#BlogTour The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves #BookReview @Tr4cyF3nt0n

Extremely delighted to be the latest stop on the Blog Tour for THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW by TRACEY GARVIS GRAVES and  I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about the book and what I thought about it in this post!

My thanks to the author, publisher and Tracy Fenton for arranging the tour and letting me be part of it all!

Here’s a little more about the book!

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Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people’s behavior confusing, she’d rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.

Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game–and his heart–to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.

Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She’s living the life she wanted as a librarian. He’s a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.

Published by Trapeze

Out today – 4th April 2019 – e-book version

8th August 2019 – paperback

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

Kobo

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MY REVIEW

I found this to be a totally heartwarming and quirky story, featuring the character of Annika who is such a gentle soul that you can’t help fall in love with her, and her ways!, and it’s a book that has a lovely gentle flow about it that time just flies by while you’re reading it!

Annika first met Jonathan back in college and her awkwardness and honesty won his heart.  This was back in 1991 and with the help of Jonathan and her very understanding and sweet roommate Janice, she gets by in a world that often overpowers her and leaves her feeling very anxious and deflated.  She is such a sweet person and has had to deal with people treating her badly because she was ‘different’ over the years that she shies away from social situations, and when she is faced with a difficult situation her response is to shut down and sleep.  But Jonathan and Janice love her for the way she is and that helps her gain a little more confidence and belief in herself.

Fast forward 10 years and she’s living and working in Chicago and by chance bumps in to Jonathan again.  We then get to see their stories unfold from back then to now, alongside her visits to her therapist whom she opens up to about everything and how to deal with the feelings she has now towards Jonathan.  You get the feeling there’s a lot of sadness that she’s had to deal with and you’re desperate to find out what that was and desperate for her to enjoy some happier times in the company of others.

I loved the character of Annika mainly because she’s different! There’s nothing fake about her and even though she likes her own company, she still has that part of her that would like to spend more time with other people and feel needed but she can’t help the way she is and she just wants to understand it more.

It was fascinating to see the way the story was told over the missing 10 years, and how they’d changed as people and Jonathon is an extremely understanding and compassionate character and  a rarity in seeing through the awkwardness of Annika to see the real, sweet and genuine person she is.  There’s sadness, laughs and all the feels in this book and it’s one I highly recommend picking up!

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The Man on the Middle Floor by Elizabeth S.Moore #BlogTour #BookReview

Lionel Shriver meets Mark Haddon in this break-out debut.

Despite living in the same three-flat house in the suburbs of London, the residents are strangers to one another. The bottom floor is home to Tam, a recent ex-cop who spends his days drowning his sorrows in whisky. On the middle floor is Nick, a young man with Asperger’s who likes to stick to his schedules and routines. The top floor belongs to Karen, a doctor and researcher who has spent her life trying to understand the rising rates of autism. They have lived their lives separately, until now, when an unsolved murder and the man on the middle floor connect them all together. Told from three points of view, The Man on the Middle Floor is about disconnection in all its forms; sexual, physical, parental and emotional. It questions whether society is meeting the needs of the fast growing autistic section of society, or exacerbating it.

Thought-provoking and thrilling, The Man on the Middle Floor will leave readers talking.

Publisher Red Door Publishing

Publication Date – 1st May 2018

Buying Links

Amazon UK

Hive.co.uk – buy online and support a local bookstore

Book Depository

About the Author

Elizabeth S. Moore has worked as a journalist since she won the Decanter Young Wine Writer of the Year at seventeen. She has written columns and articles on restaurants, politics, South Africa and all things foodie. She comes from a family that has given her a lot of writing material and is currently finishing her second book, having written the first after completing the Faber Write a Novel course and being approached by fourteen agents after reading an excerpt of her novel to industry professionals. Elizabeth lives in London with her South African husband and has three daughters and a son as well as two lazy Labradors.

Twitter – @LizzyMoore19

 MY REVIEW

It is never easy to review books that are a little ‘out there’ in subject matter and content, but I will give it a go!!  And I know this book won’t be for everyone with its’ quirky nature, its often blunt approach and the things discussed – but for me I found it fascinating and thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the lives of these three fascinating and extreme characters, as their paths crossed and some rather unfortunate events follow!

It centres around a house that contains 3 flats.  In each of these flats live some complex characters – Karen lives on the top floor, Nick on the middle floor, and Tam on the ground level.  All 3 extremely different characters personality wise, but in their outlook on life they all end up being quite similar as they often feel disconnected from the world they find themselves living in.

Nick starts the story off and the book from his viewpoint is very stark. He suffers from Autism so he has his routines, things often upset him and he enjoys being alone. But he’s trying to challenge himself and break free from these chains. His first job at the local hospital morgue seems to be the perfect job for him – the solitude, the routine, the cleanliness…

Tam is a police officer – well he was! He returns after time off after being injured to find they want to move him to a desk job, as his attitudes don’t fit with the modern way of policing. He retreats to a world of drink and sex, and investigating what he sees going on around him… his police training comes in very handy as events unfold!

And Karen is a Doctor at the local hospital researching the rise of Autism amongst. She lives alone, preferring her work to her 3 children who are with their father. When she is called on to be ‘mum’ she doesn’t seem to have a maternal bone in her body, and the kids know it and cannot wait to be back with their father.  She gets Nick the job at the hospital and sees him as the perfect study for her research… at what cost?

This is an often crude book but I think these characters and the situations they find themselves in need and demand that!  They have very extreme personalities which works well in getting the points across that I think the author is trying to make, about how society judges and treats different people.  I felt a number of emotions whilst reading this book – shock, empathy, revulsion to name but a few – and I love how a book can have that impact on a reader. I never knew what was just around the corner and that kept me intrigued throughout.

I’d highly recommend this book if you are looking for something just that little bit different, that is a little challenging and doesn’t stop  making you think!  Can’t wait to see what Elizabeth Moore writes next!!