Review: 'Ivy Lane - Spring' by Cathy Bramley (2014)

Friendship blossoms at Ivy Lane...
Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she settles in to a new town seeking peace and solitude, taking on her own plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution. But the vibrant, friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and endeavour to entice Tilly into seedling swaps and Easter egg hunts. Can Tilly let new friends into her life, or will she stay a wallflower for good?
Ivy Lane is a serialized novel told in four parts - taking you from spring to summer, autumn to winter - which tell a charming, light-hearted and moving story you won't want to put down.
Last year I was contacted by author Cathy Bramley with the question whether I wanted to review her debut novel ‘Conditional Love’ (click here to read my review). I ended up loving it, and I was already excited about what Cathy would come up with next. It’s no big surprise that Cathy has now got herself a publishing deal with Transworld, and I got really excited when I found an e-mail about ‘Ivy Lane’ in my mailbox. The lovely Harriet at Transworld provided me with a review copy of the first instalment of ‘Ivy Lane’, and I looked forward to diving back into the world of Cathy’s wonderful writing!
Tilly Parker has been through a lot and she is ready to start anew and try to leave the past behind. She has moved to a new town where she hopes to build up a new peaceful life for herself, and in order to give her something to stay busy with she has got herself her own plot at Ivy Lane allotments. However, after her first few visits to her new plot, Tilly quickly finds out the Ivy Lane community wants nothing more than to welcome her with open arms and let her become a part of their group. Question is, is Tilly really ready to step away from the past and focus on the here and now? 
Before I say anything about the story, I just need a quick second to gush about the gorgeous cover! I love it, it’s so cute and the colours immediately remind me of sunny Spring weather. Thankfully, the story inside fits the cover perfectly, because this is the beginning of a wonderful tale. ‘Ivy Lane’ will be released in four different parts, each of them fitting the four seasons, starting with Spring. I straight away warmed to Tilly; even though not too much is given away about her and her past just yet (I’m sure the story will enfold itself more and more with each part), Tilly already seems like an absolutely lovely character and I can’t wait to discover more of her story. 
Next to Tilly, the book is filled with other colourful characters, each with a different personality, ranging from all ages. Even though I’m not the gardening type myself, I fell in love with the idea of an allotment and the way it brings people together. The first part of ‘Ivy Lane’ promises a warm, charming and uplifting story and the only thing I can complain about when it comes to this book is the fact that we have to wait so long before we can join Tilly on her summer adventures! 
Rating:

9,5/10

   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com/ Goodreads    Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Weekly Feature - Once Upon a Story...

 'Once Upon a Story' is a weekly feature in which we go back in time and focus on a specific novel that was released in the same month we're in right now (in this case May), but a few years back! It can be a women's fiction classic from the 1990's or perhaps a great chick lit read from 2011. I thought it would be nice to not just focus on recent releases, but also take the chance to jump back in time once a week and look back at wonderful reads that have been released over the years!

This week, we're travelling back to May 2012 to look back at...

Are you taking your life for granted?

Lucy Silchester is. She’s busied herself with other stuff: friends’ lives, work issues, her deteriorating car, that kind of thing. But she’s stuck in a rut – and deluding everyone. Only Lucy knows the real truth.

Time for a wake-up call – a meeting with life. And life turns out to be a kindly, rather run-down man in an old suit, who is determined to bring about change – and won’t let Lucy off the hook.

Sometimes we all need to make time for our life…

On the 10th of May 2012, Cecelia Ahern's novel 'The Time Of My Life' was released. I'm a big fan of Cecelia's work; she has a real distinctive style of storytelling and I love the magical feel of her books. When this one was released, I was really curious what to expect because the blurb doesn't give too much away. The book definitely has that lovely magical element to it and I personally really enjoyed this novel. I can't recommend Cecelia Ahern's work enough, which is why I couldn't help myself but jump back to May 2012 this week to focus on this amazing read!


Be sure to visit the blog next week for another blast from chick lit past with 'Once Upon a Story...'!

Blog Tour: 'Other Halves' by Nick Alexander (2014)

Hannah and Cliff’s marriage is over. After a traumatic family holiday, Cliff’s lies have been exposed and Hannah has been reunited with her lost love, Cliff’s brother, James. But after fifteen years together, and forever bound by love for their eleven-year-old son, Luke, breaking free and starting again seems impossible.
A new life in Australia with James beckons for Hannah – but can she embark on this adventure without losing the love of her son? And can Cliff finally face up to issues he has suppressed since adolescence and find happiness in a confusing world?
Amid the turmoil of separation, and with Luke caught in the crossfire, both Hannah and Cliff face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. To make the other halves of their lives count, theyneed courage and determination. But perhaps it’s more than they possess...
As a part of the Fiction Addiction Book Tour for author Nick Alexander, I didn’t just receive the chance to review his novel ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’, but also the sequel ‘Other Halves’ which will be published by Black & White on the 5th of June. I found myself really looking forward to being able to go back to the same cast of characters, curious to find out what had happened to them after the end of the first part, and I hoped I would enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’.
After a not so successful holiday in the south of France, it is clear that Hannah and Cliff’s marriage is over. Hannah is back together with the love of her life, Cliff’s brother James, and wants to start a new part of her life with him. However, her marriage to Cliff lasted fifteen years and resulted in their wonderful son Luke, and Hannah quickly realises it might not be as easy as she thought to cut the ties and start over again. The separation forces both Hannah and Cliff to rethink their decisions and once and for all decide what it is they want in life.  
‘Other Halves’ is the second part of Hannah and Cliff's story and I’m personally really happy the author decided to write a sequel. It felt like the characters had much more to tell, and this book shows that is indeed the case. I really enjoyed that Cliff got his own voice in this story, much more than in the first part. The reader gets to see everything from both Hannah’s and Cliff’s perspective which really added another layer to the story. In the first book, I was definitely rooting for Hannah, while the sequel also shows you Cliff’s perspective on it all and I couldn’t help but feel for him as well. It was wonderful to see these two characters develop and trying to find their own way after their marriage has ended. As the reader I found myself stuck in the middle of the divorce as well, in a way, and Nick Alexander did an amazing job conveying this feeling onto paper, making this a rather emotional read.
After finishing ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’ I first read some other books before starting this one. It was really easy to get back into the story, and I guess you could also read it as a stand-alone, though I don’t recommend it. The first book centres on an important part of Cliff and Hannah’s story, and the two books together make a strong whole and complement one another. The story and the characters are incredibly real, and it made me think about how my own life has turned out because of the decisions I’ve made. ‘Other Halves’ is a wonderful sequel within this realistic, gripping and emotional series; definitely recommended!
Rating:

8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com/ Goodreads     Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Be sure to enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of both books, open internationally. Good luck to everyone!
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