A Summer Fling by Milly Johnson

I quite enjoyed this book once I got into it and got to know the different characters. Each of the main characters were loveable and had some twist to their story. Raychel's was particularly surprising and helped me to understand her character better. My favourite characters were those who were with awful men but managed to overcome these and move on, showing their strength as women. Grace was perhaps my favourite, as you could see how much she loved her children and how much she had to go through in order to allow herself to follow her head and heart. Probably the only character I did not like that I was supposed to was Vladamir Darq because of the whole 'vampire' idea surrounding him, which seems to be a strange craze at the moment. I do not think it is particularly attractive in a man, and there were too many cliched jokes about him. Other than that, though, I generally enjoyed this book. I give it 8/10.

Audiobook: The Enchanted by Charlotte Bingham

I've recently gotten into audiobooks and this was a brilliant one to get me started. I really loved the story of this one, and all of the different characters that are brought together as part of it. Kathleen was my favourite character because of her connection to her horse, The Enchanted. But there wasn't a single character I didn't grow to love by the end, except those you are supposed to hate such as Lynne's ex, Gerry. I don't know much about horse racing, but I really enjoyed the descriptions of the races and really felt my heart pounding as if I were really there. It took me a while to get used to the narrator, as her Irish accent was a bit strange at first, but by the end I couldn't have imagined it any different. I give this audiobook 9/10.

The Summer Season by Julia Williams

I really enjoyed this book and getting to know the characters within it. It was interesting to see the story progress from the perspectives of the main characters, who slowly revealed their pasts to the reader. I particularly liked the chapters which revealed the story behind Heartsease House with the lives of Edward and Lily. The gardening aspect of the story was also enjoyable, with the descriptions of the gardens. The only part of the book that I didn't like was Kezzie's use of drugs, mostly because she didn't stop using them after they nearly ruined her relationship. I like a story where the characters learn from their mistakes and has some sort of moral lesson behind it. I give it 8/10.

Warnings of Gales by Annie Sanders

Although it has taken me a long time to read (due to being busy), I quite enjoyed this book. I instantly warmed to the character of Imogen but it took me a while to like Jo, who at first irritated me a little. But in many ways, this reflected how the characters' feelings developed throughout the book. By the end, I loved both of these characters in their own way. The other main female character was Sophie, but I didn't feel very connected to her so felt she could have been developed a bit more. However, I did enjoy how the story was told from the two perspectives of Imogen and Jo, who both clashed and were on very different journeys in their life. It reveals how women can totally misunderstand each other but eventually realise the grass isn't always greener on the other side, which I feel is an important message, and deal with their own problems head on. I give this book 8/10.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I don't normally read many non-chick-lit type books, but this was a present which came highly recommended so I decided to give it a go. It was actually really good, though, so I was pleasntly surprised. It took a while for the plot to take off, but when it finally did I was hooked. There were some really surprising twists in the story which I didn't expect. And I felt that I really got to know a lot of the characters in depth. Although sometimes I got confused between some of the Spanish names which seemed similar at first. And another complaint is that the author sometimes came across as a bit pretentious when he chose to use long and complicated words and sentences when describing ordinary things. I'm still going to be reading chick lit most of the time, but it was interesting to read something different for a change. I give it 8/10.

The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson

I do not usually read many non-fiction books all the way through, but this one was difficult to put down! As someone who loves taking pleasure in the small things in life, this book was perfect for me. I picked this book up off the shelves at my local library on a whim but totally fell in love with it. I love the way it goes through activities to do by season, as I feel that people do not really appreciate the changing seasons enough. Whilst some things were maybe not in my price range (such as buying expensive bedding), other suggestions could be took up by anyone. I do not usually review non-fiction books, but this was something special, which I read like a novel, and so I give it 9/10.

The Girls' Guide to Homemaking by Amy Bratley

I really enjoyed this book. I loved and felt really connected to the main character, Juliet, although this may be because she is very similar to me! I felt empathetic towards her and her situation and enjoyed watching her solve her problems and develop as a person. I particularly liked the theme of homemaking and how Juliet used her gradmother's homemaking manual to help her build her new life. I loved hating her (ex)boyfriend, (ex)best friend and (ex)boss throughout the story, too. I also enjoyed the revelations that were gradually revealed about Juliet's past and family, that let me get to know her better as a character. It was a thoroughly enjoyable story. I give it 10/10.