The Rest of Me by Katie Marsh

The Rest of Me by Katie Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Hodder

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Alex Fox knows there are lots of thing she should be. She should be the perfect wife to her chronically ill husband Sam, and the perfect mother to their two daughters. She should be excelling in her high-stress job. And she should be completing the demanding to-do lists she makes to keep herself on track.

Even if, just sometimes, she doesn't have time to breathe.

When Sam's condition worsens and Alex donates a kidney to save his life, her carefully scheduled existence starts to unravel. The operation leads to unexpected complications, putting a strain on Alex's marriage and her relationship with her children - and eventually forcing her to face up to a past that she has buried for years.

As the family she has fought so hard for threatens to fall apart, can Alex finally confront her imperfections and the mistakes that have shaped her - and rediscover what is most important in life?

The Rest of Me is an emotional and uplifting story which will make you laugh, cry and hug the people you love a little bit tighter.



My Review

Alex loves making a list, she is super mum, a hard worker at a job she loves and juggling many balls with her sick husband Sam. When the chance to save his life comes up, by donating her own kidney, Alex doesn't think twice. What she didn't bargain for what how dramatically it would change all of their lives. Their family life, her own health, her work life, everything changes and Alex is losing control and has to face demons from her past.

I have read Marsh before and enjoyed her books, she tells a genteel tale that packs an emotional punch. Family life, relationships, horrible bosses, bullying, marital issues - it covers quite a lot of ground that many readers will be able to identify with. We hear from Alex and her youngest daughter Izzy, from their voices, thoughts and feelings we see exactly how everything is impacting upon their family.

Izzy is the cutest wee chop ever, she is so laid back, loving, kind, sweet, trusting and all she wants is a happy family and to play football. Her older sister is at the teen stage where she knows everything, everything her mother does infuriates her and everything is boys and popularity.

Alex finds her slow recovery giving her a lot of time with her thoughts, losing control and having to face inner demons and a past she has ran from. I think this and young Izzy is where a lot of readers will ride the emotive train. Sadness, anger, love, loss, regret so so much and yet all is visited with just enough depth to give the reader a vested interest in the characters. Beautifully written, Alex could be any one of us, her road to recovery is anything but just a physical one, prepare yourself for a beautiful story that plucks on the heart strings, 4/5 for me this time.

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Our Little Secret by Claudia Carroll

Our Little Secret by Claudia Carroll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - Avon

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A sparkling story about what happens when you let someone into your life… but they turn out to want more than you’d bargained for!

Sarah Dee has the perfect life. A high-flying job in a law firm, a beautiful daughter and a house to die for. So how does she find herself looking in through the kitchen window while another woman enjoys it all?
When Sarah takes pity on a struggling young graduate who can’t get a job, she thinks she’s doing the right thing. She’s being kind, generous and helpful to others, as she always is. But as Sarah allows the younger woman into her home, her law firm and even her family, is there more to this pretty youngster than meets the eye? And could this be a good deed that goes further than expected?
Claudia Carroll does it again with a sparkling new novel about what happens when your life becomes up for grabs…


My Review

Sarah is stressed out, working in a busy law firm, separated from her husband with a resentful teenage daughter. When she comes across Lauren in a beauty salon, Sarah see's herself in the young woman and does what she can to get her into the business. A strong friendship ensues and Lauren is perfect, hardworking, loyal, driven and Sarah can't believe her luck in finding someone so perfect. But is Lauren as good as she appears or is there more than meets the eye to miss Lauren?

I wasn't too sure what exactly to expect from this book, you know something isn't quite right but you can't put your finger on it. We are introduced into Sarah's life, job, demands, hassles, financial issues since the separation with her husband, making her very human and readers can relate.

There is a tense build up, suspense, each page dripping another wee bit of information. The chapters flip between viewpoints of Sarah, her daughter Darcy and her best friend Liz over a period of months just before meeting Lauren and their encounters and view points. It certainly engages the reader as you want to know just what exactly is going on, I thought it would go completely different. This was my first time reading this author, I would read her other books as I do enjoy her writing style even if I would have preferred a different outcome for the story. 3.5 stars for me this time, thanks to the publisher for introducing me to a new author.

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Behind Her Back by Jane Lythell

Behind Her Back by Jane Lythell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - approx 9 hours

Pages - 368

Publisher - Head of Zeus

Source - Review copy


Blurb from Goodreads

The second StoryWorld novel set in the glamorous, pressurized world of a live London TV station.

StoryWorld is the nation's favourite morning show, and producer Liz Lyon wants to keep it that way. Her job is to turn real-life stories into thrilling TV – and keep a lid on the cauldron of conflicts and resentments that constantly simmers off-stage.

In this gripping novel of power, rivalry and betrayal, Jane Lythell draws on her experiences of working in the heated world of live TV. Liz Lyon must balance the monster egos at work with the demands of her teenage daughter – and the man she's just started dating – at home. It's all in a day's work.


My Review

This is book two in the StoryWorld series, I haven't read the first and don't feel I have missed out or less enjoyment as a result. Liz Lyon is the glue that keeps the feisty team of StoryWorld together. Live TV that covers so much content, celebrities, news, fashion, cooking you name it they do it but juggling many divas. Fizzy has been off on maternity leave and is now heading back, however the team have a new member Lori Kerwell whose focus is profitability. Whilst Liz and Lori class, Fizzy finds herself battling to keep her place, tempers are affray and some people will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Ooooooh all the dramas! The bitchy world of getting ahead in the world of TV, who knew eh? I really only picked this up last night to read one chapter, I was still reading it into the wee hours of the morning. It isn't a murder mystery or anything like that, it is "office" politics, underhanded tactics, back stabbing, relationships, bitchiness and stepping over folk to get to the next rung of the career ladder. I couldn't wait to see what next, what X, Y, Z had planned and who could you actually trust.

There is a family element to it too, Liz is juggling her life as a woman still in her prime but with a teenage daughter and all the spikiness that comes with it. Fizzy is a new mother, ambitious career woman and trying to keep a secret whilst everyone and their granny want all the dirt! I found the whole workings of a TV network actually quite interesting too. I have read this author before and not only do I have another on my TBRM I enjoyed this one so much I just bought the first in the series, 99p for it on kindle. I am looking forward to finding out a bit more about the characters I just met and hope there is more coming from this series. This book is available to buy in all formats at time of posting. My thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this and introducing me to new characters and an interesting world, 4/5 for me.

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