The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Penguin (27 Sept. 2012)
ISBN-10: 0718157842
ISBN-13: 978-0718157845Cover:I like how simple but still relevant this cover it.

The Girl You Left Behind is a hauntingly romantic and utterly irresistible new weepy from Jojo Moyes, author of the Richard and Judy bestseller, Me Before You.


What happened to the girl you left behind?
France, 1916. Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. When she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes riven by fierce tensions. And from the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by Edouard - a dangerous obsession is born, which will lead Sophie to make a dark and terrible decision.
Almost a century later, and Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before he died. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and its troubled history. A history that is about to resurface and turn Liv's life upside down all over again . . .
In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for what they love most - whatever the cost.


If you can't wait for The Girl You Left Behind treat yourself to the prequel, Honeymoon in Paris, Jojo Moyes' irresistible ebook-only novella out now.

Going into this I was both scared and excited because I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes last year, and it quickly became my favourite book of all time.  So I was excited to experience Jojo Moyes writing again, but also nervous because in the back of my mind I knew I would be comparing it to Me Before You, and how could anything meet the expectations.
But I really enjoyed this.
I love Jojo Moyes writing.  It's just effortless, and she really makes you fall in love with her characters.
I loved this novel.  Did I enjoy it as much as Me Before You? No.  But then I wasn't truly expecting it to.  But I did love it for it's own merit.  And I really enjoyed the duel timeline.
Definitely recommend picking this one up.
5/5 stars.

An Ounce of Hope (Pound of Flesh #2) by Sophie Jackson

Paperback: 384 pages

• Publisher: Headline Eternal (5 Jan. 2016)
• ISBN-10: 1472224663
• ISBN-13: 978-1472224668

From the fanfic phenom whose debut A Pound of Flesh had over 4.5 million reads, this sequel, An Ounce of Hope, tells the passionate love story of Carter’s best friend, Max.

Max O’Hare can’t seem to let go of his past: his drug habit, the end of his relationship with Lizzie Jordan, the woman he knows he’ll never get over, and the loss of their unborn son.

After successfully completing rehab and learning to explore his deepest fears and dreams through painting, Max meets Grace Brooks. With her innate optimism, and her love of art and photography, Grace appears to be the perfect girl. Yet no one knows where she came from, or why she keeps her past so closely guarded. Over time, Max and Grace gradually allow each other in—but will he ever be able to fully let go of his past? Or will his heart remain closed forever?

Cover:  Another sexy cover.  I like that these covers are not, without being overly revealing.

I read A Pound of Flesh last year, and absolutely loved it.  
So I was really excited for the sequel.
And I did enjoy it, but I don't know if my expectations were too high, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book.
It follows different characters.  The male protagonist,Max, we met in A Pound of Flesh, and the female protagonist, Grace, is new.
I just didn't feel any chemistry between them.  As friends maybe, but I didn't feel the sexual attraction that was supposedly there.
I liked both characters back story.  I love Sophie Jackson writes people- we really get to know and understand them.  And she's an author that shows us things, not just telling us.  Her characters definitely have depth.
I still really enjoyed this book, and would definitely still recommend picking it up.
I look forward to more books in this series.
3.5/5 stars.

Read from January 18 to 24, 2016