Book Review and Giveaway: The Perfect Summer Read: The Blue by Lucy Clarke

~The Giveaway is now closed~

Back in 2013 I was introduced to Lucy Clarke and her first novel, Swimming at Night, by the Bookalicious Book Club. Since then, I've been her biggest fan. Well, at the very least, her biggest Canadian fan. Not only is Clarke's writing impeccable, but from the chat the book club had with her, her replies to readers and posts on social media, she just seems so down to earth and lovely! I hope she doesn't think I'm nuts because I do follow her closely on social media and often comment. Altough, after I read Lucy's literary love letter to author, Maggie O'Farrell, I felt much better about my own author crush ;).

I've been thinking a lot about what I love so much about Lucy Clarke's books (three in total, all from publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada – Swimming at Night, A Single Breath, and now, The Blue) and I've narrowed it down to a few things.

First, her characters are very real. They are people you might know or encounter in your own life. They are “normal”, likable and I become attached to them as I read. With each of her novels, I haven't wanted the stories to end because I want – no, NEED – to know what happens next in their lives. That's how real the characters become to me.

The second aspect of Lucy Clarke's writing that draws me in is how her stories are so raw with emotion. I truly feel what the characters are going through; I am in the moment with them. All of her books have taken me on an emotional ride, but in a good way. I became invested in each of the novels and went through myriad emotions as the stories unfolded.

Last, but most certainly not least, I love how Clarke is able to transport you to exotic locales through her words. She paints vivid pictures of the surroundings her characters find themselves in and the settings come alive on the pages. As I read, I can picture the beaches, feel the sand between my toes, see the bright colour of the water, taste the salt air, and feel the breeze blowing against my skin. Reading her novels is like taking a trip around the world as Clarke has clearly done her research and writes about places she's been and knows.

All of the above encapsulates what I loved about The Blue – the characters, the emotion, the setting - a feast for the senses. The Blue is about best friends, Lana and Kitty, both of whom decide to leave home for different reasons, in search of freedom and adventure. While traveling in the Philippines, they meet the crew of a yacht, all of whom have a story or secret. Lana and Kitty are invited to join the crew and the tale unfolds from there.

Here's part of the description from publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada:

Lana and her best friend Kitty leave home looking for freedom—and that’s exactly what they find when they are invited onto The Blue, a fifty-foot yacht making its way from the Philippines to New Zealand. The crew is made up of a group of young travellers bitten by wanderlust, and it doesn’t take long for Lana and Kitty’s dream of sea-bound romance to turn into reality.

Both women fall under the hypnotic spell of The Blue, spending their days exploring remote islands and their rum-filled nights relaxing on deck beneath the stars. But when one of their friends disappears overboard after an argument with another crewmember, the dark secrets that brought each of them aboard start to unravel.

This novel is a well-balanced dose of adventure, romance, betrayal and mystery. It kept me guessing and I actually said, 'WHAT?” and “Ohmygod!”, aloud a few times as the mysteries were revealed. I read this book while at a cottage and it was the perfect beach and summer read. Although, The Blue, and all of Lucy Clarke's books, make the perfect anytime read.

Do these books sound like something you'd like to read? You're in luck! Simon & Schuster Canada is going to give one of my readers a copy of each of Lucy Clarke's books! That's right, ALL THREE of her fabulous books! All you have to do is tell me in a comment which book you are most anxious to read – Swimming at Night, A Single Breath or The Blue. Remember to include your email address so that I can contact you if you win!  GOOD LUCK!

--- THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED! ---

Contest closes at midnight on Friday, August 14^th. The draw will be made on Saturday, August 15th using Random.org and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. The odds of winning depend on the number of entries. The winner will be required to answer a skill-testing question to claim their prize. This contest is open to residents of Canada only.

Blog Tour Book Review: The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes

I’m sure many of you are familiar with uber-popular Irish women’s fiction author, Marian Keyes, so I know you will appreciate that when Penguin Random House Canada asked if I’d like to receive an Advance Reading Copy of her new book, The Woman Who Stole My Life, I was thrilled!  I have read other books by Keyes and have thoroughly enjoyed the quick pace, conversational tone and witty characters she dreams up.

First, here’s a synopsis from the publisher:

One day, sitting in traffic, married Dublin mum Stella Sweeney attempts a good deed. The resulting car crash changes her life. For she meets a man who wants her telephone number (for the insurance, it turns out). That's okay. She doesn't really like him much anyway (his Range Rover totally banjaxed her car). But in this meeting is born the seed of something which will take Stella thousands of miles from her old life, turning an ordinary woman into a superstar, and, along the way, wrenching her whole family apart. Is this all because of one ill-advised act of goodwill? Was meeting Mr Range Rover destiny or karma? Should she be grateful or hopping mad? For the first time real, honest-to-goodness happiness is just within her reach. But is Stella Sweeney, Dublin housewife, ready to grasp it? 

Now, my thoughts...

I had a real love-hate relationship with this book. The conversational tone and quick pace mentioned above were both present in true Keyes’ fashion.  Despite being 500+ pages, I found it to be a quick read and the story moved quickly.  The book shifts back and forth between past and present which wasn’t hard to follow, until closer to the end (what’s with the HIM, HER and ME headings?  They made no sense to me.).  I did think that the time shifting was a great way to unravel the story and I like books that are written in this manner.

One important piece of the story that the publisher's synopsis doesn’t share is that Stella falls victim to a rare disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome that leaves her paralyzed and on death’s door. This is the issue mentioned above that wrenches her family apart.  Completely paralyzed, Stella’s only means of communication is blinking her eyes and over time she develops a way of speaking to her doctor this way.  I found these parts of the book very thought-provoking. I could genuinely feel Stella’s frustration with not being able to speak or move. Her struggle was palpable as she watched her family unravel before her eyes, yet she was powerless to do anything about it.  Well done, Marian Keyes!

Unfortunately, the characters really fell short for me.  I had a hard time even liking Stella, the main character, right from the get-go.  As the mother of a teenage boy who may not fit the “average” teen mold (i.e., into sports, “tough”, etc.), I found Stella’s opinion and judgment of her son appalling.  Shouldn’t a parent embrace and foster a child’s uniqueness?  I also found her to be a push-over and sadly, just not all that interesting.  Her sister, Karen, also made me angry most of the time.  She was arrogant, condescending and just downright mean!  Who talks to their sister like that?  Maybe it’s because I have such a close relationship with my sister, who is the one person in the world who will be my cheerleader no matter what, that I found Karen’s treatment of Stella absolutely terrible.  And don’t even get me started on Ryan, her husband-turned-ex-husband.  His character was annoying, un-relatable and just plain odd.  Then there’s Mannix, Stella’s neurologist, who started out as a nerdy, quirky, soft character who suddenly morphed into a stallion.  I didn’t buy it for one second.  Also, he’s too young to a) be a neurologist and b) be into Stella, who is 41.

There were other things in the story that I found confusing and unbelievable as well.  Would a neurologist quit his job for TWO YEARS to become a literary agent?  I doubt it.  And speaking of literary agents, Stella’s agent (before Mannix took over) was a horrid character.  Is that really what authors deal with?  I certainly hope not.  I also felt that the title of the book was puzzling and misrepresentative of the story.  At one point it seems that Stella is the woman who stole Ryan’s life, but then it seems that it was Gilda that was stealing Stella’s life (insert confusion here. See how I didn’t even mention Gilda before?).  Gilda’s character wasn’t developed enough early on in the book to make me really believe the closeness of her relationship with Stella and what was happening in the last 100 pages (I will say no more so as not to spoil for those who will read it). 

If you loved Marian Keyes’ other books, I think you’ll be disappointed in this one.  I’m sorry Marian, but you just didn’t hit the mark for me with The Woman Who Stole My Life.  

Book Lovers Take Note: Penguin Canada Daily December Delights is on!

If you love to read as much as I do, then you don't want to miss Penguin Canada's fabulous holiday program that launched at the beginning of the month called Daily December Delights. Think Advent Calendar but with BOOKS.  Does it get any better than that?

Each day in December, Penguin will feature a different book on their website and through their social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). Visit each day this month for exclusive content, recipes, quizzes and... PRIZES.  And lots of them!  As a Star Blogger I've been sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you that there are some amazing titles this month, many of which are on my Christmas list, that you'll have the chance to win!  

There is also a contest to win an entire library of books worth $750 and you can enter each and every day.  Dream. Come. True.  You can get started by visiting Penguin Canada right now! 

Good luck and Happy Holidays!