The Divorce by Frieda McFadden

The Divorce by Freida McFadden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Poisened Press Pen

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then―he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

In The Divorce, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a razor-sharp, subversive thriller where love curdles into vengeance, and survival becomes the most dangerous game of all.


My Review

Naomi and Jeremy are married, have a wee boy, Jeremy is the bread winner, Naomi gave up her career to raise their little one. When Jeremy pulls the rug right from under Naomi and turns their life upside down, a younger woman, pulling dirty tricks and Naomi has to face facts that Jeremy doesn't want her and if she doesn't accept that soon she could lose everything.

Oooft Jeremy is not a nice guy, blind sighting Naomi with divorce AND he has a new woman who of course is younger. He fights dirty and Naomi can't bring herself to believe it, it is just a phase, they belong together and noone, not some young slim beautiful woman is going to change that. As things get more desperate and Naomi starts to realise she needs to fight back things go from bad to worse to dangerous. How far would you go to save your marriage, your family especially when the walls are closing in and you have nothing.

Some really bad behaviour, bad people and very bad choices. Honestly I really hated Jeremy and Naomi I was like WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOOOOOOO. Short chapters which we love and I wanted to know where this was going because ooft. Unhinged, shocking, shady, some topics that may trigger folk, the author has put trigger warnings on her website so you can check that out prior to reading if that is something you need, 4/5 for me!

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Powerless by Elsie Silver

Powerless by Elsie Silver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 days

Pages - 464

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Two childhood friends. Two broken hearts. One impromptu road trip to get away from everything. That’s all this was supposed to be. Afterall, I’ve been living in the friend zone for years now.

But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either.

To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I’ve loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me.

But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.


My Review

I have read the other two Chestnut Springs books and to be honest you can absolutely read this as a stand alone. Sloan has always had eyes for Jasper since he came into the family and her life. HE knew she had a crush but there is a wee bit of an age gap, like she wanted him to go to prom with her and he was like college or just started his hockey career so it isn't much at all but it does sound bad. Now she is getting married and somewhere along the years Jasper's friend Sloan became a grown beautiful woman and is marrying an absolute creep.

So we get a current day, the wedding is looming, her fiance is just a horrible dude, her father really wants this marriage because it will be good for business. Sloan just wants everyone to be happy and has long since given up hope for her and Jasper. Jasper is nailing it in his hockey career, he is a net minder, he has beautiful women on his arm at all the big events, their paths are set. However on Sloan's wedding day things blow up and Jasper is there for her. After events transpire the two find themselves together on a trip and the attraction is electric, will Sloan finally get her man? Will Jasper finally allow his feelings for his bestie to surface?

So I liked this but I didn't love it, there is spice (I did find some a wee bit cringe but I know hundreds LOVED them), drama, throwbacks to how their friendship came to be. Family expectations and that recently dropped fiancé, ugh I wanted revenge and consequences. I was left lacking in a few parts. I LOVE the wee snippets from Cade, Willa and Harvey I have two books left in the series and not sure who gets these stories. Hoping for Harvey for sure and the very small snippets of Sloan's mum I liked. I think maybe because I enjoyed the first two of these books I just wanted a bit more. Like I liked it, it was absolutely making me want to read and not put it down but I just didn't love it, 3/5 from me this time. Looking forward to book four and five and I have one other of hers, I do enjoy her writing.

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Home For Christmas by Jan Ruth

Home for Christmas by Jan Ruth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 112

Publisher -

Source - Bought (I think)

Blurb from Goodreads

An emotive trio of stories with festive themes.
Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer Rick isn't looking forward to his lonely corporate Christmas, but it's the season of goodwill and magic is in the air. An off-beat love story. It's time Rick wore his heart on his sleeve, or is it too late? Lessons in love from an unlikely source.
Jim's Christmas Carol Santa and Satan pay a visit. One brings presents, the other an unwelcome presence. Paranormal reality. Jim's played with fire it's time he got his comeuppance, but from who?
Home for Christmas Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la-la la-la, la-la la-la. Tis the Season to be jolly... Romantic-comedy. Pip might accidentally find her true vocation, but the folly of her fibs are about to catch up with her.


My Review

The blurb says three emotive stories with festive themes, I didn't find emotive really in any of them, maybe it is just me. The characters aren't exactly the nicest people (not all of them to be fair). The first one a guy goes through the motions and copes with what his relationship was/is whilst away on a work trip over the festive. Alcohol, self explorations/what is important to them plus maybe a wee bit of personal growth.

Story two has infidelity (extra martial affair) the guy is not a very nice chap and mayhap a bit of Karma is on the cards, see what I did there lol. A spiritualist, family, festivities and maybe a bit of comeuppance once can but hope.

The third and final is Pip, returning home from the big city and not wanting to come clean to just about anything and trying to keep the face/imagine she projects. Of them all I think this may well be my "fave" of the trio.

I liked they have Christmas vibes/theme weaved, I liked the visuals the author creates, wasn't a huge fan of many of the characters (not very nice people), I am the first to admit though short stories aren't my first pic. This was my first dance with this author and I am sure I have actual novels of hers so looking forward to trying them but for me, this one was 3/5. So many folk loved them, I liked them so absolutely check them out for yourself.

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Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour (RandomThingsTours) for my stop I have my non spoiler review, enjoy.


About the author

Shari Lapena is one of the best-known thriller writers working today. Every one of her thrillers has been a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. She has spent a total of 76 weeks in the top 10 and has sold over 7 million copies across all titles and formats worldwide. Her debut, The Couple Next Door, was the overall bestselling fiction title in the UK in its year of publication and has been optioned for TV by Paramount. For more information about Shari and her books, you can visit Shari’s website here: https://sharilapena.com/.

Buy link for the book, OUT NOW, from Amazon UK.

Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Bantam books

Source - Arc

Blurb from Goodreads

Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.



My Review


Ooft buckle in folks! Imagine your worst day, you are happily having an affair and out the blue it is ended, you are dumped. You are angry, upset, confused and head home early to try get your head around it but your kid is unexpectedly home too. You loose your temper, you leave furious and later your kid has gone missing. A bad day is about to get so much worse. And the thing is it isn't just the cheater(s), just about everyone in this book is going to have a bad day that gets worse!

A missing kid, affairs, shady neighbours, everyone is a suspect, tis like a modern day murder she wrote (for the hunners of suspects rather than muuuuuuurder), I was accusing everyone. This goes from bad to worse and just when you think ooft that person's day can't get any worse, it bloody does :D

I think the pull for these kind of books is how normal and relatable (ish ) well some of them lol, the characters are, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, neighbours - every day people. And the impact some decisions/acts can have not just on themselves and the ripples of their behaviours.

If I hadn't been working I would have probably got through this in one sitting, it is no secret we are big Lapena fans in here. Not everyone can write flawed/dodgy characters that doesn't turn a reader off or just annoy them, Lapena creates ones that whilst they can be unsavoury/shady you absolutely keep riveted, glued to the page and either root for them and or their demise. Already looking forward to the next one, this book is out to buy now, 4.5/5.

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Beneath The Skin by Caroline England - Blog Tour

Please check out the other stops on the tour.



Today is my stop on the blog tour for debut novel "Beneath The Skin" by Caroline England. The PR post from Avon books was bloody fabulous. They sent rose petals, a wee compact mirror with a smudge of lipstick and a birth certificate extract.











As you can see Princess Trixie loved having a nosey and pose.






Here is my review for Beneath The Skin!


Beneath the Skin by Caroline England
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 362

Publisher - Avon

Blurb from Goodreads

No-one remembers your past. But you do.
‘Antonia, Antonia. My name is Antonia.’

It’s been her name for many years. But sometimes, like tonight, she forgets.

Antonia has a secret. A secret so dark and so deep that she can barely admit it to herself. Instead, she treats herself to Friday night sessions of self-harm while her husband David is at the pub, and her best friend Sophie is drinking too much wine a few doors down.

Nobody close to her knows the truth about what the teenage Antonia saw all those years ago. No-one, that is, except her mother. But Candy is in a care home now, her mind too addled to remember the truth. Antonia is safe. Isn’t she?

The lies start small. They always do. But when the tightly woven story you’ve told yourself begins to unravel, the truth threatens to come to the surface. And then what’s going to happen?



My Review

This was a very different read from what I was expecting, especially with the blurb and PR material I was expecting a psychological thriller type read. In fact it is about secrets, mental health, friendships, lies, family and the facade we put on compared to the reality of our (the individuals in the story) lives.

The book centers around the lives of our main characters, mostly split into four couples who are "friends" of different degrees. Dysfunctional relationships, friendships, work colleagues and acquaintances. Family life is a huge center of the story, especially with the hinting of Antonia and her past, she self harms and doesn't like to think about the past. She worries about her mother, who is in a care home, letting something slip. The book centers around Antonia's relationships, her coping mechanisms and her bizarre friendship with Sophie not to mention morals and how we can never truly outrun our past.

It peels the societal scab and exposes some of the most selfish and nasty side of people, how we interact with people in our inner circles, keeping secrets that bind friendship whilst never exposing some of their own personal demons. This is Antonia's story, with her husband David, her oldest friend Sophie and their inner social circle. A dark tale with raw humanity, it is a slow burner to start with as we get introduced to all the characters, building up in tension and at the last quarter pulling the rug from under your feet. I genuinely get put off books that give a different blurb to the actual story and as a slow burner it took me a bit to settle into. However by half way through I was invested in the characters and really wanted to see where it was going. The latter chapters really brought it together and shocked me as I hadn't anticipated where it was going. I went back and forth on my rating for this one, 3.5 changed to 4 stars as I thought it dealt with so many issues and themes and overall really liked it. I will keep an eye out for this authors future offerings and as always my thanks to the publisher for introducing me to a new author!

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RR - The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Headline

Pages - 372

Blurb from Goodreads

A chilling psychological thriller portraying the disintegration of a relationship down to the deadliest point when murdering your husband suddenly makes perfect sense.

Todd Gilbert and Jodie Brett are in a bad place in their relationship. They've been together for twenty-eight years, and with no children to worry about there has been little to disrupt their affluent Chicago lifestyle. But there has also been little to hold it together, and beneath the surface lie ever-widening cracks. HE is a committed cheater. SHE lives and breathes denial. HE exists in dual worlds. SHE likes to settle scores. HE decides to play for keeps. SHE has nothing left to lose. When it becomes clear that their precarious world could disintegrate at any moment, Jodie knows she stands to lose everything. It's only now she will discover just how much she's truly capable of...


My Review

The story opens and introduces us to Her, Jodie Brett, common law wife of Him, Todd Gilbert. With an intro of who Jodie is and a declaration of "a few short months are all it will take to make a killer out of her". Their routine and lives shared together are spread out between chapters, the past and leading to present that brings us to the murder itself. Jodie has always turned a blind eye to her philandering husband however this time is different, this time she is going to loose everything and Jodie cannot allow that to happen.

This story flips between the two and their views points of their relationship, past and present. Jodie is a bit of a cold fish, she likes control, is a psychologist working her own hours from home with a selective client list. He is a business man, his own boss who restores or builds, makes a profit and has a roaming eye for the ladies.

The story is very well done, the smallest detail described to what keeps Jodie going to keep from seeing what her husband gets up to. the book also flips back to Jodie revealing things from her past whilst she is a trainee which gives the reader a possible reason for how she is and all she accepts and refuses to see.

We get some insight into Todd's past too which count attribute to his philandering ways but ultimately the story pushes to Todd's betrayal and Jodie's reaction to it. Even when has two lives on the go Jodie still seems in denial until she is pushed to drastic action. I found quite a bit of it unbelievable, how easily the idea of murder comes up and how acceptable and docile Jodie is to it.

Some of it is very realistically done as even in this day and age some women will do anything to keep their husband and what happens when that is threatened. I can't say I liked any of the main characters however the author does a fantastic job in hooking you into wanting to see how it plays out. It goes at a sedate pace after the initial murder is mentioned however it builds a vivid picture of their relationship and interactions as well as how they end up on the paths they do.

It is quite a compelling read although some of it found me wanting and quite frustrated at times which is why it gets a rounded 3/5 rating. Thanks to Realreaders for providing me with a review copy and introducing me to yet another new author.

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