Skip to content

Jun 23

The Summer Trip By Isabelle Broom

‘The Summer Trip‘The Summer Trip’ is the latest book by Isabelle Broom.

It’s been 18 years since Ava spent the summer on the Greek island of Corfu, but she has never forgotten what happened during those months – or who she left behind. Now single, estranged from her family, and preparing to wave her daughter off to university, Ava’s life seems a million miles away from the one she dreamed about as a teenager – a life now being lived by her sister instead. When Ava decides to return to Corfu for the summer, she knows she must finally face the place and the people that broke her heart. But with old resentments festering, long-buried secrets lurking, and familiar feelings resurfacing, it looks set to be a holiday that will change all their lives forever.

The latest offering by Isabelle is a glorious escape to the sun kissed shores of Corfu. Say goodbye to clammy weather, interest rates and drama and hello to an exquisite escape, packed with delicious Greek food, Greek gods and a nostalgic journey into what could have been.

The story is seen through the narrative of Ava who’s never quite gotten over her first love. 18 years after leaving Corfu, she returns with her 17 year old daughter to catch up with her younger sisters as well as the man who first stole her heart.

I love Isabelle’s books, they’re vibrant, romantic and are the perfect distraction from the mundane life.

Ava is an interesting character, she’s fun and protective of daughter and when she meets Niko, the boy she fell in love with, it makes for tender reading as they both have to face up to the past and what could have been. Her relationship with her sisters is strained so it’s interesting to see the different personalities come together and reflect on old times. Niko is also a lovely character with his charming and spirited attitude.

Like Isabelle’s, previous books, this story is vividly written packed with wonderful descriptions of the island, the delicious cuisine and the culture. So if you were thinking of a Greek adventure, ‘The Summer Trip’ is the perfect guide book with the added bonus of some romance.

The story is written in the past and present when Niko and Ava first met as teenagers and it’s so lovely to join as their young love flourishes and this really made for tender and sweet reading.

Beautifully written and wonderfully captivating, ‘The Summer Trip’ is a gentle, heartwarming and witty story about self-discovery and forgiveness that made for poignant and fun reading.

You can pre-order ‘The Summer Trip’ from Amazon and will be available to buy from good bookshops from 23rd June 2022.

Mar 17

A Family Reunion By Patricia Scanlan

A Family Reunion‘A Family Reunion’ is the latest book by Patricia Scanlan.

When four feisty women from the same family, get together at a family reunion, anything can happen…

‘A Family Reunion’ is a hard hitting and emotional story about a family’s hardship with bitter feelings and revelations.

The story begins on the night of Brigid’s 80th birthday, when a surprise party is organised by her friends and family. Having spent over 60 years giving her life to the Catholic Church and helping those less well off, she’s looking forward to her retirement. But on that night, her younger sister Imelda, who has always jealous of Brigid leaving Ireland and having a more exciting life and leaving her to deal with the family farm and settle for a much slower pace of life than she ever desired. After Imelda reveals the bottled up emotions from the last 60 years, the story then flows for many decades and seen from 3 generations of women. Brigid and Imelda, Imelda’s daughter Keelin and Keelin’s daughter Marie Claire, who has just returned to Ireland from Canada after that her boyfriend was cheating on her.

The story is seen from the different narratives as they all battle with the aftermath of Brigid’s party and all the women are devastated at Imelda’s news.

Imelda is a hard character, she’s selfish absorbed and is not afraid to speak her mind. She longed to leave rural Ireland for the city lights of Dublin, but couldn’t with Brigid becoming a nun and has never forgiving her sister for taking away her opportunity and as the years go by with everyone singing Brigid’s praises, Imelda’s resentment grows.

Brigid is an interesting character, she became a nun to discover more opportunities in life and escape Ireland and found herself loving and embracing helping the sick in Africa and her narratives makes for humbling reading at times.

The story spans over 70 years and it really does make for upsetting and sad reading in part. The Catholic Church has such a strong hold over Ireland and over the years there have been terrible stories revealed with the Catholic Church in the forecourt of them. The Mother and Baby Homes where underage or unwed women had babies only for them to cruelly taken away from them to be sold or to have buried in unmarked graves. Women were unable to get contraceptives and had to travel to Northern Ireland and only recently in 2018, in the Irish Referendum, was it allowed that women could have abortions in Ireland and not have to travel to England for an already traumatic experience.

Patricia has truly written a story that evokes many reactions from the hardships that women faced living in Ireland, the treatment and judgement from the Church that impacted on so many lives as well as the lack of equality. To think, that women were unable to get library cards without consent from their husbands made for truly shocking reading. It’s remarkable to read how the country has progressed throughout the years but without the power and resilience of the women of Ireland, life could be a lot darker.

Sweetly written and crafted with the warmth of Irish culture and dialogue, A story of revelations, hope and the power of family blood, ‘A Family Reunion’ is a poignant and insightful about how the consequences of one night can changes lives forever.

You can buy ‘A Family Reunion’ from Amazon and is also available to buy from good bookshops.

Mar 15

The Secret Diary of a New Mum (aged 43 1/4) By Cari Rosen

The Secret Diary of a New Mum (aged 43 1/4) ‘The Secret Diary of a New Mum (aged 43 1/4)’ is the latest book by Cari Rosen.

Whatever your age, becoming a mum for the first time brings excitement, anxiety and numerous challenges. But how do you cope when, to top it all off, you discover you are almost old enough to be the mother of everyone else in your birth prep group? As one in five babies is born to a mum over 35, and the number of women over 40 giving birth has doubled, Whether it’s deftly side-stepping questions about your age and baby number two, weeping as younger counterparts ping back into their size ten jeans within thirty seconds of giving birth, or your doctor suddenly referring to you as geriatric Cari approaches the shared experiences of an ever-increasing number of mothers with insight, humour and honesty.

This is a fun and relatable story that highlights the struggles and reality of becoming an older mum.

After years of trying to become a mother, Cari is successful in her 43rd year and in this diary, Cari documents her journey in a deliciously honest and frank manner. From the insulting terminology of being called a geriatric mother to the questions about being an older mother and all the drama surrounding it.

Cari is a fantastic writer and is a breath of fresh air with hilarious and honest writing to being an older first time mother. She tackles breast feeding, car seats and vomiting with lightness and warmth but also writes about the fears of becoming older mothers such as increased chances of sickness and disabilities with open concern and fear.

As a woman who’s conscious of getting older and the loud tick of the biological clock, ‘The Secret Diary of a New Mum (aged 43 1/4)’ counting down, this refreshing, reassuring and wise story is an incredibly enjoyable book.

You can buy ‘The Secret Diary of a New Mum (aged 43 1/4) from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.