Grumpy Darling by Alexandra Moody

SHE’S NEVER BEEN KISSED. HE’S NEVER FELT THIS WAY ABOUT ANYONE.

Paige has ticked off everything on her senior year bucket list except one tiny thing ― she’s never kissed anyone. And her best friend, Grayson Darling, is to blame.

Grayson is the school hockey team’s notorious enforcer, and he’s been scaring away any eligible bachelors that so much as look in Paige’s direction. With time running out, she demands that Grayson stop defending her honour. Instead, he’ll become her dating coach, training her to win the guy of her dreams.

But Grayson has plans of his own. He’s been in love with Paige since they were kids, and his clock is running, too. Coaching Paige might be his last chance to show her how good they’d be together. After all, practice makes perfect.

 

I can't say sports romance are usually my go to reads but after reading Rival Darling last week I surprised myself with how much I actually enjoyed it and having loved Reed and Violets story I was more than a little tempted to pick up Grumpy Darling because I found Grayson an intriguing character and was looking forward to seeing if there was more to his and Paige's friendship.

This storyline looks at the blur of male female friendships when you think you have been friend-zoned but secretly underneath there is a bubble of chemistry waiting to explode. Yes the outcome of this book is certainly predictable but did this ruin my enjoyment of seeing Paige and Grayson slowly discover their feelings for each other? No not at all I enjoyed every cringey awkward moment of poor Paige learning to flirt alongside Grayson finally opening up and trying to navigate how to tell and show his true feelings for his best friend without ruining their years of friendship.

Both Grayson and Paige were both likeable characters even if they were polar opposites with Paige being a bright positive "rainbow" and Grayson being a "Grumpy Panda"! 

This is a great read for students this time of year too because it does touch on career paths and shows how some people have a clear passion and a career path ready to follow by the time they leave school whereas for others it isn't always clear what path they want to take and that is ok you will find your way when you stop putting pressure on yourself.

Having just finished a really deep emotive read before starting this book this was definitely right book right time as it was light hearted, uplifting and romantic which is the perfect tonic to repair a readers heart. Now let's hope we don't have too long to wait for Parkers story.

Available to buy here

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

 

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

I am relatively late to the Colleen Hoover party and I have read some so far that I have loved and some not so much but having just finished Regretting You this is firmly going on the books I loved list.

This book follows a family who are navigating grief after the loss of a Father/Husband and Auntie/Sister and this highlights how differently people deal with grief but also especially for Morgan looks at dealing with grief when secrets are revealed leaving you to deal with grief, heartbreak, trust and the ultimate betrayal. So often when someone passes they are put on a pedestal and people only remember and reminisce on how wonderful the deceased are but there are often more to the person and with both Chris and Jenny they have turned Morgan's life upside down and my heart really went out to this poor lady as her whole life as she knows it is ripped away from under her feet whilst she also has to be there for her daughter Clara who is dealing with the loss in a challenging way.

Clara finds comfort and love in the form of Miller but she is going through the motions of a new romance whilst dealing with the loss of her aunt and dad whilst also batting heads with her mother and having this overwhelming thought of being responsible for their deaths.

I was really taken in by these characters and this touching storyline, it doesn't sugar coat the challenging issues that are faced during grief and I was wishing for both Clara and Morgan to come together and get through this devastating time together and sometimes although you may have all the best intentions of keeping secrets to protect the people you love ultimately truth is always the best outcome.

The romance that builds around our characters felt genuine and honest, I was really routing for a happy wholesome outcome for all of our characters involved. I definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for this one to make it to the big screen because I will definitely be grabbing the popcorn.

Right Place, Right Time by Ali McNamara

 

Eve has always loved antiques.

She loves the way an item from the past can offer a glimpse of another world, of another time. It's why she painstakingly researches the stories behind every item in Rainy Day Antiques, her little Cambridge shop, to share with their new owners. It's her way of honouring the past and cherishing the present.

Adam is firmly focussed on the future.

He's only in town to sort his late grandfather's affairs. When he discovers that his grandfather hired Eve to manage his house clearance, he can only hope her methods don't delay his return to London.

What neither of them know is that Adam's grandfather chose Eve for a reason. It's finally the right place and the right time for the two of them to meet. But what did he have planned for them?

I have enjoyed many books by Ali McNamara so I was looking forward to her new release Right Place, Right Time.

This story line follows Eve who runs a little antiques shop called Rainy Day Antiques which is set in the quaint little  square called Clockmaker Court in Cambridge. Their is a close knit community in the court, all supporting each others businesses and providing friendships alongside which I love and before long you want to be a part of the court.

Eve meets Adam who is the love interest in this storyline but sparks don’t fly instantly as Eve is called in to hold the house clearance as requested by Adams late Grandfather. 

I was thoroughly enjoying this storyline learning more about Adam and Eve and I was becoming intrigued by this mysterious quest that seemed to have brought them both together. I can’t lie I was a little surprised when suddenly around 3/4 of the way through the book it took an unexpected turn and the revelation seemed so out of place with the rest of the book it felt for a while like I had picked up another story!

My attention did waiver a little at this point but I persevered with it and luckily my attention was piqued again and I enjoyed the bizarre remainder of the book.

This was unlike anything I have read before it began with a cute cosy vibe with a blossoming romance developing and later turns into something more “out there” and questionable is probably the only way I can explain it without giving away the storyline.