The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.

This is a page-turner of a book.  Whilst the initial few chapters took all my concentration in order to keep up with the introduction of so many characters, once I had got used to who everyone was the real drama started.

Straight away you are intrigued by the secret in the envelope and once this is revealed things only get more interesting.  The storyline keeps you reading and turning pages throughout the book and there are twists and turns all the way through.

The characters are very strong and you really feel like you get to know them, especially Rachel and Cecilia.  I love how all the character's lives intertwine with one and other and as the story unfolds you see the links between the characters deepen.

There is a philosophical side to this book, and the epilogue in particular really makes you think.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and once I'd got into it, I didn't want to have to put it down until I'd seen how events unfolded. It was fast-paced and thought-provoking, a must-read.

The back page blurb:

Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.

Curious, she opens it - and time stops.

John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of others.

Cecilia - betrayed, angry and distraught - wants to do the right thing, but right for who? If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most . . .

Title: The Husband's Secret
Author: Liane Moriarty

Instructions For A Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell.

I have a confession to make... I only picked up this book because the lovely people at O2 gave it away as a freebie... being able to walk out of WHSmiths without paying for a book is hugely exciting!

I wouldn't normally have chosen this book, as to be honest I never seem to enjoy the books that Richard and Judy choose to be part of their book club.  I seem to find them slow and hard to get in to.

Instructions For A Heatwave was no different.  I found it hard to get into the storyline, there seemed to be too many characters which I found confusing at first.  The story jumps around a lot, one minute being in the present tense then jumping back to childhood, which with the confusion between characters just made it difficult to read.

I love a story with a mystery that keeps you turning pages, but somehow this mystery just didn't grab my interest.  And I found that I couldn't relate to the characters.

I've heard lots of good things about this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

The back page blurb:
It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each wih different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share.

Title: Instructions For A Heatwave
Author: Maggie O'Farrell

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

I loved the concept of this story line but was quite disappointed by the book itself.


It began well but then I found that there was no real story pulling you through the book.  The brother's situation I found very confusing to read, and had to re-read some parts to try and make sense of it, which I don't think is a good thing.


It has actually left me a little unsure why it was a Richard and Judy Book-club read, and I won't be passing it on to friends.

Title: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Author: Aimee Bender