Moonlight over Muddleford Cove - Kim Nash

About the book… 

When thirty-four-year-old Nellie Wagstaff loses her job and discovers her fiancé is a cheating scumbag in a single day, she feels like the world has come crashing down. And that’s before the solicitor’s letter, along with a request to visit a place she hasn’t thought about for a very long time.

Heartbroken, Nellie escapes to the beautiful seaside town of Muddleford in Dorset, where she discovers she’s inherited more than she ever bargained for. Nellie never knew why her mother stopped talking to her sister, but now childhood memories of Muddleford come flooding back: long hot summers, the sea glistening beyond the sandy cove... and a stolen kiss with a boy called Jack.

Jack, now a devilishly handsome vet, has the local pet owners swooning over him, and as Nellie and he become close once more, and she gets used to gossiping with the locals and sipping wine at her beach hut with sand between her toes, she’s sure she can feel sparks flying once more. But just as she thinks she might be able to open her heart again, her newest frenemy, the glamourous Natalia, tells her a secret about Jack that changes everything.

Nellie will never know why her mother and aunt parted ways. She’ll sell the house, forget about Jack, and get back to real life. Because there’s nothing for her in Muddleford... is there?

An utterly uplifting and completely hilarious summer read about learning to trust yourself and of finding love and friendship in the least expected places for fans of Jessica Redland, Heidi Swain and Holly Martin.

Buy Links: 

Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove: An absolutely unputdownable feel good romantic comedy 

Pre-order: 

UK: https://amzn.to/2NXKaJ7

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VHNLRML

About the author… 

Kim Nash is an author of uplifting, funny, heartwarming, feel-good, romantic fiction.

Her latest book, Sunshine and Second Chances, was shortlisted for the 2020 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award.

She lives in Staffordshire with son Ollie and English Setter Roni, is Head of Publicity for Bookouture and is a book blogger at www.kimthebookworm.co.uk.

Kim won the Romantic Novelists Association's Media Star of the Year in 2016, which she still can't quite believe. She is now quite delighted to be a member of the RNA.

When she's not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog, reading, standing on the sidelines of a football pitch cheering on Ollie and binge watching box sets on the TV. She's also quite partial to a spa day and a gin and tonic (not at the same time!) Kim also runs a book club in Cannock, Staffs.

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https://www.kimthebookworm.co.uk/

Amazing Grace was her debut novel with Hera Books and came out in April 2019.

Escape to Giddywell Grange is Kim's second novel and was published by Hera Books in September 2019.

Sunshine and Second Chances is Kim's third novel and was published in June 2020.

Moonlight over Muddleford Cove, Kim’s fourth novel is available to pre-order now and will be published on 30th March 2021.

You can read Kim's Blog here: www.kimthebookworm.co.uk

Contact Links: 

Twitter: (@KimTheBookworm) https://twitter.com/KimTheBookworm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimTheBookWorm/

Instagram: @Kim_the_bookworm

My thoughts…

Oh my goodness, Moonlight over Muddleford Cove is Kim Nash’ fourth book and equally as dreamlike as each of the others. I was instantly transported into the pages of the book, totally invested in the plot and characters and felt like I was settling down for a catch up with my friends. 

Kim writes feel-good, uplifting stories written from the heart that centre around family and friendship and reading one of her books is like taking the best tonic a doctor could ever prescribe. The characters in a Kim Nash novel are diverse and all play an integral part to the plot, she digs below the surface, exposing real people who live their life the way they do because of past events - they're not overly simplistic or too complex and Kim covers emotional, roller coaster moments with tenderness and insight whilst moving the book along at such a pace that the positive moments are the main focus.

Moonlight over Muddleford Cove centres around Nellie, a girl who had it all - that is until her life is turned on its head when she loses both the love of her life, her job and is summoned back to Dorset for a will reading on the death of her Auntie Lil - all in the space of one short week. Nellie plans a quick trip but isn’t prepared for what greets her in Dorset.

You can’t help but feel for Nellie, she’s fragile and returning to Dorset means facing her past, what she doesn’t expect is quite what an emotional trip it turns out to be and finding herself the beneficiary of her Aunts estate means there’s decisions to be made. Dorset holds memories both good and bad and she’s not sure it’s a place she wants to be until childhood pal and ex boyfriend Jack enters stage left! Drool, drool!! There’s also Norman, adored by her Aunt but someone Nellie didn’t even know about, she’s not sure how she feels about that but upon meeting him becomes equally as attached and takes him straight to her heart, just as her aunt did.  In fact it’s Norman that is the catalyst for a lot of decisions Nellie makes about her future.

I loved how her friendship with Jack reverted back to their youth, their easy camaraderie and ease with each other but, there’s one problem they are both different people now and Jack is not a free agent, something he doesn’t seem to be all that clear about, this is something that causes turmoil for Nellie. She has settled into the community, loves the beach which gives her space to walk and think but not everyone is making her feel welcome! Should she pack up and return to the Midlands, the emotional juggling bounced off the pages. 

The turmoil and emotions were realistic to read, Kim took us on a rollercoaster of a ride as we lived the highs and lows of Nellies life. The hurt and anguish tempered with fun, laughter and humour. The highs and lows of the life changing decisions she had to make. Love and friendship outshining the greyer moments.

It was a book I didn’t want to end and another book that had me reaching for the brochures. Oh, to rent a cottage on the beach, to sit and drink fizz watching the sunset from a beach hut - to be part of a community that once they’ve took you under their wings always had your back would be just amazing. Kim you are both a travel agent and an estate agents dream - your descriptions sell locations, the pictures in my mind clearer than any image in a brochure I’ve ever flicked through. 

I have no hesitation recommending Moonlight over Muddleford Cove or any of Kim’s previous three novels for that matter. Within pages of opening any of Kim’s books I guarantee you will be totally invested into the lives of all the characters, you’ll feel the tension of your everyday life unfurl as you virtually join the characters on their journey and settle into the easy comradeship of long established friendships, sharing secrets, giving and taking advice and will forget that these are not your real friends but characters in a book. Kim not only creates strong, lead characters but also necessary, believable, supporting characters that add depth to every story.

She really knows how to give you a little bit of everything, her books will make you smile, at times laugh out loud, there are tender moments and some hard hitting scenarios too. But one thing that is common with each is that feeling of sadness as you reach the last few pages, not wanting the story to end, the wanting to go straight back to the beginning after you’ve turned the final page so you can re-live it all again. Oh and I forgot to mention, there’s usually a hunk or two to drool over too!

Books by Kim Nash:

The Cosy Little Cupcake Van - Annette Hannah

About the book… 

'A charming, heartwarming romance with a serious feel-good factor' Helen J Rolfe

'Brimming with friendship and romance, this lovely book will charm your heart' Milly Johnson on Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe

Camilla's delicious cakes are the talk of her little village. If you need a perfectly iced mouthful of joy, Camilla 'Cupcake' is your woman. But after losing her mother, she finds her home and her business in jeopardy. She needs a little helping hand...

Thankfully her friends are always there for her, and when she is given an old ice cream van, Camilla's dream of a cupcake delivery service is born. Now she can bring happiness - and buttercream frosting - to the whole town.

But when her ex Blake appears back on her doorstep, Camilla must decide if she can trust him again or if her heart might belong to someone else...

Bursting with romance and sprinkled with humour, this is a deliciously feel-good story about one woman putting her life back together, one cupcake at a time. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Ali McNamara and Rebecca Raisin!

Buy Links: 

Amazon UK: The Cosy Little Cupcake Van

About the author… 

Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80’s and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes Romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her hometown.

She worked in Marketing for many years as a qualified Marketeer which she loved as it tapped into her creative side.

As an avid reader, she began to review the books she read, became a book blogger and eventually plucked up the courage to fulfil her life long dream of writing a book.

For four years she was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s new writers’ scheme, during which time she wrote a book a year. 

After signing a two book deal with Orion Dash in 2020 she graduated to full member of the organisation and is also their Press Officer.

She loves long walks along the river, travelling to far flung places and spending time with her friends and family.

Contact Links: 

twitter @annettehannah

www.sincerelybookangels.blogspot.com

www.annettehannah.com

My thoughts…

Awww, another absolutely, totally delicious book by Annette Hannah.  The Cosy Cupcake Van is her second book and features some of my favourite characters from Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe.   

Before I start, either book could be read as a stand-alone, but once you’ve read one you’ll ask yourself, why would you?  The central character in The Cosy Little Cupcake Van is Camilla, Lucy’s friend and maker of celebration and wedding cakes for the cafe.  That is until she suddenly loses her mum, her inheritance her car, home and business all at once.  She’s struggling mentally, has hit rock bottom, has lost her confidence but thankfully is surrounded by friends, not blood relatives, better than that - by the family we choose.  Adorable surrogate auntie Edie, best friend Lucy and friends Carrie and Ron. They hold her up like strings on a marionette.  

I absolutely loved how everyone rallied around Camilla, giving her the space and support, nudging her gently along - allowing her to move at her own pace, to rebuild her confidence and personal pride.  The way everyone had Camilla’s back was heart warming to read but, my absolute favourite part of this book was when Ron gifted Camilla, what was to become The Cosy Cupcake Van.  OMG I would love one of them in real life to be driving round the streets where I live, with a jingle jangle letting me know I could go out and get my cake fix.   The numerous flavours and combinations made me drool - I literally gained stones just reading this book. 

No romantic novel would be complete without a love interest, but Annette gave us not one, but two in the form of ex - Blake (ex broke my heart Blake) and Canadian heart throb Ged, the Irish god. They were as delicious as the cupcakes Camilla baked and both good for her in different ways - I swayed back and forth, fingers crossed second guessing who she would end up with in the end and if I say she got the best of both worlds, romance and a new best friend - total mushy heart stuff, I wouldn’t be wrong.

This really is the perfect antidote to the year we’ve all just lived, every part of the story eludes positivity, sunshine, colour and friendship.  It’s a total pick me up, heart warming and lush in every way - the descriptions of the cakes will make your taste buds tingle, you’ll wish you lived next door to the wonderful Eddie and her hilarious parrots -  they brought back memories for me of visiting my aunt and uncle - when you walked in the front room you had to cover your ears and duck as they were always flying around swearing!  Oh and Jackson, oh boy I love that kid.  If feel good was patented it would be called The Cosy Cupcake Van.

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The Best Is Yet To Come - Katy Colins

About the book… 

When you feel invisible, friendship can offer a ray of hope.

Sometimes it’s the things we don’t say that we need others to hear the loudest . . .

Izzy has always taken everything in her stride but motherhood is proving more difficult than she thought. She keeps telling herself it’s just a phase but the dark clouds are starting to appear.

Neighbour and widower Arthur might be in the winter of his life but he’s not ready to be packed off to a care home. He’s determined to do things his way.

When Izzy hears about Arthur’s big move, she offers to help. But Arthur isn’t telling her the whole story. It takes courage to admit you need a friend and when you feel invisible, all you need is a ray of hope. After all, what if the best is yet to come?

Buy Links: 

About the author… 

Katy Colins is a bestselling author of uplifting, feel-good fiction.

The acclaimed travel blogger's experiences inspired her to pen 'The Lonely Hearts Travel Club' series and saw her labelled the 'Backpacking Bridget Jones' by the global media, when she sold all she owned, filled a backpack and booked a one-way ticket to south east Asia and never looked back.

Nowadays, Katy has swapped backpacking for writing books and trying to tame toddlers. If you want to find out more about Katy's new releases you can sign up to her newsletter at www.katycolins.com.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Notwedordead

Website: https://katycolins.com/

Linktree: https://t.co/pOIZ0EdmAu?amp=1

My thoughts…

 

The Best is Yet To Come is a story about unlikely friendships, and centres around new young mum Izzy and Arthur, her elderly neighbour. Two of the loveliest book characters ever.  They live in the same cul-de-sac but and are only vaguely aware of each other, they don’t even know each other’s names.  Arthur is an octogenarian, widower and is leading a pretty reclusive life with little or no interaction with anyone other than his nephew Jeremy. He’s a man grieving the loss of Pearl the love of his life and has little joy in his life, she was his life. 

Izzy is married to Andrew and is on maternity leave.  She was always considered a strong, capable, organised and in control.  Fast forward a few weeks past the birth of daughter Evie and she is now feeling Invisible and utterly useless. Her gorgeous daughter is not playing ball.  Izzy spends all of her time feeding or changing the permanently screaming bundle of joy.  Izzy is at breaking point.

The author, Katy Colins has sensitively tackled the very real subjects of post-natal depression, loneliness, grief and loss, counter-balanced with friendship, love, laughter and new beginnings.  I smiled, laughed and was chocked up on more than one occasion reading about the lives of Izzy and Arthur. The descriptions played like photographic stills in my mind, I could clearly place myself in the book with them.

As I read about Izzy’s struggles as a mum, those feelings of not quite being good enough, the feeling that everyone else is coping better than you - the abject misery of not being able to settle your child chocked me up.  They are, I’m guessing imprinted into the memories of most new mums, I know they are in mine.   Nobody talks, nobody shouts for help, because we don’t want to appear failures, I would have been lost without my mum, I so felt for Izzy without hers, the emotions bounced off the pages and settled in my throat, a lump that I was unable to swallow.  Andrew, Izzy’s husband seems to be taking to parenthood like a duck to water - what baby?  His life hadn’t appeared to change - in fact he seemed to be working even more and still managed to live his life whist Izzy could barely have time for a cup of coffee.  It would be so easy to pass judgement at this point - I might have?!

I loved Arthur, what a character, I loved his grumpy, brusque manner - his rudeness and down to earth, say it like it is attitude.  He was beginning to struggle to live alone, something his nephew Jeremy was aware of and kept trying to push him towards a home - I was firmly in Arthurs corner on that subject and thought Jeremy was uncaring and all about ensuring the security of his inheritance and not having to be responsible for Arthur anymore!  

Izzy and Arthur meet when he delivers a parcel that had been mis-delivered to him and a connection is made. An accident occurs that see Izzy and Arthur drawn together and a tentative friendship begins, when Izzy offers to help pack up Arthurs house ahead of his move to a home. Their blossoming friendship was just beautiful to read - my heart melted as they each took strength from their time spent together.  I could have spent the whole book hugging them both.

The story ebbs and flows and watching Arthur and Izzy grow in strength and character was like a warm hug wrapping itself around my heart - such an emotionally uplifting read despite, or rather because of, the hard hitting subjects at the heart of The Best Is Yet To Come.  I totally loved this book and have no hesitation recommending it to anyone who loves a book that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

The Last Goodbye - Fiona Lucas

About the book… 

How can you ever move on, if you can’t let go?

‘A gorgeous book about second-chances, brimming with love and overflowing with hope’ Milly Johnson

A beautiful and poignant story of love, loss and finding hope where you least expect it, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern.

Anna’s world was shattered three years ago when her husband Spencer was killed in a tragic accident. Her friends and family think it’s time she moved on, but how can she when she’s lost her soulmate?

On New Year’s Eve, Anna calls Spencer’s old phone just to hear his voicemail greeting. But to her surprise someone picks up. Brody answers and is the first person who truly understands what Anna is going through. As they begin to speak regularly, Anna finds herself opening up and slowly she discovers how to smile again, how to laugh, even how to hope.

But Brody hasn’t been entirely honest with Anna. Will his secret threaten everything, just as it seems she might find the courage to love again?

Buy Links: 

About the author… 

Fiona Lucas is an award-winning author of contemporary women's fiction. The Last Goodbye is her first novel written under this name, but she's been writing heartwarming love stories and feel-good women's fiction as Fiona Harper for more than a decade.

During her career, she's won numerous awards, including a Romantic Novel Award in 2018, and chalked up a no.1 Kindle bestseller. Fiona lives in London with her husband and two daughters.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FionaLucasBooks

    Website: https://fionaharper.com/

My thoughts…

Awwww, where to start with this one.  As the title would suggest The Last Goodbye is sad, poignant and heartfelt.  It’s an emotive read that Fiona Lucas has beautifully written, I broke my heart and sobbed throughout great chunks of the book - which is a huge testament to the writing.  I felt so engaged I could have been reading about a friend, not fictional characters in a novel.  

The Last Goodbye centres around the fragility of the central character Anna as she navigates a different path to the one she had mapped out with husband Spencer, who was tragically killed in an accident three years previous.

Her grief and sense of loss was utterly palpable, as a reader I felt, not just for her, but for her friends and family; all of which were doing their best to give her a reason to cling on, encouraging her in different ways to take a hold of her life and start to live again, something Anna is totally opposed to - the guilt she feels for being alive when Spencer isn’t, is very real and  moving.

The ripple effect of death travels wide, affecting not just Anna, her family and friends but also that of Spencer’s family and friends too.   Anna and Spencer’s family regularly meet for Sunday lunch where the author serves up grief on a platter for all to see and some of it is not palatable, but again sadly so very true.  Everyone is affected by grief differently and Anna’s struggles to have a voice and find a place in the family as a daughter-in-law without Spencer by her side are particularly sad chapters to read. 

When Anna is feeling particularly low she calls Spencers phone to listen to his answerphone message, she just wants to hear his voice and pretend for that few seconds it’s all a dream, he’s not really dead.  This is something that she needs to do but it makes her feel worse when he never picks up, he doesn’t answer until one day there is an answer.   It was at this point I had a near heart attack, as did she!  How could that be possible? All becomes apparent when she calls again, it isn’t Spencer at all - his number has been given to someone else,  a man called Brody.

As the book progresses Anna finds herself calling Brody whenever she is low, she found pouring her grief to a faceless person easier than to those close to her. I loved how the author described these interactions, the distance and anonymity allowed Anna to verbalise her grief and gain impartial, non judgmental insight into how she could possibly move forward.  I loved the friendship and connection that developed through these late night calls.  Brody finding he needed them as much as Anna.

There isn’t a template for grief, there isn’t a time frame but there seems to be a process and Fiona Lucas walked us through it admirably, highlighting the different needs and emotions for all of the characters. I came to love Brody as much as Anna, and wanted to know his background too, as his story unfolded I cried buckets - how could he help Anna so much with what he was going through too. The Last Goodbye was sensitively written, I hung off every chapter, muttering, praying and or crying - this book really should have come with a large box of Kleenex! I was totally captivated, breathless and broken as I walked in the footsteps of Laura, Spencer and Brody. An outstanding read that will stay with me for a long time, a read I have already recommended to so many friends, thank you.

Call Me Mummy - Tina Baker

About the book… 

Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want... except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim—heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop—she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.

Meanwhile Kim is demonised by the media as a 'scummy mummy', who deserved to lose Tonya and ought to have her other children taken too. Haunted by memories of her own childhood and refusing to play by the media's rules, she begins to spiral, turning on those who love her.

Though they are worlds apart, Mummy and Kim have more in common than they could possibly imagine. But it is five-year-old Tonya who is caught in the middle.

Buy Links: 

About the author… 

Tina Baker, the daughter of a window cleaner and fairground traveller, worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years and is probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV. After so many hours watching soaps gave her a widescreen bum, she got off it and won Celebrity Fit Club. She now avoids writing-induced DVT by working as a Fitness Instructor.

Call Me Mummy is Tina's first novel, inspired by her own unsuccessful attempts to become a mother. Despite the grief of that, she's not stolen a child - so far. But she does rescue cats, whether they want to be rescued or not.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaBakerBooks

My thoughts…

Where do I even begin! Call me Mummy is a debut novel by Tina Baker and she has knocked the ball right out of the park with this one!

Call Me Mummy begins when harassed, heavily pregnant mother Kim is out shopping with her children, daughter Tonya and son Daryl.  She’s clearly a little rough around the edges, the way she speaks to them and her utter disregard for their care and safety seems apparent.  Tonya wanders off whilst mum is on the phone and by the time Kim realises she’s missing Tonya has been walked out of the store by ‘Mummy’ a person we find is from a privileged background, that has everything except the one thing she really wants - a child.  She watches Kim and sees Tonya as a gift, a child she sees as needing to be rescued from her awful mother! As mothers they appear to be polar opposites.  How little she knew at this point - Tonya doesn’t live up to ‘mummy’s’ expectations of how a child should behave at all.

There was so much to absorb in this story, it was utterly compelling from the start, the characters were obviously flawed and complex.  I desperately wanted to find out what made them tick, what was their back story? From almost the beginning it was clear that ‘Mummy’ was struggling with some sort of mental psychosis.  She was damaged in some way and definitely had no experience of caring for a  child. Her ideal of how a five year old should behave was so far from the mark it was ridiculous and Kim’s hard nut shell that she’s created for herself is clearly a protection of sorts - she lives up to the image people see to protect herself from her past.

The narrative flicks back and forth with chapters told from both Kim and Mummy’s prospective,  both now and back to their childhoods interspersed with thoughts and outpouring from Tonya.  It made for incredibly difficult reading. Neither woman would be up for a mother of the year award, what had happened in their past to make them the people they were today was a question I asked over and over again throughout the whole book and as the author dropped snippets of information the pictures that developed made hard reading.  The children we were, become the adults we are, sprang to mind, life really does perpetuate and it’s difficult to break out of a mould. 

The author painted pictures with words so vivid I could have been hovering above the characters as the story played out before my eyes, such were the descriptions, it was at times like living inside a never ending nightmare. Some sections were so difficult to read I kept having to put the book down, all the while muttering and cursing under my breath.  The tension and anxiety in reading Call Me Mummy was almost too much to bear! The pictures conjured in my mind couldn’t be cleared even when I closed my eyes.

Tonya it seemed really had dropped straight out of the frying pan into the fire.  What are the chances of two mummy’s both baring horrific scars from their childhood? Both with deep rooted emotional and physical issues, thank goodness for Tonya spark - her little flashes of temper and her resilience was testament to the upbringing she’d had in her short five years. 

Call Me Mummy was a gripping, intense, dark, bitter, twisted and emotional read. I felt sick to the stomach and at times found myself reading quicker and quicker to try and end the nightmare for all three main characters - Kim, Tonya and Mummy.  I transitioned through every emotion as I read and at times the lump in my throat was so large it was painful.  The emotional, physical and mental damage of all the characters was immense and difficult in parts to read.  I felt utter despair and my anxiety was through the roof and yet at times it’s difficult to believe there were light frivolous moments that lifted the mood and were at total odds with the situations. This was a story that no matter what the ending was going to have consequences for all the characters.

All in all this was an exceptional read that will stay with me for a long time to come.  A book I will recommend forever and a day!

Safe and Sound - Philippa East

About the book… 

Home can be the most dangerous place…

In a small London bedsit, a radio is playing. A small dining table is set for three, and curled up on the sofa is a body…

Jenn is the one who discovers the woman, along with the bailiffs. All indications suggest that the tenant – Sarah Jones – was pretty, charismatic and full of life.

So how is it possible that her body has lain undiscovered for ten whole months?

Buy Links: 

About the author… 

Philippa East grew up in Scotland before moving to Oxford and then London to train as a Clinical Psychologist.
A few years ago, Philippa left the NHS to set up her own part-time practice and dedicate more hours to writing. The result was her debut novel LITTLE WHITE LIES, published by HQ/HarperCollins in 2020.

Philippa now lives in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with her husband and cat. She loves reading (of course!) and long country walks, and she also performs in a local folk duo called The Miracle Cure. Alongside her writing, Philippa continues to work as a psychologist and therapist.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: @philippa_east

My thoughts…

I read Philippa East’s debut novel Little White Lies with our book club last year and was bowled over, it was a desperately sad, yet a compelling read that was shocking and at times, an uncomfortable read that gripped from the start.  As soon as I heard she had a second novel coming out I was desperate to get my hands on a copy and read.

Safe and Sound didn’t let me down, I was intrigued and compelled to read from the very first pages.  The story centres around Jenn who is clearly a devoted mum to son Charlie and is efficient and organised in her job at a housing association. Or is she as together as she’s trying to portray?! Something is ‘off’’ about her from the very beginning and on finding a tenant dead in a flat she was responsible for we see Jenn begin to un-ravel.  

The tenant Sarah Jones is dead and has been for some time, Jenn is clearly distressed, the anguish drips from the page - an awful scenario to be in but intensified because she believes she is partly to blame, she missed a routine flat inspection..... !

A chance email sends Jenn on a journey that will push her to the edge of reason as she begins an unhealthy obsession with finding out Sarah's past! She also appears to have an obsessional relationship with her son and a distant relationship with her parents - the author alludes to something that’s happened In the past but what.....?  Every page I turned created questions, and then I was sent backwards in time to read about a family who have a daughter Prinn whose cousin comes to stay with them for the Summer - not an usual occurrence for them and with no explanation as to why now. A situation that felt odd from the start.  Safe and Sound tracks back and forth between then and now with no clear correlation about why we are being told the story from the past - my brain was bombarded with questions, second guessing what I thought might be going on.  The more I read the more anxious I felt - more than one of the characters was clearly suffering with mental health issues and there was huge amounts of un-written story that just felt off! I felt in a permanent state nervousness and anxiety, finding myself second guessing every single characters reasons and motives.  

With Safe and Sound there is no time to absorb the story, my head was a whirl as the author dropped details like grenades one after the other onto the pages - reading it was like unravelling the worst ball of string you’ve ever come across.  It took me up blind allies, second guessing and making assumptions, my heart pounding with fear and anxiety that when the strands were laid flat and the facts slotted into place I had to take a moment.

Such a cleverly plotted narrative that sensitively dealt with the reality and fragility of mental health, the obsessive behaviour and blindness to reality.  The inability to see, to share and divulge, the inner voice and paranoia that walked a fine line between ‘make-believe’ and ‘reality, for both Jenn and Sarah.  The need to see and listen on a deeper level.  If something feels off it probably is, not to just accept everything at face value, sometimes it’s good to question.  This really was an outstanding read that delivered everything I hoped for and more.  Tense, dark, gripping and original another book I’ll be recommending to everyone I know. 

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Spacehopper - Helen Fisher

About the book… 

This is a story about taking a leap of faith
And believing the unbelievable

They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.

I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.
And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.

Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. 
Let me explain…

Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?

Space Hopper is an original and poignant story about mothers, memories and moments that shape life

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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 Westminster University and ergonomics at University College London, and worked as a senior evaluator in research at the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Faye, Faraway is her first novel.

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Twitter: @HFisherAuthor

My thoughts…

Space hopper is one of the most moving, books about motherhood, love, family, memories and relationships I’ve read in a long time.   Faye, is a mother of two girls and is married to husband Eddie who is training to be a vicar. They have a close relationship and a happy life but Faye is quietly worrying about her future role as a vicars wife, will she be good enough, can she meet the expectations of what will mean a new role for her too?   Maybe it’s this that has unsettled her but finding a photograph of herself, transports her back 30 years, opening up a Pandora’s box of emotions. She lost her mother when she was only eight years old and has no recollection of her father, as an adult so many questions for her mother. 

Faye finds a picture of her as a childhood sitting beside a Spacehopper box in front of a Christmas tree.  She still has the box from the picture, and it’s this that is pivotal in the story, she clings onto it as her link to the past which inadvertently does just that - transporting her back to her childhood taking me with her!  The story made me suspend belief, though it wasn’t a conscious thought at the time, I just did, probably because it’s such a nostalgic read that evoked so many memories of my own childhood - the descriptions, could have been Polaroid’s of my own childhood. 

Faye was just eight years old, when her mother suddenly died, leaving a hole in her life that she’d found impossible to fill - she had so many questions she wished she knew the answers to. When she unexpectedly finds herself in the 70’s as an adult observing her own childhood she’s thrown off balance.  The story was disconcerting, scary, yet exciting and intriguing at the same time. When Faye is returned back to ‘real life’ the pain, heartbreak and the emotion Faye was feeling was palpable - it poured from the pages. The grief genuine and raw.

All kinds of thoughts rattled round my head as I read, was Faye dreaming, having lucid dreams or was she Time Travelling? Is it even possible I don’t know, but at the time of reading I didn’t question it.  Helen Fisher’s skill as a writer to present something so out of the ordinary and have me suspend belief, accept the theory and jump with Faye was just something else.  

The pull of her life as a wife and mother and that of herself as an adult remembering her childhood, lost in the present, needing her mother was utterly heart breaking to read. To watch her torn between the past and the present, the deep aching love of her husband and children and that of her own need to know her mother was difficult to bear.  The dilemma and inner turmoil of being a mother but wanting to know more of her own mother, ruminating on the past but not able to settle in the present made the story edgy, sad and utterly heart breaking to read. 

Faye wants to talk to Eddie about what is happening but can’t bear to add to his burden, he’s too close, emotionally attached and she knows - her face is an open book, she can’t hide her turmoil, she aware he is worried about her, but doesn’t know how to explain so Faye confides and leans on blind friend and colleague Louis, trusting him with her innermost thoughts. An independent person with no emotional attachment.  She trusts him to guide her, his blindness making him ultra sensitive, able to listen on a deeper level. They formulate a plan that culminates in one of the most emotionally charged endings to a book I’ve read.  Spacehopper was beautifully written, sensitive and is a story that raised so many questions, I want to read the story again with fresh eyes.  I loved this book, it was captivating, beautiful and emotive and have already recommended it to so many friends.