The Sun In Her Eyes.. by Paige Toon

I've reviewed a few of Paige's books on here before and since she has released her new novel, The Sun In Her Eyes, I thought it was only appropriate for me to review it. Paige Toon is one of only a few authors that I will pre-order their new books and sit patiently waiting on the post man for.

Here's what the blurb says:

Blinding sunshine... A bend in the road... What became of the little girl with the sun in her eyes?
Amber was three when a car crash stole her mother's life. She doesn't remember the accident, but a stranger at the scene has been unable to forget. Now, almost thirty years later, she's trying to track Amber down.

Amber, meanwhile, is married to Ned and living on the other side of the world in London. When her father has a stroke, she flies straight home to Australia to be with him. Away from her husband, Amber finds comfort in her oldest friends, but her feelings for Ethan, the gorgeous, green-eyed man she once fell for, have never been platonic.

As Ethan and Amber grow closer, married life in London feels very far away. Then Amber receives a letter that changes everything.


Here's what I thought: 

Well its no surprise really that I loved this book by Paige as I love all of the stuff that she writes. One of my favourite things about Paige's stories is that the characters are usually based in more than one city and love to travel - as someone who loves to travel and especially loves Australia (where most of The Sun In Her Eyes is based) I love the idea that I could be living the life of a Paige Toon novel.

Amber's story is one that I think everyone will be able to relate to in some way as the story is so diverse and has so many different dimensions to it, Whether its her relationship with her dad, her husband or her friends - most people will understand the struggles.

The mystery behind what Amber's mother told the stranger before she died is one that you forget a little bit about until half way through which is when Amber receives a letter. When they both finally meet and Amber learns what her mother said is moment of true unexpectedness - you really aren't prepared for what it is. So many theories are thrown about that when you do find out, you realise that you never even considered that possibility.

Amber's relationship with both Ned and Ethan kept me hooked the whole way through. Having a love triangle is common in chick lit novels but Paige found a way to make this one unique and stand out so that the reader wouldn't be bored. Not knowing who or where Amber would end up is what made me devour this story in one sitting.

And in true Paige Toon fashion there was a character that we've met before - Josh from Pictures of Lily! Paige always incorporates a previous character into her new stories, sometimes in minor roles, sometimes as prominent characters.

You guys can check out The Sun In Her Eyes here. Make sure to follow Paige on Twitter and learn about her other books on her website.

Thanks for reading, 

Orlagh

xoxo

Thirteen Weddings.. by Paige Toon

Paige Toon is definitely one of my ALL TIME favourite authors - the excitement that overcomes me when I receive her newest releases in the post is embarrassing. I even read The Longest Holiday in one 6 hour sitting. Yeah, they're that good. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that's so special about Paige to me but I think its because her writing is so beautiful, and her characters live lives that I would die to have (Meg Stiles, anyone?). I actually finished Thirteen Weddings a while ago but immediately lent it to my sister and only got it back recently - I like to skim read again before reviewing.

I could literally babble on and on and on and on (!!!) all day about my love for Paige's novels but today its all about Bronte and Thirteen Weddings.

Here's what the blurb says:

Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia.

 Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends.

 But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business...

Here's what I thought:

From the outset when Bronte meets Alex and the beginning of their story unfolds, I was instantly rooting for Alex and Bronte to make it. However, a year later when Bronte comes across Alex again and their lives are completely different to the first night they met - Bronte decides its time to let go and move on. Give up. Bronte begins working part time as a wedding photographer and meets a certain Australian singer, Lachie, who brings out Alex's jealousy - making him question his choices.

Bronte wants nothing from either men but, in typical Paige fashion, things don't go to plan and nothing in life is as simple as you might hope. With lots of laughs, and a few tears, Thirteen Weddings is Paige at her absolute best. She writes warm, witty characters and has an easy, laid-back writing style that is easy to fall in step with.

Not only is this story based around the love of a couple (or multiple), there is also the theme of friendship running throughout. A minor story is of Bronte's friend who battles with alcoholism, showcasing the different emotions and trauma that Bronte feels as a helpless bystander. There is also the mysterious story surrounding Bronte's family permanently looming in the background and only towards the end when you find it out do you understand why it is so ironic that Bronte, who hates churches, loves being a wedding photographer. A nice little twist to spice things up without taking away from the main story of Bronte, Alex and Lachie.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this newest release of Paige - another fantastic novel to add to an ever growing list of captivating from one of chick lits finest writers of the moment. A must read for everyone who adores Paige as much as I do.

You can buy Thirteen Weddings here as well as at most good bookstores. Check out Paige's website to learn about her other novels and follow her on Twitter.

Thursday's Favourite: The Love of Her Life.. by Harriet Evans

There's so many books out there that I've read which I think deserve to be reviewed and shared. So, from now on I will be posting up a review of a book, every Thursday, which I've read and that isn't necessarily seen as 'newly released'. And today marks the first.

If you asked me to list my all time favourite books this would be up there for sure. I read this a few years ago and really think it deserves a review.

Here's what the blurb says:

Like every woman, Kate thought she'd never meet the love of her life... Until she did. But are the destined to be together?

Kate Miller has lived in New York for three long years. Now, with her father ill, its time to come home and face everything she left behind...

Her friends: Zoe and Francesca, bound to her forever as a result of one day when life changed for them all. Her family: her adored father and his much younger wife. The job: she abandoned on a glossy woman's magazine. And, the man she thought was the love of her life, whose heart she has broken.

What really happened before Kate left London? And can she pick up the pieces and allow herself to love again?


Here's what I thought:

I'm not going to lie, it took me a few chapters to really get into Kate's story. It was a bit frustrating because all you are given is little snippets and hints - which meant it was a bit slow and you weren't really understanding the information you were being given. Like, why was she so distant and uncomfortable around her supposed "best friend"? BUT all these questions get answered so in the end I loved it.

Towards the half-way mark, there comes a massive twist and you learn of the event which took place and made Kate flee London. Everything suddenly becomes clear and makes so much more sense - I even found myself reading back through some passages and enjoying them so much more because I fully understood everything and why Kate and co. were acting the way they did.

The reason that this is one of my favourites is because it brought out such strong emotions in me. I laughed, I cried, I got angry and exasperated, and at some points I just wanted to scream. I was there the whole way through with Kate, and felt the pain and love alongside her.

This story is not a casual, forget it after you read, story - it will stay with you for a very long time. It's what Harriet Evans is best at. There's love, romance and laughter, but there's always a twist - and that's what I love. You never know what's coming next.

You can buy The Love of Her Life here or at any good bookshop. You should follow Harriet on Twitter and check out her website to learn about her other books.

The Kite Runner.. by Khaled Hosseini

This is a book that has been on my reading list for a long long time. I'd been recommended it countless times and so I finally took the time out to read it..

Here's what the blurb says:

1970's Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family are forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. 

Here's what I thought:

Firstly, I think I should tell you that before picking up this book I had absolutely NO IDEA what it was truly about. I had heard that it was amazing and that it was one of those stories that stayed with you forever. I didn't even know why it was called 'The Kite Runner' until a few chapters in when I had one of those 'ahhhh' moments.

The incident that takes place and which haunts Amir for years is definitely not what I had expected in any shape or form. Its brutal, hard-hitting and, for the boys, life changing. Something that cannot be easily pushed aside or forgotten.

When Amir began his return to Afghanistan I thought that it would be quite a basic ending, although thrilling, however I was completely wrong and there was still more twists and turns to come - right up until the very end chapter.

Everyone who recommended this book and told me about it was 100% right - it is still pushing to the front of my mind frequently and I doubt I will ever forget what happened to Amir and Hassan. Khaled Hosseini writes this book brilliantly, I was gripped the whole way through and was empathising with the characters from the very beginning.

A must read for everyone.

You can buy The Kite Runner here and check out Hosseini's website to learn about his other novels.

Things I Want My Daughters to Know..

This is one of my ALL TIME favourite books - I've probably read it about 10 times. I'm not even kidding...

Here's what the blurb says:

How could you say goodbye to those you love most in the world?

Barbara must say a final farewell to her four daughters. But how can she find the words? And how can she leave them when they each have so much growing up still to do?

Take Lisa, in her thirties but terrified of commitment - or brittle, unhappily married Jennifer. Amanda, the traveler, is always a little apart from her sisters and Hannah faces adult life without a mother at her side. 

Barbara's answer is to write each daughter a letter, finally expressing the hopes, fears, dreams and secrets she couldn't always voice. These words will touch the girls in different - sometimes shocking - ways, unlocking emotions and passions to set them on their own journey of discovery through life. 

Here's what I thought:

This book really has a character for everyone - no matter who you are, you'll be able to connect with at least one character.

Lisa - Barbara's eldest - is smart and sassy with a gentle heart and a great love for her mum and sisters. Then there's Jennifer - stoney and cold - is facing more internal battles of her own that even Barbara isn't aware of. Jen really just needs a bit of TLC but is the kind of person who doesn't know how to ask for the help of others.

Amanda - the wanderlust middle child - is always away travelling as a way to avoid her problems at home and her struggle to find a place within her family. Barbara's illness is Amanda's biggest problem that she wants to avoid. Lastly, Hannah - only 15 - is scared about the fact that she wont have a mother present for the landmarks in her life that are still yet to come. Hannah is also worried about her dad, Mark.

The novel surrounds the struggles of the girls and Mark after the death of their beloved matriach - and although Barbara has already passed away when the novel begins, she is a prominent figure from the onset and throughout...

This story speaks to me on a really personal level and there's never been a time that I've read it and not cried my eyes out. Anyone that has a close relationship with their mother and/or sisters will relate to this novel in someway.

Elizabeth Noble writes in the most beautiful way and has such a magical way of connecting with her audience. And as it says on the back of of my novel: "Elizabeth Noble. So good you have to share her."

You can buy Things I Want My Daughters to Know here and check out Elizabeth's website and other novels here. 

Thanks for reading,
xoxo, Orlagh

An Offer You Can't Refuse..

Jill Mansell is one of my favourite writers and so when I came across one of her novels I hadn't got around to reading in a local charity shop, I just had to snap it up! Is it just me that thinks there's something really nice about reading a book you know someone else has already experienced before you? I love it!

Here's what the blurb says:

Ten years ago Lola Malone was offered £10,000, and what seventeen-year-old wouldn't be happy with that?

But there was a catch. The person doing the offering was her boyfriend Dougie's mother, and it was on condition that Lola broke up with her beloved son. Lola was outraged. Nothing - nothing! - could tear her and Dougie apart. Until she discovered a terrible secret, and sudden;y she had no choice but to take the money and run.

Now a twist of fate has brought Lola and Dougie together again, and her feelings for him are as strong as ever. But she broke Dougie's heart - and he's about to discover that she was paid to do it. She can never tell him the truth, so can she get him back? Well, Lola likes to think she's irresistible. But even she's got her work cut out this time...

My thoughts:

This is the kind of story that I'm instantly drawn to and it did not disappoint. Right from the beginning you get the opportunity to click with Lola, the main character, and you're instantly on her side the whole way through.

After being reunited with Dougie 10 years after breaking his heart (in the weirdest situation, might I add) Lola is instantly determined to have him back in her life, but after learning of Lola deceptiveness Dougie can't get away fast enough. In walks Sally, Dougie's older sister, who befriends Lola and even becomes a neighbour - and even embarks on her own little love story.

Throughout the novel, Lola makes herself look a bit silly as she continues to pursue Dougie and he continues to knock her back. The thing is though, you never feel embarrassed for Lola when she's embarrassing herself - its more of a "that's exactly what I would've done" kind of thought.

Another focus of the novel is Lola being reunited with someone else. A lovely twist and its really heart-warming seeing pieces of Lola's life that she never understood fit back into place. And I like that Lola and Dougie aren't the only people in the book experiencing love troubles - its nice that Mansell includes the secondary characters just as much as the main ones.

My favourite part of the story is that Lola never, ever reveals her secret as to why she took the money from Dougie's mother. To anyone. Not even Dougie himself. The reason she did it was totally understandable and going through with it really showed her strength of character - it would've been so easy to tell everyone why she took it but she stuck to her guns. I love that and I think it says so much about Jill Mansell as a writer that she can allow Lola to keep it to herself but still have everything fall into place.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and like all Jill's other books, I couldn't put it down when I started and wanted to pick it back up when I'd finished.

You can purchase An Offer You Can't Refuse here and be sure to have a look at Jill's other novels.

xoxo
Orlagh