Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

412MU4UmbtL._SL500_Synopsis: “ER doctor Brianna Ortiz has had it up to here with men. She just finalized a divorce from her cheating husband, and the new guy at work has been nicknamed Dr. Death for losing seven patients on his first day. Yet when she tries to console him about it, his abrupt rudeness totally takes her aback. With a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant, Bri has enough to worry about without work drama on top of it. Then she gets the sweetest letter from Dr. Deathā€”er, Dr. Jacob Maddoxā€”himself, and suddenly everything becomes clearer. Bri does the only thing she can think of. She writes him back. And he writes her. And soon Jacobā€™s little notes are the highlight of her day. Both are shocked when it turns out Jacob is a donor match for Briā€™s brotherā€™s transplant. Willing to do anything to express her gratitude at his sacrifice, Bri agrees to go as Jacobā€™s date to his brotherā€™s wedding. Theyā€™re not dating for real, of course. But Jacobā€™s boisterous family doesnā€™t know that. And when they get the wrong impression, thereā€™s nothing to do but go along with the charade… “

My Review

I loved this audiobook and it confirms that Abby Jimenez is one of my favourite authors!Ā  It’s a brilliant romance that had me laughing out loud, sighing, and shouting at the characters as I got involved with Brianna and Jacob. I loved Jacob he was so lovely and of course Zachary Webber’s narration definitely helped! Brianna was a bit too spiky for me, although she was very funny and so lovely with Jacob when he was anxious and she loved Lieutenant Dan, Jacob’s three-legged resuce dog. I loved their slow burn romance, from the gorgeous letter writing at the beginning to the fake dating with it’s complications and miscommunications. I liked the way Abby Jimenez portrayed the anxiety that Jacob suffered from it was so realistic, as was the storyline about Bri’s brother needing a kidney transplant. Whoever says romance is all just soppy hearts and flowers, clearly hasn’t read any contemporary romances, as this tackled several serious topics in a sensitive manner, that’s one of the things I like about her books. Highly recommended if you enjoy slow burn romances in the fake dating trope.

Ā šŸ“š šŸ“– Ā šŸ“š šŸ“– Ā šŸ“š šŸ“–

Wahala by Nikki May

81brFwSeIlLSynopsis: “Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English. Not all of them choose to see it that way.Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her urban vibe yet again. When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them. Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself. Explosive, hilarious and wildly entertaining, this razor-sharp tale of love, race and family will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Fearlessly political about class, colourism and clothes, the spellbinding Wahala is for anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.”

Ā My Review

This book took me by surprise in a really good way! I’d toyed with reading this last year when I read loads of rave reviews in the blogosphere. It wasn’t until I heard a podcast with the author earlier this year that I decided I’d get a copy from the library and read it. I only got to it this week when I thought I’d probably wouldn’t read it and just take it back to the library. Just before I did that I read a few pages before I got the bus into town, just to make sure, and then I kept reading. In fact I read all day because I wanted to find out what was going to happen to Ronke, Boo and Simi, and who this new friend Isobel was. Ronke was my favourite of the four women. I detested Isobel right from the start and didn’t change my opinion at all. It was a really good domestic drama with some good twists and surprises. A word of warning though, don’t skip the prologue as it’s important! Definitely recommended if you enjoy domestic dramas.

šŸ“š šŸ“– Ā šŸ“š šŸ“– Ā šŸ“š šŸ“–

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

someone-else-s-shoes-3Synopsis:”Nisha Cantor and Sam Kemp are two very different women.
Nisha, 45, lives the globe-trotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband inexplicably cuts her off entirely.
She doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.
That’s because Sam – 47, middle-aged, struggling to keep herself and her family afloat – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag.
Now Nisha’s got nothing. And Sam’s walking tall with shoes that catch eyes – and give her career an unexpected boost.
Except Nisha wants her life back – and she’ll start with her shoes . . .“

My Review

This was fantastic I loved it so much and it’s definitely one of my favourite books this year! I loved Sam as soon as I was introduced to her in the first chapter. Nisha IĀ  didn’t like at all, but very slowly warmed to her as the story progressed. It’s a wonderful story about life and how it can ‘turn on a sixpence’. Or with the wrong pair of shoes! This took me through all the emotions, and made me cry a couple of times, which is something I rarely do when reading or listening to audiobooks. It’s not all sad though as it also made me laugh and cheer out loud, the cat in the bin was one of those moments. A wonderful story about the resilience of women, and about lifting each other up, even if you don’t think you’d normally have anything in common with each other. Highly recommended if you enjoy contemporary women’s fiction.