What Rachael Reads

It's #wanderlustwednesday here at blog HQ! I love to travel and nothing pleases me more than reading a great book that is set in a town or country I have never visited. I'm sure the place would look nothing like it does in real life as it does in my head! Therein lies the magic of books! For our first ever #wanderlustwednesday I have chosen a book that I have read in the last few months. A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom gave me serious wanderlust! Set in the beautiful city of Prague, (a place I have actually visited!) it is a story of love and life. Funny, romantic and tear-jerking, a thoroughly enjoyable read. About the book... Welcome to a city where wishes are everywhere For Megan, a winter escape to Prague with her friend Ollie is a chance to find some inspiration for her upcoming photography exhibition. But she's determined to keep their friendship from becoming anything more. Because if Megan lets Ollie find out about her past, she risks losing everything ...

The Child by Fiona Barton When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it’s impossible to ignore. For one woman, it’s a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her. For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered. And for the third, a journalist, it’s the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth. The Child’s story will be told. The Child by Fiona Barton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic. 5 star read. If you liked Fiona's previous novel, The Widow you will love this. The Child brings the return of heroine reporter Kate Waters, investigating the discovery of a newborn skeleton found on a building site. We are told the story of the baby through various narratives, but mainly focusing on Kate and two other characters, Angela and Emma. Who does the baby belong to, and how did it end up being buried decades ago? A gri...

Summer is upon us at last, so grab your beach towels and sun creams and dive into some of my favourite upcoming thrillers for 2017! The Child by Fiona Barton Release Date: 27/7/2017 Available now! When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it’s impossible to ignore. For one woman, it’s a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her. For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered. And for the third, a journalist, it’s the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth. The Child’s story will be told. Bestselling author of ' The Widow' Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell Release Date: 27/7/2017 Available now! THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.  NOW  It’s been ten years ...

This book was one of the first ever books I was approved for on NetGalley. It has sat on my 'to-read' shelf for nearly 7 months. Having read it today, all I can say is, why did I wait so long? I am a huge fan of the relatively recent 'psychological thriller' genre and despite Out of Reach originally being published in 1997, it is as fresh and as current as its modern counterparts. The truth is always just out of reach… Kate McCaulay thinks she has rebuilt her life. She has a job as a local newspaper reporter, a flat above an antiques shop in a village by the sea, and a close group of friends. But one day her carefully erected existence collapses when tragedy explodes back into her life. Ten years ago Kate’s eight-week-old baby, Jamie, was stolen. The loss destroyed her marriage and still haunts her dreams with guilt and longing. And now letters have started arriving on her doormat, anonymous letters that read, ‘I know where he is…’ Tragedy strikes again when her colle...

Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner My rating: 5 of 5 stars 'Manon Bradshaw is back. As dusk falls a young man staggers through a park, far from home, bleeding from a stab wound. He dies where he falls; cradled by a stranger, a woman’s name on his lips in his last seconds of life. DI Manon Bradshaw can’t help taking an interest – these days she only handles cold cases, but the man died just yards from the police station where she works. She’s horrified to discover that both victim and prime suspect are more closely linked to her than she could have imagined. And as the Cambridgeshire police force closes ranks against her, she is forced to contemplate the unthinkable. How well does she know her loved ones, and are they capable of murder?' It has been a while since I read the first in the DS Manon series. I remembered Missing Presumed as a great read, but had forgotten Manon to a large extent. It didn't take many chapters for her witty character to come flooding ba...

Manchester Terror Attack, May 2017 Today has been a mix of sadness and shock. Waking up this morning to the news that we, as a country, have been expecting but praying to avoid. The senseless terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena is being described as the worst to hit the UK since 2005. My heart truly goes out to the families of those affected. Such a tragic loss of precious life. These mindless acts of terrorism are not only devastating to our country but also to others, particularly those of Muslim majority. I have heard too many racist comments over the past few years and it pains me that innocent people are being persecuted for their faith. I do not pretend to understand Islam or the Muslim faith. Aside from learning the basics in high school during our Religious Education classes I have had very little exposure to them. Over the past few months I have found myself actively seeking out novels to read based around Islamic culture. I have grown to despise the tiny par...

Western Fringes: Winner of the CWA Debut Dagger by Amer Anwar My rating: 5 of 5 stars Deserves every one of those stars! This is the Punjabi answer to Guy Ritchie's hit movie Snatch. Fast paced, violently thrilling with hints of humour throughout; a cracking read and more than worthy of its Dagger Award. View all my reviews

As a Kindle user, Amazon features pretty heavily in my book life. My inbox pings every morning with the deals for the day, and I click to see what possibilities await! One of the lesser known deals that Amazon feature regularly is the ' Start a new book series for 99p '. I check this out frequently but it tends to feature mostly genres that I don't read, or series that I am already reading. Today I felt it was worth a mention for three reasons. 1) Jeffery Deaver. 2) Stieg Larsson and 3) MJ Arlidge. I will confess that I am yet to dive in to Arlidge's DI Helen Grace series, despite owning several of them. (I am a stickler for reading them in order and I am yet to buy the first one!) Deaver and Larsson however are two of my favourites, especially the Lincoln Rhyme collection. Rhyme is actually a firm family favourite of ours with my parents and grandparents all avid fans. Check them out for yourselves below. Rachael xo

Today's review is a thriller set to be released in the UK on 27th July this year. Firstly, as always, thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. Friend Request by Laura Marshall is described as "a pulse-pounding psychological thriller for fans of The Girl on the Train , I See You and The Darkest Secret " (Amazon) and 'A read-it-in-one-sitting thriller... Twisty and gripping but always relatable, Friend Request is the ultimate it-could-happen-to-you read' (Erin Kelly). I was hooked from the moment I saw the blurb... Maria wants to be friends. But Maria is dead. Isn't she? When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past, her heart nearly stops. Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers' party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life with a ...

Since starting this blog I have received some wonderful novels for review and I hope to continue to do so. Please note that I am currently not accepting new requests for review. If you have emailed me before today with a review request and I have not yet responded, I will be undertaking your review as soon as possible. I hope to be able to accept new requests again soon. Thank you!

I'm back! (Again!) We all have that time of year that is super busy and it seems like nothing gets done; now is that time for us! The past few weeks have been a blur of revision, exams, school trips, children's parties and more! It's a wonder that I have managed to do any reading, but as any book lover knows, you fit it in somewhere! For those of you who follow me on Goodreads, you already know what I've been reading! For those of you that don't, see my list below! I have varied my choices quite significantly this year and I am really enjoying reading novels that I would normally avoid. Most of what I have read has been phenomenal, with the exception of just a few. Take a look below and let me know your thoughts in the comments below! The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan Butter - Erin Lange The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky The Circle - Dave Eggers Fat Chance - Nick Spa...