Book Review: The Woman I Was Before by Kerry Fisher @KerryFSwayne

 The Woman I Was Before

By Kerry Fisher

A new home can be a happy ending. Or a fresh start. Or a hiding place...

Of all the emotions single mother Kate Jones feels as she walks into her brand new house on Parkview Road, hope is the most unexpected. She has changed her name and her daughter’s, and moved across the country to escape the single mistake that destroyed their lives.

Kate isn’t the only woman on the street starting afresh. Warm, whirlwind Gisela with her busy life and confident children, and sharp, composed Sally, with her spontaneous marriage and high-flying career, are the first new friends Kate has allowed herself in years. Whilst part of her envies their seemingly perfect lives, their friendship might help Kate to leave her guilt behind.

Until one day, everything changes. Kate is called to the scene of a devastating car accident, the consequences of which will test everything the women thought they knew about each other, and themselves.

Can Kate stop her own secrets from unravelling, or was her hope for a new life in vain?

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

The Woman I Was Before

📚📚📚📚📚

You know a book is great when you find yourself trying to slow down, limiting yourself to several pages a day because you don't want the story to end. This is such a book.

This novel is a reminder that not everything you see on social media is real - it does not depict real life.  The three characters in this novel, Kate, Gisela  and  Sally, seemingly have it all together - at least on social media, but the truth is,  life isn't as picture perfect as they have made it out to be.

I thought this novel was something very special indeed. It certainly deserves to be read. 

Kerry Fisher is an internationally bestselling author of women's contemporary fiction, including The Woman I Was Before, The Silent Wife (USA Today bestseller) and The Secret Child. She was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent several years living in Spain, Italy and Corsica. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. She now lives in Surrey with her husband, two teenage children and a naughty Lab/Schnauzer called Poppy.

Book Review: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris @KrisMcmorris

 

Sold on a Monday 

By Kristina McMorris 

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review 

Sold on a Monday 

📚📚📚📚📚

Oh, this book. I don't even know where to begin. This story is set during the Great Depression in America. It is a time of terrible suffering. It is, at times, an emotionally exhausting read, but it was also one that I could not turn away from.

I thought the author depicted this era with a great understanding for the history. She has also brought vividly to life how terribly hard it was to live through this era.

This book is heartbreakingly sad but it is also one of hope. I really enjoyed this novel.

You can find it over on Amazon

KRISTINA MCMORRIS is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her novels have garnered more than two dozen literary awards and nominations, including the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Kensington Books. Her forthcoming novel, Sold on a Monday (Sourcebooks Landmark, 8-28-18), follows her widely praised The Edge of Lost, The Pieces We Keep, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and Letters from Home. Additionally, her novellas are featured in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central. Prior to her writing career, Kristina hosted weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business Journal. She lives with her husband and two sons in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on her next novel. For more, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com