JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan

December 2018, and free-spirited influencers Bo Loxley and her partner Zac are living a life of wanderlust, travelling the globe and sharing their adventures with their millions of fans. Booked to spend Christmas in the Norwegian fjords, they set up home in a remote farm owned by enigmatic mountain guide Anders and his fierce grandmother Signy. Surrounded by snowy peaks and frozen falls, everything should be perfect. But the camera can lie and with every new post, the ‘perfect’ life Zac and Bo are portraying is diverging from the truth. Something Bo can’t explain is wrong at the very heart of their lives and Anders is the only person who’ll listen.

June 1936, and fourteen-year old Signy is sent with her sister and village friends to the summer pastures to work as milkmaids, protecting the herd that will sustain the farm through the long, winter months. But miles from home and away from the safety of their families, threat begins to lurk in friendly faces…

The mountains keep secrets – Signy knows this better than anyone – and as Bo’s life begins to spiral she is forced, like the old woman before her, to question who is friend and who is foe.

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan is a festive novel set in the scenic fjords of Norway.

The book alternates between December 2018 and June 1936. In the present, Instagram influencers Amy ‘Bo’ Loxley and Zac Austen have arrived in Norway with their photographer Lenny and their clothing brand representative Anna. They’re planning to spend a couple of weeks in a remote cabin taking beautiful photographs of their surroundings for their followers and promote the clothing line that’s paying them $200K.

In June 1936, we meet a group of young women as they undertake work as milkmaids in the summer pastures. Friendships are tested and intentions are questioned.

It took me some time to warm to the 1936 storyline. At first, I felt like the characters weren’t relatable and I found my attention waning. But over time, I became invested in the tension between the young girls and the chilling events that were unfolding deep within the Norwegian woods.

I adored Zac and Bo’s storyline, and Karen Swan has done a fabulous job of capturing the setting. The beautiful wintry locations in the book are described so clearly, I was enraptured. The characters visit stunning, scenic waterfalls, mountains and icy fjords. The setting itself feels like a character in the book, concealing beautiful and dangerous locations and only revealing itself to those who are truly interested.

Bo is torn between what she wants her life to be like and what her life is expected to be. She’s got millions of adoring fans online, but is she really happy? Is this what she wants? And does Zac have her best interests at heart?

“She felt even angrier now. She had always made a point of never commenting on Lenny’s love life; if sleeping around made him happy, she wasn’t going to stand in judgement of it, but she could already see how this was going to play out.”

Underneath all of this, there is also a dangerous stalker lurking in the background. A man, who is unknown to Bo, has been stalking her online and following her around the world. She’s worried what will happen when he catches up to her, and no one except her new friend Anders seems to be taking her seriously.

Bo learns to trust her instincts and acknowledge the cracks in her relationship. Her and Zac were once leading a healthy relationship, but they’re not anymore. Bo isn’t happy with Zac and Lenny’s lifestyle and this holiday to Norway is opening her eyes to what life could really be like for Bo if she started leading her life the way she actually wanted.

“She didn’t know what to do with herself — what to do or where to go — and was still perched on the edge of the sofa when she heard him go back down the stairs ten minutes later.”

At first, Bo is quite a shallow person only thinking about her followers and her online presence. But over time, we realise there’s more to her as a character and we come to understand her and like her more.

Signy, who is the main character in the 1936 storyling, is still alive in 2018. She’s now a 96 year old woman and she’s living in the remote cabin that Bo and her friends are bunking in for the holidays. Signy recognises herself in Bo and takes a liking to her, offering her advice and encouraging her to open her eyes to what’s really around her. At first, Bo is sceptical. But then she comes to understand what Signy is trying to tell her.

In the end, I did think the similarities between Anders’ backstory and Bo’s stalker were a little absurd and way too coincidental. I almost think Anders’ past could’ve been cut out of the book and everything would’ve been fine.

An enjoyable read with a beautiful setting and an intriguing premise.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Lights
Karen Swan
November 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

There are times when destiny and love collide. This story is one of them.

From the number one bestselling author of The Notebook and Two by Two comes an unforgettable tale of enduring love . . . Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. After six years with her boyfriend, she is no longer sure what she wants, and when her father becomes ill she heads to her family’s cottage at Sunset Beach in North Carolina to make some difficult decisions.

Tru Walls has been summoned across an ocean from where he was born and raised in Zimbabwe by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. In journeying to Sunset Beach, Tru hopes to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother’s life, but the letter will lead him in an unexpected direction.

When these two strangers’ paths cross, their chance encounter sets in motion a heart-breaking story – one that will transcend decades, continents and the workings of fate.

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks is a romantic novel spanning decades and generations of family. It’s about meeting the right person at the wrong time, and the impossibility of love.

Hope Anderson is thirty-six years old and her relationship with her boyfriend is something that I think a lot of readers will be able to recognise. They’ve been together for six years and it seems like they’re still together because it’s been so long; they’re not together because they’re actually still in love. The relationship has grown stale, and neither of them can see it.

It’s only when Hope meets Tru Walls that she comes to realise that things could be better for her.

Tru has spent most of his adult life as a safari guide in Zimbabwe. He’s split from his ex and they share custody of their child. He’s travelled to America to track down the father he’s never known, and find out why he left his mother.

There is a fair bit of info dumping at the beginning of this novel, but setting and tension are a couple of the Nicholas’ strengths. You can feel the beautiful, waterfront setting and the cool breeze and you can picture in your mind the wonderful letterbox where all of these notes are being deposited and then read by strangers.

“But what would happen when his father did show up? The man was a stranger; a single meeting wasn’t going to change that. Nonetheless, Tru hoped he’d be able to answer some questions, which was the only reason Tru had decided to come in the first place.”

Every Breath explores many things. It’s about love and the importance of timing. It’s also about family, bonds, relationships and expectations. It’s about purpose in life, and meeting your own expectations.

It’s also about tragedy and the heartbreak that can be present in so many lives, and the importance of acceptance and forgiveness.

“She interested him. That she was beautiful there was no doubt, but it wasn’t simply that. There was an air of vulnerability and loneliness behind her smile, as if she was wrestling with something troubling. Maybe even a few somethings.”

My biggest gripe with the development of the story was the lack of chemistry between Hope and Tru, mostly because their ‘connection’ and ‘love’ developed at a rapid pace, too fast to be believable. They fall in love rather quickly, and I think it’s a bit too much for the reader to really invest in.

The ending of the book, and Hope’s decision surrounding children, seems a little farfetched. Nicholas initially crafted Hope to seem courageous, brave, independent, career-driven. And then at the end of the novel, she seems to drop all that and deliberately enter into a relationship she knows to be doomed just so she can have babies. To be honest, I hated the ending. And the Author’s Note at the end was equally frustrating.

Fans of Nicholas Sparks will be able to suspend belief long enough to enjoy this book. Readers who don’t spend much time inside the pages of a romance novel will probably dislike this book.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every Breath
Nicholas Sparks
October 2018
Hachette Publishers

The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart

Amid the Australian Army hospitals of World War I Egypt, two deeply determined individuals find the resilience of their love tested to its limits.

It’s 1911, and 21-year-old Evelyn Northey desperately wants to become a doctor. Her father forbids it, withholding the inheritance that would allow her to attend university. At the outbreak of World War I, Evelyn disobeys her father, enlisting as an army nurse bound for Egypt and the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.

Under the blazing desert sun, Evelyn develops feelings for polio survivor Dr William Brent, who believes his disability makes him unfit to marry. For Evelyn, still pursuing her goal of studying medicine, a man has no place in her future. For two such self-reliant people, relying on someone else for happiness may be the hardest challenge of all.

From the casualty tents, fever wards and operating theatres; through the streets of Cairo during Ramadan; to the parched desert and the grim realities of war, Pamela Hart, author of THE WAR BRIDE, tells the heart-wrenching story of four years that changed the world forever.

The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart is a grand love story set during World War I. From 1911 – 1918, we follow headstrong nurse Evelyn Northey as she advances in her medical career and helps treat injured soldiers.

The strength lies in the very believable, detailed information on being a nurse during World War I. It’s very clear how much research went into this book to make sure that the plot was authentic and realistic.

You can really feel the exhaustion and anxiety and tension in those operating wards — the pain and fear that those soldiers felt. You come to understand the pressure placed on doctors and nurses, and the emotional toll on them when they witness injuries, death and amputations.

“Dying men, and men in unendurable pain, call for their mother. Night after night, the calls of ‘Mum…Mam…Mummy…Mama…’ All you could do was hold their hand and whisper gently to them.”

Pamela’s writing is evocative and emotional, allowing the reader to really understand the characters and sympathise for them.

Evelyn is defiant but also trustworthy. She’s compassionate and caring, but she stands up to her controlling father and follows her head and her heart. She knows what she wants, and she knows what’s important to her.

Her father is a very manipulative man, refusing to give her access to her inheritance until she’s thirty. He doesn’t want her to study; he just wants her to work with him. But Evelyn has bigger ideas.

She’s living in a very sexist time in history — it’s a man’s world. But Evelyn is not willing to accept what men tell her to do. She’s career-driven and she doesn’t apologise for that.

“Over the past two weeks the wards had begun emptying, as the casualties stopped coming in and men recovered or were transferred to the rehabilitation facility in Alexandria. The post-surgical ward was only just full, not overflowing, and there was ample space to walk between the beds.”

World War I does not just bring Evelyn injured soldiers, but also fellow nurses who become her friends. They work together over the four years, their paths crossing in many different locations and wards. They share their hopes and their fears, and they form very strong bonds.

Evelyn may not have a strong relationship with her family, but it’s really fantastic to read about her friendship with the other nurses.

“The hospital staff went to the Pyramids properly as a Sunday treat, all the nurses who were off duty. Evelyn rode on a camel (so uncomfortable!) and touched the Sphinx, astonished at its baleful beauty.”

The plot is a little slow and long-winded and perhaps should’ve been edited down. Between Evelyn and William’s many transfers and location changes, I did feel exhausted by the end.

I’d recommend this to historical fiction readers, and romance fans. Anyone with an interest in stories during World War I will love this novel.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.


The Desert Nurse
Pamela Hart
July 2018
Hachette Book Publishers

The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell

At twenty-six, Lillian feels ancient and exhausted. Her marriage to Charles Oberon has not turned out the way she thought it would. To her it seems she is just another beautiful object captured within the walls of Cloudesley, her husband’s Chilterns manor house.

But, with a young step-son and a sister to care for, Lillian accepts there is no way out for her. Then Charles makes an arrangement with an enigmatic artist visiting their home and her world is turned on its head.

Maggie Oberon ran from the hurt and resentment she caused. Half a world away, in Australia, it was easier to forget, to pretend she didn’t care. But when her grandmother, Lillian, falls ill she must head back to Cloudesley. Forced to face her past, she will learn that all she thought was real, all that she held so close, was never as it seemed.

The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell is a compelling story of secrets, betrayals and the consequences of a long-ago summer.

Maggie leaves Australia and returns home to Cloudesley to help her ailing grandmother, and when she learns that her grandmother is in serious debt, she does all she can to save the house. She could sell the land and the property, but she knows how much the manor means to her grandmother. Additionally, Maggie runs into an old boyfriend and she is forced to confront her past.

“She avoids him for two days. Or perhaps he avoids her. Either way, it is a relief not to come upon him in the immediacy of her embarrassing blunder. She busies herself with menus and staffing arrangements.”

The Peacock Summer switches back and forth between Lillian as a young woman in 1955, and Maggie in present day as she tries to restore Cloudesley. Lillian is trapped in an abusive marriage, until she meets the charming and handsome Jack Fincher.

Like many historical fiction novels, The Peacock Summer is a story about lost love, heartache, sacrifice, and family secrets travelling through generations.

“It had become the pattern in their lives: Albie blowing in and out like a leaf on the wind, and the mother she had once known featuring in only the most distant echoes of memories and dreams.”

The cover design of this book is exquisite, and the inside filled with emotion and heartache. The language is evocative and the characters engaging. The lives of Lillian and Maggie do parallel each other and in many ways, they’re similar women.

Both women are flawed. Maggie runs away from difficult decisions, and finds it tough to confront her mistakes, and Lillian always seems to be looking for an excuse not to make a difficult choice, even if it’s the right choice.

Readers will sympathise for both women in the novel, and they’ll find comfort in the close relationships that Hannah has captured. In particular, the relationship between Lillian and her stepson Albie, and of course Maggie and Lillian.

“The further they get from Cloud Green, the more she feels her shoulders relax and her jaw unclench. Away from the flower show, she can feel the mantel of her public self being cast off like a scarf tossed to the wind. It is a relief to be free from the intense scrutiny of the village.”

It’s fascinating to read the timeline from both POV, because it shows you how incorrect someone’s judgment can be. Maggie views Lillian and Charles’ relationship to be one of great, mad love. But she’s misunderstood, and it’s only as we make our way through the novel we realise just how wrong Maggie is. And Maggie realises it too — the pedestal she’d been holding that relationship on was misguided and incorrect.

Despite it being predictable how Lillian and Jack’s relationship would end, I did find myself really invested in their storyline. The mysterious art in the nursery allowed for an element of intrigue and suspense, whilst also putting a timeframe on Lillian and Jack’s love. It made the reader want to keep reading. We could sense the looming deadline, and we want to know how Hannah will deliver the ending.

As hard as I tried, I just wasn’t interested in Maggie’s storyline. She’s a caring granddaughter, desperately trying to hold on to her grandmother’s home. But, I just didn’t connect with her and the scandalous breakup with her ex-boyfriend. I was far more invested in Lillian’s story, and her relationship with the men in the Cloudesley estate.

I’d recommend this to readers of historical fiction. It contains the overused but popular dual timeline of granddaughter and grandmother, and closely kept family secrets, but it’s an interesting and compelling read.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Peacock Summer
Hannah Richell
July 2018
Hachette Book Publishers Australia

On A Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond

Treasure every moment. Life can change in a heartbeat.

It’s a beautiful day in Manchester and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them.

For Laura, it’s a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface.

On A Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond is a novel that explores friendship, family and the importance of letting others in. The novel is set in England, and at its core, it is about unexpected events and wake up calls — it is about tackling the unknown and not being afraid to let others in.

When these four women — Laura, Jo, Eve and India — witness a car accident, they’re shook. The driver had a heart attack and unintentionally ploughed into multiple people. The four women were so close to where it happened — it could’ve been them pinned under that car. And so the accident affects them all in different ways.

“They hadn’t discussed IVF before, or undergoing any tests. As a sales manager for a medium-sized insurance firm, Matt could talk for Britain about claims and premiums; as a lifelong United fan he could bore on for hours with his mates about managerial tactics or the pros and cons of the 4-4-2 formation; but ask him to go into detail about his baby-making skills and he would fail uncharacteristically silent.”
LAURA

At first glance, these women may appear to lead perfect lives. But underneath, they’ve all got their struggles. Laura and her husband have been trying to get pregnant for years but they’ve suffered many miscarriages and it’s starting to feel like this will never happen for them. Jo has split from her husband and has just begun a new relationship with a man, but his step daughter Maisie is quite rotten and difficult. Eve keeps secrets from her husband, and she’s not even sure why. And India has long-buried secrets that she’s never told her husband and she must learn to face them so she can let go of this secret that is holding her back.

On a Beautiful Day is about being brave, confident and determined even when your whole world is in turmoil. The characters are full of emotion and passion, and despite the fact that I thought there were too many characters in the novel and I sometimes found it hard to keep track, I did read this book rather quickly and I enjoyed following the characters on their journey post-accident.

The novel alternates between the four different point of views, allowing the reader to follow each character as they confront the issues that they have been ignoring or keeping secret for some time now. Personally, I was more invested in Laura’s storyline. Her marriage and her hopes for a baby are shattered after the accident, and I kept reading because I wanted to find out what would happen to her.

“It wasn’t as if they didn’t talk — they did, all the time; anecdotes about work and friends, what to do each weekend, news and gossip. But not the big stuff. Not the exes.”
JO

Unfortunately, most of the men in the book are quite unreliable and pretty disappointing. The four women are fun and determined, but their partners are all very flawed and I wish there wasn’t so much of an imbalance. Laura’s husband is unable to cope with difficult conversations, Jo’s new partner likes to keep his head in the sand and doesn’t realise that his daughter Maisie is manipulative and troubled, India’s husband brushes her off all the time and she feels undervalued, and Eve’s husband is quite self-absorbed and doesn’t really pull his weight around the house. I found myself growing quite frustrated as the book progressed.

The book is set after ‘happily ever after’. All of these women have found love, had children, and are now facing what’s next. For some of them, it’s a new start, and for others, it’s about strengthening what they already have.

“Tuesday night was the one evening of the week when India actually peeled herself away from the sofa and TV in order to venture out for some self-improving Pilates with Laura.”

On a Beautiful Day might have some deep and important lessons for the reader, but aside from that, this is also a fun read. I think if you love reading novels that feature strong friendships, then you’ll love this novel. And if you’re the kind of person who likes historical fiction, then I think you’ll enjoy this read as well.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

On A Beautiful Day
Lucy Diamond
February 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

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