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The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander #Review

  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander was published by Avon Books on September 25th.  A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years… The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, ...
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Winging It by Emma Murray #Review

 

Welcome to the blog tour to celebrate Emma Murray's latest romcom, Winging It. Having read Time out and The Juggle, I was keen to find out what happened next. You can read my reviews of the two earlier books here:  Time Out  |  The Juggle

 

When her husband David announces he’s been offered a job in New York, Saoirse is thrilled. The glamour of the big city, the shopping, the culture, not to mention the free Manhattan apartment and business class air fare – what’s not to like? There’s just the small matter of making it work for their daughter, five-year-old Anna, who isn’t so keen to leave her friends and school behind.

The Big Apple in the middle of summer isn’t quite the holiday Saoirse envisaged, and with David away with work, New York apartment sizes on the miniscule side, and the pace of life faster than the sleepy London suburbs, solo ex-pat parenting pushes Saoirse to her limits.

And as the pressure builds and ‘faking it till she makes it’ isn’t cutting it, there’s only one thing for it – Saoirse and Anna need a new plan, and ‘Winging It’ might be their best option…

Emma Murray returns with this laugh-out-loud funny, compulsively page-turning adventure about parenting, travelling, and finding your tribe – on both sides of the pond.


 My Thoughts

This is a warm and witty read. By this third book, Saoirse's character is well established and it was lovely to meet up with her again and to see what was next in her life. Her reactions to living in New York were completely believable and you could feel her relief when she was able to move out of the city. I well remembered the posse of parents who she christened The Organics back in the UK so you can imagine her scepticism when she met a group of American Moms. Family life is messy and difficult at time but Saoirse's friends rally round her just when she needs it.

    There is so much humour to be had, especially from Anna and her friends, as well as a few delightful cameos- I'm thinking about the New York receptionist really and his oh so helpful advice. There is a mystery around one of Saoirse's neighbours which has a surprising solution and one which I had not seen coming. The humour comes from the characters and their reactions to modern living. This is a great read which has energy and feels current. I wonder what Saoirse does next?

In short: Family, friendship, fun

About the Author


Emma Murray is originally from Co. Dublin and moved to London in her early twenties. After a successful career as a ghostwriter, she felt it was high time she fulfilled her childhood dream to write fiction. 

You can follow Emma Murray here:  Newsletter sign up  |  Website  |  Twitter |  Facebook   |  Instagram |  Bookbub


Book link:  Amazon UK

Thanks to Emma Murray, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Follow the rest of the tour!
 

 
 

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