Monday, 11 July 2016

Review for Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage by Milly Johnson

Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage 
by Milly Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 16th June 2016
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:
" Viv doesn't like animals. And the feeling is mutual: animals seem to hate Viv too. So when she applies for a job at Wildflower Cottage, a tumbledown animal sanctuary which caters for a variety of unloved animals, she is not sure she will fit in. But then she catches sight of Heath, the owner, and things start looking up...

Geraldine runs the Wildflower Cottage sanctuary. She's a woman who has a secret in her past and who was drawn to the sanctuary just as Viv was. But her sanctuary is about to come under threat. Can she keep her past a secret and her future safe?

Back home, Viv's mother Stel thinks she might have found a man who will treat her right for once. Ian is kind, considerate, and clearly head over heels for her. That's what she has wanted all along, isn't it...?"

Review 
I’m a big fan of Milly Johnson, I look forward to the arrival of a new book from her every year and she never lets me down! Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage is an absolute pleasure to read, as always Milly’s writing is full of warmth, love and humour and sweeps you away to a place that you never want to leave.

The book follows a young woman called Viv who takes on an admin job at Wildflower Cottage – a home for mistreated animals and birds of prey. Despite the beautiful animals and gorgeous countryside setting, Viv is here for more than just a new job. As kindly Geraldine and grumpy vet Heath take Viv into their hearts as well as their home, can Viv bare to tell them the real reason as to why she’s here?

Back at home, Viv’s mum Stel is missing her daughter terribly but manages to get by with the support of her friends the Old Spice Girls who meet every week to put the world to rights. When Stel gets together with a guy from her work she quickly finds herself in a whirlwind relationship but is Ian all he seems to be?

One of my favourite things about Milly Johnson’s books is that her characters feel like the women that I know and love in my own life making them so easy to root for. We meet and hear from lots of different characters in this book and each of them has their own unique story. I’m always in awe of how Milly ties each characters story into the overall plot so that by the end of the book all of the little jigsaw pieces fall into place nicely creating a bigger picture.

Stel’s chapters were my favourite to read. They’re so cleverly written and show how misleading appearances can be. I also loved the Old Spice Girls and their weekly meetings, their friendship and support of one another was so lovely to read.

Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage is without doubt one of Milly Johnson’s best books to date. It’s a beautiful story of strength, new beginnings and friendship with an unexpected sprinkling of magic and mystery. Milly Johnson manages to make the world a little bit sunnier with her books and I’d recommend this to any reader looking for a heart-warming summer read.

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

Under Rose-Tainted Skies Blog Tour: Louise's Top 5 Books About Teens and Mental Health

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Under Rose-Tainted Skies blog tour! Today I have the wonderful Louise Gornall as a guest sharing her top five books about teens and mental health.


Hi there.

Massive thanks to Jess Hearts Books for having me over to celebrate the release of my new book, Under Rose-Tainted Skies. So, seen as mental health is a prominent theme in my life, I thought I'd throw out some of my favourite YA books, featuring mental health. Not necessarily in order of my favourite, there isn't one of these books that I couldn't, at some point, relate to. It would be totes in apropos to include my own book on this list though, right? Right. Just checking… ;)

1. Am I Normal Yet? By Holly Bourne -- this book should be on every MH reading list. It’s superb.
2. It’s Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. This book is wonderful. Real. Heartbreaking. Warm. It’s definitely one to read.
3. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson -- a tough read, but one of the best, most honest books I’ve read about eating disorders.
4. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven -- I saw some criticism of this book recently, from people who said it was a false portrayal of depression. I beg to differ. It felt very real to me. A tragic story with some beautifully written moments that rang so true.
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I was very unprepared for this book. I think maybe I was expecting cutesy coming-of-age and instead was crushed by Charlie and his internal struggles. A devastatingly poignant read.

Thanks for stopping by Louise! I totally agree with this list (especially my personal favourite Am I Normal Yet?)

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!


For more from Louise follow her on Twitter @Rock_andor_roll 

 Under Rose-Tainted Skies is available to buy in all good bookshops across the UK from the 7th July 

For more of my thoughts on this incredible book check out my 5 star review here

Monday, 4 July 2016

Review for Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

Under Rose-Tainted Skies 
by Louise Gornall
Publisher: Chicken House
Release: 7th July 2016
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:
"Agoraphobia confines Norah to the house she shares with her mother. For her, the outside is sky glimpsed through glass, or a gauntlet to run between home and car. But a chance encounter on the doorstep changes everything: Luke, her new neighbour. Norah is determined to be the girl she thinks Luke deserves: a ‘normal’ girl, her skies unfiltered by the lens of mental illness. Instead, her love and bravery opens a window to unexpected truths …"

Review 
Under Rose-Tainted Skies is a book that I was completely taken aback by, it puts every little thought or feeling that I’ve ever had since living with anxiety down on to paper in the most magical way. It’s a book that I have a strong, personal connection with and it has found a special place in my heart.

The book follows a girl called Norah who is housebound due to agoraphobia and severe anxieties. Louise Gornall captures those feelings of panic and fear perfectly, describing Norah’s mental health problems so eloquently to the reader but what made this book stand out to me was that not only is the anxiety and agoraphobia depiction spot on, but the author goes one step further and shares Norah’s personal thoughts and feelings towards her mental illnesses with such honesty.

Norah worries about being judged and how other people see her, she struggles with feelings of being different and weird, there is frustration there and sadness at missing out on life and also concern about her loved ones worrying about her. Under Rose-Tainted Skies not only seamlessly captures the symptoms of Norah’s mental illnesses but also what it means to actually live with them and how it affects your sense of identity – especially as a young person trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world.

I loved how Under Rose-Tainted Skies showed how having a mental illness can impact so many different aspects of your life. Norah really struggles with relationships and letting people in and I was happy to see that didn’t change and that her mental illnesses didn’t suddenly vanish as soon as she met her love interest Luke. Instead this book took a realistic approach showing how Norah struggled to maintain their relationship. Norah never did anything she wasn’t ready to and Luke respected the boundaries put in place by her illness, only ever gently encouraging her progress. I really appreciated the honest representation of their relationship, it was never smooth sailing and neither was Norah’s recovery process. As she moves forward there are still bumps in the road and setbacks to overcome yet she continues to dust herself down and try again.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies is an incredibly special and important book that I’m sure I’ll be raving about for the rest of the year. Unflinching, honest and quietly hopeful it’s an absolute must read for anyone living with, or who is affected by, mental health (which means all of us, right?)

Friday, 1 July 2016

June Round Up and Book of the Month


June's Book of the Month is The Graces by Laure Eve



Choosing June's book of the month was really difficult because out of the seven books I read last month, four of them were 5 star reads and are some of my favourite books of the year so far. Out of those four brilliant books I finally settled on The Graces simply because this book is so unique and like nothing else out there on the YA market right now. It's dark and gothic and beautifully written. I'll be sharing my review for this closer to publication date and can't wait for everyone to discover it when it's released in September. If you love the movie The Craft this is one book you wont want to miss!


Read in June 
63.) The Graces by Laure Eve (5*)
64.) The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (3.5*)
65.) Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage by Milly Johnson (4.5*)
66.) What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne (5*)
67.) You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour (5*)
68.) The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne (3.5*)
69.) Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield (5*)

Monthly Book Awards
Best Plot: The Graces by Laure Eve
Best Writing: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour
Best Cover: The Graces by Laure Eve
Best Characters: What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne
Best Ending: Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
Best Romance: Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
Best Friendship: What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne
Most un-put-down-able: The Graces by Laure Eve
Most Memorable: Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
Best Moral: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: The Graces, Paper Butterflies, What's a Girl Gotta Do? AND You Know Me Well because I can't choose between these four amazing books anymore.

Books I’m Looking Forward to Being Released in July
Songs About a Girl by Chris Russell
Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Watching Edie by Camilla Way
I See You by Clare MacKintosh
Nothing Tastes As Good by Claire Hennessy

 What was your favourite book of June? 
 And what are you looking forward to reading in July?

Thursday, 30 June 2016

Following Evan Blog Tour: Top 5 Places to Write

Welcome to my stop on the Following Evan blog tour! Today I am sharing the top 5 places that author Elida May likes to write and find inspiration.


1) Grandma’s garden in Albania
This was a place I used to write and read in when I was young. I used to go to the end of the garden and hide between the flowers. I would forget myself for hours there and wouldn’t stir until my grandma, Nadira, called me from the kitchen window, reminding me to eat. Nadira lived in the countryside in a beautiful stone cottage surrounded by a large and beautiful garden. I liked to spend a lot of time there during the long summer holidays and I enjoyed the company of the chickens, rabbits and the cat, whom I named Lula. She was white with a big, brown patch on her head.

2) My bedroom
These days I live in London, which is a world away from Grandma’s garden, and there is always background noise. At home, therefore, the place to write is my bedroom. In the daylight I have the window open and can see the sky, while at night I find it inspiring to look out at the stars.

3) My favourite coffee shop
I often escape to Muss Café to indulge in a spot of people-watching. Because I spend too much time indoors reading and writing, I like the fact that this café is a 30-minute walk away from my home.

4) My kitchen
I like to sit in here at my big, wooden table with a cup of steaming coffee next to me.

5) The park
I live in a flat so I don’t have a garden, but luckily I have a park nearby that I like to spend time in. Sometimes, I’ll even visit when it’s raining because then I know that it’s likely to be just me and the trees.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

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