The Couple by Helly Acton

Millie is a perfectionist. She's happy, she's successful and, with a great support network of friends and family (and a very grumpy cat), she's never lonely. She loves working at a big tech firm and is on track be promoted to her dream role. The last thing she needs is romance messing up her perfectly organised world.

Besides, normal people just don't have romantic relationships. Everyone knows that being in a couple is a bit . . . well, odd. You know, like having a pet snake or referring to yourself in the third person. Why rely on another person for your own happiness? Why risk the humiliation of unrequited love or the agony of a break-up? No, Millie is more than happy with her conventional single life.

So, when Millie lands a new project at work, launching a pill that prevents you falling in love, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. That is, until she starts working with Ben. He's charming and funny, and Millie feels an instant connection to him.

Will Millie sacrifice everything she believes in for love?

After reading and loving Helly Acton’s first novel “The Shelf” last year, I knew I’d be in for a treat with her new story: discovering an antidote for love. In this world, couples are treated the way we do singletons – oh, don’t worry, relationships don’t last forever, you should be focussing on you and your dreams, how to even make decisions when you always have to check with someone else? Everything was flipped, from the reality shows focussing on breaking couples up, to people’s attitudes towards parents staying together to raise their kid, even the meal deals for a single plate! And when you look at it backwards, you realise how weird our own society is in the way we treat relationships, singletons and co-parenting.

We follow Millie, a creative manager working at one of the fastest growing hook-up apps, as she first meets Ben, a chaotic new member of the team who has very different ideas about love. As they work together on a marketing pitch for a new pill that will stop you from falling in love, they prove that old adage: opposites attract. They were super cute together, balancing each other out and learning new perspectives on the (dare I say it?) benefits of relationships.

The whole thing was pretty bizarre but very fun. The friendships especially made it for me; the network of friends Millie has around her all bring some balance to her need for control and, in Ruth’s case, shows that you don’t lose your identity or your friendships by being in a healthy relationship. It might have been a bit corny in places but it was a fascinating new spin on a romantic novel, brought to us by Acton’s brilliant writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

TWO FRIENDS

TEN SUMMER TRIPS
THEIR LAST CHANCE TO FALL IN LOVE

12 SUMMERS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they'll never speak again.

11 SUMMERS AGO: They're forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together.

10 SUMMERS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver. Poppy holds his hand the whole way.

7 SUMMERS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans.

2 SUMMERS AGO: It all goes wrong.

THIS SUMMER: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

It would be an understatement to say that Poppy is a traveller at heart. She yearns to see the world and for the last 10 summers, she has been able to branch out and explore more and more of it. Mostly with her best friend Alex, who is not a traveller. While Poppy wants the freedom of the open road, Alex wants the white picket fence and the steady job. But somehow, their friendship works and every summer, they travel together and discover somewhere new.

Told across various time periods, all based around that summer holiday, we see Poppy and Alex’s friendship in college blossom and span different jobs, financial situations and romantic partners, all the way to the present where they have some serious soul-searching to do.

It is a total “opposites attract” type of love story, because on paper, Poppy and Alex do not work together at all. But in reality, they just… get each other, in a way no one else in their lives do. It is also an adorable take on the friends to lovers trope, as they circle each other, wary of crossing that invisible line that would potentially ruin things forever.

With the world being what it is right now, I lived vicariously through Poppy’s travelling – imagine being able to travel? Leave the country, just because? Imagine being in a bar?! Anyway, the settings, the tension, the weird tourist traps, just all of it was so good and I fell head over heels for Poppy and Alex.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mini reviews: Beach Read and The Shelf

Beach Read

He doesn't believe in happy endings.
She's lost her faith that they exist.
But could they find one together?

January is a hopeless romantic who likes narrating her life as if she's the heroine in a blockbuster movie.

Augustus is a serious literary type who thinks true love is a fairy-tale.
January and Augustus are not going to get on.

But they actually have more in common than you'd think:

They're both broke.
They've got crippling writer's block.
They need to write bestsellers before the end of the summer.

The result? A bet to see who can get their book published first.
The catch? They have to swap genres.
The risk? In telling each other's stories, their worlds might be changed entirely...

January is reluctantly spending the summer at her dad’s secret second home, a year after he died and she met his mistress at his funeral. She is hoping to finish her new novel and get the house ready to sell, while still grappling with the confusing medley of missing and being angry with her father and being unable to get answers from him now.

Meanwhile, her new neighbour is none other than Gus Everett, literary fiction writer and rival since college. Hilarity ensues as they make a bet to write in each other’s genres, including research trips, with the promise for the loser to promote the winner’s next novel.

Secrets can be confusing, destructive and all-consuming. January is still trying to understand her dad’s and what his secrets did to her belief in happily ever after’s. This book was equal parts the warm fuzzies and harsh truths. I laughed, I cried, my heart melted, and all the while, the romantic tropes were cleverly hiding the importance of trusting each other and coming to understand that people are complicated but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a happily ever after.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Shelf

Everyone in Amy's life seems to be getting married (or so Instagram tells her), and she feels like she's falling behind.

So, when her boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday to a mystery destination, she thinks this is it — he's going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf.

Along with five other women, Amy is dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper'.

Will Amy's time on the show make her realise there are worse things in life than being left on the shelf?

The Shelf started out quite awkward and cringy: a lot of fat-shaming, body image issues, a seriously unhealthy relationship being glossed over…. But then, as the women get to know each other, bond over the stupid and insane reaction the show is getting, and from the ridiculous behaviour of the host, the deeper and more complex issues are addressed. And very well, I might add!

From such a mix of women, we see a mix of attitudes; Jackie and Gemma are unabashedly themselves and labelled bitch because of it, Lauren doesn’t hide that she likes sex, Kathy is an older woman and heaven forbid we see one of those on TV! Hattie and Amy have various body and self-esteem issues, and Flick seems to set feminism back about sixty years with her desire to be a 1950’s housewife. But as we learn about them, as we hear about their backgrounds, about what they want and why they want it, the understanding comes that all of their versions of feminism and femininity are valid.

Hilarious and stupid tasks they are set, in order to prove themselves worthy of a man: taking care of a doll baby, planning a perfect garden party, and learning how to take care of your man’s needs. The whole thing made me equal parts growl with anger and giggle from the absurdity but it did make me think about double-standards, the pressures of living our lives online and the sheer performance of being “perfect for a man”, as if that’s the most important thing a woman can achieve.

I wasn’t sure I’d like it at the beginning; it was brash and weirdly terrifying in the way Acton held a magnifying glass to our society’s need to document our “picture perfect” lives online. But underneath all the gloss of Instagram and the dangers of reality television, it was about female friendship.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex’s pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.

Jamie Carter doesn’t believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumour mill something else to talk about. It’s the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there’s a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend...

Published March 2020

This is my first Mhairi McFarlane novel and I can see why she’s a favourite of the rom-com genre! Basically, Laurie gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, who thinks he’s stuck in a rut, and sends her spiralling into an existential crisis about where she should be at this point in her life. Enter Jamie, who needs a way to improve his reputation at the law firm they all work at and has a crazy idea for them to fake-date. It kills two birds with one stone, you see, it will improve his image and make Dan jealous – win-win!

What I especially loved about this story was that it was realistic. Jamie was always a gentleman and proved to not be the man-whore everyone made him out to be, and Laurie wasn’t all career-oriented or baby-crazy, she was a nice mix of both, plus super smart and incredibly witty. Their relationship was a proper slow-burner as well, not falling into any of clichés of shoving two characters together but rather letting them get to know each other outside of work, away from the distractions and gossip and the surprisingly toxic environment of their office.

All in all, it was a lovely page-turner, both romantic and dramatic, with dashes of feminism, important friendships and the perfectly imperfect love interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Mini-reviews: Murder on the Orient Express and The Big Sleep

Everyone knows Agatha Christie - the queen of crime fiction, and that is exactly why I'm reading Murder on the Orient Express, for the Crime part of my MA. This was my first Christie, and despite knowing the gist of what her stories entailed, it still surprised me. I really liked this, Poirot is a bit full of himself but a good detective - methodical and logical, especially in the face of a strange case like this. A lot of you have probably seen the movie by now (although I haven't) so the story, and maybe even the murder, isn't a surprise but I adored it. A very good introduction to Christie and the Golden Age of Detectives.

My tutor said in this week's seminar that Chandler is to American crime fiction that Christie is to British. And I can certainly see that! Admittedly, a lot went over my head, maybe that was just the way I read it, but I loved the old gang warfare, the guns and the racketeers - maybe not the way women are portrayed as basically sluts and/or things but Marlowe had a surprisingly strong moral compass (for a PI!). The plot itself is pretty convoluted, with a series of killings to cover up the previous secret, and two sisters who run around this town as if its their playground. A very different style of crime fiction to Christie but just as iconic.


As you can tell, I've been reading these as part of my course and so have been analysing them critically as literature in history, rather than just as a good story. I've been really enjoying reading these different types of stories, genres and styles I wouldn't normally pick up. Let me know if you like this classic crime sort of books or if you've watched/liked the Murder on the Orient Express movie!

If You Could See Me Now by Keris Stainton

Izzy Harris should have it all – but her boyfriend has been ignoring her for months, she’s been overlooked for a promotion, and the owner of her local coffee shop pervs on her every time she has a craving for a salted caramel muffin.

Then her life is unexpectedly turned upside down.

Izzy dumps her oblivious boyfriend, and leaps on the chance to win a big pitch at work. Needing to work closely with gorgeous colleague Alex is an added perk…

But then her best friend has her heart broken, the pitch is way more complicated than expected, and Alex is keeping secrets. Does Izzy have what it takes to help her friend, save her career and get the guy?

Izzy was incredibly easy to relate to; she was funny and smart but used to be being downtrodden, mostly by her mother and by her boyfriend. So when she suddenly wakes up invisible, she is both shocked beyond belief and also surprisingly freed: no longer does she have to worry about how she looks, about walking around alone at night, about being perfectly presented for work or for men.

I adored her friendship with Tash. This was a proper girl friendship with none of that secretly tearing each other down, they perfectly balanced each other out, one with noise and the other with quiet support - they were also very funny together, especially when Izzy is first discovered and Tash full out panics! 

We get to know Alex as Izzy sneaks around the office, invisible, trying to get paperwork and information so she can work from home. After a mildly-paralysing moment of fear in the store room, Alex does discover Izzy and agrees to help her. Alex was really sweet - I know I use that word a lot when describing the romantic lead, but in this case, he really was! An intern at Izzy's office, Alex is also used to being overlooked but has big plans to finally settle down in London.

All in all, this was both incredibly funny and also rather smart. As Izzy gets used to being invisible, she has some fun with it, protecting Tash in the dark from drunk men and playing the poltergeist to her ex-boyfriend, which leads me to the brilliant social comment on men's attitudes to women and their "right" to catcall and grope in the streets. Izzy grows wonderfully through this weird experience and gains that all-important confidence to answer back to idiots in the street and in the office. 

Published 4th August 2017 by Bookotoure.

True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, four bossy sisters and a needy cat must also have want of her one true love. Or is it?

Verity Love – Jane Austen fangirl, manager of London’s first romance-only bookshop Happy Ever, and an introvert in a world of extroverts – is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and quite happy hiding in the office and lying to her friends about her fictional boyfriend Peter, whose presence is very useful for getting her out of social events.

But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity’s life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

Because ‘Peter’ is actually Johnny, and he too could use a fictional girlfriend. So against her better judgement and because she can't stand sitting on the sad singles table, Verity and Johnny decide to partner up for a summer season of weddings, big number birthdays and garden parties, culminating in her sister’s Big Fat Wedding.

And by the end of the summer, there’s a bad case of heartache that even Verity’s beloved Pride And Prejudice might not be able to cure…

This is the sequel/companion novel to The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts, this time following the story of Verity, the extremely introverted but none the less lovely manager at the bookshop. It has long been Verity's practice to have a made-up boyfriend to get friends and family off her back, but when Verity's sister and friend follow her, expecting to see the fictional Peter, Verity panics and grabs Johnny.

Over the course of the summer, Verity and Johnny act as each other's plus-ones to social events, being introduced as friends but letting people think what they may - and thus getting them off their backs about sending them on blind dates.

It was so much fun getting to know Verity - all we really saw of her in book one was the shy, quiet and sweet woman who didn't like to get drunk and make out with random guys. But here, we could see how her past influenced her decisions, especially in her social and love life.

Then there was Johnny. He told Verity right off not to fall in love with him because he was in love with someone else. Bit presumptuous but whatever, consider Verity warned. But what Verity didn't know was who he was in love with and why they couldn't be together, and boy was it dramatic! I won't spoil anything but who it turned out to be was clever and hilarious and allowed for some funny and cringey moments. 

Never the less, it was sweet and heart warming to see Verity and Johnny grow closer and begin to trust each other, not just with awkward social situations, but like when Johnny wanted to get out of his unhealthy relationship.

The whole story was equal parts hilarious and adorable, it was the perfect British summer romp and even though they hit several bumps along the way, I'm very glad Verity and Johnny could get over themselves and learn to love again. 

Published 10th August 2017 by Harper. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Remembrance by Meg Cabot

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and since becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva). But when she’s hired as a guidance counselor at her alma mater, she stumbles across a decade-old murder, and soon ancient history isn’t all that’s coming back to haunt her. Old ghosts as well as new ones are coming out of the woodwork, some to test her, some to vex her, and it isn’t only because she’s a mediator, gifted with second sight.

What happens when old ghosts come back to haunt you?
If you’re a mediator, you might have to kick a little ass.

From a sophomore haunted by the murderous specter of a child to ghosts of a very different kind—including Paul Slater, Suze’s ex, who shows up to make a bargain Suze is certain must have come from the Devil himself—Suze isn’t sure she’ll make it through the semester, let alone to her wedding night. Suze is used to striking first and asking questions later. But what happens when ghosts from her past—including one she found nearly impossible to resist—strike first?

I adored the Mediator series, it was so very funny and what originally drew me to paranormal books, so I was beyond excited to see how Suze had grown up. This time around, nearly ten years later, Suze has another ghost to wrangle, this time of a little girl clinging to her best friend, harming anyone who would hurt her, all the while trying to keep her job and plan her wedding to the gorgeous and very much alive Jesse de Silva.

Jesse was as cool and kind and handsome as I remember! Being bought back from the dead has clearly done wonders for him! Training to be a doctor, what he wanted to be if his father hadn't stopped him, Jesse had embraced modern life and his future with Suze. I mean, he still has old-fashioned values pertaining to certain intimacies that drives Suze bonkers, but apart from that, their life together is shaping up quite nicely. Until the devil returns.

Paul is back in Suze's life and she is not happy about it. I don't know how I feel about the fact that he hasn't changed much; when he was a teenager and all moody and self-obsessed, we could blame hormones, but as a mid-20 year old, he's just obnoxious and dangerously narcissistic. When he says that he'll help Suze with the so-called demon living inside Jesse but only if she sleeps with him, I practically shouted at the book. That's blackmail and not to mention a horrible thing to do! Paul really needs some help learning a little empathy.

I'm not going to talk about the plot too much, because in true Cabot fashion, the two sides of the story intertwine a bit. Plus I really wouldn't want to spoilt anything! I will say, however, that it definitely lives up to the rest of the series. I could tell how much time had passed, and although Suze still had her sarcastic voice and liked to punch first, talk later, she had definitely grown up. She was training to be a child psychologist, meaning she could help the living and the dead better, and for that I was beyond proud of her.

This was such a great read, both new and nostalgic, and full of Cabot's trademark wit and drama. A great ending to what will always be one of favourite series.

Published 2nd February 2016 by William Morrow Paperbacks.

Blog Tour: Summer at Conwenna Cove by Darcie Boleyn

Eve has a glittering career, a loving husband and a future. But a terrible twist of fate means she loses it all, and with nowhere left to turn she flees to her Aunt Mary’s home in Cornwall. The last thing on her mind is romance – until she meets Jack.

Jack has seen the worst things people can do to each other and realised he is better off alone. He settles in Conwenna Cove, and saves his affections for the rescue dogs he cares for. But when Eve arrives in the village he can’t deny his attraction to her.

Eve and Jack are both scared to trust, but when they come together it’s impossible for either to ignore their feelings. Can they put their fears aside and learn to love again?

After Eve suffers a terribly and embarrassing anxiety attack at work, she takes herself away to her aunt’s for some well-deserved TLC. There, she is able to confront her demons and troubles, as well as get giddy for her aunt’s neighbour Jack. 

There was a slow build up with the romance, which was sweet and appropriate, as both of them were dealing with past baggage, but not always believable. I really wanted to root for them and for the most part I did, but there were a few little niggling moments when they were characteristically mushy or harsh. Still a very good portrayal of forgiving and looking after yourself before taking on another relationship.

There was also a pretty good representation of anxiety and grief – maybe kind of brushed over when convenient but still treated as a long term problem, not something that could just be fixed by a holiday and falling in love. 

This was not my usual book but quite liked it. There was a lot of telling rather than showing – even as Eve and Jack keep their secrets to themselves for a while, we get it narrated in their inner monologue anyway – which did quite annoy me but I got used to it. So, I had my issues but they were minor and weren’t enough to detract from a good love story about moving on and forgiveness.

Published 17th May 2017 by Canelo. Thank you to the publisher and Faye Rogers PR for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Into The Fire by Jeaniene Frost

In the wrong hands, love can be a deadly weapon.

For nearly six hundred years, Vlad Tepesh cared for nothing, so he had nothing to lose. His brutal reputation ensured that all but the most foolhardy stayed away. Now falling in love with Leila has put him at the mercy of his passions. And one adversary has found a devastating way to use Vlad’s new bride against him.

A powerful spell links Leila to the necromancer Mircea. If he suffers or dies, so does she. Magic is forbidden to vampires, so Vlad and Leila enlist an unlikely guide as they search for a way to break the spell. But an ancient enemy lies in wait, capable of turning Vlad and Leila’s closest friends against them…and finally tearing the lovers apart forever.

The Night Prince book four very much felt like a finale, the story was all about wrapping things up and lying lose ends. For our power couple, it meant that the hunt for Mircea now has a extra desperate edge: he himself has been kidnapped by necromancers and is being used to test Vlad's love for Leila.

Ian, the lovable rogue, is roped into helping Vlad and Leila navigate the magical underworld, which included some experiments with glamours and magical disguises. Those were hilarious, and there was even a little Buffy reference sneaked in there, which made me very happy. 

On this "magical journey", we learnt some real details about the origin of Leila's powers, which was pretty damn cool. Leila and her sister go to the reservation they used to live on before their mother died and discover some familial traits that come from the Cherokee part of their bloodline. I would have loved more details but we got the information necessary to whoop some Mircea butt.

As much as I loved it, and all of Frost's books, I did have some minor issues with it - the drama wasn't all there, the sexiness was definitely absent - but it was still funny, clever, dramatic and full of great vampire and/or magical characters. And it actually felt like a happy ending, even though parts were rushed or brushed off. Vlad might not have completely learned his lesson about keeping secrets from his wife, and Leila is still getting over some serious PTSD, but the worst is finally over and they can be a normal couple - well, as much as they can be.

Published 28th February 2017 by Avon.

Legacy of Lies by Jillian David

Garrison Taggart doesn’t have time to deal with touchy-feely junk like “trust issues” or “feelings.” His dad’s health is waning and the family’s Wyoming ranch is being sabotaged. Too bad his supernatural ability to tell when someone is lying has been exactly zero help in ferreting out the betrayer so far. So, when sweet schoolteacher Sara Lopez raises concerns about his son being bullied, who can blame a guy for getting a little testy?

The last thing Sara needs is any more attention or gossip after her recent breakup with big-shot rancher Hank Brand. So her attraction to surly but sexy Garrison, Hank’s rival, is entirely unwanted. When she uncovers an insane plot to kidnap the Taggart boy and throws herself in harm’s way to protect him, Garrison must risk his deepest secret and his own life to save the people he cares for the most. But will his heroics cost him everything?

I was asked to review this by the author, and it's not my usual thing so I was going to turn it down. But, after reading about it, I thought it would be like Wynonna Earp, a TV show that I've recently discovered and love, and it kind of was: small town gossip, traditional Western romance, bit of paranormal thrown in. However there were just a few too many questions for me to properly understand it but I did overall like it.

Sara is working in her home town, which she hates and for some reason everyone hates her, to work off her student debt. She just has a couple more years to deal with then this town is in the dust. But meeting Garrison changes all of that. Despite the hot and manly descriptions of Garrison, I didn't really believe the romance until over half way through. And I really didn't understand Sara sometimes; many of her actions seemed inconsistent, like sleeping with Garrison then running away and shutting down her heart - why has the fact that you are leaving in a few years just become an issue? It's always been there! Humph, anyway. 

Sara's ex Hank was a completely unknown element in this. I spent most of his screen time, as it were, wishing he would jump off a cliff. I'm pretty sure that was the point of his character but some of his insults were sloppy, painfully misogynist and sexist for no real good reason that I was just getting annoyed with him. Also was there a reason behind his fixation on Garrison other than insecurity? Because blackmailing his wife and kidnapping his son is a bit far for simple jealousy. 

As for the paranormal element, it was really cool but there didn't seem to be any need for it. There was no explanation for Garrison and his family's abilities, it's just a thing that is there. All of his siblings have slightly different mental abilities, like being able to find a specific person or sense danger, but apparently their father just ignores these things. How do all of the kids have powers but the father not, nor know anything about them? This fact annoys me more than it should. 


Let's end on a proper positive. It was a good start to a series, but lots of things left unanswered, which I suppose is the point. It is a spin-off series which explains why I didn't get all the references. It was full of really good writing and a pretty good story line, just a strange mix of western romance and paranormal that didn't do it for me, unfortunately. 

Published 14th November 2016 by Crimson Romance. Thank you to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Dunwich Horror by HP Lovecraft

In the degenerate, unliked backwater of Dunwich, Wilbur Whately, a most unusual child, is born. Of unnatural parentage, he grows at an uncanny pace to an unsettling height, but the boy's arrival simply precedes that of a true horror: one of the Old Ones, that forces the people of the town to hole up by night.

This is quite a difficult review to write, partly because it's a collection of short stories and partly because I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

The first story was the longest and also the title story, about a strange boy growing at an unusual rate and with unnatural powers. I really liked the beginning but the ending, with the professors and doctors trying to decipher the messages and stop some sort of alien uprising, got a little weird. Even for Lovecraft. Having said that, they were all enjoyable in their own way, very clever and well written from a master of the genre.

I liked the shorted ones, especially the one about a man having nightmares about an old witch and creepy rat-man; that one was surprising and so atmospherically terrifying. This is definitely one to read if you're a fan of old-school horror.

Published 2nd October 2008 by Penguin. First published April 1929.

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts by Annie Darling

Once upon a time in a crumbling London bookshop, Posy Morland spent her life lost in the pages of her favourite romantic novels.

So when Bookend’s eccentric owner, Lavinia, dies and leaves the shop to Posy, she must put down her books and join the real world. Because Posy hasn’t just inherited an ailing business, but also the unwelcome attentions of Lavinia’s grandson, Sebastian, AKA The Rudest Man In London™.

Posy has a cunning plan and six months to transform Bookends into the bookshop of her dreams – if only Sebastian would leave her alone to get on with it. As Posy and her friends fight to save their beloved bookshop, Posy’s drawn into a battle of wills with Sebastian, about whom she’s started to have some rather feverish fantasies…

Like her favourite romantic heroines, will she get her happy ever after too?

This was actually recommended to me by Sarra Manning at YALC (you know, as you do!) and I am a bit of a sucker for sweet romantic contemporaries like this, especially ones centred around books. 

On the surface, this is a proper cutesy story, and it was a brilliant love story, but it had surprisingly deep undertones, specifically grief. Posy inherits the bookshop after her boss and friend dies, and Lavinia bought it after Posy's parents, who ran it and its neighbouring tea room, died. Did that make sense? Basically Posy and her younger brother has dealt with a lot of loss and keeping the bookshop in the family, so to speak, meant a lot to them all. And even though Posy had no clue on how to run a successful business, she had a great team around her and a real passion for books. That, I could immediately support!

Sebastian was a great antagonist/love interest. He was gorgeous but unfortunately knew it - we all know the type. He was a fantastic character for Posy to cross swords with, having practically grown up together they shared a history with Lavinia and the bookshop. Speaking of, it was a surprisingly brilliant idea to turn it into a specialised romance bookshop but of course Sebastian can't have that - the nerves and cringe of him trying to turn into a crime shop was equal parts awful and hilarious!

I totally flew through this, it was just a light-hearted and heart-warming love story, set in a bookshop - who could ask for more!

Published 16th May 2016 by Harper.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman’s neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘Master’. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count Dracula and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing deeply into questions of human identity and sanity, and illuminating dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire. 

My October classic is a re-read from university, and I'm glad I did because I'd forgotten a lot of the details, especially Dr Seward and his patient Renfield - the inspiration for Igor if I ever saw one. Mostly told with journal entries, a few newspaper articles and letters, Stoker paints a wide picture of traditional Gothic horror, from Jonathan's treacherous journey into rural Romania to Mina and Lucy's inexpiable troubles in England and their final encounter with the formidable Count Dracula. It was very interesting to read it after having had lectures on the subject - brought back memories of discussions on femininity, sexuality, Victorian history and religion, all of which Stoker brings into the story. 

Mina and Lucy are total opposites in terms of womanhood: Mina is a modern woman, wanting to better herself, wanting to be part of the team fighting the Count, she's soft and brave and clever. Lucy on the other hand is naive and gullible and oh so sweet, it's no wonder Dracula was able to manipulate her! She is also used as the epitome of "evil feminism" when she changes, as she physically and mentally becomes a monster. In the 1890's, there's only so much a good woman should be able to do!

The men were mostly all typical Victorian men: smart and brave and typically masculine in their strategies and professions. Van Helsing comes to rescue them with his vast knowledge of apparently everything, but it isn't until they see what has become of Lucy that they even consider the supernatural. The way it is built up until only the impossible exists is very typical of a Victorian sensation novel and Stoker definitely knew what horror story he was creating. 

I adore this story. I admit, I did struggle, the Victorian novel is very dense and takes a lot of concentration, but the short chapters, the gripping plot and the variety of characters makes this the incredible story that it is. 

Published May 12th 1986 by W.W. Norton & Company (first published May 26th 1897)

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time.

Written like a diary, Cassandra recounts the day to day activities of her family and their slightly strange lives in an old castle. The story was very character driven, with portraits of her family was described by Cassandra, as best she can. And what a mad bunch they all were! Poverty stricken and reliant on their novelist father, who has written anything in years, the family are used to struggling to make ends meet. Which is why when the family of their old landlord turn up, they all have green arms from dying their dresses.


Suddenly there are new males to get to know, to flirt with - Rose in particular takes this as a challenge and uses her knowledge gained from Victorian romance novels to bat her eyelashes and laugh prettily, but all that does is freak them out! Even though Cassandra was aware of how handsome the men were and was daydreaming of possible happily ever after scenerios, she didn't take the whole thing very seriously, which was refreshing and highly entertaining to read.


The romance didn't go the direction I expected, which was actually kind of nice. It was definitely an exploration of maturing and personal growth as Cassandra battles her own feelings with that of her sister's for the man they want. It was also more about the overall happiness of their family and the fragility of their father's mental state, with Thomas and Cassandra going to extreme lengths to unblock his writers block.


I went into this knowing very little, having not really heard of it before, and ended up really enjoying it. It was almost like a 20th century Jane Austen, with its romance drama and family weirdness, and I loved it.


Published 5th February 2004 by Vintage. First published 1948.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.

Told from Mary Katherine, or Merricat's, point of view, we see the after effects of living in a town that no longer likes your family, is scared of them and blames one young woman in particular for the deaths of the rest of the Blackwoods. Merricat had a very odd voice, almost like a child she states strange and random thoughts as fact, like running away to the moon. Although she tells us she is 18, I honestly spent most of the story forgetting and expecting her to be about 5!

Older sister Constance looks after the house and the family now, telling Merricat to do her chores and making sure Uncle Julian gets his medicine. It had an old-school Gothic feel to it, with its big empty house, hushed secrets and dead family. But it never felt like a horror story. It was much more subtle in its scariness, mostly in the way that Merricat saw the world and her twisted yet fierce protectiveness of her family home.

The arrival of cousin Charles upsets Merricat's balance and that's when things go pear-shaped and the Gothic horror really comes out. We never knew who to trust or who to listen to, especially with Merricat's juvenile fears guiding our view of their situation. All in all, a weird and wonderful story, from whom I now understand to be one of the greatest Gothic writers.

Published 1st October 2009 by Penguin Modern Classics. First published 1962.

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight-for Anne, Neely, and Jennifer, it doesn't matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three women become best friends when they are young and struggling in New York City and then climb to the top of the entertainment industry-only to find that there is no place left to go but down-into the Valley of the Dolls. 

Apart from getting a recommendation from Sophie, I didn't have any expectations about this story, and yet it still surprised me! Set over years, we follow three young women grow up in the glamorous world of New York, where of course nothing is as shiny as it appears to be.

Anne started of very innocent in the big city, working as a secretary in a talent agency and falling head over heels in love with womaniser Lyon. It isn't until years later when she started popping pills, when her life isn't going the way she wanted. I liked Anne, she was a little naive and could appear quite cold but really she just wanted love. And even after seeing what the entertainment industry did to people, she stayed a good person, standing by Neely even as she flipped out and slept around.

Speaking of, Neely was another that started the story quite naive. She was determined to get into the theatre industry. But as one would expect, when she gets her big break she turns into a huge diva and only get worse over the years. In fact by the time she was in her late twenties, early thirties I think (around the time she was huge in the theatre world but just worrying about getting old) I couldn't believe I used to like her! She was just awful in the way she treated people, her friends and her husband, quite a lot of the time I wanted to strangle her!

Finally, Jennifer was beautiful but not that talented, not that special. Yet I actually kind of liked her. She was very aware that all she had was her looks, and that might have made her superficial but as least she knew that about herself! As for her back story, that just made my heart ache. 

One thing that made this difficult to read was the horrible dated language about anyone different, especially LGBT and women. But it was portraying a dog-eat-dog world, cruel and vicious, so why would their language be any different? All in all, while I do have mixed feelings about some things, I did really enjoy it. It gave such a glamorous world a reality check and seeing how cutthroat and ruthless some people could be to get what they want was a little terrifying but the mad variety of characters was what made this.

Published May 2008 by Little. First published 1966.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier

The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will relieve the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for a life of honest love - and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. Dona flees London for remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds there the passion her spirit craves - in the love of a daring pirate hunted across Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy.

Dona feels trapped by her gender, her age, her life so she takes her children and runs away to Cornwall, her husband's property not seen in years. There, she finds gossip of a french pirate terrorising this part of the coast. 

Nearing thirty, Dona wanted more out of life and I loved this about her, it made her come across as such a modern woman, considering when this novel is set. She loved her life, her family but wanted more; her court life, the socialising and dinner parties, boring small talk, I can understand how it was sucking the life out of her - god, it was unbearably boring! And her husband, while caring, did not understand her at all. 

Then she meets the Frenchman, the pirate captain. With him, Dona feels alive again. It wasn't just the possibility to love, it was the romanticism of piracy, literally running for your life and having no restrictions nor responsibilities. It was thrilling, leaving her standard life for a few hours and having nothing but the boat and her captain and crew to rely on. 

While I did really like this, it was almost missing something after the dark thrills of Rebecca. Having said that, the second half was much better than the first, when Dona shed her inhibitions and just did what she wished. It was pure romance, getting swept off her feet, and it was lovely to read Dona and her pirate find love and new life. 

Published 16th July 2016 by Virago. First published 1941.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding housekeeper, Mrs Danvers...

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.  

I already kind of knew the story from reading New Girl,  a modern retelling, but knew next to nothing about the actual book. And while it was a bit slow to start but about half way through, I started to really get it. There's something about her writing that pulls you in without even realising.

Told in retrospect, the otherwise nameless Mrs de Winter remembers how she fell in love with Maxim and how young and foolish she was in her behaviour. Haunted by the memory of Maxim's ex-wife Rebecca, Mrs de Winter is cautious in her new role as mistress of the household. She was careful, quiet, almost suspicious and definitely had an over-active imagination. As for her new husband, Maxim was a bit of a tool, to be honest. Twice her age, he treats his new wife as a child to be scolded and patted on the head as such, and she acts this up intentionally because at least she's getting his attention. He is dismissive and condescending, until his confession - which blew my mind by the way! - and then he depends on her, they share a secret and it's them against the world.

Almost a third party in their relationship is Mrs Danvers. Determined to keep the memory of Rebecca alive, she manipulates and scares the new Mrs de Winter into traps that hurt Maxim, their friends and the staff. Mrs Danvers was just an awful woman, twisted and horrible in her deceit and completely two-faced in her behaviour with Mrs de Winter as opposed to the rest of the house. Fantastic as the antagonist, she made my blood boil at certain times!


All in all, a surprisingly clever story that encompasses love, loyalty and secrets, with an enthralling writing style and a mad mix of characters.


Published 1st December 2007 by Virago Press. First published May 1938.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. 

Everyone knows this story, although I've never actually read it. I've tried a few times before but the prose doesn't always agree with me. That's why I've waited this long to try it again, I definitely need to be in the right mindset. Having said that, it is really easy to read, although it did take me a while! 


The Bennett family is so easy to relate to, the sisters all had their individual personalities but Elizabeth and Jane's were the strongest. Elizabeth is famously strong willed, out spoken and prideful. Her ability to read people is one of her proudest strengths but all that gets thrown out the window when her first assumption about Mr Darcy turns out to be completely false.


There are lots of different characters, from the Bennett's themselves, to their neighbours, friends both new and old. Obviously Darcy and Bingley were big players in this, as well as Captain Wickham, but there was also Mrs Bennett, with her hysterics and forceful love for her daughters' happiness; Mr and Mrs Gardiner, the girls' aunt and uncle who help in the girls' entrance to society and later with Lydia's "thing" with Wickham; Catherin De Bourgh, a powerful woman who apparently can't help but push her nose into everyone's business.


It was all very middle class, with marrying off daughters, worries about money, their place and reputation in society. I really enjoyed reading the original story; there were lots of little pieces I wasn't aware of and getting to know the original characters in their rightful place in history was great. I did have all the different versions running through my head, especially the recent web series Lizzie Bennett Dairies, with lines or scenarios I recognized. I'm not sure whether this ruined my reading or not; as much I love the various adaptations, it did mean that I was anticipating events way before they occurred. Either way, very glad I've read and loved the original story and the most famous Austen novel.

Published 30th January 2003 by Penguin. First published 1813.