Book Review: 'A Walk in the Park' by Jill Mansell

Blurb:

“It’s eighteen years since Lara Carson vanished into the night, leaving first love Flynn Erskine with lots of questions – and no answers. He’s stunned by her return to Bath and can’t deny the spark between them. But is there something she isn’t telling him?

Lara’s childhood best friend, Evie Beresford, is thrilled to welcome her back – especially as she’s about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. But life’s never that simple, is it? Things are about to change drastically for everyone involved. And it all starts on the morning of Evie’s wedding…”

My thoughts:

This is the second book I’ve read by Jill and it’s just as great, if not better, than the first. The way she captivates your attention throughout the entirety of the novel is incredible.  It’s the kind of book that you find yourself convincing that you’ll just read one more chapter before bed, and then another… Until eventually you admit you’re struggling to keep your eyes open.

The characters explored in this book are so enchanting, as are the relationships that are pursued throughout. You find yourself willing particular characters to stop being so silly, wishing you could sit them down and shake some sense into them. However, the way it’s written means that you’ll be delighted with the ending. I must admit, I shed a tear or two.

I read this to and from work on the tube and I had to stifle laughter on more than one occasion but, equally, there were moments where I found myself being touched by a book and having to hold it together on the crowed tube journey. I was utterly absorbed into this book.

The relationship between Lara and Evie, as well as Lara and her daughter are relationships that everybody should experience at least once in their laugh. It also provides optimism for people that feel they’ve lost the one person they’ve ever truly loved and connected with – but it does it in a way that proves love is no walk in the park, hence the name.

I can’t wait to get my teeth into another Jill Mansell novel.  

Book Review: 'The Associate' by John Grisham

Blurb:

“Kyle McAvoy is one of the outstanding legal students of his generation.  But he has secret in his past, a secret that threatens to destroy his fledgling career and, possibly, his entire life.

That secret has fallen into the hands of the wrong people, and the only way Kyle can protect it is to play their game. They want him to become an associate at the largest law firm in the world. With a big salary and great prospects, the job would be a dream come true for more ambitious young lawyers.

But for Kyle it’s a nightmare as, in addition to practising law, he must also lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison – if it doesn’t get him killed first…”

My thoughts:

Having never read a John Grisham novel before, I wasn’t exactly too sure what to expect. What I read proved to be gripping, nigh on impossible to put down, and just bloody brilliant!

The story follows Kyle as he tries first to come to terms with the blackmail he’s being faced with, then as he tries to formulate a plan to break away from it, and finally as he puts that plan into action. It’s written in such a style that makes it easy to follow and put yourself in Kyle’s shoes. It is perhaps this writing style that makes it so hard to put down.

I was slightly worried that, given Kyle’s a legal student, there might some legal mumbo-jumbo used that I wouldn’t understand but, thankfully, Grisham seems to have taken that into consideration and makes everything easy to understand.

As well as focusing on Kyle’s predicament, it also looks at the relationships that suffer as a result. Although he’s the main character, you also become drawn into the lives of some of his friends and family. You feel every emotion that Kyle feels but also the emotions that are shared by his acquaintances.

If this book is anything to go by, it’s easy to see why Grisham is such a successful author and I know that this will not be the last book by him I read.  

Book Review: 'Breakfast at Darcy's' by Ali McNamara

Blurb:

"When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn't expect any sort of inheritance - let alone a small island! Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn't been lived on for years, but according to Molly's will Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit. It's a big shock. And she's even more shocked to hear she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there too.

Darcy must leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, she meets confident, charming Conor and sensible, stubborn Dermot - but who will make her feel really at home?"

My thoughts:

I think most of us have, at some point in our lives, wished that we could escape to an island for a while and just clear our heads (I know I would love to do this right about now); however, when Darcy McCall finds herself inheriting a small island after the death of her Aunt, it seems like the last thing she wants to do. Of course, as with most things, there's a catch - in order to inherit her Aunt's estate, she must live on the island for at least a year, as well as finding a certain number of people to move there with her.

Thinking mostly about the money she'll inherit and all the beauty-orientated things she'll be able to buy with it and helped in part by various signs and the increasing guilt of not seeing her Aunt Molly more frequently, Darcy decides to take the plunge and move to Tara.

It's always wonderful to follow the lives of characters but it's even more rewarding when the character you're following blossoms into a strong, passionate young woman. "Breakfast at Darcy's" follows the life of Darcy, along with those chosen to live on the island with her. It shows her ups and downs but importantly her changing from an almost shallow, 'beauty is everything' woman into a sensitive, caring individual. She watches as those around her fall in love, as everybody seems to do on Tara, and hopes that it will happen to her - but does that come in the form of Conor or Dermot?

This book is incredibly well-written and easy to follow. It touches upon love, friendships, and the importance of being true to yourself. Although elements of the story-line are fairly obvious at times, it still makes for a wonderful read. The main characters are clear and well formed. They almost become like friends of yours.

This is the first book I've ever read by Ali McNamara and it certainly won't be the last!

Marian Keyes - The Brightest Star in the Sky

Blurb:

‘June the first, a bright summer’s evening, a Monday…’

And into the busy, bustling homes at 66 Star Street slips, unseen, a mysterious visitor. As the couples, flatmates and repentant singletons at No. 66 fall in and out of love, clutch at and drop secrets, laugh, cry and simply try to live, no one suspects the caller patiently waiting in the wings. For soon, really very soon, everything is going to change…

My thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read by Marian Keyes and, based on this book, it will most certainly not be the last. There’s something about the way she tells the story that leaves you unable to put the book down and stop reading.

The story is set in Dublin and is based on the lives of everybody living at 66 Star Street. The way Keyes makes the lives intertwine is engaging and captivating. There are points where you think you know what’s going to happen and then you find out you’re wrong.

Throughout the story, there’s a small narrative from the mysterious visitor and it isn’t until you’re about halfway into the book that you work out just who that visitor may be. If you think then that you know how the book will end, you might just find you’re wrong.

The story touches upon love, pain, loss, and success, in such a way that you can’t help but keep turning the pages. This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and tug at your heartstrings at the same time. It’s brilliantly written and is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The story counts down the days until the absolute revelation of the mysterious visitor and it’s that eagerness to find out just who it is that makes it slightly impossible to stop reading.

This book is incredibly heart-warming, funny, and just genuinely amazing. Give it a read, should you get the chance.

5/5