Fiction

The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons Review

Janereads
The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons
The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons, ISBN 9780732294922, 443pp

The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons is the first book in the  End of Forever trilogy. I used to love reading Paullina Simons books in my twenties. Books like The Bronze Horseman trilogy, Tully and The Girl in Time Square were some of my favourites. It has been quite a while since I’ve read any of her books.

I saw The Tiger Catcher on bookstagram and a bookstagrammer I follow described it as “a passionate love story.” So I rushed out and bought it the same day. I was so eager to start it that I nudged aside all the other books on my to be read pile. Continue reading →

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary Review

Janereads8 Comments
photo of The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, ISBN 9781787474420, 394pp

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary was such a fun read. I saw this book everywhere before finally jumping on the reading bandwagon — and I’m so glad that I did. I loved this story. The writing reminded me of Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes — both who are favourite authors of mine. The story also reminded me of my own experience moving into a share house and finding love. But more on that later…

The Flatshare tells the story of Tiffy and Leon. Tiffy works as a book editor for a craft book publisher. She has to find somewhere affordable to live in London (in a hurry) after breaking up with her douchey boyfriend, Justin. Continue reading →

The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris Review

Janereads4 Comments
photo of the book The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris
The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris, ISBN 9781409170761, 368pp (this is a photo of a special signed proof I received from the publisher)

The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris was a delightful read. I haven’t read any Joanne Harris books for a long time, so reading this one felt a bit like sitting down with a long lost friend. When most people think of books by Joanne Harris, they think of her bestselling book Chocolat. Well, The Strawberry Thief returns to that same world years later. I didn’t realise there were a couple of other books in this series – which I haven’t read – but I honestly feel you can jump straight to this book if you like.

Vianne Rocher still runs a magical chocolate shop in a small French village. Her daughter Anouk is now twenty-one and living in Paris with her boyfriend. But Vianne has another daughter, sixteen-year-old Rosette, her special child. Continue reading →

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes Review

Janereads6 Comments
The One Plus One book by Jojo Moyes next to a cup of tea
The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes, ISBN 9781405909051, 515pp

I read The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes a few months ago while on a long car trip. Luckily my husband drove so I could read. This was a re-read for me but I read this years ago so I couldn’t remember much of the plot. It was the perfect book to read in the car as the plot involves a road trip to Scotland.

If there’s one thing Jojo Moyes does well it’s creating characters who you can’t help but feel for and cheer for. The One Plus One is told from the perspective of four characters. Jess Thomas is a single mum separated from her deadbeat husband and working two jobs to try and make ends meet. Ed Nichols is a rich, talented software developer with a lot of brains but not the best sense when it comes to relationships. Tanzie is Jess’s tween daughter and a math genius. She has the chance for a better future at a new school, but money is an overwhelming obstacle. And Nicky is the teenage son of Jess’s ex who she has taken under her wing. His difference and love of eyeliner makes him the constant target of the local bullies. Continue reading →

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

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Photo of The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory Book
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory, ISBN 9781472255877, 310pp

I read The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory when I was in transit. I was flying from Koh Samui in Thailand to Singapore, waiting five hours at Singapore airport, and then flying eight and a bit hours back to Australia. I was also in the midst of a painful rib injury so it wasn’t the best time for me. But The Wedding Date was just the entertaining read I needed to get me through this travel hell. It made time go faster and took my mind off my discomfort. But this book passed by in a bit of a blur. Excuse me if the following review is on the vague side.

Let’s see what I remember… The Wedding Date starts with a meet cute when a power outage strands two people together in a hotel elevator in San Francisco. Alexa Monroe is at the hotel to visit her sister, while Drew is staying there for the wedding of an ex-girlfriend to his friend. He’s even the best man at this wedding. The problem is that he’s lacking a date. Continue reading →

Elevation by Stephen King Review

Janereads8 Comments
Elevation by Stephen King review
Elevation by Stephen King, ISBN 9781473691520, 132pp

Elevation by Stephen King was a quick and easy read (which is why I chose it). My husband has been bugging me to read a book from his vast Stephen King collection for quite a while. I chose Elevation because it’s new and on the short side (only 132 pages).

Like many of Stephen King’s books, it’s set in the small town of Castle Rock. (A place I wouldn’t want to live because weird stuff always happens there!)

Scott Carey is experiencing medical issues – he can’t stop losing weight. He is losing weight without doing exercise or changing his diet. And he looks exactly the same (muffin top and all) even though scales are registering the kilos coming off fast. Continue reading →

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes Review

Janereads3 Comments
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes review
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes review, ISBN 9780718157845, 515pp

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes caught me by surprise. It has now become my favourite Jojo Moyes book apart from Me Before You. I’ve been reading a lot of Jojo Moyes’ backlist lately, ever since my husband gifted me a whole heap of her books. I wasn’t in a huge rush to read this one. Then I read her collection of short stories — Paris For One — and there was a short story about a young married couple living in Paris, just before the outbreak of World War One. I really enjoyed their story and was thrilled to discover it was continued in this book. Continue reading →

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes Review

Janereads14 Comments
Paris for One by Jojo Moyes review
Paris for One and other stories by Jojo Moyes, ISBN 9781405928168, 336pp

Paris for One is a short story collection by Jojo Moyes. I’m a big fan of Jojo Moyes but I don’t usually like reading short stories. I personally prefer novel length books to short stories as just when I start getting invested in the characters and plot BAM… the story ends.

BUT I really enjoyed Paris for One. Firstly, because I love the way Jojo Moyes writes and have read so many of her books over the years. Secondly, because it was a great collection of stories. And lastly, because dipping in and out of these short stories made for great reading at a time when I was finding it hard to concentrate on my reading. Continue reading →