This is a romantic comedy and it was funny and sweet and had some great plot twists. Its perfect for an afternoons reading.

Crime with humour and wit. Who would have thought you would get that in one book!
This book can be read as a stand alone even though its part of a series. I have read a couple of these books and this one was a lot of fun. I am getting the others that I haven't read now and will start the series from the beginning!

DNF. Note to publisher - I will not provide a public review as I'm finding this title hard to get through and deciding it's just not my style. I'm seeing some of the sense of humor and wit but the upfront chaos is coming up for me as hard to read rather than delightfully chaotic. Thank you for the opportunity to read, I do not want to down vote it on Goodreads.

A mad romp of a book that keeps the fun coming even in dire circumstances.

Minty is an outsider and shows it with her odd clothes and hair ornaments, She's a talented artist who has never produced anything original, to her father's dismay. She is a young widow with two children and two dogs, that keep her on her toes. When she meets Devon in the park gym things seem to be looking up.

The past, however, is all ready to catch up with her.

Can Minty avoid the reckonings of her dark deeds years ago, find romance, and put the snooty mothers at the school gate in their place? Well, read on and you'll have a lot of fun finding out.

I was drawn to this book because it's set in Maida Vale, London, where I lived many years ago. So, for me, it was also a trip down memory lane. And a very enjoyable one at that.

A very different romcom with the emphasis on the comedy. Minty is chaotic in her life being a talented artist who would rather make copies than original paintings. This leads her into some rare and interesting situations . There is a mixture of well sketched out characters all aiding and abetting the central figure and bringing many laugh out loud moments in this light hearted tale

I really enjoyed this book. The author kept my attention all the way through and I could not put it down. I read it in one go because I was so taken in with the plot and characters.
Minty is such a lovely person and has had a few bad runs along her life and the way that she has recovered to become an amazing Mum, sister and daughter is tenement to us all. A real inspiring book that also made me laugh out loud!
The relationship with her father is caring and loving and I really get where he is coming from when encouraging and motivating his daughter to make the right choices.
Harriet and Harry are sweet, innocent children that the author brought out the best in them even though they had been through some challenging life situations for such young children
I strongly recommend this book.

Absolutely loved this book. Not good when you read at lunchtime in the office and you burst out laughing
It made me smile. Will be looking for more books by Holly Denham. If you want a book to uplift you, full of eccentric characters that you would like to be friends with this is the book for you.

A light-hearted read with quirky characters and an unusual plot, this was an enjoyable book to read on a warm summer evening.

Slow build, somewhat ditzy but still an entertaining story. The ‘then’ parts felt more developed than the ‘now’ parts. It really picked up after the 70% mark and I’m glad I persevered.

This book had me howling with laughter.

I knew this book was for me, when in the first few chapters, a jest about the team my father and I support (Queens Park Rangers till I perish) was made and captured our EXACT feelings about them.

Although our FMC’s life is ladened with disaster and drama, sprinkled with mystery and dual time lines throughout, this book was such a feel good read.

I definitely recommend!

Cosy crime with humour and wit.

can be read as a stand alone even though its a series. First one I have read and it was a lot of fun. I am getting the others!

Holly Denham's talent for storytelling and character development. With its intricate plot, richly developed characters, and thought-provoking themes, the book offers a compelling and emotionally satisfying read. It's a story that resonates with readers, exploring the complexities of love and the transformative power of truth.

The strangest book I’ve ever read, I’m not really sure of it was a comedy, love story, a thriller or a mystery/gangster. Having said that it was most enjoyable especially after the first third when it picked up a pace. It had some funny laugh out loud moments, some interesting characters and some quite unbelievable moments.

Overall I enjoyed it thoroughly but it did take some time to get into.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

*3.5* The first half of the book was a slow build that left me wondering if the book was for me. The second half was a confirmation of my love for Holly Denham’s work. I could not stop laughing at Minty and her crazy and often times chaotic situations. I think that the introduction to all of the characters in the beginning threw me for a loop and confused me quite a bit. Once I had an understanding of who everyone was and their personalities the story meshed together well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holly Denham for providing me with an e copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve not read any books by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Minty has a strange lifestyle and the reason why becomes apparent as you read on! The characters are very well developed and you can’t help but become involved with the family and cheer them on through all the trials and tribulations. A must read!

This is a great, fun, lighthearted story, which provides an air of cosy mystery and moves along at a rapid pace. It is written in a very concise way, to the extent that you have to pay close attention, else you could miss important details - I wound up having to reread a couple of parts, when the characters wound up in a totally different scenario without my noticing.. The timeline flicks between past and present, with both timelines covering Minty’s crazy and chaotic escapades. Overall entertaining, with lots of hi jinx, but not much by way of convincing romance. Thanks to NetGallery for the ‘read now’ - the book is out now ….

I wanted more romance, and it wasn't haha funny, but I read it in one sitting. The premise was more exciting, and the flashbacks were much more exciting that present day story.

Thank you to NetGalley for supplying a free copy of this ebook in exchange for a review
Read if you like:
🎨an artistic main character
🏠stories that include a close knit extended family
⏰a patchwork reveal of past events

Summary:
Minty returns to Madia Vale to care for her aging parents with two twins and recently widowed. She isn’t expecting her past involving Glaswegian gangsters and international law to feature are heavily when all she is trying to do is keep her church attendance up and balance the realities of kids in school.

Plot
The overall setup of the plot was easy enough to follow, however I had some issues with the execution that impacted my enjoyment of the book. The book is written in sections of present day and then relevant flashbacks to reveal key events or add further context. However, because of this, the plot wandered at times with events often jumbled into the same paragraphs. I wound up having to reread a couple of sections as the characters wound up in a totally different scenario without my noticing. The time jumps could have also been clearer but that may have just been the formatting on my copy.

Main character
My enjoyment of this book felt like it was in spite of Minty instead of because of her. I knew going in that she was going to be loveable and intending to be relatable, however she didn’t land with me. She felt as if the author was aiming for charming eccentricities and wound up hitting a bullseye with odd kookiness. Her antics were occasionally funny but mostly had me cringing for her children.

I did enjoy the description of her artworks and her freedom of expression in her outfits! They were very creatively picked out and I loved her get up and go attitude.

Secondary character
A vast majority of the other characters fell into secondary territory and the vast majority of those are one note and not very developed. Minty’s family are the most carefully attended to with her parents feeling the most fleshed out and cared out. Her mother has Alzheimer’s and I appreciated the inclusion about the concessions the family make to help her live a mostly independent life and the struggles with that. Her parent’s marriage was a delight to read and they wound up stealing most of the scenes they were in.

Everyone else can be summed up in a handful of words: her sister (uptight), her brother (used car salesman), her children nicknamed the Harries (teenager and child) respectively despite being twins. Even the main antagonist felt like a caricature of a Scottish gangster and never packed any kind of threat despite the book’s attempts to lead that way.

Romance
I liked the setup but felt lacklustre on it as the plot progressed. I will be brief to avoid spoilers but I felt the twist was telegraphed and unnecessary.

Worldbuilding
I enjoyed the community atmosphere that was created in this book. The modern day reactions to things, such as Minty going viral on TikTok, felt very well-executed and added to the story.

Overall
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. It was a pleasant read and I do enjoy the genre of cosier novels which this book falls into. I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more of the authors work either! Just maybe not in this series.

A fun read with a quirky family and art forgery.
Minty used to be a forger but is now more concerned with sorting out her unruly family, especially her parents, who have dementia. The restaurant scene is a hoot! The one of her forgeries comes back to bite her. An enjoyable read, especially if you’re an art lover, though a bit confusing at times. Daft but fun.

This book was pretty unexpected. I liked the romance and mystery and I've never read a book like this. I would recommend this book, it just watsn't for me. I felt like the story was a little slow but honestly, it's okay.
Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC even though the book is already released (I got it in the Read Now section)