Wednesday 10 October 2012

And Actually... by Denise Deegan

For Review: Hachette Books Ireland
Published: 3 September 2012

From Goodreads: When I moved to Strandbrook College, I met Alex and Sarah. They treated me like I was normal. A human being. They actually liked me - though it took a while for me to trust that. I've never told them about my life before I met them. That shame can stay in the past. Weird thing is, they think I'm the strong one. The one with all the answers. The guru. When I'm offered a part on a TV show, they think it's all my dreams come true. And it is. Except that it'll bring me face-to-face with someone from my past - and memories I've kept buried. But I've changed. And I'm sure Rebecca has too. Whatever happens, there's no way I'm going to let my past destroy my future.

I adore the first two books in Denise Deegan’s Butterfly Series so I pretty much read this the moment it arrived! I was really looking forward to getting the story from Rachel’s point of view and discovering more about her. I have to say I was very intrigued about Rachel’s past!

The story picks up two weeks after the events of And For Your Information and I was really keen to see how Alex was coping with Maggie, how Sarah was doing and just generally catch up with these characters lives.

I really liked Rachel in the first two books and loved her here. We definitely get to see a different side to her I think, one she has kept hidden. I love her relationship with Mark – they obviously adore each other and I really enjoyed their scenes together. But I can also understand why she could misinterpret his feeling towards her later on. I loved the ending though!

While I suppose it could be argued that it’s a bit of a coincidence for Rebecca to be on the same TV Show as Rachel, I thought it worked as a great catalyst to bring everything Rachel has tried to put behind her back into her life. I was horrified by what she went through and the impact it still has on her (and her family). But it does happen - and it happens to a lot of people - and this story has a great message for anyone going through something similar or knows someone in a similar situation. And I really loved Maisie – and how thoughtful she is with Rachel and how much she helps her.

The other aspect of the story I really loved was Jack. I didn’t realise Rachel had a twin brother – was this something I missed in the first two books? I thought it was sad how they were kind of forced apart – this obviously had an impact on them both. But I loved how close they were – how close the whole family was.

Of course, we also catch up with Alex and Sarah. Although obviously struggling, I was glad to see Sarah at least trying to get on with her life. And I was really pleased for Alex! I really hope this is not the last we see of these characters. I love the world and am really invested in all the character’s lives. I don’t know if there are any more books planned but I would certainly love to read many, many more. I’d love to see if Alex and Maggie's father make a go of it, to see Sarah fall in love again, to see if Rachel manages to achieve the acting career she desires and I would LOVE to catch up with David from the first book. Although I’m really happy with how things have turned out for Alex, I really did love David and would like to see what he’s done with his life since we saw him last.

This is an absolute gem of a series!

2 comments:

maya said...

I've read your reviews for all the books in this series and it sounds absolutely fab!

Luisa at Chicklish said...

I love this series too and I agree with your review! I thought the same about Rachel being a twin, by the way... And I'm also wondering how David is. Thanks for a great review!

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