BOOK REVIEW: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

5/5 Stars

Blurb:

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer.

In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?" 

Review:

You always know I've enjoyed a book when I finish it so quickly. Granted, it was a short book to begin with, but still, I didn't want to stop this one. The only reason I did is because I had to sleep and go to work. I still managed to finish it the next day. 

The five people you meet in heaven is a book I wanted to read a while ago after reading the sample. The frugal nature in me didn't want to pay £5.99 for a kindle book - it seemed a bit steep - especially when I already pay £7/£8 a month for as many books as I want on unlimited. Nevertheless, I decided to just go for it, because time passed and I still wanted to read it. I suppose in the grand scheme of things I just paid more than that for an average film at the cinema. Anyway, I digress. 

The book cannot really be described as anything but heartwarming. The main character dies at the beginning of the book, and while in heaven, he meets 5 people who all have a story to tell, however insignificant he thinks they might be to him. 

Around 90% of the way through the book, I actually teared up. The 5th and final person he meets is again, someone he has never met before, and yet changed his life, and death, so significantly. The way the author revealed it and brought it together was just perfect. I gasped from shock and devastation, and then felt my heart warm following. It's a book I'm glad that I spent money on. No regrets. I'd be interested to read other books from Mitch Albom. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Other Child by Lucy Atkins

3/5 Stars

Blurb:

Sometimes a lie seems kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie destroys everything you love? 

When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high profile paediatric heart surgeon, she sees something troubled in his face, and feels instantly drawn to him. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess, single mother to nine-year-old Joe, falls pregnant, and Greg is offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston. Before she knows it, Tess is married, and relocating to the States. But life in an affluent American suburb proves anything but straightforward.

Unsettling things keep happening in the large rented house, Joe is distressed, the next-door neighbours are in crisis, and Tess is sure that someone is watching her. Greg's work is all-consuming and, as the baby's birth looms, he grows more and more unreachable. Something is very wrong, Tess knows it, and then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . .

Review: 

I could probably sum up the book in a sentence to save everybody time but that would be full of spoilers. The thing I usually like about psychological thrillers is that you often don't know where the book is going to go. You can usually guess quite early on because the author is steering you to one conclusion purposefully, to then find out you're completely wrong. Unfortunately, I figured out the plotline about midway through the book (if not before) and unfortunately in this instance, I was right. 

At one point, I thought I may be wrong. The author did her best to steer me and the main character into another conclusion but I was disappointed to find out at the end that actually, my first thought was right, meaning I felt I had wasted time during the second half of the book. 

The author herself has a nice writing style. It was an easy book to read and I loved the detail but unfortunately, there weren't enough twists and turns for my liking in a thriller. I also found myself a little bit confused when we went into Greg's family history from the start of the emails etc, though that may just be me. Overall, it was a pleasurable read, I have nothing against the authors style or idea, but the plot line just wasn't enough for me.

What a week!

What a week! Author duties have been on the back burner as I've been ill. Ended up in hospital last Sunday (I'm okay), but almost back at 100% and got to celebrate a great birthday this weekend, albeit a sober one (still on anti-biotics).

My 3rd and last book in the Synergy Series is up for sale now so I'm just excitedly checking sales and trying to get back to writing my current book, while trying to decide what to do with my other completed work. I've been sending out to traditional publishers but had a fair few rejections and I'm just too impatient! Currently sending out to beta readers so at least I can get some feedback in the meantime while I make my decision.

The full Synergy Series is available at the below links: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YB8PJYE

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BFURIVC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EM907Y8

BOOK REVIEW: Forever Together by Jade Whitfield

2.5/5 Stars

Blurb:

Dark haired beauty, Cindy Martin was once lucky in love, until her boyfriend broke her heart and sent her running. Attending college in faraway Los Angeles was the perfect excuse to get away, settle her heart and drown herself in wine and tears – except now she is back for the summer, and her ex hasn't gone anywhere. 
Brady Cooper is handsome, arrogant and still head over heels in love with Cindy. Six months ago, he let fear rule him and he made a mistake that cost him everything – now he just has to get her to believe him. 
Surrounded by friends and family that know too much and meddle a little too closely, can this once perfect pair overcome the obstacles in front of them, mend their hearts and finally be Forever Together? 
Sometimes the very thing that broke your heart is the only thing that can fix it.

Review:

Forever together, a book about Cindy and Brady who broke up but over the course of the book get back together again. That's pretty much the entire story line, though of course romance's are all about those sweet moments, the journey itself. 

As individual characters, I hated Brady to begin with. He's arrogant, full of himself and swears far too much (more so in the beginning) but despite that something in me sorta had a thing for him when he was with Cindy. I suppose every girl has that inner bad boy thing though we try to deny it. 

Cindy's character didn't seem as developed but I did like the secondary characters in the novel. Cindy's from a big family with a lot of siblings and Brady has a tough relationship with his stepdad and a dog he likes to bring everywhere. 

Overall, the novel was easy reading, I felt I knew the characters and I couldn't fault the writing in the slightest. Jade Whitfield is obviously a very talented writer, it's just a shame I didn't like the book more than I did. However, considering I don't usually read romances (Not my preferred genre) this one wasn't totally full of those cringey/cheesy moments that I find hard to stomach. More than anything, it was humorous, though it ended with a good dollop of cheese (it has to though, doesn't it? Romance readers love their happy endings).

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Last Girl by Joe Hart

2.5/5 Stars

Blurb:

A mysterious worldwide epidemic reduces the birthrate of female infants from 50 percent to less than 1 percent. Medical science and governments around the world scramble in an effort to solve the problem, but twenty-five years later there is no cure, and an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women.

Zoey and some of the surviving young women are housed in a scientific research compound dedicated to determining the cause. For two decades, she’s been isolated from her family, treated as a test subject, and locked away—told only that the virus has wiped out the rest of the world’s population.

Captivity is the only life Zoey has ever known, and escaping her heavily armed captors is no easy task, but she’s determined to leave before she is subjected to the next round of tests…a program that no other woman has ever returned from. Even if she’s successful, Zoey has no idea what she’ll encounter in the strange new world beyond the facility’s walls. Winning her freedom will take brutality she never imagined she possessed, as well as all her strength and cunning—but Zoey is ready for war.

Review:

'The Last Girl' is set in the future, where some unknown development means girls stopped being born. Thus, the end of the world as we know it. No women means no procreation, and one organisation, NOA, is out to change this, whether the girls have a choice or not.

Zoey, 20, has been in the facility most of her life. The girls there don't have a surname, they're told when to eat, what to do, and once they're 21, they're taken away for what they think is to reunite with their parents. Zoey, however, doesn't always play to their rules, and it finds her in a world of trouble. Once Zoey finds the secrets of the organisation and breaks out, she must find a way to save the other girls, before it's too late.

I downloaded this book from Kindle Unlimited because the blurb had me intrigued. A world where girls stopped being born? How interesting. The beginning of the book I really liked. I loved the imaginings of this facility that had been created in an effort to save the population, and I felt for Zoey and the other girls. However, as time went on, my interest lowered.

I found myself really intrigued during parts of the book, but utterly bored with others. I think the action scenes of the book just weren't to my liking because of personal preference. That being said, I can imagine it making a good film. There were some other aspects of the book that made me question Zoey's female decisions and feelings, and then of course I realised the author was male. No disrespect, but sometimes it can just be quite telling. 

Overall, I didn't hate the book. I appreciated the story and the imagining behind it, but as a personal preference, I found myself quite bored during parts. I've since found out that it is a series, and unfortunately, I won't be reading the rest. 

BOOK REVIEW: Every Day is a Holiday by George Mahood

2.5/5 Stars

Blurb:

What happens when you discover that today is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, tomorrow is National Curmudgeon Day, and the day after that is Inane Answering Machine Message Day? Well, you decide to celebrate them, that’s what!

At least, that’s what George Mahood did. He had a nice, comfortable life, with a job, a wife, and three young children. But he felt like he was missing out on a lot of what the world had to offer. The calendar is full of these quirky, weird and wonderful events, and George realised that somebody somewhere had created these holidays, believing that they were important enough to warrant their own official day. Surely he should therefore be more appreciative of their existence? He decided to try and celebrate them all, in the hope that it would turn him into a happier, more intelligent and more content person. 

Follow George on his hilarious, life changing adventure as tries to balance his normal life with a wealth of new experiences, people, facts and bizarre situations. It’s a rip-roaring, life-affirming, roller-coaster of a ride, where every day is a holiday.

Review: 

I didn't hate this book, nor did I dislike it. But did I love it? No. Could I have read and completed it if it was the only book I was reading? Probably not. 

I read the blurb of the book and thought it sounded quite humorous. George Mahood set himself a 6-month challenge to celebrate all of the quirky, weird, and usually quite random holidays that pop up every day, and he really stuck to it. 

The chapters within the book are really short, so it's definitely easy reading. Though most of the book is about the different holidays and challenges, along the way we learn more about George and his family, and one thing I can take from that is that George Mahood seems like a very nice man. I wish him the best of luck with his writing and with his future endeavors, but unfortunately, the book wasn't quite for me. 

Don't get me wrong, again, I didn't dislike it, but this book was more a sideline piece to other fictional books I've been reading alongside it. Every day is a Holiday was my easy-reading escape when I needed a break from the heavy stuff. So if that's what you're looking for, by all means buy it! 

ARC Copy to ALL Readers

I will be publishing Synergy Part 3 soon, and I would like to reward all my amazing readers by providing them with an ARC of the book. All you have to do is send me your email, I will then send everybody a copy before the book is released to Amazon.

Comment below or send an email to : georgiapayne.author@gmail.com

Although it's not required, a review of the first two books to Amazon and/or Goodreads would be hugely appreciated.