Mrs Cooke’s Books

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

Hello and happy Thursday!

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle as part of the #blogtour 💫

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Synopsis

Hubert Bird is not alone in being alone.
He just needs to realise it.

In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship and fulfilment.

But Hubert Bird is lying.

The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul.

Until, that is, he receives some good news – good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on.

Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .

Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows will he ever get to live the life he’s pretended to have for so long?

From bestselling author Mike Gayle, All the Lonely Peopleis by turns a funny and moving meditation on love, race, old age and friendship that will not only charm and uplift, but also remind you of the power of ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference.

My Thoughts

Before I proceed, I’d just like to say that my copy (pictured) is actually a proof copy, and that when you go out to the book shop to buy yours, you should look out for a lovely baby blue and white hardcover 🥰

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I have loved Gayle’s previous books and his effortlessly beautiful writing style genuinely makes my heart sing so I was very excited when this dropped on the doormat!

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All The Lonely People did not disappoint. I loved Hubert and all of his wondrous escapades in his hurried attempt to achieve his fake life. This wasn’t an easy read at times, and there were certainly points where I was reaching for the tissues with a knot in my tummy. However, I couldn’t stop reading this and found it ultimately to be such an inspiring and hopeful read.

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With themes of kindness and community spirit, mixed up with loneliness, parenting, marriage and a plethora of other weighty subjects; Gayle has managed to make everything sparkle and shine and positively gleam with uplifting vibes.

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A beautifully written, raw and touching tale; All The Lonely People is definitely not to be missed this Summer!

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All The Lonely People is out now in hardcover And you can buy it here and my thanks go to Jenny Platt and Hodder & Stoughton for the invitation to the blogtour and my proof copy💫

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If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others and also the other stops on the blogtour (see below).

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Until next time! Have a wonderful day!

@mrscookesbooks

Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd

Hello and happy Thursday!

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd as part of the #blogtour 💫

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Synopsis

In a world of what-ifs, a connection has been made …

When Ryan spots a young woman on the tube on his commute, he can’t take his eyes off her. Instantly attracted and intrigued, he’s keen to find out more about his mysterious fellow passenger.

The woman he thinks of as Millie spends all day travelling the Underground, unable to leave for reasons unbeknownst to Ryan. For some inexplicable reason, he just can’t shake the feeling he wants to help her escape her endless commute.

This is a story of love and loss from the author of The First Time Lauren Pailing Died, perfect for fans of Anna Hope’s Expectation, David Nicholls’s Sweet Sorrow and Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life.

My Thoughts

First of all can we just take a moment to admire this cover – it is truly gorgeous, and the endpapers are equally a dream 🤤 I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but… COME ON!

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I must admit that initially this book took me a bit of time to get into and I felt a little discombobulated by the narrative style. HOWEVER this was short lived and I’m pleased I persevered because once I got into the swing of Rudd’s unique style of writing; it flowed beautifully.

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Primarily about grief and love and loss, I found Eleven Lines To Somewhere to be very moving and so sad at times. I really enjoyed the familiar and much loved surroundings in which the story is set; it brought back memories of my morning commute in London and all of the sights and sounds and smells (plus all of the pushing and shoving that came along with it!).

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I enjoyed Rudd’s very direct style of writing and also the slow yet strong character development as the narrative progressed. This definitely isn’t a book to be rushed, but one to be contemplated, slowly.

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Captivating, soul searching and beautifully nostalgic, Eleven Lines To Somewhere is a poignant read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Eleven Lines To Somewhere is out now in hardcover and you can buy it here and my thanks go to HQ Stories for the invitation to the blogtour and my beautiful copy 💫

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If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others and also the other stops on the blogtour (see below).

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Until next time! Have a wonderful day!

@mrscookesbooks

How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister

Hello and happy Thursday!

I thought I’d cheer up the week by doing a giveaway in conjunction with my blogtour review. I was lucky enough to be given a duplicate proof copy of How To Disappear by Gillian McAllister, so I want to give this unread beauty to one of you ♥️

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Synopsis

You can run, you can hide, but can you disappear for good?

Lauren’s daughter Zara witnessed a terrible crime. But speaking up comes with a price, and when Zara’s identity is revealed online, it puts a target on her back.

The only choice is to disappear.

To keep Zara safe, Lauren will give up everything and everyone she loves, even her husband.

There will be no goodbyes. Their pasts will be rewritten. New names, new home, new lives.

The rules are strict for a reason. They are being hunted. One mistake – a text, an Instagram like – could bring their old lives crashing into the new.

They can never assume someone isn’t watching, waiting.

As Lauren will learn, disappearing is easy. Staying hidden is harder . . .

My Thoughts

I have read and loved all of McAllister’s previous novels so naturally jumped at the chance to read her latest.

McAllister’s writing is clean and effortless and unsurprisingly, positively dripping in suspense. In what is very much a character driven story, there is a dark intensity at it’s heart and I honestly felt like it was all of my worst nightmares rolled into one. I spent the majority of my time whilst reading this book, cycling in my mind over and over “what would I do?”.

With themes of witness protection, parenting and family dynamics at it’s core, this novel has SO MUCH EMOTION. I’m not talking about corny, mushy stuff, I’m talking, real, raw, and achingly overwhelming love. It really got me at times!

With an ending that had me live DM’ing (whilst reading) my brilliant blogger friend Short Book and Scribes a zillion WTF???!!! ‘s – this book left me totally reeling and is an absolute showstopper! Brava 👏🏽

If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others and also the other stops on the blogtour. Thank you to Michael Joseph and Olivia Thomas for my review copy and the invitation to the blogtour.

To be in with a chance of winning an unread proof, please check out my instagram account @mrscookesbooks ♥️

Until next time! Have a wonderful day!

@mrscookesbooks

Together by Jane Chapman

Story Book Sunday 👧🏽👧🏽📚♥️

Last night we read #Together by #JaneChapman – I say we, but actually my 5 year old read it aloud and perfectly to all of us 🥰

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Synopsis

Hidden under shady leaves, a tiny gorilla’s face peeps out – silent and alone. But out in the world, friendship awaits. And there is joy to be found . . . together.

A tender story about finding a way through sadness and the importance of compassion and connection in a challenging world.

Our Thoughts

Together is such a delightful read! This big beautiful hardback has an endearing picture of a baby gorilla looking up at an older gorilla on it – so sweet! The Littles were very taken by the baby.

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With a muted and calming colour scheme, the illustrations in this book are simply stunning. The Littles spent some time observing how the pictures were beautiful but not busy.

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Together is a story about finding a way through sadness and the importance of compassion and connection in a challenging world and as demonstrated in the Cooke house, it’s the perfect book to be read aloud!

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Tender and heartwarming, Together is the perfect quiet bedtime story.

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Our thanks go to Leilah Skelton and Little Tiger Books for our beautiful review copy. It was published last week and is available to buy here

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Until next time! Have a wonderful day!

@mrscookesbooks

Olive by Emma Gannon

Hello bookish friends! Today it’s my pleasure to be sharing my #WhatsTurningMyPages review of Olive by Emma Gannon with you! ✨

Synopsis

OLIVE is many things.
Independent.
Adrift.
Anxious.
Loyal.
Kind.
She knows her own mind.
And it’s ok that she’s still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations, there are choices to be made and – sometimes – stereotypes to fulfil. So when her best friends’ lives branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they’ve always followed together, she starts to question her choices – because life according to Olive looks a little bit different.
Moving, memorable and a mirror for anyone at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with great warmth and nostalgia, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood, milestone decisions and the ‘taboo’ about choosing not to have children.

My Thoughts

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Reading Olive was like having a frank and funny conversation with a best mate. I immediately took not only to her, but also to her entire friendship group.

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There is a quiet rage bubbling all the way through this cleverly written story, and that rage pertains to multiple themes. There is fertility, which is certainly at the core of this novel (but not necessarily in the way you’d think or expect), there are the obstacles of adulthood, and there is friendship; more specifically growing with and cultivating your friendships.

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A fresh exploration of millennial existence; I felt like the observations made in Olive really spoke to me; I saw myself in her familiar conversations with friends and the main pull of the novel for me was how the tone felt so relatable and credible. I lived and worked in Central London throughout my 20’s to mid thirties and this was spot on.

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Olive makes for a touching and thought provoking read, which is so raw and honest, and with the numerous flashbacks in time, it is OH SO nostalgic!

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Warm, infectiously funny, and searingly relevant, Olive has everything and I adored it!

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Olive is out on 23 July in hardback and you can preorder it here. My thanks go to Harper Collins and Felicity Denham for my finished copy.

Until next time! Have a wonderful day!