Category: female friendship
+ female friendship, fiction, friendship, mental health, mental illness, psychiatric hospital, review
Stolen Summers by Anne Goodwin
All she has left is her sanity. Will the asylum take that from her too? In 1939, Matilda is admitted to Ghyllside Hospital, cut off from family and friends. Not quite twenty, and forced to give up her baby for adoption, she feels battered by the cruel regime. Yet she finds a surprising ally in rough-edged Doris, who risks harsh punishments to help her reach out to the brother … Read More Stolen Summers by Anne Goodwin
+ childhood, family, fantasy, female friendship, feminism, fiction, forgiveness, friendship, grief, haunting, loss, love, magic, review, sisterhood, supernatural, witchcraft, witches
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
The House in the Cerulean Sea meets The Golden Girls in this funny, tender, and uplifting feminist tale of sisterhood featuring a coven of aging witches who must unite their powers to fight the men determined to drive them out of their home and town. A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat. Summoned by an alarm, five octogenarian witches gather … Read More The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
Cover Reveal – One Moment by Becky Hunter
An emotional, heart-wrenching and uplifting debut about friendship, love and sacrifice, perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Holly Miller. One moment in time can change everything… The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn’t feel fair that she’ll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she’s still … here … somehow, … Read More Cover Reveal – One Moment by Becky Hunter
+ crime fiction, dark humour, female friendship, fiction, friendship, jealousy, kidnapping, lies, marriage, murder, murder mystery, Psychological fiction, revenge, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, secrets, thriller
The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre
One hen weekend, seven secrets… but only one worth killing for. Jen’s hen party is going to be out of control… She’s rented a luxury getaway on its own private island. The helicopter won’t be back for seventy-two hours. They are alone. They think. As well as Jen, there’s the pop diva and the estranged ex-bandmate, the tennis pro and the fashion guru, the … Read More The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre
+ fashion, feel-good, female friendship, feminism, fiction, friendship, Italy, literature, London, review, seventies, Yorkshire
All About Evie by Matson Taylor
EVIE EPWORTH IS TEN YEARS OLDER. BUT IS SHE ANY WISER? 1972. Ten years on from the events of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth and Evie is settled in London working for the BBC. She has everything she’s ever dreamed of (a career, a leatherette briefcase, an Ossie Clark poncho) but, following an unfortunate incident involving Princess Anne and a Hornsea Pottery mug, she finds herself having to rethink her life and piece … Read More All About Evie by Matson Taylor
+ abuse, diary, domestic noir, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, lies, rape, relationships, review, secrets
Good Husbands by Cate Ray
Three wives, one letter, and an explosive secret that will change everything. He said, she said. Who do you believe? Jessica, Stephanie and Priyanka are complete strangers, but they have one thing in common: they’ve each received a letter accusing their husbands of committing a sexual assault more than two decades prior. Is the accusation true or is there more to the story? It … Read More Good Husbands by Cate Ray
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, coming-of-age, community, cult, family, feel-good, female friendship, fiction, friendship, germany, grief, Historical fiction, holocaust, jewish history, jews, lies, List, literature, loss, love, motherhood, murder, music, nazi germany, piano, rape, relationships, religion, review, secrets, sisterhood, suffragette movement, whimsical
My Top 8 Books of 2022 – Part Two
Here are my favourite eight books of the second quarter of 2022. You will notice that it doesn’t include any crime dramas, detective novels or serial killer thrillers. While I love those genres, they rarely bring something totally new to the table and my favourites tend to be feel-good, whimsical or magical realism. Or totally original or make me cry. There are a couple of … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2022 – Part Two
+ crime fiction, family, female friendship, fiction, friends, friendship, grief, lies, loss, murder, murder mystery, review, secrets, thriller
The Apartment Upstairs by Lesley Kara
Scarlett’s aunt lived – and was brutally murdered – in the apartment upstairs. But Scarlett is determined that life should return to some kind of normal, even if that means living with just a ceiling between her and the scene of such a devastating crime. After all, this is her home. She’s safe here. Isn’t she? Dee is busy balancing her job as a … Read More The Apartment Upstairs by Lesley Kara
The Only Exception (Love in the Comptons #2) by Claire Huston
Lucinda Green knows something is missing from her life. But what? Her catering business is enjoying modest success and she loves her cosy house, even if she does have to share it with her irritating ex-fiancé. Whatever’s making her unsettled and edgy, Lucinda’s certain that a lack of romance isn’t the problem. How could it be when she doesn’t believe in true love? But … Read More The Only Exception (Love in the Comptons #2) by Claire Huston
+ coming-of-age, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, lies, literature, love, Magical realism, motherhood, review, secrets, sisters, wales, whimsical, World War Two, WW2
Only May by Carol Lovekin
A young woman haunted by ghosts, magic and long-kept family secrets, in a new novel from the author of the Wales Book of the Year 21 shortlisted Wild Spinning Girls. I give you fair warning, if you’re planning on lying to me, don’t look me in the eye. It’s May’s 17th birthday – making the air tingle with a tension she doesn’t fully understand. … Read More Only May by Carol Lovekin
+ childhood, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, grief, literature, loss, love, motherhood, religion, review, secrets, sisters, twins
The Shadow Child by Rachel Hancox
Eighteen-year-old Emma has loving parents and a promising future ahead of her. So why, one morning, does she leave home without a trace? Her parents, Cath and Jim, are devastated. They have no idea why Emma left, where she is – or even whether she is still alive. A year later, Cath and Jim are still tormented by the unanswered questions Emma left behind … Read More The Shadow Child by Rachel Hancox
+ family, female friendship, feminism, fiction, friendship, haunting, Historical fiction, history, literature, loss, love, motherhood, rape, revenge, review, secrets, suffragette movement, supernatural, World War One
The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan
Set in suffragette London. Lotta Rae is a working-class 15-year-old, raped by a wealthy gentleman, who makes the brave decision to testify in court. William Lindon is a barrister about to lose everything. Both have decisions to make that will change the course of their lives and the lives of everyone around them for generations to come. Atmospheric historical novel set in 20th-century Suffragette … Read More The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan
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