CHICK LIT
IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE by Paige Toon (S&S £7.99, 432 pp)
TWENTY-seven-year-old Angie is obsessed with the idea of travelling, but has never been away from the tiny, remote mining town in southern Australia where she grew up. When her beloved grandmother dies, Angie is bereft, but also free to discover all the places she has dreamed of.
However, fate intervenes, and Angie finds a long-hidden letter that provides details of the father she has never known anything about. He still runs the same restaurant in Rome where Angie’s mother met him and immediately invites the daughter he never knew existed to come over.
A few days later, Angie undergoes a baptism of fire, being thrust into the bosom of a big, exuberant Italian family — not to mention the secrets that emerge about her father and his wife, and the unnerving chemistry Angie feels with his son. Toon writes beautifully about family, grief and the bravery in turning dreams into reality.
READER, I MARRIED ME! by Sophie Tanner
(Trapeze £8.99, 336 pp) THIs is a fictionalised version of the author’s own journey from heartbreak towards her ‘sologamist’ wedding (a sologamist is someone who marries themselves) in 2015.
It sounds wacky, but Tanner lives in ultra-liberal Brighton, where this sort of caper barely raises an eyebrow.
Our protagonist is Chloe, who discovers that her boyfriend has been cheating on her. Her friends put her online, insisting she find another man as quickly as possible.
After various disappointing encounters, Chloe decides she doesn’t need someone else to make her feel whole and that she is enough for herself.
It’s about being kind to yourself, ignoring social pressure to tick boxes, and silencing that nasty voice in your head that tells you you’re not good enough. All of this I agree with completely. Do I believe you need to take this to a whole new level by planning a wedding for one? No. But I did enjoy it.
TONY’S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani
(S&S £7.99, 496 pp) As A long-time fan of Trigiani’s wide-ranging and emotionally intelligent books, I’m delighted to report that this latest is just as rich and compelling.
When saverio Armandonada realises his tough father will never support his dreams of being a singer, he leaves home to make it happen. A few years later, strolling along the Jersey shore, he meets Chi Chi Donatelli, a girl with her own musical ambitions finding it hard to make her way in a man’s world.
The pair form a duo that takes the world by storm, performing sellout shows in Las Vegas, New York and Hollywood.
Once married, however, they’re faced with an impossible choice between raising a family and staying in the spotlight. One of them must stay at home — but who will it be?
It’s fascinating, thoughtful and moreish. I couldn’t put it down.