Ok, so I missed out on being part of the blog tour (life, eh?) – and my confident “I’ll read and review in mid-April” didn’t quite work out either. But I’ve been really looking forward to trying one of Sue Shepherd’s books, and I’m delighted today to be sharing my review of Can’t Get You Out of My Head, published on 26th March by Corazon Books.
A moving and funny story about sisters, secrets and second chances.
Twin sisters Beth and Lisa do everything together, so what will happen now they both want a life of their own?
Beth has a secret she’s kept from everyone except her sister. But it’s time to get on with her life. Could a seductive Italian, a smooth-talking charmer or backpacking around Australia be the answer?
Lisa feels she’s always lived in her sister’s shadow. Maybe now it’s her turn for some fun, whatever the consequences. But will her drunken antics land Beth in trouble?
And when it comes to the crunch, will one sister have to give up what she wants so the other can have what she needs?
Another entertaining page-turner from the No.1 bestselling author of Doesn’t Everyone Have a Secret? – where things, and people, are not always as they first appear!
I’d deliberately avoided reading any of the reviews of this one, so the story came as a real surprise to me, and wasn’t what I’d expected at all – but I’ve never had a problem suspending disbelief, and I found the premise of the story highly original, so well executed and… well, just fascinating!
This is the story of twin sisters – Beth is the cautious one, Lisa the brave and reckless one – their relationship, their day-to-day lives and their adventures, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess many of us are fascinated by the relationship between twins – particularly when their characters are so very different, and the author captures and demonstrates their relationship quite wonderfully. Beth’s a little bit of a doormat really, but her life experience has rather made her that way – such sadness, and so very well handled as a young and naive girl makes all the mistakes they often do, but perhaps without such far-reaching consequences. Mistakes and errors of judgement follow thick and fast – and mouthy Lisa is always there to let her know what she thinks about Beth’s choices. I loved the exchanges between them – I loved their whole relationship really – and the author has a wonderful gift for sparky dialogue and observation that often makes you laugh out loud.
But it’s not comedy all the way – significant issues dog their path through life, real and sometimes disturbing, and the balance is well maintained. It’s not all about the twins either – there are other relationships too, partners, friends and family, and so well drawn. I particularly loved their Nanna – what a wonderful character – and the exceptional warmth of her relationship with the twins. (And Charlie – but who wouldn’t?)
The development of the story is so clever – this is a book that’s stayed with me for days after reading – and its ending is unexpected, heartbreaking and joyful, and totally inspired. I really should mention that the book was rather longer than I was expecting – be prepared! – but the pages really did turn very easily, the writing is excellent, and I really did thoroughly enjoy it. Go on – give it a try…
(I must mention that I’ve noticed a cruel and nasty review of this book on Amazon that gives away the whole premise of this story – what is it with people? Please do as I did, and don’t read any other reviews before choosing to read it – you won’t be disappointed…)
About the author
Sue Shepherd was born in Harrow and spend several years living in Hertfordshire, before taking a leap of faith across The Solent to the picturesque Isle of Wight. Sue lives with her husband, two sons and their dog, a standard poodle named Forrest.
Sue’s passions in life are: her family, writing, the sea-side and all the beautiful purple things her sons have bought her over the years.
Happiest when hunched over her laptop with a cup of tea on the go, Sue loves to create stories with plenty of heart and laughter. She makes sure her books include a bit of naughtiness and plenty of twists too.
Since her debut novel, Doesn’t Everyone Have a Secret? reached the top ten UK Kindle chart in 2015, Sue has written two further novels, Love Them and Leave Them and Can’t Get You Out of My Head.
Ask Sue to plan too far in advance and you’ll give her the heebie-jeebies and she’d prefer you not to mention Christmas until at least November!
You can catch up with Sue Shepherd in any of the following ways:
Love the sound of this one.