When We Danced at end of the Pier by Sandy Taylor

When we Danced at the end of the Pier by Sandy Taylor

Published: 31st March 2017

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 352

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Jack and Nelson have always been dear friends to Maureen. Despite their different backgrounds, they’ve seen each other through thick and thin.

As Maureen blossoms from a little girl into a young woman, the candle she’s always held for Jack burns bright. But just as she’s found love, war wrenches them apart. The man she cherishes with all her heart is leaving.

When the bombs start to fall, Maureen and her family find themselves living in the most dangerous of times. With Jack no longer by her side and Nelson at war, Maureen has never felt more alone. Can she look to a brighter future? And will she find the true happiness she’s dreamt of?

Review

If you’ve been following my blog for a while it will be no surprise to you that I loved When we Danced at the end of Pier just as much as I did Sandy Taylor’s previous two novels in the Brighton Girls trilogy. I just adore Sandy’s writing as it’s so emotional and realistic, I felt like living Maureen’s life alongside her and what an emotional rollercoaster of a life she had.

In When we Danced at the end of the Pier we go back to the beginning of the story with Maureen O’Connell as the main character. If you read the previous two novels by Sandy Taylor you will know that Maureen is the mother of Dotty. To begin with I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book as much as the previous two as I had an idea of how the story was going to end. But oh the journey to get there was so worth it, Maureen’s life is told in great detail and shows various emotional upheavals young Maureen goes through to become the strong and caring woman she is in the other two novels.

The story starts back when Maureen is eight years old and first moves onto See-Saw lane, which is where she first lays eyes on Jack, who she instantly declares to Sister Brenda is the man she is going to marry. As they grow older Maureen and Jack along with his best friend Nelson become inseparable so when war finally breaks out Maureen is left on her own as the two men in her life go off to fight she has to be strong and wait and hope they both return safely.

This is a book which is full of the highs and lows of growing up and at times is heart-breaking for poor Maureen. It’s written so well that as a reader I felt each and every emotion that Maureen felt, Sandy Taylor really does have a gift at knowing how to pull the heart strings as there are parts of this book that had me in tears. It’s not all sad though, overall I found it a very uplifting novel and with the introduction of little Gertie sometimes even funny.

I urge anyone who hasn’t read the Brighton Girls trilogy to pick them up, they are all wonderful and I hope not the last books we see from Sandy Taylor.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed voluntarily.

Counting Chimneys by Sandy Taylor

Counting Chimneys by Sandy Taylor

Published: 10th June 2016

Publisher: Bookouture

Available in paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Brighton 1969: Dottie Perks steps off the train and breathes in the sea air, the smell of fish and chips, and the precious childhood memories of a friend and place she’ll never forget.

Dottie Perks has forged a new life for herself in London, a new job and sweet boyfriend Joe to keep her warm at night. She’s safe, happy and loved. What more could she ask for?

But when Dottie returns home to Brighton for a family celebration, the last person she expects to see is her first love; the boy who stole her heart… and broke it. Ralph Bennett.

As old familiar feelings come rushing to the surface, Dottie struggles to deny the strong chemistry that still exists between them. She can’t throw away everything to be with Ralph…can she? And if she does, how can they ever overcome the pain and tragedy of their shared past?

Review

Counting Chimneys is the second novel in the Brighton Girls Trilogy by Sandy Taylor. If you haven’t read the first book The Girls from See-Saw Lane, then I really suggest you do as it gives you Dottie’s history, plus it’s a fantastic read.

Counting Chimneys starts four years after the first book ended and Dottie has moved to London to try and forget about all the heart-break she left behind in Brighton. She’s made a new life for herself, sharing a flat with a girl called Polly and has a job on a music magazine called Trend, she even has a lovely new boyfriend called Joe. Everything is going alright for Dottie until she has to return to Brighton for a family christening and who should also be there, but Ralph Bennett, the love of her life and the reason for all her heart-break. As soon as she sees Ralph Dottie’s life is thrown upside down once more as she realises she still loves him and probably always will. Can Dottie throw away her life in London for a second chance with Ralph and will it be happy ever after if she does?

Once again I was easily drawn into Dottie’s story. Sandy Taylor has a way of writing which mixes perfectly emotions, drama and wonderful descriptions making Counting Chimneys, like her previous book a joy to read. 

I loved all the new characters which have been introduced in this book, Polly, Rose, Matthew, Tristan and Stephen all give Dottie some support when once again heartbreak strikes and become like a second family to her. They also added some light-hearted moments such as Stephen and Tristan taking their cat Colin for a walk, that just made me laugh. Even snotty-nosed sister Rita has some moments of being bearable for Dottie.

Sandy Taylor seems to have captured 1960s life perfectly.  Along with it still frowned upon to have unmarried couples staying over with each other, there are hostilities towards those who are different. I loved that Dottie wasn’t fazed by any of this and made her own mind about people, becoming close to Stephen, Tristan and Matthew despite the looks and comments she received.  I felt this showed how much Dottie had changed and grown up from The Girls in See-Saw Lane when she was a teenager and always concerned about her weight and how she looked and what other people thought of her. I can’t wait for the third book to see how Dottie changes as she hits her thirties.

I found Counting Chimneys to be just as enjoyable as Sandy’s first book and hope we don’t have to wait too long before we find out if Dottie can have a happy ever after that lasts.

Thank you so much to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Girls from See Saw Lane by Sandy Taylor

The Girls from See Saw Lane by Sandy Taylor

Published: 4th December 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 350

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

Brighton 1963. Mary Pickles and I walked along the street with our arms linked, looking in shop windows. We were best friends and together we were invincible.

Dottie and Mary forged a friendship over a bag of penny sweets when they were eight years old. They’ve shared everything together since then – the highs and lows of school, family dramas, hopes and dreams and now, at seventeen, they’re both shop girls, working at Woolworths.

As they go out in the world in pursuit of love and happiness, the simplicity of their childhood dissolves as life becomes more complicated. The heady excitement of first love will consume them both, but the pain of unintentional betrayal will test their friendship in ways neither of them could ever imagine…

A charming, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting novel which brings a bygone era vividly to life.

Review

The Girls of See Saw Lane by Sandy Taylor tells the tale of Dottie and Mary, who’ve been best friends since age seven when Mary moved onto See Saw Lane. This is a tale of friendship, betrayal, romance, growing up and tragedy, it’s a story which seems so ordinary yet it is so well written that it will totally absorb you and capture your heart.

Both main characters Dottie and Mary are very likeable and although very different they have the kind of close friendship many of can be envious of. Mary is a dreamer and artistic and she longs to travel the world and attend art school in Paris. She infatuated with bad boy Elton and longs for him to whisk her away from Brighton. Dottie is the more sensible one, she enjoys her job at “Woolies” and all she really wants in life is to get married and have her own family, but she’s happy to follow along with Mary and her dreams.

When their friendship suffers the ultimate betrayal can they survive? Can one girl get over the betrayal and forgive her friend or can she move on and make a life on her own? What does the future hold for these two girls?

I loved the descriptions of life for the girls in 1960s Brighton, their work in “Woolies” where they encounter the latest make-up, to the record shop where they listened to their latest rock and roll heroes, to the chips the bought on the pier. It really made me feel like I was there with them experiencing everything.

I loved this novel so much, even though it’s probably the most heart-breaking story I’ve read all year. It left me sad but in a good way and I’m eager to read the next book “Counting Chimneys” to see what happens next.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy and rate this heart-breaking and beautifully written novel 5/5.