Saving Missy by Beth Morrey

Today, I’m sharing my updated review for Saving Missy by Beth Morrey, out in paperback in the UK today. I received my copy from Readers First and read it over the weekend.

Synopsis:-

Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Woman meets dog…

The world has changed around Missy Carmichael. At seventy-nine, she’s estranged from her daughter, her son and only grandson live across the world in Australia, and her great love is gone. Missy spends her days with a sip of sherry, scrubbing the kitchen in her big empty house and reliving her past–though it’s her mistakes, and secrets, that she allows to shine brightest. The last thing Missy expects is for two perfect strangers and one spirited dog to break through her prickly exterior and show Missy just how much love she still has to give. Filled with wry laughter and deep insights into the stories we tell ourselves, Saving Missy shows us it’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. It’s never too late to love.

My thoughts:-

Thank you to HarperCollins and Beth Morrey for a paperback copy via Readers First – my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

This was one of my favourite books of 2020 and I have been busy recommending it. The story starts slowly as we meet Missy and find out how small her world has become. Beth Morrey has created a wonderful ensemble cast (human and canine), who work together to help Missy find friendship, family and hope.

As a dog rescuer (we adopted Jake 2 years ago and Daisy 6 months ago), I loved the relationship developing between Missy and Bobby, and the interaction with the other dog walkers. I remember the early days of wondering whether it was such a good idea to have a dog in the house, but very quickly they become your best friend, especially during lockdown. Missy finds herself being able to tell Bobby things she doesn’t feel able to share with anyone else.

In a world where we spend more time with our online ‘friends’ than our real friends, this is a reminder that humans need social interaction and to belong to a community, and that loneliness is a big issue. My father-in-law always had a dog and they kept him going, giving him a reason to get up and to go out. Bobby encourages Missy to get out of the house and meet people. Angela, Otis and Sylvie help her find her confidence again.

My favourite parts of the book are the wedding and the Christmas Day dinner. In a year where we haven’t be able to see groups of friends and family, these sounded wonderful.

This is a stunning debut novel which should be enjoyed with a dog curled up in your lap. I’m looking forward to reading more from Beth Morrey in the future.

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The Winter’s Fail by Sara Madderson

Thank you to Sara Madderson for a copy of her latest book, A Winter’s Fail, to read and review for the blog tour organised by Anne of Random Things Tours. I read and reviewed Parents and Teachers by Sara Madderon in 2020 (see my review at https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2020/11/04/parents-and-teachers-by-sara-madderson/). Parents and Teachers is available on the Kindle at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JH741XP/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_A0ZZ7R77FT6NCBMCF8S9

Synopsis:

It’s all a huge mess.

Emmy is back from years of aid work in India when she gets knocked up by her boss. She fleas to her sister Rosa in Surrey and there she meets Jack, who offers her a dream job and a taste of happiness. But there’s one major problem: how to tell him she’s pregnant?

Rosa is a mega-influencer obsessed by portraying the perfect image to millions of followers. For her, perception is reality. So when someone close to her sabotages the brand she’s worked so hard to build, can she find anything in her real life worth fighting for?

Stacey has walked away from the perfect guy after four kids and fourteen years of marriage. She’s intent on making up for lost time in the dating world, before some bad news shocks her into reassessing what she wants from life. Is it possible she’s got it all upside-down?

The Winter’s Fail is the story of three women navigating love, friendship and careers with all the highs and headaches they bring. Enjoy being reunited with some of your favourite characters from Sara’s previous books too: Evelyn, Angus, Astrid and others!

My thoughts:

I enjoyed returning to the Esher area. to meet the glamorous people who appear to live very different lives to the majority of us, full of designer clothes, expensive school fees and staff.

Emmy seemed the most normal, having spent the past few years working for charities in India. However, she appears to have made some bad decisions about men and finds herself pregnant by a married man who is facing sexual harassment claims (and featured in Parents and Teachers).

Emmy’s sister Rosa is a Instagram influencer who seems to be spend too much time on her phone and doesn’t realise how upset her eldest daughter is about being excluded. I enjoyed the Tallulah and Rosa story, which also shows the dangers of social media.

Stacey is the confident mother of four who has walked away from an idyllic marriage because it didn’t satisfy her. She enjoys her newly single life with a number of young men in the story (and yes, I did blush a few times reading this book).

The book covers some serious issues, including charity, honesty and ethics, but also includes romance, friendship and plenty of sex. If you enjoyed Parents and Teachers, then you will meet some of the parents again in this book. Thanks Sara for a fun escape from lockdown.

Author Bio (from Amazon):

I like to change things up! I spent my 20s as a banker and my 30s bringing up small children and running my own fashion brand (Madderson London).
Now, aged 42, I find myself writing, and I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner.

I’ve always loved writing. My daughter Tilly has an old notebook of mine filled with half-finished stories and accompanying drawings. I’ve read for as long as I can remember, guzzling up books so quickly that my mum always protested that I couldn’t be reading them properly. You can see my original, dog-eared version of A Little Princess in my photo. Its protagonist, Sara Crewe, is one of my all-time favourite heroines (alongside Anne Shirley, naturally).

I published my first book, Metamorphosis, in February 2020, right before lockdown happened. It’s a non-fiction book about escaping from our cocoons and living as a butterfly. As lockdown progressed, I found escapism in devouring lots of delicious chick-lit (for want of a better title) and I realised I had a few novels in me too. The results are Food for Thought and Parents and Teachers, and I have loved every single minute of writing them. I’d like to thank my puppy, Charlie, for waking me at dawn every morning–it turns out that when you’re a parent in lockdown, those early mornings represent precious creative time.

I’ve published my books independently, and I love the freedom it provides. The world of independent publishing is fascinating and so empowering–I’m delighted to share more of my experiences of self-publishing if you’re interested.

Flappy Entertains by Santa Montefiore

Thank you to Rhiannon at Books and the City and Simon and Schuster UK for the opportunity to read and review this humorous book in advance of publication. I discovered Santa Montefiore’s books last year during lockdown one, when I read Here and Now (see my review at https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2020/07/15/here-and-now-by-santa-montefiore/).

Synopsis:

From the beloved bestselling author Santa Montefiore comes a new novel filled with humour and heart about being in control – and losing it. For fans of The Temptation of Gracie, Flappy now takes centre stage, more charismatic and competitive than ever.

‘Fresh, fun and fabulous! Flappy certainly kept me entertained!’ Heidi Swain, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Winter Garden

Underneath her graceful exterior lies a passion nobody knew about, least of all Flappy herself…

Flappy Scott-Booth is the self-appointed queen bee of Badley Compton, a picturesque Devon village. While her husband Kenneth spends his days on the golf course, she is busy overseeing her beautiful house and gardens, and organising unforgettable events, surrounded by friends who hang on to her every word.

Her life is a reflection of herself – impossibly perfect.

Until the day that Hedda Harvey-Smith and her husband Charles move into the village. Into an even grander home than hers. Taking the front seat on the social scene, quite literally.

That simply will not do.

Flappy is determined to show Hedda how things are done here in Badley Compton. But then she looks into Charles’s beautiful green eyes. And suddenly, her focus is elsewhere. She is only human, after all…

Flappy Entertains is published by Simon and Schuster on 4^th March 2021, and available to buy through Bookshop.org HERE

My thoughts:

When I read Here and Now last year, I needed tissues to wipe my eyes after an emotional read. I also needed them for Flappy Entertains but from tears of joy – this was a much needed fun read during a cold, dark lockdown winter.

I haven’t read The Temptation of Gracie yet, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book. Flappy starts the book as a woman very much in control of everything, her life timetabled and polished. We quickly discover she has little secrets (such as her real taste in newspapers, music and books) but when her new neighbour Charles arrives, suddenly she has a large secret to keep.

I loved how Flappy changed as she suddenly discovered her fun side, all the time insisting that her evening meditation sessions were behind her sudden glow and change in routines. But what would happen if Hedda or Kenneth found out? Would she have to give up her marriage and beautiful house? This is a no spoiler review, so I recommend reading a copy (available to buy through Bookshop.org HERE) whilst sipping a cocktail/mocktail and enjoy your virtual visit to Badley Compton in Devon.

Author Bio (from Amazon):

Hi, I’m Santa Montefiore and I’ve been writing a novel a year for nineteen years now, which is quite astonishing as I didn’t really think beyond the first book, which took me five years to write. I didn’t think I had another in me, but here I am, celebrating my eighteenth and polishing my nineteenth for publication next year! Most of my novels are set partly in England and partly in a beautiful location, like Argentina, Italy or France. I write primarily for myself so I figure, as I’m going to be living in my imagination for the best part of six months, I might as well choose somewhere lovely. I adore nature, so I tend to plant my characters in rural settlings – by the sea or in the countryside – and most of them are stand alone, except Last Voyage of the Valentina and The Italian Matchmaker, and my recent trilogy, The Deverill Chronicles, which is set in Ireland from 1910 to the sixties.

I love writing. I’ve always enjoyed stories, both reading them and writing them. I can’t imagine life without them. Not only are they entertaining, but they teach us so much about life – and enable us to live vicariously through characters who experience more drama than we do! I’m emotional. I love to be moved. There’s nothing better than sinking into a novel and empathising with the characters as they journey through the novel, experiencing both ups and downs…I love to laugh and cry and I want the book to stay with me after I’ve turned the last page. I don’t need a happy ending, but I need a satisfactory one. I hope I deliver satisfactory endings in my own novels.

I also write children’s books with my husband, Simon Sebag-Montefiore. The series is The Royal Rabbits of London, about a secret society of MI5 style rabbits who live beneath Buckingham Palace and protect the Royal Family from evil. Our son came up with the idea when he was six years old and it’s now being made into a movie by 20th Century Fox, which is beyond exciting. To see our characters in animation will be magical. I live in London but rent a cottage in Hampshire, which is where I bolt to when I can no longer take the pace of the city and need to spend time in nature to find peace. We have two children, our daughter Lily and our son Sasha. We also have a Labrador called Simba who is definitely the most spoiled member of the family. My husband Simon is a historian, novelist and broadcaster. We manage to live and work in the same house without killing each other. My favourite place to write is at the kitchen table because it’s near the kettle and the fridge. If I start a packet of biscuits I can’t stop so I try not to start… but marmite toast is another matter, and a very serious one; nothing can separate me from that.

Visit me at http://www.santamontefiore.co.uk and sign up for my newsletter which I try to write every month, but sometimes struggle, so please forgive me if I miss one or two!

February 2021 round up

February is the second month of lockdown 3 in England. The weather for the first few weeks has been cold and/or wet so ideal to catch up on some reading and these fabulous books took me all over the world and back in time.

Historical fiction :

A Beautiful Spy by Rachel Hore, The German Heiress by Anika Scott, Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green, While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

Fiction:

Flappy Entertains by Santa Montefiore, A Family Reunion by Patricia Scanlan, The Other Daughter by Caroline Bishop, Space Hopper by Helen Fisher, Saving Missy by Beth Morrey, Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession, The Village of Lost and Found by Alison Sherlock, A Wedding in the Country by Katie Fforde, Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior and Old Bones by Helen Kitson

Non fiction:

The Domestic Revolution by Ruth Goodman, When Harry Met Minnie by Martha Teichner, What the World Needs Now – Bees! by Cheryl Rosebush

Thank you to the authors and publishers for keeping me busy during lockdown. If you haven’t seen a review for one of the books on this review blog yet, it will be appearing in the next two weeks.

The Other Daughter by Caroline Bishop

Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to join the blog tour for this fascinating debut novel. Thank you to Harriett Collins at Simon and Schuster for the beautiful proof copy with yellow edges to read to prepare for the tour.

Synopsis:

When it finally arrived I was shocked to see it; to read the words Mum wrote about these women fighting for rights I know I take for granted. Mum was here. And while she was, something happened that changed the entire course of my life. Perhaps, if I can summon the courage, the next eight weeks will help me finally figure out what that was . . .’

When Jessica, a young British woman, discovers a shocking secret about her birth she travels to Switzerland in search of answers. She knows her mother spent time in the country writing an article on the Swiss women’s rights movement, but what she doesn’t know is what happened to her while she was there. Can Jess summon the courage to face the truth about her family, or will her search only hurt herself and those around her even more?

A breathtaking, richly historical commercial women’s fiction debut, set against a stunning Swiss backdrop in the 1970s women’s rights movement. The Other Daughter follows one woman in her search for the truth about her birth, and another desperately trying to succeed in a man’s world.

My thoughts:

This was a fascinating book to read and an impressive debut novel. In the background, we have the story about how Switzerland was starting to change, to allow more rights to women, many years after the changes in the UK. Jess is on a voyage of discovery, to find out more about what happened when her mother, a journalist, was covering the story at Swiss women’s rights and gave birth to her in Switzerland.

Jess is also coming to terms with a huge number of changes in her personal life, and is spending the summer teaching English to the children of a successful Swiss couple, which will hopefully help her process the changes – or will it make things worse?

The story covers history, the changes in women’s rights, dealing with the loss of loved ones and the loss of future hopes and dreams. I enjoyed curling up with this book and watching the story unfold, as we moved backwards and forwards in time. The writing brought the characters and the beautiful scenery of Switzerland to life as Jess tried to work out the events that happened when she was born. This is a non spoiler review so I’m having to be very careful not to give any clues to the various mysteries involved in this story.

I found this well written book to be thought provoking about how women’s rights have changed, and also how “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”. How often are people jealous about other peoples lives without realising that they may not be as happy or fulfilled as you might imagine? Happy to recommend this book – I’ve added a 5 star review to online bookstores and communities. I look forward to reading more from Caroline Bishop in the future.

Author Bio:

Caroline Bishop began her journalism career at a small arts magazine in London, after a brief spell in educational publishing. She soon moved to work for a leading London theatre website, for which she reviewed shows and interviewed major acting and directing stars. Caroline turned freelance in 2012 and a year later moved to Switzerland, where her writing veered towards travel and she has contributed to publications including the Guardian,Independent, Daily Telegraph and BBC Travel, writing mainly about Switzerland, and co- wrote the 2019 edition of the DK Eyewitness Guide to Switzerland. For two years Caroline was editor of TheLocal.ch, an English-language Swiss news site, and it was during this time that she became fascinated with aspects of Swiss history and culture, particularly the evolution of women’s rights.

Women’s Rights in Switzerland

1971 Switzerland finally granted women the right to vote at national level

1981 Gender equality and equal pay for equal work were written into the Swiss constitution

1985 Women were granted equal rights within marriage. Until then men had legal authority over their wives and could prevent them from working and even opening a bank account

1990 After being forced by the federal Supreme Court, the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden became the last canton in Switzerland to grant women the right to vote at cantonal level

2002 Abortion was legalised
2005 Statutory paid maternity leave was introduced, having been rejected in four previous referendums

2018 The Swiss federal parliament passed a salary equality law, but only within companies with over 100 employees

A Wedding in the Country by Katie Fforde

Today I’m pleased to be sharing a mini review for the brand new book by Katie Fforde, published in the UK yesterday. Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read and review a digital copy via NetGalley.

Synopsis:

Lizzy has just arrived in London and is determined to make the best of her new life.

Her mother may be keen that she should meet a Suitable Man and have a nice wedding in the country, but Lizzy is determined to have some fun first.

It is 1963 and London is beginning to swing as Lizzie cuts her hair, buys a new dress with a fashionably short hemline, and moves to a grand but rundown house in Belgravia with two of her best friends.

Soon Lizzie’s life is so exciting that she has forgotten all about her mother’s marriage plans for her.

All she can think about is that the young man she is falling in love with appears to be engaged to someone else…

My thoughts:

I discovered Katie’s books a few years ago on holiday, and I have enjoyed reading her uplifting books. This one is slightly different, as we headed back in time, to the Sixties to meet Lizzie, Meg and Alexandria.

I enjoyed reading about how Lizzie evolved from a very shy young girl into a wonderful friend and started to stand up for herself. The story is set in the era of when my mum was a teenager and makes me realise how different life was for teenagers then. I enjoyed my trip back in time and I’m happy to recommend this book.

Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior

Today I’m sharing a mini review for the book I recently added to my Kindle for 99p after reading Away with the Penguins last year by Hazel Prior (my 5 star review is at https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2020/10/23/away-with-the-penguins-by-hazel-prior-2/)

Synopsis:

In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps – but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right.

But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood.

And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love.

My thoughts:

If you enjoyed Away with the Penguins, then I happily recommend reading this book too. More great characters, new friendships and a pheasant named Phineas. This is a no spoiler review so I can’t say much without spoiling the story.

However I loved finding out how Ellie and Dan’s lives changed as they became friends and had to deal with the challenges facing them. Both of them were living very quiet lives, with little interaction with other. Their unexpected meeting enables both of them to step outside their small worlds and to help each other discover that they can offer each other so much more.

The other thing that shone from this book, was the beauty of Exmoor, through the various seasons of the year. Sadly we are in the middle of an anxiety inducing global pandemic but the descriptions of the sights of Exmoor brought the area to life and I hope to visit once the pandemic is over.

January 2021 round up

With the UK locked down again as we try to reduce the spread of Covid 19, I’ve had more reading time on the weekends and my midweek day off (I decided to have a midweek day off to enable me to do my essential food shopping when it is quieter).

I’ve finished 18 books this month from a variety of genres and publishers. Reviews for many of these have now been published on my blog or will appear in the next two weeks (I’ve been busy writing reviews this weekend).

I’ve been asked what was my favourite book of January 2021. I’ve enjoyed reading all the books, have given a few 5 star ratings but when pushed I will pick The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (review being published on Tuesday 2nd February)

Next month I have a number of books to read for blog tours in the second half of February and early March. Are you looking forward to reading any of these?

February books (also have some on NetGalley)

Until We’re Fish by Susannah R Drissi

Today I’m pleased to be sharing my thoughts about Until We’re Fish by Susannah R Drissi as part of the blog tour organised by Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Propertius Press. Thank you to Susannah for a signed copy of the book, sent from California. My thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

Synopsis:

A man can be destroyed but never defeated.

Stunning and elegiac, Susannah Rodríguez Drissi’s debut novel Until We’re Fish juxtaposes vivid landscapes, brilliant, playful meditations on life, and penetrating insights into the human heart, to richly bring to life the story of rapscallion dreamer Elio, a Cuban teen whose unbridled confidence is severely tested after a near-fatal shark attack.

Elio longs for freedom from the dreary home he shares with his mother. He spends his days and nights fantasizing about an American bike and Maria, his vivacious next-door neighbor. Two obstacles stand in his way: the 1959 Cuban Revolution and Maria’s dream of moving to Chicago. Yet Elio is steadfast in believing that somehow, some way he will get both the girl and the Schwinn. When an injury leaves him terrified of the sea, he’s faced with an impossible choice: to overcome his fear and do whatever it takes to realize his vision, or to stay safe, and risk losing everything he’s been living for.

An unforgettable coming-of-age story, Until We’re Fish blends the romance, violence, mood, and ethos of the Cuban Revolution with a young man’s hopeless and heroic first love. With the truth of experience and the lyricism of poetry, Rodríguez Drissi constructs an exquisite, gossamer tale of revolution and hearts set adrift. A Don Quixote for our times, Until We’re Fish is an intimate exploration into the souls of people willing to sacrifice everything to be free.

My thoughts:

This beautifully written book starts in 1959, as young Elio deals with being being abandoned by his father, who has travelled to the USA to find fame and fortune. Elio suffers an injury at the beach and loses his nerve for swimming in the sea.

The book follows Elio, Pepe and Maria, as they grow up and start work in Cuba as the revolution changes the lives of the Cubans. Maria dreams of moving to Chicago but Elio doesn’t want to leave. The book is a blend of a coming of age story and a historical fiction novel. Would they stay or would they try to flee to the USA, to be able to live the consumer dream (Maria was obsessed with the Sears catalogue as a teenager).

This is a complex story, with Elio, Pepe and Maria on a variety of life journeys through over 30 years. I was engrossed by the story and enjoyed my virtual visit to Cuba, a world very different to England, especially during this time period. A book for both history and travel fans.

Author Bio:

Susannah Rodríguez Drissi, PhD is an award-winning Cuban-born poet, writer, playwright, translator, director, producer, and scholar. She is Faculty in Writing Programs
at UCLA, Affiliate Scholar in UC-Cuba Program Initiative, and Associate Literary Editor for Cuba Counterpoints,Cuban and Caribbean Research Studies Institute. As a 1.5-generation writer (born in Cuba in the 1970s, but coming of age in the US), Rodríguez Drissi writes about Cuba through a double lens—from the vantage point of the native and also from the benefit of a temporal and geographical distance.

Her poems, short stories, creative nonfiction, and reviews have appeared in anthologies such as In Season—Stories of Discovery, Loss, Home, and Places in Between (2018 Florida Book Award Winner); and journals such as the Los Angeles Review of Books, Saw Palm, Literal Magazine, Diario de Cuba (Madrid), SX Salon, Raising Mothers, Acentos Review, Cuba Counterpoints, among other journals. Following readings at the University of California, Irvine and the University of
California, Los Angeles, her award-winning play, Houses Without Walls, premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018. More recently, her short plays, The Fruit Flies and Rey y Atenea were selected to the 2019 Short+Sweet Theatre Festival and premiered at the Lee Strasberg Film & Theatre Institute, in Los Angeles. Rey y Atenea received an Audience Choice Award and was Finalist for the 2019 NBC Universal Talent Infusion Programs Award.

She is the author of the poetry collection The Latin Poet’s Guide to the Cosmos (Floricanto Press, 2019) and Rey y Atenea / Rey and Atenea, a Bilingual Edition (Cassandra Press, 2019). Her musical, Radio Nocturno, El Musical, wasscheduled to premiere at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center, on August 6th, 2020, directed by Victoria Collado (John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons), musical direction by Jesse Sanchez (Hamilton, national tour), and produced by George Cabrera (Broadway Factor). The production was postponed due to COVID-19 and is now planned for August 2021.

Learn more at susannahrodriguezdrissi.com

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today on my book blog, I’m sharing another one of my 5 star reviews from 2020. I read and reviewed debut novel, The Flatshare back in February 2020 having read a copy on my Kindle. I have subsequently read and reviewed The Switch (see https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2020/04/07/bookreview-the-switch-by-beth-oleary-publication-date-16-4-2020/ ) and I’m looking forward to reading The Road Trip, being published by Quercus in April 2021.

Synopsis:

Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

My thoughts:

I bought the ebook in the summer of 2019 and finally read it in February 2020 after seeing many positive reviews on Readers First, Twitter and the Motherload Facebook page. I’m happy to be able to say that I also enjoyed the book, great characters and story, and I didn’t want the story to end.

I enjoyed the way the story moved between following the two main characters Leon and Tiffy – it was a little slow to start with as we got to know the characters and their back stories but quickly became a “I don’t want to put this down” page turner.

Loved the idea of them leaving helpful notes and home cooked meals for each other – sounded much better than some of my experiences of sharing a house as a student. Certain events were definitely laugh out loud moments, especially the shower in the morning.

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