Book-review post!
(All of these read on Kindle! Yes, I have succumbed. I still own and will continue to buy more print books than I can ever reasonably hope to read, but now I have two kinds of epic to-read list! These are a mix of YA and contemporary women's fiction, published either earlier this year or last year.)
Sophie Kinsella – Six Geese A-Laying
A free e-book – a Christmas short story about an exclusive pre-natal group with a mysterious twist. Really loved the concept behind this – amusing and touching all at the same time.
Jojo Moyes – The Last Letter From Your Lover
Ellie, a journalist, is having an affair with a married man; when she finds a letter from someone in a similar situation from the 1960s it prompts the reveal of another love story. In 1960, a young woman, Jennifer, wakes up in hospital with no recollection of the accident that brought her there or the man who is her husband. Slowly we see the reveal of the events that led to that accident, as well as what happens afterwards. This is a complex and twisty love story with plenty of mystery, with a gorgeous ending – a book that's a real treat to read.
Sophie Kinsella – I've Got Your Number
New Sophie Kinsella! Poppy is engaged to a fancy academic, Magnus, whose parents seem to disapprove of her (she's 'only' a physiotherapist, not a professor). When she loses her engagement ring (a priceless family heirloom) but finds someone else's phone (the PA to a super-busy executive type, Sam), life gets a little crazy. Poppy insists on keeping the phone – her own's just been stolen and this new one is the number she'll be contacted on if the ring turns up – but that means forwarding messages onto Sam… or perhaps answering a few of them herself. Poppy is a very likeable heroine – as Sam later notes, she's a little too please-like-me, the complete opposite to him – and Sam is just delightful (he helps her cheat at Scrabble from afar – ah, true love!). Immensely readable and enjoyable. (I will note that the footnotes in this one, which I adore, are probably easier to read in print than on Kindle. But I did like the immediate gratification element of being able to order a book on the day of its publication and have it straight away.)
Stephanie Perkins – Lola and the Boy Next Door
I adored Stephanie Perkins's first novel, Anna and the French Kiss, and this is a sort-of related title in that Anna and St Clair appear, although honestly I think it would have worked just as well as a stand-alone. (We know Anna and St Clair are happy and in-love, we don't need to see it!) Lola is fashion-crazy, a girl who loves costumes and creation. She's dating Max, an older musician, who her parents disapprove of; her birth mother got pregnant at seventeen and there's a fear of history repeating itself. The boy next door is the delightful Cricket – well dressed and an eccentric inventor type – who Lola hasn't seen in years, and who's moved back with the rest of his family, including his twin, the cold and competitive Calliope. As with Anna there's much more going on than just a love story – family issues, friends, an individual passion, a well-utilised setting (San Francisco, in this case) – but the love story is exquisite. (Oh, Cricket!)
Abby McDonald – Getting Over Garrett Delaney
Another smart, fun, pop-culture-tastic, feminist read from Abby McDonald. Sadie has been hopelessly in love with her best friend, Garrett, for years, and just when she thinks he's finally about to announce he feels the same way about her too, he reveals that he's fallen in love with someone else. Again. So she decides to detox – with the help of her new colleagues at the local coffee shop – and realises she needs to reinvent herself. Or more accurately, discover herself. This is an insightful take on the interests we develop in response to that charismatic someone else, and the things we hide because that someone else doesn't approve. Also on hopeless crushes. And self-help programmes. Really enjoyed reading this one.
Jessica Martinez – Virtuosity
What I know about classic violin-ing (is that a word?) could fit on the back of a pin, but I adored this debut from Jessica Martinez about seventeen-year-old Carmen, a homeschooled anxiety-drug-taking girl on the verge of a major competition, hoping to transition from 'child prodigy' to 'successful adult performer'. Her main rival is Jeremy – also precocious – who she becomes obsessed with, and then involved with. Meanwhile, her scheming mother, Diana, is up to no good behind the scenes… Fascinating read.
