Blog Tour Review: The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker

Blurb

"Robyn Bloom thought Ash Barnes was the love of her life - until one day he announced he was leaving her to fly halfway across the world.

Months later, Robyn is struggling to move on - but then she has a brainwave: The Never Have I Ever Club. Her handsome next door neighbour Will helps her bring their fellow Yorkshire villagers together for some carpe-diem-inspired fun.

From burlesque dancing to Swedish massages, everyone has plenty of bucket-list activities to try, but it doesn't take long for Robyn to realise what – or who – her heart truly desires: Will.

There's just one problem: he's Ash's twin brother.

Make that two problems: Ash is moving home... and he wants Robyn back."

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy of the book and for allowing me to take part in the blog tour!

Review

Robyn is still really hurt and angry with her ex, Ash, who announced out-of-the-blue that he needed to go "find himself" in Australia and that he hoped they would still be friends. She has spent the last eight months wondering how she could have misunderstood their relationship so thoroughly and avoiding Ash's twin brother Will, who lives next door. She has known the brothers from childhood and they have been friends for years. Realising that she shouldn't lose Will's friendship because of her anger with Ash, they reignite their friendship but they soon realise their feelings may be growing into something deeper. Life gets more complicated when Ash returns and starts trying to win Robyn back. I really felt for Will who was so conflicted in his feelings between his love for his brother and his romantic feelings for Robyn.

Set in a small village, there is a cast of quirky characters who join together for Robyn's Never Have I Ever Club, which mainly involves the local pensioners getting up to mischief and making the younger folk blush! Although the club didn't feel like the main focus of the book I enjoyed the message of making sure you seize the day, especially linked with some more serious topics in the story.

I loved Robyn's aunt Felicity who is a force of nature and a lesson in how to be yourself and live life to the fullest and her best friends Freya and Eliot were fun additions to the story.

This is a hilarious romcom with fun, quirky characters and I highly recommend for light relief in this current climate. I gave this book 4 out of 5.

The Author

Mary Jayne Baker grew up in rural West Yorkshire, right in the heart of Brontë country... and she's still there. After graduating from Durham University with a degree in English Literature, she dallied with living in cities including London, Nottingham and Cambridge, but eventually came back with her own romantic hero in tow to her beloved Dales, where she first started telling stories about heroines with flaws and the men who love them.

Follow Mary:
Facebook: @MaryJayneWrites
Twitter: @MaryJayneBaker

Buy links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bRE036
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2RkFQSY
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2URi4zV

Follow Aria
Website: www.ariafiction.com
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction

You can also follow the blog tour below for more reviews and other exciting content:

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Blurb

"A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really."

Review

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. January and Gus were real, vulnerable, flawed and lovable and made we want to sit down and write my own novel.

I really enjoyed learning the history of January and Gus and what makes them tick. January is a hopeless romantic whose view of the world has recently been knocked off-kilter and she's struggling to find balance in her new world. While Augustus has had a difficult past and writes books that expose the darkest parts of humanity. Their competition sparks new creativity for both of them and between them.

The characters leapt off the page and made me laugh, swoon and root for them to find each other. I wish January's best friend Shadi could have been in the book more as she seemed awesome... maybe she'll have her own book next!

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. 5 out of 5.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy to review.

The Author

Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow

Blurb

"Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice’s five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own.

What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Austen fans.

Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love.

Mary’s destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is the truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex, conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel."

Published: March 31st 2020 by Henry Holt and Co.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

My Review

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite novels so I was intrigued and a little apprehensive to read a book which would add to the story for better or worse. However, this felt like a really valuable addition to the original adding more without taking anything away from the classic.

The story focuses on the quietest and least popular Bennet sister Mary from childhood to adulthood. I found it intriguing how the author depicted Mary's childhood and adolescence as an emotionally neglected child. Mrs Bennet is portrayed as being much more interested in her other daughters as they are all a lot prettier than Mary. This feels true to the original. Meanwhile Mr Bennet is only interested in Lizzie to Mary's disappointment. I really felt for her as she tried repeatedly to find ways to engage with Mr Bennet and be interesting to him, spending so much time in the library to try to be closer to him and felt her heartbreak when it didn't work. The only thing that felt a bit uncomfortable was that Mr Bennet who I really liked in Pride and Prejudice is almost shown to be cruel in this book which was a little disappointing.

Eventually the story moves forward past the contents of the original novel and this is where it really begins to stand strong in it's own right. Mary spends time in different households trying to find a place for herself in the world. I enjoyed seeing characters like Lizzie and Mr Darcy in their married life, and Jane with Mr Bingley. One of the most enjoyable sections of the story is spent with Mr and Mrs Collins. The author paints him in a much more sympathetic light than the original which I enjoyed.

Eventually Mary goes to stay with the lovely Mr and Mrs Gardner in London where she meets Mr Hayward. This is where Mary begins to find the love and respect that she has always craved and it was a pleasure to read about it and to see how grow into a more confident person.

I highly recommend this book for any fans of the original book as this adds a lot of depth and understanding to Mary's character. I give this 4 out of 5.

The Author

Janice Hadlow has worked at the BBC for 28 years, including more than 10 years as a top executive. She was educated at comprehensive school in Swanley, in north Kent, and graduated with a BA in history from King’s College London. She currently lives in Bath. A Royal Experiment was her first book.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Blurb

"In the midst of war, he found love
In the midst of darkness, he found courage
In the midst of tragedy, he found hope.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo: what will you find from his story?

Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape.

But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain.

On the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees.

As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all - and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face - they must journey to find each other again.

Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Told with deceptive simplicity, it is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling."

Hardcover, 400 pages
Published May 2nd 2019 by Bonnier Zaffre
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

The author paints a rich picture of life in Aleppo before war destroys it and the lives of those within it. The story focuses on Nuri and Afra, a married couple who have suffered a terrible loss, which deeply impacts both of them in ways which only become clear towards the end of the book. They don't want to leave their home but are left with no choice when their lives are at risk. I found the story of their journey from Syria across Europe harrowing and heartbreaking, both for them and the people they meet along the way.

It's difficult for someone who lives in a safe country to imagine what it would take to make someone leave everything they have ever known and potentially everyone they have ever known. This book tells just a few of those heartbreaking stories.

This is a beautifully written story about the power of compassion and hope in the face of adversity. I've given this 5 out of 5.

The Author

Christy Lefteri was born in London in 1980 to Greek Cypriot parents who moved to London in 1974 during the Turkish invasion. She completed a degree in English and a Masters in creative writing at Brunel University. She taught English to foreign students and then became a secondary school teacher before leaving to pursue a PhD and to write. She is also studying to become a psychotherapist.

Aria's Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin

Blurb

"From the bestselling author of Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop comes another uplifting romance.

This summer will change everything!

Aria Summers knows what she wants.

A life on the road with best friend Rosie and her beloved camper-van-cum-book-shop, and definitely, definitely, no romance.

But when Aria finds herself falling – after one too many glasses of wine, from a karaoke stage – into the arms of Jonathan, a part of her comes back to life for the first time in years.

Since her beloved husband died Aria has sworn off love, unless it’s the kind you can find in the pages of a book. One love of her life is quite enough.

And so Aria tries to forget Jonathan and sets off for a summer to remember in France. But could this trip change Aria’s life forever…?"

Published April 8th 2020 by HQ Digital
With many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

Aria is a very lovable character and a woman after my own heart with her love of reading and an attitude of no book left behind! She travels around in her camper van bookshop with her friend Rosie in one van supplying her with no end of delicious sounding food and Rosie's partner Max in another, being a good guy and supportive friend. I enjoyed the descriptions of their nomadic lifestyle journeying from place to place, exploring and meeting new people. This story definitely made me wish I could go on holiday to France, explore old towns and eat a lot of croissants!

Although Aria gives the impression of being happy-go-lucky and perfectly content with her single lifestyle, she doesn't tell many people that she lost her husband TJ to cancer a few years ago. The author approaches Aria's grief with great sensitivity and the story explores whether she could be ready to find love again with the lovely Jonathan, while trying to come to terms with the past.

I really enjoyed this book, it's the perfect story to read on holiday in the sunshine. I hadn't read the previous book relating to this one, 'Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop' but didn't feel left behind by the story, although I'm sure it would have been better to have read that one first to know Rosie and Max's story as well.

This is such a lovely, heartwarming read, I've given it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Author