Review - A Song of Me and You by Mike Gayle

A Song Of Me and You by Mike Gayle

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 6 July 2023

Back cover blurb: Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways. Twenty years later, mother-of-two-teenagers Helen is still in Manchester, a part-time primary teacher, stunned by the behaviour of her love-rat husband. In an old T shirt and scruffy jeans, she feels at the lowest point in her life. And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. Tired maybe, lonely even, but clearly still the world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar he has become. Can you ever go back? For Helen and Ben, so much has happened in the years between. But just to sit in the kitchen for a while and talk - that would be nice. Before the world comes crashing in.

Helen has split from her husband after discovering his cliched affair with a younger woman. She is bitter, low, and lonely. Her sense of loss is heightened as their two children prepare to go on holiday with their Father, leaving Helen alone.

When there's a knock at the door not long after their departure, Helen is expecting the kids to have forgotten something, or one of her friends (not so discreetly) checking up on her. She gets the shock of her life when she opens the door to find Ben standing there.

He looks tired, a little rough. Probably not much different to Helen herself. But he is a world famous musician, and Helen is an Manchester Mum. Their worlds now couldn't be more different.

Helen and Ben were teenage sweethearts, but they parted ways when Helen went to University. They lost touch and haven't seen each other in years. Helen went on to become a teacher, marry Adam and have two children. Ben went on a to be a global superstar with his band Bluelight.

As much as she is delighted to see him, she can't help but wonder what he is doing in the UK, when he has a permanent home in L.A. Ben says he just wants to get away for a bit, to have a little bit of 'normality', and what better way to do so than look up an old friend.

Helen is skeptical, but very pleased. Ben has come along at just the right time. But neither of them are prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions that will follow as they begin their journey getting to know one another again...

Helen I think is a character that we can all relate to in some way or another. Those moments of self doubt that we have when someone from the opposite sex shows an interest in us, particularly when we are very interested in them.

A Song of Me and You is a beautifully told tale of friendship, love, loss and everything inbetween.

A Song of Me and You is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons

Publisher: Headline
Release date: 11 July 2023

Back cover blurb: As the bombs began to fall, the book club kept their hopes alive... London, 1938. Bookseller Gertie Bingham is facing difficult times, having just lost her beloved husband, Harry, and with a lingering sadness at never having been able to have a child of her own. Struggling to face running the bookshop she and Harry opened together, Gertie is preparing to sell up and move away when she is asked if she would be willing to take in a young Jewish refugee from Germany. Gertie is unsure and when sullen teenager Hedy Fischer arrives, Gertie fears she has nothing left to give the troubled girl. But when the German bombers come and the lights go out over London, Gertie and Hedy realise that joining forces will make them stronger, and that books have the power to bring young and old together and unite a community in need in its darkest hour...

The Air Raid Book Club is a beautifully written WW2 novel.

Gertie Bingham like so many is facing difficult times. After the loss of her beloved husband, she feels lost, and a lingering sadness at never being able to have a child of her own.

After the great war Gertie and Harry bought a bookshop, and that had kept them both content despite their childlessness. After Harry's death, with WW2 looming, Gertie considers selling up and moving away. Feeling that there is nothing left for her in the community. 

Until a life long friend presents her with a unique solution. Looking after a young Jewish refugee from Germany. It will be companionship for her, and she will be doing something to help the war effort. 

At first Gertie is unsure. Despite her desire to be a Mother, she isn't sure that she'd make a very good guardian, particularly not when she is still grieving for her husband.

When Hedy Fischer arrives, Gertie's worst fears are realised. They have nothing in common, and the girl is frightened, sullen and headstrong. She takes comfort in Hemmingway, Gertie's dog as he reminds her of the beloved pet she had to leave behind.

Gertie begins to reach Hedy through Hemmingway, and then through their mutual love of books. When Hedy begins to help Gertie in the bookshop, she begins to come out of her shell, and is a real asset. She also helps Gertie to rediscover her passion for books, reading and helping the community.

Together they navigate the war years, comforting each other through loss, uncertainty and brutality, and wondering what awaits them on the other side.

The Air Raid Book club is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - the Babysitter by Emma Curtis

the Babysitter by Emma Curtis

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Release date: 5 October 2023

Back cover blurb: Three women. Three secrets. Claudia's life imploded ten years ago when she was convicted of the murder of her child. Now she has done the unthinkable and confessed to manslaughter in order to be granted parole - her only hope of finding out what really happened to Tilly. Sara is married to Joe, Claudia's ex-husband, and they have a young child together. She finally has everything she ever wanted, but Claudia's release threatens the perfect life she has created. Anna was the babysitter who let Claudia and Joe down on day their daughter disappeared. Married with a child of her own, Claudia's reappearance in her quiet cul-de-sac is an unwelcome surprise. These three women are tied together in more ways than they realize. But only one of them is capable of killing.

I've not read any of Emma Curtis' previous work, but I will be sure to look out for this author in future. The Babysitter is a cleverly plotted thriller that will have you second guessing every character and their motives.

Claudia's life was destroyed ten years ago when she was convicted of the murder of her 8 month old daughter Tilly. She doesn't know what happened to her daughter all those years ago. She had let a woman she believed to be the babysitter into her house, turned her back to take a phone call, and her daughter was gone.

Having been imprisoned for ten years, she reluctantly admits her guilt in order to be granted parole. In reality, she is determined to find out what happened to Tilly, and is hopeful that her daughter is still alive.

No one wants Claudia to be released, the media storm around the time of her conviction centered on her irresponsibility as a parent, and her mental health status at the time. Her now ex-husband Joe, has remarried and has a young daughter. Her Mother and Stepfather out of the country to avoid another media storm.

Claudia knows that she must not break the conditions of her parole, or she'll be sent back to prison. But she must speak with Joe and convince him of her innocence, as he's the only person who can truly help her find their daughter.

As soon as she is able to, she contacts him. Joe doesn't want his life turned upside down, and tells Claudia to stay away. But his reasons for doing so are not as straightforward as Claudia might think. 

Sara his new wife is threatened by Claudia. Although she knows deep down that Joe loves her and believes in Claudia's guilt, she can't help but feel insecure by her release. She doesn't want her husband meeting her ex. But is there another reason for wanting Joe to stay away from Claudia.

Meanwhile Anna, who should have been the babysitter that night hates Claudia even more than Sara. But what possible motive could she have for this? Does she know more about that night that she is letting on?

There's no doubt that Claudia was safer in prison, but she will she be able to get to the bottom of her daughter's disappearance before her actions get her recalled, or worse?

The Babysitter is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

Publisher: Andersen Press

Release date: 6 July 2023

Back cover blurb: War comes to the streets of Paris and Safiyyah’s life changes for ever. Her best friend’s family have fled, and the bombing makes her afraid to leave the mosque where she lives. But when her father is arrested by the Nazis for his secret Resistance work, it falls to Safiyyah to run the dangerous errands around the city. It’s not long before hundreds of persecuted Jews seek sanctuary at the mosque. Can Safiyyah find the courage to enter the treacherous catacombs under Paris and lead the Jews to safety?

Safiyyah's War is a beautifully written account of a young girls life being turned upside down in occupied France, during WW2. 

Paris. WW2.

The Nazi's have arrived, and life is turned upside down in an instant. Safiyyah's best friend has fled with her family, and Safiyyah is afraid to leave the Grande Mosque where she lives, due to bombings, curfews and unfamiliar soldiers on the streets.

Aware of an ever present danger that she doesn't fully understand Safiyyah is disturbed by her Father's comings and goings late at night. Unaware at first that her Father is part of a secret resistance network she worries what he is doing late at night, and who with.

When she discovers the truth, she pleads with her Father to let her be involved. At first he is reluctant, but when he is arrested, Safiyyah takes the reigns with ease, running dangerous errands all over the city.

It's not long before thousands of Jews are invited to seek sanctuary at the Mosque, alongside others who are being persecuted by the Nazi regime.

The plan is to get these people out of the City to safety, via a network of tunnels that run underneath the Mosque to the river. But can Safiyyah undertake this work, when the Nazi's are hot on her heels?

I can't say too much more as I really want you to read this novel for yourself.

This lesser known act of courage by members of the French resistance is a story that needs to be heard and understood.

As per the Author's note, this book is a tale for "all the unlikely heroes, whose names aren’t memorialised and whose stories aren’t sung and praised, but whose courage and actions change our world forever"

Safiyyah's War is available now via Amazon and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who received my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Sisters under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris

Sisters under the Rising Sun

Publisher: Zaffre

Release date: 28 September 2023

Back cover blurb: In the midst of WWII, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe as the island falls to the Japanese Army. Australian nurse Nesta James has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Japanese troops overrun the island she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke has sunk. After surviving 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured and held in one of the notorious Japanese POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. But even here joy can be found, in music, where Norah's 'voice orchestra' has the power to transport the internees out of the squalor and into the light. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta devote themselves to the women's survival while discovering their own extraordinary reserves of courage, love and strength.

Sisters under the Rising Sun is a beautifully written novel about lesser known (but no less tragic) events of horror and brutality during WW2.

Singapore. Talented English musician Norah Chambers puts her young daughter Sally on a ship to safety as the country begins to surrender to the Japanese. Days later, she, her husband and Sister join another ship the Vyner Brooke hoping to join Sally.

Nesta, a Welsh Australian Nurse has enlisted to help the Allied troops, but the Island where she has been stationed has been overrun by the Japanese. She too finds herself on the Vyner Brooke with many of her colleagues. 

Tragedy strikes at sea, and the Vyner Brooke is sunk. The survivors manage to get themselves on to the beaches of a remote island only to be captured and taken to the first of many Japanese POW camps.

The brutality of the Nazi work and death camps is well documented, but equally as harrowing is the treatment of those who fled their countries prior to the Japanese invasion only to end up Japanese POW.

These camps are places of starvation and brutality that we are familiar with, but set against the blistering sun, rather than the freezing backdrop of Europe. Disease runs rife, but the Nurses have nothing to treat their patients with.

There are no 'experiments' here, no medicines, no equipment, nothing even to bury the dead with when they succumb to their illnesses.

But even under these circumstances the captives find hope and joy amongst the horror. After a camp newspaper, and Christmas concert, the decision is made to have a more permanent musical arrangement and Norah creates a 'Voice Orchestra'.

As months turn into years, those who have survived thus far wonder if the war will ever end, and it does, will they ever see their families again?

Sisters under the Rising Sun is an extraordinary tale of survival against the most horrific of conditions. At times a harrowing read, but a necessary one. The authors notes at the end are especially important to understand the impact of this period of history.

Sisters under the Rising Sun is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publisher who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Short Straw by Holly Seddon

The Short Straw by Holly Seddon

Publisher: Orion

Release date: 14 September 2023

Back cover blurb: Three troubled sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable truth that will tear the family apart.

Three sisters. All grown adults. Lizzie, Nina and Aisa Kelsey find themselves taking refuge in an abandoned house after their vehicle runs out of fuel in the midst of a storm.

Morthwaite Manor is familiar to them, though not as adults. Their Mother, Rosemary worked there when the girls were young, and they spent time there with the owner's daughter Jane.

They are shocked to find the once almost palatial house in an abandoned and derelict state. But that is the least of their worries.

Aisa is impatient to get to the airport for a flight, Lizzie has missed an important date that she hasn't told her sisters about, and Nina has her own secrets and reasons for not wanting to be there.

None of them want to enter the dilapted manor house, but they must to shelter themselves from the violent storm. Once inside they must decide which one of them will volunteer to go back out into the treacherous conditions to find help.

Morthwaite Manor is a mobile blackspot, and none of the girls can get a signal. In order to refuel the vehicle they need to call a breakdown company, or find someone that can help in the village. It's dark, late and cold. So they do what they Kelsey girls have always done to make a decision, they draw straws.

But who got the short straw? And what lies in store for them?

I don't want to say too much more as this is absolutely a novel that you should discover for yourself. A great thriller that would make a fabulous movie! 

The Short Straw is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The Girl from Norway by Emma Pass

The Girl from Norway

Publisher: Aria

Release date: 3 August 2023

Back cover blurb: 1942. When Hedda Dahlstrøm flees her abusive husband and Nazi-occupied Norway with her eight-year-old son she doesn't know if they'll make it out alive. In her desperate journey to safety she'll find safety on the rocky shores of the Shetland Islands, rescued by Canadian Flight Sergeant Bill Gauthier. As WWII's destruction rages at their doorsteps, can love find its way through the rubble?

Norway 1942 and Hedda knows that she must leave her abusive husband for the sake of her son, but how can she do in the midst of a war. 

Hedda does not agree with the occupation of her country, and it is through her resistance contacts that a unique but dangerous opportunity is presented to her.

Hedda must make the decision to leave her husband and her home country behind.

After a traumatic journey, Hedda and her son arrive on the Shetland Islands. Even though they know no one there Hedda immediately feels safer. 

It's here that Hedda meets Bill. A Canadian soldier who has ended up at a remote military location after a personal tragedy and a demotion. 

Bill is engaged to Rose, a singer with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) whom he meets whilst in a dark place. She brings him hope for the future, and is everything he wants.

Until he meets Hedda.

At first an unlikely pairing, the two are very different, but have much in common, including having left their homelands behind admits the tragedy of war.

This is a very different novel from others I've read recently in this genre, and the first I've read by this author. I really enjoyed it, and wouldn't hesitate to read another!

The Girl from Norway is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.