My Loving Husband - Sheryl Browne

About the book… 

Can I really trust the man I married?

I take a sip of coffee as I plan my day. My surgeon husband, Cole, slept at work last night, so I had to get the kids ready on my own, again. I can’t complain, though, I’ve loved him ever since we met, long before he became a famous surgeon and the papers started calling him the pride of the hospital.

Our latest family photo hangs on the kitchen wall and I remember that day so clearly. Cole screamed at me over nothing, then apologised saying he was stressed at work. My heart pounded with fear, but I plastered a smile on my face for the sake of my children.

Now, as my phone buzzes on the glossy white kitchen island, I read the message from a withheld number, and nothing could have prepared me for what it says. Your husband is planning to kill you…

You might think you know what I do next, but you’ll be wrong, because Cole isn’t the most dangerous person in this family…

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DV5D96TQsocial

About the author… 

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. Sheryl’s latest book publishing with fabulous Bookouture is MY LOVING HUSBAND. Her previous works include several psychological thrillers with Bookouture, the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series and contemporary fiction novels The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love published with Joffe Books. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, she also has short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath.

Sheryl lives in Worcestershire UK with her husband and her rescue dogs, Brie and Pablo.

Contact Links: 

To find out more about Sheryl, go to www.sherylbrowne.com

https://www.instagram.com/sheryl.browne

https://x.com/sherylbrowne

My thoughts…

Thank goodness I read this book in the sunshine, which was the perfect antidote to Sheryl Browne’s latest psychological thriller.

Sheryl is a go to author for me and I jumped at the chance of an early read without reading anything about the book beforehand.

Imagine you’re part of a happily married couple and then every moral and value you’ve based your family life on is tried and tested - the very foundation of family life rocked on its axis.

This was an absolutely intense read that pulled at the heart strings, it is a multi-faceted story that centres around the family. Maddie props up the family, wife of Cole and mother to three gorgeous children - Ellie and twins Jayden and Lucas. They are used to the long and unpredictable hours that Cole works as a neurosurgeon, it is the norm, the status quo of their lives, accepted and never questioned until Maddie starts to get some very strange messages at the same time as Ellie starts to retreat into herself both of which makes Maddie begin to question everything she thought was true.

Sheryl Browne has pitched the tempo of this book like a storm rising in the ocean with the waves gently rolling in until they are crashing the beach in the wildest storm imaginable. It was ironic that I was sat in the sun near a surfers beach whilst reading this book! My opinion of the characters alternated between loving them to disliking them immensely and everything inbetween. there are so many twists and turns with the characters and their lives inter-twined, some obvious, others I had no clue about. It was definitely an adrenaline rush read for me,

This is another book that built momentum, I found myself reading quicker wanting to get to the end in order to get to the truth! Another Sheryl Browne story where a happy, connected family become separate entities repelled from each other like magnets. A twisted story that has reality at the heart of it - so many incidents and things that makes everyone question the truth. Keyboard warriors tapping out their poison, through and lies so intrinsically entwined it was impossible to know who to trust or what to belief.

Thank you so much Sheryl for writing another totally absorbing read that fully engaged my vivid imagination and sense of judgement - a story that once again shook my values to the core. Oh to open up your mind and look inside, I’m not sure where you get your inspiration and I think I probably don’t want to know either.

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Make Yourself at Home - Wendy Clarke

About the book… 

‘You don’t really know your husband,’ my sister-in-law whispers, and a chill goes up my spine. ‘Can you really trust the man you married?’

Gary and I have always been happy. Our fridge is covered in the love notes I leave him every morning, we always start the day on the doorstep with a goodbye kiss, and I make sure we never, ever fight. But since Gary’s sister Lisa moved in, things have been different…

The day Lisa arrived at the school where I work, asking for help, I knew we had to welcome her into our home. Gary hasn’t spoken to his parents in years, and his childhood was far from perfect. But now every time Lisa enters a room, I watch him sneak out the door. He’s no longer home for dinners, spending more and more time at the office. It’s me who’s chatting to Lisa all night as we cook. Learning more and more about the family Gary told me nothing about.

And then I spot them through the front window on my way home from work. Arguing. Shouting. Gary thrusts an envelope into Lisa’s hand. He looks nothing like my sweet, caring husband. Lisa won’t tell me what’s going on, but she whispers to me that I shouldn’t trust the man I married.

When I met Gary, I thought I was finally safe. But Lisa’s arrival in Roosevelt Avenue is forcing my husband’s secrets to surface. She thinks I’m innocent, that my own past is picture-perfect, but she has no idea how far I’ll go to protect the ones I love.

A rollercoaster psychological thriller full of twists and turns that will have you gasping for breath. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and The Housemaid.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Yourself-Home-unputdownable-psychological/dp/183618607X?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

About the author… 

Wendy Clarke was a teacher until the small primary school where she worked closed down. Now she is a writer of psychological suspense but is also well known for her short stories and serials which regularly appear in national women’s magazines.

Wendy has two children and three step-children and lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex. When not writing, she is usually indulging in her passion for dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

Contact Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/WendyClarkeAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/wendyclarke99/

https://twitter.com/WendyClarke99

My thoughts…

It’s not often you pick up a book that feels heavy and oppressive but Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke did that to me. The prologue written to raise tension and heartbeat that for me didn’t drop for most of the book.

The prologue at odds with the first chapter where we meet Catherine and she describes her relationship with husband Gary - pretty damn perfect in her eyes by all accounts but the words on the pages hint at this possibly being a veneer, how hard to crack would be found out soon enough! 

This book moved at a terrific pace, that made me feel a little bit anxious, finding myself reading faster to get past the multiple plot twist - some that didn’t even appear relevant until the end.  So many hints and clues dropped like confetti but impossible to catch.  Imagine finding out after ten years of marriage that your husband had a sister, a person you’d tucked under your wing - supporting her in her new teaching role and offering her somewhere to stay whilst she found a place for herself when you discovered she was homeless.

This is a book that won’t fail to touch your heart, it will make you gasp and bite hard on your back teeth with the tension, the sheer emotion leaps from the pages with Catherine and Gary’s lives teetering on the edge, when past meets present. When actions are driven by emotion and that emotion is fear and with revenge anything is possible. I'm sure I stopped breathing several times as I read Make Yourself at Home - a title that speaks comfort, happiness and welcoming that proves to be anything but, it is gritty and unexpectedly perfect for the emotions and feelings evoked for both the characters and readers alike.

I highly recommend this adrenalin filled book.

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Same Time Next Week - Milly Johnson

About the book… 

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a parade of independent shops and cafes and a thriving local community.

Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women employed by a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats only for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. But when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Unable to move forward, can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?

Astrid is feeling unsettled, lonely and in need of change and challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself to her that would bring her what she wants, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

These five women of different ages and backgrounds are drawn together in a friendship group in the back room of Ray’s Diner every Tuesday. Over a cup of something warming, could they find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support – and laughter here…?

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Same-Time-Next-Milly-Johnson/dp/1398523577

About the author… 

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. The Happiest Ever After is her twenty-first novel.

Milly’s writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.

Contact Links: 

Milly's website: www.millyjohnson.co.uk. 

Twitter: @millyjohnson

Instagram: @themillyjohnson

TikTok: @millyjohnsonauthor 

Facebook: @MillyJohnsonAuthor

My thoughts…

Oh my goodness where do I begin.  Same Time Next Week is a powerful, uplifting, read that took me on a journey, that saw me shedding tears, at both ends of the emotional spectrum and sitting nodding like some deranged dog in the corner, muttering yes - this!!  Exactly this as I turned the pages, absorbing myself into the lives of the many characters.

Milly Johnson really has crafted her story telling to perfection. She tempers real life scenarios and presents relatable characters to the reader with her dry northern wit. Honest, upfront, what you see is what you get and so very real. Same Time Next Week is a story that traverses the ages but sits perfectly with who I, and who most of my friends are right now, approaching, at,or just past that age!  It hit the spot perfectly, landing in a Same Time Next Week shaped hole I didn’t know existed until I did.

Image working in a male dominated workplace that has its mindset stuck firmly in the dark ages and finding your young, modern, big boss wants you to help him change that, wants to understand things from a woman’s perspective. Amanda gets her chance, gets that voice in a class moment that was so applause worthy.  I’ve been and still am the person who doesn’t even remember her name most days, most days wondering how I got through the day without losing it completely.  

Have I told you how good this book is yet, I can’t remember! It’s AMAZING!

Each and every Milly Johnson novel has characters that get under your skin, some like an itch you can’t wait to stop scratching, like Steve, husband of Mel and Bradley, Amandas brother in this book and then there are others that wrap themselves around your heart, like Amanda, Ray Bon and Sky - I so loved them!  When the story ended I didn’t want to let them go.  

Each and every Milly Johnson novel has hit the spot for me - I’ve loved every one, but Same Time Next Week is the best yet. Strong women, emotive storylines, unexpected friendships, the power and support of women, romance and humour all mixed up like a literary band aid on your heart that I don’t want to pull off - I was sad when I turned the last page on this book, I didn’t want it to end.  Cookies and a weekly catch up proving better than any prescription - where do I sign up! I want to be top of the list to join this group.

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Wife, Mother, Liar - Sue Watson

About the book… 

She’s perfect. Too perfect…

Wife: For twenty-five years, my husband and I have been the ideal couple. I’m shy, but he’s always been the life and soul of the party, a charmer, so I didn’t worry the first time I caught him a little too close to my best friend, Wendy.

Mother: Then our darling son says he’s taking Wendy’s daughter to prom, the girl I never trusted because she’s too much like her mother. As I snap photos of them, I have a smile plastered on my face, but inside my head I’m screaming at him to stay away from her.

Liar: As flashing lights slice the darkness around our home, my worst nightmare comes true with the shocking news that one of our children is dead. And I can tell my husband, my best friend are both lying about where they were. But none of their secrets compares to mine.

And nobody knows just how far I’d go to protect my family…

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DJ93FWFTsocial

About the author… 

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists.

Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

Contact Links: 

Follow Sue Watson:

Twitter @suewatsonwriter 

Instagram @suewatsonbooks.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sue Watson here: https://www.bookouture.com/sue-watson/

My thoughts…

Oh my, another compelling, heart in the mouth thriller from the amazing Sue Watson, who never fails to amaze me with the dark depths of her imagination. With each new psychological thriller she writes, I’m left slack jawed and wondering where her mind will take me next time.

Wife, Mother, Liar is a compelling read that is both emotional and incredible at the same time. The story focuses on two families, who start off as neighbours and become friends when Jill and husband Tim move into the house next door to Wendy and Robert.  Jill and Wendy are like chalk and cheese, if not for living next door to each other and bringing their children up together they would likely never have gravitated towards each other and formed a friendship. Their lives and that of their children intrinsically linked until suddenly they’re not! 

This was a book that seemed to come with a dark cloud, death, depression and deceit peppering all of their lives. I was totally gripped, and changed my allegiance with each of the characters and throughout - such was the quality of writing, no attempts at second guessing got me anywhere close to working out all of the motives and which camp I should stake my flag. I felt anxious throughout, never quite knowing who to trust and how to sift the truth from the lies that peppered the pages - leaving me open mouthed with wonder when Sue Watson slowly but surely dropped her grenades, the fall out from each ricocheting through my mind. The debris from each shattering my thoughts and taking away the ability to tidily wrap up the story.

Sue thank you for yet another page turning thriller that hooked me in and gripped me tightly, I felt breathless and broken as I walked in the footsteps of the plethora of characters, each of whom stole my heart, some quietly and considered, others boldly without apology. Only to then have me hating them and questioning everything I thought I knew. I should now know to expect the unexpected and realise that the alarm on my Fitbit is going to be triggered by the elevated heart rate from the off.  Which, whilst reading this book, didn’t seem to drop for most of the second half of the book. Nobody and nothing are actually what they seem with Wife, Liar, Mother, having more twists than a helta skelter - a ride I was pleased to have joined!

Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. I thoroughly loved this deep, dark, tangled story of love, honour, justice, passion and loyalty that was hidden below the surface, that burned brightly when given the oxygen it needed to survive. 

Another outstanding read that will stay with me forever, and another read I have already recommended to so my friends.

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Home for Christmas - Heidi Swain

About the book… 

Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon!

In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author, Jude who is researching the history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him.

Initially, the pair clash but then friendlier feelings begin to grow and Bella finds herself wondering if Jude could become more than just another guest before it’s time for him to leave. That is, until he announces he has no time for Christmas!

With her favourite time of the year suddenly in jeopardy, will Bella ever feel like she’s home for Christmas?

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/aRvkJba

About the author… 

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she finally plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes contemporary fiction and enjoys the company of a whole host of feisty female characters.

Heidi can be found at the keyboard at all hours of the day and night and quite often scribbling longhand in her car during her lunch break. She lives in stunning south Norfolk with her wonderful son and daughter and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Contact Links: 

Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via 

her website heidiswain.co.uk/ or 

Twitter @Heidi_Swain

My thoughts…

There is nothing more perfect than a Heidi Swain Christmas novel. Home for Christmas was exactly what it said on the cover - I felt right at home, back in Wynbridge, back with familiar characters and once again itching to be part of this perfect community.

The focal character in Home for Christmas is Bella, Bella lives in the house she inherited from her grand-parents, renting the main part of it out for nine months of the year whilst she nestles herself and her business “Away with the Fairies” up into the small upstairs apartment.

I can’t tell you what a delight this book was, Bella and her fairies and her love of all things Christmas warmed my heart from the inside out.  As ever not everything in the village and Bella’s life is rosy and runs quite to plan. As a reader sitting on the periphery whilst Bella handled the unexpected, last minute house guest who threatens to de-rail both her business and Christmas was blood pressure inducing at times and as you’d expect gooey and mushy at others!

Jude was rude, abrupt and the grinch incarnated.  He is the polar opposite to Bella. Whilst she is the full on, bright, sparkly all singing, all dancing kind of Christmas girl that doesn’t understand the phrase ‘too much’, Jude is the opposite, Christmas - whatever is that, it’s not to be embraced in any way, shape or form. He successfully manages to de-rail Bella’s life in an unexpected way.  Thankfully Holly is surrounded by her close friends Holly, Bear and Jeanie as well as the Connolly clan from Wynthorpe Hall who all manage to support, interfere and guide her as she navigates her unexpected encounter with Jude, her pre-Xmas stalls and events making and selling her unique, individual fairies. I soooooooo want one!!

As with every single one of Heidi’s novels the characters stray from one story to another with the layers of their characters stripped back with each, revealing a bit more with every book.  It was an absolute delight to be back amongst the locals, sharing drinks in the pub, tea in the cafe and lunch in the kitchen of Wynthrop Hall.  Have I said before I want to move here - I want to be part of this fabulous community - I already feel I know so much about them all I know I’ll fit right in.

As ever this was the perfect tonic, There is the right balance of angst, love and romance. I loved every single page and was gutted when I turned the last one - Heidi Swain, once again you have brought sunshine and smiles to a very grey day and even got me starting my Christmas shopping! You know how to bring a smile to my face and I’m now wondering if October is too soon to put up the Christmas lights!

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In Bloom - Eva Verde

About the book… 

Ever since Sol’s untimely death left her pregnant and alone at twenty-two, Delph’s kept herself small as a form of self-protection. Now, over a decade later, she lives with their daughter Roche and her new partner Itsy, a kind and protective cabbie, on the fourteenth floor of Esplanade Point on the Essex coast.

But Delph’s protective bubble bursts when Roche moves in with her estranged nan, Moon. Feeling on the outside of the bond between her fierce-yet-flaky tarot-reading mother and volatile martial-arts-champion daughter, Delph begins questioning her own freedom. And when Roche’s snooping into her grandmother’s past unearths a familial line of downtrodden women; a worrying pattern emerges. Has keeping small and safe truly been Delph’s choice all these years.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloom-Eva-Verde/dp/1398502871

About the author… 

Eva Verde is a writer from East London. Identity, class and female rage are recurring themes throughout her work and her novels Lives Like Mine and In Bloom are published by Simon and Schuster.

Eva's love song to libraries, I Am Not Your Tituba forms part of Kit De Waal’s Common People: An Anthology of Working-Class Writers. Her words have featured in Marie Claire, Grazia, Elle and The Big Issue, also penning the new foreword for the international bestselling author Jackie Collins Goddess of Vengeance.

Eva lives in Essex with her husband, children and dog.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: @Evakinder

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20745848.Eva_Verde

My thoughts…

In Bloom is a moving tribute to women across the generations.  It is told from the perspectives of three generations of women from the same family - grandmother Moon, daughter Delph and grand-daughter Roche. Three seemingly very different women on the face of it with us the reader getting a fly on the wall insight into their lives as the chapters slip back and forth between the present and the past when Moon was a young girl, before Delph was born - but each more alike than any of them realise.

As the layers were stripped back it was as clear as day that the three women had more in common than they cared to see themselves and as their tales were told I genuinely felt my emotions swaying back and forth, with every emotion the polar opposite heartbreak, sadness, pain, joy, happiness and delight. In Bloom is the perfect title as this story traverses much hurt, pain and many, many secrets that we as a reader are told throughout from each of the three narratives.

Eva Verde has definitely perfected the art of giving an insight into the lives of each of the three women through her carefully chosen words, saying just enough to paint a vivid outline of a picture leaving the reader to join the dots and finish painting the picture themselves, leaving much to the readers imagination, images of each of them, their environments and emotions are firmly imprinted on my mind, the images going through multiple iterations throughout the story - from dull, washed out greys and pastels right through to the most vibrant colours giving relevance to the most perfect title of In Bloom.

Delph moving into her nan Moon’s home seemed reasonable, she wasn’t happy living at home at home with her mum and where else would you go but to your grand-mother’s.  Moon however, isn’t your typical grandmother she exists in a house, she does not live in a home. She’s eclectic and very different and is keeping her past and secrets, buried beneath the very fabric of the clutter and dirt she lives in. Roche is inquisitive and before she knows it uncovers family secrets that Moon has tried hard to bury - as a reader I swung backwards and forwards in my thoughts silently giving advice to all three of them, often wondering how they could ever be related.  Each of them so very alike stubborn, strong, determined with a fierce loyalty and love for each other - they just didn’t voice it.  Such is the complicated and painful past - that when it’s uncovered causes more hurt and anguish than any of them realise before eventually their strength and fierce loyalty to each other shine through.  

This is a story that I could see several different endings and my emotions were shaken throughout. I just loved this book so much and as a reader felt privileged to travel with them on their separate journeys to the same destination.  

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Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life - Helen Fisher

About the book… 

Joe loves predictability. But his life is about to become a surprising adventure.

Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like his dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, he’s good at his job, good at making things and good at following the rules, and he’s learning how to do lots of things by himself.

Joe’s mother knows there are a million things in life he isn’t prepared for. While she helps guide him every day, she’s also writing notebooks full of advice about the things she hasn’t told Joe yet, things he might forget and answers to questions he hasn’t yet asked.

Following her wisdom – applying it in his own unique way – this next part of Joe’s life is more of a surprise than he expects. Because he’s about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0hF44klm

About the author… 

Helen Fisher spent her early life in America but grew up mainly in Suffolk, England, where she now lives with her two children. She studied psychology at the University of Westminster and ergonomics at University College London and worked as a senior evaluator in research at the Royal National Institute of Blind People. She is the author ofFaye, Faraway and Space Hopper.

Contact Links: 

Twitter:@HFisherAuthor

My thoughts…

Where do I even begin  - Joe-Nathan is an absolute dream of a character.  From the very first moment I heard about this book I wanted to read it and when I did I was left with a glowing heart and a smile on my face.  Joe is everything we all should aspire to be - innocent, determined and resolute.  He has a strength of character that breaks your heart when other s don’t see it.

This is a book that will stay with me forever and I will read again and again - in a world where there are so many choices of books to read and not enough hours to read them it’s not often you find that book - the book that will stand the test of time and will touch your heart with every read.

Joe-Nuthin is a character that melted my heart.  He made me laugh, he made me cry - he brought out the lioness in me - he’s just perfect - straight talking, literal and direct and he definitely does not have a mean bone in his body.

It’s not just Joe though that makes this book, Joe is the beating heart that keeps you reading, but its his interactions with everyone and the growth of each and every character that makes this book extra special, as they each view their lives through Joe’s eyes and learn a little bit of acceptance and of the unexpected friendships that grow and develop as a result.

This is a book that I’ve already recommended to so many of my friends and our book group - we all need a little bit of Joe in our lives, he definitely makes the world a better place.

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