Before I Let You Go - by Kelly Rimmer

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.

As weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhood, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?

Both candid and compassionate, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break. 

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Two sisters, Lexie and Annie, who couldn’t be more different. They went through a lot in their childhood and especially Annie is struggling with the consequences now. Their dad died early and their mum married another man. His background is special and also the way he treats the girls. That’s why Lexie left early, but Annie is younger and suffered a lot.

Now, years later, Annie is happy with her fiancé Sam, has a great job, but whenever something happens with her sister, she is there immediately. Annie has been through several rehabs and is still struggling and now she is pregnant!

Lexie suddenly sees herself caring for the baby and things get even more dramatic. The storyline is very intense and gripping.

The two women take turns telling us their story. Lexie focuses on the now and her feelings really come through. Through Annie we get to know what happened in the past. That helps to understand the characters better and I think it’s a great way to tell a story. It’s different and special.

I really liked Sam, Lexie’s fiancé, he was a wonderful support, always there for her and helping in every possible way.

Kelly Rimmer touches the topic of drug addiction in an emotional way, show that it is a disease and how the addicts actually feel.

The book is heart-breaking, touching and very poignant. I loved every minute of this story.

Rating:

Kelly Rimmer on Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites

Website: https://kellyrimmer.com

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When I Lost You – by Kelly Rimmer

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Do you ever wish you had the chance to meet someone again for the first time?

When Leo and Molly met and married, they believed they were invincible. Together they could take on the world. But Leo,a war correspondent, lives for life on the edge, and when he takes a step into the unknown, tragedy strikes and he loses his memory. Molly rushes to help him fill in the gaps and soon they start falling in love all over again.

The trouble is, Molly is hiding something. Something big. The devoted wife at Leo’s bedside is a sham; Leo and Molly’s marriage was on the rocks long before Leo’s accident.

The closer Molly gets to her husband the more scared she becomes that he will remember. As Leo’s memory begins to trickle back will Molly lose the man she loves for a second time?

An emotional, heartbreaking read that will restore your faith in the power of love.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is just amazing! I love Kelly’s previous book and was really excited for this. She sure enough didn’t disappoint me.

The story follows Molly and Leo. They are married. An accident changes their view of love and their whole situation. After a few years of marriage they drifted more and more apart and in the end in the end they just wanted different things. Now, Leo doesn’t remember anything.

Leo was a colleague of Molly’s brother Duncan and that’s how they met. Molly wants to talk to Leo after Duncan’s death. They talk a lot and get to know each other. This leads to more. I loved how much chemistry these two had, such a pleasure to read about their moments. They fall in love and get married, this causes problems with Molly’s family, because they don’t like Leo, because of what happened with Duncan.

Anyway, Molly is by Leo’s side after the accident, but it’s weird, they were separated and now he doesn’t even remember being married to her. Slowly he starts living again and Molly helps him gain the memories back. The chapters switch between their moments in the past and the “now”. This is fabulous, because we can read about how they got together, but also their feelings now. Leo is different now, but Molly is scared that he will remember their fights and the reason they separated.

It’s their chance to find their love again, get to know each other again and find a better way to deal with everything. The question just was, will something change and how is Leo reacting on certain news.

This book is very emotional, heart-breaking and touching. A very special story of love and loss. The writing is wonderful, it flows beautifully and really takes you in. I loved the changes between the now and then and also the two perspectives of the characters. Kelly included their emotions beautifully and created a great atmosphere around the story with her words.

Rating:

My possible cast:

Molly: Carey Mulligan

Leo: Shia LaBeouf

Kelly on Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites

Website: http://kellyrimmer.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Book of the Month - June

The books I read this month:

-       The Love Shack – by Jane Costello 4/5

-       Summer by the Sea – by Jenny Hale 5/5

-       Never Let You Go – by Katy Regnery 5/5

-       Third Time Lucky, The Honey Trap – by Victoria Browne 3/5

-       The Secret Daughter – by Kelly Rimmer 5/5

-       Return to Bluebell Hill – by Rebecca Pugh 5/5

-       The Vintage Cinema Club – by Jane Linfoot 4/5

-       Chasing Daisy – by Paige Toon RE-READ

-       If You Don’t Know Me by Now – by A.L. Michael 4.5/5

-       From Notting Hill With Four Weddings…Actually – by Ali McNamara 5/5

So many exceptional and incredible books this months, here are my three winners:

Summer by the Sea – Jenny Hale

The bit on the back:

They say there’s always one summer that changes you.

For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister, Casey, to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved ninety-year-old Grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood beach house, where it all began.

Faith hasn’t seen her sister in years but is finally ready to forgive and forget, enjoy the sunshine and relive happy memories. What she’s not ready for is meeting Jake Buchanan – the owner of the beach house – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites in her.

Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past, rekindle the close bond she had with Casey and make this summer THE ONE to remember?

My opinion:

This amazing and beautiful story is full of surprises! This story has it all – a great location, wonderful characters, a strong family bond, cute, romantic and memorable moments, love and magic. I had a huge book hangover after this beauty!!!

Read my review here: Summer by the Sea Review

Jenny on Twitter: @jhaleauthor

Website: http://itsjennyhale.com

Return to Bluebell Hill – Rebecca Pugh

The bit on the back:

 As sweet and satisfying as strawberries and cream! This British summertime, get out in the garden with Rebecca Pugh’s sparkling debut novel.

Home is where the heart is…

Jessica McAdams has never belonged anywhere; never truly felt at home. Of course, what did she expect from parents who never made her feel welcome in her own house? Leaving her life in London to return home to the charming country village of Bluebell Hill is harder than she thought. Especially as she never considered she’d be returning under such heart wrenching circumstances…

Clearing out the stunning and imposing Bluebell House after her parents’ death is difficult for Jessica—they never had the best relationship and now it’s too late. Yet spending time in the house that was never a home, having afternoon tea with dear old friend Esme—and sharing hot, sizzling kisses with delectable gardener Rueben!—opens Jessica’s eyes to the potential of Bluebell House… Could this big old, beautiful manor really be her forever home? Is Bluebell Hill where her heart is, has always been?

Jessica soon dares to dream of her very own home with delicious Rueben by her side. But when a deep, dark secret of Bluebell House is unearthed, Jessica’s world is turned upside down…

Will Jessica ever find where her heart truly lies?

An emotional tale of self-discovery, taking chances and romance! Rebecca’s unique British voice feels like coming home again and again.

My opinion:

Becca’s writing is wonderful, full of beautiful details, charm and spark and it makes this story emotional, moving, touching and just amazing. The storyline has a great flow and the characters are so adorable.

Read my review here: Return to Bluebell Hill Review

Rebecca on Twitter: @BeccasBoooks

Website: http://beccasbooooks.blogspot.co.uk

The Secret Daughter – Kelly Rimmer

The bit on the back:

As I saw my new-born baby’s face for the first time I tried desperately to capture her face in my mind—to stamp it onto my eyelids. As she was taken from me I knew I might never see my daughter again.

38 years later…

‘You were adopted’. Three short words and Sabina’s life fractures. There would forever be a Before those words, and an After.

Pregnant with her own child, Sabina can’t understand how a mother could abandon her daughter, or why her parents have kept the past a secret.

Determined to find the woman who gave her away, what she discovers will change everything, not just for Sabina, but for the women who have loved her all these years.

From the bestselling author of Me Without You comes another touching, beautifully told story about the pain of separation and the enduring strength of love.

My opinion:

This is definitely one of the most EMOTIONAL books I’ve ever read! I’d advise having some tissues close and maybe even some chocolate. The writing is more than beautiful and the storyline has so much flow and spark.

A MOVING AND EXCEPTIONALLY FABULOUS!!!

Read my review here: The Secret Daughter Review

Kelly on Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites

Website: http://kellyrimmer.com

The Secret Daughter – by Kelly Rimmer

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

As I saw my new-born baby’s face for the first time I tried desperately to capture her face in my mind—to stamp it onto my eyelids. As she was taken from me I knew I might never see my daughter again.

37 years later…

‘You were adopted’. Three short words and Sabina’s life fractures. There would forever be a Before those words, and an After.

Pregnant with her own child, Sabina can’t understand how a mother could abandon her daughter, or why her parents have kept the past a secret.

Determined to find the woman who gave her away, what she discovers will change everything, not just for Sabina, but for the women who have loved her all these years.

From the bestselling author of Me Without You comes another touching, beautifully told story about the pain of separation and the enduring strength of love.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I got to know Kelly’s writing last year when I read her novel Me Without You. I fell in love with it immediately and that’s why I was really excited about this book.

The story follows 38 years old Sabina and her husband Ted. They just learned that they are going to be parents. Something weird happens though, when they tell her parents. Sabina’s mum Megan tells her about her miscarriages and then boom the explosion, Sabina is adopted.

Of course Sabina is hurt and angry, especially since she’s going to be a mother herself.

Sabina is determined to find her birth mother, but it’s not as easy as she thought and her parents are not helping with their lies.

The path of discovering the truth is hard and full of surprises, hurt and it changes everything.

Sabina eventually meets her new family and discovers the truth. It puts her mother’s past in a bad light. I don’t wanna say more at this point, because it would reveal too much. It’s an emotional, poignant and touching roller-coaster ride for Sabina, her birth mum Lilly and also Megan. I felt really close to Sabina through the writing and just wanted to be there for her. I loved the scenes between her and Lilly, two women, mother and daughter getting to know each other. They are so alike and it’s great that they discover these things step by step. It’s very emotional and hard for both of them. Lilly dealing with this loss, this separation, with the forced adoption and finally being able to be with her daughter, after she had to let go of the hope of raising her.

Lilly got pregnant when she was sixteen and was sent to a place where she had to work, then gave birth and never saw her baby again. Here is where Sabina’s mum Megan comes into the pictures, making this story that is hard and sad even more dramatic and traumatic.

I never really heard of forced adoption and this book is the perfect way to learn more about it. Kelly describes it with this story and has a very delicate and gentle way to deal with it, that was pretty impressive. She gave us insight, of how women dealing with this felt and built a heart breaking, touching, beautiful, sweet and emotional story around it.

Ted was a great support in this story, the perfect loving and sweet husband, I fell in love with him, I have to say, so welcome to my book boyfriend list Ted ;)

This whole story is told from three perspectives, Sabina of course, alternating with Lilly first. Sabina is talking about the present/her present and then we have Lilly when she was pregnant with Sabina, then after the birth it changes to Megan and we slowly learn of what really happened with Sabina after her birth.

This is definitely one of the most EMOTIONAL books I’ve ever read! I’d advise having some tissues close and maybe even some chocolate. The writing is more than beautiful and the storyline has so much flow and spark.

MOVING AND EXCEPTIONALLY FABULOUS!!!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Sabina: Keira Knightley

Lilly: Andie MacDowell

Megan: Jane Seymour

Ted: Chris Evans

Kelly on Twitter: @KelRimmerWrites

Website: http://kellyrimmer.com

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