Author: whatcathyreadnext

Book Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

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The Dinner ListAbout the Book

“We’ve been waiting for an hour.” That’s what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That’s the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed.

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen?

When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.

Format: Paperback (278 pp.)    Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 7th March 2019 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Dinner List on Goodreads

My Review

I’ll confess The Dinner List is not the sort of book I’d usually be drawn to; it’s a bit lighter than my favourite historical crime mysteries. Also, the mention of magical realism in a book description usually sends me running in the opposite direction. However, when I read the first few chapters of The Dinner List on the Readers First website, I found myself intrigued by the clever concept and, of course, the presence of Audrey Hepburn in the story helped.

The book alternates between conversation around the table at Sabrina’s birthday dinner and chapters recounting the story of the relationship between Sabrina and a very important person in her life. The guests (whose identities I’m going to leave the reader to find out) all offer their different perspectives on the ups and downs, the highs and lows of this relationship. As one of them says, “Sometimes it’s impossible to move forward without understanding what happened.”

Clever readers may not be surprised by the piece of information disclosed half way through the book but I certainly was and it changed how I felt about what I read from that point on (but definitely not in a bad way). If anything, it made me feel more invested in the characters.

Rebecca Serle has a deft touch with prose and I particularly liked the lively banter and occasional mild flirtation around the dinner table. The presence of Audrey Hepburn certainly brought a sparkle to proceedings but the author also imbued her character with real warmth and insight. Just how you’d like to imagine Audrey Hepburn would be if she was a guest at your birthday dinner.

The Dinner List is a romantic, heart-warming story about love, loss, friendship, the possibility of second chances and the gift of forgiveness. Amongst others, it poses the questions: Are some things meant to be? Are there some things you can’t fix?

20 Books of Summer 2019I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Allen & Unwin, and Readers First. The Dinner List is book 7 of my 20 Books of Summer.

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In three words: Romantic, witty, engaging

Try something similar…The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker by Jenni Keer (read my review here)

Rebecca SerleAbout the Author

Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer who lives between New York and Los Angeles. Serle most recently co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her young adult series Famous in Love, now on Freeform. She loves Nancy Meyers films, bathrobes, and giving unsolicited advice on love. (Photo credit: Goodreads author page)

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My Week in Books – 14th July ‘19

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MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals

The Beach at DoonsheanThe Beach at Doonshean by Penny Feeny (eARC, courtesy of Aria and NetGalley)

In Ireland, the past never dies…

Long ago, on a windswept Irish beach, a young father died saving the life of another man’s child.

Thirty years later, his widow, Julia, decides to return to this wild corner of Ireland to lay the past to rest. Her journey sparks others: her daughter Bel, an artist, joins her mother in Ireland, while son Matt and daughter-in-law Rachel, at home in Liverpool, embark on some soul-searching of their own.

As the threads of past and present intertwine, Julia’s family confront long-buried feelings of guilt, anger, fear and desire. Only then can they allow the crashing waves of the beach at Doonshean to bond them together once again.

Swan SongSwan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott (ebook)

They told him everything. He told everyone else.

Over countless martini-soaked Manhattan lunches, they shared their deepest secrets and greatest fears. On exclusive yachts sailing the Mediterranean, on private jets streaming towards Jamaica, on Yucatán beaches in secluded bays, they gossiped about sex, power, money, love and fame. They never imagined he would betray them so absolutely.

Based on ten years of research comes a dazzling literary debut about the rise and self-destructive fall of Truman Capote and the beautiful, wealthy, vulnerable women he called his swans.

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott will be appearing at Henley Literary Festival 2019.

The Mermaid's CallThe Mermaid’s Call by Katherine Stansfield (eARC, courtesy of Allison & Busby and NetGalley)

Cornwall, 1845. Shilly has always felt a connection to happenings that are not of this world, a talent that has proved invaluable when investigating dark deeds with master of disguise, Anna Drake. The women opened a detective agency with help from their newest member and investor, Mathilda, but six long months have passed without a single case to solve and tensions are growing.

It is almost a relief when a man is found dead along the Morwenstow coast and the agency is sought out to investigate. There are suspicions that wreckers plague the shores, luring ships to their ruin with false lights – though nothing has ever been proved. Yet with the local talk of sirens calling victims to the sea to meet their end, could something other-worldly be responsible for the man’s death?

Fake Like MeFake Like Me by Barbara Bourland (review copy courtesy of riverrun)

When a fire rips through her studio and burns the seven enormous paintings for her next exhibition, a young, no-name painter is left with an impossible task: recreate her art in just three months – or ruin her fledgling career. Thirty-four, single and homeless, she desperately secures a place at an exclusive upstate retreat.

Brimming with creative history and set on a sparkling black lake, Pine City and its founders – a notorious collective of successful artists – is what she’s idolized all her life. She’s dreamt of the parties, the celebrities, the privilege. What she finds is a ghost of its former self.

The recent suicide of founding member Carey Logan haunts everyone, lurking beneath the surface like a shipwreck. And one thought begins to shadow her every move – what really happened to her hero?

Follow the buddy read on Twitter and Instagram #FakeLikeUs stating 15th July 2019

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I published introduction to my Buchan of the Month, The Runagates Club by John Buchan.

Tuesday –  This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Character Freebie and I chose to focus on John Buchan’s most famous character, Richard Hannay – A Man of Many Parts.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next…and have a good nose around to see what other bloggers are reading.

Thursday – I published my review of the fourth volume of ex-Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson’s memoirs, In My Life: A Music Memoir.

Friday – I shared my Henley Literary Festival 2019 Reading List – books I own but haven’t yet read by authors appearing at the Festival.

As always, thanks to everyone who has liked, commented on or shared my blog posts on social media this week.

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Book Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
  • Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Blog Tour/Book Review: Razia by Abda Khan