ARC - Another Way To Fall by Amanda Brooke

Another Way to Fall by Amanda Brooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Publisher - HarperFiction (HarperCollins)

Blurb From Goodreads

What would you do if you could write the story of your life?

After battling a brain tumour twenty-nine year old Emma thinks she is in the clear, but her world comes crashing down around her when she is told her fight was in vain, and there is nothing more the doctors can do.

Realising that she won’t now have time to achieve the things she dreamed of, Emma decides to write her perfect life in a story. She imagines all the things she would have done, the places she would have seen, the husband she would have shared her life with and the family they would have raised. And, mysteriously, as she writes her story, she starts to notice that some of her dreams seem to be coming true.

Now with a real love in her life, and her fading hope burning brighter, reality and fiction start to become blurred. As she writes their life-long love story Emma dares to believe that anything is possible, but can she really change her fate?



My Review


Emma is 29, sitting in the doctors office waiting to hear if her cancer is gone. Her life has been on hold and now is her chance to get it back on track. However the news she receives is far from positive and Emma has to face the harsh reality that there is nothing more to be done. Emma decides to write a book, chronicling her life how she feels it should have been had fate and her body not cheated her.

The story splits between reality and Emma's book, her fantasy world. In her real life she is trying to cope with her diagnosis, her mother’s inability to accept it and trying everything in her power to save her daughter. Her relationships and things she has to tie up before she dies. Her fantasy world is written in italics so you know the story has switched and goes into depth on what would have happened had she got the all clear that day at the doctor’s office.

I felt this story had a bit of a lull at parts and yet others I couldn't stop reading. It pulls on your heart strings and you can't help but wonder what if it was you or your daughter or sister. What would you do differently?

We meet some characters who have amazing strength and character, Emma of course and her mother and some who are not. Cancer can change a life and this story gives an insight into it and how it touches the lives of not just the person suffering but also their nearest and dearest. As I mentioned there were some lulls in the story, however the last quarter I actually couldn't put down. You find yourself on a bit of an emotional and thought provoking journey with this book. This is a new author for me, I would definitely read her again. 4/5 for me this time, thanks to HarperFiction and Jaime Frost (at HarperCollins) for giving me an ARC copy of this and for introducing me to a new author. This book is out to buy, in paperback for £7.99 from the 22nd of August 2013.

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ARC - The gravity of birds by Tracy Guzeman

The Gravity of Birds by Tracy Guzeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days (dipping in and out as I was working a lot)

Publisher - HarperFiction


Blurb From Goodreads

Sisters Natalie and Alice Kessler were close, until adolescence wrenched them apart. Natalie is headstrong, manipulative—and beautiful; Alice is a dreamer who loves books and birds. During their family’s summer holiday at the lake, Alice falls under the thrall of a struggling young painter, Thomas Bayber, in whom she finds a kindred spirit. Natalie, however, remains strangely unmoved, sitting for a family portrait with surprising indifference. But by the end of the summer, three lives are shattered.

Decades later, Bayber, now a reclusive, world-renowned artist, unveils a never-before-seen work, Kessler Sisters—a provocative painting depicting the young Thomas, Natalie, and Alice. Bayber asks Dennis Finch, an art history professor, and Stephen Jameson, an eccentric young art authenticator, to sell the painting for him. That task becomes more complicated when the artist requires that they first locate Natalie and Alice, who seem to have vanished. And Finch finds himself wondering why Thomas is suddenly so intent on resurrecting the past.


My Review

The story opens in 1963 with Alice, her sister Natalie and their parents on holiday and the introduction of Thomas Bayer. A young painter, twice Alice's age with a talent, he offers to sketch the family and Alice finds herself drawn to his company. The story then goes into the next chapter and opens at 2007 and Dennis Finch has been summoned by Thomas Bayer. A brief explanation of how their relationship came to be is covered and what Thomas expects of Finch now. Thomas is a hugely successful artist that stopped painting at the top of his game and became a recluse. Finch has known and cataloged all of his work and now Thomas tells him of a piece no one has saw or known about. If it is true it will be worth a fortune but Finch needs to track it down along with Stephen whom Thomas has asked for to personally verify it is indeed his work. The story then flicks back and forth between Alice, the past, Alice now and the journey between Finch and Stephen as they try to recover the art that will change all of their lives if they are successful.

This book was fairly slow to start I felt although there is enough to keep you interested until it builds up. Alice loves birds and even goes on to study them which leads to lots of bird discussion or reference in the book, I found myself going off and looking up a few of them. Stephen verifys and authenticates works of art and the process of this is also discussed in quite a bit of detail which again I found quite interesting as it isn't something I have ever considered. The time scale at some of the chapters is quite specific but a lot is lost in between so you have to figure yourself how much time has lapsed since one event to another. I felt some scenes where missed which I personally would have liked to have read, for example Alice goes off to meet someone. She introduces herself and the chapter ends, then when we are back with them they are already chatting and established communication whereas I would have loved to have picked up right after the introduction. They say an author is doing their job right when they leave you wanting more and I definitely would have liked more insight into scenes like that. Sorry to be a tad vague but I hate spoilers.

There is a lot of secrets, or information purposefully withheld throughout the story however as the tale unravels the mysteries are revealed but just a little slow and jumbled for me. When something is highlighted that happened but only mentioned then the story moves on, I find this frustrating however it is a smart move by the author. By doing this it guarantees I will not put the book down as I have to find out what happened to the character.

Overall, for a first book I think the author has done very well. The characters were brought to life quite well and the character Natalie evoked quite a strong reaction from me, I really disliked her. There are many layers to this story and it covers quite a lot of ground, secrets, betrayal, family, and love to name but a few. There is no bad language, that I can recall and for people who like a slow burner with depth I think they will really enjoy this. I would read this author again, this time it is a 3/5 for me. Thanks so much to HarperFiction for giving me an ARC and introducing me to a new author. This book is available from the 15th of August 2013, in paperback £7.99 or Ebook for £5.99.

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ARC - The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg

The Lost Boy by Camilla Läckberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 6 days

Publisher - HarperFiction

Blurb from Goodreads

No. 1 international bestseller and Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg's new psychological thriller - irresistible for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo. On a late summer's night, a young woman jumps in her car, her hands slippery with blood on the steering wheel. Taking her five-year-old son, Nathalie flees to the only safe haven she knows: the island of Graskar off the coast of Fjallbacka...Meanwhile, Detective Patrik Hedstrom has barely stepped foot inside his office following a lengthy sick leave before he catches a murder investigation. A man has been murdered in his home: the victim, Mats Sverin, was the council's financial director, heading up a regeneration project worth millions. But when Patrik and his team start digging into the dead man's life, all they can uncover is unanswered questions. Why was Mats in such a rush to return to his home town of Fjallbacka after years in Gothenburg? And is it pure coincidence that Mats's childhood sweetheart Nathalie has also suddenly returned to the area? Mats visited Nathalie on Graskar before his death. The locals call the island 'The Ghost Isle' - they say that it's haunted, and that the dead have something to tell the living. But will anyone get close enough to uncover the dark secrets that lurk there?



My Review

The book draws you in from the first page, in fact even the first sentence. "It was only when she placed her hands on the steering wheel that she saw they were bloody". Nathalie is fleeing with her son, her hands covered in blood, but what has happened and why is she running? Patrik is a police officer in the small town of Fjallbacka, where Nathalie is running to, married to a successful novelist Erica trying to cope with grief and a murder case. Mats Sverin was left behind years ago by Nathalie, now she is back and suddenly he is dead. Is it coincidence? What has Mats been hiding and did it lead to his death?

I liked the story and found myself drawn in fairly quickly however there was far too many characters and different stories going on for me to keep up. Obviously you have the main one(s) but there are quite a few side lines ones and I kept finding myself having to go back to rediscover who was which story which is a bit frustrating.

There is also, in between chapters where the story goes back to FJALLBACKA 1870, the story is always titled and the year also written in italics so you know it has gone back in time. I loved reading these small glimpses of the past and Emelie's story however by the end of it I honestly thought, really? Thats is as I would have loved so much more and in depth.

This was my first time reading this author and to be honest, nothing is lost in translation and it's not often I will say that. It was a good story and you get tie ups to just about all the stories but I did find a few of the stories could have been dropped and or concentrated more on the main ones. However all in all a good introduction to this author and her work, I would consider more from this series, 3/5 for me. Thanks so much to the publisher, HarperFiction for sending me an ARC copy - available to buy from Hardback and ebook from all good retailers for £12.99 from 4th April 2013.

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ARC - Pretty Girl Thirteen by Liz Coley

Pretty Girl Thirteen by Liz Coley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 1 day

Publisher - HarperFiction

Blurb From Goodreads

A gripping, suspenseful debut that will haunt you long after you have turned the final page…

Angie Chapman is only 13 when she gets lost in the woods in the middle of the night.

The next thing she knows she’s returned home, scars around her wrists and ankles, physically exhausted. Her parents collapse into tears when they see her, but Angie doesn’t understand – until they tell her she has been missing, presumed dead, for three years.

Angie doesn’t remember anything from her missing years. But there are people who do – people who could tell Angie every terrifying detail, if only they weren’t locked inside her mind.

With help, Angie begins to unravel the darkest secrets of her own past.

But does she really want to know the truth?



My Review

Angie Chapman is just 13 when she is kidnapped, she finds herself returning home with no memory of what had happened and covered in scars. Things aren't the same although she stills feels 13, however she soon is told that three years have passed and everyone wants to know where she has been and what has happened. Angie starts therapy and soon learns pieces and glimpses of how she survived and what she endured during her time away. How will she cope with it and how can she fall back into her old life when everyone has aged three years and changed. Nothing is the same and Angie's family is already struggling to cope with her sudden reappearance, lack of answers and what is still to come.

I really liked this story although considering the context I think like isn't the appropriate word but you know what I mean. It kicks off right away and is broken into decent length chapters with some sections covered by another "voice" which is done in different font or italics so you know. It is hard to describe that bit without giving too much of the plot away however there are people who know what happened to Angie and it is them who are talking when the font changes.

The story is brutal but done in such a way that you don't have to read all the horrible nitty grtty details, it is done in such a way you still get the full impact and there are some disturbing scenes but written delicately.

Angie is a strong character, she comes across much older than 13 however when you start to understand what she has endured it makes it believable and your heart goes out to her. The book definitely has echos of The Room and The lovely bones so if you liked them this is definitely one to read. I wasn't too sure when I started reading it if I was going to like it, looking at the clock and seeing it is past 1am I realized I had been totally drawn in! It loses a star because there are a few things I would have liked more clarification and followed up on but I really enjoyed it and will read this author again, 4/5 for this one. Thanks to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for providing me with an ARC and introducing me to yet another new author. This book is available to buy from any good retailer on the 28th February 2013, paperback for £7.99.

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