Cirrus@Austlit

''Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more. Men were deceivers ever ...'

'Since she was sixteen, Willa's curious touchstone in life and work has been the 1993 film Much Ado About Nothing . She's always looking for The Feeling, the stirring in her heart - and loins - that she gets when watching the opening scenes. Now she's navigating her mid-thirties, her career as a romance publisher in an unusual family business, and her determination to remain child-free, while quietly holding out for a love as big as Beatrice and Benedick's.

'But when relationships start to get complicated between Willa, her cousin Imogen and the four sons of the family she works for, and the events of her own life begin to mirror the plot of her beloved comedy, Willa must consider whether there is such a thing as too much ado.

'A delightfully Shakespearean romantic comedy about modern love, women's roles and how the films and stories we grow up with shape us.' (Publication summary) 

'There's No Such Book is a funny and heartwarming that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the frenzy of Book Week.

'It's the night before the Book Week parade and Ellie announces that she needs a costume by the morning. Mum, who is taken by surprise, desperately tries to piece together a costume from what’s lying around the house …

'They went into the bathroom.
‘Hmm,’ said Mum. ‘Don’t I remember once reading you a book about a monster whose skin looked like it was made of bright green towels?’
‘No,’ said Ellie. ‘There is no such book.

'Ellie heads to bed only with Mum's promise that she’ll have a costume sorted by the morning. Mum stays true to her word, but perhaps not in the way that Ellie was hoping.'  (Publication summary)

''Dettmann nails the funny, sad and bizarre nuances of family life in this gripping novel that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty, Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes' Sally Hepworth

'Molly's a millennial home organiser about to have her first baby. Obviously her mum, Annie, will help with the childcare. Everyone else's parents are doing it.

'But Annie's dreams of music stardom have been on hold for thirty-five years, paused by childbirth then buried under her responsibilities as a mother, wage earner, wife, and only child of ailing parents. Finally, she can taste freedom.

'As Molly and her siblings gather in the close quarters of the family home over one fraught summer, shocking revelations come to light. Everyone is forced to confront the question of what it means to be a family.

'This Has Been Absolutely Lovely is a story about growing up and giving in, of parents and children, of hope and failure, of bravery and defied expectation, and whether it is ever too late to try again.' (Publication summary)

'Going from one child to two is never all that easy for a family, but when Emma's husband simultaneously fathers a third child three doors up the street, things get very tricky, very fast.

'No longer is it enough for Emma to be the best wife and mother - now she's trying to be the best ex-wife, and the best part-time parent to her ex's love child, and that's before she even thinks about adding a new bloke to the mix.

'Set in an upwardly mobile, ultra-competitive suburb, this is a funny, biting, heartwarming modern comedy that looks at the roles we play, how we compete, and what happens when we dare to strive for second-best.'

Source: publisher's blurb.