Christa is on a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean studying sea snails when she hears that her famous father Jasper Liddle is not in fact dead.
She was only two years ago when the wildlife TV presenter was believed lost in a plane crash in Alaska.
So as Christa returns home to see her father again and reunite with her mother and sisters, the intrusive press thrust her into the last place she wants to be - the spotlight.
This was an interesting read as we find out where Jasper has been all these years and why Christa has embraced a reclusive lifestyle. I enjoyed the offbeat main character but didn’t find her romance with her childhood crush particularly engaging.
High-powered lawyer and single mum Jessica has joined an east coast college group tour with her sixteen-year-old daughter Emily. Jess hopes the trip will help reconnect them, even though Emily is not so sure she wants to continue her education. But the road trip proves anything but smooth with a nemesis, a cute guy, a demanding client and the FBI along for the ride.
Told from alternating points of view, this tale wins points for its sharp wit and its relatable illustration of a somewhat fraught mother-daughter dynamic.
Nina Hill likes things planned and solitary. She doesn’t like to socialise and she’d rather spend an evening with her nose in a book than out to dinner with a guy she likes. But things don’t always go as we want them and not only does Nina have to deal with her feelings for Tom, her trivia quiz rival, but she has to meet the family she never knew she had.
After finding out that her father has died - leaving her not only something in his will, but also a variety of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and stepmothers - Nina has to learn to overcome her fears.
I love Abbi Waxman’s novels and this one is my new favourite. Funny, heartwarming, and full of literary references, this is a must-read for all the romantic bookworms out there!
(NP)
Four years after the death of her husband, Lilian is still grieving. But she doesn't have much time to mull over her grief with two young daughters, a supportive sister who is always at her house, and a demanding job that now requires her to take a gardening class every Saturday morning. But the gardening class turns out to be a good thing as she meets new friends and possibly a new love.
This is a funny, light and enjoyable novel. I sympathised with Lilian and her grief over her husband's death created the few emotional moments throughout the novel. What I liked most was Lilian's two young daughters, Annabel and Clare, who were funny, very smart, and nothing got past them. (NP)
