I need to start this post by saying all these books were less than £1 at the time of writing (15th July 2019). Hopefully they won’t go up any time soon but one never knows with Amazon. This post contains affiliate links.
I keep hearing about people planning their holiday reading. I love that friends come to me ( as well as other people) when thinking about books. Some of my recent reads would make brilliant summer reads so I thought I would share 5 brilliant ones. At least one of these books was free on Amazon Prime at the time of writing.
Today is Amazon Prime day – I will admit to having a little shopping splurge last night when I bought a new Kindle. I’ve been using one of the girls’ Kindles since October when I lost mine but it isn’t a paperwhite so nigh on impossible to read in the sun. I’ll leave the link below for anyone contemplating a new Kindle of their own as it is £40 cheaper today!
So onto the 5 Brilliant books that you might like to download this summer without breaking the bank.
Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell
Kindle £0.99. Good escapism – At the time of reading I commented that I had lost a couple of days of my life being completely sucked into it which sounds like a perfect beach read.
Laurel’s daughter, Ellie went missing 10 years ago just before her GCSE’s. Completely out of character (isn’t it always in these books?) Laurel has never rested trying to find out where she went.
After 10 years though, Laurel meets a handsome father and starts to believe that she might just actually be able to live her life again.
This book contains a lot of coincidences – if you can suspend reality for a short while then you will enjoy this book. Its certainly enthralling and the ending is actually quite scary.
What You Did – Claire McGowan
Anyone who has Amazon Prime may have seen this book doing the rounds this July. What you Did is one of the free First Reads available this month (For July only, Amazon Prime members can download 2 free First Reads books)
(Trigger warning: Rape) This book is gripping – gave it a very strong 4.5 stars and finishing within a couple of days. Ali and her husband, Mike are hosting a weekend getogether celebrating friendships being formed 25 years ago at uni. On the first night though, everything goes wrong. Ali’s best friend is attacked & raped. The attack scene is not explained in graphic detail thankfully – the story is more concerned with what happens afterwards. Ali’s nightmare continues when it is her husband that is accused of the attack.
Sea of Memories – Fiona Valpy
Kindle £0.99. I’ve talked several times about my love for Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. This book, Sea of Memories is actually one of the closest reads to The Nightingale that I’ve found. Not just because it is set during WWII but also because of the drama and the brilliant writing.
Kendra’s Grandmother, Ella is at the end of her life but asks Kendra if she will help document her memoirs. The books spans between Kendra’s modern day life and Ella’s pre-war upbringing continuing throughout the war. There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a love story but it will make you fall in love with the characters. I always tried to avoid love stories finding them too cheesy but this book makes me feel differently. Just wonderful.
One of Us is Lying – Karen M McManus
Kindle £0.99. I didn’t realise before starting it that this book is supposed to be for a young adult audience. In fact, a friend has told me that it is one of the suggested books on the Y8 syllabus. This definitely created a murmur during our book group discussion as to whether we thought the adult themes were appropriate for ages 12/13. Some months after first reading it, it has stayed with me and my answer is … I still don’t know.
This aside, I did enjoy the book and was hooked. 5 students at a high school in America enter a room for detention. Before long one of the students is dead and the other 4 are under suspicion for murder. Try as I might I had no way of guessing who the culprit was which made for an addictive read.
Ruth Robinson’s Year of Miracles – Frances Garrood
Kindle £0.99. I discovered Frances Garrood’s books last year and have quickly read 3. Fast moving and yet a gentle read, I think Ruth Robinson’s Year of Miracles is my favourite yet.
Ruth is pregnant, jobless and homeless, and relationship-less. She goes home to her parents as a last resort but they won’t let her stay. She is quickly sent to live with her 2 twin eccentric uncles on a remote farm and this is where the story becomes absolutely wonderful.
I loved the characters that come by the house and into Ruth’s life. Her uncles are fantastic – oh how I wish they were real. There are moments of loneliness, friendship, romance and frustration and absolutely brilliantly funny scenes – I loved them all. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.
So there are 5 potential reads for over the summer – I’ve also got a list of 5 fantastic books for under £2 to come soon too!
Leave a Reply