#BookReview THE KINDNESS PROJECT by SAM BINNIE @HeadlineFiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

Help the baker’s ex-wife widow
Find the true calling for the village shop owner
Call a truce on a decades-old feud
Forgive me…?

The locals of the Cornish village of Polperran are grieving the sudden loss of Bea Kimbrel, a cornerstone of their small community.

Now her reclusive, estranged daughter Alice has turned up, keen to tie up Bea’s affairs and move on.

But Alice receives a strange bequest from Bea – a collection of unfinished tasks to help out those in Polperran most in need.

As each little act brings her closer to understanding her mother, it also begins to offer Alice the courage to open her clamped-shut heart. Perhaps Bea’s project will finally unlock the powerful secrets both women have been keeping…

THE KINDNESS PROJECT will draw you deep into the lives of two compelling women who should never have missed their chance to say goodbye. It will break your heart – and piece it back together again… 

ebook – out now

paperback – out 8th July 2021

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

You can’t escape the message of ‘Be Kind’ all around right now, so it’s only right that you do yourselves a favour and treat yourself to this book as it will give you all the warm and huggy feels and being kind to yourself is a great place to start with your own kindness project!!

It’s an emotional story from the start as Alice is travelling home after hearing that she has lost her mum. They were never close and she never even got invited to the funeral, so it feels odd to her to be travelling back ‘home’ and starts her thinking about the relationship troubles that she had with her mother.

Alice and Bea are very chalk and cheese personalities. Bea was a free spirit, very outgoing and always willing to help others around her. Whereas Alice is very closed off, loves her routine, her little bubble and goes out of her way to avoid people. She was very much a Daddy’s girl and it seems that the troubles between mum and daughter started years ago, and we see why they made such an impact on Alice.

Bea’s final wishes were for Alice to continue with the Kindness Project she had set up – an alien concept to Alice! Bea had made a real impact on the community she lived in, and I think it overwhelms Alice a little to see what her mother was doing for others.

As Alice spends more time going through her mothers’ things, the memories start to flood back and the regrets begin to build. Just where had it all gone wrong for them both, and why had they not just faced up to the problems and talked it through. That’s a big thing you take away from this book – time gives you a different perspective on things that happened and you shouldn’t wait until it is too late to make things right, or clear the air. Through the letters that Bea leaves her daughter, and talking to the locals who knew and loved her mum so much, she begins to learn more of the past than she was aware of before.

I loved how Alice took so well to the tasks she was set and I think helping others ends up helping her more as she gets out of her own head, and out of the rut that she found herself in. She realises that she needs to take control of her life, and sometimes all it needs is just a little bit of kindness that can go a long way in brightening someones day!

A really touching and heartwarming story!

★★★★

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#BlogTour The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkelblick #BookReview #YA

My thanks to Anna and the team at RedDoor for inviting me to take part in this tour and to share my thoughts on the enigma that is Oskar Dunkelblick!!

About the book

‘A delightfully twisted tale, full of sharp humour and keen observations. Oskar makes for a very memorable modern-day anti-hero’ Mirror

‘A dark, beautifully crafted and, at times hilarious, story about a young man’s spiritual transformation. Highly recommended for young adults and grown-ups alike’ Fiona Parker, former panellist on the WHSmith Childrens’ Book Awards

Lemony Snicket meets His Dark Materials in this unforgettable YA crossover novel

Oskar is the ultimate teenage loner. He’s been living on the streets since he was a kid, he hates being touched and his eyes are always itchy from chronic conjunctivitis. To perk himself up, he paints the misery of mankind. After all, there’s so much of that about . . .

One day during a not-so-routine eye test, Oskar’s bleak perspective is blown apart when he tries on a pair of very unusual lenses. The world he glimpses is filled with love, light and wonder – and he is furious. But those lenses have opened his inner eye and much against his darker nature, Oskar’s perception and behaviour begin to change in ways that he could never, ever have imagined.

Publication Date – 8th November 2018

 Purchase Links

hive.co.uk

waterstones

amazon UK

MY REVIEW

I do love a quirky character in the books I read, and you’ll have to go a long way to find one as quirky as Oskar!  He’s described as a teenage misery merchant! He seems to revel in the misfortune of others, and uses that for inspiration for his artwork!  So you’ll find yourself having very little sympathy for him as he makes his way to the village of KeineFreude, a grim little village full of people who seem to hate themselves and each other! But to Oskar this sounds like heaven! A perfect hotbed of bitter and twisted humans for him to exploit.  His motto ‘Compassion is for losers’ has stuck with him for many years

As you read more about Oskar and how he has treated  various people over the years, you do wonder why he has so much hate in his heart, but little glimpses into childhood reveal a lot and put things a little into perspective.  Some things he does though are very difficult to forgive!

As he settles into life in the new village he finds his outlook on life begins to shift after a visit to a strange little optician shop, and soon finds he’s beginning to hate who he is becoming! He’s seeing good in the world for the first time and finds himself doing nice things for others – totally against everything he has ever known!! But what is it about those glasses that have changed him?! And just why are so many villagers so  miserable?!  Maybe there’s more to meets the eye behind some of the villagers and maybe Oskar can finally play the hero instead of the villain!

I found this to be such a fun and dark read!  There were a number of quirky characters and the message behind the story was quite perceptive and relevant to the times we live in now.  I had so many mixed emotions about Oskar and his behaviour but found myself warming to him – and his Nesquik addiction! – as the story unfolded.  This is aimed at the YA market but can also be enjoyed by readers of all ages as it does teach you about how having a different outlook can change you as a person.

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