Rebecca has a most unusual problem: no matter how hard she tries, she can’t stop broadcasting her feelings to people around her. Luckily, she’s discovered how to trap and store her feelings in personal objects but just how much emotional baggage can Unit 207, E.Z. Self Storage hold?

Lewis is grieving for his wife, Lisa, Rebecca’s sister. Inconsolable, he skips Lisa’s funeral, flies toWinnipeg, gets a haircut and meets a woman who claims to be God.

At the wheel of a stolen Honda Civic is Aberystwyth, aka Aby, driving across Canada to save the soul of her dying mother. She is green, gill-necked, and very uncomfortable out of the water. An unexpected encounter with Aby sets off a chain of events which sends each of them on a personal quest.

Can Rebecca, Lewis and Aby find redemption before a terrible flood destroys their chance at happiness?

You could view this book as something of a comment on religion and indeed there is a lot of religious imagery used: the great flood; the strange strict religion Aby has grown up with and her rejection of this; an episode of sudden blindness, and not to mention the actual title of the book and its direct reference to religion.  Although religious exploration may not be for everyone, and I must admit it is not my usual genre, don’t let the title put you off  as there is so much more to the story. The Waterproof Bible is, in essence, a lovely (if rather odd) tale of romance, love, the isolation of modern-day living and the trials of personal discovery, with religious metaphor mingled throughout.

Each of Kaufman’s characters goes on a journey and the exploration provides a wonderful insight into feelings that we can all relate to.  They are all waiting for that moment when lightning strikes and their feelings of loss disappear. I particularly enjoy the idea of projecting feelings into possessions and then storing these away in a self-storage unit. Genius!

Call this book a case study on the search for the true meaning of life, a serious discussion of God, faith, and religion, a light comic romp, or just a simple love story. Whatever it is you want, I think you will find it in this wonderfully unique story, full of Andrew Kaufman’s unique use of metaphor and his wonderful gift for surreal story-telling.

Rating: ★★★★★

True Whit: Designing a Life of Style, Beauty and Fun

Fashion icon and MTV mega-star Whitney Port shares personal stories, beauty and fitness secrets and invaluable advice on everything girls need to know to start out their independent lives in style. Intimate, honest and funny, this is Whitney Port revealed. Whitney shares her philosophy on fashion, beauty, romance and careers, balancing it all in this conversational guide for twenty-somethings setting up on their own, something she knows plenty about…

MTV’s The City followed Whitney Port as she moved from Los Angeles to New York City and learned to navigate her new life in the Big Apple. From backstabbing co-workers and bitchy bosses to cheating boyfriends and a daring new career in fashion design, Whitney – the ‘everygirl’ – handled it all with grace and style. For the first time ever, through personal stories and private snapshots, Whitney shares the true reality of being an emerging fashion designer, including her creative process, sketches and fabrics. Beautifully illustrated with Whitney’s private photos, and with advice from her friends Lauren Conrad (star of The Hills) and Kelly Cutrone (The City), this book is everything a girl could possibly need to figure out what she wants from her life, and how to make it happen.

If you followed Whitney Port and her life on The Hills and The City, then you’ll know she oozes fashion, beauty and brains. Now she’s turned her hand to writing, releasing True Whit: a self-help book for ambitious girls in their early twenties, inspired by her own personal experiences.

As a huge fan of Whitney Port, I loved this book. I found it really interesting as I am going through a similar time in my life, so I could really relate to the topics she wrote about. It’s a comforting but honest portrayal of life after you finish university; a perfect ‘coming of age’ book for anyone going through what Port calls a quarter-life crisis. She discusses everything from moving into your own space, to getting ready for a job interview or dinner party with friends.

The book shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that working hard and being ambitious will pay off in the long run. Her life is often seen as very glamorous, but this shows it in a more realistic way – she talks about starting out in a small, inexpensive apartment and budget shopping. She writes very honestly, which is why I enjoyed it so much. It is not a fairytale celebrity memoir, but a true portrayal of Port’s whirlwind life.

If you’re 20-something girl and a fan of Whitney Port, you’ll enjoy this. It is not going to fix all of your problems, but it’s a light, easy to read book with lots of tips on living in the city and growing up.

Rating: ★★★★

We’ve got 5 copies of Carole Matthews’ new book, Summer Daydreams, to give away. The novel was inspired by the true life story of Helen Rochfort, fabulous handbag designer and close friend of Carole Matthews. Helen was working in a chip shop before she decided to follow her dreams of designing. Her handbags are now a celeb favourite, seen on the likes of Holly Willoughby and Sienna Miller – but success isn’t always easy, and Matthews has turned her story into a fabulous summer read. Perfect for lying on the beach, or just relaxing in your garden with a cold drink…

What if you had always dreamed of something more…?

Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the centre of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her.

Inspired by what she can achieve – and encouraged by the best friends a girl can have – Nell is determined to try something new. Waving goodbye to the chip shop, she starts up a new business making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves!

It seems Nell’s dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn’t come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it’s really possible to have it all…

To enter, just comment on this post telling us…

What is your dream job?

All five winners will be chosen at random, and will be contacted via email. Entries will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 22nd May.

Please note: this competition is open to UK residents only.

Anyone that tweets about our giveaway will have their name entered twice into the draw – that means twice the chance of being one of our 5 winners! Just remember to tell us your twitter username in your comment, and tweet something similar to this…

5 copies of ‘Summer Daydreams’ by Carole Matthews to be won at @judging_covers! Enter now: http://bit.ly/Jy3WTq

Good luck!

This competition is now closed.

Check back soon for more exciting giveaways!

Catherine has been enjoying single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. But there is a dark side to him and his erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, she plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, struggling to overcome her demons, Catherine dares to believe she might be safe from harm. Until one phone call changes everything…

Into the Darkest Corner is a dual narrative surrounding the same character four years apart. Catherine is a fun-loving, single girl looking for her next party and her next lover. Cathy is a broken woman plagued with OCD and trust issues. It’s a dark and intimate tale of domestic violence and the lasting affects that can ruin a person’s life forever. A psychological thriller that attempts to answer the question so many of us have: how do people end up in these violent relationships?

I’m not really a thriller type of girl but after hearing about it on The TV Book Club I thought I’d give Into the Darkest Corner a go. It’s Elizabeth Hayne’s first novel and it’s had quite a lot of acclaim so my expectations were quite high. I entered the book knowing full well that I would be faced with graphic violence, sex and mental health issues so I was well prepared for what I was going to read.

It’s really hard to know where to start with the critique of this book. It’s a subject that I think needs to be discussed more, and having such an insight into this sort of relationship and being made aware of warning signs is important, but I wasn’t actually taken by the book at all and there are many reasons why.

I think the first thing that went wrong for me was the main character and the way her inner monologue was written. It wasn’t her partying or sexy outfits but her attitude towards sex and the dialogue used. She was more of a caricature than a three dimensional narrator. On top of that, as a reader, I was getting frustrated that a lot of horrible and questionable behaviour from her new boyfriend – soon to be abuser – Lee was brushed off because he was very attractive and he turned her on. The sheer fact that she acknowledged his strange behaviour so early and frequently in the book and did nothing about it made me angry with her, and the fact that it kept happening just didn’t feel realistic, especially for a woman that’s supposed to be so independent. It’s not that I didn’t sympathise with her or that people don’t make mistakes, I just had alarm bells ringing in my ears and felt that this wasn’t a normal, realistic scenario. I also didn’t appreciate the paragraphs of stock text to explain what was going on in Catherine’s head that were purely there to lead the reader and attempt to create depth.

In addition to this issue of realism and the way in which Catherine was portrayed, there was almost an element of “she was asking for it” in the tone of the book. Yes Catherine liked to wear form-fitting, sexy dresses and yes she enjoyed sex especially in public places (something that did go a bit far at times) but there was an underlying notion of “well, what do you expect?” which I didn’t appreciate.

I’m a huge fan of dual narratives. I love exploring two different worlds and seeing how they come together. This was lacking in this book. The first ten pages explains exactly who everyone is, where they are, what type of person they are and what we can expect from them. There was no intrigue or mystery and it kind of fell flat for me. It became so flat that I was praying that there was a twist or that the climax would be some massive reveal but it wasn’t. As soon as I read the first few pages, I knew exactly how it was going to end to the letter.

Despite the lack of tension or intrigue the book does provide a sense of discomfort. As a woman, I felt every painful moment and felt a sudden, selfish sensation of relief that that’s not what my life is like. It made me more aware of what could be going on behind closed doors. It made me understand the horrors that some people go through. It made me wonder how Catherine’s “friends” could dismiss her so easily (something I had a massive problem with and detracted from the realism of the book). It raised a lot of issues that I’ve never taken a long period of time to think about before and that’s the most important thing about this book.

Some people will love Into the Darkest Corner and they will love Catherine and completely fall into this book and not come up for air until it’s over. Unfortunately, I only stuck with this book because it’s a topic that can’t be ignored and something I felt I should face head on. The violence and emotional torture is very powerful and if you’re very sensitive I would stay away. If you’re not, then I think it’s an important read to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Rating: ★★★

Is going back Robyn’s only way forward?

American-born Robyn Matthers is going home. With her dad in hospital, his roadhouse in ruins and the ice hockey team slipping down the league, she needs to take charge. But does she have the strength to do it?

Cole Ryan is a hockey player on a personal mission. He’s tall, dark, hot and Robyn’s noticed! But can she trust her feelings – or his? And what will Cole do when he finds out the truth about her?

With an ill father, a trailer trash step-mom and ex-boyfriend Brad desperate for another chance, does Robyn have time to contemplate a relationship? Can she start again? Does she really want to? And can two people really fall in love in three days?

Shy retiring heroines waiting around for the guy to call? Definitely not in this book.

Robyn Matthers might be the most courageous and confident romantic heroine I have ever come across. From her introduction to our hero Cole Ryan at an airport – when she saunters up to him, kissing him firmly on the lips – she is hardly the quiet type. But then again, this novel is entitled Taking Charge.

And taking charge she does. From trying to nurse her ill father back to health, to seeking out the flailing roadhouse and trying to get business booming again, to taking the reigns of an ice-hockey team to try to lead them to victory, this heroine doesn’t do things by halves.

Indeed, within hours she has managed to link up with airport hero Cole and has moved into his gorgeous mansion before we can say ‘shower scene’.  And then there might even be a proposal of sorts before we can say ‘chapter five’.  The lead-up in this novel seems not to be about the romance between Cole and Robyn – instead the story revolves around the success of the ice hockey team and a certain ex-boyfriend of Robyn’s named Brad, who turns out to be more jealous and annoying than she bargained for.

Added to that is a big dark secret lurking over her that Cole manages to take in his stride.  The book is packed with Robyn’s busy and eventful trip, and life unfolds in a totally unexpected way for her.  Yet again, Baggot pulls an interesting twist out of the bag – a characteristic of her novels.

For women who prefer their female heroines with a bit of get up and go, this is the book for you!

Rating: ★★★★

The Senator’s Wife

Maybe some people just like to keep things private. Secret, I guess you’d say.

Love came late to Meri, but in a rush: she met Nathan at thirty-six, he moved in a month later, and they married a month after that. Now they are moving to New England and a house of their own – a new life that Meri is not sure she even wants. She loves her husband, but feels there may be trouble ahead.

Nathan, however, is boyishly excited that their next-door neighbour is the eminent Senator Tom Naughton, a political hero of his, now in his seventies. The Senator is nowhere to be seen, but Meri strikes up an unexpected friendship with his wife, the elegant Delia, sensing that she has much to learn from her – about marriage, love and motherhood. But soon she comes close to a terrible breach of trust that could ruin everything.

This novel, set mainly in the early years of the Clinton administration in America, is about two women who live next door to each other. Delia, the Senator’s wife of the title, and the younger Meri, who has recently moved and finds herself fascinated by her new neighbour.

Meri becomes obsessed with finding out more about her enigmatic neighbour, and through her actions, the reader is treated to a backstory which gives significance to the novel’s title. Senator Tom Naughton is a charismatic, attractive politician, and so it probably wouldn’t surprise many people that fidelity is not necessarily one of his strengths. What I found most interesting about Miller’s novel was how Delia chose to deal and live with this. I had a very strong sense of who she was as a person, yet in spite of being a strong character, a huge part of her identity is in being Tom’s wife, much to the chagrin of her children at times.

Meri, meanwhile, finds a job she loves and then falls pregnant. The physicality of pregnancy and childbirth isn’t shied away from here, and neither is the struggle and strain of motherhood. But it was in Meri’s story that I struggled to engage. I wanted to feel empathy for her situation, but I just couldn’t really like her. I don’t know if that was intentional from Miller or not, but I was much more interested in Delia’s ups and downs with trusting her husband than I was with Meri. But it is Meri’s dubious actions and breach of trust that means we find out more about Delia in the first place.

Really, not a lot happens in this novel. A family breakdown in one house, and new beginnings in the other. As the story progresses the two strands come together, to where we were heading all along. Trust can’t be doled out infinitely.

I thought Sue Miller’s novel about these two women was really interesting, and is definitely worth a read. Missing for me though was a sense of reality from quite a realistic story. Perhaps by not liking Meri, I wasn’t truly able to involve myself in the story, and missed out. In spite of this, it certainly got me thinking.

Rating: ★★★

Playing on Cotton Clouds

When arty Livy falls for her sister’s boyfriend, she knows her dreams are unlikely to come true…

Sensitive Seth thinks he has hit the jackpot when the girl of his dreams finally looks his way…

While laidback Aidan is every girl’s hero.

Fast forward twenty-five years as carefree youth turns into adulthood responsibilities, relationships begin and end, music and fashion change, and life moves on with its successes, failures and heartaches. As the friends grow up, they discover life rarely turns out the way you imagined it at fifteen.

The rites of passage through years are eerily familiar to every 1980s teenager in this moving, heartfelt novel.

Playing on Cotton Clouds drew me in from the opening scene. 16-year-old Aidan has sneaked up the drain-pipe to get up to naughty business in Alison’s bedroom while her parents are downstairs, blissfully unaware.  The story follows the fate of Aidan and friend Seth.  Seth is the quieter of the two; a darker and more melancholic soul, who turns his hand to writing, quite successfully it seems.

Seth is smitten with Tara – gorgeous, stylish, confident – and they even date for a while. But then there’s a good dose of sibling rivalry involved, as it seems Tara’s sister Livy has the hots for Seth – and indeed it is her who picks up the pieces with him time and time again.

The thing I loved about this book was the writing style – modern, fresh, funny, contemporary – bordering on chick lit but leaning more towards the style of Lisa Jewell or David Nicholls.  In fact, the chapters separated by successive years reminded me a little of One Day, although O’Brien tackles a good few central characters while she traces their journey over the years.

I loved this book and devoured it in a couple of days. I also shed a tear on a few occasions – it is heart-warming and emotional.  It will be a novel I will re-read just to soak up the writing style again.

Rating: ★★★★★

The Love Letter

Can fate be signed, sealed and delivered?

When Allegra North parted from first love Francis after a decade together, she poured all her regret into a letter. He didn’t reply. A year later, her job brings her back to the beautiful Devon coast where romance first blossomed and she hopes that they can start a new chapter.

As summer storms circle, the exes juggle rebellious parents, vengeful family members and a very reluctant celebrity author who holds the key to everybody’s future…

The Love Letter is a wonderfully warm comedy of mistaken identities, new loves and old flames.

In clear contrast to some other books in the chick lit category, Fiona Walker’s writing style struck me as intellectually clever, with a lot of intricate word play. Not only did I find this incredibly refreshing, but I felt it tied in well with the fact that one of the major characters in The Love Letter is a writer, and that ex-lovers Francis and Allegra are well-read, English Lit graduates. Both their correspondence and relationship is peppered with quotations and references to famous poets and writers. In particular, Francis writes an entire love letter to Allegra in which he has jigsawed together a series of famous quotes and passages: an attempted gesture of romance and an effort to ensure that she will return to him.

Allegra left childhood sweetheart, Francis, for her job (and her boss) in publishing. Several years later she is tasked with looking after Gordon Lapis, a mysterious author taking the world by storm with his books, reminiscent of a certain wizardry series. Gordon, in the run up period to the launch of the latest book in his globally popular series, agrees that he will reveal his identity to the world if Allegra can secure him a spot on the stage at the annual Farcombe literary festival, which is held at Francis’ home. Allegra can no longer run away from her past, and she wonders if that is fate.

Her friends and family have mixed feelings on her returning to face Francis and whether Allegra should go back to him, or whether she should keep her relationship purely professional. Allegra seems torn herself when she gets back to Farcombe and memories of her childhood holidays begin to creep up on her. Every cave and footpath seem to be a memory of a moment shared with Francis, as they shared their first kiss, and all this reminiscing makes Allegra wistful for the things she left behind – but she needs to focus on securing Gordon a place at the festival, which means facing Francis and his family, who have their own deal to strike with her.

I found that the book flowed nicely all the way through, moving at quite a fast pace in some parts, but not losing the writing style. I also found the range and mixture of characters intriguing, from booming, larger than life Hector, to Allegra’s straight-laced sister Ros, who makes no secret of her disapproval of her sisters’ plans.

Throughout the book, the tension built up for me as I waited to discover the identity of reculsive writer Gordon, in addition to the “will she, won’t she” wondering about whether or not Allegra would go along with Francis’ plan, and I got through the book in a couple of days.

Finally, before you read The Love Letter, you could download the prequel, Sealed with a Kiss - a short story set 12 months before The Love Letter. Personally I really liked the idea of an introduction to some of the characters and the emotions, which would be picked up a year later in this book. Obviously The Love Letter stands alone, but I felt the prequel was an enjoyable optional extra.

Thanks to Hannah at Little Brown for sending me this book to review.

Rating: ★★★★★

Meet Keddy Flett, a beer-bellied twenty-six year old man who needs change in his life. Desperately. And so, with more neuroses than Woody Allen to his disadvantage, Keddy and his Chinese girlfriend Poppy Lin flee Sydney, Australia, in favour of South America.

However, Keddy is about to encounter his demons in the most awkward, tense and socially paralysing way possible – manifested in ‘Bathroom Anxiety’ – in the fear that, at any second, his body will give out and he’ll be stuck in the middle of shitstorm.

Swallow the Swell invites you to hitch a ride in the distorted, sarcastic and hilarious crevasses of Keddy’s brain as he unlocks the mystery to his uncommon condition.

A reformed smoker and drinker for over a year, Keddy Flett’s Swallow the Swell is a glimpse into his alcohol-ridden travels. From Australia originally, he sets off to South America, along with his girlfriend, Poppy Lin.

Having never been bitten by the travel bug myself, and fearing a life of smelly hostels, no hair straighetners and no regular income, I am probably not the best travelogue reader.  In good girlie fashion, I was more interested in the relationship between Keddy and Poppy.  I found their little pet names to each other endearing – and even hints to Poppy’s healthy displays of sexual jealousy were heart-warming. I was a bit worried that the constraints of their travels were going to split them up at one stage – but I’ll let you discover whether the pressures took their toll.

The main thing of course, was the drinking.  Drunkety, drunkety, drunk.  Keddy drank his way around South America rightly.  At times, he described the state of drunkenness so vividly, it was actually a little ‘trippy’.  At others, there was the horrible physical side effects of the drink, which make me realise why he’s now reformed.

This book is an observation – a brave, bitterly honest and extremely amusing observation.  Well written in a very unique voice, I found myself chuckling at some cracking one-liners at times.

The book is not heavily plot-based, and there isn’t an insight into his journey of stopping the drink – it’s more like a painting – a vivid description of his travels, his drinking, and his beautiful Poppy Lin.

Rating: ★★★★

The Thoughts & Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals
Wendy Jones

Everyone has to make decisions about love. Wilfred Price, overcome with emotion on a sunny spring day, proposes to a girl he barely knows at a picnic. The girl, Grace, joyfully accepts and rushes to tell her family of Wilfred’s intentions. But by this time Wilfred has realised his mistake. He does not love Grace. On the verge of extricating himself, Wilfred’s situation suddenly becomes more serious when Grace’s father steps in.

Up until this point in his life, Wilfred’s existence has been blissfully simple, and the young undertaker seems unable to stop the swirling mess that now surrounds him. To add to Wilfred’s emotional turmoil, he thinks he may just have met the perfect girl for him. As Wilfred struggles in an increasingly tangled web of expectation and duty, love and lies, Grace reveals a long-held secret that changes everything…

Wendy Jones’s charming first novel is a moving depiction of love and secrecy, set against the rural backdrop of a 1920s Welsh village, and beautifully told.

Wilfred Jones proposes to a girl wearing a lovely yellow dress at a picnic, one beautiful day. Overcome by the moment, instead of asking what is on his mind: “How do you get out of your dress?” He instead blurts out “Will you marry me?”. Grace says yes, and Wilfred finds himself in something of a pickle.

So far so whimsical sounding right? Well, yes and no. This is certainly a charming novel, full of well drawn characters. There are comical elements, such as Wilfred’s decision to purchase and read through a dictionary in order to improve himself. As he tries to extricate himself from his unwanted engagement, after meeting the woman of his dreams at her father’s funeral, the scene seems set for a comedy of errors. Underneath this, however lies a tragic story, as we discover why it is that Grace said yes with such haste to a funeral director she doesn’t really know.

The backdrop to the story is the small Welsh town of Narberth, after the Great War, and this infuses parts of the story with a real sense of poignancy, as Flora, Wilfred’s new love interest, looks to move on from the loss of her sweetheart killed in the war, alongside grieving for her father.

I thought I had Wilfred all figured out, as he proposed and quickly tries to wriggle out of it: “Oh, you tool,” I thought to myself, but actually Jones surprised me by creating a character I really warmed to, felt sorry for, and wanted to be OK. As he realises exactly what he has become involved in, he really starts to shine. The best character for me though, is his Da, who became a grave digger to stay connected to his departed wife, and whose quiet and accepting love and consolation made me want to reach through the pages and give him a hug.

I expected to enjoy this story as a light read, and in some ways it is that: A fairly short, charming, and readable novel. Jones has a lovely turn of phrase and, I thought some of the scenes in the cottage with Wilfred and Flora were beautiful. But this novel goes deeper than that, not only in Grace’s story, but I really felt touched by the lives of the people of Narberth and as the darker side of the story began to become apparent, I desperately wanted it all to work out for all of them. A novel of unexpected depth; a bittersweet beauty. Read it!

Thanks to Emily at Constable and Robinson for sending me this book to review.

Rating: ★★★★