We are returning to France for another great summer read by Gillian Harvey . The Village Cafe in the Loire was published by Boldwood on July 12th. High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge. But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past. Becky’s path to succes...
Confessions of a First Time Mum by Poppy Dolan ** Blog Tour Review**
I am delighted to be part of the blog tour to celebrate the publication of Poppy Dolan's, Confessions of a First Time Mum.
Stevie’s life has changed beyond recognition since having
her first baby.
Stevie loves being a mum, but between the isolation and
being vomited on five times a day, she really wishes she had someone to talk
to.
With husband Ted working hard to keep the family afloat,
Stevie really doesn’t want to burden him with her feelings. Turning to the
internet, Stevie starts the anonymous First-Time Mum blog and blasts the
rose-tinted glasses of parenthood right off her readers.
In the real world, Stevie meets the formidable Nelle and
gorgeous Will, along with their own little treasures, and starts to realise
that being a ‘perfect mum’ isn’t everything. But when the secret blog goes
viral, Stevie must make some tough choices about who she wants to be, and
whether she’s ready for the world to know the truth…
A perfect laugh-out-loud read for fans of The Unmumsy Mum,
Gill Sims and Emma Robinson.
My Thoughts
The ups and downs of dealing with a baby and the huge changes it brings to your life have not really changed over the years, even if the internet and social media have brought with them a whole new set of challenges. New mothers have always felt judged for their choices and experienced the limits which a crying baby can push them to- tempered by the utter love they feel for their child. So, I would say that any age of reader will identify with Stevie and enjoy reading her story.
The writing is full of humour and hilarious situations. I particularly enjoyed Stevie's blog postings which are so well observed. Stevie finds a real sense of family with her two friends, Nelle and Will, who she can turn to day or night. Stevie's ability to cast aside a rosy view of parenthood touches a nerve with her blog followers but she also comes to realise that once her anonymity is broken, not everyone appreciates her honesty.
In short: a great read for a summer afternoon.
About the Author
Poppy Dolan is in her mid thirties and lives in Berkshire with
her husband. She's a near-obsessive baker and a keen crafter, so on a typical
weekend can be found moving between the haberdashery and kitchenware floors of
a department store, adding to her birthday wish list. She has written three
novels: The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, There's More to Life than Cupcakes and
most recently The Bluebell Bunting Society. The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp made it
into the Amazon top 100 bestseller chart, so clearly someone other than her mum
must have read it. She's currently working on her fourth novel – it's about
friends, siblings and crafty things – and drinking far too much tea.
You can get in touch with Poppy on Twitter @poppydwriter and
on Facebook at poppydolanbooks. She doesn't bite. Unless you are a dark
chocolate digestive.
Book links: Amazon UK
Thanks to Poppy Dolan and Ellie Pilcher of Canelo for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Catch up with the rest of the tour!
Comments
Post a Comment