Keren David

Not bad Barrington Stoke reader. Esther takes up an ex-pupil, now billionaires' offer to go without her mobile phone for 6 weeks in order to win 1,000 pounds. She is hoping to use the money to buy a ticket to New York to see her Dad and her Sister. On the journey without technology, she makes new friends, discovers her best friend is cheating and also starts to wonder why someone who has made all their money from selling mobile phones would want you to do without?

Very topical. Raises questions about the over-use of technology and cyber-bullying and the fear of missing out ( exclusion from parties because you don't get the on-line invite).… (more)

This was one of my most anticipated 2018 releases, and I'm sad to say that I was a little disappointed in it. Told in two narratives, one from 1904 and one from 1994, it felt like these were two completely different books smashed into one... and only one of the stories was actually interesting.

I enjoyed Emmy and Tom's story and probably would have given this a 5/5 if the book had revolved solely around them and their moment in time. But it didn't, and the parts that belonged to Megan (and 1994) dragged this story to a not-quite-3-star feeling, if I'm honest. I just couldn't get invested in Megan's story since all she did was think about how in love she was with her ex, how she had an abortion, and how cute she thought this new guy was. It was boring, she didn't add anything to the story, and the connection between the two stories was poorly thrown together (hint: it's just connected because she's Emmy's granddaughter).

Again, you could probably skip the Megan chapters and actually enjoy this book... and wouldn't miss any important plot points.… (more)