Head over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
Goodreads blurb: The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri. Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.
my take: 3.5 out of 5. – As I couldn’t get my gymnastics fix this year in the Olympics, i figured why not read a book about gymnasts? and a romance at that even more my style. I did not expect it to be good, but it actually was. This was one book I started at like 9pm at night, just to get a chapter in before bed, and before you know it it was 1am and the book was done and I was a mess the next day (this happens more often than I would care to accept). That tells you that at least its a easy addictive read and I was quite invested in the characters. It’s sweet and I was all for getting lost in the world of competitive gymnast and hot ex gymnasts! This is the type of book that hallmark or lifetime movies get based on (and to me that is a very positive thing)
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Goodreads blurb: Eileen is sick of being 79. Leena’s tired of life in her twenties. Maybe it’s time they swapped places…
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?
my take: 4 out of 5. If I was describing this book in terms of my hallmark movie rankings this would be the epitomy of predictable but nice. You kind of know where you are going but the ride is still fun nevertheless. A little bit of The Holiday vibes (which is never a bad thing, I’m obsessed with that movie) and some inter-generational friendships that are adorable. Its a fun and quick read from the author of The Flatshare, and may I say I think i might have liked this one more.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Goodreads blurb: The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
my take: 4.5 out of 5 . This was a great little mystery. It had everything you want in a good thriller: multiple characters and possibilities, unforeseen connections and great surprises. It definitely veers from where you think its going to go and i was not expecting the ending, which is the highlight of any good mystery book. I loved that it was narrated by 6 different characters so you got different perspectives but also it confused you as to what was going to happen. Highly recommended if you like a good who dun it.
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