The Stranger Upstairs by Melanie Raabe

Given the opportunity to review a book that was already a bestseller in Germany I was curious, with a quick read of the press release I was so intrigued and keen to read The Stranger Upstairs and it certainly didn't disappoint.

So on none other than it’s UK publication date welcome to my review of:

The Stranger Upstairs. 

The summary that hooked me...

What if your husband is not who everyone thinks he is?

Several years ago, your husband, and the father of your young son, disappeared. Since then, you’ve dreamed of his return; railed against him for leaving you alone; grieved for your marriage; and, finally, vowed to move on.

One morning, the phone rings. When you answer, a voice at the other end tells you your husband’s on a plane bound for home, and that you’ll see him tomorrow.

You’ve imagined this reunion countless times. Of course you have. But nothing has prepared you for the reality. For you realize you don’t know this man.

Because he isn’t your husband, he’s a complete stranger – and he’s coming home with you.

Even worse, he seems to know about something very bad you once did, something no one else could possibly know about . . . Could they?

My Thoughts...

I feel like when reviewing I always wait right till the end before fully crafting my review and then miss so much of the bits I loved about the book I read. So for this review I'm going to discuss some of my favourite parts of the book that I noticed while reading.

1) Melanie's description is so well crafted. I stopped myself reading at so many points to appreciate the careful selection of words used. One of my favourites is the opening to a chapter early on in the book.                                                                                  

 'That roller-coaster feeling you get in your stomach when you've done something you can't undo-deliberately smashed up a priceless family heirloom, finally spoken a terrible truth, broken with the past - that feeling is still with me when I get home' 

2) Intrigue. Wow. There wasn’t a single page I read that didn’t make me desperate to turn to the next. The book balanced truth, lies and deception so well and I was so eager to uncover more information with every page I turnt. 

3) Perspective. I’m always quite picky about perspective. Personally I find that there are some perspectives that I struggle to read and that takes away from my reading experience. This certainly was not the case with The Stranger Upstairs. I loved the range of voices throughout and the consistency in the voices which were clear and distinct. 

Overall I loved reading this book and would highly recommend it but don’t just take my word for it. Check in to all the other lovely stops on the blog tour and see what they think. Info below. 

If you're anything like me, you'll like a little bit of a background to the author. So...

A little bit about Melanie

Melanie Raabe grew up in Thuringia, Germany. After graduating from university, she moved to Cologne where she worked as a journalist by day while secretly writing books at night. The Trap, her debut novel, was a bestseller in Germany and sold all around the world. The Stranger Upstairs was also a bestseller in Germany, where it was published as The Truth.

*I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All views are my own based on my own reading experience. If, on the rare occasion, I read a book that I thoroughly dislike and can't find anything positive to say about it I simply won't review it.

The Truth About Lies Blog Tour- Guest Post from Tracy Darnton

Hey Guys!

I'm delighted to be able to be a part of the Blog Tour for this lovely new release The Truth About Lies! This piece explains the significance of memory in Tracy's book which is so interesting and definitely made me even more keen to read The Truth about Lies.

So without further ado, I present Tracy Darnton!

Memory in The Truth About Lies

The main character in The Truth About Lieshas an extraordinary memory. Jess doesn’t just have a photographic memory and an aptitude for recognising faces - she has hyperthymesia which means she remembers everythingthat happens to her. I wanted to explore what that would be like for a seventeen-year-old trying to form friendships and relationships. So would you get really annoyed by people, trust people less? If you fell out with someone or did something crushingly embarrassing would that be forever playing in your head? The emotional intensity of life in our teens and early twenties tends to make those memories more enduring for everyone but for Jess it’s amplified. How does she ‘forget’ and move on like the rest of us?

So that leads on to thinking about how memories shape our personality and if memories make us who we are, would you, should you, change or remove any? I also touch on whether we are outsourcing our memory to the likes of Google and the effect on our ability to remember. 

When I worked as a solicitor, I saw first-hand how memories may be presented as facts but are really just reconstructions. Witness statements, identification evidence and testimony in court all have their limitations. But in our popular culture, we often present ‘memory’ as a fixed file which we can access. In fact, this is really useful in plots for books and films – where there’s an extremely high incidence of amnesia! There’s a lot of satisfaction in following a character who is puzzling out what happened to them and who they can trust. Trying to sort the truth from the lies.

I’ve always been interested in memory and some of my jobs have required me to have a pretty good one. Like Jess and the super-recogniser Callum in The Truth About LiesI have an aptitude for recognising faces and I’m part of a research programme which tries to understand why some people are better at this than others. I’ve been looking at photos of people and then seeing if I can pick out that person from a group of images. It’s like a games of Guess Who but with pixelated, blurry images, sneaky profile shots and lots of beanie hats! Recently I was tested for voice recognition skills too. Some people are amazing at it (not me) and have a career in law enforcement. If you’d like to have a go yourself, click on the test at https//tinyurl.com/yc575sdh  

Writing a book which includes something you’re passionately interested in makes it easier to keep momentum going. For me it’s the psychology of memory, but if you settle on a theme close to your heart, so many other parts of the book will fall into place.

That's all for now. But there's still lots more exciting stops on the blog tour #TheTruthAboutLies   

Tracy Darnton’sThe Truth About Lies will be published by Stripes on July 12th 2018.

Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDarnton                          #TheTruthAboutLies   

Introducing Sophia Wilson. ME. Book Reader, Book Blogger, Trainee Teacher. - Book Review: So Much by Trish Cooke

So for the last six months I've been on a break and by break I mean I've not read an email or written a blog post. *Looks guilty* SORRY. 

I started my second year of University, a part time job at a DIY Store (Which I Love) and went to Thailand. Sounds fantastic right?
Well unfortunately, life isn't so perfect, I also lost my grandad who quite frankly was the kindest most amazing man in the world. 

It was only in writing this that I realised I've been blogging in the shadows. When I first started out I was 16 and had little plans beyond sharing the books I loved and attending YALC to meet the amazing authors behind the books. I never quite got to the introducing myself part.

Many years on... I'm 20. I have been to the most fantastic book events held by lovely people from publishers to authors (Special shoutout to Scholastic and Stripes!). I have been lucky enough to win and receive books to review and even had my very own guest post by the fantastic Mary Bello.

Today I sat in University, faced between the choice of two specialisms:
A) Mathematics (which I enjoy and is great on paper for a trainee teacher)
B) Children's Literature

I knew what I wanted to choose before the sheet was in my hand. Reality dawned on me... I love children's and young adult literature and I love to read.

Obvious right?

Two hours later, discussing books for the UKLA award (being a trainee teacher I'm lucky enough to be able to partake in the process) I realised... 

I have so much love for children literature so I can share all that love with you. Not just the YA but all the amazing books for children too.

SO A LONG OVERDUE INTRODUCTION

Hi I am Sophia Wilson. ME. Book Reader. Book Blogger. Trainee Teacher.

And I can't wait to share my love of books with you.


What better way to begin that with exactly that...

SO MUCH! By Trish Cooke.

My love for So Much probably roots back to me as a child. I remember being read the story, my parents making a conscious effort from an early age to ensure I saw 'me' in books. 

But this book is not just fantastic because of its presentation of a 'POC' the craft that sews the words and imagery together is so beautiful in conveying a story of familial love and affection.

The use of dialect is refreshing and honest. The caribbean heritage of relatives is so well depicted through vivid descriptions like 'cock up their handbags'. The rhyme and rhythm is consistent throughout.

The narrative is so well complemented by the imagery. The bleeding pages pull you as a reader into the text with every turning page.

This book is such an enjoyable read for adults and children alike, if you haven't already definitely read.

If you got this far, Thank you. See you soon.

Sophia @brokefrombooks

Review of SEED by Lisa Heathfield

Morning! 
Today's review is of the lovely Seed which I was so excited to post about that I accidentally deleted it instead of posting it. 

A little About Seed

Seed loves you. Seed will never let you go.

Fifteen-year-old Pearl has lived her whole life protected within the small community at Seed, where they worship Nature and idolise their leader, Papa S. When some outsiders arrive, everything changes. Pearl experiences feelings that she never knew existed and begins to realise that there is darkness at the heart of Seed. A darkness from which she must escape, before it's too late.

A condensed summary of my thoughts

Wow. That's the first word I knew I'd have to begin with  when I finished the book because Seed is amazing. Amazing doesn't even do it just but immediately after turning the last page I just in awe. 

This book captivated me and touched my heart in so many ways. I want to cry I want to smile because Seed is a beautifully written, heartbreaking, saddening story told so so well. 

Lisa's craft for writing was extraordinary not only telling Pearl's story based on the only world she knows, but giving a wealth of insight into the life of those at Seed and life in a cult. I also really liked the narrative style and the use of an alternate POV. 

I got this lovely book at Michelle's YALC Blogging Panel many moons and far too long ago but I'm so glad i finally read it because it truly is an amazing heartbreaking honest story. Michelle told me I'd love it and she was so very right. 

Have you read Seed? What did you think? 

Comment below or tweet me @brokefrombooks 

FIRST EVER GUEST POST with author Mary Bello, A Change is Gonna Come

I am SO SO SO EXCITED for today's post, my very first Guest Post and the first stop of the #CHANGEBOOK Blog Tour!

Today's post is from a Brand New Author Mary Bello who's story 'Dear Asha' is a part of Stripes' 'A Change Is Gonna Come' book which is released on the 10th August 2017. 

I've been so excited for this entire anthology since the moment I heard about it at Stripes' blogger event.

So without further ado here is Mary's post all about her exciting journey from journalist to published short story author, why she was so keen and proud to be involved and more...

For the last few years I've been a stay-at-home mum taking care of my three-year old angel, Lalita. Before becoming a full-time Mummy I'd worked as an entertainment journalist but in my heart, I'd always held a desire to write stories and poetry. I'm so passionate about books - the transportive nature, how they can make you feel something otherworldly leaving an indelible mark on your soul. So this year, with my beautiful mini-me ensconced in nursery, I decided to focus on creative writing.

When I saw the call for open submissions from Stripes something just felt right about submitting a short story.

With the anthology's theme of change in mind I set about crafting a story close to my heart. A huge change happened in my life a few years ago when I lost my mother therefore the concept of change or more precisely loss and how it can rock you to your core, felt like the right underpinning for my story. Through my experience of loss I could empathise and understand the journey that my main character would go through. My story 'Dear Asha' gives you a snapshot into the life of a 17-year-old girl whose mother has just died.

The first time I held a copy of A Change Is Gonna Come in my hands I was overwhelmed. It's a blessing to see something you've written published. And I love what the book stands for – a real representation of the wonderful wealth of stories BAME writers have to offer.

Making the transition from journalist to creative writer has been both a daunting yet exciting journey so far. It's great being able to really free your mind and see your ideas come to life. Plus I love the freedom of working from wherever I fancy (hello sweet little café in the park or better still bed). You definitely need to be disciplined as you are fully in charge of your daily structure, deadlines etc. You have to fit it in around your other commitments, which can be tricky at times, but writing brings me so much joy.

In creating poetry and stories, you are truly putting your heart and soul on a plate for the world to see. You make yourself vulnerable, sharing with people the intimate way in which you view the world and your emotions but in doing so you can connect and give something truly magical to the reader. So many great authors have done this for me and I'd love for my writing to do the same to others.

A little bit more about Mary...

Mary Florence Bello was born in north London to Nigerian parents and grew up on a diet of tales from Yoruba culture. She studied law and worked in finance before embarking on a career as a journalist.

You can Pre-order A Change is Gonna Come here on Amazon or go to your local book store on or after August 10th.

A big thanks to Charlie Morris at Stripes Publishing for having me as part of this blog tour. But this is only the start! There's lots more exciting stops on the #CHANGEBOOK Blog Tour so be sure to keep following to hear from more authors, read reviews and much more.

Blog Tour: Q&A with author of Goodnight, Boy

Today I'm a part of the Goodnight, Boy blog tour on Twitter which I'm sure lots of you have heard about on twitter or through the blogs of many book bloggers including the lovely Chelle at TalesofYesterday from Nikki Sheehan

So, what is Goodnight, Boy all about? 

The kennel has been JC’s home ever since his new adoptive father locked him inside. For hours on end, JC sits and tells his dog Boy how he came to this country: his family, the orphanage and the Haitian earthquake that swept everything away.

When his adoptive mother Melanie rescues him, life starts to feel normal again. Until JC does something bad, something that upset his new father so much that he and Boy are banished to the kennel. But as his new father gets sicker, JC realises they have to find a way out. And so begins a stunning story of a boy, a dog and their journey to freedom.

I really enjoyed this story and was really glad I picked up a copy. I'll be posting more about my thoughts next week but without further ado...

Q and A with Nikki Sheehan



1) Goodnight, Boy in itself is a very unique story about a refugee boy forced to live in a kennel. What was your inspiration in writing the story?

Friendship. I always start from the point of view of theme, and weave the story around the thread of the emotion. I’d been through a bit of a tricky time a few years ago and

it struck me then just how powerful friendship is in the face of difficulties. I suppose I could have just given JC a human mate, but friendship with a dog is of a very pure kind. Dogs love you entirely unconditionally, so it struck me as a good way to explore the relationship in an extreme setting. The pressure of the kennel bring out the worst and best in JC, but it brings out the best in the dog every time, so I suppose he’s a kind of idealised friend. I’m not sure exactly when I decided my character would be shut in the kennel, but I had certainly read about children in America who had been put in dog houses and other tiny places as punishments, and so the idea was born.

2) The writing style of Goodnight, Boy is very unique in that there's no chapters used throughout. What made you decide to write in this style and did you find any difficulties?

I hadn’t really thought about the lack of chapters until you asked this. I suppose it’s not really an issue because chapters tend to mark the passing of time, and in this book time is expansive and slow, and I show it through the physical emptiness, with big line drops, and sometimes pages with just one or two words on.

3) Why did you write in second person?

The vast majority of books are written in the first or third person, but I wanted to bring the characters closer as they’re all each other has. A long time ago I read an amazing book called The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which was in second person. I thought back to that and realised that if JC is speaking directly to Boy, he is in essence making the reader take the role of the dog (as they both listen passively) and let the reader feel like they’re within the story.

4) What was the hardest part of writing this novel and why?

Knowing when to stop tinkering with the writing. When you’re using fewer words it feels even more important to get them exactly right, and although the book looks quite chunky, it’s actually very short. Just before final edits, in a fit of madness, I began editing all of the more direct conversation with Boy so that it had an iambic rhythm because it sounds nicer. I knew that no one would ever notice, but once I started it became addictive and I couldn’t stop!

5) What did you enjoy most about writing this story?

I actually enjoyed all of it. The research around the story, and the earthquake in particular, was sometimes harrowing, but it also reminded me that kids are incredibly resilient and how they often find what they need, wherever they happen to be.

6) The voice of JC is so strong; you've captured him so well. How do you write from the perspective of a boy with such an insight? 

Thank you. I’m not sure really. I have two sons, one of whom is now JC’s age. But mostly I write from my young self, and the fact that I’m a girl doesn’t seem to matter!

7) The bond between JC and Boy (his dog) is a touching one and a much more unique one for novels. What made you write about a relationship like that?

I have two dogs, mother and daughter labradoodles, who are right next to me, hanging out during the day while I work. The bond between us is a strange thing, that almost feels magical, or telepathic at times, so I was able to mine this, and, of course, study my dogs’ behaviour really carefully to make sure I got it right. Boy is a sort of amalgamation of my dogs, but probably more like the very sensible, well behaved older one. When he’s being daft though I draw on the clownish behaviour of the younger dog. I have told them of course, that they star in my new book, but they remain unimpressed, as they prefer nature programmes on the telly.

 Well that's the end of my Q and A with Nikki Sheehan a big thanks to Cailin at RockTheBoat (OneWorld Publications Ltd) for organising the Q and A and for asking me to be a part of the #GoodNightBoyTour and to Nikki for answering all of my questions.

Goodnight, Boy is released tomorrow (6th July 2017).


Any questions/ enquiries or just a message to say hi you can comment, tweet me (@brokefrombooks) or email me at iambrokefrombooks.sophia@gmail.com

A NEW REVIEW: Room Empty by Sarah Mussi

Hello readers!
I'll keep my introduction short. It's been a while and uni essays have stolen me away from the joy of reading (to put it very melodramatically) but I'm pleased to be back with my latest review of:

 Room Empty by Sarah Mussi.

A little background...
Sarah Mussi has written many books already but Room Empty is a bit different in exploring the story of two teenagers Dani and Fletcher who are receiving treatment for an eating disorder and Drug addiction respectively. The story is told entirely from the perspective of Dani following their decision to face their issues together. It also features the caption 'a searing novel about love on the brink, with a murder at its heart'.
If you've not already opened a new tab to find this book on Amazon based on just that background keep reading and I guarantee you will (unless of course your heading straight to your local Waterstones branch instead haha)

So now it's time to show you the beautiful cover because of course if you've ready any of my posts before particularly after the Scholastic Bloggers brunch or seen my bookstagram you'll know that I love a book cover. There's certainly nothing disappointing about this one...

In all honesty I have nothing negative to say about this book. But listing 101 amazing things about this book would be pretty tiresome and I'm not completely sure even I would read all 101. So instead in possibly the uniquest layout yet I give you an acrostic of some of the many wonderful features of Room Empty (whoever said reviews can't be interesting).

REAL INSIGHT: Sarah provided a real insight into not only the mind of Dani but also the mind of Fletcher and other characters within the story.

OPTIMISTIC: There was a tone of hope in this book that constantly shone through, despite struggle and difficulty of the characters positivity remained.

Open: This book explored the lives of Dani and Fletcher so openly that as a reader I was able to resonate and understand them.

More than just a simple story: There were so many layers to this story: Dani's recovery, Fletcher's recovery, their respective pasts and futures and then the present tense overlapping all else. I loved how intertwined they all were so carefully and well.

Enjoyable: just a plain and simple overlooked point really. I enjoyed reading this book

Multiple new words: if you're asking what on earth I'm going on about I don't blame you. But for me I love to pick up a book and find new words. 'Puerile' is definitely my new favourite haha

Page-turning intrigue: When reading the book I was eagerly reading page to page and asa reader I feel that the flow of the book was a huge contributing factor to that.

Time and place: Building on from the point before I loved how Sarah crafted a book where I could understand Dani's thoughts and mind whilst she was was having a conversation or sitting at breakfast. In other books, I've ended up re-reading pages a dozen times to try to understand but never had that issue as it flowed so well giving such insight into her internal battle.

Young love well balanced to the story: I love a romance more than most but really appreciated that the book didn't have unrealistic presentations of love. It was never suggested that love could be some magic cure to their illness and the romance was well-balanced within the story.

That's all for today. If you got this far, Thanks for reading and I hoped you all enjoyed this post (and my acrostic)!

*Note: I am not paid to review books and review purely for fun when and where possible. I own no rights to the photographs of books unless stated as my own. I received this book from the publisher to review but will only review books that I actually do enjoy, if it's not my cup of tea I just won't write about it, I don't believe in critical reviews every book has strongpoints and realistically not every book is for me.

Any questions/ enquiries or just a message to say hi you can comment, tweet me (@brokefrombooks) or email me at iambrokefrombooks.sophia@gmail.com