A Fresh Start, Short Story Collection by Various Authors, compiled by Fanny Blake
Description:
“From wronged wives to nosy neighbours, from distant dads to new-found family, from secrets to lies, fresh starts to false endings – and everything in between…
A collection of brilliant short stories from the best writers around.
This collection contains original stories from Fanny Blake, Louise Candlish, Mike Gayle, Mari Hannah, Sophie Kinsella, Jojo Moyes, Adele Parks, Ian Rankin, Mahsuda Snaith and Keith Stuart.”
My review:
I am giving this book a rating of 5 out of 5.
Living up to its label as a ‘Quick Read’, I devoured this book within a couple of hours!
My favourite story was the first one, Lock Up and Leave by Louise Candlish, which focuses on a wife’s amusing reaction to her husband’s behaviour – I won’t give away any more, in case I spoil it! Coming in as a second favourite was The Accidental Date by Keith Stuart, which was a story about parents dealing with the stress of trying to cope with seeing their autistic son grow up all of a sudden (again, I won’t give any spoilers!), which was really well written.
Unlike with a novel, there isn’t the depth of plot and world building to explore. Though each story has its own, unique merits, I was beyond impressed by the character development in all the short stories in this collection.
I’m working on improving my short story writing skills, so I’ll definitely be studying more ‘Quick Reads’ collections by The Reading Agency, given how inspired I’ve been by this wonderful collection of stories!
Highly recommend – especially if you’re not an avid reader, or want to start reading more 🙂
Read in: April 2026
Format: Paperback
I’m including the date and format in which I experienced this story for transparency, since whatever is going on in the world (and a reader’s private life) at the time of reading, along with a book’s reading format, can impact an individual’s enjoyment of a story.
Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me by a loved one, meaning they either purchased it in person (e.g. at a bookshop, supermarket, charity shop, etc.) or purchased it online. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and have not been influenced by the author or publisher in any way. This book review does not contain affiliate links.