Week In Review is a new, weekly feature on Chick Lit Reviews where we write mini reviews on the books we’ve read over the past seven days.With so many books to read it gives us the chance to let authors know our thoughts on books, with short, magazine-style reviews. Do leave a comment, or write your own blog post (crediting chicklitreviews.com for the idea), and let us know what you’ve read this week! Enjoy!
Turning The Tide by Christine Stovell
For five years Har
ry Watling has been looking after her father’s legacy, his boat-yard Watlings and is happy trundling along in life in Little Spitmarsh. Until property developer Matthew Corrigan comes calling, wanting to buy Harry’s land so he can build a housing complex to go alongside his new restaurant. Harry is determind to fight Matthew tooth and nail in her bid to keep Little Spitmarsh as it is until she learns Matthew has the means to quite literally force her out. As she tries to save her ailing business and stop Matthew Corrigan, she also has to fight her building feelings for the man who is making her life a misery. Christine Stovell’s debut is a hugely enjoyable read set in the fictional village of Little Spitmarsh. It is beautifully described by Christine and she manages to bring all of her characters to life. Harry, in particular, is a fantastic lead character and the way she sparks off Matthew Corrigan makes for fascinating reading. Throw in some family secrets, and a bit of romance and it’s a fantastic book well worth reading. (Leah)
The Badness of King George by Judith Summers
When Judith Summers decides to start fostering dogs after her latest relationship breaks down and her son goes to University, it seems like a fantastic idea. Except for one thing: Judith’s much-loved and much-spoilt King Cavalier Charles Spaniel George who isn’t so taken with the idea. Judith soon begins to wonder what she’s let herself in for when she realises that she is completely hopeless when it comes to house-training these poor and abandoned dogs and things start to get out of hand. Throw in a potential new relationship, and things become tricky for both Judith and George! I’m a huge dog fan, I have two myself, and I love a good dog story, Marley and Me is one of my favourites. So The Badness of King George sounded right up my alley and I found myself really enjoying it, despite not being a huge non-fiction fan. It was funny, it was sweet and I learnt a lot about what goes into Animal Rescue centers. It’s a must-read for all doggie fans. (Leah)
The Perfect Lie by Emily Barr
I picked up a copy of Emily Barr’s latest novel The Perfect Lie this week because I lent my car to someone for the night and it had my current read in it, so I had to choose something else! I really didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, once I had picked it up I really didn’t want to put it down. It tells the tale of 2 women, Marianne and Lucy Riddick, both of whom are hiding a terrible secret that has been following them around and haunting them. It moves from lovely Cornwall over to Venice in a fast-paced and exciting thriller that will keep you turning the pages to find out the secrets and just how it’s all going to end. I really loved the writing, I could visualise Venice in my head perfectly, and I felt sorry enough for all the characters that the book worked for me. Brilliant, but I have to say the abrupt ending was a disappointment! (Chloe)
The Happy Home for Broken Hearts by Rowan Coleman - guest review by Jessica
I knew I was in trouble with Rowan Coleman’s The Happy Home for Broken Hearts when I got to page three and had to put it down to wipe away the stream of sobby snot running down my chin. Oh no, I thought, it’s one of those books. You know the ones that create a well of hurt in your chest and then, every few pages, take a big stick and stir it all up again? The ones that make you check your children are breathing in their beds and thank God (even though you probably don’t believe in God) that your husband is snoring away next to you? Thankfully, The Happy Home for Broken Hearts is a bigger book than that – it is a novel that asks ‘what do you really want from a novel?’ Perhaps you want to hear widowed Ellie Woods’ sad story, so you can have a big cathartic sob and let out all the hurt that has been building up inside you for weeks? Even if that hurt is only due to the silliest things, like realising the milk was off only after you poured it all over your cereal? Maybe you want to be swept off your feet into a world of hyperbole and romance? To a safe place, where you can act out all those dark fantasies you know wouldn’t be very nice if they happened to you in real life? Then you might want to meet Allegra Howard, a romantic novelist who will ensure you receive a vicarious ravishing every ten pages.Or do you want to read the kind of thing Matt writes for his tits and bums lads’ mag? Columns that take all the complicated heartache out of human relationships and concentrate on bawdy humour instead? I think I want all three, which is why I already want to read the next Rowan Coleman novel.
Since November 2009
When Ellie learns of the murder of her best friend Lucy, she does what any friend would do, and drops everything and heads to London to look after Lucy’s daughter, Sophie, and to pick up the pieces. Sophie, as expected, is struggling with her mum’s death and has stopped talking. Desperate to get the little girl to open up again, Ellie decides that the best course of action is to read a book with her. 
Posted in 2010 releases, Book Reviews, Rating: 5/5 | 5 Comments »
