Monday 29 February 2016

Rae reads... Caillou, Easter Egg Surprise by Kim Thompson

Caillou, Easter Egg Surprise by Kim Thompson

Its Easter and the Easter Bunny has hidden Caillou's eggs at grandma's house. Once Caillou has found all of his eggs he decides to hide some for his sister to find.

This book is perfect for young children it has easy to understand words and straight forward sentences. My little boy had seen the Caillou cartoon before so he recognised the character so I think that helped him to be even more interested in me reading this story to him.

One of the best things about this children's book is the bright and colourful pictures it really helps set the scene for the story.

I liked how the adults asked Caillou to be involved in hiding the easter eggs for his younger sister. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old so its always nice to see the older sibling taking an interest in the younger ones happiness.

The story was short enough to keep my 3 year olds attention but with just enough content to be interesting. This book is perfect for Easter especially if like my child he has always been a bit too young to understand about the Easter Bunny!

I like to talk about the books we read together so I asked my son questions like where would you hide the Easter eggs for your sister. I also asked him to show me certain objects like the eggs, squirrel & Caillou. I think this all helps to develop a childs understanding and books like these which deal with occasions are extremely helpful.

I would recommend this book to anyone with small children it was a helpful tool to explain the ideas behind an easter egg hunt. So now I have just got to sort our very own Easter egg hunt, wish me luck!

4 stars from me & Dex

Thank you to Chouette Publishing & Netgalley for my copy to read and review.


Rae reads... You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

The day has come for Lily to open her mother's final letter and that day is her 25th birthday. Her mother has left a letter for every birthday since she passed away when Lily was only eight years old. From the letter she discovers more information about her mother's first and only true love. Lily along with the support of her friends Coral, Patsy and Dan wonders if she should look for him. A chance meeting with famous film star Eddie also disrupts her peaceful life.



The characters in this book had depth, were well written and they all had interesting pasts. Lily has quite a sad back story which definitely pulled at my heart strings, I was definitely hoping she got her happy ending. I got quite attached to Patsy's character, I especially liked the scene when she was first introduced. Declan and Coral were also great supporting characters, they were both instantly likeable.

The story moved at a good pace and I didn't lose interest in the characters or get bored with the plot. At the start of the book I hadn't quite decided how I thought the story would play out. I liked that for the first few chapters I couldn't make my mind up. It was refreshing to go with the flow of the book rather than know instantly how everything would pan out.

You and Me, Always is a lovely romance but also enjoyable because of the friendships that were included. The fact that the characters were all different ages makes this book perfect for any age group. I would definitely recommend this book especially if you like stories where the focus isn't always on the main characters.

So if you pick up a copy of You and Me, Always grab a cuppa, relax & enjoy!

4 stars from me!

Thank you to Headline & Netgalley for my copy to read and review.


Monday 22 February 2016

Rae reads.... Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Paige needs help setting up her own business and the one person she needs help from is the one person she feels she can't go to. Jake is her brothers best friend and also her childhood crush. She is determined not to make a fool of herself again but with sparks flying between them can they avoid things getting messy.



So first of all I have to talk about Paige & Jake as they have great chemistry, I couldn't wait to read more about them. I was hooked from the start, they were both fiery characters and the tension simmered just below the surface until it finally exploded. All of their scenes together were electric.

I also loved the friendship between Paige, Eva & Frankie they all fit well together as friends with some funny moments as a group. Frankie and Eva are great supporting characters and I can't wait to find out what happens with them in the next books.

The story moved at a great pace and I never found myself bored whilst reading this book. I loved the little quotes at the start of each chapter. This book kept me entertained throughout, if I didn't have two small children I would have happily read this in one day. Now I pretty much knew how this book would end but I didn't see this as a problem. A lot of books are predictable but that doesn't make them any less interesting to read. I can't really say anything negative about Sleepless In Manhattan other than the fact that I'm going to have to be patient and wait for the next book in the series.

If you have never read a book by Sarah Morgan I highly recommend her, she writes great romance stories. Sleepless In Manhattan is a fun romance that is perfect for a cosy night in!

5 stars from me!

Thank you to Harlequin UK & Netgalley for my copy to read & review.

Saturday 13 February 2016

Rae reads... We Just Clicked by Sophie Childs

We Just Clicked by Sophie Childs

I loved the interaction between Erin and Bex, they instantly pulled me into the story. I definitely wanted to throw something at Tyson after the way he treated Erin. There are some funny moments in this book which made me smile, especially the username Fizzyfroth! I loved all of Erin's online dating disasters. At times I wanted to shake some sense into Erin, but I guess that means I got immersed in her character and story.

The story moved at a good pace and managed to keep my interest even though I found there was an occasional slow bit. However with great supporting characters it made up for any negative points. The plot was pretty straightforward so it was an easy read but it has some entertaining moments especially involving Delia!

I would recommend We Just Clicked especially if you are a fan of online dating disasters as the beginning of the book would be perfect for you.

3.5 stars from me!
Thank you to So Vain Books & Netgalley for my copy to read & review.