I absolutely love Alison so was very much looking forward to this one!
An easy, quick read with a strong message of girl power, believing in yourself & the importance of friendship running through it. I would say it was a tiny bit predictable but still enjoyable!
Thank you netgalley for sending.

Madison thinks she's living the perfect life with her TV star husband - apart from her terrible, but safe interior designer job, until he says that he wants a break. She is left with no option but to turn private detective to find out what he's up to.

I wanted to like this book - I love Alison Hammond. But I couldn't hear her unique, funny warm voice in this book at all. It wasn't even set in her beloved Birmingham. They say write about what you know - why not set it there and fill it with warm, unique Brummy voices and culture.. In the end it was a nice enough story, but nothing special.

Alison Hammond's debut novel Bombshell is an absolute delight. The character of Madison is incredibly relatable, and her strength and love for her family shine throughout the story.

When Madison's partner, Rich, abruptly leaves her, she is thrown into turmoil.

Struggling to understand why and maintain a brave front for her children, her journey of self-discovery is both heartwarming and inspiring. Watching her begin to believe in herself, forge new friendships, and rebuild her confidence is a joy.

Madison's detective work leads her back to her passion for art and interior design, while also introducing her to new friends. The twist near the end was a complete surprise and mirrored Madison's own shock - I found myself reacting just as she did!

The budding friendship with Nathan was another highlight.

He recognises Madison's talents and supports her without rushing her into a romantic relationship. Their connection remains understated and realistic, with a simple date proposal at the end, which felt right given Madison's vulnerable state and her need to adjust to a new chapter in her life.

This is a fast-paced, funny, and heartwarming read that touches on resilience, friendship, and rediscovering one's passions.

While the collaborative writing style with another author is occasionally noticeable, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story.

Highly recommended for those looking for an uplifting and engaging novel.

Wife and mother of two, Madison has always prioritized her family - even putting her own career on the back burner. One day her husband blindsides her with the need for space, moving out of their family home, leaving her feeling confused and completely overwhelmed. Seeking support from friends [old and new], she turns to sleuthing to find out why her husband is pulling away. On the journey, she not only learns more about her new reality, but also rediscovers self-worth.

What I liked about the book was that it was relatively believable - Madison's predicament could happen in real life, the story gave us a glimpse into how multifaceted motherhood is, and how complex interpersonal relationships can be. There were bits of humor here and there, which I appreciated.

What I did not like about the book was that it simply was not my speed. I found the pace a bit slow and I had a hard time connecting with the story/ characters in a way that kept my interest. Roughly 3/4 of the way through the book it began to pick up speed, which helped me see it through to the end.

All in all, I thought the book was okay. But unfortunately, it just was not my cup of tea.

Bombshell was a funny and heartbreaking read at the same time. I love Alison Hammond and I felt like the main character definitely had some of her personality. The plot felt very real and although nothing shocking happened in the book, I was hooked to the story of Madison. Her character development was incredible and she was so loveable.

The chapters were short which made it feel like a quick read and it was an easy book to read. As the book went on and certain events happened (no spoilers), I needed to find out more and it was definitely a page turner. I highly recommend this book, it was everything I was expecting from an Alison Hammond book and more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Family has always meant everything to Madison. Married to the nation’s heartthrob, TV handyman Rich, with two beautiful children, she’s always put their needs first. And she’s never regretted a second, even if her own career has taken a backseat. Then, out of the blue, Rich drops a bombshell. He needs some space and he’s moving out. Overwhelmed by this revelation, Madison turns to her tight-knit group of friends for help. But when their support isn’t enough, Madison resolves to find out what’s really going on. Even if it means turning detective on her own husband. And with her own interior-design career about to take off (once her manager stops squashing her bold ideas for his terrible ones, and provided she doesn’t get distracted by the new guy in the office), Madison’s about to rediscover her own worth. She’s a bombshell, after all…

Unfortunately, this book is a DNF for me. I pushed on but had to give up at 23%. It felt like the book was not going anywhere at all and was incredibly bland. There were no levels of complexity to the storyline or to the characters which could hook my attention. I am a big fan of Alison Hammond and thought this would be a great book to read. But I couldn’t see any Alison in this. None of her charm, or her humour. It just all fell flat. Not to mention that essentially a quarter of the way through the book, all we had seen was the beginnings of a break up. That’s it. Very little about Madison’s job, let alone it taking off as suggested in the blurb, and repetitive actions with the children. I really hoped for more.

Overall, Bombshell is a book I was very excited to read but felt like a let down.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 14th March and is available now on Goodreads.

I was interested to review this book, I have to admit I dont watch the TV genres this celebrity is in but was open minded with this book. Sadly found this be be a bit "flat" and not well written.
I felt this was a story of finding ondelf when everything is a bit mad round about you but sadly lacked substance.

this is hard to review because I don’t have any feelings towards the book!! It wasn’t bad but I just didn’t really care about the characters apart from Madison I knew Rich was a rat :) and Jess. I don’t know Madison deserved so much better from her husband but I’m also so happy to see that she didn’t go back to him because the way he handled that situation was enough for me to run for the hills

I absolutely raced through this book, I was so invested! It’s one of those where 100 pages feel like nothing and I was turning pages (/ tapping ebook screen) as fast as I could. But equally, didn’t want to read it too fast as I was enjoying it.

I needed to know what was happening! What was Madison’s husband up to? Why had he suddenly become so distant and would Madison find her spark?

The writing was great, the story itself was super enthralling and it was easy to immerse into. It had elements to keep you interested and as a fan of Alison Hammond, this book was an easy win. Loved it!

A brilliant story and debut novel!! Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this and felt all of the emotions being portrayed from the main character.

Please keep them coming!!

I did enjoy this book, it's a perfect Christmas read, but i found myself really frustrated by Rich's behaviour, i spent most the book wanting to slap him! I really 'got' Madison and enjoyed her story. The ending was great.

Bombshell by Alison Hammond is a debut book by the TV presenter, it is very entertaining, funny and sad and is a surprisingly good read.
Madison is married to the nation’s heart throb handyman, Rich with two children, she has always put their own needs first, even letting her own career take a back seat.
Then Rich drops a bombshell and announces that he needs time to himself and he is moving out for a time. Madison turns to her friends for support but it is a stranger, she meets who helps her the most.
Whilst in the middle of all this anguish, Madison’s interior design business, suddenly takes off and she realises that she can cope on her own.
A feel good read at Christmas, that is entertaining, humorous and sad at the same time. I enjoyed reading, this as my first book of the New Year.
Highly recommended

Just fabulous! I adored this book from start to finish even though there were times that I seriously wanted to slap Madison's husband and her at times! Still really great entertaining book with great characters which were well fleshed out and who you genuinely cared about. Really great debut!

What a brilliant book! I raced through it in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. I became completely absorbed in the story and was so invested in it. It’s definitely worthy of 5 stars.

I know that there is a lot of skepticism within the literary criticism circles about books published by celebrities but to be honest, I’m often intrigued by them if the celebrity is someone I enjoy. So, if it’s always a marketing ploy, it works on me!

Interior designer Madison is married to everyone’s favourite, handsome TV handyman Rich and she couldn’t be happier with him and their two kids. She wasn’t expecting the bombshell that is Rich moving out and saying he needs space just a few weeks before Christmas. Madison is determined to find out what’s behind Rich’s sudden personality shift and she might just rediscover herself in the process.

At first, Madison does her best to reassure herself that the split is temporary and that her marriage really is as perfect as she always thought it was. She puts on a brave face for her family but it was clear to me that she never really believed that. It was really sad to witness but something about Madison made me feel that she really would be OK in time.

Perhaps it was the fact that she has always done the lion’s share of ensuring that the family runs properly. Like many mothers, she feels guilty for allowing herself some self-care. Even though she’s going through a hard time and her children are taken care of, it feels unnatural for her to do something for herself and is afraid of what others will think of her. So many books that talk about motherhood touch on this toxic mentality and it’s really concerning to think that school mum culture is rife with such harmful ideas but I don’t doubt it is.

Bombshell is a fun, festive but not overly festive rom-com with a bubbly heroine who you want the best for. There are also a few twists thrown in to keep the pages turning and an ending full of hope. Exactly the kind of book I’d expect from someone like Alison Hammond.

First novel from Alison Hammond.
No major surprises but likeable characters and an easy read. Enjoyable.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for my honest review

I loved this one. Will 100 percent be looking out for another one from Alison. It was an easy read, perfect for over the Christmas period. I loved the strong women portrayed throughout the book. It really resonated with me how the main character, Madison, lost her sense of self after having children and becoming a wife and I loved seeing her rediscover herself. It also gave me hope for myself!

Wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this book. But I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually well written with a good story line and fun characters. A great uplifting read. Recommend

Love Alison Hammond and I really enjoyed Bombshell. It was well written and witty. Poor Maddison feels relatable and left me feeling that she deserved better. This was a great debut. Hope there will be more books to follow.

FAB DEBUT…

Madisons ‘safe stable’ life is turned upside down by her husband Rich.

An easy to read, fall in love with the characters story about strength, friendships, resilience and girl power!

Fun. Sassy. Big hearted.

Alison Hammond is now the queen of fiction!