Three South Yorkshire friends, all on the cusp of 40, fall pregnant at the same time following a visit to an ancient fertility symbol. For Helen, it's a dream come true, although her husband is not as thrilled about it as she had hoped. Not only wrestling with painful ghosts of the past, Helen has to deal with the fact that her outwardly perfect marriage is crumbling before her eyes. For Janey, it is an unmitigated disaster as she has just been offered the career break of a life-time. And she has no idea either how it could possibly have happened, seeing as she and her ecstatic husband George were always so careful over contraception. For Elizabeth, it is mind-numbing, because she knows people like her shouldn't have children. Damaged by her dysfunctional childhood and emotionally lost, she not only has to contend with carrying a child she doubts she can ever love, but she also has to deal with the return to her life of a man whose love she must deny herself. Heart-warming, up-lifting, tear-jerking and lovely, THE YORKSHIRE PUDDING CLUB is the story of how three women find themselves empowered by unexpected pregnancy. How it revitalises one woman's tired marriage, strengthens another's belief in herself and brings love and warmth to a cold and empty life.

WINNER OF THE READING LIBRARIES BOOK OF THE YEAR

AND EARNED MJ THE MOST PROMISING CHICK-LIT WRITER OF 2007

I approached this book fairly cynically, I had to admit, but it was surprisingly easy to slip into and I loved the author's fresh and quite unusual voice. I enjoyed the twists and turns of a very slick plot and the beautiful balancing of Janey and George's 'penances'. There was obvious affection in the writing for the characters and the setting, which endeared me greatly to the author (yes I'm from Yorkshire originally!), and I do look forward very much to her next offering, a chapter of which was supplied in the back. I was expecting a sequel - but was surprised with a quite different story which sounds as much, if not more, up my own personal street. A worthy first novel and one that deserves the rather 'lovely' reviews (to quote just about everyone) that I have found in the press and on the net. Well done!!!

Fantastic story line that keeps pace throughout, about three lifelong friends who fall pregnant in their late thirties.
I felt that I knew each character and felt empathy with each of their individual experiences
A very well written book that is heart both heart warming and sad at times
You won't be disappointed .

i loved this book! i was gripped from start to finish as the author effortlessly moves from character to character through a range of emotions on becoming a mummy! i adored it and i cried at the end!!! there are also so many funny, light hearted moments in the novel, and i would definately recommend this to anybody...mummy or not! beautiful, sweet natured novel!

You don't have to be from Yorkshire to like this one... This is one of those rare and wonderful books which you cannot put down once you start to read, and can't bare to finish.
If you are, or have ever been, pregnant then you will definitely identify with the ups and downs the characters go through, but it is so much more than just about pregnancy. You really care about the characters, and what happens to them in their various relationships.
I only wish there was a sequel to tell us of their experiences of dealing with their babies, toddler groups, starting school etc.

I wanted to tell you how much I hated it.  I hated the fact that I was SO knackered after staying up so late reading!!  I also hated that I was reading it SO quickly that it ran out too fast and then I felt really fed up that I had finished it!!!  

 

Romance writer and single mum Stevie Honeywell has only weeks to go to her wedding

when her fiance Matthew runs off with her glamorous new friend Jo MacLean. It feels like history repeating itself for Stevie, but this time she is determined to win back her man. She isn't going to act as he might expect. She isn't going to wail and dig her heels in, she is simply going to pretend to let him go whilst she pursues a mad course of dieting, exercising and self-improvement. And it feels like history is repeating itself for Adam MacLean too, who is also determined to win his lady, Jo, back with the same basic psychological tactics. Then he is going to initiate his master plan: Getting together with Stevie to drive Jo wild with jealousy. So, like the Scottish country jig 'The Birds and the Bees', the couples all change partners and learn some revealing truths about each other along the way. But what happens when Adam's master plan actually starts to work? And just who will Stevie be dancing with when the music stops?

LONGLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVELIST ASSOCIATION BOOK OF THE YEAR

WINNER OF THE SINGLE TITLES REVIEWERS AWARD

It's the Bees Knees...Ohhh...I just loved this one, I didn't want it to end. I've been looking forward to it for ages after really enjoying the Yorkshire Pudding Club... and the good news is that Milly Johnson has triumphed again!
The plot is about Stevie, Matthew, Jo and Adam. Stevie's all set to marry Matthew in a few weeks when a complete stranger (Adam) knocks on her door and informs her that Matthew is having it away with Adam's other half Jo. Stevie is devastated but Adam has a plan to split up Matthew and Jo, and asks Stevie to help him with it.
Initially she resists, but then goes along with him, only to discover that she's actually enjoying spending time plotting with Adam...
This is great fun and very well-written, with real warmth and wit. The characters are fab, and it all feels very fresh and original. I laughed out loud countless times, and was sorry to see it end. Sweet as honey!

If you like Marian Keyes...you must read Milly Johnson. There are two writers in this genre who can move me to tears as well as to out-loud laughter. Marian Keyes is one, Milly Johnson is the other. Milly has a true talent for making her readers feel very deeply for her characters, both her tough-but-soft female characters and her strong and sexy heroes. This is real, heart-felt life here and you can tell the difference. If you need a book to lose yourself in and one you'll want to read all over again as soon as you finish it, this is the one for you.

I have just read this book twice in the space of two weeks. Why? It was a fantastic read: touching, witty, sharply observed characters, wonderful little laugh out loud one liners, and most importantly (obviously, for any modern chick lit fan!) a happy ending.
Stevie, the heroine, is not perfect, neither is her life and that's before it is turned upside down. There are characters to love, some to hate, some to melt your heart and some to fall in love with.
I was truly gutted to have finished reading this book, and just wanted it to go on and on and on.
Bring on Milly's 3rd book (as fast as she can write it!!!)

I have read hundreds of books mostly "chick lit" ,i love reading , and i have to say Milly Johnson is great , this book had me laughing out loud on the bus to work, and even a few tears here and there, you realy get engrosed in this book, all of a sudden you look up and you are at your stop.If you want a heartfelt and uplifting and extremeley funny read , this is the one.It is true that its a bit predicatable especially if you have read a lot of books, but its still written realy well, and though it doesnt suprise it certainly makes you feel good. fantastic , would highly reccomend.

Hated it! - I bought this book because it sounded really good and the reviews on here were all praising it. But when I read it, I found it boring, and most of all a waste of my money. Do yourself a favour and don't waste your money on this load of rubbish.

When Lou Winter picks up a dog-eared magazine in the dentist's waiting room

and spots an article about clearing clutter, she little realises how it will change

her life. What begins as an earnest spring clean soon spirals out of control. Before long Lou is hiring skips in which to dump the copious amounts of junk she never knew she had. Lou's loved ones grow disgruntled. Why is clearing out cupboards suddenly more important than making his breakfast, her husband Phil wonders? The truth is, the more rubbish Lou lets go of, the more light and air can get to those painful, closed-up places at the centre of her heart: the love waiting for a baby she would never have, the empty space her best friend Deb once occupied, and the gaping wound left by her husband's affair. Even lovely Tom Broom, the man who delivers Lou's skips, starts to grow concerned about his sweetest customer. But Lou is a woman on a mission, and not even she knows where it will end ...

From the wonderful SINGLETITLES.COM -http://singletitles.com/?p=1800

Lou Winter used to be a dynamic, fun-loving woman, but since her marriage, life has dragged her down. She's surrounded by people who take advantage of her: her unfaithful husband Phil, her mother, her sister, her friend and at work her office is controlled by a bully of the worst kind. But everything changes when Lou decides to start spring cleaning her life. She meets the gorgeous Tom Broom and his adorable dog Clooney, and the more she declutters, the more she realises what's really important in life - who her real friends are, and why it's important to follow your dreams. I won't give away the plot, but this is a lovely, sweet, funny and clever story with a brilliant, feel-good ending. I've loved all of Milly Johnson's books, but this is the best yet. It's the perfect read for summer.

I loved Lou Winter from the first chapter. At work she shows she is a force to be reckoned with but at home she is apparently auditioning for a part in the latest remake of The Stepford Wives'. But things are about to change. She picks up a magazine containing an article about de-cluttering your life and the effect it can have on you and starts to put the advice into practice.
Soon she is keeping the local skip hire firm - owned by hunky Tom Broome - in business and the home she shares with husband Phil is starting to look vaguely minimalist. Those around her such as her mother and sister, her clingy friend Michelle and even Phil are about to be startled out of their safe comfortable relationships with good old dependable Lou. Lou has buried ambitions which she is seriously considering resurrecting. Will Phil - used to home cooking and a spotless house - realise what is happening before it is too late?
I loved this book. It is well written and the dialogue is sparky as are the characters - even the horrible ones. Every reader will know someone like Phil or Michelle or the two Susans. It is a great comfort read and has that something indefinable which all good women's fiction has. I recommend it if you want a 'feel good' read.

Could change your life forever...For anyone in a male controlled relationship (myself NOT included) please read this book, its so true to life and goes to show life can have a happy ending. I loved it, couldnt put it down.

When dynamic, power-dressing Christie blows in like a warm wind to take over their department, five very different women find themselves thrown together at work. But none of them could have predicted the fierce bond of friendship that her leadership would inspire...

Anna, 39, is reeling from the loss of her fiance, who ran off with a much younger woman. Her pride in tatters, these days Anna finds it difficult to leave the house. So when a handsome, mysterious stranger takes an interest in her, she's not sure whether she can learn to trust again.  Especially someone who the press report is a vampire!

Then there's Grace, in her fifties, trapped in a loveless marriage with a man she married because, unable to have children of her own, she fell in love with his motherless brood. Grace worries that Dawn is about to make the same mistake: orphaned as a child, engaged to love-rat Calum, is Dawn more interested in the security that comes with his tight-knit, boisterous family?

When a sexy, footloose country singer catches her eye, will Dawn have the courage to follow her heart? At 28, Raychel is the youngest member of their little gang. And with a loving husband, Ben, and a cosy little nest for two, she would seem to be the happiest.

But what dark secrets are lurking behind this perfect facade, that make sweet, pretty Raychel so guarded and unwilling to open up? Under Christie's warm hand, the girls soon realise they have some difficult choices to make. Indeed, none of them quite realised how much they needed the sense of fun, laughter, and loyalty that abounds when five women become friends.

Though not a sequel to The Yorkshire Pudding Club, fans of the book will be reunited with Elizabeth, Janey and Helen who have a minor, if integral, part of the story.  One particular plotline of the YPC has been waiting to be satisfied - and here it is in A Summer Fling!

Review from the lovely ladies of Novelicious

Last night I said,"I'm just going to flick through the first few pages before I go to bed."

I emerged from Milly Johnson's latest book at 5:30 this morning. Utterly knackered, but with a big smile on my face.

This book was so wonderful that it's hard to know where to begin with the review. First of all, Milly Johnson is a natural born storyteller. The highs and lows of each women's story were written beautifully, and with excellent timing and pace. Pageturner...Big tick. I became completely engaged in what was going on, so much so that the book may as well have been glued to my hands. I simply could not put it down.

Secondly, the characters were a joy to read. The book has a fairly large cast, which isn't something I'm usually very fond of, but each character was so distinctive that they could have held up an entire novel all on their own. While the main characters were utterly, believeably wonderful (my favourite was Anna), it was the supporting cast that really shone for me. Muriel and the Crooke family, Gordon, Malcolm and Jane, were all characters that we've come across in real life, but none of them were cliched. As usual with Milly's books, the romantic interests were something else. Sweet, sexy Ben, country singing Al, and dark vampire Vlad were just brilliant. Literally a total swoonfest. Characters who I want to see more of...big fat tick.

Thirdly, this book took me on an entire spectrum of emotions. I got the rage, I chuckled, and welled up and I hoped. The humour lay primarily in the characters as opposed to the plot, and parts of the dialogue had me squawking. I mentioned in my review of A Spring Affair that Milly Johnson must be a bit of a chatterbox. Now I think she's a lurker too. In the nicest possible way, I'm not sure how somebody can produce such warm, real, funny dialogue without spending a lot of time lurking around other peoples convos and jotting down notes.There were points at which I actually wanted to get into the conversations going on between the characters! Took me on a journey...another big tick.

Finally, while being a stand out romantic comedy, this book also touched on darker issues such as bullying, racism and miscarraige. To be able to write this in a way that adds to the emotionality of the audience's experience, while not becoming completely depressing is very impressive. This book made me want to send out a copy to everyone who has ever dismissed chick lit as a vapid genre and say "There you go! Take That!". I can't do that though, because the postage would be expensive and I'm skint.

So. Having gushed like a big fat chick lit nerd, I would like to finish by saying BUY THIS BOOK! I am fervently recommending it.

A huge 10/10

This is Milly Johnson’s fourth book, and it’s not a secret to say that I have looked forward to this one for absolutely ages! I first read her debut novel The Yorkshire Pudding Club a few years back, and then quickly moved onto her next book The Birds and The Bees which was just a good! Her third book A Spring Affair was also brilliant (seeing a pattern here?!) so I had very high hopes for this one, and luckily Milly hasn’t let me down again! I was so excited when I opened the parcel to discover a copy of this book and I actually started it there and then, I just couldn’t wait, and finished it a day later. I was actually up until 1am because I couldn’t bear the thought of going to sleep and not knowing how it was all going to end for everyone! I hope my review conveys just how much I adored this book, because it really does deserve a glowing review.

Immediately, I was drawn into the book because I met all the characters within the first few paragraphs, and that straight away set the scene for the book, showing us all the different characters and how they all are together before Christie is introduced into the mix. I actually expected that to happen a lot sooner but I am glad Milly makes us wait a little bit so we really get to know these characters before we start to see them change before our eyes. The book begins in April and progresses through the book until we end up in June, and I think the three month time-frame is perfect for the book and pace of the story.

I won’t go into too much detail with all of the characters because there are quite a few, and I don’t actually want to spoil anything about the book for you because it’s such a brilliant read. What I love about Milly’s books is how believable her characters are as people, and this is certainly the case in this book. My favourite character was definitely Christie, she is a breath of fresh air not only for her colleagues but for the book as a whole. She breezes through in her bright suits and really cheered me up, you just wish you had a friend like Christie! I also loved the character of Anna – she’s very self-deprecating as a lot of us women are so I could relate to her in that respect, and I enjoyed seeing her character grow throughout the book very much.

Milly has been brave in this book and created a character that is totally unexpected, and not a character you would expect to see in a chick lit book like this at all, and that is Vladimir Draq. He’s a Romanian designer that has a wonderful story with Anna, but also there is a bit of a mystery to him as well… is he a vampire? I was worried that this character would seem totally out of place in the book but I loved the whole mystery around it, and I think Milly has done a great job of integrating this storyline into the lives of these normal 5 women.

What I loved most about this book however was the emotion running right throughout it. It was funny and it made me laugh… it was sad and I felt the sadness along with the characters, and every other emotion that these people felt I felt like I did so too. Milly writes in such an easy to read way that you quickly find yourself plowing through the book and I’d devoured nearly half of it before I realised what was happening, I was so engrossed in it! It’s got a real heart in it, and that’s what will make it appeal to so many people out there who love a good, fun and emotional read. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved it, there is nothing to dislike at all and if you don’t pick up a copy, then you’ll really be missing out on a superb read. Amazing!   5/5 (Chick Lit Reviews.com)

Shirley Valentine, eat your heart out!

Ven, Roz, Olive and Frankie have been friends since school. They daydreamed of glorious futures, full of riches, romance and fabulous jobs. The world would be their oyster.

Twenty-five years later, Olive cleans other people's houses to support her lazy, out-of-work husband and his ailing mother. Roz cannot show her kind, caring partner Manus any love because her philandering ex has left her trust in shreds. And she and Frankie have fallen out big time.

But Ven is determined to reunite her friends and realize the dream they had of taking a cruise by the time they hit forty. Beofer they know it, the four of them are far from home,on the high seas. But can blue skies, hot sun and sixteen days of luxury and indulgence distract from the tension and loneliness that await their return?

Find out in this warm, sparkling new novel from the bestselling author of A Summer Fling.

Published on 28th April, you can pre-order it from Amazon