Sarra Manning - London, With Love

Sarra Manning - London, With Love  

3 ⭐

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary 

Pages: 432

Format: Netgalley / Ebook

Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton 

Date Published: 5th May 2022

 

Book Blurb: 

London. Nine million people. Two hundred and seventy tube stations. Every day, thousands of chance encounters, first dates, goodbyes and happy ever afters.

And for twenty years it's been where one man and one woman can never get their timing right.

Jennifer and Nick meet as teenagers and over the next two decades, they fall in and out of love with each other. Sometimes they start kissing. Sometimes they're just friends. Sometimes they stop speaking, but they always find their way back to each other.

But after all this time, are they destined to be together or have they finally reached the end of the line?

My Review: 

I thought this book is going to be similar to Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern, which is one of my favourite books ever, so I had high hopes for London, With Love. However, apart from beautiful writing this book was too long, and I didn’t really believe the love and chemistry between the two main characters. Also, the miscommunication trope in this book just made me so angry. Both of the main characters were just so childish and too stubborn to admit their feelings. Also, some of the events in this book were quite triggering and happened without any warning…yet felt that including those events wasn’t necessary to make this book good.

The story follows Jen and Nick, who became best friends in college when both were 16 and see them fall in and out of each other’s lives over the course of the next 35 years. The book also uses the London tube as a backdrop to all the important events and meetings that happen in both Nick’s and Jen’s life.

I didn’t like Jen’s character that much. For me, it felt like she didn’t grow up and her character development was non-existent until the last 10% of the book. Also, for someone with two degrees and being quite well educated she lacked common sense and was very naïve, which was just very unbelievable. Nick, for me, was quite a mystery, as we get to know him only from Jen’s POV. I didn’t feel much romance and feelings between the two of them in this book, it felt more like a childhood crush for me.

What I liked in this book is the beautiful writing and scene setting, as well as the beautiful descriptions of London. The author perfectly explores how London changed from 1986 to 2021.

Overall: I had such high hopes for this book but was quite disappointed with a very mediocre romance that didn’t feel that realistic. I couldn’t connect with the main characters or believe their feelings towards each other. The book itself also felt a bit too long, and the inclusion of three major events without a trigger warning nearly made me DNF this book. Writing and exploration of London was beautiful though. 

This review was first published on Netgalley: 

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/247768/review/959200

About the Author:

Sarra Manning is a teen queen extraordinaire. She spent five years working on the now sadly defunct J17, first as a writer and then as Entertainment Editor. She then joined the launch team of teen fashion bible Ellegirl, which she later went on to edit and has consulted on a wide range of youth titles including Bliss, The Face and More.

Sarra is now editor of What To Wear magazine. She's also been a regular contributor to ELLE, The Guardian, ES Magazine, Seventeen, Details and Heat and wrote the Shop Bitch column for Time Out. Sarra lives in North London with her dog Miss Betsy.

http://www.sarramanning.co.uk/

Taylor Jenkins Reid - Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid - Malibu Rising 

3.5⭐

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit 

Pages: 351

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Hutchinson 

Date Published: 5th March 2019

 

Book Blurb: 

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.

My Review: 

Ok, so unpopular opinion but this book was the worst TJR book that I have read. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I still loved the writing and scene setting, short and snappy chapters, as well as the premise of this book, but it could have been executed better.

The book follows the famous annual Riva family party in Malibu. It is August 1983 and well over 24 hours we learn about Mick Riva and his four kids, whilst also getting a glimpse into Hollywood glamour and drama. The book also includes the background story of Mick Riva and his wife.

Firstly, there were so many different characters in this book that I actually lost count and lost track of some of them. Honestly, if the book was just about Riva's kids then it would have been so much better. All those other side characters weren’t really necessary. Secondly, Mick Riva…Omg! Although the only thing I loved about this book was the background story of how Mick met his first wife and the mother of the kids, I hated how Mick treated her and his kids. Honestly, he’s the only fictional character that I hate with all my heart. Thirdly, it just felt that although Riva kids were well fleshed out characters, it was something missing about some of them. I wanted more chapters on some of the siblings, to get to know them and for book to make sense as to why they are the way they are.

Overall: I expected so much more, especially after reading Carrie Soto is Back and Daisy Jones and the Six. This book was such a letdown, although it had such a great premise and set of main characters (Riva kids) but was not well executed. 

About the Author:

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. She lives in Los Angeles.

https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/

Megan Clawson - Falling Hard for the Royal Guard

Megan Clawson - Falling Hard for the Royal Guard 

4⭐

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Chick Lit, Fiction 

Pages: 372

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Avon Books

Date Published: 27th April 2023

Huge thank you to Avon Books UK for sending me a blogger copy of this book to read and review 

 

Book Blurb: 

Love is in the heir in this royally good rom com debut releasing in Spring 2023 – perfect for anyone who likes relatable heroines (with great hair), hot and aloof book boyfriends (with great hats), near misses, almost kisses and a corgi or two.

Despite living in an actual castle, happily ever after is evading Margaret ‘Maggie’ Moore.

From her bedroom in the Tower of London, twenty-six-year-old Maggie has always dreamed of her own fairy-tale ending.

Yet this is twenty-first century London, so instead of knights on white horses, she has catfish on Tinder. And with her last relationship ending in spectacular fashion, she swears off men for good.

And then a chance encounter with Royal Guard Freddie forces Maggie to admit that she isn’t ready to give up on love just yet… But how do you catch the attention of someone who is trained to ignore all distractions?

Can she snare that true love’s first kiss… or is she royally screwed?

A right royal rom com, perfect for fans of Red, White and Royal Blue and The Royal We.

My Review: 

This book gave me Bridget Jones vibes, but at least Bridget was less annoying and more likeable. Also, this book had barely any romance although it was marketed as a romance. It had such a good premise and potential, but I don’t think it was executed that well at all. I gave it four stars only because it contained quite a lot of history and background on the Tower of London, which was quite educational and interesting. However, that was it, apart from that I didn’t care about the heroine and her love interest (who was barely there) and their Insta love/ drama after. It read well and was quite quick-paced, which was another bonus.

The book follows Maggie who is going through a hard time in her life. Her boyfriend cheater on her three times, yet when she dumps him he can’t seem to stay away from her and wants her back. Maggie is also in a dead-end job, being a ticket officer in the Tower of London. She is constantly harassed and hated by her co-workers and her boss. However, although her mid-twenties aren’t going as she planned, part of her life is like a fairytale, she lives in the actual Tower of London. One day she bumps into a mysterious guard who is stationed at the Tower and her fairytale begins…

I really didn’t like Maggie. She complains that no one likes her and that she has no one, but at the same time, she doesn’t put any effort into actually making those connections and friendships. She is always late to work, without any reasonable excuses, she barely does any work, yet complains when the boss calls her lazy. She was such an unlikable character and even worse the fact that she was portrayed as clumsy, but her clumsiness in the book was just so over the top.

What I liked about this book was the background on the Tower and the history of the guards and royal family, as well as traditions that are part of what makes the Tower of London so special. I didn’t know anything about it, so for me, it was so interesting to read. I also didn’t know that people actually lived in the Tower of London, thus it was nice to read about the dynamics and ways in which people live there, what they do and what their roles are.

Romance-wise, I didn’t feel that there was much romance in this book. Apart from tragic dates, Maggie has an occasional scene of Maggie with her main love interest. He was so absent throughout the book, and it just didn’t feel that they had any chemistry. I wish there were more scenes with him or that his character was more developed.

Overall: For me, it was easy and educational to read more than a romance. I didn’t like the main heroine and didn’t really feel her romance with the guard. 

About the Author:

Megan Clawson was born and raised in Boston, Lincolnshire, and grew up around a very big and loving extended family. Though she was never all that adventurous, she found solace in reading and writing stories. A beefeater’s daughter, her heart was ensnared by the city of London at a young age, and she moved there to study English with Film at King’s College in 2018. Trying to find her own way in life, she initially lived in student flats for the first two years – though she’d often visit her dad in the Tower of London to do her laundry – all whilst falling in love with her own Royal Guard. When the pandemic began, she moved in with her dad permanently and she still resides there, with her little dog Ethel.

Megan has a TikTok documenting her life in the Tower with over 260k followers, and she is also an English Tutor and a TV and film extra, alongside her writing.

https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/megan-clawson

Beth O'Leary - The No-Show

 

Beth O'Leary - The No-Show 

5⭐

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Chick Lit

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback  

Publisher: Quercus 

Date Published: 12th April 2022

Book Blurb: 

Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.

These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up--Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.

Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go....

Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they're involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare.

My Review: 

This book surprised me so much! Honestly, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did! I also thought it is going to be completely different to what it was, plot-wise. I am so glad I read it though! Beth O’Leary’s writing is also so good, and although the book was quite chunky, I read it so quickly. It just consumed me from the first page! Brilliant!

The book follows three girls, Miranda, Siobhan and Jane. They all don’t know each other, yet they all seem to be dating the same guy and all three have been stood up on Valentine’s Day by him. All three of them are slowly developing feelings for him and are on the borderline of falling in love. But what would happen if they found out that he is dating all three of them at the same time?

I just loved how clever the plot of this book was. I also really enjoyed the multiple POVs, as they worked so well in this book. For me, the book started as a very light-hearted read and I thought it was going to develop into a rom-com, but oh, how wrong I was. The book slapped all the possible feelings on me halfway through the book. I honestly didn’t expect it to be so deep and emotional. Oh, and the twist at the end was just something I didn’t really see coming. Characters-wise, I thought all the characters were so well developed, which made this book so enjoyable, as well as made me root for some characters, yet dislike others. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with this book at all, just that it was a joy and pain to read (in an emotional way).

Overall: One of the best books I have read this year, which also took me by surprise. I loved the plot, loved the characters, loved the writing and loved the twist at the end. Truly recommend this to everyone! I do recommend, however, going into this book with as little as possible knowledge of it, as the twist would be even better then.

 

About the Author:

Beth studied English at university before going into children’s publishing. She lives as close to the countryside as she can get while still being within reach of London, and wrote her first novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from work.

You’ll usually find her curled up with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

https://www.betholearyauthor.com/