The Summer of Impossible Things - Rowan Coleman

If you kept seeing things that no one else could see, you would probably assume you were ill. That's exactly what Luna thinks at first, until she manages to get some evidence, in the form of her mother's missing locket. With this small but significant thing, Luna proves to herself that she is not sick and there is far more going on. Luna can travel through time, to the days just before she was conceived. Now she has the chance to change everything and save her mother. But can she risk erasing herself?

Luna keeps going back and trying to make things right for her mother, her sister and her whole family, but things don't always work out as expected. Even when she thinks she has figured out what she needs to do, the results aren't what she hoped for and she is not willing to live with the unintended consequences. As she realises how far she may have to go, she also realises how much more she has to lose.

This book is so full of emotions and sensations that you can actually feel what Luna goes through and experiences. There is so much going on with the changing relationships between Luna and her family as well as her mother in the past and the other people she meets there. Every time she comes back to her own time, things are different and she has to learn to deal with the new situations. I really enjoyed the growing friendship between Luna and her mother in the past. Most of all I absolutely loved the last line of the book, but I won't spoil it for you!

I was so lucky to meet the author at a book club event. At the time I was about halfway through the book and got very excited when Rowan mentioned the exact bit of the book I had just read! Hearing her describe visiting the places in the book brought it all alive even more for me and the few titbits and teasers she mentioned made me want to get right back to reading!

As Luna means moon, I have made a Moonlight Cocktail. If you like the Aviation then you'll enjoy this slightly fruitier twist. Shake up 1 1/2 shots of gin, 3/4 shot triple sec, 1/2 shot creme de violette, 1/4 shot lemon juice and 1/4 shot lime juice. Strain into a flute and toast the moon.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black - Emily Barr

I'm so glad I didn't have to wait too long for this after reading the sampler. I've been a huge fan of Emily Barr ever since reading The One Memory of Flora Banks so I jumped on the sampler and absolutely loved it. The rest of the book did not disappoint and I loved it just as much.

40 days until she dies. The start of the book sounds clear enough, but as you continue to see these mysterious numbers counting down you realise the meaning is not as simple as you expect.  Ella Black leads a privileged life with parents who will do anything for her. But they don't know she is hiding a secret and is not really the simple, nice girl she tries so hard to seem. When they pull her out of school for an unexpected trip to Rio, she finds out that everyone has secrets of their own and nothing about her life is as she thought.

Everything Ella goes through made me feel extremely grateful for all the simple things in life. My only slight criticism is that the explanation of Ella's secret at the end isn't very satisfying, I feel like it needed a bit more information and was almost glossed over with a fairly quick statement. Other than that, the book was well written and put you right in both Ella's and Bella's head.

Once again Emily Barr has written a wonderful character who is brave and strong but, like most people, doesn't realise her own strengths at first. Ella has to go through a lot of adventures to come to terms with herself but she comes out whole at the other end. Despite everything, Ella is a realistic character.

For Ella Black I have made the Black Raspberry Martini. Add 1 shot vanilla vodka, 1/2 shot each of Chambord, cranberry juice & lemon juice. Shake and pour into a martini glass.