Book Review: The Truth About You by Melissa Hill

One morning in the small town of Lakeview, Ella Harris finds a cardboard box on the doorstop of her café. At first she thinks it's her usual muffin delivery but is shocked to find that the box actually contains a newborn baby.

But what kind of mother would abandon a defenceless baby like that, and why?

Could it have been newly single Nina who, after being rejected by the father of her unborn child, has no choice but to return to Lakeview to stay with her estranged (and slightly peculiar) dad?

Or was it Lakeview-born Hollywood actress Eva Seymour, who on the eve of her triumphant return home from LA, has a completely ill-advised fling with a handsome co-star. A baby is certain to ruin her hard-fought-for career.

Or perhaps it’s happily married Jess who, as the only non-mum amongst her friends, finds herself increasingly left out. Terrified that she will lose them altogether, she embarks on becoming a mother too. But is she really rushing into something she really knows nothing about?

Anyone who visits this site regularly will know that I am a massive Melissa Hill fan and get rather excited whenever I find out she has a new book coming out. Luckily for me, I was sent an ARC of this book to review for the site, and I couldn't believe my luck when it landed on my doorstep! I don't have the pretty cover that you can see pictured on this post, but it's as lovely as the other Melissa Hill covers, and it'll certainly entice lovers of Melissa's books in! This book is actually Melissa's 9th novel, and I think she is one of those authors who just gets better with every book which is a great talent to have! Anyway, back to the review.

Book Review: Please Forgive Me by Melissa Hill

Leonie was happily in love and engaged to fiancé Adam, but now she's living halfway across the world from him in San Franscisco. She doesn't want to be found, and she doesn't want people to know the secret she ran away from either.

When she moves into a new home, she finds a box of letters all to the same woman from the same man, Nathan, begging for forgiveness. Leonie is curious and decides to find out who the mystery recipient is.

She enlists the help of her neighbour Alex who has a fair few secrets herself - but is Leonie doing it for Nathan and his love, or to exorcise her own demons once and for all?

I've been an enormous fan of Melissa Hill's novels since I read my first one quite a few years ago now, and Melissa is one of those fantastic authors who just seem to get better with every book. Her last release, Before I Forget, was a triumph and is highly recommended by us, so I was thrilled to get a copy of Please Forgive Me, which amazingly is Melissa's 8th book! It promises to have yet another of Melissa's trademark twists which keep you absolutely glued to the pages, so I made sure I had plenty of free time when I began this one!

This book drew me in immediately, and this is mainly due to the brilliant main character of Leonie. She's an Irish girl who's upped sticks to live in America to escape her ex-fiance Adam, although we aren't told why she's done so for a long while yet! This is what I really love about Hill's books - the mystery of the story is told slowly throughout the book and is intertwined with the main story, and this really does work so well, making the book incredibly readable and drawing the reader right into the middle of the story. It's told in the third person which allows for flicking between characters and time periods too, which was interesting to read.

As with all of Melissa's books though, it isn't just the main character who I liked in the book. My other favourite character is Alex, Leonie's neighbour who she meets a while into the book. She's a real all-American girl, totally opposite to Leonie but this is why the friendship works so well between the pair. Their relationship changes and develops as the book progresses, and you can believe it's a real friendship too, it's so well written. Other characters pop up; Seth, Adam, Suzanna, Andrea and more and add so much to the story, they are all vital in their own way.

However, the thing that made this book stand out for me is that it isn't set in Ireland, although the main character is very Irish of course! Hill keeps the esssence of Ireland in there with Leonie's frequent references to her homeland and the flashbacks of Leonie and Adam's relationship, but the setting of San Francisco is perfect for this book. Hill perfectly describes the ever-changing weather, beautiful scenery and day-to-day life of the place and the reader is able to imagine they are sat there with Leonie staring out at the Golden Gate bridge in her bay window!

The letters aspect was completely intriguing and I never in a hundred years would have guessed the eventual outcome of this storyline. I guessed things along with Leonie and Alex and ended up being wrong at each turn and was surprised with what had happened - it wasn't at all what I had expected but still a good conclusion. But more gripping for me was what had happened between Leonie and Adam, a tale that was so skillfully unwound it was a pleasure to read and allowed me to sink into the life and woes of Leonie even though I didn't know what she was woeful about!

This book is an absolute must-read, especially if you haven't read any of Melissa's books before. It's elegantly written, compulsive reading at its best, and is a welcome addition to any reader's bookshelf. I loved every single page and found it hard to put down, even when I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open! The characters are fantastically written, the setting is beautifully written and it is a joy to read. I can't recommend it highly enough - the perfect read, all year round!

Rating: 5/5

Thank you so much to the publishers Hodder for sending us a copy to review.

Book Review: Wishful Thinking by Melissa Hill

Wishful Thinking follows the lives of 3 women, all about to make life-changing discoveries which will really rock their worlds.

Louise's life hasn't been the same since her horrid accident - she's constantly in pain, struggling to fit in at work and having problems with her massive debts. Dara has just married a wonderful man, but not The One. She's shocked when the real love of her life suddenly comes back into Ireland, and throws her feelings into complete disarray.

Finally, Rosie just wants to enjoy her old age and make her 2 children happy. But Rosie's children haven't turned out as she wanted them too, and she's forced to make some tough decisions. 3 women - 3 lives - 3 excellent stories in one.

As usual, Hill has managed to weave 3 seemingly different stories into the one book, yet it manages to work. What really interests me is the fact that none of the characters know each other, so she can't really create relationships between any of them but somehow it does seem to flow together very well, and with ease. The beginning is very intriguing, featuring a railway crash but we aren't given the name of the character who is hurt which I was hoping would be revealed at the end of the novel. It was a strange start, as the book then went back four months to the rest of the main story and slowly brings in each of our main characters. The crash isn't mentioned again until right at the end, and not to my satisfaction either.

The three main characters, all women, were very different but likeable in their own ways. Despite the fact they were all nice enough people, they all made some silly decisions and did get on my nerves throughout the book because of things that happened. Louise is a young girl living in the city, and living outside her means. She has enormous credit card debt but it doesn't seem to stop her going out to expensive shops and blowing a fortune. She frustrated me as she seemed so keen to be liked she was willing to let the rest of her life go down the pan, and her chapters really annoyed me. Dara's just got married and is happpy with her husband, but still hankers after the one that got away, Noah. Now any woman reading this book would love a husband like Mark, he's almost perfect so for Dora to treat him badly was very annoying and the storyline about her did annoy me again. Finally, Rosie is an older lady than our other 2 characters, and mum to 2 grown kids. However, they both treat her like absolute poo and she seems to put up with it. I almost wanted to shout at her to get a backbone and stand up to them as she was so wimpy, but I can't speak too soon as I dread to think how I'll be with Harry when he's older!

The book alternates between the stories of the three women, and it is a good way to write this book, especially considering they really are separate stories and unlinked. The characters do pop up within each others stories, but just as brief mentions, not as main plotlines within their story. The focus of the chapter changes every chapter, so you have to be on the ball when it comes to all the characters within that person's story but I didn't find this too much of a problem as Hill has kept the secondary characters to a minimum. The way it builds up towards this inevitable crash is interesting, as I was desperate to know who was involved and how it would impact their lives. This was cleverly done by Hill, and made it much more enjoyable for me and ensured I kept reading!

This book is incredibly well written, and if you love a story with a twist this is definitely one for you. It's different from your normal chick-lit because there isn't a main plot for you to get absorbed by, but the three stories definitely reel you in and wondering if there is going to be a good conclusion for any of them. The characters were good, very frustrating at times but this is the sign of a good writer when you actually have feelings towards fictional people - good or bad! I really enjoyed this book, not as much as some of her other books (Not What You Think and The Last to Know) but it's still a brilliant read - very thought-provoking, quite gritty at times and very well written.

Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Before I Forget by Melissa Hill

Abby Ryan is quite happy with life, but all that changes when she's hit by falling debris when she's walking under a ladder on her way to work.

When she awakes, she finds out that her memory is damaged, and that she has lost much of her long-term memory. She's devastated, but also slightly in denial. So Abby sets about creating some new, fantastic memories with the help of her family and close friends, ones that she hopes she will be able to hold onto despite her declining health.

On her amazing adventures, Abby bumps into someone who soon becomes a close friend. But is she willing to let him into her life and let him become something more?

Melissa Hill always tries something different with her books, and explores areas that other authors in the genre probably wouldn't go down the route of. This books explores the aftermath of someone having an accident that will change the rest of their lives, and not only them but the people surrounding that person too. However, this book is a little different from other material the author has written in that it is focussed on one character and her life unlike other books which have chosen to focus on a group of characters, linked by some event or other. In another change from the norm, there isn't really a mystery element to this book, but still I was hooked and loved every page.

The lead character of Abby is very important, not only because she is the focus of the story, but because the audience has to like her and empathise with her, otherwise the book just wouldn't work. However, this wasn't a problem because of Hill's skill with writing and creating a character that just comes to life on the pages and into the minds of her readers. Abby was just a normal girl whose life took a shocking turn, and her accident was something that could easily happen to just you or me. This made it all the more believable and consequently I found myself getting involved in the story very quickly and in Abby's life as well. Abby's reaction to her situation is also very believable and I could see myself reacting the same way.

The reaction of Abby's family was also very important and played an integral part in the story. Finn was a great character who also reacted well to the whole scenario of Abby, and I instantly warmed to him. The rest of her family were also likeable, and that is why I like Melissa Hill's book so much. They are always completely focussed on the characters as well as the storyline and it always works so seamlessly to create a wonderful story and it makes her books so readable. The progression is good and doesn't move too quickly, instead choosing to focus on the events that Abby's family take her on and her visits with her therapist too. Hill has clearly done her research certain things in the book, such as the medical issues that Abby faces, and also New York too as this features largely in the book too.

This isn't my favourite book of Melissa Hill's as it doesn't have the major twists and turns that her other books do, but it still a great read and one her fans will definitely enjoy. She once again writes an excellent story that draws you in and keeps you hooked until the last page is turned. It doesn't get too heavy with medical jargon, but of course there is some in there because of the nature of the story. Hill manages to make it make sense though, and its all explained so you fully understand what each of these characters are going through. Although Abby is the main character, I really did love Finn because of his support and his own little storyline as well that was quite touching. As I said, its different from some of her other stuff, but its great and a very enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it to her fans, but also to anyone who just loves a really good book.

Rating: 5/5