carefully selected quotes at the start of each chapter that lightly align with the given theme. However, given the book title, I was expecting stronger Jane Austen ties that in reality were only fleetingly mentioned. This book could easily remove that draw card name and present as a standalone. 

‘Jane Austen would say that if you like someone, make it clear that you do, but don’t put your feelings on public display unless you’re sure they’re reciprocated. Otherwise you’re heading straight into Marianne Dashwood territory.’

 ‘Who’s she?’

Maddy inherits an English manor but of course there is a stipulation that she must live for one year in the home. Intrigued with the inheritance, she investigates this distant cousin and the surrounding mystery; she gets involved in the local literary festival and takes on a cranky lodger and this is where the light romance comes into play. All these aspects come together for an easy paced read and when you add in an adorable dog there is enough to engage readers. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.