BEST BOOKS
Zoe West picks the best reads for you
The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
by Cressida Mclaughlin (£7.99, PB, Harpercollins)
It may be the sixth book in the Cornish Cream Tea series, but this delightful book can be read as a standalone. In this novel, we are introduced to Thea Rushwood, who is forced to go on holiday by herself after her friend drops out. That’s fine – she’s off to a cosy cottage in Port Karadow. She can do this. Only she wasn’t counting on the grumpy builder, Ben, renovating next door. With gorgeous Cornish descriptions and loveable characters, this transporting read may have you planning your own solo trip.
The Second Time We Met
by Frances Mensah Williams (£8.99, PB, Amazon Publishing) Events manager Cara is recovering from a broken heart, and she is not looking for anyone new. Then she meets Henry. Though their encounter is short-lived, she does bump into him again at a work event, and sparks fly. But they are from very different worlds, and Cara’s African and Caribbean family is far-removed from Henry’s family of wealthy lords and ladies. With everything stacked against them, including interfering family, friends and exes, can they navigate through it all to get their second chance? A fun and heartwarming romcom.
The Family Remains
by Lisa Jewell (£16.99, HB, Cornerstone)
A standalone sequel to the bestselling The Family Upstairs – it’s another chilling read. When a bag of human bones is found on the foreshore of the River Thames, DCI Owusu links it back to three decades earlier crime. Uncovering the forensic identity of the bones brings the Lamb family into sharp focus as the story unravels and converges through multiple characters. The relationships are complex, and you’ll wonder who the real sinner is in this disturbing and cryptic saga.