Other Women by Jean Levy

Happy Thursday!  Here’s my blogtour review of Other Women by Jean Levy!

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Synopsis

Sophie thought she and Jonah were happy, bringing up their small daughter together, until one summer’s day, she discovers that Jonah is far from the man she thought he was. Sam – an attractive English teacher – seems to offer her some comfort, and new friendships are a support. But is Sam really who he says he is? Where have her new friends appeared from? Is anyone telling the truth? As Jonah’s lies threaten Sophie and her daughter, can anyone be trusted?

My Thoughts

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I have not read a Jean Levy before, so jumped at the chance when the publisher invited me to be on the blogtour!

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Other Women is the story of Sophie; and the unravelling of her life over a period of years.  It is laced with secrets and lies and, without wanting to give too much away, it is punctuated with twists and turns that surprised me more than once.

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Whilst I’d probably class Other Women as a psychological thriller, I wouldn’t say it is of the “conventional” variety.  It is rich and thick in detail and really does leave nothing to the imagination.  Levy has thought of everything and all the reader needs to do is to sit back and enjoy her words; Other Women makes for a truly immersive read.

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Primarily a character driven novel, we happen upon some intriguing people in Other Women and I throughly enjoyed the mystery element that unfolds as we meet everyone, as well as the tension that ramped up as I turned the pages.

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A well crafted, and quietly compelling read; Other Women will have you turning the pages long past your bedtime.

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Other Women is out now I’m paperback and you can buy it here.  My thanks go to Dome Press and Emily Glenister for my copy of the book and the invitation to the blogtour.

Hope you have a lovely day.  Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks

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I Really Really Need A Wee by Karl Newson & Duncan Beedie

It’s Story Book Sunday where I review a children’s picture book with my two daughters and this week one of the books we’ve been reading together is I Really Really Need A Wee 🥰

Synopsis

Bush Baby is in a fix. She didn’t need a wee before she left home – now she needs one right away! Uh-oh! But what will she do if there’s just nowhere to go? A pant-wettingly funny tale of determination and self-awareness – packed with toilet humour!
 
The perfect picture book to teach children the importance of that last-chance bathroom trip!

Our Thoughts

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What a lovely bright cover this one has!  Nice big writing and a huge drawing of a bushbaby who is DESPERATE for a wee!

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This book is bursting with wonderfully bright and expressive illustrations that really “pop”.  They had the Littles pointing and hooting with laughter at the various predicaments the poor bushbaby found himself in en route to the loo!

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There is a really lovely romp of a rhyme running through the pages and the Littles really enjoyed reading (and shouting) it out loud!  Combined with the splendid pictures, the text had them furiously giggling away!

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Funny, silly, and so entertaining, I Really Really Need a Wee is a book that ALL Littles will relate to and we REALLY REALLY recommend it.

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I Really Really Need A Wee is out now and you can buy it here  Our thanks go to Little Tiger Books for our review copy.

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Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

Mina Mistry Investigates… by Angie Lake

Today on the blog I’m delighted to host an extract from Mina Mistry Investigates; The Case of the Disgusting School Dinners by Angie Lake .

Synopsis

Introducing schoolgirl detective Mina Mistry! Perfect for fans of Dork Diaries.

Being at school is boring when you know you re going to be something cool like a Private Investigator. Until then, Mina s going to practise for her future…

Aren t school dinners a bit strange? Chicken nuggets? Again? On pizza? Covered in chocolate? Nobody wants to live on lettuce and broccoli, but children are losing teeth over this! This needs investigating.

This looks like a case for Mina Mistry.

Extract

This extract is actually a series of images as I felt it would be the best way to convey the story, illustrations and all!

Mina Mistry Investigates the Case of the Disgusting School Dinners is out now and you can buy it here.  Thank you Amber Choudhary and Midas PR for my invitation to the blogtour.

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

Little Turtle and the Sea by Becky Davies & Jennie Poh

It’s Story Book Sunday where I review a children’s picture book with my two daughters and this week we’ve been reading Little Turtle and the Sea together 🥰

Synopsis

Little Turtle loves the ocean with her whole heart. As the years pass, she repeats an incredible journey across the world to the beautiful coral reefs. 

 
 But one day she finds that plastic has invaded her ocean. Could Turtle’s journey be over forever?

Our Thoughts

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This is a beautiful looking, huge, hardback book.  A gorgeous turtle adorns the cover and the muted blues and greens are so pretty to look at.

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Each of the pages in this book is delightfully illustrated; the Littles thoroughly enjoyed drinking in and discussing each ocean scene and pointing out various, familiar plants and sea creatures.

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The narrative itself is well pitched to tell this serious story which explores the problem of plastic in the ocean, and the challenges facing marine life. This is a very topical story and I could see that the Littles understood the plastic problem and were very keen to further discuss this at the end of the story.  This was assisted hugely by the helpful information pages at the end of the book – so much to talk about!

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Beautifully illustrated and imparting a hugely important message; Little Turtle and the Sea is a fantastic picture book for all young children.

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Little Turtle and the Sea is out now in hardcover and you can buy it here and our thanks go to Little Tiger Books for our review copy.

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Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby

Hello and happy Friday bookish friends! Today I’m delighted to share my review of The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby ♥️

Synopsis

A picture paints a thousand lies…

 

Romilly lives in a ramshackle house with her eccentric artist father and her cat, Monty. She knows little about her past – but she knows that she is loved.

When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring her as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV, and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books contain a treasure hunt leading to a glittering prize.

But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of everything around him, until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear altogether.

In her increasingly isolated world, Romilly turns to the secrets her father has hidden in his illustrated books, realising that there is something far darker and more devastating locked within the pages…

The truth.

My Thoughts

I launched myself into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it nor whether it would be at all my thing, but JUST WOW.  As Crosby herself warned me; do not let the pretty drawing on the cover fool you.  This is a dark, gothic-y-esque tale and and despite the fact I finished it almost a week ago, I still can’t stop thinking about it.  I was utterly bewitched by Crosby’s sorcery!

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The Illustrated Child is an absolute gem of a book; a true wonder.  It reads like an adult fairly tale with adventures and mystery aplenty, perhaps in the vein of Enid Blyton; replete with ghosts and fairies and spirits.

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I was totally mesmerised by the romantic feel of Crosby’s depictions; she had me firmly ensconced in her words right from the opening lines.  This book has an almost ethereal quality to it and the beguiling prose was almost other worldly in the way that it drew me in.  Haunting yet enticing, The Illustrated Child conjured up such vivid imagery, it was truly magical.

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Dealing with difficult themes including the cruel clasp of dementia on a loved one and the perhaps questionable upbringing of a child; Crosby brings this enchanting story alive with both the frivolity of childhood and the fear of the unknown.

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Dark, hypnotic and quite simply wonderful; The Illustrated Child has rocketed straight into my “Top Books of 2020 so far” pile; this book about a treasure hunt is a treasure all by itself.

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The Illustrated Child is published in hardcover in October and you can pre-order it here!  My thanks go to HQ Stories for my beautiful proof.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

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