Book Review: The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart By Anna Bell

Synopsis:

Abi's barely left her bed since Joseph, the love of her life, dumped her, saying they were incompatible. When Joseph leaves a box of her possessions on her doorstep, she finds a bucket list of ten things she never knew he wanted to do. Will completing the action-packed list - no easy challenge for the naturally timid Abi - be the way to win back her man? Or might Abi just have a surprise in store...?

My Review!

I have read quite a few books by Anna Bell so when a family member gave me this book I was thrilled! For starters it was an actual paperback book (whoop!) I’ve read quite a few books lately on Kindle and sometimes it’s just so nice to have a paperback in your hands. I know they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but look at it… it’s sooo pretty! 

The story is all about Abi and how she tries to turn a bucket list into a ploy to win back the love of her life. Will it work? 

Abi is happy and in love with Joseph but after a disastrous dinner he suddenly announces she isn’t for him, they are no longer suited, and their relationship over. Along with her broken heart he returns a box of her things, and after Abi and her friend Sian go through the box, coming across a few racy pieces of underwear in the meantime (whoops! Not what you want your friend seeing!!) Abi uncovers a book that doesn’t belong to her, inside the book a bucket list with ten things to do. Assuming this must be Joseph’s list, a list he wanted to complete, a list of activities he had never mentioned to her, giving Abi the idea that if she completed everything on the list he would notice her and regret his decision. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

With her love life in tatters along with someone at her job out to get her, sabotaging her work, Abi sets out to complete the list with some help from her friends old and new. 

I really liked the characters in the book, if you needed an example of a scaredy cat then Abi would be your prime suspect, I did like Abi, I felt sorry for her at times, I was proud of her and I also wanted to slap her! (You’ll understand when you read! Ha!) 

I loved Sian, Abi’s best friend she was fun, caring and honest, I liked that within the story Sian got her own little starring role as her own love life kicked off. We got to know Abi’s work friends and the new friends she makes along the way while carrying out the bucket list, my favourite being Ben… How can you not like a man who always has on hand a flask of tea and cakes! We hated Joseph of course… He broke Abi’s heart so of course we hate him! 

I will let you find out if Abi completes all ten on the bucket list and whether it has the desired effect on Joseph!

This book is an enjoyable light hearted fun read with plenty of laugh out loud moments, it also shows you how a love life disaster can make or break you, turning your life upside down and doing things you wouldn’t normally do… When life gives you lemons… Make lemonade :)

Has it made me want to do my own bucket list, mmm maybe..! Watch this space!

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Book Review: It Started With A Tweet' by Anna Bell

Synopsis:

Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. But when her social media obsession causes her to make a catastrophic mistake at work, Daisy finds her life going into free-fall . . . 

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy's problems - a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria. Soon, too, Daisy meets a welcome distraction there in Jack, the rugged man-next-door.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village? 

And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone? 

My Review!

I really enjoyed this book, I have read quite a few of Anna Bell's books and they are always a joy to read, perfect for holidays! (Awww holidays... is it Summer yet?!)

This book is right up my street as like the main character Daisy I am ALWAYS on my phone, checking my Instagram feed like it's the morning paper! 

Daisy a 30 year old Marketing Manager living with her friend, Erica in London is obsessed with every type of social media going, she lives her life through her twitter page and trying to find 'The One' through Tinder or even LinkedIn!

Part of Daisy's job is looking after her company's Twitter page and like the synopsis states her social media obsession is the cause of her getting fired so you can imagine what happened! Whoops! After another disastrous date she overhears a conversation between Erica and her boyfriend wanting more space and wanting Daisy to move out.

So after being jobless and most probably homeless her sister Rosie comes to her rescue when she suggests that Daisy needs time out and a break from technology, she manages to persuade Daisy to take a trip to a digital detox centre in a quiet village in Cumbria.

No social media, no internet, no signal... and after Rosie sends their phones down an old well Daisy worries how she will cope without being able to swipe to her hearts content, knowing nothing of the outside world and that the Tupperware box the phones are in might leak!

It was nice to see the relationship between Daisy and Rosie, knowing that they were never very close when they were young, I liked that you see them bond and help each other out. 

I love that Daisy went back to basics and started putting pen to paper instead of updating her Twitter page, sending letters to Erica to keep her updated on the digital detox life and the two hot men in the village..

That's right no little village in the middle of nowhere is complete without not one but two hot men nearby! Enter Alexis, a French exchange and Jack the hot guy from next door!

Hands down Jack is my favourite character, he is gorgeous, kind, genuine, funny and the fact that he writes letters to her just pushed him straight to the front of the queue for most 'loveable fictional male' and believe me the queue is massive!!

The last few chapters had me guessing so I ended up reading until gone 1am just to find out what happened, I LOVE when books do that. I really liked the way this book ended, it was perfect how everything came together and it left me smiling.

I cannot wait for another book from Anna Bell!

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