Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro

Stan is 13 and struggling at a new school when he meets Charlie. Complete opposites, they click and become good friends despite their differences. Stan is struggling with bullies whereas Charlie knows exactly how to stand up for himself and helps to show Stan how to gain confidence. Both know what it means to be...

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd @tinderpress @suemonkkidd

The Secret Life of Bees begins in the summer of 1964 with Lily, 14, and her dad T.Ray in South Carolina. Her mum had died when Lily was a very young child and ever since Lily has had a troublesome childhood. She never felt like she belonged anywhere, and her dad seemed particularly cruel and...

Look At Me by Sarah Duguid

Lizzy is an aspiring actress in her thirties still living with her dad. She finds out she has a half sister she never knew and stubbornly contacts her and arranges to meet up. Eunice seems completely the opposite with a husband, flat and a steady job. It's clear when they first meet that they are...

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

Harry Cane marries Winnie after his brother Jack introduces them. It seems more of a convenience relationship than romance but they soon have a daughter together and settle down. Harry would not have been Winnie's first choice of husband, but they are good friends and it seems to work. It isn't too surprising when Harry...

If I knew you were going to be this beautiful, I never would have let you go by Judy Chicurel

If I knew you were going to be this beautiful I never would have let you go is set in a "fictionalised Long Island" in 1972. It follow the lives of working class teenagers dealing with the pressures of growing up and the consequences of the Vietnam war. The title sounds so romantic, but this...

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Reviewed January 2014: The Invention of Wings follows two girls from the deep south in the 19th century; Sarah and her slave Hetty. The book tracks their journey through adolescence and into adulthood exploring the challenges and emotions of the two both together and separately. Initially it felt like a story I already knew and...