Blog Tour: It's a Wonderful Life by Julia Williams
Firstly a little added shout-out to Laura, from Laura's Little Book Blog... I'm more than happy to share the day with you! ;) xx
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I love this time of year - when all the shiny, new-book smelling, white sparkling pages of all the latest Christmas infused stories come out to play. I mean, who doesn't love a good Christmas read to snuggle up with whilst the weather is turning rather chilly.
'It's a wonderful life' by Julia Williams (her 10th novel might I add!!) was my first little dose of Christmas this year. Here's a little bit about the book and then, if you've been good this year, a little sneaky peak at an extract from the book! Only kidding! I will leave the naughty and nice list to Santa as I want to share this with all of you! ;) Can I just say how beautifully, wonderfully Christmassy this front cover is!! I mean... how could anyone not be completely drawn to picking this little gem up!
Blurb:
Review:
You already know that I absolutely adore the Christmassy cover of this little beauty!
This story is full of real life emotion. I think we often find ourselves looking at other people's lives and either envying what they have or believing that they are so lucky and have the best life. This story is a reminder that not everything is always as it seems... we should never judge a book by its cover!
It's really interesting reading about Beth and her family, seeing the dynamic between the different characters and how they respond to each other. Beth, her husband and her sister all have their own struggles in their lives, and the story follows how they each deal with their situations. The story is very authentic as I really felt that Julia Williams was drawing on the real battle people face in life and the struggles people go through trying to give 100% to every aspect of their life.
In the run up to this book being published the big question has been whether Beth can prevent this Christmas from becoming her worst nightmare?! We all know how difficult families can be sometimes, and Beth's journey shows her dealing with a number of difficult situations which keeps a happy Christmas hung in the balance.
If you enjoy a heart-warming story, laced with struggles and uncertainties, and a little drop of Christmas sparkle, then be sure to read Julia's novel.
And now for a sneaky peak (squeal!):
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I love this time of year - when all the shiny, new-book smelling, white sparkling pages of all the latest Christmas infused stories come out to play. I mean, who doesn't love a good Christmas read to snuggle up with whilst the weather is turning rather chilly.
'It's a wonderful life' by Julia Williams (her 10th novel might I add!!) was my first little dose of Christmas this year. Here's a little bit about the book and then, if you've been good this year, a little sneaky peak at an extract from the book! Only kidding! I will leave the naughty and nice list to Santa as I want to share this with all of you! ;) Can I just say how beautifully, wonderfully Christmassy this front cover is!! I mean... how could anyone not be completely drawn to picking this little gem up!
Paperback and e-book Publishing: 3rd November 2016
Blurb:
Christmas with the family. Cosy, relaxing…and a total nightmare?
Driving home for Christmas, Beth has everything she wants. The kids and the house, the career and the husband. So why is it that when the New Year comes, she can’t stop thinking about her old college boyfriend?
Her husband Daniel is tasked with bringing a struggling school up to scratch, but when family life catches up to him, can he be a good father and a good teacher at the same time?
Beth’s sister Lou has just been dumped…again. Single and childless, she can’t help but be jealous of her sibling’s success. But is the grass really always greener?
It’s a Wonderful Life is a heart-warming novel about the lives that could have been, and what happens when you start to question the choices you made…
Out Now!
Pick your copy up from:
Amazon UK £3.99 for paperback... only £1.99 for Kindle!
Amazon US $14.99
Review:
You already know that I absolutely adore the Christmassy cover of this little beauty!
This story is full of real life emotion. I think we often find ourselves looking at other people's lives and either envying what they have or believing that they are so lucky and have the best life. This story is a reminder that not everything is always as it seems... we should never judge a book by its cover!
It's really interesting reading about Beth and her family, seeing the dynamic between the different characters and how they respond to each other. Beth, her husband and her sister all have their own struggles in their lives, and the story follows how they each deal with their situations. The story is very authentic as I really felt that Julia Williams was drawing on the real battle people face in life and the struggles people go through trying to give 100% to every aspect of their life.
In the run up to this book being published the big question has been whether Beth can prevent this Christmas from becoming her worst nightmare?! We all know how difficult families can be sometimes, and Beth's journey shows her dealing with a number of difficult situations which keeps a happy Christmas hung in the balance.
If you enjoy a heart-warming story, laced with struggles and uncertainties, and a little drop of Christmas sparkle, then be sure to read Julia's novel.
And now for a sneaky peak (squeal!):
Daniel went upstairs and poked his head round Megan’s door.
She was sitting in her bed, wrapped up in a blanket, transfixed to a screen.
‘Good day?’ he asked.
‘It was OK,’ said Megan, barely looking up.
‘I hope that’s homework you’re doing,’ said Daniel.
Megan blushed. ‘Not exactly. I’m just watching something on YouTube.’
‘Well, look at that after you’ve done your homework,’ said Daniel. ‘You know, you’ve got—’
‘I’ve got GSCEs next year and need to knuckle down,’ said Megan rolling her eyes. ‘I know, Dad, and I am working.’
‘Good,’ said Daniel, smiling. Megan always had an answer for everything, but at least she still talked to him.
He paused outside Sam’s room, thinking about Jason Leigh. Maybe Sam needed a similar kick up the arse.
Sam was also hunched over a computer, sitting at his desk with his back to Daniel.
‘How’s it going?’ said Daniel, trying to effect casual. He never quite knew what kind of response he would get from his son.
‘OK,’ said Sam.
‘What about your extra lessons? How were they today?’ Sam had done spectacularly badly in his mocks and been pulled in for extra help in Economics and Physics.
‘Didn’t go,’ said Sam.
‘Sam!’ Daniel was exasperated. ‘We’ve talked about this. If you don’t start working soon, it will be too late.’
Sam shrugged.
‘It’s my life, Dad. And I’m nearly eighteen, so just butt out.’
Daniel could feel a knot of tension building inside of him. Sam was frequently disrespectful, but Daniel didn’t like to come down too hard for fear of sounding like his own dad, Reggie. Daniel had spent a lot of his early childhood being subjected to vicious tongue-lashings when his dad had come home drunk, and had always sworn he would be a different kind of father. He could still remember the occasion when he’d failed badly in a spelling text and Reggie had shouted at him for being stupid. Daniel had tried so hard not to be negative to his own children, and it was frustrating to feel it all being kicked back in his face.
‘You might be nearly eighteen, but you’re still living under my roof,’ he said, trying to control his voice.
‘And?’ Sam swivelled around so that he was facing Daniel.
‘You could at least respect me and your mum,’ said Daniel, feeling his frustration brimming over into anger at his son’s disinterested expression.
Sam said nothing and turned back to his screen. Daniel took a deep breath. He had a sudden image of being six years old and hiding under his bed because Reggie had erupted when Daniel had broken a cup. However angry Daniel was with Sam, he wouldn’t let it control him. He refused to.
So instead, he went into his study to fire up his computer, silently fuming. What had gone wrong with his relationship with Sam? He’d always tried to be open and honest with both his children, but over the last year Sam had closed down on him.
He opened his emails with a sigh, and then saw a name in his inbox that made him freeze.
Reggie King. Dad?
It had been a couple of years since Reggie had last been in contact, which suited Daniel just fine. His stomach turned in knots. Life was always much easier if he didn’t think about Reggie. He read the email with a growing sense of dread.
Hi son, Long time no see, read the email. I’m going to be back in the UK in February. Maybe we could hook up for a drink? Reggie
Daniel stared at the message, his thoughts racing. Maybe we could hook up after five years of very sporadic communication? Just like that? What the hell did he want?
1 comments
lovely review offering a real insight in to the story without giving too much away. I've only just got started on my 'Modern Novel Journey', but this will be the next on my list - even though it's January i'm excited about Christmas 2017 already!
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