The Other Side Of The Wall by Andrea Mara - Review and Giveaway

Thanks to the author, I have two signed copies of The Other Side Of The Wall to giveaway. To be in with a chance of winning, just enter via rafflecopter link below. Open INT and closes 28th August. Good Luck!

My Review

Sylvia sits feeding her baby in the early hours of the morning. Exhausted, she nods off and wakes with a jolt. The dog is barking. Placing her son in his cot, she looks out the window to see why. She is horrified to see a child, floating face-down in her neighbour's pond. When she rushes into the garden, there is no sign of the child and no answer from next-door, despite her incessant knocking.  The incident unnerves her, but she puts it down to lack of sleep and the news that a local child is missing. But she just cannot shift the uneasy feeling that she did not imagine what she saw...

A string of odd happenings lead Sylvia to distrust her new neighbour, Sam. His wife and children are away for the summer and, while he is friendly and a hit with her own husband, she just cannot shake her unease. She struggles to make her husband believe that there are strange things happening and begins to doubt herself. Is there really something going on on the other side of the wall, or is she imagining things?

Andrea Mara opens up her debut with a bang. The night-time exhaustion and dim light add uncertainty to Sylvia's sighting of the child in the garden, but then more unusual events lead to unexplained happenings on the quite suburban road. Told from multiple viewpoints (Sylvia's, Sam's, Kate, an un-named woman) and over different time spans, the layered story reveals itself, one page at a time.  Sylvia's voice is one we all know: juggling work and home-life; trying to please everyone, forgetting about yourself; avoiding interaction with neighbours for fear of judgment; questioning your own parenting skills or even your own sanity, at times. Kate and Sam are going through a difficult time and we learn why they spent so little time together and why Kate is rarely seen. The tension builds, the questions becoming more frequent and the turns jarring the reader from their sense of comfort. 

All is not what it seems and not everyone is telling the truth. At just under 400 pages, this is a psychological thriller to test your trust in its narration. The changing timelines and characters do take a while to get used to, but this is a fine debut that you will struggle to put down. 

The Other Side Of The Wall is available in PB and ebook format. You can order your copy, with Free Worldwide Postage, HERE. The ebook can be ordered via amazon link below:

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The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor: Exclusive excerpt and giveaway.

Thanks to Harper Collins in Ireland, I have an exclusive excerpt from Hazel Gaynor's latest novel, The Cottingley Secret, published on 7th September. There is also an amazing giveaway of an  early copy of the book and a fairy house, for one lucky winner! Just enter via rafflecopter link below. Open IRL/UK and closes on 25th August. Good luck!

Giveaway Prize

The Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist…

1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war.

One hundred years later When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. As Olivia is drawn into events a century ago, she becomes aware of the past and the present intertwining, blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself? 

Exclusive Excerpt from The Cottingley Secret:

                   Fairies will not be rushed. I know this now; know I must

                   be patient.

                   Stiff and still in my favourite seat, formed from the

                   natural bend in the bough of a willow tree, I am wildly

                   alert, detecting every shifting shape and shadow; every

                   snap and crack of twig. I dangle my bare feet in the beck,

                   enjoying the cool rush of the water as it finds a natural

                   course between my toes. I imagine that if I sat here for

                   a hundred years, the water would smooth and round

                   them, like the pebbles I collect from the riverbed and keep

                   in my pockets.

                   In the distance I can see Mr Gardner, the man they sent

                   from London, with his round spectacles and bow tie and

                   endless questions. He peers around the trunk of an oak

                   tree, watches for a moment, and scribbles his observations

                   in his notebook. I know what he writes: remarks about

                   the weather, our precise location, the peculiar sense of

                   something different in the air.

                   Elsie stands on the riverbank beside me, her camera

                   ready. ‘Can’t you ’tice them?’ she urges. ‘Say some secret

                   words?’

                   I shrug. ‘They’re here, Elsie. I can feel them.’ But like

                   the soft breath of wind that brushes against my skin, the

                   things we feel cannot always be seen.

                   I know that the best time to see them is in that perfect

                   hour before sunset when the sun sinks low on the horizon

                   like a ripe peach and sends shafts of gold bursting through

                   the trees. The ‘in between’, I call it. No longer day, not

                   yet night; some other place and time when magic hangs

                   in the air and the light plays tricks on the eye. You might

                   easily miss the flash of violet and emerald, but I – according

                   to my teacher, Mrs Hogan – am ‘a curiously observant

                   child’. I see their misty forms among the flowers and leaves.

                   I know my patience will be rewarded if I watch and listen,

                   if I believe.

                  Tired of waiting, Elsie takes her camera and returns to

                  the house, where Aunt Polly is waiting to hear if we

                  managed any new photographs. The others soon follow:

                  Mr Gardner, the newspaper reporters, the ‘fairy hunters’

                  who come to snoop and trample all over the wildflowers

                  and spoil things. My little friends won’t appear just to

                  please these onlookers. They move according to the patterns

                  and rhythms of nature, not the whims of so-called experts

                  from London. Fairies, I understand. These men, I do not.

                  Glad to be alone again, I watch the pond skaters and

                  dragonflies, listen to the steady giggle of the water, sense

                  the prickle of anticipation all around me. The sun dazzles

                  on the water and I squint to shield my eyes as the heat

                  at the back of my neck makes me drowsy and tugs at my

                  eyelids, heavy with the desire to sleep.

                  I press my palms against the bark, smoothed from

                  decades of weather and countless children who have sat

                  here. How many of them have seen, I wonder? How many

                  of them have known? I wait and I wait, whispering the

                  words from my picture book: ‘“There shall be no veil

                  between them, / Though her head be old and wise. / You

                  shall know that she has seen them, / By the glory in her

                   eyes.”’

                  And then . . .

                  The lightest ringing at my ears. The slightest movement

                  of fern and leaf.

                  My heart flutters. My eyes widen with excitement.

                  A flash of vibrant emerald. Another of softest

                  lavender-blue.

                  I lean forward. Draw in my breath. Don’t make a sound.

                  They are here.

The Cottingley Secret is published on 7th September in TPB and ebook format. You can order your copy via amazon link below:

To be in with a chance of winning an early edition of The Cottingley Secret, with a delightful and magical Irish Fairy Door (you just need to believe), just enter via rafflecopter link below:

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Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway: A House Full Of Secrets by Zoe Miller..

I am delighted, and honoured, to be the first to share the cover of Zoe Miller's latest novel, A House Full of Secrets.  I also have a copy of the book to giveaway to one lucky reader, to be posted on publication day, 3rd August. To be in with a chance of winning this first edition, please enter via rafflecopter link below. Open INT and closes on 7th July. Good Luck!

*Drum Roll Please*

THE BLURB

When Londoner Vikki receives an invitation from Niall Blake to join him for a weekend at his family home in a remote part of Ireland, she hopes it will be the perfect opportunity to turn their friendship into something more significant. But Niall has a different reason for his proposition …

As the weekend takes a sinister turn and Vikki discovers more about Niall, his estranged older brother Alex and his over-compensating sister Lainey, it becomes clear that the family harbours a long-buried secret. But who is out to destroy them? Could it be one of their own? And why did Niall invite Vikki along for the weekend?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zoë Miller writes contemporary fiction laced with mystery and intrigue. She is married and lives on the south side of Dublin, close to the foot of the Dublin Mountains. She has two daughters and a son. Zoë has been writing since childhood, when she loved reading so much that she felt compelled to write stories herself. Before having the time to devote to writing novels, she had short stories and feature journalism published. Zoë has successful eight novels published by Hachette Books Ireland, including The Compromise, A Husband’s Confession, A Question of Betrayal and Someone New.

  You can contact Zoë at www.zoemillerauthor.com, or Twitter @zoemillerauthor, or Facebook.com/zoemillerauthor.

A House Full of Secrets is published by Hachette Ireland on 3 August 2017 and in UK PB in Feb 2018. You can pre-order your copy via amazon link below:

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The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Thanks to Harper Collins in Ireland, I have the pleasure of the revealing the UK/IRE cover of The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor, published on 7th September 2017. There is also a chance to win a limited edition ARC. Just enter via the rafflecopter link below. Open INT and ends on 5th June.

Drum Roll Please...

The Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist…

 Cottingley, Yorkshire, 1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war.

One hundred years later: When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather’s bookshop it sparks a fascination with the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. Delving deeper into the past, and the truth behind an innocent game that became a national obsession, Olivia begins to question her own beliefs. And as she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself? 

Praise for The Cottingley Secret

The Cottingley Fairies

“I adored The Cottingley Secret. Gaynor has penned in majestic prose an enchanting and enthralling tale of childhood magic, forgotten dreams, and finding the parts of ourselves we thought were lost forever." - Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale

"There is real magic in these pages. And beauty. And heart." - Nicole Mary Kelby, author of The Pink Suit

About The Author

Hazel Gaynor’s debut novel The Girl Who Came Home—A Novel of the Titanic—was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and was awarded the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her second novel A Memory of Violets, also hit the New York Timesbestseller list and her third, The Girl from the Savoy was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller. The book was also a finalist for the 2016 Irish Book Awards. Hazel is also a contributing author to WWI anthology Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War. Her novels have been translated into several languages.

Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015, was a WHSmith Fresh Talent selection in spring 2015, and the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis Award for Emerging Writers. As features writer for national Irish writing website writing.ie Hazel has interviewed Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes and Cheryl Strayed, among others.

Following American publication in August, THE COTTINGLEY SECRET will be published by HarperCollins in Ireland in September 2017, with UK paperback publication to follow in March 2018. Later this year, Hazel’s epistolary novel LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, co-written with Heather Webb, will also be published by HarperCollins.

Hazel lives in Kildare with her husband and two children. She is represented by Michelle Brower of Aevitas Creative, New York. For more information visit www.hazelgaynor.com, @HazelGaynor on Twitter, or @hazelgaynorbooks on Facebook

  

Hazel Gaynor & Margaret Madden

Praise for Hazel Gaynor:

*‘Addictive, charming and gleaming with Jazz Age glitz’ The Lady 

*‘Sumptuous, gorgeous, authentic and surprising, Hazel Gaynor has written another hit.’ Sunday Independent 

*‘Peopled with unforgettable characters…Once begun, I dare you to put it down.’ Kathleen Tessaro, author of The Perfume Collector

The Cottingley Secret is published by Harper Collins in Ireland, in TPB and ebook format, on the 7th September and is available for pre-order HERE. 

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The Ludlow Ladies' Society by Ann O'Loughlin: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Giveaway.

Exclusive Cover reveal.

The Ludlow Ladies Society by Ann O' Loughlin. Pub. 4th July 2017.

Thanks to Black and White Publishing, I have the honour of revealing the cover of Ann O'Loughlin's latest novel, The Ludlow Ladies Society. They have also donated two Advance Reading Copies for giveaway. To be in with a chance of winning one, just enter via rafflecopter link at the end of the page. Open INT and closes on 31st May. Good Luck!

And without further ado....

The Blurb

Connie Carter has lost everybody and everything dear to her. To help nurse her grieving heart and to try and find answers, she moves from her home in America to Ludlow Hall, deep in the Irish countryside. All she knows about Ludlow is that her late husband spent all their money on the house – without ever mentioning it to her. Now Connie needs to know why.

At Ludlow Hall, Connie befriends Eve and Hetty and is introduced to the somewhat curious Ludlow Ladies’ Society. But can Connie ever reveal her hurt? And, more importantly, can she ever understand or forgive? As the Ludlow Ladies stitch patchwork memory quilts to remember those they have loved and lost, the secrets of the past finally begin to surface.

The Ludlow Ladies’ Society is a story of friendship, resilience and compassion, and how women support each other through the most difficult times.

"The Ludlow Ladies Society brought me to a beautiful place and into a circle of friends that I didn’t want to leave. Unputdownable. Ann’s world is uniquely Irish in its warmth and charm.”

KATE KERRIGAN

Author Bio

A leading journalist in Ireland for nearly thirty years, Ann O’Loughlin has covered all major news events of the last three decades. Ann spent most of her career with independent newspapers where she was Security Correspondent at the height of the Troubles, and was a senior journalist on the Irish Independent and the Evening Herald. She is currently a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner newspaper covering legal issues. Ann’s debut novel, The Ballroom Café, was one of the top 20 Kindle bestsellers of 2015, and her second novel, The Judge’s Wife was shortlisted for a Romantic Novel Award (RoNA) and an Irish bestseller for five weeks. Ann has also lived and worked in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast in Co. Wicklow with her husband and two children.

Links:

Black & White Publishing: https://blackandwhitepublishing.com/ludlow-ladies-society.html

Ann O’Loughlin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/annolwriter

Ann O’Loughlin on Facebook: https://facebook.com/annoloughlinbooks

The Ludlow Ladies Society will be published in PB and ebook format on 4th July 2017. You can pre-order your copy via amazon link below:

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ARC cover

As an added bonus,, Ann O’Loughlin has just launched a brand new mailing list. Black & White Publishing will be giving 15 lucky subscribers the chance to win an eBook copy of The Ludlow Ladies’ Society via NetGalley. For your chance to win one of these copies, simply sign-up to Ann’s mailing list using the link below before 30 June 2017.

Mailing List Sign-Up: http://eepurl.com/cPVml1

The Woman at 72 Derry Lane by Carmel Harrington. Exclusive Extract and Giveaway.

twitter prize

Thanks to Harper Collins, I have the pleasure of sharing a sneak-peek at the latest novel from Carmel Harrington, published on 15th June. There is also a chance to win one of two signed early editions of the book and a little extra prize (for twitter followers) of an A4-sized wooden wall plaque, which I thought captured the feeling of Carmel's novels perfectly.  Twitter winner will also receive a signed edition of the book.

To be in with a chance of winning The Woman at 72 Derry Lane, just enter via rafflecopter link below.  To enter twitter competition, see pinned tweet @margaretbmadden. Good Luck! 

The Blurb

On a leafy suburban street in Dublin, beautiful, poised Stella Greene lives with her successful husband, Matt. The perfect couple in every way, Stella appears to have it all. Next door, at number 72 however, lives Rea Brady. Gruff, bad-tempered and rarely seen besides the twitching of her net curtains, rumour has it she’s lost it all…including her marbles if you believe the neighbourhood gossip.

But appearances can be deceiving and when Stella and Rea’s worlds collide they realise they have much in common. Both are trapped in a prison of their own making.

Has help been next door without them realising it?

With the warmth and wit of Maeve Binchy and the secrets and twists of Liane Moriarty, this is the utterly original and compelling new novel from Irish Times bestseller Carmel Harrington.

 What Readers Think Of Carmel Harrington's Books

‘Will make you see life in a different way’ Woman’s Way

‘Heartwrenching and heartwarming’
Evening Herald

‘Guaranteed to brighten your day’
Novelicious

‘Carmel Harrington has done it again! Brilliantly written … it surpasses all expectations’
Chicklit Club

‘A bittersweet, quietly brilliant novel that will make you cry, laugh and cry all over again’
Female First

‘Funny, poignant and bursting with heartfelt humour’
I Heart … Chick Lit

‘Completely stunning’
Reviewed the Book

‘It will stay with you, well after you have turned the last page’
Bleach House Library

Exclusive Extract from The Woman at 72 Derry Lane

Looking at the trees, Stella thought that maybe next door was her answer. Her gut, her every instinct told her that despite the gruff exterior, her neighbour, Rea, was a good person. It had to be her who called the Gardaí each time. That showed she cared, didn't it?

So, before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, she found herself knocking on her neighbour’s door.

'I was surprised to see you,' Rea said. 'A nice surprise, I might add, but one I wasn't expecting.'

Rea looked at Stella closely, taking in how agitated she seemed, her hands wringing in her lap. 'You have a look of someone with something on her mind. Spit it out.'

Stella nodded, then cleared her throat. 'Can I be frank with you?'

'I'd rather that. I've little or no patience for anyone who beats about the bush.'

Stella smiled, warming even more to this woman; while she was what many would call brusque, her eyes were kind. 'I should have practised what to say. Sometimes finding the right words is difficult.'

'When you get to my age, that's something that comes with the territory,' Rea smiled.

'Oh I doubt that. You're not so old.'

Rea took the compliment.

'First of all, please don't be offended by this question, but I need to ask it all the same,' Stella said, leaning in.

Rea brushed aside her apology, 'You don't know me, so I would think you have more questions than answers.'

Somehow even before she spoke, she knew the answer, 'Can I trust you? I need to be sure that you won't repeat this conversation to anyone.'

'When you say anyone, I assume you mean your husband?'

'Yes,' Stella nodded.

'You can say what you like here. Think of it as a confessional.'

'I gave up believing in God a long time ago,' Stella replied.

'I've a pretty up and down relationship with her myself too.'

'Her?'

'Why not?' Rea said.

Stella smiled, thinking that she liked that idea a lot and liked Rea even more.

'Well, leaving God and confessionals aside, would you take my word for it, that you can trust me?' Rea asked.

Stella felt her shoulders sag with relief, nodding. Her heartbeat accelerated so rapidly she thought it would jump out of her chest and bounce clear across the floor, right out the door.

'I want to leave him,' Stella said.

'Good for you.' Rea had never been so glad to hear a statement in her whole life. Maybe this one had more about her after all.

'Then why don't you? He's at work. You're not chained to the house. Just pack a bag and go.'

'He's clever. He's backed me into a corner. I need to sort some things out first before he ....'

Rea watched the girl before her tremble, unable to finish the statement. 'Before he hits you again?'

Stella nodded, looking so broken, lost and very alone, that it made Rea's stomach flip nervously for her.

'Matt has told me over and over that I'm all alone without him, that I'd not last a moment on my own. He's right about one of those things. I don't intend to prove the second.'

'You've got nobody?' Rea asked. When Stella nodded, Rea felt something give deep inside of her. The girl’s face looked so sorrowful and bereft and she recognised how that felt.

'I have family living in France. That's where I'll go,' Stella shifted her weight slightly, wincing in pain as she did.

'That bastard, how could a man do that to a woman, to anyone?'

'He's not a man when he loses his temper. He's an animal. And each time he loses it with me, less of the man I married remains. I'm afraid that soon they'll be none of him left.' Stella took a deep breath and continued, 'I know you don't know me. I know that me landing on your doorstep is a terrible imposition. But I'm desperate. I don't have anyone else to turn to.'

It took Rea all of a nano second to reply. 'Now stop that. I'm very happy you called in to me. What do you need? Because if it's in my power to give it to you, it's yours.'

Rea reached over to hold one of Stella's hands between her own. 'He seems to be losing his temper with you more frequently. The walls may be thick in these Victorian houses, but they are linked all the same, so noise travels....'

Stella felt her old friend shame come back to torment her. The embarrassment of knowing that the most horrific, dark, secret part of her life was silently witnessed by her neighbour was a difficult pill to swallow.  'Yes, you're right.'

'You've got to get out of that house sooner rather than later. Do you hear me?' Rea said, her voice rising in anger.

There was a time that Stella would have disagreed with this. But things were different now. She didn't plan on dithering. 'I know. It’s hard when you are in the middle of it, to see a way out. He's been chipping away at me for so long, I've forgotten who I am.'

'Well then, that's the first thing you have to work out. How to get back the Stella you were before he came into your life. As for being trapped, the only person who can hold you back, is you,' Rea said.

She stood up and walked to the door, saying, 'I better make some tea. A large pot too. I think we'll need it, to work through this mess. But work through it we will. Two heads are better than one.'

'Thank you,' Stella said, almost breathless with gratitude.

Rea stopped at the doorway and said to her, 'You were wrong about something else you know. You're not on your own. Not anymore.'

****************************************

The Woman at 72 Derry Lane is published by Harper Collins in Ireland on 15th June 2017 in TBP and ebook format. 

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Blog Tour: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern. Author Q&A and Review,

What an honour to be hosting a stop on the blogtour for Cecelia Ahern's latest YA novel, Perfect. On this stop, there is a fantastic Q&A session with the author. We are huge fans of Cecelia's books, here at Bleach House Library. You can read my review of Flawed HERE and thirteen-year-old, Mia, has reviewed Perfect for this tour.

PERFECT is the thrilling, shocking and romantic sequel to Cecelia Ahern’s bestselling YA debut FLAWED.

When we embrace all our flaws, that’s when we can finally become PERFECT… Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured – all her freedoms gone. Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with the complicated, powerfully attractive Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret – one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save only herself, or risk her life to save all the Flawed. And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed…?.

Q&A WITH CECELIA AHERN

What made you decide to write a YA series?

I didn’t have a specific plan to write a YA series but when I came up with the idea for Flawed and Perfect, I knew I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of a 17 year old. I felt that was the best way to tell the story because although we’re constantly learning about ourselves throughout our life, teenage years are the years when you first really start to question authority and society, and start figuring out how you really feel about things, instead of what you’re being told to feel. I wanted to take Celestine from being that logical, obedient girl who thinks in black and white and turn her into somebody who questions, who doubts, who finds her own voice. She suddenly realizes she has to follow her own instincts, and her heart. We do this at different stages of her life when life throws us dilemmas but I wanted this to be the first big lesson in my character’s life, and also a voice and character that could teach society a thing or two.

Celestine and Carrick both rebel against a restrictive regime and are severely punished for it. Do you think our young adults should use their voices more, or less, in this age of ‘Fake News’?

I always encourage using your own voice. Celestine is not an obvious leader, she doesn’t realize her own strengths, she is not a leader because she wants to be but because she naturally makes the right choices. She brings compassion and logic to a society that has lost its humanity and I don’t think that shouting the loudest is necessarily what makes people be heard, it’s the strength of the character with quiet confidence that can truly gain a following. It’s not about shouting, it’s about leading by example, it’s about action, your own behavior, who you can influence in a positive way.

Do you find yourself noticing the restrictions of society more, since writing this series?

This story was inspired by my feelings on society so no I’m noticing it even more than before. I was inspired to write this by my belief that we live in a very judgemental society, one quick to point the finger at those who are different, who make life decisions that are frowned upon. I felt that we have a society that publicly shames, it’s almost like a sport at times, and it’s a form of entertainment for the media. It frustrated me to the point that I had to write this novel. We already label people, but this time I wanted to see what it would be like physically labeling people, branding them with an F. I’ve always felt strongly about inequality, so I suppose this was my way of condensing all my feelings on the issue and explaining it in a way that I knew how.

Of course as I was writing I realized that I was writing about everything in our history; the Flawed rules mimic the anti-Jewish decrees in World War 2, Celestine’s moment on the bus that leads her to be Flawed was inspired by the Rosa Parks event on the bus during the civil rights movement. Children born to Flawed parents are taken away from them and raised in state institutions and of course in Ireland children of unmarried mothers were taken from them. Aboriginal children in Australia were removed from their parents by the government in order to dilute the gene pool. We have tortured each other because of race, sex and religion in the past, we still do now, I wanted to explore this inhumane behaviour to punishing people for the moral and ethical decisions they make.

How important is it to have a male protagonist alongside a strong female one?

When I write, balance is very important. I like to take a dark story and bring it to a place of light, take a sad story and inject it with humour, take something negative and bring it to a positive place. I need to have the balance also of male and female.

Are there any parts of you within the character of Celestine?

I certainly wasn’t the girl that Celestine begins out as, I was probably more like her sister Juniper, who was quieter, had one close friend at school, she just can’t wait to get through it so that her life can begin. She is more of an outsider, cynical of society and questions everything around her, something Celestine learns later.  However, despite Juniper quietly grumbling about the things that bother her, Celestine is the one that takes action. I think writing this book is my version of Celestine’s action. 

REVIEW BY MIA MADDEN, AGED 13.

This is the amazing new YA novel from Cecelia Ahern. It is the follow-up to Flawed and it catches up with Celestine North, the most flawed person in the history of the Guild. Celestine is on the run from Judge Bosco Crevan and his Whistleblowers and she just wants one thing: to find her fellow inmate, Carrick Vane. Celestine believes that Carrick has vital footage of Crevan lashing out at her and she wants to use this to bring him, and hopefully the entire Guild, down. 

Celestine makes new friends in more Guild evaders; Mona, Lennox, Fergus and Lorcan. While the group are going about as normal (as evaders do), Whistleblowers find their hideout and this squad is led by Celestine's ex, Art Crevan, son of the deluded Judge. Art claims to still be on Celestine's side but she is not so sure. Now she must choose between Carrick and Art. Who will she choose? Will she get the footage of Crevan before he gains control of the entire country?

Awestruck - That is how these two books left me. Flawed was the first book to almost bring me to tears and Perfect was not far off it either. And I am not the kind to cry at books or movies. (I did not even cry when a certain house-elf came to a tragic end in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). With beautiful language, dramatic scenes and characters you will miss when you finish the book. I would rate Perfect 5*. 

Recommended for ages 12 +.

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Perfect is published is published by Harper Collins and is available in Hardback and ebook format. Published today, it is in all good bookshops or you can order your copy via amazon link below: