If You Could See Me Now by Cecilia Ahern

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 306

Publisher - Hachette Books

Source - Think a book pal gave me it (was on my tbrm for years)

Blurb from Goodreads

From the bestselling author of P.S. I Love You and Love, Rosie, Cecelia Ahern, comes an enchanting novel that leads you to wonder if Not Seeing is believing!

Readers and critics alike adore Cecelia Ahern for her lighthearted yet insightful stories about modern women and their often unusual situations. In If You Could See Me Now, she takes that theme a step further, offering us a heroine who is entirely believable, and the new man in her life who is, well, slightly less so.

Elizabeth Egan's life runs on order: Both her home and her emotions are arranged just so, with little room for spontaneity. It's how she counteracts the chaos of her family—an alcoholic mother who left when she was young, an emotionally distant father, and a free-spirited sister, who seems to be following in their mother's footsteps, leaving her own six-year-old son, Luke, in Elizabeth's care.

When Ivan, Luke's mysterious new grown-up friend, enters the picture, Elizabeth doesnt know quite what to make of him. With his penchant for adventure and colorful take on things large and small, Ivan opens Elizabeth's eyes to a whole new way of living. But is it for real? Is Ivan for real?

If You Could See Me Now is a love story with heart—and just a touch of magic.



My Review

When you think fantasy its all magic, dragons, space type stuff but for me I would consider this a wee bit in a fantasy type role. Ivan is an adult and what we would call an imaginary friend although he is very much real just not visible to adults/non believers. He goes from one kid to another as they need him. When he becomes friends with Luke he thinks it is Luke he is there for, Luke is looked after by his aunt Elizabeth, a no nonsense woman who has had a pretty rough hand dealt. Her mum was a free spirit and left her and her sister behind with their dad, her sister became a "free spirit" just like her mum and left Luke in Elizabeth's sensible care, only flitting back and forth between dramas and need for money. Her father is also getting on so she is looking after him and working full time and looking after Luke. When it seems maybe Elizabeth can hear Ivan and ivan realises maybe it is Elizabeth he is here for and both may have bigger impacts on the other that they could never have forseen.

Most of us had an invisible friend but imagine that friend was actually real, flitting between people and works for an agency all about befriending/helping those who need him most. It is a very different type of book, it has tragedy, sadness, neglect, family truths/secrets and Elizabeth is so strict/stern and even a bit cold but as the story goes on we understand why she is the way she is. As Ivan becomes more real (and complicated) to her we see her find herself a bit more and the impact she has on Ivan.

I read this on holiday when I was fighting off temps/sickness and feeling rough, it allowed me a little indulgence and thinking back to when I was a wean. If you want something a wee bit out there, different from the normal books you read, bittersweet, personal growth, love, sadness with some magical bits thrown in (not wizard magic, imaginary friend who is real style magic) then this is one for you, I liked it, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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When You Disappeared by John Marrs

When You Disappeared by John Marrs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 350

Publisher - Thomas & Mercer

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

When Catherine wakes up alone one morning, she thinks her husband has gone for a run before work. But Simon never makes it to the office. His running shoes are by the front door. Nothing is missing - except him.

Catherine knows Simon must be in trouble. He wouldn't just leave her. He wouldn't leave the children.

But Simon knows the truth - about why he left and what he's done. He knows things about his marriage that it would kill Catherine to find out. The memories she holds onto are lies.

While Catherine faces a dark new reality at home, Simon's halfway around the world, alive and thriving. He's doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the truth.

But he can't hide forever, and when he reappears twenty-five years later, Catherine will finally learn who he is.

And wish she'd stayed in the dark.




My Review

Split between Catherine's POV, then & Simon's. Simon disappears, feared for dead because there is no way he would walk out on Catherine and the kids, would he? Twenty Five years later Simon comes home (not a spoiler cos it is in the blurb) and we, Catherine and the reader, start to slowly find out where the heck he has been!

I can't say they are likable characters but that makes for more compelling reading a details are teased out as we go along. Simon needed a way out - everything is Catherine's fault and when he finally comes home he aims to let her know exactly why. Years apart, very different paths and dark secrets that neither are prepared for. The book covers so many themes, abuse, violence, suicide, murder, infidelity, abandonment, self discovery, relationships and personal growth to touch on just some of it! The pace is different, there is suspense, drama, shady shocking behaviour and moments you just think I can't believe X did/said that, ooft.

I hadn't realised this was his debut, I have read a few of Marr's now, each are very different and he has gone from strength to strength, 3.5/5 for me this time. At time of posting the ebook is 99p and the treebook version is £4.99, snap a bargain guys.

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Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read -3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris. Heading off in search of its author, a mother and her daughters find themselves in France, rescuing a failing bookstore and drawing closer to unexpected truths.

Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband….

When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris.

Hoping to uncover clues—and her husband—Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, she discovers an unfinished manuscript, one Robert had been writing without her knowledge…and that he had set in Paris. The Eady women follow the path of the manuscript to a small, floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell. The whole store? Today? Yes, but Leah’s biggest surprise comes when she hears herself accepting the offer on the spot.

As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they can’t help but trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping more clues arise. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to consider that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family—and the Paris she thought she knew.

At once haunting and charming, Paris by the Book follows one woman’s journey as her story is being rewritten, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book.




My Review

When Leah's husband goes missing it isn't exactly worrying, he does go off a lot to write and always comes back. This time he hasn't left a note, this time he hasn't come back, Leah and her two daughter's are trying to come to terms with it, why has he gone, where has he gone and why hasn't he come home? They find themselves in Paris, looking for Robert, making a new life for themselves both working in a book shop and looking after two young twins. The girls are adjusting to life in Paris, learning the language, constantly looking for their dad. Leah follows men who could be her husband, she sees him constantly whilst trying to come to terms with the fact he may actually be gone for good this time.

I have flipped back and forth on this book, 2.5 stars or 3 stars. I loved the location, once they get to Paris, Callanan describes the city so well I was actually there. The language, the social interactions, the etiquette, the buildings, the feeling of walking down the streets, it really made me want to visit again, this time as an adult.

The story itself, I read it as a woman's husband has disappeared so the book focus is going to be on that, tracking him and a whole big mystery. Whilst yes the husband aspect is addressed it isn't, for me, the bulk of the story. That was taken with Leah's personal journey, the courage to try and find out what happened, re locating, assessing her own self, her parenting, her relationship with her girls, analysing her relationship and what it was like with her husband. Therefore for me it was more of a personal journey, self exploration for Leah and the husband disappearance, whilst it kicked it all off, that took a back seat. That doesn't make it a bad story, not at all but it is one of the reasons I don't always read the blurbs now as I think you go in with a pre conceived idea and expectations of what the book will be which can hamper your enjoyment of the book. This is on me as a reader and not the author but it does hugely impact how I get on with the book.

My other issue was it jumps around an awful lot so I had to go over pages to make sure where the character was and what was happening. The timeline goes from present day, then flips back to a memory of say her and her husband either living together or pre marriage or how they came to be then back to current happenings. Then there are references to the books that brought Leah and Robert together, they both love works by two different authors and Leah talks about one that was made into a movie. How it impacted on her, how it brought her and Robert together and it did pique my interest into them which I love when a book does that. I am not sure if there was an undercurrent to the book that just went over my head that maybe other readers may well appreciate.

My other big issue was actually Leah and Robert's relationship, he could just take off for unknown amounts of time to write. Leaving wee notes hidden in the house for Leah or the girls to find but it wouldn't tell them where he was or how long he was going for. It worked for them but I couldn't understand it, I couldn't imagine living in a relationship or household like that. It did give pause for thought though and made me contemplate what comes much later in the book. I cannot fathom Leah's choices or actions, I don't get Robert either but as a mother Leah had me totally baffled. Again maybe it was done purposely and the reasons are just over my head completely. I finished the book a few days ago and am still pondering it so credit to the author for that. 2.5 out of 5 for me this time, this was my first dance with Callanan and I would read more of his work if I came across it. Really interested in hearing what other readers made of this and more importantly Leah's behaviours, her and Robert's relationship and some of the choices they make. I think this would be a brilliant book for a book group discussion as there is so much of the book you can break down, analyse and I think will split many opinions!

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Kitchens Of The Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 351

Publisher - Riverrun Books

Blurb from the back cover

To her father, a chef, she's a pint-sized recipe tester and the love of his life. To the chilli chowdown contestants of Cook County, Illinois, she's a fire-eating demon.

To the fashionable foodie goddess of supper clubs, she's a wanton threat. She's an enigma, a secret ingredient that no one can figure out. Someday, Eva wil surprise everyone.

One by one, they tell their story; together, they tell Eva's. Joyful, quirky and heartwarming, this is a novel about the family you lose, the friends you make and the chance connections that define a life.


My Review

Eva Thorvald is our main character, either in the immediate telling or round about with other characters and eventually how they link to Eva. We kick off with Eva as a child and her immediate upbringing. Then chapters flip forward to later in her life, the chapters aren't dated so it takes a bit to work out how far ahead we have jumped. The chapters also introduce new characters and the storylines get the reader drawn in and involved only to jump forward to new people, timelines and drama. Whilst the author does a very good job of capturing the readers interest in many new characters, it is a bit frustrating as you want to know what happened to the people you just left behind.

The book has some recipes dottered sparsely throughout the book, from red onion soup to calorific cakes. This is normally something I would skim past but actually, the way food is dealt with and written about within the story, I actually quite enjoyed reading them and may even try one or two myself. There are many issues addressed in the book, from abortion, child abandonment, loss, and love to relationships, death, jealousy and some bad language.

This is not normally a book I would pick up myself, from the title or theme of food, among others, I am really glad RealReaders sent me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. 3/5 for me this time, I would certainly pick this author up again. Whilst I felt a lot was left unanswered and I generally don't like so much jumping between timelines & characters, I still found myself drawn in and engaged in the characters.

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Review - Harvesting the heart by Jodi Picoult

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Publisher - Hodder

Blurb from Goodreads

Written with astonishing clarity and evocative detail, convincing in its depiction of emotional pain, love, and vulnerability, Harvesting the Heart recalls the writing of Alice Hoffman and Sue Miller. Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who left when she was five. Now, having left her father behind in Chicago for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, she finds herself with a child of her own. But her mother's absence, and shameful memories of her past, make her doubt both her maternal ability and her sense of self worth. Out of Paige's struggle to find wholeness, Jodi Picoult crafts an absorbing novel peopled by richly drawn characters and explores issues and emotions readers can relate to.


My Review

I love Jodi Picoult novels, they always make you think about how you would feel and what would you do. This book finds us opening with Paige, outside her home watching her husband and little boy through the window. The husband is visibly angry and moves from her line of sight. The book goes back to when Paige and Nicholas first meet and how their relationship begins until we are back to present day. Paige's mother abandoned her as a child and Paige has prior for running too. This all links into what happened to make her husband so angry and why she is outside.

I really enjoy Picoult's writing and I first read this in 2010 and gave it 5 stars. I actually didn't remember any of it, at all, which makes me think I confused it with another book. There were some parts of the book I quite liked. The chapters are split between Paige and Nicholas and usually told from the same time period. Their relationship starts very quickly and they go from zero to committed very quickly.

I had issue with both of their characters and how they behave, Paige you can understand because of her abandonment as a child however she is very selfish. Nicholas has two sides, he is a very good professional but he also comes across very selfish too. The story itself kept me interested and I wanted to know the big mystery with her mother, the explanation was a bit of a let down, for me personally. The ending I didn't like either, it was just too abrupt and I like to know everything, not be left with questions.

That said, this book is loved by lots of people, if your a Picoult fan it is worth reading as her writing is still good. If you have never read Picoult I wouldn't start with this one, I liked it but it is by no means her strongest. I'm a half and half with this one, 3/5 for me this time, I do love Picoult so will be reading more by her.

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