Helen Led here: It was so exciting as well as eye-opening to attend the Shadow judges Zoom meeting curated by Kath Eastman. What a wonderful team of expert Bloggers. A massive thank you to Susan Corcoran, Janet Emson, Stacey Garrity, Danielle Price and Clare Reynolds, as well as Kath herself! The findings were as heartfelt as they were when I witnessed the Celebrity judge discussion. The generosity and sense of wit between everyone was impressive in both meetings, while the outcome... I’ve said it before. And I’ll say it again. One person’s joke is another person’s groan - but the joy in celebration connects us all!
The votes have been counted and the results of the first ever CWIP Shadow Panel are in!
The Shadow Panel are very happy and proud to announce that their winner is...
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (Headline)
Congratulations to Abbi for creating a witty bookish character we all wanted as a friend and for making an introvert the leading lady. For everyone who loves books about books, this is one not to miss. It's for all the readers who find comfort between the pages of a book like Nina does while trying to find her place in the world. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill made us laugh, smile and giggle. It made us feel good and Nina captured our bookish hearts.
Here's what the shadow panel had to say about The Bookish Life of Nina Hill:
I am going to start off... by proudly declaring myself as a Nina Hill super fan! I absolutely love her! From the first page to the last word, every sentence made me smile, laugh and sigh with happiness. Nina is in one word perfection. – Susan from BooksAreMyCwtches
I truly loved The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Abbi has developed a fictional character that I wished was real and that I could be friends with. The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill is such a feel good, uplifting novel... you’ll find it difficult not to smile, giggle and just feel happy while delving into the life of Nina – Danielle from The Reading Closet
Books about books are my kryptonite... There are humorous moments... raising wry smiles and laughs... A lovely, warm read, filled with characters to amuse.– Janet Emson at From First Page to Last
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a warm, amusing, insightful novel that I completely loved. Nina is such an amazing character... It was great to see an introvert take centre stage... You will also giggle along at her view on life, it certainly gives you that feel-good factor. – Stacey at Whispering Stories
Nina Hill sparkles because of her wit and smart one liners – her ability to comment with the perfect line with perfect timing means this novel zings off the page. – Clare at Years of Reading Selfishly
The Shadow Panel's runner-up is...
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (Quercus)
The panel loved this accessible romantic comedy with a clever story which addresses some serious relationship issues. It's a book that has a wide appeal and it's one you could give to a friend going through similar problems, hoping that they'd see themselves in it while also enjoying a fun read.
Here's what the Shadow Panel had to say about The Flatshare:
What I loved about this book was that it was raw and had some hard-hitting issues and whilst they were dealt with using a lot of compassion, there were also lots of hilarious moments to keep you smiling too. – Stacey at Whispering Stories
I practically inhaled this book... I loved this from the opening pages to the last post it note. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it. A funny, warm, encompassing read. – Janet at From First Page to Last
The Flatshare shows that you can read a romantic, comedic novel that will turn all the cliches on its head, but at the same time it is whip-smart, genuinely funny, and made me wish I had a Leon of my own in my life. – Clare at Years of Reading Selfishly
...deeply moving, relevant and funny and joylessly uplifting! What makes Flatshare such a wonderful read is the warmth that permeates the story and the humour that stops it becoming dark. – Susan at Books Are My Cwtches
Beth O’Leary has written a brilliantly uplifting rom-com that will have you smiling until your cheeks ache and possibly spraying coffee out of your nose all over your kindle / paperback due to all the hilarious and cringy situations both Leon and Tiffy get themselves into. – Danielle at The Reading Closet
And there you have it. The CWIP Shadow Panel have chosen their Winner and Runner-Up.
Do you agree with their picks? Have you read them? Which books would you choose?
And will their choices be the same as the Celebrity Judges?
You can find out tonight on our CWIP YouTube Channel Here's your invite & we'll see you there!
Thank you so much to Clare, Danielle, Janet, Stacey and Susan for being such an incredible group of readers and bloggers. You've been such wonderfully enthusiastic book champions for the shortlisted authors and CWIP Prize and we have loved having you be a part of Team CWIP this year.
We hope you enjoy the Winners' Event this evening & we will see you again soon!
Lots of love from Helen & everyone at CWIP xxx