The Real Katie Lavender - Erica James (2011)

A trip to a solicitor's office a year after her mother's death reveals that Katie's late dad was not actually her biological father. Instead her mother had an affair with her boss, Stirling Nightingale, who has set up a trust fund for the child he has never seen. With no pressure for Katie to make contact with him, she decides she is curious enough to just observe him from a distance. But when she arrives at his property in Henley-on-Thames, somehow she is swept into waitressing at the 90th birthday party for his mother Cecily. Soon Katie finds that she can't just remain as an observer. But with a tragedy and its aftershocks rocking the Nightingales, not all are happy to welcome the latest addition into the family. This is an intriguing story about a girl trying to find her place in a family she never knew she had - and a family trying to deal with secrets it never knew it had.

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The Real Thing - Catherine Alliott (1996)

Tessa is heading off on the annual family holiday to the Scottish Highlands. And she discovers that this year, Patrick - the artist she fell for when she was a teenager - is back from Italy. Back then her vicar father had forbidden her from seeing Patrick and she had gone on to marry David and have two kids. But she has never forgotten Patrick. When David returns to London early for work and Tessa has an accident and is forced to rest up at Patrick's mother's home, it seems the star-crossed lovers may well be brought back together again. As Tessa faces up to whether she's with the right man, she veers from one crazy predicament to the next, with lots of shock announcements along the way.

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The Return of Jonah Gray - Heather Cochran (2007)

The detail-oriented Sasha finds her job as a senior auditor at the Internal Revenue Service interferes with her social life. When she starts getting weird phone calls - all referring to one of her upcoming audits, journalist Jonah Gray - she begins to investigate this mysterious man. Sasha's family issues also figure prominently, including her father's struggle with cancer. The author deals impressively with the friendship between Jonah and Sasha, and how their relationship goes beyond just mere phone conversations, and how Jonah's articles become the source of comfort for Sasha as she seeks to resolve her relationship with her father in the face of his past infidelity. (XT)

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The Right Time - Dianne Blacklock (2010)

The four Beckett sisters are at crossroads. Ellen, the eldest, has finally ended her loveless marriage to Tim; Liz needs to decide whether to stay committed to her affair with a fellow doctor; Emma wants to get married and be taken seriously by her family; and baby Evie is trying to understand the man she married and her place in the world. Then there is younger brother, Eddie, who keeps all of his girlfriends a secret from his overbearing sisters and pursues extreme sports in his spare time. The sisters are different and unique in their own way but united when it comes to each other and their parents. But none of them can reconcile their parents' decision to sell the family home. The characters are real, warm and embracing. The story lacks a certain momentum and there are few surprises but it's a feel-good read that makes us all wish we had sisters. (LF)

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The Rise and Fall of a Domestic Diva - Sarah May (2008)

The mothers of Prendergast Road, in south London, are waiting desperately to find out if their four-year-olds have won a coveted place at St Anthony's. When Kate gets the letter saying her son Findlay hasn't been accepted, despite them attending church nearly every Sunday, she tells everyone that he is in, in the hope that she can instead buy a house within the catchment area. All the other children have got a place - or have they? So preoccupied are these parents that they often forget to pick up their children from activities and leave babies screaming in their car seats. Nor do they take much notice of weird goings-on on the street, from Lithuanian prostitutes pleading for help, to one of their own scoring from the local drug dealer or their husbands' obsessions with the neighbours. Promoted as a "black-hearted soap opera", this book has a lot of drama going on but it finishes without a conclusive or satisfactory ending.

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The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy - Polly Williams (2006)

Six months after the birth of her daughter Evie, Amy Crane is still schlupping around in maternity clothes. Then she meets Alice, who introduces her to the yummy mummy brigade. Following her new friend's advice, Amy is caught up in a whirlwind of designer shoes, Botox injections and yoga classes. These new interests, including yummy yoga instructor Josh, put further pressure on her relationship with boyfriend Joe, who she suspects cheated on her during her pregnancy.

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The Rise and Fall of the Wonder Girls - Sarah May (2009)

This black comedy opens with a group of school friends heading off to pick fruit. The girls - Vicky, Saskia, Ruth and head girl Grace - all attend Burwood Girls' school, in an affluent town known as a good place to live, with its low teen pregnancy rates and high life expectancy. Soon all four girls realise they are pregnant and the media descends on the town, wondering if they are part of a cult or all impregnated by the same man. This was an unexpectedly good book, even though I had trouble remembering which character was which. The mixed-bag of parents add some more interest, including Vicky's social climbing mother Sylvia; Ruth's mother Rachel who is desperate to have another baby; and Saskia's drunken, cocaine-addicted father Richard. It recalls the real life story of an American media storm over a pregnancy pact at a Massachusetts high school where 17 girls fell pregnant at the same time.

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The Romancipation of Maggie Hunter - Jane Sigaloff (2007)

Maggie Hunter found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her immediately before he died in an accident. Fast forward a few years and Maggie is dating the perfect boyfriend, Max French. Max asks Maggie to move in with him and she is hesitant to give up her freedom. Meanwhile, Maggie's best friend, Eloise, is dating commitment-phobic Jake. Both friends are confused about their current relationships and can't help but notice how perfect their best friend's boyfriends are. Could they possibly exchange boyfriends? The author wrote a cute story but it could have been 100 pages less. (AO)

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The Runaway Wife - Susy McPhee (2009)

Marion Bishop hasn't really been living since her nine-year-old daughter Hope died in a hit-and-run accident. Now her doctor husband Sam says he can't live with her anymore and leaves her alone with only their big mutt Hector for company. So Marion plans to end it all by overdosing. Heading out to the pharmacy to buy more pills, she is mugged by a youth with a knife. Suddenly Marion finds she is still willing to fight back. This book is best enjoyed when you don't know much more about the plot than that. It's well worth a spot on your reading list, with its raw depiction of a mother's grief sensitively mixed with more light-hearted moments.

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The School for Husbands - Wendy Holden (2006)

Magazine sub-editor Sophie leaves her husband Mark after he forgets her birthday then doesn't come home after a work do. With Sophie thinking he's having an affair, Mark enrols in the School for Husbands, which helps teach hopeless spouses how to mend their ways. But has he left it too late - Sophie's former boyfriend who is in need of a wife is on the prowl.

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The Second Assistant - Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare (2004)

Lizzie Miller gets a job as a second assistant at talent management company The Agency. Her first task is sorting out the white thumbtacks, her boss Scott is a drug-taking wonderkid, her supposed mentor Victoria just plies her with errands and scripts, while the first assistant Lara is busy writing a novel. Then Lizzie immediately breaks one of the first rules - not getting involved with anyone from the industry when she meets hot-shot producer Jake after a not-so hot-shot with a hockey puck.

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The Second Husband - Louise Candlish (2008)

When Kate Easton's ex-husband reduces his financial support, she divides her flat to allow a tenant to move in. And Davis Calder, a tutor, seems the ideal neighbour - he's charming, quiet and he even helps her 17-year-old daughter Roxy with her French lessons. Kate is so swept up by him that when Davis proposes, she accepts. But after their wedding, she finds a diary which reveals it's not her that he loves. Unfortunately the cover line of 'There are some things a mother and daughter should never share' gives away what should have been a powerful twist.

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The Second Wives Club - Jane Moore (2006)

When Alison's wedding is gatecrashed by her groom's ex-wive, she is introduced to the Second Wives Club, where they get together to vent about what happens when you marry someone else's husband. The other members include Susan who is living in the shadow of a dead wife, Fiona, who is battling with a teenage stepson, and Julia, the trophy wife of a merchant banker who remains too close to his former wife.

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The Secret Desires of a Soccer Mom - Robyn Harding (2006)

Also known as Secrets and Wives

Paige Atwell is a bit dissatisfied with her lot - a busy husband, an increasingly hostile daughter and a son obsessed with bodily functions. As Paige tries to spice up her marriage, Aberdeen Mists is rocked by the death of her neighbour Karen, who is found in a pool of blood in her garage. With everyone else assuming it was an accident, Paige suspects foul play, as Karen had just revealed to her that she was having an affair with a Latin lover. Using sleuthing tactics from her favourite TV crime shows, Paige attempts to uncover the truth.

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The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella (2000)

Also known as Confessions of a Shopaholic

As a financial journalist for Successful Saving magazine, Rebecca Bloomwood spends her working life telling people how to manage their money. In her private life she is a shopaholic who is unable to face her mounting debts. She dreams of lottery wins, marriage to rich heirs and a range of harebrained schemes to save her from financial disaster. But has she met her dream man in Luke Brandon, head of a financial PR company, who is more than willing to lend her £20 to buy her ailing aunt a present.

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The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton - Catherine Alliott (2009)

Evie certainly has a comfortable life with her Oxford university don husband Ant and 14-year-old daughter Anna. While her brother Tim and his gung-ho wife Caro have taken over the struggling family farm, she isn't really doing much with her life. Then a letter arrives, with information that will shake up her small family. It's all an enjoyable read as Evie careens from one mishap to another - from car prangs and wedding punch-ups to underwear flashing and gropes in the stables - but the story also has heart and soul. And the best bit, it wasn't predictable at all.

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The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy - Fiona Neill (2007)

For former TV news producer Lucy Sweeney, being a mother to her three sons is not easy - it has been years since her washing pile was less than a metre high, months since she had sex with her architect husband and only a week since she did the school run in pyjamas. She also has to contend with the attentions of Sexy Domesticated Dad and the criticisms of Alpha Mum as she tries to uncover her inner domestic goddess.

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The Secret Lives of Dresses - Erin McKean (2011)

Dora Winston's life has been anything but going places ever since she packed up, left her grandmother's and headed to college. Now she's stuck in a dead-end coffee shop job, with a boss she is head over heels with but he doesn't notice her. When her grandmother Mimi falls ill, Dora rushes home to North Carolina. It is here that Dora realises that she had lost her passion for fashion, especially vintage clothing. When Dora takes over her grandmother's vintage clothing shop, she soon rediscovers herself as she finishes a project Mimi liked to do with the clothes - "The Secret Lives of Dresses - each item of clothing with a story to tell". The story sees Dora finding out about her past, her calling and more importantly her future with the hunky builder Con. (PP)

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The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives - Sarah Strohmeyer (2005)

Foreign correspondent Claire Stark moves into the privileged neighbourhood of Hunting Hills when she marries eligible bachelor John Harding. Wives here live by 10 rules, including be busy even if you aren't and remember that the more you buy, the more your husband values you. But perhaps the women of the neighbourhood need another rule - don't trust one another. Marti Denton, who only communicates with her husband Denton by post-it notes, has had her eye on John and desperately wants to break up the new marriage. Meanwhile Marti's best friend, Lisa, who downs amphetamines to keep up the pace, has been having an affair.

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The Secret Lives of Husbands - Kirsty Crawford (2007)

Nurse Ruth Blackiston gets engaged to Ned Haskell after only three months - and without even meeting his parents. Now she has to deal with her mother-in-law Jackie's erratic moods and fit in with his close-knit group of friends. When she discovers Ned's old diaries, she realises her future with her husband won't be happily ever after unless she can untangle themselves from his past.

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The Secret of Happy Ever After - Lucy Dillon (2011)

Anna is newly married to Phil who has three children, who have not made the transition easy for Anna. She is finding it hard to gain the girls' trust and get them to like her. She also wants to have a baby with Phil so she can have something that is truly hers that is not tainted by Phil's ex-wife and his children. But unfortunately for her, Phil is already past the point of wanting to deal with nappies and screaming babies. So in an effort to get away from the house of chaos, she takes on a job for her best friend, Michelle. The Longhampton bookshop Anna will be running is her dream come true as she loves to get lost in stories. Michelle, newly separated from her husband, has thrown all her energy into her two new shops, and is also struggling to keep things from her past a secret. This is a great read about blending families and friendships that will last a lifetime. (CG)

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The Secret of Joy - Melissa Senate (2009)

Rebecca Strand has been living a nice life. She has a boyfriend, even though they have become emotional distant recently, a loving father, and a steady job. However, this carefully constructed life is quickly blown to pieces when her father is diagnosed with cancer. In a matter of weeks he is gone, leaving Rebecca an orphan with no siblings to fall back on, or so she thought. In a fleeting moment before his death her father leaves her with the information that she has a half sister, the result of a vacation fling. Rebecca travels to Wiscasset, Maine, to meet this sister she never knew. But her sister, Joy Jayhawk, is less than welcoming. Rebecca attempts to connect with her sister, whose emotionally frigid marriage is already on the fritz. This is a great novel which explores the depths of sisterhood and what one woman will do to connect with the sister she never knew. (SN)

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The Secrets of Married Women - Carol Mason (2007)

Jill can handle not having children. What she can't handle is how her husband Rob has withdrawn from her when he finds out it's his sperm count that's the problem. With one friend confessing to a passionate affair and another living the perfect marriage with the perfect guy, Jill feels like she's missing out. Then she meets a gorgeous lifeguard who's had his eye on her for a while. Will Jill let her fantasies become reality or discover the secrets her best friends are keeping? A tale of infertility and infidelity, with some clever twists to keep you turning the pages.

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The Secret Shopper Affair - Kate Harrison (2011)

The Secret Shopper girls are back and this time it seems Emily, Sandie and Grazia are ready for new opportunities. Emily really wants a baby but her partner, Will, is on a mission to make their business environmentally friendly. When Emily enters a women's Go Globally Green contest, she finds herself up against Will's ex-fiancee Abby. Sandie and Toby are about to have a new addition to their family and should be excited about the future. But their house renovations take longer than expected and they discover Garnett's department store - Toby's family business - is losing money. Grazia is about to jetset around the world with a guy she's just met. But what will happen when he wants to introduce her to his children? For Emily, Sandie and Grazia, it's time to forge a new future but will they choose the right path or blow it? Find out in this enjoyable third book in the series which skilfully adds more depth to each character. (PP)

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The Secret Shopper's Revenge - Kate Harrison (2008)

Frumpy new mum Emily is used to being patronised or ignored in stores - and her confidence takes another hit when her husband abandons her. Ultra-organised Sandie has a passion for retail and is shattered when she loses her store manager job. The two women are recruited to the Charlie's Shopping Angels team by glamorous widow Grazia, whose artist husband left her financially bereft. Armed with hidden cameras in their handbags, the women work undercover as mystery shoppers exposing bad service, overpushy staff, uninspiring displays and other retail crimes. And in the meantime, they become close friends and help each other deal with their own personal crises. Expect a sequel.

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The Secret Shopper Unwrapped - Kate Harrison (2009)

We first met Emily, Sandie and Grazia in the first book The Secret Shopper's Revenge where they became Charlie's Shopping Angels. Now it's nearing Christmas and as usual all three women are suffering some sort of crisis. Newly married Emily is facing the prospect of her shop not taking off as she hoped; Sandie, who's dating an upper-class white boy and is pregnant with his child, gets an unwelcome blast from the past; while Grazia, after mourning the death of her husband Leon, has decided it's time to go out and play the field. However, there is still time for their secret shopping adventures. Emily and Freddie check out Santa grottos, and Grazia visits dermatologists and skin doctors. With Sandie becoming the boss of Shopping Angels, two new members join the team. Gramma (Sandra's grandma) puts burger joints to the taste-test while Kelly is their secret shoplifter-crime buster. Filled with laughs, tears and joy, this is an awesome read full of Christmas spirit. (PP)

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The Secrets We Keep - Colette Caddle (2009)

Erin runs The Gatehouse guesthouse in the village of Dunbarra. Many of her guests show signs of never wanting to leave - from PJ, who helps out in her market garden; and Hazel, the shy artist with a young daughter who never speaks; to gossipy American Sandra who has just broken up with her husband. In fact, it seems all the guests are hiding something. Then Erin's friend, restaurateur Marguerite, asks if her half-brother, Hollywood actor Sebastian Gray, can stay. It seems he needs a retreat while he recovers from a breakdown. Despite dating a local farmer, Erin finds herself attracted to the moody actor. But will he trust her enough to reveal what has happened to him? This is a slow-paced book but all the guests' secrets eventually come tumbling out. Most did take me by surprise but unfortunately by that stage I didn't really care what happened to the characters.

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The Self-Preservation Society - Kate Harrison (2007)

Jo Morgan is a self-confessed scaredy-cat who as a schoolgirl used to stockpile canned food in case of a nuclear holocaust. Now she works for a council's accident prevention department, trying to protect the population from food poisoning, DIY mishaps and killer tea cosies. Fortunately her boyfriend Dennis shares her ultra-safe outlook on life. But when Jo emerges from a coma after a hit-and-run accident, she realises this scaredy-cat may have used up most of her nine lives and needs to live life differently. But first she needs to unlearn a lifetime of fears. With the help of fellow headcase patient, former World War II fighter pilot 'Frisky', and his grandson Luke, Jo tries to embrace spontaneity. She also has to work out why she's having flashbacks when she sniffs a smell from her past.

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The Seven Year Bitch - Jennifer Belle (2010)

According to Joy, Izzy's newly separated best friend, being married for seven years turns you into a nagging bitch. Izzy, who has just reached that milestone, has a one-year-old son Duncan and is feeling resentful that her husband Russell, a book publisher, doesn't contribute more. She's recently been laid off as a hedge fund manager but still goes ahead and appoints a nanny, Shasthi from Guyana. She later becomes caught up with helping her nanny fall pregnant in between judging competition essays. Your interest in and sympathies for Izzy may wax and wane throughout the story. Written like a series of vignettes, I loved the seven-year concept and the insight into lasting less-than-perfect relationships but I just didn't like Izzy at all.

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The Seven Year Itch - Kate Morris (2009)

Ellie has been married to Jack for seven years but she's starting to resent him. Jack is quite self-centred and now that his long-running soapie character on Country Matters has been killed off, he's desperate for a new role - even auditioning for voice-overs for dog food. Ellie throws herself into opening a cafe with friend Tilda, while au pair Petra helps look after the kids, Jed and Maud. Can Ellie and Jack make it past a familiar bump in the road to long-term marital bliss? Well, it certainly doesn't help when the irresistible Mark moves in across the road. Keep reading for the ending that veers off unexpectedly.

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The Shelly Beach Writers' Group - June Loves (2011)

Gina's husband, Kenneth, has taken off with his PA and left her in debt. So she accepts a house/dog-sitting post at Shelly Beach, looking after Adrian's cottage while he visits his sick daughter in Britain. But as Gina settles into her seachange, she discovers Adrian intends for her to look after much more than just the house and dog. Like the local writers' group - even though as a failed writer she really doesn't want to get involved. Like renovating his cafe, babysitting the bossy child next door, attending community meetings. With its wry humour and larger-than-life locals, both human and animal, the story follows Gina's journey as she finds a new place for herself in the world.

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The Shoe Princess's Guide to the Galaxy - Emma Bowd (2009)

Self-confessed shoe lover Jane Meadows has traded in her client relations job at an insurance company for full-time motherhood. With husband Tim mostly working away in Bangladore, she is craving some support and adult company. So Jane joins a new mothers' group with daughter Millie and keeps track of shoe and celebrity gossip through blogs. She also begins to step towards her dream business by learning the finer points of shoe craftsmanship from Italian shoe designer Marco, who is dating her best friend Fi. This book is really lightweight chick lit. But at least the coverline 'Life, love and shoes. But mostly shoes' warns you upfront. Those Shoe Princesses among you will probably love all the shoe references.

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The Single Girl's To-Do List - Lindsey Kelk (2011)

Somebody else would have described her as just being organised (full stop) but Rachel Summers is more than just that. A self-proclaimed listomanic, she's always ticking off her daily lists of to-dos, making sure everything is under control. For now, the one at the top of her list is to get her boyfriend back, after he initiates a temporary time-out from their relationship, and Rachel needs more than just a sexy outfit to get it done. She turns up at Simon's "casual Friday" hangout, waiting for her opportunity to talk to him so everything will fall into place - at least that's what Rachel thought. But when he dumps her on the streets with the oh-so cliche "I love you but you're not the one", she is left devastated, humiliated and for the first time in 16 years, single. Her two best friends step in to get Rachel's life back on track. Writing her a single girl's to-do list, they come up with 10 things she has to complete before her dad's wedding. Stepping outside her comfort zone, and attempting things she's never ever imagined herself doing, Rachel starts on a whole new journey filled with adventure, fun and the unexpected. You will not only fall in love with the heroine, with her over-the-top obsession with lists, but also with her gay best friend, Matthew (my favourite character with his exaggerated actions and honesty), and best girlfriend Emelie. Hilarious and cleverly written, this novel is one to definitely add to your to-read list. (XT)

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The Sister Circle - Nancy Moser and Vonette Bright (2002)

Evelyn Peerbaugh's husband, Aaron, has recently passed away and she has discovered that he has left her with only $10,000 to survive on. At 56 years of age, Evelyn has never had a job and wouldn't know where to start. But fearful of losing the home which has been in her husband's family for generations, she is inspired to turn the three extra bedrooms into a boarding house. So Evelyn, unsure on how to attract customers, nails a sign on her porch and leaves it up to God's will. Within five hours of having her sign up, all three rooms are filled. There's Mae, a free-spirited divorcee and a barrel of laughs, academic Tessie who is very religious, and single mother Audra with her five-year-old daughter Summer. Over the course of the novel, the women discover the true meaning of sisterhood as they get up to mischief, have heated arguments, and share their stories of how they ended up where they are today. The Sister Circle, the first in the series, is a book that will have you feeling a variety of emotions as we experience the loss of family and the gaining of new ones even though they may not be blood-related. (PP)

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The Sister Diaries - Karen Quinn (2009)

Laura has put her life on hold for the past six years to care for her ailing mother Sunny. So she is shocked to discover at the will reading that just about everything has been left to her middle sister, Serena. That's the sister who already lives a luxurious lifestyle thanks to her wealthy husband. The oldest sister, Amanda, is also annoyed at being left out of the inheritance. The high-flying realtor has been a casualty of disgraced financier Bernie Madoff and was counting on the money to get her out of trouble with a loan shark. Serena believes her mother left the spoils to her because their wealth stemmed from a painting given to her by artist Daniel Lassiter - and she believes Daniel was her real father. But for Laura and Amanda, they already believe they have given Serena enough. Amanda has financially supported the family, particularly when Serena had leukaemia. Laura even donated bone marrow and the eggs for Serena's two children. So the sisters embark on a mission to find out why their mother changed her will from her policy of "equal treatment". With poignant quotes about sisters at the start of each chapter, this is a multi-layered story that will keep you guessing. And it wouldn't be a Karen Quinn book without some hilarious episodes about the things rich, overly ambitious people do to their kids.

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The Sisterhood - Emily Barr (2008)

Twenty-year-old Helen has always felt like something was missing in her life. She lives a pampered life in a French chateau but has a distant relationship with her parents. So when she discovers that her mother had abandoned another baby years before, she starts looking for her sister. She finds Elizabeth in England through the internet and so leaves France for the first time in her life to meet her. But she doesn't tell Liz who she is - instead she ingratiates herself into Liz's life with the plan to take her back home to reunite her with her long-lost mother. Liz, whose boyfriend has just left her for someone else, eventually begins to have her suspicions about the clinging French woman. A real page-turner - there will be at least one or two twists that you won't have seen coming.

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The Sleeping Beauty Proposal - Sarah Strohmeyer (2007)

Genie Michaels is in for a shock when boyfriend Hugh proposes on national television - not to her but to a mystery woman. He then continues on his tour of England, promoting his bestselling novel, and asks Genie, a college admissions advisor, to let everyone know that she wasn't the woman he proposed to, instead that they've split up. Although best friend Patty tells Genie she can't be like Sleeping Beauty just waiting for her prince to come, she also advises her to pretend she's engaged - to reap the benefits of being a bride-to-be, such as registry gifts and parental approval. So with everyone thinking she's planning a wedding, Genie buys a (fake) diamond ring, which helps give her the confidence to move ahead with her life - with or without a man. Although Nick, a carpenter working on the house she wants to buy, would certainly make life that bit sweeter.

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The Smart One - Ellen Meister (2008)

Bev is one of three sisters - she's the Smart One; Clare, a married mother of two, is the Pretty One; and youngest sister Joey, a former one-hit wonder pop star who became a drug addict, is the Wild One. Bev, after several career missteps and a divorce, has just finished her degree and applied to become a teacher in Las Vegas. But first she has to help her parents' next-door-neighbours, the Waxmans, sell their Long Island home since both couples are sunning it up in Florida. The Waxmans' son, comedy writer Kenny, is also back in town but Bev is still not ready to forgive him for something that happened years ago. Then they find a body stuffed in an industrial drum at the house and as the sisters endeavour to uncover the truth, even more skeletons fall out of everyone's closets. This is a smart one about sibling rivalry and living with labels - with a murder mystery on the side.

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The Smart One and the Pretty One - Claire LaZebnik (2008)

This is a provocative but sometimes predictable tale of sibling rivalry. As its title suggests, older sister, Ava, has always been considered the "smart one", always accountable and responsible. She is now a high-powered, workaholic attorney in Los Angeles. Lauren has lived up to her role as the "pretty one", living much more frivolously and irresponsibly, maxing out her credit cards to ensure that she maintains her image by donning all the latest in designer couture and suitably working as a buyer for a fashion boutique in New York. Living separate lives on opposite coasts, the sisters are brought together once again after they receive an email from their father with bad news about their mother's health. Although devastating, Lauren finds this an opportune time more than anything else to move back home to LA to take care of her mother and escort her on hospital visits. Although her motives may seem purely benevolent at first, Ava quickly learns the real motivator behind Lauren's sudden dedication to family - she's just been evicted from her New York apartment and fired from her job. Determined to teach Lauren a lesson about life and responsibility, Ava draws up a contract for Lauren, forcing her to sign on the dotted line and thus sign away her credit card and spending habits for the rest of the year! When Lauren uncovers another contract - one that their mother and neighbour had drawn up back when Ava was eight years old, promising her hand in marriage to the boy-next door, Russell Markowitz, Lauren decides to surprise Ava with a night out to meet her own signed, sealed and delivered fate and introduces her to the groom-to-be. Learning to live within the confines of each of their contracts, these two sisters begin to break out of their accustomed roles and find out that there just may be a little smart and pretty in each of them. This novel didn't rise above the rest for me but it was a quick, entertaining read that brought a little joy to my day. (CH)

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The Solomon Sisters Wise Up - Melissa Senate (2003)

Sarah discovers she is pregnant to a guy she's only be dating a couple of months. Will he stay around long enough to meet his baby and will her pregnancy affect her chances of promotion to senior magazine editor? Her older sister Ally, who has been desperately trying to fall pregnant for five years, discovers that her husband has been having an affair. Meanwhile their half-sister Zoe is a successful dating guru who critiques people's dating skills but her own love life is going nowhere. With her former friend about to tie the knot with her father, Zoe heads to New York to head off her mother who is on the loose and out for revenge. The three Solomon sisters, who have never been that close, all end up living at their father's house and help each other deal with their personal crises.

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The Stag and Hen Weekend - Mike Gayle (2012)

Phil's finally going to marry his long-term girlfriend Helen, and all that stands in their way is the stag and hen dos. Phil wants a quiet stag do in his home town, yet his friends - eager to be let off the leash - want to let their hair down and go all out for a weekend in Amsterdam. His fiancee Helen's hen do couldn't be more different from the guys' event - she picks a luxury country hotel and spa for her friends. But both Phil and Helen encounter people on their weekends that dredge up their past and have the ability to stop them from living happily ever after. The book is split into half and written separately, leaving readers to choose whether they read the hen or stag section first. While this worked really well in that there are clues in each story that make sense when you read the second half, it also meant that the book didn't really properly end. Both stories ended a little ambiguously, and this was probably due to the fact that you could read either story first, and maybe it would have ruined it for the second section if you already knew how it ended. Putting the ending aside, it was a fun read, and it was great to be able to follow the stags on their stag do, which for a chick lit book we don't often get to do! (AB)

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The Starlet - Mary McNamara (2010)

When Juliette Greyson rescues starlet Mercy Talbot from jumping off a beautiful Italian fountain, much to the delight of the merciless paparazzi below, she should know that her long-awaited vacation will not go as planned. Juliette, head of public relations at the celebrity haven Pinnacle Hotel in LA (from the first book Oscar Season) knows Mercy has a drug problem and also knows that no matter where Mercy goes, drama is sure to follow. Knowing this, Juliette still decides to bring Mercy back to Cerreta, her private slice of Italian life, which she and her cousin Gabe inherited. When Mercy wakes up from her drugged stupor, she becomes somewhat attached to Juliette, but goes back to Siena where she is filming a movie - even though the lead actor Lloyd Watson is found dead under mysterious circumstances. After another near-death overdose, Mercy shows up at Cerreta once again, film crew in tow, wanting to relocate the movie from Siena to Cerreta where Mercy feels more at peace. But drama, drama and more drama ensues as Mercy's overbearing mother continues feeding her drugs; and LA's top rock star-turned-rehab guru shows up and starts pushing to buy Cerreta so he can expand his rehab business to Italy. All this while Juliette is still refusing to face up to her past. When part of her past follows her to Cerreta in the form on Michael O'Connor - the gorgeous movie star who Juliette almost had a fling with - she is forced to deal with her buried emotions and finally move on with her life. Fast paced and filled with lust, hidden agendas and cover-ups galore, this novel will keep you on your toes right until the explosive ending.

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The Starter Marriage - Kate Harrison (2005)

Tess Leonard is a perfectionist whose life is in a shambles. When husband Barney leaves her for his pregnant girlfriend, Tess joins the Divorce Survival Class - a boot camp for the broken-hearted. Will the course help Tess move on?

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The Starter Wife - Gigi Levangie (2005)

Gracie Pollock is dumped by her movie studio executive husband just before their 10th wedding anniversary ('I've been Cruised,' she says) and finds herself living the Hollywood nightmare of being a starter wife. As a social pariah, she and her three-year-old daughter, Jaden, move into a friend's beachside Malibu home where she befriends a different set of characters, including the hunky but homeless Sam who saves her from drowning and her ex-husband's boss.

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith (2012)

American teenager Hadley is reluctantly heading to London for her dad's wedding to a woman she's never met. But she misses her plane by just four minutes. Stuck at the New York airport until the next flight, she meets Oliver, a British boy who is studying at Yale. They bond on the flight over but will their paths ever cross again? A lovely story about chance encounters and instant connections, this also focuses on a teen's feelings about being let down by a parent. At just over 200 pages - and with the story set over 24 hours - this is the perfect quick read for when you've got a couple of hours to yourself. You might just fall in love with the book.

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The Stepmother - Carrie Adams (2007)

Bea has managed to keep her divorce amicable so Jimmy can maintain a good relationship with their three daughters. Then he announces that he's seeing someone - Tessa King - and it's serious. This news sends Bea into a freefall - to the outside world she's looking good but that's only because she's swapped binge eating for drinking. Tessa, meanwhile, has to win over the girls, particularly the oldest daughter Amber. Told from both women's viewpoints, this sequel is better than the original tale about Tessa as the godmother.

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The Stepmothers' Support Group - Sam Baker (2009)

Magazine journalist Eve fell in love with widower Ian after writing an article about his wife's battle with cancer. Now as their relationship gets more serious, she must try to fit in with family life that revolves around his three children in a house that still bears the marks (and gumboots) of his late wife. Her best friend Clare, a schoolteacher and single mum to teenager Louisa, suggests that Eve talk it over with her younger sister Lily, who is also dating someone with a child. Soon their informal Stepmothers' Support Group grows to include Melanie, an American fashion web entrepreneur who is preparing to meet her boyfriend's daughter for the first time, and Mandy, who is blending together a large family. As Eve struggles to get along with Ian's teenage daughter Hannah, Clare faces up to the unwelcome return of Louisa's father. Exposing lots of relationship pitfalls, this book (written by a real life stepmother) gives an honest, open take from the not-so-wicked stepmother's point of view - and is a refreshingly different slant on the usual mum lit.

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The Strip - J.J. Salem (2011)

Cam Lawford became a stud-for-hire after his football career ended with injury. Now known for his champion efforts in the bedroom, he is found shot dead in a Las Vegas hotel room - presumedly by someone he was intimate with. The story then jumps back six weeks, and introduces some of his clients. Billie Shelton (remember that self-destructive singer from Tan Lines?) is now a headliner for a casino, and is married to the creepy Randall, the plastic surgeon who reconstructed her. Kristin Fox, author of raunchy bestsellers, finds she needs some passion in her life, because her marriage to hotel executive Hart certainly isn't providing it. And therapist Jennifer - who sees both Kristin and Billie - tries Cam out after her journalist husband Patrick loses his lust for life. As Cam proves he's not just a gigolo but a good listener too, who wants him dead? This is a much stronger story than the first - a bit like those addictive gambling machines where you lose track of time - and can be read as a stand-alone. In one word, it's wicked.

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The Summer Hideaway - Susan Wiggs (2010)

Claire Turner, a private nurse, is running away from her past. As a child she witnessed a murder and she has been in witness protection ever since. George Bellamy is dying of brain cancer. Instead of spending his final days in treatment, George hires Claire to be his nurse. George hires Claire not for her medical skills, but because he believes she is the perfect woman for his lonely grandson, Ross, who is returning from a tour in Afghanistan. Claire has always managed to avoid becoming emotionally involved with her clients, however, she soon finds herself falling in love with the Bellamy family. George is also hoping to reconnect with his estranged brother Charles who he has not spoken to in 55 years. The novel flashes between the past and the woman who drove George and Charles apart and the modern day love story between Claire and Ross. This is a wonderful love story about a dying man who lost the love of his life years ago and how it impacted his outlook on true love. (AO)

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The Summer of Secrets - Martina Reilly (2007)

Hope has just been let go from yet another job and decides to go on holiday to Boston. But her plane has trouble taking off and crashes, killing most of the people on board. She awakes in hospital with her two best friends Adam and Julie by her side. They take her to a cottage in her Irish hometown of Dunport to recover - a place Hope was happy never to see again. She goes into therapy to help her get over post-traumatic shock disorder but her therapist suggests that she first needs to face up to her unsettling past first.

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The Summer Psychic - Jessica Adams (2007)

The book opens with a bang, with psychic Luke Gabriel gazing into a bucket of sea water and hearing a voice as he predicts a number of events destined to happen in 2006. It is a test to figure out which event each rambling refers to - and some of them will definitely stump international readers. (But that may be why Adams also wrote a version for the British market with Brighton journalist Katie Pickard and Australian psychic Jim Gabriel.) Coffs Harbour newspaper journalist Jo Delaney is sent to interview the English psychic and ends up with a shocking prediction of her own - he foresees that he's going to marry her by winter. Then Luke's other predictions start coming true - a scorching New Year's Day, Italy winning the World Cup, cyclones Monica and Larry hitting Queensland, and stingrays and blood in the water signalling the death of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin. Meanwhile, Jo is still coming to terms with the death of her depressed boyfriend Andrew in a car crash; has a crush on ageing rocker Gram Nixon (who Luke predicts will have a No. 1 hit) and is facing the possible closure of her newspaper Coffs and Coast Courier. Throw in hundreds of missing cats and a witches' coven and you start to wonder if the psychic will ever get it wrong. Adams' career as an astrologer no doubt helped make the psychic aspects of the book believable.

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The Summer We Read Gatsby - Danielle Ganek (2010)

Cassie and Peck, two half-sisters, spent a summer years ago at their Aunt Lydia's cottage in Southampton reading The Great Gatsby. After their aunt passes away, the two sisters reunite for the summer at the cottage they have inherited. Cassie is the down-to-earth, recently divorced sister and Peck is the dramatic party-loving socialite sister. Their aunt has left instructions for the two sisters to seek a thing of the utmost value from within the house. The sisters debate whether the treasure is a Jackson Pollock painting or a dust jacket first-edition of The Great Gatsby. The sisters also find time to reunite with men from their past. This is a well-written novel with eccentric fun-loving characters. (AO)

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The Sweet By and By - Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck (2009)

Jade Freedom Fitzgerald's life is for once looking up - she owns an antique shop called The Blue Umbrella, she has a good set of friends and she is about to get married to lawyer Max Benson. Jade wants a nice, quiet intimate wedding but her interfering mother-in-law is planning an extravagant event including expensive red-enveloped invitations. The story starts with Jade contemplating whether to send an invitation to her hippie mother, Beryl, who's still living like it's the 1960s. As the wedding nears, all Jade's secrets from her past start to surface, such as ex-fiances, her estranged father and her dysfunctional family. Armed with her two close friends whose dreams are to go on Oprah, her trusty one-eyed dog Roscoe and her quirky antique shop, can Jade move forward into married life without losing who she really is and will she fit in with her husband-to-be's socialite friends and family or will it just be too much for her to handle? This collaborative effort by country singer-songwriter Sara Evans and Christian author Rachel Hauck is an amazing read which tells a story about chasing dreams, travelling endless miles to get where you want to be and having the faith that no matter how much you focus on the future, you have to open and accept the past in order to move forward. (PP)

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The Sweetest Taboo - Carole Matthews (2003)

Sadie meets Hollywood producer Gil at the London Book Fair and he soon sends her a plane ticket so she can join him in LA. But once she gets there she realises he forgot to mention his wife Gina, who may have run off with a rock star but still spends a lot of her time messing up Gil's life. Through her work at a talent agency, Sadie gets to know wannabe actor Tavis, who she gets along with so well. It's just a shame he's gay. This has some great one-liners but no real surprises.

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The Ten Best Days of My Life - Adena Halpern (2008)

Alex Dorenfield dies after being hit by a MINI Cooper while walking her dog Peaches. Arriving at the pearly gates, she is soon reunited with her beloved grandparents and uncle; moves into her dream home with a wardrobe full of designer clothes; and falls for her cute next-door neighbour Adam. But her guardian angel reveals there is a catch - in order to stay in seventh heaven (the highest level) she must prove she was living a fulfilling life by writing an essay about her 10 best days. Alex is an intriguing character who despite being an only 'miracle' child from a wealthy family had to work hard to find her place in the world. This sends the timely reminder that being surrounded by people you love is what really matters in life.

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The Tennis Party - Madeleine Wickham (1995)

In this debut novel, insurance salesman Patrick has invited three couples over to his English country home for a weekend of socialising, tennis and Pimm's. What he hasn't told his wife Caroline is that he's also hoping to sign up a new client so he makes a huge bonus this year. There's art dealer Charles and his aristocratic second wife Cressida, their impoverished former neighbours Stephen and Annie; and their next-door-neighbour Don and his daughter Valerie. As Don gets competitive on the tennis court, Patrick plays underhand in his office and Cressida is served a nasty shock, a surprise guest turns up. This comes across rather like a play, and the author has obviously made use of her background as a financial journalist.

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The Thing About Jane Spring - Sharon Krum (2005)

A family military background has made Jane Spring an efficient, aggressive and blunt lawyer. But it doesn't seem to help her find a man. So after watching a Doris Day marathon on TV during a snowstorm, she decides to reinvent herself to become what men what along the lines of the actress. She starts wearing pastel suits with pencil skirts, frosted pink lipstick and cuts her blonde hair into a cute bob. But with her colleagues thinking she's putting on an act to win a case, will the more feminine Jane also win her man?

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The Thin Pink Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted (2003)

Jane Taylor, a 29-year-old assistant editor at a publishing firm, thinks she is pregnant. But when she gets her period, she is disappointed, especially when she realises how much attention pregnant women get. So expecting to fall pregnant any day to boyfriend Trevor, she fakes a pregnancy test by drawing on a pink line. Soon she's invented a tilted uterus, appointed a tarot-card-reading midwife and even tried to buy ultrasound pictures off expectant mothers. Then a publisher hears of her story, and convinces her to continue the charade so she can write about her experiences of what to expect when you're not really expecting.

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The Three Day Rule - Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees (2005)

The Thorne family head to a small island off the Cornish coast for a three-day Christmas break. As Elliot's mistress Kellie stays behind on a different island, he's getting ready to tell his wife Isabelle that he's leaving her after New Year. But Isabelle has a secret of her own and their daughter Taylor just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Then there's his sister, Stephanie, who's having a hard time dealing with the fallout of a family tragedy. Kellie jumps on a boat with the charming Ben to take a look at the island - just as snow begins to fall. It seems fate will ensure that this family will be forced to stay together longer than the three-day rule. But will it tear them apart forever?

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The Time of My Life - Cecelia Ahern (2011)

Lucy Silchester may speak five languages but she often doesn't speak the truth. Ever since she split with her jetsetting boyfriend Blake, lost her job and moved into a tiny apartment with just a cat for company, Lucy has been down in the dumps. Then she is summoned to meet with her Life - an appointment she can't put off any longer. Will he be able to help Lucy get herself back on track? Ahern again injects quirky and magical elements into her storytelling, with the idea that your Life is in fact someone you can meet, who can force you to face up to your own deluded self-beliefs. There's lots of wry humour, particularly as Lucy, the narrator, recounts events by weaving in lies. But for a much-anticipated book of just under 400 pages, this just wasn't a story that enticed me to put my own life on hold to read it. And it doesn't really leave readers with much of an earth-shattering life lesson either.

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The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (2003)

This book focuses on a lifelong love between two people, librarian Henry and artist Clare. Henry was born with a genetic condition called Chrono-Displacement Disorder which causes him to time-travel back and forth - and unfortunately most of the time Henry doesn't have control over it. They first met when Clare was six and Henry was in his 30s. Over the years, Clare and Henry develop a relationship, get married and start a family - all the time dealing with Henry's constant disappearances. In their final meeting Clare is 82 and Henry is 43. Alternating between both characters' points of views, this book is a mixture between The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks with its message of everlasting love no matter what obstacles stand in the way and The Lake House with its characters living in different years. The bestselling book has been made into a 2009 movie starring Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Clare. (PP)

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The Travel Bug - Sheila Norton (2005)

Now that Maddy Goodchild's daughter, Sophie, has taken off to see the world, Maddy is feeling bored with her life. Still only in her late 30s, she has a lottery win with friend Rachel, so she throws in her office job and they hit Europe together. Rachel, a teacher and proponent of healthy living, starts drinking and sleeping around, while Maddy, a self-proclaimed bad girl, busies herself with snorkelling and sightseeing. It seems the travel bug has bitten her - and Australia is her next destination.

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The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy - Sara Angelini (2007)

Set in modern times, the classic tale of the love between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy is once again revived. Elizabeth is fresh out of law school and ready to make her mark on the world. But she is soon to find this is easier said than done as her cases are repeatedly being assigned to the meanest judge in the area, Judge Fitzwilliam Darcy. Both develop a loathing towards each other, the only thread connecting them is Elizabeth's sister Jane's love of Darcy's close friend Dr Bingley. But they are quickly both looped into a trip to Darcy's manor in the English countryside, neither exactly knowing of the invitation to the other. Will they be able to survive the trip together? Or will everything fall apart soon after their planes touch down? This book contains it all - fast cars, love triangles, humour, satire, and of course a classic tale of love. (SN)

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The Trouble with Valentine's Day - Rachel Gibson (2005)

Kate Hamilton suddenly quits her job as a private investigator in Las Vegas and moves to small town Gospel, Idaho, to help her widowed grandfather run his grocery story. On her way to Gospel, Kate stops in a ski lodge and attempts to live out her fantasy of having a one-night stand with a handsome stranger. Her efforts are immediately rejected. Rob Sutter, a former Chinooks hockey player, was forced to retire after a crazy stalker shot him. He moves to Gospel to be near his mother and open a sporting goods store. When Rob walks into Kate's grandfather's grocery store, Kate is mortified to learn that Rob is the handsome stranger who rejected her. Unfortunately, Kate's efforts to stay clear of Rob are hampered by the fact that her grandfather and Rob's mum are becoming romantically involved. Although the storyline is far-fetched, readers will appreciate the light-hearted romance that begins and ends on Valentine's Day. (AO)

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The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters - Elisabeth Robinson (2004)

Hollywood film producer Olivia Hunt was working on the fourth draft of her suicide note (she'd been fired, dumped by her boyfriend and had discovered evidence of a moustache) when she got a phone call that her younger sister Maddie has leukaemia. Through a series of letters, the book follows her time spent at her sister's bedside as she attempts to get Don Quixote made into a film.

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The Truth About Diamonds - Nicole Richie (2005)

Chloe Parker had lead a wild childhood running with the young A-list crowd after being adopted by a music producer. She disappears for a week when she has a fight with a friend at a nightclub. On her return best friend Simone, who makes everyone's private phone numbers public when she leaves her mobile in a rest room, announces that she and Chloe are going to be spokespeople for Magdalena cosmetics and they will shoot a reality TV ad. It doesn't seem as if Richie has strayed too far from her own experiences to act as the story's narrator. She's the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie and she starred in reality TV show The Simple Life with her then best friend Paris Hilton (and Paris did once lose her phone).

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The Truth About Melody Browne - Lisa Jewell (2009)

When Melody was nine, she was rescued from a burning house. But along with her possessions, the fire also wiped out her memories. Now decades later, the single mum is out on her first date in years. After fainting while taking part in a hypnotist show, she finds that many locked-away memories of her childhood are coming back to her in flashes. Melody slowly pieces together her past, realising her childhood was nothing like she thought it was. A real page-turner from a great storyteller - you'll want to finish it in one go.

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The Truth About Ruby Valentine - Alison Bond (2006)

On the day that Hollywood star Ruby Valentine dies, Kelly Coltrane's father reveals that she is Ruby's daughter. So Kelly heads to Hollywood to attend the funeral and uncover the truth about her mother's mysterious suicide. As Kelly finds that it is never too late for a comeback, Ruby's path to fame is revealed in a series of flashbacks. I guessed the ending far too early but still an enjoying read.

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The Truth About You - Melissa Hill (2010)

This story begins with the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby on the doorstep of a local cafe in Lakeview, a small Irish town. Who could it possibly belong to? We flash back to several months earlier where we meet happily married Jess. She is childless by choice, but as she becomes more and more distanced from her friends with children, she wonders if it's time to become a mother - but is her husband on-board with her plan? And is Jess blindly rushing into something she's not ready for? Meanwhile, local girl turned Hollywood actress Ruth is about to return home to Lakeview - with baggage. A one-night-stand with her cocky co-star has left her with an unplanned consequence that she doesn't know how to deal with. And newly single Nina has also returned to Lakeview to live with her estranged father - but what is she trying to hide from him? As always, there is a delicious twist in this tale. Although I enjoyed the story, I did find myself spending more time trying to guess what the twist was than enjoying the tale itself! But try as you might to anticipate how the book will end, Hill's twists are so well woven into the narrative that it's very hard to work out The Truth About You. (SBB)

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The Truth Will Out - Anna McPartlin (2008)

Interior designer Harri Ryan has once again left her fiance at the altar - she is recovering in the hospital's A&E room from the same panic attack which caused her to miss her own wedding before. Convinced that these pre-wedding jitters are more than cold feet, James leaves their apartment and moves in with his best friend. George, her twin brother, however, thinks that there's more to this than meets the eye, especially since she had similar attacks when she was a child. So when Harri demands the truth from their parents, she discovers secrets that will threaten the tight bond within her family, forcing her to face the ghosts of her past she never knew existed. (XT)

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The Twenty Year Itch - Linda Kelsey (2010)

Julie's husband, Walt, has decided he needs to take a gap year - 20 years into their marriage. He quits his job, fills his backpack and takes off around the world. With her kids off her hands, Julie, a doctor, needs to adjust to life on her own. Meanwhile she discovers her sister Gemma is contemplating a divorce; her friend Aggie arrives on her doorstep after her husband tires of her endless affairs; and a family tragedy has shaken Valentina's marriage. And once Julie meets the father of her daughter's new boyfriend, she might just try scratching an itch of her own.

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The Twins of Tribeca - Rachel Pine (2005)

Movie publicist Rachel Pine's tell-all novel is based on her time at Miramax Films and has very thinly veiled references to real-life movie stars. Anyone can't guess who Frederick 'Fly' Faccione, who rose to fame and fortune through his portrayal of an underdog boxer and Vietnam vet, or Ronald Ululater, a European bodybuilder who became an action hero, are based on? Former CNN researcher Karen Jacobs gets a job as publicity assistant at Glorious Pictures, run by twins Phil and Tony Waxman. From announcing VIP guests at the studio's Oscars party, to dodging a mysterious washed-up journalist writing a tell-all Waxman biography, flirting with a Page Six columnist and covering for her missing boss Allegra, Karen finds out that work at the studio isn't all that glorious.

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The Two Mrs Robinsons - Donna Hay (2007)

Anna lives with restaurateur Oliver Robinson and their young son Charlie. But he still hasn't divorced his wife Eve, mother of his two teenage children, and she still continually hovers in their lives. For Eve still hasn't gotten over the love of her life. Then Oliver dies suddenly and the women are left to sort out his affairs. But they can't seem to agree on anything - Eve takes over the restaurant while Anna thinks they should sell it. Then they discover Oliver was heavily in debt and there's a lot more at stake. Can they forge a truce or be driven even further apart?

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The Ugly Sister - Jane Fallon (2011)

Abigail has always played second fiddle to her more beautiful sister Caroline. But as a child Abigail didn't mind that Caroline was the one to inherit their parents' good looks, or care how it affected the way people treated them, because Caroline proved to be not only her big sister, but her best friend and protector too. But when Abigail was 13, Caroline stepped into the world of modelling and got so caught up in her fame and success that she left her old life behind (including her sister). Eighteen years have passed, and Abigail is now a single mother who works part-time at a library. Her daughter, Phoebe, is already moving out, and has plans for a rather bright future. Abigail though has no place to stay since she sold her small cottage way before getting possession of her new flat. Then she receives an email from Caroline, after so many years of hardly any contact, inviting her to spend the summer holidays with her family. Abigail thinks it may be the perfect opportunity to re-establish their sisterly bond. But upon meeting her sister's family, she discovers that her visit is not going to be two fun-filled months of sightseeing but will instead see her step into the role of nanny while Caroline stages her modelling comeback. This is an intriguing story with a clever title which had me trying to figure out which of the characters really fit the profile of The Ugly Sister. (XT)

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The Underside of Joy - Sere Prince Halverson (2012)

Three years ago Ella's life changed when she passed through a small northern Californian town called Elbow. She met Joe and became stepmum to his two young children, Annie and Zach. But when Joe drowns, his ex-wife Paige turns up at the funeral, with plans to reclaim the children that she abandoned years earlier and take them to live with her in Las Vegas. As Ella works to save Joe's family business, she has to prove that the children are best left with the only mother they've known. But maybe Joe hasn't been completely honest with her. This is a poignant and beautifully written story about the sacrifices mothers make in a custody battle with a difference.

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The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella (2005)

As workaholic lawyer Samantha Sweeting is going for partnership, she realises that she forgot to register a loan and a company is set to lose $50 million. So she just walks out and gets on a train bound for the middle of nowhere. When she asks for directions at a big house, she is mistaken as a housekeeper looking for work and is hired by nouveau riche couple Eddie and Trisha. But Samantha struggles to do the most basic chores until hunky gardener Nathaniel lends a hand. But will her old life catch up with her . . . and will she want it back?

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The Very Picture of You - Isabel Wolfe (2011)

At 35 Gabriella "Ella" Graham is somewhat content with her life and she loves her job as a portrait painter. She gets to hear all the life stories of the people she paints. Ella has kept her past a secret for a long time but then an article is written about her, revealing that she has a father she has not seen or spoken to since she was five. Her mother, a retired ballerina, had told her that her father abandoned them for another woman and she was instead adopted by her stepfather. One day she gets an email from her real father who wants to tell his side of the story. Meanwhile her sister Chloe is getting married to Nate, an American who Ella loathes. She has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the groom, and along the way finds out that maybe the life she knew wasn't actually the truth at all. A great read about finding out new things about yourself and accepting the fact that maybe it is OK to forgive and forget. (CG)

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The Village Bride of Beverly Hills - Kavita Daswani (2004)

Priya moves from New Delhi to Los Angeles after an arranged marriage to Sanjay. She moves into her in-laws' home, where she is expected to be the domestic help and hold down a job until she falls pregnant. But the job she lands isn't the sort of work her in-laws had in mind for a traditional Indian wife. Can she keep her media job and her Western clothes a secret and will Sanjay's loyalties lie with his family or his new bride?

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The Violets Of March - Sarah Jio (2011)

AAuthor Emily Wilson is in her 30s and going through a heartbreaking divorce. She is invited to stay at her aunt Bee's gorgeous home on Bainbridge Island, Washington, for the month. While Emily is trying to find material for her next book, she comes across a red velvet diary from 1943. While reading this diary, she can't help but notice similarities in the story told and her own life. Filled with standout characters such as her funny best friend Annabelle, her unique Aunt Bee, and her new-found sexy friend Jack; this story really warms your heart, opens your imagination, and touches your soul. Different than anything I have read before, this is not your everyday romance, or self-discovery story - this is much, much better. (AV)

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The WAG's Diary - Alison Kervin (2007)

Tracie Martin has been a WAG for 12 years. Now married to Luton Town captain Dean, she knows everything you need to know about being a footballer's wife. Like wearing skirts short enough to show your knickers, ensuring you maintain a healthy orange glow and choosing a ridiculous double-barrelled name for your children - all while knowing absolutely nothing about offside rules and penalty shoot-outs. As Dean's career begins to wind down, Tracie is concerned that the new breed of WAGs aren't maintaining standards. So she takes a writing course and begins work on her own handbook. Soon she finds herself in the limelight as her words of WADdom are picked up for a national newspaper column. Posh, watch out - there's a new Queen WAG in town. And WAGs do yourself a favour - we know you don't read books but pop this one into your oversized designer handbag. (Note: This column was kept under 300 words to adhere to WAG laws.)

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The Way We Were - Elizabeth Noble (2010)

Books from this author usually need to come with a warning sticker saying: "Do not approach without a tissue box handy." This one - while it will tug on your emotions - isn't a tearjerker. It's centred around Susannah, who can't stop thinking about her high school sweetheart, Rob, after she bumps into him at her brother's wedding. Susannah already has one marriage behind her and is living with her older partner, Douglas, who comes with a ready-made family of three children. A family she's never really felt connected to. Rob, who joined the armed forces, has never married. Does this chance meeting mean Susannah should take a second chance with him? With lots of flashbacks and unexpected turns, this is an enthralling tale that is a welcome addition to that library of stories about being reunited with a lost love.

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The Wedding Party - Sophie King (2009)

Becky has a hectic life as a mother of two who works on a women's magazine. With her nanny threatening to quit, her husband always away on work trips, the last thing she needs right now is her father Geoff deciding to get remarried. Becky's mother Helen has been divorced from Geoff for years, and despite keeping busy through her gardening business, his decision to remarry still tugs at her heartstrings. Two other people caught up in the wedding preparations include Becky's wedding planner friend, Janie, whose dyslexia makes it difficult for her to get the details right, and vicar Mel, who has to deal with her own family crises. And it seems they all have to contend with a very demanding first-time bride, Monique. Told from the viewpoints of the multiple characters, this is an entertaining read that alternates well between its dramatic and light-hearted moments.

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The Wedding Girl - Madeleine Wickham (1999)

Milly is about to get married to Simon, heir to a multi-million-dollar family business - and her social-climbing mother has run herself ragged organising an elaborate wedding in Bath. Only problem is just days before the nuptials, the photographer remembers Milly from a decade earlier - when he took her photo on the steps of an Oxford registry office. She had just married Allan, an American who wanted to stay in Britain with his gay lover. And it seems they never divorced nor has Milly mentioned her first marriage to her fiance. Will the wedding she really wants still go ahead? Meanwhile her career-oriented sister Isobel is keeping a secret of her own.

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The Wedding Writer - Susan Schneider (2011)

Illustrating the equally seductive and cut-throat world of the bridal industry, The Wedding Writer might initially be mistaken as a mimic of The Devil Wears Prada, but this is not the case. Schneider has successfully set the bar higher with her 10 years of experience as writer and editor for varied wedding magazines, providing the book with its realistic insider's view. It tells the story of four women who work for the hottest bridal magazine, Your Wedding, as they adapt to the sudden managerial decision to replace Grace Ralston, the most respectable woman in the industry and the editor-in-chief since the magazine's first issue, by her own protege Lucky Quinn. Each character strives to live up to ideals built on perfection and professionalism, but it all takes a toll on their personal lives. For Grace, it wasn't just the coincidence of her humiliating fall and the folding of her competitors Princess Bride and Tulle that has her at a low ebb but how she has to face everything she used her high-flying career to get away from - the physical realities of being 50, her loneliness and a broken relationship with daughter Isla. Fashion director Sara loves her job more than anything, yet her tiredness is beginning to overwhelm her and she's not so sure she can still cope with Lucky being in charge. Felice knows that she's a failure as a mother to 16-year-old Charles, and how it strains her marriage to Jack. Her job as art director isn't helping, especially now with a change in power, as the compromises she needs as a parent are no longer tolerated. Then there's Lucky, who's finding out life's not particularly easy at the top. This is a well-written book with fantastic characters, definitely one to put on your must-read list! (XT)

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The Wedding Writer - Susan Schneider (2011)

Illustrating the equally seductive and cut-throat world of the bridal industry, The Wedding Writer might initially be mistaken as a mimic of The Devil Wears Prada, but this is not the case. Schneider has successfully set the bar higher with her 10 years of experience as writer and editor for varied wedding magazines, providing the book with its realistic insider's view. It tells the story of four women who work for the hottest bridal magazine, Your Wedding, as they adapt to the sudden managerial decision to replace Grace Ralston, the most respectable woman in the industry and the editor-in-chief since the magazine's first issue, by her own protege Lucky Quinn. Each character strives to live up to ideals built on perfection and professionalism, but it all takes a toll on their personal lives. For Grace, it wasn't just the coincidence of her humiliating fall and the folding of her competitors Princess Bride and Tulle that has her at a low ebb but how she has to face everything she used her high-flying career to get away from - the physical realities of being 50, her loneliness and a broken relationship with daughter Isla. Fashion director Sara loves her job more than anything, yet her tiredness is beginning to overwhelm her and she's not so sure she can still cope with Lucky being in charge. Felice knows that she's a failure as a mother to 16-year-old Charles, and how it strains her marriage to Jack. Her job as art director isn't helping, especially now with a change in power, as the compromises she needs as a parent are no longer tolerated. Then there's Lucky, who's finding out life's not particularly easy at the top. This is a well-written book with fantastic characters, definitely one to put on your must-read list! (XT)

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The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown (2011)

The Weird Sisters centres around the Andreas family - the father is a professor who only talks in Shakespearean language and has named his three daughters after the Bard's characters Rosalind, Bianca and Cordelia. The three sisters - who go by the names Rose, Bean and Cordy - return to their childhood home when their mother finds out she has breast cancer. Rose has always assumed responsibility as the oldest of the sisters. She is stuck between her dream job in Barnwell or moving to England for two years with her fiance. Will Rose choose her career over love? Bean, who has been fired for embezzlement, has moved back home as a last resort. Will she be able to move on with her life when she's offered the job as Barnwell's librarian and when it comes to guys will she choose Edward or the new father Aiden? Cordy has come home with a secret - she's pregnant. When she finds love with Dan, owner of the local coffee shop, will it last or will he be off like a shot when he discovers she carrying someone else's baby? In this story of love, forgiveness and the real meaning of sisterhood, Eleanor Brown has done an amazing job expressing the different personalities. (PP)

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The Widow's Season - Laura Brodie (2009)

The story begins with Sarah McConnell seeing her supposedly "dead" husband in the grocery store, looking pretty much alive. But when she starts chasing him, he suddenly disappears into thin air, leaving her wondering if she's crazy. It's been three months since David's funeral, even though his body was never recovered from the storm which took place during his kayak trip. Throughout the first portion of the novel, you see a very sad woman (Sarah), constantly shifting from states of grief to her consistent questioning of David's status (of being alive), but as you delve deeper into the story, surprising turn of events subsequently change your perspective - such as her involvement with David's brother, Nate. (XT)

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The Wish List - Melanie La'Brooy (2005)

aka Romantic Fiction

Scatty Lucy is a hopeless romantic who drives her friends Meg and Chloe crazy as she tries time and again to keep her relationship with Tom just platonic. This time their on-off relationship may be definitely off as she's met the man of her dreams in Latin lover Byron. But she's still got to deal with hunting for a flat with decent curtains, avoiding a lovelorn stalker and watching a bitchy neighbour sink her claws into Tom. When Byron and Tom are challenged to a duel to win her heart, who will emerge as victor?

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The Wives of Bath - Wendy Holden (2005)

The tale of four people and an antenatal class. Lawyer Alice and recycling crusader Jake plan to have their baby at home in a birthing pool. Style writer Amanda decides to have a baby - in a private hospital, naturally - after she loses her job when the magazine's lawyer (coincidentally Alice) can't get her out of a legal mess for making up quotes. But husband Hugo is left holding the baby when the unmaternal Amanda escapes back to work. And Jake is driving Alice away when his green zeal turns into fanaticism.

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The Wonder Spot - Melissa Bank (2005)

This book is a series of interconnected stories that follow middle child Sophie Applebaum from her school days when she used to wag Jewish school, through college to her first job and her terrible typing skills, to her disappointing dating life.

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The Woman He Loved Before - Dorothy Koomson (2011)

Libby, a beautician, is buying a car when she meets a horribly arrogant guys called Jack. He may be smitten with Libby but she wants nothing to do with him, so it soon becomes a game of cat and mouse. Fast forward six months, Libby and Jack are together and want to take things to the next step and get married. Fast forward again, there has been a terrible car crash and soon Libby realises that Jack's first wife, Eve, has been killed. Then Libby discovers Eve's diaries and, intrigued to find out more about her, she starts to read them. Has Libby opened up a Pandora's box of secrets and is what is written in the diaries the cause of Eve's death? This shows what limits a spouse or family member will go to to protect the ones they love and hold dear. Koomson is one of my favourite authors but I just didn't enjoy this as much as her other books. (PP)

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The Wrong Sort of Wife? - Elise Chidley (2008)

aka Your Roots are Showing

Lizzie Buckley finds managing a household with three-year-old twins with little help from her busy husband is tiring her out. And when she vents her frustration at her married life, instead of sending the email to her sister, Jane, she mistakenly sends it to her husband, James. He takes offence at the fact she prefers a box of chocolate biscuits over sex with him and immediately moves out. Lizzie, who had never felt part of James' titled family, and the kids move away to a small cottage - hoping distance will make her husband's heart grow fonder so he'll take her back. As Lizzie waits for her life to get back on track, she takes up running - will this help her find a whole new lease on life?

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The WWW Club - Anita Notaro (2005)

With every diet failing them to this point, childcare worker Ellie Simpson starts a dieting club with her friends - divorced mother-of-two Pam, Maggie who has fallen into a routine relationship, and Toni, a stylish nurse. As the women face the ups and downs of their love lives, careers and waistlines, Ellie begins to fall for her new employer, Jack Bryant, a book writer who has been left to bring up his daughters alone. But then Toni wins the bet to lose the first half a stone, and gets a date with Jack.

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The Xmas Factor - Annie Sanders (2006)

Meet two women with very different approaches to the festive season. Academic Beth starts planning for Christmas months ahead, hoping to put on the perfect day for her new husband and his grown-up children. For Carol, who's just been made editor of ailing magazine Women's Weekly, she's so busy trying to turn it around that she doesn't even notice December is fast approaching. But she did manage to book her son and herself into a cottage in a quiet village, which is where the two women's lives converge.

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The Year Everything Changed - Georgia Bockoven (2011)

Jesse Reed's final wish is to see all of his children one last time. With the help of his lawyer and confidant, Lucy, he arranges for his four daughters to visit him before he dies. The problem is Elizabeth, Rachel, Ginger and Christine don't know the others exist and only two of them even remember Jesse as their father. After the very explosive meeting, each woman's world is turned upside down with the revelations brought to light that day. When Jesse dies a short time later, the women must decide whether to comply with the terms of their father's will in order to gain their inheritance or walk away from each other forever. Together they decide to learn about the father they never knew and eventually realise just what it means to have true family in your corner. This is a wonderful story which I found very hard to put down. Even though the characters are highly diverse, I did have trouble keeping a couple of them straight for the majority of the book. I loved how Jesse's story was told through flashbacks, which helped the reader understand the emotions the women felt, hearing about their father for the first time. (LEK)

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The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay - Rebecca Sparrow (2006)

Seventeen-year-old Rachel Hills is in Year 12 (it's 1989) and she has a big crush on Nick, who was shipped off to boarding school after his mother died. But now he's back at her school, after rumouredly trying to kill himself, and Rachel's parents have decided to let him move in with them. It's going to be a year Rachel will never forget.

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The Yorkshire Pudding Club - Milly Johnson (2007)

When three Yorkshire friends picnic on top of an ancient fertility symbol, who would have imagined that within months all three would be pregnant. For Helen, the pregnancy is a dream come true, if only her marriage with controlling Simon wasn't crumbling before her eyes. For career-minded Janey who's up for a promotion, it's a nightmare as she never wanted kids but husband George is ecstatic. And then there's Elizabeth, who loses her job after letting her hormones take over and telling the boss to stick his job. Amid the determined return of a man she once pushed away, she fears that she will never love the child she is carrying.

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