The Reunion (2013)

During their time at university, Jen, Andrew, Lilah, Natalie, and Dan used to be the best of friends. They spent all their time together, enjoying their student years and sharing every moment with each other. Until one summer at the house of Jen's family in the French Alps; that one summer that drastically changed every single one of their lives. Seventeen years later, Jen invites her old friends back to her family home in the hope of rekindling their friendship. Yet, when a snowstorm arrives and they find themselves stuck in the house, hidden memories and emotions are brought to the surface and slowly everything that happened during that fatal summer is revealed. At the centre of the novel there are the five main characters - each with their own intriguing story. Family and friendship combined with hidden secrets and conflicting emotions are at the core of the story, turning it into a captivating read I simply didn't want to put down. Amy Silver has an enchanting way with words; the use of different points of view (each one just as fascinating as the other) and different time periods, both in the past and the present (bringing back both blissful and poignant memories), challenges the reader to collect the different pieces of the puzzle and bring it all together. I specifically loved the way personal letters and e-mails played a role in the book, showing a more personal and intimate side of the characters' lives and relationships. The Reunion is a brilliant, beautifully melancholic and captivatingly well-written novel with a story at its centre that will stay with you for a long time to come. (JoH)

One Minute To Midnight (2011)

Nicole Blake and her first crush-slash-best gay friend Julian Symonds have a tradition to make resolutions every New Year's Eve regardless of how far they are away from each other. Little did she know that he has a drop-dead gorgeous cousin Aidan who will make her fall head over heels. Nicole's friend, Alex, doesn't like Aidan but Nicole is deeply and madly in love with him. Then one day he ends up breaking Nicole's heart. Years have now passed and once again New Year's Eve is round the corner but things have changed - Nicole is now married to Dom, she doesn't talk to Alex, Jules is not there by her side and Aidan is a past obsession which keeps on threatening her marriage. This is a brilliantly written novel and Amy Silver has done an incredible job of telling stories from past and present without missing a beat. (SS)

Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista (2009)

Cassie loves designer shoes and handbags, massages, getting about in taxis - in fact she loves to spend. But when Cassie is retrenched from her admin job at an investment bank and loses her high-flying boyfriend Dan, she has to embrace the art of being thrifty. But despite her best efforts to cut back, heed the budgeting advice of her student flatmate Jude and find a new job, the world seems to conspire against Cassie and make her spend even more. This is an entertaining tale with an endearing heroine for these global financial crisis times.

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