Archive for December 9th, 2009

Allie and Tony have had their ups and downs throughout their marriage, but nothing prepares Allie for the awful shock she gets when she answers the door one day. Suddenly, the future, the home and the life she shares with Tony and their two sons Mark and Owen are uncertain and Allie doesn’t know what to do.

Allie’s eldest son Mark is inquisitive and wants to know what is going on with his dad, but isn’t convinced by their fibs. He befriends the man who lives next door, Jeremy, and is pleasantly surprised by his secret - Jeremy is really Santa Claus! Mark confides his every worry in him but Jeremy is worried about to handle this messed up little boy. Is Allie going to realise that Mark is more troubled than she thinks, or is the worry about Tony all consuming, and will it destroy their family for good?

(more…)

Charlotte Ward is the author of two non-fiction titles, the latest being It’s Not Me, It’s You. After offering us her latest book to review for the site we asked if she’d like to do an author interview and she said yes. Here it is! Look out for my review of It’s Not Me, It’s You tomorrow!

Tell us about your latest book, It’s Not Me, It’s You.

It’s Not Me, It’s You is a guide to getting over a break-up packed full of funny and excruciating real life stories from girls who’ve already been through it. I was inspired to write it because the break-up guides I’ve come across often seem to skim the surface suggesting you to do things like ‘get a radical new haircut’ which is not good advice! When you’ve had your heart broken and your confidence shattered doing something dramatic to your hair has the potential to make you feel a hundred times worse. If you think you’ll look as good as Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors then you are probably deluded. Sod’s law dictates that instead you’ll end up hating it and feeling even more depressed.

Rather than dish out useless advice I’ve tried to tell the truth about what break-ups are really like and illustrate my points with stories from myself and friends. When you’re going through a break-up you can often feel alone and isolated but hopefully with this book you’ll start to see that everyone has been heartbroken at some stage and you can get over it. So instead of crying over a broken relationship have a good laugh at all the stupid things we’ve done instead.

The book is also quite nostalgic, dealing with all the highs and lows of dating and single life so in that respect I’d hope that any girl in her 20s and 30s could read it and enjoy reminiscing and relating.

(more…)

The paperback vesion of Jane Green’s latest novel Girl Friday has had a re-design prior to its release on 29th April 2010. I prefer the paperback cover (right) to the hardback cover (left), which do you prefer? Here’s the synopsis for those bothered about what’s inside the book rather than on the cover:

When Kit and Adam separated after almost fifteen years of marriage, Kit felt like she had lost her lover, her best friend and her identity all in one fell swoop. But now, a year on from the divorce, Kit has found herself again and she loves her life in the idyllic Connecticut town of Highfield.

She has the perfect job – working for Robert McClore, the famous novelist – two wonderful children, a good relationship with her ex-husband and time to enjoy yoga with her friends. Then Tracy, Kit’s yoga instructor and close friend, introduces her to Steve – attentive, charming, the perfect gentleman – and, for the first time in years, Kit thinks she may have found the right one. But is Steve really as perfect as he seems?

And why does it bother Kit when Tracy starts dating Kit’s reclusive boss, Robert? What no one knows is that Tracy is hiding a secret – one that threatens to ruin her new-found happiness with Robert and her friendship with Kit. And now Tracy must decide whether to keep her past hidden from them both for ever or whether she should reveal the truth before it’s too late…