Review - Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Where to start with this review for Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough except for to say that it was one of the most compelling and addictive reads I’ve read in quite some time. Having heard a lot about this book, one that has become famously known for its “#WTFThatEnding”, I was expecting great things from it and great things it certainly delivered. All I hope is that this review can do this incredible book the justice that it so desperately deserves. 

Louise is a single mother to a young son and works part-time as a secretary at a psychiatry office close to where she lives. Whilst her son means the world to her, the one thing Louise would really like is to meet a man so she is delighted when she meets David in a bar one evening. Feeling an immediate connection with David, she can’t help but wonder whether she will ever see him again and is therefore totally surprised to discover that David is not only her new boss but also a married man. Whilst Louise and David continue to have an affair, one day she meets his wife Adele who is utterly intriguing and the two quickly become good friends. But as Louise soon discovers as she becomes more and more involved with the lives of both David and Adele, things between the couple are not as they seem, they are far from OK…

Behind Her Eyes is predominantly told to us from the perspectives of both Louise and Adele, two very strong females who both have very different but very complex histories. With each of the characters having a very distinctive voice, I thought that this way of telling the story worked very well and never struggled to identify whose story we were reading. Although I can’t say that I found either Louise or Adele to be particularly likeable and struggled to relate to anything that the characters were going through, I quickly became involved with their lives and couldn’t help but wonder just what was going to happen to them next. 

To have created something that is as completely and utterly mindblowing as it is, one thing that must be said is that Sarah has an incredible imagination. Despite being quite complex and descriptive in nature, I found that it became extremely addictive within a very short space of time. Behind Her Eyes was certainly a thoroughly unpredictable read and although it took me a few re-reads to understand what had happened, “#WTFThatEnding” has never been more appropriate! 

A crazy, compelling and compulsive read, Behind Her Eyes is a book that I’m so glad to have finally read. It’s certainly a book that you have to read to appreciate the magnificence of and if you haven’t yet read it I highly recommend that you do so. I’ll definitely be back to read more written by Sarah in the future! 

Review - Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan

Holiday in the Hamptons is the fifth book in the From Manhattan with Love series that’s written by the fabulous Sarah Morgan. Having been a huge fan of Sarah’s ever since I read the first book in the series, Sleepless in Manhattan, I couldn’t wait to get started with it. As I hoped and expected it would, Holiday in the Hamptons turned out to be a truly delightful book, that is perhaps my favourite of the series so far. 

Holiday in the Hamptons allows us to find out more about Harriet and Fliss, twin sisters who live and work in Manhattan where they both own and run a very successful dog walking business. Whilst they are both happy and seem to enjoy life in Manhattan, when her ex-husband Seth appears on the scene Fliss wants nothing more than to run away and hide. So when their elderly grandmother suffers a fall and needs looking after in the Hamptons, Fliss jumps at the chance to escape from Manhattan. However, what she doesn’t realise is that Seth working in Manhattan was only ever a temporary measure and that he would soon be returning to his home in the Hamptons. 

One thing that has to be said for this book is that Sarah has a real talent for creating characters who you can’t help but fall head over heels in love with. Throughout Holiday in the Hamptons, Fliss and Seth were two of these characters who worked really well together and I absolutely loved getting to know them both. I particularly enjoyed learning about Fliss’ background and the impact it had on her as a person today. The relationship that she had with both her twin sister and grandmother was fantastic and a real pleasure to read about. 

As with all of the books in the From Manhattan with Love series, Holiday in the Hamptons is one that can very easily be read as a standalone novel thanks to Sarah’s wonderful way of really setting the scene for her readers and providing plenty of background information. Sarah’s fabulous writing style that I have truly grown to love over the series of books, is present throughout the entirety of Holiday in the Hamptons with plenty of moments that made me laugh and some that also brought a tear to my eye. 

The one thing I have loved about all of the books in the From Manhattan with Love series to date is the way in which they always convey some really important messages that are both inspirational and uplifting. As a book that touches on a number of different themes, Holiday in the Hamptons, is a book that does exactly this with perhaps one of the most key messages for me being the importance of listening to those who truly value, believe in and feel positively about us. 

Holiday in the Hamptons was a truly brilliant book and the perfect way to continue a series that I have adored so very much. As someone who read the book in the middle of autumn, it really did put a smile on my face and was my little bit of sunshine on a rainy day. I thoroughly recommend this and all other books in the From Manhattan with Love series and am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Moonlight over Manhattan very soon. 

Review - Some Kind of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher

Ever since the release of Billy and Me, a book which I adored for so many reasons, I have always looked forward to new releases from Giovanna Fletcher. Some Kind of Wonderful is Giovanna’s most recent title to hit the shelves and, despite an ever growing pile of books to be read, I couldn’t wait to get started on it as soon as it dropped through my letterbox on publication day. Some Kind of Wonderful was a book that did not disappoint me in the slightest, it told a beautiful story and was one that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. 

Some Kind of Wonderful introduces us to Lizzy who has been in a relationship with Ian for almost a decade since their first day at university. Everyone assumes that it is only a matter of a time before they will one day be married and that a romantic holiday in Dubai will be the place where Ian finally pops the question. However, it is not to be and Lizzy is truly devastated when the proposal she has always dreamed of never happens and Ian reveals that he no longer wants to be with her. Returning home to England and her family home, we stay with Lizzy as she mends her broken heart and tries to rediscover exactly who she is and more importantly who she wants to be now that Ian is no longer in her life. 

Something that I have always loved about Giovanna’s previous books and what helps to make them so fabulous are the wonderful characters that she introduces us to. Her lead characters are always so perfectly created and thought through and this was certainly the case with Lizzy in Some Kind of Wonderful. I thought that Lizzy was an extremely likeable and down-to-earth character whose journey was a pleasure to follow. By the end of the story I felt like I’d really got to know Lizzy and had so much admiration for her and the things she was determined to achieve. 

You might think that a book that begins with a breakup would be full of doom and gloom but this is definitely not the case with Some Kind of Wonderful which turned out to be a truly inspirational and uplifting read. Throughout the entirety of the book, Giovanna’s fabulous writing style that I have grown to love so much over the years really shone through and is perfectly balanced with some hilarious moments but also a few that brought a tear to my eye. As I found myself completely hooked on this book and unable to put it down, another thing I loved about it was the way in which it made me realise what’s important in my own life and the important message it contained about everyone deserving to be happy. 

Every now and then you come across a book whose title is so entirely appropriate and Some Kind of Wonderful was one of those books as it really was absolutely wonderful, a real little gem. With Giovanna’s books getting better and better and this being my favourite to date, I’m already really looking forwrad to seeing what Giovanna will write for us next.