I love gathering up a pile of paperbacks ready for a holiday as it is the one time of year I don’t tend to use my kindle as I love to read physical books. This year I opted to take a couple of books that had been in my pile a while and a couple of more recent/upcoming releases.
This year our summer holiday was in France just outside Ligueil at the brilliant Camping De La Touche where we all had an amazing time. Whilst Daisy was making the most of the swimming pool, I found a comfy chair and made the most of some relaxed reading time in the sunshine. This year my holiday reading pile consisted of the following:
Bonnie & Stan by Anna Stuart
The Things We Left Unsaid by Emma Kennedy
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
Photos of You by Tammy Robinson
Keep reading for the book blurbs, purchase links and my reviews, a superb selection that were brilliant holiday reading.
Bonnie & Stan by Anna Stuart
Book Blurb
After 50 years together Stan still adores his wife… so why is he dating again?
Bonnie and Stan are soulmates. They met during the Swinging Sixties, to the soundtrack of The Beatles and the Merseybeat scene. Now they’ve grown up and grown old together, had children and grandchildren. They are finally building their dream home, when disaster strikes.
Stan is running out of time, and can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone. Alongside his teenage granddaughter Greya, he forms a plan to find Bonnie a new love of her life. And she must never find out…
My 5* Review
I decided to take Bonnie and Stan on holiday as it had come highly recommended and wow what a book. This is a story that will make you laugh and cry, it is beautifully written from the first to the last page and I loved it.
Stan absolutely adores Bonnie and this story is written on a dual timeline between when they met over 50 years ago to present day. As the book progresses the timelines begin to merge together as past and present come colliding together and Bonnie & Stan revisit old memories and make new ones.
An exceptional love story that will leave a mark on your heart!
Available to purchase here
The Things We Left Unsaid by Emma Kennedy
Book Blurb
Rachel’s relationship with her mother, Eleanor, has always been far from perfect. Eleanor is a renowned artist born from the swinging sixties, and Rachel has forever lived in the shadow of her success.
When Rachel is left by her fiancé on the morning of their wedding she has no choice but to move back into her family home and spend an unbearably hot summer with a mother she feels distant from – in the presence of many painful memories.
It will take another turn of events before Rachel realises that sometimes the past holds exactly the comfort we need. And that behind the words left unsaid are untold stories that have the power to define us.
My 4* Review
I chose to add this to my holiday reading pile after seeing some fantastic reviews and I can see why this book has captured people.
Rachel has her dream wedding ripped from under her feet and stays with her mother Eleanor whilst trying to get back on her feet.
This book will break your heart as the lovely Rachel keeps fighting to overcome obstacles that life is throwing in her path. It is a story about determination to uncover her mother’s past to help her heal and feel whole again.
A brilliant book that will have you reading late into the night as the past and present come together to give Rachel the answers she has been looking for.
Available to purchase here
Photos of You by Tammy Robinson
Book Blurb
When Ava Green turns twenty-eight, she discovers this will be her last birthday. The cancer she thought she’d beaten three years ago is back, only this time it’s terminal: and she’s not going to waste any of the time she has left. There’s one thing she’s been dreaming of since she was a small girl: her wedding. There’s only one problem. She doesn’t have a groom.
Her friends and family rally around her and decide they will help her throw the wedding of her dreams, just without the actual vows. A mammoth organisation begins. As word spreads, people offer help. In an uncertain time, the whole country seizes the story of a woman whose dying dream is simple, and they unite to give her a wedding to remember. But when a photographer called Lucas Gable volunteers to help document the whole event, it becomes painfully clear that it’s never too late to discover the love of your life.
My 5* Review
I absolutely loved the Photos of You, just when you don’t think your heart can break anymore Tammy goes and breaks your heart again with this stunning read.
I find Tammy’s books to be beautifully written and emotionally charged so you know at some point she will reduce you to tears streaming down your face and this book broke my heart.
A stunning story of love and loss and how even on the darkest days you never know what is round the corner.
Available to purchase here
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
Book Blurb
Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people’s behavior confusing, she’d rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.
Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game–and his heart–to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.
Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She’s living the life she wanted as a librarian. He’s a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
My 4* Review
Watch this space for my review being published later next week as part of the blog tour. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to share my review!
Available to purchase here
Thanks for taking the time to read and please remember to like and share, have a fab day!
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Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.
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