I’ve just been to the library and took out:

• The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern
• The True History of Paradise by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
• Before We Say Goodbye by Louise Candlish
• Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Has anyone read these books? Are they good?

Waterstone’s Synopsis:

From the internationally bestselling author of PS, I Love You and Where Rainbows End comes an enchanting novel — with more than a little magic! What if love was right there in front of you — you just couldn’t see it? Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse’s young son Luke and with her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count. But with Saoirse crashing in and out of their lives, leaving both her sister and her son reeling, Luke and Elizabeth are desperately in need of some magic. Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? Has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again? As for Ivan, he thought he was there to help Luke not Elizabeth — or himself!

I found Ahern an intriguing author. Some of her books, such as PS I Love You and Where Rainbows End I really enjoyed, others, such as A Place Called Here I didn’t get on with at all. This one, If You Could See Me Now, I found interesting but not realistic. This book features stressed women, cute boys and imaginary friends.

Ivan, a mysterious character has just turned up and started hanging out with Luke. But it seems that Elizabeth is in tune with him too… I found this highly unbelievably. She did not realise that Ivan was the same imaginary Ivan that Luke was playing with and did not pick up on the fact others could not see him. She is a smart woman and was just making a fool of herself and that annoyed me.

However, this is a light read and when I ignored the spectacle Elizabeth was making I did enjoy reading about how Ivan was changing her life. There were some beautiful moments in the book that will stay with me, such as dancing in the dandelion field at dawn.

I liked Elizabeth at the beginning. Although she was moody and cold she seemed realistic and I could empathise with her and her situation. As the story unfolded my attitude changed as she changed. There were moments I really felt for her, and others when she really bugged me. Ivan didn’t make much of an impression on me. I found myself wanting him to come clean and explain who he was.

This is an easy read, and for the most part enjoyable. It is unrealistic chick-lit and not Ahern’s best novel but it was OK.

3/5

Synopsis:

A wonderfully warm and heartfelt debut from a stunning new talent. Everyone needs a guardian angel! Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other’s sentences and even when they fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He’s left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed ‘PS, I Love You’. As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows her better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing — and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises — but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.

Holly is lucky; she found her soul mate when she was young. Except she is unlucky – he dies young of a brain tumour. Her life is ripped apart. What is she going to do? Her husband has dead. Yet her mother is holding a letter for her, one from Gerry. There is a note for every month of the rest of the year, which will help her carrying on living.

This is a well written, touching book. To lose your u at a young age must be horrendous, and that is how Ahern writes it. It is so sad, very heartbreaking. Ahern looks at what losing your spouse does to you, how relationships change, who are your real friends, and how you can keep going. I loved the idea of notes, and everything Gerry set up for her to help her. What a lovely thing to do. It was so beautiful that he was there supporting her through these few lines a few. Ahern’s writing is gripping and draws you into the story. I felt the emotions Holly was feeling, and could have cried along with her.

I don’t think I have a favourite character in this book. Everyone was well written and I liked how they developed over the year. It was interesting to see how Gerry’s death affected everyone. It was good to see how Ahern remembered the other characters and incorporated their grief in the book too.

It is important to note that not all the book is sad, and there are moments of joy, fun and laughter. Ahern looks at a range of emotions and the rollercoaster of grief.

I really enjoyed this book. It is chick-lit, but it explores a hard issue. It did not take long to read this book – it was just a good novel.

9/10