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ClareR (5686 KP) rated Ghosts in Books

Feb 21, 2021

Ghosts

Dolly Alderton | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance

7.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Ghosts was a great listen. I liked the character of Nina - she seems to be a great friend and a good daughter who wants to help both friends and family when she can. This doesn’t always seem to be reciprocated though. Nina is a successful food writer and owns her own home; the only thing missing in her life is someone to share it with. After the break up with her boyfriend, Joe, who she stays best friends with, Nina decides to try a dating app called Linx. She meets Max through the app, who is a handsome, enigmatic accountant. He announces on their first date that they will get married - and that’s where alarm bells started ringing for me, like the old cynic that I am.

Nina’s parents are lovely people, and her dads worsening dementia is heartbreaking. Her Mum is a bit of comic relief at times, changing her first name and joining clubs - but the reasoning behind her actions are understandable. She’s a lot younger than Ninas dad, and watching him forget more and more must be frightening and upsetting for her.

This book had me experiencing ALL the emotions - it’s funny, sad, worrying and infuriating. I laughed aloud whilst listening, had a bit of a cry, and shouted at Nina at one point (it was a Max thing and I was wearing headphones 🤷🏼‍♀️). The narrator was the exact right choice and it helped that the writing was really engaging too. It’s a really good book - and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Kudos

Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Switch in Books

Jul 31, 2021

The Switch

Beth O'Leary | 2020 | Contemporary

9.1

(7 Ratings)

Book Rating

This book had me giggling from the start, much like The Flat Share. I know a lot of the time when you’ve loved an author’s first book so much that their second doesn’t always live up to the expectations, but this one really exceeded them.
The book is split between chapters for Leena and Eileen, a granddaughter and grandmother who are grieving the loss of Leena’s sister. Leena threw herself into work in London while Eileen threw herself into looking after her daughter and Leena’s mother, Marian. After Leena is told by her boss that she must take a two month sabbatical, her and Eileen decide to swap lives for the two months. Leena moving to a tiny, sleepy village in Yorkshire, full of nosey old people and Neighbourhood Watch meetings, while Eileen moves to a tiny little flat in West London and tries online dating whilst making friends with everyone she comes across (whether they want to or not).
Beth O’Leary’s humour is brilliant, and so many situations had me giggling and rereading them multiple times and starting to giggle all over again (my favourite being when asked how a dog ended up in someone’s garden). It is so ridiculous, but not far fetched, and so you can actually imagine the events that make you laugh actually unfolding.
This book has just continued my love for Beth O’Leary and I will definitely be continuing to read her work and looking forward to new releases of hers in the future.

Kudos

Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Love, Guaranteed (2020) in Movies

Jan 28, 2021 (Updated Jan 28, 2021)

Love, Guaranteed (2020)

2020 | Romance

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Loved it

Susan is a young single lawyer with a very busy life, she lives on leftover takeaways and her car is falling apart. On her way to work she bumps into an obnoxious guy who turns out to be a potential client in a very bizarre case. This guy wants to sue an online dating site called 'love, guaranteed' because he hasn't been able to find love. Susan takes the case and agrees to be signed up to the site herself for research, as well as interviewing Nicks past dates.
After a few bad dates, Susan decides to go out for a meal by herself only to find Nick on yet another disaster of a date, one thing leads to another and Nick and Susan end up eating together and have a lovely night, both agreeing it was their best meal out yet and of course anyone who has ever watched a romance move, knows where this goes.
To be honest I half expected this movie to be boring, but I enjoyed it from the start. It did take me a while to realise the main character was Rachel Leigh Cook as she looks so different, it's great to see her acting again though. I also though Heather gray am was very good in her role, she made her character seem real and who'd have thought a wayans brother would fit in to this kind of movie, it's like he was made for the part. I loved this feel good movie, but it did make me sick to death of Tiffany.