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Find out moreFeel-good novels are eloquently written tales with real heart, there may be an emotional roller-coaster to travel, but ultimately these books leave you with a feeling of delicious warmth and uplifting joy.
A gorgeously warm, loving, and occasionally tempestuous tale set within a large family as they learn to cope with grief, new loves, and family revelations. Bess has found love in her sixties, Jojo is desperate for children, Cari is focusing on her job after being jilted at the altar, while Faenia is walking into the past. Relationships, love, and romance are lovingly whisked together in the mixing bowl of life, along with a healthy serving of reality. Several main stories, all link into and skip alongside some smaller ones, I love this format, with glimpses into side lives helping to cement the main stories together. Cathy Kelly writes seamlessly across the ages of the women in this tale, and the varied cast feel as though they could be friends and family. ‘The Secrets of a Happy Marriage’ encourages you to settle down, relax and just enjoy the pleasure of reading a lovely and beautifully engaging story. ~ Liz Robinson March 2017 Book of the Month.
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | February 2017 Debut of the Month. A rather special read indeed… there are times when you wonder how you've missed sight of, or hearing about a book, and for me this is one of them. This is a treat, a heartbreaking, funny, eye-opening, jam-packed full of love treat. Ben shares his story as he literally battles to place his autistic son Jonah, into what he considers is the right school. Ben and Jonah move in with Ben’s dad and we see what life is like for these three men as their worlds revolve around each other. Jem Lester writes with experience, yet he adds bittersweet, aching emotion, biting wit, and a lightness of touch that manages to skim joyfully across the pages. Letters from social services, the school, medical information, and receipts all find their way into the book, often bringing me up short and creating a link to the authenticity of the situation. ‘Shtum’ is brave, bold, and wonderful, it made me cry, rage, and laugh, and I loved every single beautiful second of it. ~ Liz Robinson
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Oh my, this is totally and completely gorgeous, in fact, an absolute treasure! An author leaves all his worldly possessions, and a hoard of lost lonely items, to his assistant Laura, can Laura reunite the lost things with their owners? Ruth Hogan writes with a beautiful lyrical whimsy, yet sharp edges and biting realism ensure this is a stunning, thought-provoking read. Each lost thing mentioned comes with an explanation, not the whole tale, instead snippets of information and emotions float free, helping you to feel the story. Each character, each lost thing, is imbued with love and sincerity, they become known, loved, and I cared about their wellbeing, their happiness. Links and connections create a chain reaction, ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’ is more, much more than a relationship tale, it is a discovery of enchantment and delight. ~ Liz Robinson
One of our Books of the Year 2016. Just so, so gorgeous! Laura lives on her own in the woodland wilds of South West Ireland, a film crew discover she has a special gift, will she be exploited or set free? I always know a book is fabulous when I forget I’m meant to be reviewing and instead find myself completely transported to another world. Cecelia Ahern writes with such a light, magical touch, yet she opens up feelings and allows you to see, to feel, to think. Each part of the story is introduced by a fascinating section taken from a book written in 1933, and links beautifully to Laura. This story is alive with the mystical and unknown, yet is a very modern tale indeed. The writing is so perfect, I actually heard sound… noise touched me, clearly, effortlessly and beautifully, making my heart ache. A delicious enchantment underpins and threads through the story, yet there is also an undertone of unease and foreboding that lingers as you turn the pages, ensuring ‘Lyrebird’ is a bewitching, gloriously delightful read. ~ Liz Robinson December 2016 Book of the Month.
Another lovely, heartfelt, so very readable tale from Cathy Kelly. Sisters Cassie and Coco find plenty of bumps and difficulties in their path, and slowly begin to realise how trauma from their childhood is still affecting them today. Cathy Kelly excels in creating a diverse cast of characters, with females taking centre stage. From little ones, to teenagers, sisters, Mums and Grandmothers, they all add to the inclusive cooking pot of warmth and emotion. I particularly enjoyed how several enticing small individual stories took place alongside and melded into the main one. ‘Between Sisters’ welcomes you into the pages, to become one of the family, to smile, comfort and cheer on these women, and is an engaging, charming read. ~ Liz Robinson
One of our Books of the Year 2016. October 2016 Debut of the Month. Gosh, this is an absolute treasure of a debut… and it’s full of delightful, delicious quirkiness. 69 year old widower Arthur sets out to find the truth behind a charm bracelet he discovers when sorting through his wife’s wardrobe. Arthur quickly realises that before she met him, his wife had a whole host of experiences, and Arthur knew nothing about them! Phaedra Patrick writes with a beautifully light touch, yet imbues each page with a meaningful eloquence. Arthur is a joy to get to know, you feel his sadness and bewilderment at his loneliness and loss, then as he steps out on his quest, you witness his cloistered heart and mind unfurling towards the possibilities that life can offer. ‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper’ fizzes with gentle humour, it encouraged my thoughts to wander in new directions, and charmed the cockles of my heart. This is a beautiful little gem of a read and I highly recommend it. ~ Liz Robinson
July 2016 Book of the Month. Lovely, warm and engaging, 'The Perfect Gift’ is just that, a delightful treat of a book. Loveable, spirited Roisin always knew she was adopted, she came back home to start up her food emporium and lick her wounds after a doomed love affair, then a 30th birthday letter from her birth mother speaks to her soul. Roisin may be the main character, however this is a proper family and friends story, with a range of catastrophes, thrills and celebrations all jumping up and down and adding to the drama of the tale. Emma Hannigan doesn't just bring the wonderful characters to life, I felt as though I could step into the story, walk down the streets of Ballyshore, buy yummy foodie items in Roisin’s shop and have a natter with Mo to pick up all the gossip. The pages just flew by, and although on occasion my heart ached, this is basically a book to make you smile. ~ Liz Robinson
Absolutely delightful! Cecelia Ahern always writes with stirring compassion and a delicious secretive quirk, so I was really looking forward to starting this, her twelfth novel. ‘The Marble Collector’ lived up to my expectations as a really touching, quite, quite beautiful read. Not exactly a slow burner, as the writing is so eloquent, however the more you read, the more you understand, and the more you are enveloped by and become absorbed in the story. The chapters are either from daughter Sabrina’s perspective (over one day), headed ‘Pool Rules’ or from her father Fergus’s entire lifetime of ‘Playing with Marbles’. Focusing on secrets and how well we know and understand ourselves and our loved ones, this engaging novel thoroughly provokes thoughts and feelings. As I closed the last page, and had a little ponder, I found myself giving ‘The Marble Collector’ a warm and loving hug.
April 2016 Debut of the Month. Gosh, this is an absolute treasure of a debut… and it’s full of delightful, delicious quirkiness. 69 year old widower Arthur sets out to find the truth behind a charm bracelet he discovers when sorting through his wife’s wardrobe. Arthur quickly realises that before she met him, his wife had a whole host of experiences, and Arthur knew nothing about them! Phaedra Patrick writes with a beautifully light touch, yet imbues each page with a meaningful eloquence. Arthur is a joy to get to know, you feel his sadness and bewilderment at his loneliness and loss, then as he steps out on his quest, you witness his cloistered heart and mind unfurling towards the possibilities that life can offer. ‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper’ fizzes with gentle humour, it encouraged my thoughts to wander in new directions, and charmed the cockles of my heart. This is a beautiful little gem of a read and I highly recommend it.
April 2016 Book of the Month. Totally and utterly and completely gorgeous in every way, the thought of having to put this book down for even a second is inconceivable. The first few pages make you smile, make you laugh and charm you, there is a hint though, of the difficulties that seven (nearly eight) year old Elsa is experiencing. Elsa’s shrewd, wonderful bonkers of a Granny tells her fairy tales, and like all good fairy tales there's more than a dollop of truth and reality mixed in, so ensure you're sitting comfortably and the tale can begin. There is a beautiful simplicity to the writing, yet this is not a simple book by any means, there is a complexity to the emotions it evokes and explores. Elsa and her Granny are two of the most astonishingly different characters to ever appear in print (and that’s a compliment by the way). Set aside some quality time, so you can laugh and cry undisturbed, as the author is able to enchant, to capture your imagination and hold it spellbound from the first to the last page; this is a must have, must read, must treasure book.
April 2016 Book of the Month. An expressive, moving novel with the ability to reach out, connect with and yet bruise hearts. Frankie and Scott, both in their forties, both with children, meet and fall in love at first sight (well, perhaps second), their positivity obliterates the distance between Norfolk and the west coast of Canada as their romance blossoms. If you've read and adored the author’s earliest novels you'll expect the lightness of touch, but perhaps not the intensely hard hitting depth of emotion contained within this beautifully readable book. This change in direction opens the door to a whole new audience, yet the unmistakable sweet spicy tone will be recognised by existing fans. Freya North has a wonderfully distinctive writing style, she has a real gift for bringing thoughts and emotions to life, so that they feel real, feel known and understood. Descriptions of the ordinary somehow become special moments, while the complex and complicated are so simply yet vividly expressed. This is a gorgeously eloquent and touching novel, it is also a celebration of the wonderful glory of love and life. ~ Liz Robinson Click here to read an exclusive interview with Freya North by Mary Hogarth. Like-for-Like Reading: Jojo Moyes, Lisa Jewell, Jane Green One of our Books of the Year 2015.
‘The Woman Who Upped and Left’ is an entertaining and effortlessly readable novel. The first paragraph had me chortling and I settled in with a smile. 43 year old Audrey Pepper is genuinely engaging, she is divorced, rushes around after her 18 year old son and his girlfriend, makes the occasion mistake, and has forgotten that she is also entitled to a life. Audrey finds herself with a decision to make, a decision that could change the way she feels about herself. Fiona Gibson writes with empathy and an extra sparkle of wit, while this is an amusing (on various levels) and delightful tale, it is also grounded in reality. Audrey could easily be your friend or your colleague and her misunderstandings could be yours. Cheer Audrey on and wish her happiness as the pages to this satisfying and enjoyable novel almost turn themselves, how lovely! ~ Liz Robinson
Feel-good novels are eloquently written tales with real heart, there may be an emotional roller-coaster to travel, but ultimately these books leave you with a feeling of delicious warmth and uplifting joy.