Review: 'The Island Escape' by Kerry Fisher (2015)

It’s time to get back to where it all began…
Octavia Sheldon thought she’d have a different life. One where she travelled the world with an exotic husband and free-spirited children in tow. But things didn’t turn out quite like that.
Married to safe, reliable Jonathan, her life now consists of packed lunches, school runs and more loads of dirty washing than she ever thought possible. She’s not unhappy. It’s just that she can barely recognise herself any longer.
So as Octavia watches her best friend’s marriage break up, it starts her thinking. What if life could be different? What if she could escape and get back to the person she used to be? Escape back to the island where she spent her summers? And what if the man she used to love was there waiting for her…?
Ever since I got the chance to read and review Kerry Fisher's novel 'The School Gate Survival Guide' in 2014 (click here to read my review), I've been looking forward to reading more of her work. It took me a bit of time, but I've finally managed to get a copy of Kerry's second novel 'The Island Escape', which was first released in May 2015 by Avon (thanks so much to Kerry herself and Helena from Avon!). As Spring is slowly coming our way this month, I can't help but start thinking of summer holidays, so 'The Island Escape' seemed like the ideal read to sit down with to already feel a bit of the upcoming sunshine!
Octavia and Roberta have been the best of friends for years; the kind of friends that are there for each other whenever, wherever, whatever. Now in their late thirties, they are both married with children, but their lives are about to change. Roberta knows her marriage to Scott isn't going anywhere, so she decides it's time to call it quits and get a divorce. This gives Octavia the chance to look at her own life as well. At her school reunion everyone is surprised how she is no longer as rebellious and adventurous as she was as a teenager. And why isn't she? Does Octavia really lead the life she wants, or is there perhaps more she is longing for...?
Even though 'The Island Escape' didn't exactly turn out to be the read I was initially expecting it to be, I really enjoyed it and was once again convinced by Kerry Fisher's engaging writing style. Based on the blurb and title, I was expecting a story focused on an island romance and one main character, Octavia. However, the book actually focuses on two separate characters and their storylines, Octavia and her best friend Roberta, and the chapters are told from both of their perspectives. The characters are realistic and, therefore, flawed, and I was captivated by both Octavia and Roberta's story; interested to see what would happen to them and curious to find out whether they would manage to find what they are both looking for: happiness.
The first chapter of the book is set in a police cell and was one of the most fascinating beginnings I've come across for quite some time; I was immediately intrigued and wanted to read on. The book wasn't as light-hearted and romantic as I was expecting it to be; it deals with topics such as parenthood, friendship and finding happiness, and Kerry Fisher managed to do this true to her own style. Just like with her first novel, she surprised me once again, and I'm already looking forward to hearing more about her next work. Overall, I thought 'The Island Escape' was an engaging, realistic and entertaining women's fiction read; well-written and enjoyable from start to finish!

Rating:8,5/10

  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.

Cover Reveal: 'After the Lie' by Kerry Fisher!

Today I am really excited to be part of a pretty special cover reveal!
I've been a big fan of author Kerry Fisher since I read her first novel 'The School Gate Survival Guide' quite some time ago. I was part of the blog tours for both 'The School Gate Survival Guide' (click here to read my review) and 'The Island Escape' (click here to read my interview with Kerry) and I am so happy to also be part of this new exciting step in Kerry's career as an author. She has signed with Bookouture and today the cover for her newest book is revealed! So, I won't keep you all waiting any longer... Here's the cover of her next release 'After the Lie'!:

An addictive and gripping read about love, life and living a lie…  One little lie can make one big difference… 
Lydia has the ‘right’ kind of friends, her children are at the ‘right’ kind of school and she’s married to the ‘right’ sort of man – kind, steady, reliable Mark. Her wedding business is flourishing and even though she is at loggerheads with her mother, she couldn’t ask for anything more from life. 
But the truth is that Lydia has been lucky. She has been living a lie for years and Mark has no idea who he is really married to. But nothing lasts forever and the past has a funny way of catching up with the present. When the person who knows all of Lydia’s dark little secrets turns up at the school gates, his presence threatens to blow Lydia’s life apart. 
What is Lydia’s terrible truth? Once the secret is out, you can’t put it back…  The book will be released on the 29th of April 2016 and I already can't wait to read it! Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com

Blog Tour: 'The Island Escape' by Kerry Fisher!

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for author Kerry Fisher's latest release 'The Island Escape today! The book looks like an amazing read and I can't wait to finally sit down with it myself. I was lucky enough to do a short interview with Kerry about her newest novel, so be sure to check out her answers to my questions below!
Can you tell us something about your new novel, ‘The Island Escape’? I set out to write about whether one woman’s marriage could survive her best friend’s divorce. I wanted to depict a ‘warts and all’ friendship – even the closest friendships can be put to the test if one person behaves in a way that the other fundamentally disagrees with. As always in my novels, I like to weave in a foreign location so I used Corsica and Sardinia as a backdrop for some of the action.
Where did you get the inspiration for your novel? Is it in any way based on your own experiences? The setting is based on my own experiences as I lived in Corsica for a year when I was nineteen. The inspiration came from hearing so many people say, ‘I didn’t think my life would turn out like this’. When we’re twenty, I think we all have an idea of what our future will look like but the reality is often very different.
Can you tell us a bit more about the main character, Octavia? When she was young, with her pink hair, penchant for mischief and zest for adventure, she thought she’d live an exotic life somewhere in the Mediterranean with free-spirited children. Instead she’s ended up in suburbia with a rather dull and unavailable husband, wondering how her dreams turned to drudgery. When her best friend, Roberta, gets divorced, it acts as a catalyst. She starts obsessing about ‘the one who got away’ – a wild and charismatic Corsican called Xavi. Can she resist going to search for him?
There’s a great cast of supporting characters in the novel as well. Which character did you most enjoy writing?  I loved writing Octavia’s rather staid husband, Jonathan. It was lovely to put to good use all the little idiosyncrasies I’ve observed in pernickety people over the years – the endless shoe cleaning, the dramatic over-reaction if anything gets spilled, the obsession with kids not getting muddy in the park…
Did you do any particular research for parts of the book? As with all my books, it doesn’t feel like formal research but I’m listening to people’s conversations all the time, the things they worry about, how they judge other people, how competitive they are…a million and one bits of research that make up every day conversation.
Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans? Are you perhaps already working on a next novel?  I’ve already finished my next novel – it’s about how small secrets grow more toxic as they pass down the generations, intertwined with the very contemporary challenge of parenting teenagers (no parallel with my own life, clearly!). 
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I say this all the time but it’s so true: you will have to believe in yourself long before anyone else does. Unless you’re a genius, most people have to learn how to write. Build your confidence by taking writing courses, reading about the craft, going to workshops. Network on social media and in real life with agents and other authors. Most of my best opportunities have come from face-to-face meetings. Social media can’t replace real life encounters though it’s a great place to chat to likeminded people.
What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others? The book I really enjoyed recently in a genre (historical) I don’t normally read was Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey. It’s touching, poignant and just makes you long for everything to turn out well for the protagonists.
Which book could you not live without? The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. The most ridiculous punctuation mark in the English language is the hyphen. Who could ever know when you need one and when you don’t? They’re the bane of my life. This book saves me a full day’s editing, every time!
And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘The Island Escape’ in just three words, which words would you pick?  Feel-good, romantic and nostalgic.

Thanks so much, Kerry!

Upcoming release: 'The Island Escape' by Kerry Fisher!

It’s time to get back to where it all began…

Octavia Sheldon thought she’d have a different life. One where she travelled the world with an exotic husband and free-spirited children in tow. But things didn’t turn out quite like that.

Married to safe, reliable Jonathan, her life now consists of packed lunches, school runs and more loads of dirty washing than she ever thought possible. She’s not unhappy. It’s just that she can barely recognise herself any longer.

So as Octavia watches her best friend’s marriage break up, it starts her thinking. What if life could be different? What if she could escape and get back to the person she used to be? Escape back to the island where she spent her summers? And what if the man she used to love was there waiting for her…?

Last year I got the chance to read and review Kerry Fisher's novel 'The School Gate Survival Guide' and I really enjoyed it (click here to read my review). Because of this, I am really looking forward to picking up Kerry's newest release, 'The Island Escape', which will be available from the 21st of May. I already am curious to find out more about Octavia's story and can't wait to pick up this promising summer read!

Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Blog Tour: 'The School Gate Survival Guide' by Kerry Fisher

Feisty Maia Etxeleku is a cleaner for ladies who lunch. She spends her life wiping up spilt Sauvignon and hoovering around handbags before rushing back home to skivvy after her children's feckless father on an estate where survival depends on your ability to look the other way.
But an unusual inheritance catapults her into a different world where no child can survive without organic apricots and Kumon maths classes – and no woman can contemplate a week without Pilates and pedicures.
As she blunders through a middle class minefield, dashing from coffee mornings to her mops and buckets, she is drawn to the one man who can help her family fit in. But is his interest in her purely professional or will her modern My Fair Lady experiment end in disaster?
I’m honoured to be part of the blog tour for Kerry Fisher’s debut novel ‘The School Gate Survival Guide’ today! Kerry self-published the book in 2012 with the title ‘The Class Ceiling’, which became quite the success, and has now signed with Avon. The book has a new title and will be released as an e-book on the 3rd of July and the paperback version will follow on the 11th of September, with a second novel being published in 2015. I was curious to check out ‘The School Gate Survival Guide’, especially after having read numerous positive reviews, and looked forward to reading the book!
Maia Etxeleku works hard as a cleaner so she can take care of her two children while her partner Colin spends his time lazing around at home. Out of the blue, one of Maia’s favourite clients passes away and the elderly lady seemed to be quite fond of Maia, leaving her an unexpected inheritance. The money can’t be spend on just anything; it’s so Maia’s two children can attend an exclusive private school and get the best education possible. Suddenly, Maia finds herself standing at the school gates together with all the ladies she works for, and she has to find her own way in this middle class world while dealing with everything else that’s going on in her life.
I completely understand why Kerry Fisher’s novel was picked up by Avon and re-released: what a great read! I’ve read several novels about school gate politics over the years, but I have to say this is definitely my favourite so far. I instantly really liked the main protagonist, Maia, and I was rooting for her until the very last page. Maia is willing to do anything to make her children’s lives better, but her boyfriend Colin and their money situation doesn’t make it easy for her. When she inherits money for the kids to go to private school, she knows she has to take this opportunity but it’s the start of a whole new set of problems. I loved seeing Maia deal with the other middle class mothers and everything that is thrown her way; I really admired her strength. There are also some fascinating secondary characters, such as eccentric Clover, a middle class mum Maia becomes friends with, and charming teacher Mr. Peters, whom Maia often bumps into.  
The plotline of the novel is really engaging and consists of a good mix of both light-hearted aspects and more serious topics such as class inequality. There were several twists and turns which kept me entertained and resulted in me finishing the book in just two sittings. Kerry Fisher has a really comfortable and well-paced writing style which only made the reading experience even more enjoyable. ‘The School Gate Survival Guide’ is an engaging, entertaining, well-written and funny read; I loved it! Rating:

9,0/10

  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.