Want to banish those blues, root for romance and cheer for champions? Below are some ideas of books to try!
Boomerville at Ballymegille
Boomerville at Ballymegille is the second instalment in the Boomerville series but I didn’t feel like there were any spoilers for the first book or gaps in the second since I hadn’t read it. My favourite character was Hattie, whose flamboyance and tendency to meddle was the source of many of my chuckles (there’s a particular scene involving support knickers which really sticks in my mind!).
The Maverick
Wow. Just wow. I may have been a little more emotional than usual since I read this book around the anniversary of 3 years since my breast cancer diagnosis (I’m in remission, it’s all good) but I felt an incredible attachment to Jane from the get go.
I watched, powerless and horrified as Jane was sexually assaulted. I shed a tear as she screamed into a pillow back home, desperately trying to hide her trauma from her family. And I cheered as she honed that pain into a laser of determination and strength.
Sorry I Missed You
Have you ever been ‘ghosted’ by someone? I’m not talking about ectoplasm and rattling chains, but where someone just vanished from your life or stopped contacting you without explanation. This is what happens to the three protagonists in Suzy Krause’s novel, leading them to live in the townhouse converted into apartments by the hapless Larry.
The Single Mums’ Secrets
The story follows several characters as they navigate the often rocky terrain that is the life of the single parent. There’s Louise, who having been recently widowed, is trying to adjust to life with her two grieving children whilst trying to get through her own feelings of loss… and guilt.
Fin & Rye & Fireflies
Oh, this book… It made my heart happy in so many ways! The story centres around Fin Whittle, whose homophobic parents are so horrified when Fin is cruelly outed through a prank, that they move their family to a new town in the hope of a fresh start. They don’t count upon Fin meeting Poppy, her trans girlfriend June, and Rye, who turns Fin’s heart and world upside down. When his parents find out, they want to force Fin into ‘conversion therapy.’ So much for Fin and Rye’s happy ever after… or is it?
Unravelled
Claire used to be an avid knitter but loses her creativity and zest for life after her long term relationship ends. She’s living at home, working in a job she’s lost her appetite for and now she’s even struggling with her favourite pastime of knitting. A chance encounter with a tall, dark, handsome, scarf-wearing stranger leads to new friends and a new profile on an online dating site. But can Claire see that happiness is right at the end of her knitting needles?
Kissing Daisy Parker
I loved this novel and the nineties memories it brought back for me. The author skilfully takes the reader back to the itchy feet of sixth formers desperate to get on with life, to experience something more: the first kisses and romantic embarrassments; the confused emotions and feelings; and the need to discover individual identity versus the fear of losing those who have been close for years.
Love & Pollination
The book is described on the front as as “a whacky romantic comedy” and I think it sums the plot up perfectly. For me, it was as if The Two Ronnies had been given the gift of writing romance, with all the misunderstandings and slapstick in this story.
“‘What day is it?’, asked Winnie the Pooh.
‘It’s today,’ squeaked Piglet.
‘My favourite day,’ said Pooh.”
The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Booky Charm 