My heart has only just recovered form Ruby Hummingbird’s last book, The Wish List of Albie Young. I was a little worried that there was no way the author could follow up such a book but, goodness me, she has!
The Garden of Lost Memories is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a woman in her 60s and her 10 year old neighbour. Elsie lives alone following the death of her mother. She has a set routine and limited social interaction. But when Billy and his mum run away from his abusive dad and move in next door, Elsie offers to help babysit Billy to allow his mum to work.
Working together in the garden, Billy finds an old biscuit tin with secrets that have been buried for decades. This sparks a series of adventures, hope and tears…
The Garden of Lost Memories is a highly emotional book to read. Both main characters are desperate to be loved and accepted, making this book so human and every reader will be able to relate to them.
The sadness of Elsie and Billy is shown through the dual perspective narrative and makes us identify with both characters equally. Despite dealing with big subjects like grief and domestic abuse, this is a gentle and warm book to read so they are handled subtly and sensitively.
The bullying and unhappiness at being separated from his dad is so raw and powerful, heartbreaking for anyone to read but especially for a mum imagining her own child in that situation. Equally, I can understand the quiet loneliness of loss and a life only half lived as Elsie has experienced.
Ultimately this is a book of hope: that life can change, that love can endure and that the heart can mend.
Beautifully written, achingly emotional and simply brilliant.
Book Description: The Garden of Lost Memories
Just because you feel ordinary doesn’t mean you aren’t extraordinary to someone else.
Sixty-two-year-old Elsie knows what she likes. Custard creams at four o’clock, jigsaw puzzles with a thousand pieces, her ivy-covered, lavender-scented garden.
Ten-year-old Billy would rather spend his Saturdays kicking a ball, or watching TV, or anything really, other than being babysat by his grumpy neighbour Elsie and being force fed custard creams.
If it was up to them, they’d have nothing to do with each other. Unfortunately, you can’t choose who you live next door to.
But there is always more to people than meets the eye…
Elsie doesn’t know that Billy’s afraid to go to school now, or why his mother woke him up in the middle of the night with an urgent shake, bags already packed, ready to flee their home.
Billy doesn’t know that the rusting red tin he finds buried in Elsie’s treasured garden is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode her carefully organised life. And that when he digs it up, he is unearthing a secret that has lain dormant for twenty-eight years…
This moving tale is for anyone who has ever felt the pang of loneliness, or worried that their broken heart might never be the same again. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Library of Lost and Found will fall head over heels for this life-affirming novel that shows us that if you’re willing to take a risk, happiness is only ever a heartbeat away.
Author Bio:
Ruby Hummingbird is a novelist based in the English countryside. She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn’t storytelling, she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes.
@HummingbirdRuby
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Lara is crushed when her relationship ends in the worst way: he cheats on her with her best friend. When she returns home, she finds a cat on her doorstep and pours all her love into Fluffy.
She rebuilds her life and starts a wedding coordinator business. But she discovers that Fluffy has divided loyalties and a second owner named Theo…
The Break Up is a feel-good book despite the negativity implied in the title. Lara is a strong female lead character and our sympathies are instantly aligned with her after the devastation in the opening chapter. We want her to succeed in life and love due to the problems of her past.
Lara is the only well rounded character in the book. Her assistant Betsy was a fun character and I guessed the twist in her character’s plotline. Theo is a pleasant enough chap but we don’t really feel any bond with him as the focus in upon Lara and her feelings for him rather than him as an individual.
There is plenty of humour in the book despite the emotional highs and low that the plot develops. I enjoyed the misunderstanding about the cat which sparks the beginning of the relationship between Lara and Theo. Her mum also provides light relief as do the ridiculous wedding demands (I hope I wasn’t as bad when I was a bridezilla!)
The Break Up is a light hearted and relaxed, gentle romance. There are no lurid sex scenes so I wouldn’t blush lending this to my mum.
Media Pack – Tour Info Sheet
Author: Tilly Tennant
Book: The Break Up
Publication Day: 26/03/2020
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Description:
What happens when Mr Right goes rogue?
Lara doesn’t have a back-up plan. So when her safe-bet boyfriend Lucien dumps her for her best friend, Lara’s world implodes. Life after the break up stretches bleakly ahead, lonely evenings on the sofa with only a bottle of wine and her grey cat Fluffy for company…
Down the road, Theo loves his job as a jazz musician, giving other people great nights out before coming home in the early hours and unwinding with his loyal cat Satchmo.
What they don’t know is that it’s the same cat.
And when they find out, standing in the streets in their pyjamas, both on the hunt for their lost pet, sparks of the wrong sort fly.
Lara can’t deny that Theo is one of the most gorgeous men she’s ever met, but she can see exactly why he’s still single. They do say opposites attract… but is she ready to move on? And when Lucien comes back into the picture, will she be tempted back to her life before the break up, or risk everything on the chance of something new?
A wonderfully warm will-they-won’t-they romantic read that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. If you’re a fan of Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews, The Break Up is the love story you’ve been waiting for.
Previously titled: A Cat Called Cupid
Author Bio:
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her next Tilly Tennant novel. She also writes as Sharon Sant, where she explores the darker side of life, and Poppy Galbraith, where things get a little crazier.
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Small town secrets and lies are revealed when newcomer Amanda arrives in town, She has always known she was adopted but her adoptive parents told her they knew nothing of her birth family. This was a lie and when her biological grandmother dies, Amanda inherits her house and decides to visit the town and find out more about her mother.
She discovers that her mother was Angie, a girl of sixteen who died from complications caused the pregnancy and her grandmother’s decision to avoid medical care due to the shame of having an illegitmate child in the house. Amanda’s focus switches onto trying to find her biological father and she narrows it down to 4 men…
Amanda’s journey of discovery is both fascinating and heartbreaking as it unfolds. We also see Angie’s perspective through odd installments of a letter she wrote to her newborn daughter.
A strong theme in this book is women working together. Amanda develops strong friendships with Tessie, Frances and Linda whilst also causing them emotional pain as they confront the past. The women are all strong despite the unkind twists of fate that have shaped their lives and relationships.
I enjoyed how the mystery of Amanda’s father unfolded over the course of the book. In the final chapters, it becomes obvious to us who was responsible but she is trying to avoid reaching the same conclusion due to the emotional fallout it will cause.
I really enjoyed The Daughter She Lost: it pulled at my heartstrings whilst also being a satisfying mystery. Take a look at my review of Lauren Westwood’s previous book My Mother’s Silence.
Blog Tour Media Kit:
Title: The Daughter She Lost
Author: Lauren Westwood
Pub day: 27/03/2020
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Description:
I know in my heart that I’m going to lose you, my dearest darling girl. I can’t fight any longer. No matter what I do, no matter how much I love you, I know that this is the end for me. But remember that I am with you always and that because of you, my mistake was worth it.
Amanda always knew she was adopted, but when she inherits a house in Avalon Springs, it’s the first she hears of her birth mother’s death. The moment she used to imagine meeting her for the first time and staring into the bright blue eyes they might share, will always remain a dream.
Heartbroken, Amanda knows she must go there to show her children the home where they should have lived, to go through her mother’s old clothes, sell the house and say goodbye.
But as she walks into the stark white house she begins to feel uneasy. There are religious quotes etched into the walls of the hallway and a jewelry box full of letters hidden in her mother’s room.
Because the family she lost is hiding dark secrets and the further she digs, the more the happy life she has carefully built for herself and her children is at risk…
A gripping and emotional novel about what it means to belong. The Daughter She Lost is perfect for fans of Kerry Fisher, Diane Chamberlain and Liane Moriarty.
Author Bio:
Lauren Westwood writes dark and romantic women’s fiction and is also an award-winning children’s writer. Originally from California, she now lives in England in a pernickety old house built in 1602, with her partner and three daughters.
Lauren hopes you enjoy her latest book, My Mother’s Silence, which is a dark, emotional journey about homecoming and family secrets. Your opinions are important to her, so please do leave a review.
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Daisy Ritter’s whole life has been overshadowed by the chemical plant in the town. It has led to her father’s drinking, her mother’s recurrent miscarriages. Finally it led to her being estranged from her family for 17 years after she witnessed a girl dying in a fire but no one believed her and she was forced to leave town.
Now, in the present day, she receives a wedding invite from her former best friend and returns to town, ready to confront the past, her friends, family and her lost love.
Will anyone believe her this time…?
The writing style is similar to that in Kelly Heard’s last book, Before You Go (it’s had a title change since I read it!) and, as I’ve said before, reminds me of Margaret Atwood in style. There are plenty of things half said and unfinished thoughts which allow the reader to make guesses about the plot and characters. I’ll admit that this book took me a while to get into as I was anxious for more detail to grab my attention.
Daisy is a likeable lead character and the dual timeline narrative structure allows us to see her unhappiness at home and the impact it has on her now as an adult. I felt angry on her behalf at the unfairness and doubt that characterises the way she is treated by the town, her friends, her family and her partner both in the past and present.
There is such sadness in this book as so many characters have lost love: unborn children, unhappy homelife, unsupportive friends, unfaithful lovers. Daisy’s trust has been repeatedly broken by all the people she loves most, yet she remains a source of hope and determination which lifts the plot and gives everyone a second chance.
The Girl I Thought I Knew is an enjoyable novel with elements of drama, thriller, mystery, emotion and romance.
Kelly Heard’s Media Kit:
Title: The Girl I Thought I Knew
Publication Day: 23/03/2020
Author: Kelly Heard
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Description:
Daisy grew up around secrets she knew by heart but were never spoken. She had no idea just how much damage secrets could do, but she would soon learn.
It’s a warm, cloudless morning on the day the envelope arrives for Daisy. Soft sunlight streams into the apartment she shares with her partner, Anderson, who is sleeping peacefully. Daisy’s fought hard for this happiness, worked her way up from being a vulnerable teenage runaway to a woman with a stable job and a loving boyfriend.
But when Daisy discovers the handwritten wedding invitation from her childhood best friend, Stella, her bright morning turns suddenly dark. The wedding is back amongst the misty woods and rolling hills of Daisy’s North Carolina hometown. The same town where she is still known as ‘the crazy one’ for telling people about the dead girl she saw that summer’s day in the woods. A girl who looked just like her, and whose body was never found.
During that fateful summer, as rumors spread that Daisy was either insane or a liar, she sought refuge in her friendship with kind and beautiful Stella. Until the day she discovered Stella’s shocking betrayal and their sweet friendship grew bitter. Now, fifteen years later, can Daisy forgive Stella, the girl she once called ‘blood sister’? And why is Stella reaching out now, after all this time?
There’s only one thing Daisy is sure of—if she wants to build a happy future, she’s going to have to finally confront the mysteries of her dark past.
The Girl I Thought I Knew is a spellbinding and moving novel for fans of Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah and Kerry Fisher.
Author Bio:
Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Kelly Heard now lives in Richmond with her husband, spoiled house cat, and two-year-old daughter. She writes poetry, adult fiction, and creative nonfiction. When she is not writing or reading, Kelly enjoys spending her time gardening, cooking, and playing the ukulele for her toddler.
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