The Housekeepers - Alex Hay

Oh. My. Gosh. The Housekeepers is Alex Hay's brilliant debut novel. 

Say the word 'heist' and I'll watch it, or in this case, read it. (Plus that cover caught my eye.) 

Hay's heist takes place in 1905 London England. Hay does a wonderful job of bringing the time and place to life. Society and mores of the time play a large part in this tale. There's the rich, who want for nothing. And then there are the staff, those who cater to every whim and want of the upper-class. And then there's those outside the manor who do what they need to survive - the con men, thieves and more. 

Hay has created some truly memorable characters, each with their own reasons to undertake the heist of all heists. Mrs. King is the driving force behind the group of six women, all looking for retribution. There are tangled threads of connections amongst them that I didn't see coming. 

Their plan is audacious and bold and the reader can't help but behind them. The details of the 'how' are wonderfully imagined. 

From the author's notes - "And the thrill and joy of writing this novel was to imagine what might have happened if some of the women working below stairs had decided to claim some of that privilege for themselves."

What a inventive, ingenious, captivating read The Housekeepers was! Definitely in my top five for the year. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Housekeepers. 

I received a review copy of this title from the publisher. This in no way influences my opinions. 

The Perfect Girlfriend - Karen Hamilton

My reading kind of dropped off over the holidays. The TBR pile is teetering, but I've seen so many teasers about Karen Hamilton's debut novel, The Perfect Girlfriend, that I decided to jump it to the front of the queue. And I pretty much finished it in a day.....

Let me introduce you to Juliette....

"Waiting. That's what I do, a lot of waiting. And thinking...." She's thinking (obsessively) about her ex boyfriend Nate.

"I hope he appreciates the lengths I've gone to, just to save us - everything will fall into place." What has she done? Taken a job that puts her into Nate's world. And Nate is not the only one in her sights. "Revenge is a dish best served cold, and mine is going to be frozen."

Oh my gosh, Juliette's thinking is so...so...off. She has a long term plan that will get her what she wants and in her eyes, what she deserves. And the path she maps to that end is frightening. Just when I thought Juliette couldn't possibly do any else, she does. I applaud Hamilton's plotting. I adore not being able to predict where a story is going to go. And with Juliette, there was no predicting. What a character! There were also two twists that I didn't anticipate and that I thought were quite clever.

I leave you with one last piece of advice from Juliette...

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, make them."

Karen herself worked for many years as a flight attendant and her descriptions and settings reflect that. I'm hoping Juliette isn't drawn from reality! Psychological suspense fans, put this one on your list for sure! Read an excerpt of The Perfect Girlfriend.

Something Like Happy - Eva Woods

I was really intrigued by the inspiration for Eva Woods' new novel  Something Like Happy. I hadn't heard about the #100happydays challenge before this. (You can find out more at the website and on Twitter.)

In Something Like Happy, we meet Annie - who is definitely not happy. Her mother is ill, she hates her job, lives in a grubby flat, her marriage has broken up and there's a tragedy in her past that has crippled her moving forward. A chance meeting with Polly, a woman who is dying, changes her life. Polly has been given three months to live - and she has decided to not to waste a single day or opportunity - and to touch and involve as many people as she can in feeling happy. Every day for 100 days.

"I don't want to just...go through the motions of dying. I want to really try and change things. I have to make some kind of mark, you see, before I disappear forever. I want to show it's possible to be happy and enjoy life even if things seem awful."

It's impossible not to like Polly as her enthusiasm is infectious. On the flip side, it's very hard to celebrate each day as she does, knowing that she literally has one hundred days left. Doubly hard if you know someone who is terminally ill. But the message at the heart of the book is important. We truly do need to find something or someone to enjoy every day - whatever that may be. Happy is different for everyone.

Annie was a great foil for Polly. When we meet her, she is grumpy, depressed and simply existing. And although the reader is pretty sure how things will progress, her 'transformation' is still a pleasure to follow. I enjoyed the supporting cast, especially Costas, Annie's lodger. Dr. McGrumpy is a close second. He's also the romantic lead in Something Like Happy.

Woods takes some literary license with some of her plotting. Many scenes and developments take place in the hospital. And in 'real life' many of them just wouldn't happen. (Such as sharing other patient's diagnosis with volunteers) As with the romance, these plotlines have the feel of a chick lit read.

Something Like Happy is a double edged read. On one hand it's a feel-good, inspirational read. On the other, it is tinged with sadness and will have the reader perhaps recalling loss in their own lives. But, I think the takeaway will be inspirational as well. Even if you don't formally participate in the challenge, the idea of finding something to be happy for every day is a worthwhile goal.

"The thing about happiness, Annie - sometimes it's in the contrasts. Hot bath on a cold day. Cool drink in the sun. That feeling when your car almost skids on the ice for a second and you're fine - it's hard to appreciate things unless you know what it's like without them." Read an excerpt of Something Like Happy.

"Eva Woods was inspired to write SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY after surviving her own brush with cancer and the breakdown of her marriage. Woods lives in London, where she teaches creative writing and regularly contributes to Marie Claire UK, xoJane, and other publications."You can connect with Eva Woods on her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

(And on a final note - "At the moment, the challenge has been taken by more than 8 000 000 people from 160 countries and territories around the world...")