May 2013 releases to look forward to! (Part 2)

Several days ago I already focused on some exciting upcoming May releases in a blog post, but next month has so many lovely novels in store for us... Too many for one blog post, so here are some of the other exciting new releases coming your way at the end of May!

Tess Daly - 'It's Up to You New York'

Will Holly find love in the city where dreams are made?

Fielding calls from disgruntled customers on a crispbread telesales careline isn't exactly where Holly Collins saw herself in life. Living in a shoebox flat and working in a windowless building on an outer London industrial estate were never quite what she'd had in mind. So when Holly is picked from obscurity to take part in Street Scout, a television series on the hunt for fashion's next big model, life finally seems to be taking a turn for the better for the happy-go-lucky twenty-something. Surely this is her big moment?

But Holly knows only too well that dreams are just that and when it feels like everything - and everybody - is conspiring against her, Holly heads for New York with her best friend Meg. The magic of Manhattan has Holly in its grasp: strutting down 5th Avenue and drinking two too many cosmopolitans, taking romantic carriage rides in Central Park and standing at the top of the Empire State building she can scarcely believe how far away the real world seems. But when Holly is faced with the biggest decision of her life can she make the fairy tale become a reality?

Why so excited? --> I love everything about this novel already: the cover is gorgeous, Holly's adventure sounds exciting, and who doesn't love a chick lit novel set in New York City? I honestly can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book! 

Hilary Reyl - 'Lessons in French'

First love: first heartbreak. First job: first nightmare boss. A seductive coming-of-age tale set in the most romantic city on earth.

Fresh out of university and determined to dream big, Kate can hardly believe her luck when she lands a job as a ‘little-bit-of-everything’ to the world famous photo-journalist Lydia Schell. Better still, the job is in Paris, and her guide to the most romantic city on earth is the handsome Olivier. The Berlin Wall is about to come tumbling down, and the world feels full of possibility.

But the oh-so-charming Lydia turns out to be the boss from hell. The ‘little-bit-of-everything’ includes collecting under-the-counter diet pills and walking a flatulent dog round the rainy streets of the sixth arrondissement. And the gorgeous Olivier? He happens to be dating Lydia’s daughter…

As the two worlds of her disastrous job and exciting flirtation look set to collide, Kate is about to get a fast education in the French approach to having it all.

Why so excited? --> Hilary Reyl's debut novel sounds like a treat! Kate's tale which features a horrible boss and a gorgeous love interest slightly reminds me of 'The Devil Wears Prada', which I loved. The story is set in Paris, which is also already a thumbs-up... Enough to be excited about!

Giovanna Fletcher - 'Billy and Me'

Sophie May has a secret.

One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.

But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world.

Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?

Why so excited? --> I've been looking forward to the release of this novel for what seems like ages! I've been following Giovanna Fletcher on Twitter for quite some time already, and ever since she announced her first novel I knew I wanted to read it. The plot sounds fantastic, and I've only heard good things so far... Definitely looking forward to this book!

Tess Stimson - 'The Lying Game'

There are some things we are never meant to know . . . 

Harriet Lockwood has never really bonded with her daughter, Florence, the way she has with her three sons. Then one day, she discovers why. The girl she’s raised for the last fifteen years is not her biological child. Zoey Sands is a single mother with a chaotic lifestyle. The one constant in her life is her daughter, Nell. Nothing can ever come between them – can it? When Harriet turns up on Zoey’s doorstep demanding to see her biological daughter, the two families are plunged into a storm of bitter rivalries… and unexpected alliances.

Why so excited? --> I'm not familiar with Tess Stimson's other novels, but the plot of this novel sounds intriguing. It seems to be slightly different from the 'average' chick lit novel, but definitely worth a try.

Abby Clements - 'Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop'

When Imogen and Anna unexpectedly inherit their grandmother Vivien's ice cream parlour, it turns both their lives upside-down. The Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but while it's big on charm it's critically low on customers. If the sisters don't turn things around quickly, their grandmother's legacy will disappear forever.

With summer looming, Imogen and Anna devise a plan to return Vivien's to its former glory. Rather than sell up, they will train up, and make the parlour the newest destination on the South Coast foodie map.

While Imogen watches the shop, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream-making course. But as she works shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best chefs in the industry, Anna finds that romance can bloom in the most unexpected of places...

Why so excited? --> I don't know why exactly, but I absolutely adore novels that have to do with ice cream shops or cupcake cafes... Must be the yummy treats! As soon as I came across this novel on the Internet, I knew I had to add it to my to-read list straight away. Lovely cover, lovely plot, lovely setting... Can't wait!