My six favourite books of 2016.....so far

As June is now a not so distant memory and that means that we are already more than half way through 2016, I have decided to share my favourite 5 books of 2016 so far. However, I couldn't whittle it down to just 5, so I've actually named 6 instead.  2016 seems to be the year of unputdownable books, with so many already fighting for a place as my book of the year (I don't think that I'll be able to pick just one, though).  Even picking 6 from the list of brilliant books that I have read so far was hard, but here they are, in no particular order I might add:

1

The Girl From The Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

There are not enough words in the world that will describe how much I loved this book.  Hazel Gaynor is one talented lady and is in a class of her own when it comes to writing historical fiction.  The Girl From The Savoy has changed the way that I look at historical fiction and has stolen a little piece of my heart. 

The Blurb:

Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but the outbreak of war takes everything from her: Teddy, the man she loves – and her hopes of a better life.

When she secures employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly’s proximity to the dazzling guests makes her yearn for a life beyond the grey drudgery she was born into. Her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to an unusual newspaper advert and finds herself thrust into the heady atmosphere of London’s glittering theatre scene and into the sphere of the celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry.

All three are searching for something, yet the aftermath of war has cast a dark shadow over them all. A brighter future is tantalisingly close – but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind?

You can buy The Girl From the Savoy here.

2

A Life Without You by Katie Marsh

Katie Marsh has quickly become one of my favourite authors.  I adored Katie's first book, My Everything, when it came out last year, so much so that it was my book of the year for 2016, and A Life Without You may very well be following in it's footsteps this year.  I know that technically, the book isn't out in paperback until next week, but the kindle version came out on June 16th and I read this book back in April, so I'm adding it in.  A Life Without You is a very touching read, that will both warm and break your heart.  I can't recommend this book enough and I sincerely hope that it gets all of the praise and recognition that it so rightly deserves.

The Blurb:

Can you ever outrun the past?

It's Zoe's wedding day. She's about to marry Jamie, the love of her life. Then a phone call comes out of the blue, with the news that her mum Gina has been arrested. Zoe must make an impossible decision: should she leave her own wedding to help?

Zoe hasn't seen Gina for years, blaming her for the secret that she's been running from ever since she was sixteen. Now, Gina is back in her life, but she's very different to the mum Zoe remembers. Slowly but surely, Gina is losing her memory.

As she struggles to cope with Gina's illness, can Zoe face up to the terrible events of years ago and find her way back to the people she loves?

A Life Without You is a stirring and poignant novel about the power of the past - and the possibilities of the future.

You can buy A Life Without You here.

3

These Days Of Ours by Juliet Ashton

2016 is the year that I discovered Juliet Ashton, technically speaking, I had discovered her other books, written under different names, but These Days Of Ours and The Valentines Card were discovered in 2016, so I'm going with it.  I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up, but I didn't expect to spend a very long night making my way through a box of mansize tissues.  But that is what happened.  These Days Of Ours is a weepy one, full of happy tears and sad tears.  I just loved this book.  Everything about it was just perfect and it is so beautifully written.  Juliet Ashton is definitely my best find in the book world of 2016.

The Blurb:

Kate and Becca are cousins and best friends. They have grown up together and shared all the most important milestones in their lives: childhood birthday parties, eighteenth birthdays, and now a wedding day as they each marry their childhood sweethearts, Charlie and Julian.

 

Kate has always loved Charlie - they were meant to be. Then she discovers that life never turns out quite how you expect it to. And love doesn't always follow the journey it should.

 

But best friends are forever, and true love will find a way, won't it…?

You can buy These Days Of Ours here.

4

The Judge's Wife by Ann O'Loughlin

The Judge's Wife is another book that I didn't know what to expect from and yet another one that swept me off my feet.  Set in Dublin in the 1950's and 1980's, telling the story of a Judge's wife and her daughter.  Spanning over three decades this book is so beautifully written and tells such a beautiful story. I adored each and every page of this book.  It has such heart and yet again left me a weeping mess, but it was so worth all the heartbreak to get to that gorgeous bittersweet ending.  I can't find the words to describe just how much I love this book.  It is a book that I will be recommending to just about everyone.

The blurb:

When Emma returns to Dublin to put her estranged father’s affairs in order, she begins to piece together the story of his life and that of Grace, the mother she never knew. She knows her father as the judge – as stern and distant at home as he was in the courtroom. But as she goes through his personal effects, Emma begins to find clues about her mother that shock her profoundly.

A tale of enduring love and scandal that begins in 1950s Dublin and unravels across decades and continents, digging up long-buried family secrets along the way, The Judge’s Wife asks whether love really can last forever.

You can but The Judge's Wife here.

5

The Day I Lost You by Fionnuala Kearney

If you follow me on twitter you may have heard that I love this book!!! I absolutely loved You, Me and Other People last year, so I was jumping for joy when this hit the shelves.  I didn't know how she was going to beat  the first novel, but this was miles ahead of it.  If this book was a rollercoaster, I would have been very very sick coming off of it, the amount of twists and turns in this book is unbelievable and just when I thought that I had it all figured out, another twist would pop up out of nowhere and lead me down a completely different path.  I read this book in one sitting, not going to sleep until 5 a.m. because I couldn't put it down. (It wasn't a school night, don't worry!).  

The blurb:

THE DAY I LOST YOU WAS THE DAY I DISCOVERED I NEVER REALLY KNEW YOU

When Jess’s daughter, Anna, is reported lost in an avalanche, everything changes.

Jess’s first instinct is to protect Rose, Anna’s five-year-old daughter. But then she starts to uncover Anna’s other life - unearthing a secret that alters their whole world irrevocably . . .

THE DAY I LOST YOU WAS THE DAY YOU TORE OUR FAMILY APART

You can buy The Day I Lost You here.

6

Fix You by Carrie Elks

Fix You is one of the first books I read in 2016 and it has stayed with me since.  I'm not sure what it is exactly that has drawn me to this story, but there is something extremely special about it.  I adored how this story moved through time, starting in 1999 and finishing in 2021.  Each and every character is beautifully developed and written.  There isn't one thing that I disliked about this book.  When I read Fix You, I had five assignments on the go, as well as 2 exams to study for.  Fix You was the perfect distraction to take me out of my own world, and into Hannah and Richards.  Without a doubt one of the best books that I will read this year.

The Blurb:

On New Year's Eve, 1999, Hanna and Richard meet. She is a born and bred Londoner with plans for a career in journalism. He is the son of a wealthy New Yorker and destined for Wall Street. As Hanna and Richard go back to their own worlds they keep in touch, and when Hanna has her heart broken it's Richard she turns to. They reunite and fall deeply, madly in love.

But they can't possibly imagine the ways their love will be tested. Fifteen years after they first meet, neither can bear to hear the other's name spoken. Then one day Hanna walks into Richard's office and reveals a shocking secret. Richard must decide if he can forgive her. And both need to choose whether to take a second chance on happiness, or if their love is beyond repair?

You can buy Fix You here.