Published by Agora Books 13th September 2018 / 272 pages Opening sentence: “They say I’ll never find her.” It’s a little tricky for me to write this review. I suffered from a considerable lack of motivation when reading A Little Bird Told Me – but I can’t quite pinpoint if that was due to my […]
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Published 23rd August 2018 by HarperCollins / 400 pages Opening sentence: “Hercule Poirot smiled to himself as his driver brought the motorcar to a stop with satisfying symmetry.” Sophie Hannah is a successful crime writer who, since 2014 (with permission from the Christie estate), has been writing new Hercule Poirot stories in the voice of […]
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Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling: Just a Small-Town Girl Living in a Notions World by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen Opening sentence: “Your one Aisling is absolutely gas, isn’t she?” You may have got a hint from the title, this book is very Irish. What I mean by that is it’s jam-packed full of Irish […]
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Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce Opening sentence: “When I first saw the advertisement in the newspaper I thought I might actually burst.” Set in London during the Second World War, we meet Emmeline Lake, she dreams of being a Lady War Correspondent, so accepts a job at Woman’s Friend magazine to start her journalism […]
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Everything is Lies by Helen Callaghan Opening sentence: “No one is who they say they are.” Well, that opening sentence pretty much sums up the plot of this book! When we meet Sofia, a 25-year-old architect, she’s focused on trying to get ahead in her career. Her parents live a quiet life running a garden […]
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Trying by Emily Phillips Opening sentence: “‘Maybe we should try some porn?’ I say lightly into my husband’s exasperated face.” This is the debut novel by Grazia magazine’s Features Director, Emily Phillips. She has been open about her struggle to conceive a baby and, as she put it: “to channel my emotions, I wrote a book, […]
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The Cactus by Sarah Haywood Opening sentence: “I’m not a woman who bears grudges, broods over disagreements or questions other people’s motives.” The cactus is known for having a prickly, but often beautiful, exterior to keep it safe from harm and, with the right amount of nurture and attention, it flourishes. Our lead character, Susan Green, […]
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