Time To Say Goodbye by S D Robertson

Time to Say Goodbye by S.D. Robertson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Avon HarperCollins

Blurb from Goodreads

Is there ever a right time to let go?

HOW DO YOU LEAVE THE PERSON YOU LOVE THE MOST?

Will Curtis’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, knows her father will never leave her. After all, he promised her so when her mother died. And he’s going to do everything he can to keep his word.

What Will doesn’t know is that the promise he made to his little girl might be harder to keep than he imagined. When he’s faced with an impossible decision, Will finds that the most obvious choice might not be the right one.

But the future is full of unexpected surprises. And father and daughter are about to embark on an unforgettable journey together . . .


My Review

Will Curtis is cut down in his prime when his bicycle is hit by a car. Will dies but finds his spirit looking down on the emergency services trying to revive him. His thoughts go to his daughter, Ella, and he goes to her school, only to watch the devastation of the news of his death broken to her. Wills spirit guide arrives to inform him about moving on but Will can't leave Ella, he promised when her mum died he would never leave her. But what can you do when you can't communicate, you are torn between moving on and staying by your family and you can't get straight answers? This is how it is for Will, after meeting another spirit he has a choice to make, stay forever on earth or move on to a higher place?

Oh this is a powerful wee book that will evoke a whirlwind of emotions from the reader. Loss, death, love, lies, secrets and families are some of the themes in this book, it also raises questions of what if and what happens after we die. I think if you have suffered a bereavement this book will strike many chords with you and pack quite a punch. If you haven't I think you will still enjoy it but maybe on a different level.

For a debut novel, this is a powerful wee book, well written and tackles some hard to read issues. A family affected by a tragedy, seeing it through their eyes but also the person who has died. You are rooting for Will and, for me, sitting pondering what if's with people I have lost. It is an emotional read, both for what it is and on a personal level. I would most definitely recommend this but for anyone with a recent bereavement maybe with a bit of caution. If you are looking for a moving tale and one that is likely to evoke tears, this is your winner, 4/5 for me. Thanks to Cheryl for bringing this wee gem to my attention, I will look out for this authors work again!

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Shtum by Jem Lester

Shtum by Jem Lester
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Orion

Blurb from Goodreads

Powerful, darkly funny and heart-breaking, Shtum is a story about fathers and sons, autism, and dysfunctional relationships.

Ben Jewell has hit breaking point. His ten-year-old son Jonah has severe autism and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope.

When Ben and Emma fake a separation - a strategic decision to further Jonah's case in an upcoming tribunal - Ben and Jonah move in with Georg, Ben's elderly father. In a small house in North London, three generations of men - one who can't talk; two who won't - are thrown together.


My Review

Ben and Emma are at their wits end, their ten year old son Jonah has a severe form of autism and they are being penalized for being a united strong couple. So they fake a separation to help their quest to get Jonah into the school and care they desperately need for him. Ben reluctantly moves in with his father, Georg, in a small house with Jonah and try to cope with the complications of father son relationship.

This book isn't out until tomorrow however it is already receiving rave reviews and praise. Ben is not a likeable character, in fact I would have liked to have slapped him if truth be told. There is no doubt his daily struggles are many and the book opens your eyes to just how much a family goes through with a child with severe autism. However, Ben is so full of self pity and destructive behaviour it is irritating and you really feel for Jonah and those around them.

It took me over 200 pages to really get into the story and we get to see Ben go on a journey of self discovery and growth. I was not a huge fan of Emma either to be honest and struggled to understand her behaviour. However, the relationship with Jonah and his grandfather was the saving grace and really very touching. Georg is not the main character but he really does steal the story, well he did for me. Reading about his past and his stories to Jonah really pulled me in and left me wanting more, he is a grumpy old man you can't help but love and he is so tender with Jonah.

The is a very hard hitting story, Ben is very honest in some of his thoughts towards his son and some of that was hard to read. There is a lot of swearing, a little humour littered throughout the story and huge focus on relationships and family dynamics. I would certainly recommend this book but I do not think it is for everyone, I found some of it hard going. I would have gave it 3.5 but the ratings are full not half and for me it isn't 4 stars, so 3/5 for me. I think there is a lot that can be taken from this book and I think Lester has done very well with a hard subject. I think Ben's honesty will be loved by some readers and hated by others. Possibly another marmite book, I didn't love it but I did like it and would have loved to have read more on Georg and the background on Ben and Emma. My thanks to Tracy F and TBConFB for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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April's giveaway is Out Of The Darkness by Katy Hogan

You can read my review of it here.

As always, entries are via the Rafflecopter, see below. Good luck if you are entering!

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Viral by Helen Fitzgerald

Viral by Helen Fitzgerald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Faber & Faber

Pages - 272

Blurb from Goodreads

So far, twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen me online. They include my mother, my father, my little sister, my grandmother, my other grandmother, my grandfather, my boss, my sixth year Biology teacher and my boyfriend James.


When Leah Oliphant-Brotheridge and her adopted sister Su go on holiday together to Magaluf to celebrate their A-levels, only Leah returns home. Her successful, swotty sister remains abroad, humiliated and afraid: there is an online video of her, drunkenly performing a sex act in a nightclub. And everyone has seen it.

Ruth Oliphant-Brotheridge, mother of the girls, successful court judge, is furious. How could this have happened? How can she bring justice to these men who took advantage of her dutiful, virginal daughter? What role has Leah played in all this? And can Ruth find Su and bring her back home when Su doesn't want to be found?


My Review

The opening line of this book packs a punch and leaves the reader in no doubt about what the book is about. Su just wants her sister Leah to like her like she did when they were kids, so going away to Magaluf with her friends seems the way to go. But when Su is filmed perfoming a sex act and the video goes viral, all of their lives change. Su is MIA, their parents are besides themselves and just want her home safe and the perpetrators punished, Leah is keeping quiet and everyone but everyone knows what has happened.

Aw poor Su, swotty, geeky and a top student, her whole life is laid out for her until that fateful holiday with her sister, then with the press of a button it is all gone. Ruth, their mother, is a judge and she is out for blood, someone will pay and she will get Su back.

This story sees the devastating effects one drunken decision can have on a family, how quickly life can unravel and how helpless anyone can be when something like this happens. The ferociousness of one mothers love and strength to right a wrong and how powerless people really are when someone is let loose online. It is about self growth and identity, love, relationships, loss & just how vulnerable anyone can be to the internet! A bit graphic in some of the scene descriptions that some readers may find uncomfortable, remember this is about a sex act going viral. Thanks so much to Netgalley for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review, 4/5 for me.

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Find Her by Lisa Gardner

Find Her by Lisa Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Blurb from Goodreads

AN ESCAPED KIDNAPPING VICTIM BECOMES AN AVENGER OF INNOCENTS. CAN SHE ESCAPE WHEN SHE'S TARGETED AGAIN? The eighth novel in Sunday Times bestseller Lisa Gardner's Detective D. D. Warren series. Harlan Coben says FIND HER is 'taut psychological suspense' which 'should not be missed'.

I ESCAPED

My name is Flora Dane and I was kidnapped from a beach on spring break. I spent 472 days with my captor before I was found.

I SURVIVED

I spent the last five years trying to reacquaint myself with the rhythms of my life. But everything is different. I've had to learn how to protect myself in this dangerous new world.

I'M RECKLESS

There are other predators out there and I'll do anything to stop them. Am I a victim or a vigilante? Detective D. D. Warren doesn't know. Sometimes neither do I.

When another girl disappears, I know I have to FIND HER, whatever it takes, even if it means putting myself in danger...

Escaped kidnap victim Flora Dane has once again disappeared. Has the self-proclaimed vigilante become a victim? Or is something far more sinister at play? D.D. will have to race against the clock if she is going to Find Her.


My Review

Flora Dane is our main character, kidnapped for 472 days but she survived. Now a vigilante she seeks out predators, needs to find girls who may have went through a similar ordeal. Flora is on a mission, the police don't know what to make of her. Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren is on the case, FBI victim specialist Samuel Keynes has turned up and D. D. is not impressed, with Flora or him. Trouble Flora certainly is but has she finally bitten off more than she can chew this time in her pursuit of predators?

Oh this story really grabs you from the opening chapter, in italics we are transported back to when Flora was kidnapped and the start of her 472 day ordeal. We then flip to present day and Flora is on a mission, target acquired, she knows them when she sees them and presents them with prey they can't resist. The chapters then flip to the investigating officer, Flora present day and back to Flora's time in captivity, always in italics so you know the timeline has shifted.

The time line shifts and characters switching in each chapter actually works really well and has been written so it flows perfectly. Sometimes with timeline jumps and switching between character scenes you can get confused, not so with this book.

The writing is so vivid at parts, you can feel the claustrophobic pull, your heart kicks up a few beats as you live through the experience with Flora in her captivity scenes. A girl who was normal and happy, turned into what she is now to survive getting through each day. You find yourself rooting for her and really vested in the story and outcome. As I said you are pulled in from the first chapter, the book keeps you on your toes and surprises you along the way, well it did me. 4/5 for me this time, I think I will go back and buy the first seven books in this series as I enjoyed this one so much. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Blood Ties by Julie Shaw

Blood Ties by Julie Shaw
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days on and off

Publisher - Element

Pages - 336

Blurb from Goodreads

Family is not always a place of safety.

Kathleen was just eight years old when her mother was tragically killed in a car accident. And when her father remarries it is to the bitter and resentful Irene who has two children of her own and no space in her heart for another. Irene goes out of her way to make Kathleen's life as miserable as possible and will stop at nothing to get her out of their lives…

When Kathleen is sixteen, a shocking incident rocks the family, and life takes a darker turn.

Among this darkness, Kathleen finds a glimmer of hope in an older man, but Irene is ruthless in her mission to destroy her.

Can Kathleen find happiness or is she destined for tragedy?


My Review

Kathleen is our main character, sixteen years old and treated like the family skivvy. Her step mother hates her, her step brother is a gambler but treats her nice, her step sister is just like her mother and dad is a nice guy but basically a door mat. When something happens to rock the family Kathleen finds love in an unlikely place and one that causes scandal in the family. Will Kathleen ever find her happy ever after, especially when Irene, her step mother, is hell bent of making her life miserable.

This book is not what I was expecting, I was pitched it as if I like Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers I would enjoy this. Whilst the book is a good read, it is nothing like the two mentioned authors. By comparing them to those gritty crime writers it leads you to believe there will be murder, scandal, drugs, gangs etc. This is a tale of a Cinderella style family, Kathleen is young, sweet, hard working and her step mother and sister are horrors. She is worked to the bone and verbally abused, her dad just wants peace to allows it to happen. She wants love and acceptance but so much seems to be against her, the reader sees her go on a journey of personal growth and discovery.

The timeline is set in the mid 60s so the choices made by Kathleen at that time would be quite scandalous. She is however a sweet girl looking for acceptance and love, coming from a home where she has very little of it. Things go from bad to worse when Irene receives a devastating blow and Kathleen discovers just how much hate one woman can have for her.

The story goes along at a steady pace, whilst there is nothing that puts you on the edge of your seat, the writing is well done and engages the reader. This is my first time reading this author, I would read her again. 3/5 for me this time and I would suggest readers read her with a blank slate and take it for what it is rather than go in thinking she is like x,y,z other authors, I think you will enjoy the book much more! Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Never Somewhere Else by Alex Gray

Never Somewhere Else by Alex Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Sphere

Pages - 308

Blurb from Goodreads

When a series of young women are discovered strangled and mutilated in a Glasgow park, it is up to DCI Lorimer to find their killer. He enlists the services of Dr Solomon Brightman, a psychologist and criminal profiler.

My review

A young woman's body is found mutilated and strangled in a Glasgow park, she isn't the first and the police know they need to find and stop the killer before another woman is killed. DCI Lorimer is in charge and enlists the help of Solomon Brightman, a profiler and psychologist. The two work together and with the help of a witness they uncover significant information on how the killer is operating. Before long, it appears no one is safe, young women or people involved in the investigation!

It has been a while since I read Alex Gray, it is always good to read a story set in or around places you know, well I think so anyway. The chapters are relatively short which I generally enjoy in books, especially when you are working and can't spare long periods to read some days. The prologue kicks off with a murder so your attention is grasped immediately, the characters however took me a bit longer to warm up to.

There is plenty to keep your interest peaked, the police investigation goes along at an acceptable pace and Dr Solomon does some digging at the same time. Clues pop up, some twists and turns and overall it was a good read. I would read this author again if I came across her, I won't be rushing out to buy up the whole series though, 3/5 for me this time.

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