Category: Journey story

Recent Reads: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a book that has had me laughing, and also had me crying.  

It’s the story of two writers.   January, who has found that everything that she thought she knew has been wrong, barring her best friend.  She’s flat broke, her father died the year before, her boyfriend dumped her, and she learnt a horrible truth about her father.  And now can’t write.

Augustus is the other, and he lives next door to the house January is staying in.  Whilst January writes romance, Augustus writes literary fiction, which January thinks means he looks down on her.  They could both do with finishing a book and selling it.

This is a romance, but it’s not light and fluffy throughout, there are hard issues, and real life that gets in the way. It was a very enjoyable read, and one that made me want to keep turning the pages, to see what would happen.

Beach Read is being published on 20th August, and you can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones or your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Emily Henry on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.

Recent Reads: Five French Hens by Judy Leigh

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

This cover is quite mis-leading, as it makes it look like it’s a Christmas book, and there isn’t a single scene that is set at Christmas time. It starts in February, and ends a few months later.

Five French Hens is about five ladies in their 70s discovering that life isn’t over.

Jen is 73, and just engaged to Eddie, who has decided to go on a stag do with his son to Las Vegas.  Jen, and her friends decide they want to go to Paris, and so off the go!

Rose, a widow who teaches piano, Pam, who loves her dog and isn’t interested in a relationship with anyone, Tess who is boisterous but has a husband who loves golf, and finds her embarrassing, and Della, whose only problem is money, and who is very much in love with her husband even after all these years.

I really enjoyed this book, even if in the back of my mind I was wondering about when Christmas would fit in!

Five French Hens was published on 5th December 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


You can follow Judy Leigh on Twitter, or through her website.

If you’re interested in other books where age is just a number books, then have a read of:

Mr Double Begins Again by Seni Glaister ????

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan ????


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: How to be Famous by Caitlin Moran

Posted on by Pam

My review: ?????

How to be Famous is about Dolly Wild, who is 18, living in London in her own place, and is a writer for a music magazine in 1994, when BritPop is big!  

Her best friend and man of her dreams, John Kite, has just made it big in music, which means he’s touring all of the time.  In the meantime, Dolly makes friends with Suzy, a woman who knows she is going to be famous.

Dolly has a two night stand with comedian Jerry Sharp, which turns ugly later.  There are many points where this book was great, and how Dolly deals with this situation is one of these.

How to be Famous is the second book about Johanna  Morrigan aka Dolly Wild, with the first being How to Build a Girl.  I’m definitely going to read that!

How to be Famous was published on 28th June 2018,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Caitlin Moran on Twitter, or through her website.

If you’re interested in funny journey stories, then I’d suggest The Fall and Rise of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain, which I gave ????.


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is about three very different women, each with their own problems to do with sex, and is a work of non fiction.

Lina is married to a man who doesn’t want to touch her.  Sloane is married to a man who likes to watch others touching her.  Maggie is a young woman who realises that the relationship she had with a teacher was actually very different to what she thought it was at the time.


These three women have told their lives to Lisa Taddeo, and so these events are recounted to us with what was said word for word, action for action.  As no one has perfect recall, some of this must have had imagination used, but used to put you in that time and place very effectively.

This is a strong, emotional and upsetting book in places, but a powerful one, that shows these women finding themselves, and understanding their own history a little more.  I did enjoy the book, but it is one of those that comes with trigger warnings!

Three Women was published on 9th July 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Lisa Taddeo on Twitter, or through her website.


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury Circus (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Mr Doubler Begins Again by Seni Glaister

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Mr Doubler is Begins Again is about an older man, very set in his ways, and who hasn’t left his potato farm for many years.  He spends his days working on the farm, and every lunch is spent talking to his cleaner.

But, life changes when his cleaner is too ill to work, and he finds himself becoming more interested in things outside of his farm for the first time in a long time.

I read a comment about enjoying this is if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I agree, it is the same kind of journey that our protagonist goes on, with the kindness of others to help them to get more out of life.

It was a very charming book, and one that made me think of the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, (which I’ve just discovered is a book, so another for the to be read pile!).

Mr Doubler Begins Again was published on 24th January this year, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!