Sweetpea by C J Skuse

[Bookworm84]

Has anyone else read this? Wildly inappropriate on every level but I couldn't put it down! Now reading the next in the series, 'In Bloom'.

[rosegoldwatcher]

I downloaded the sample on your recommendation. Thank you.
Have laughed out loud several times.
I needed something to cheer me up after finishing Mark Edwards' 'Here To Stay' - which I did not like.
Will be buying this one.

[Bookworm84]

@rosegoldwatcher Glad you like it. I've been recommending it to everyone. Halfway through the sequel and it's just as good. Sounds like we have similar taste in books. What are your favourite reads? Looking for my next read.

[rosegoldwatcher]

All of these I have adored - read more than once and will read again:

A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
Ferney – James Long
Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
Precious Bane – Mary Webb
The Other Mrs Walker – Mary Paulson-Ellis
A Perfectly Good Man – Patrick Gale
The Blasphemer – Nigel Farndale
The Uninvited – Liz Jensen
The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton
Lambs of God – Marele Day

Have you read any of those? None of them are at all like Sweetpea!

[rosegoldwatcher]

Actually the last one - Lambs of God is funny! It concerns a trio of feral nuns, forgotten by the church until an unworldly priest is sent to scope out the potential of the land on which their monastery is built. Sadly it isn't available on Kindle.

[Nyctophyllia]

I've just started it, looks promising

[Bookworm84]

@rosegoldwatcher I've read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' . It's also one of my favourite books. The other Khaled Hosseni novels are good too but that was definitely the best. Guessing you've read them? Not read any of the others you mention so will be looking those up.
@Nyctophyllia and @rosegoldwatcher, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts once you've read it.

[rosegoldwatcher]

@Bookworm - Ferney is an amazingly good story. I have bought it for several friends and they all loved it.

[Saucery]

Downloaded this last night, @Bookworm84, it’s hilarious, thank you for recommending it!

Similar tone to Haterz, by James Goss, equally funny book about someone totally fed up with the people he meets on the Internet.

[Bookworm84]

Looked up Fearney. Has great reviews will be getting that.
@Saucery Hope you enjoy it. Will be looking up Haterz too.

[rosegoldwatcher]

@Bookworm84 Will you come back and tell me what you thought of Ferney when you have read it please?

[Bookworm84]

@rosegoldwatcher. I certainly will. Might be a while as I'm reading quite slowly at the moment as very busy with work. Looks like a good read.

[Bigfatpicnic]

Loved this book, and In Bloom.

Totally inappropriate, dark, funny, but so very good.

I am hoping there is a 3rd book, the end of In Bloom sets up nicely for another book.

[ReapersHowler]

There will be a third book and a TV series! I gently prodded the author on twitter after finishing and loving the second book and she confirmed there will be a third in 2020.

[Saucery]

Finished Sweetpea last night and immediately downloaded In Bloom. Thank you so much, OP, I haven’t laughed and winced at a book like this for ages! Just when I thought it might go a bit twee she’d throw in another vicious murder or psychopathic act - just marvellous!
Nice nod of the head to MN near the end, too.

[inthekitchensink]

Oh I LOVED this book, and have recommended it to everyone also! So dark & funny. Don’t think anyone has liked it as much as I did though, so I glad to see this thread. The only other book that has made me properly laugh out loud lately is Night Waking by Sarah Moss - not remotely similar other than highly funny, cynical women struggling to operate within societal & gender norms

[Bigfatpicnic]

@ReapersHowler, you’ve made my day with the news of the 3rd book! Was it the beginning or the end of 2020 do you know?
I don’t know if I’d watch the TV show as I’m always disappointed when a book is tv serialised; it never seems to do the book justice. Maybe it’s just me who finds it like that, but that 3rd book - can’t wait.

I haven’t found any other book to match them yet, these 2 books are my top reads for 2019.

[Bookworm84]

No problem @Saucery. Glad you enjoyed it. The ending is indeed set up nicely for another book.

[fishonabicycle]

Where can I get Lambs of God? It's about £5366 on Amazon and not in my library 🧐

[rosegoldwatcher]

@fishonabicycle - I bought it second hand some years ago. I think that it is out of print currently. BUT - I reckon it might soon be republished because (just found out from casual googling) a drama of the book has been filmed. Link - //www.youtu.be/WLFQL8VZgiM